A bleed valve is used in mechanical engineering as a valve that relieves pressure and as a way of releasing gases that are built up in liquids.
It can serve as an important safety mechanism in both of these uses. When most people look at the operations of a gas drilling rig or a machine using hydraulic pressure, they mostly see large, complicated machinery with moving parts operated by people wearing hard hats and protective gear.
They rightly assume that the machines are potentially dangerous because of the need for protective hats and clothing. But to put the machines and the job of running them in the proper context, you have to give considerable weight to the word “potentially”.
Designed with Human Lives as the First Priority
Certain jobs are more dangerous than others. And the more moving heavy machinery involved in a job, the more dangerous it’s considered to be. This is especially true when viewed by outsiders who don’t understand the machinery’s purpose or how it works.
The truth is, on most sites where mechanical engineering plays a significant role, safety plays a much larger role than most people would think.
Keeping the people alive who make the machines operate is the first priority in engineering. Engineers and technicians who are injured on the job are most often hurt because the machine suffers a structural failure. And a broken machine causes a breakdown in operations and a loss in revenue.
It’s a circular issue. Keep the operators safe, and they can keep the machines performing well to avoid any accidents that might injure the operators. And that brings us to the function of the bleed valve and many other safety measures like it.
Keeping Things in Check
The heavy industry production machines of the past used to be much more dangerous than modern machines. The focus on human rights was partially responsible for many of the much-needed improvements that have taken place since the start of the industrial revolution.
But it’s also safer to work around these large machines because the owners of the factories and the design engineers have realised that it’s simply not cost-effective to push a machine too hard.
Pushing a machine to the point of stress may earn the company more money for a short period, but it’s not sustainable over the long run.
It’s better to have the mechanisms in place to allow the operators to keep a machine from working too hard and damaging itself. So, designers have built mechanisms like bleed valves, pressure releases, and clutches into machines for decades.
Buy the Best Safety Fittings
Businesses have been established that create finely-designed and manufactured fittings whose purpose is only to provide a measure of safety to a machine’s operation. Owners and operators have come to trust the quality of these fittings with their lives.
In Malaysia, SimlecCo is a company that creates these quality engineered products. For components like stainless steel tubing, bleed valves, braided hoses and other machine accessories, contact SimlecCo when your operations depend on using the best.
