The Dead Weight safety valve
consists of a valve V which is made of gun metal to prevent
rusting. It rests on the gun metal seat S and is fixed to the
top of a vertical steam pipe P. The pipe has a flange F at the
bottom for fixing at the top of the boiler shell.
A weight carrier C is
suspended from the top of the boiler. It carries cast iron rings (i.e.,
weight W). the total weight must
be sufficient to the keep the valve on its seat against the normal working
pressure.
When the steam pressure in
the boiler exceeds the normal working pressure, it lifts the valve with its
weight. The excess steam therefore escapes through the pipe to the atmosphere,
until the pressure reaches its normal value.
It is the simplest type of
safety valve; it is suitable for stationary boilers only, because it cannot
withstand the jerks and vibration of mobile (marine) boilers. Another
disadvantage of this valve is the heavy weight required to balance the steam
pressure. Hence, it is not suitable for high pressure boilers.