Evaluation and Testing of Pressure Relief Valves (PRVs) for Refuge Alternatives Subjected to Explosive Forces

Research to date by NIOSH suggests that the design and the implementation of refuge alternatives (RA) pressure relief valves (PRVs) have not yet had sufficient performance analysis. No research has been performed on PRVs to study their behavior when subjected to 103 kPa (15 psi) impulse overpressure. Also, PRVs survivability and valve design reliability have not been addressed yet. The proposed project is focusing on RA, PRVs survivability evaluation and analysis through physical testing and numerical modeling of different valves design under explosive conditions.