How often should safety valves be tested manually?

Testing safety valves is a critical component of ensuring equipment reliability and safety in engineering practices. The standard for the frequency of manual testing is widely recognized to be every 30 days. This recommendation is grounded in safety regulations and industry best practices, which emphasize the importance of maintaining the operational integrity of safety valves in preventing overpressure situations.

By conducting these tests monthly, engineers can ensure that safety valves are functioning properly, allowing for timely identification of any potential issues. Regular testing helps to verify not only that the valves open at their set pressure but also that they close completely afterwards, maintaining system pressure and integrity.

Safety valves play a crucial role in protecting pressure vessels and pipelines, and their effectiveness is directly related to their operational status. Monthly testing helps maintain compliance with safety standards and mitigates risks of catastrophic failures due to malfunctioning valves.

In contrast, the other frequencies suggested, such as every 15, 60, or 90 days, do not align with established best practices and could either lead to unnecessary resource expenditure (in the case of more frequent testing) or increase the risk of failure (in the case of less frequent testing).