What Are the Different Types of Safety Valves Available on the Market?

Within many industrial and mechanical systems, safety valves are essential for preventing hazardous overpressure conditions. These mechanical devices are engineered to automatically discharge fluid or gas from a system when internal pressure exceeds a predetermined limit, preventing damage to connected equipment like pipelines, boilers, pressure vessels, and process systems. In this blog, we will explore some of the many different safety valves available on the market today, providing a clear understanding of how they function and which types may be most appropriate for your operational needs.

Spring-Loaded Safety Valves

Spring-loaded safety valves use a spring to hold the valve disc in place until the internal pressure overcomes the spring tension, causing the disc to lift and relieve pressure. Once pressure returns to safe levels, the spring reseats the disc to seal the valve again. Offering compact design and fast actuation, spring-loaded safety valves are a staple in many applications.

Common Spring-Loaded Valve Subtypes

Balanced Bellows Valves: Designed to eliminate the effects of back pressure, this variant uses a bellows to isolate the spring from system fluid. This ensures consistent opening and closing pressure even under varying conditions.

Soft-Seated Valves: These valves involve a soft sealing element such as PTFE or elastomer to achieve tight shutoff, finding their use in applications where minimal leakage is a top priority.

Pilot-Operated Safety Valves

Pilot-operated safety valves utilize system pressure itself to control valve opening. A small pilot valve regulates the main valve based on system pressure, which enables higher set pressure and greater control. As such, these valves are favored in large-scale applications like chemical plants or refineries for their reliability in high-pressure environments. In addition, they boast a compact form relative to their high capacity and improved sealing performance under steady-state conditions.

Deadweight Safety Valves

Used primarily in low-pressure systems, deadweight safety valves rely on weights placed on a lever or disc to hold the valve shut. Should internal pressure exceed the weight’s force, the valve lifts. While these valves are not suitable for rapid pressure fluctuations, their simple mechanical design offers low maintenance and is often preferred where power-independent operation is needed. Aside from specific scenarios that benefit from such features, deadweight safety valves are most often seen in older steam systems or legacy infrastructure.

Power-Actuated Safety Valves

These valves use external power sources—such as electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic actuators—to control valve operation. Unlike other types that rely fully on mechanical elements, power-actuated safety valves can be integrated with smart system monitoring for precise release timing. Due to this ability, they are prized in applications that require remote activation or enhanced control logic, such as advanced oil and gas systems or aerospace testing facilities. However, reliance on power sources can be a limitation during system outages, so redundancy is often built in through backup manual overrides, secondary actuation systems, or battery-supported control circuits.

Temperature and Pressure Relief Valves

Also referred to as T&P valves, these safety devices are designed to react to excessive temperature and pressure simultaneously. Their dual-activation mechanism consists of a thermal element that expands at high temperatures and a pressure-sensitive spring. If either parameter exceeds safe thresholds, the valve opens to discharge contents, effectively preventing tank rupture or explosion. As a result, these variants are commonly found in water heaters, boilers, and storage tanks, where both parameters must be carefully managed.

Secure Reliable Safety Valves with Rapid NSN

On Rapid NSN, an ASAP Semiconductor website, we provide access to a wide range of safety valves and related components. Our extensive inventory is organized using familiar classifications, such as manufacturer and NSN part type lists, making your part number search quick and efficient. Moreover, with a commitment to supplying only vetted NSN manufacturer parts, we ensure our customers receive quality-assured components without compromising on competitive pricing and rapid delivery timelines. When you need trustworthy procurement solutions for any operational requirements, let Rapid NSN be yourgo-to resource.