USED FOR:
Testing of valves: Fire type-testing requirements
Qualifying valves as “fire-safe” for use in hydrocarbon service where fire exposure is a credible scenario.
RELATED STANDARDS:
- API 607 “Fire Test for Quarter-turn Valves and Valves Equipped with Nonmetallic Seats”
- API 6FA “Specification for Fire Test for Valves”
- BS 6755-2 “Testing of valves – Specification for fire type-testing requirements (superseded by ISO 10497)”
- ASME B16.34 “Valves – Flanged, Threaded, and Welding End”
DIMENSIONAL RANGE:
This isn’t a dimensional standard in the classic NPS/DN sense: the performance requirements are stated as applying regardless of valve size or pressure rating, rather than being tabulated against a size range. What actually varies with size is the qualification approach, since testing every size individually isn’t practical: under ISO 10497 (aligned with API 607), a single tested valve size can qualify a range of larger sizes in the same design line, for instance, valves above NPS 12 are commonly qualified using an NPS 8 test specimen, a coverage rule that’s notably less conservative than the one used in API 6FA. The standard does fix numeric acceptance limits, though, such as maximum through-seat and external leakage rates scaled to the test valve’s own size, which is the real quantitative “envelope” we check against.
DESCRIPTION:
Specifies the fire test method and acceptance criteria a valve with an elastomeric or soft seat must pass to be classified fire-safe — essentially, the valve must maintain a defined level of shell integrity and seat tightness through a simulated fire and subsequent cooldown.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Fire-safe certification applies to a specific valve design, size, and material combination as tested. it is not automatically transferable to a different size in the same product line without extrapolation rules being satisfied.
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