For liquid-packed vessels, thermal relief valves are generally characterized by the relatively small

size of the valve necessary to provide protection from excess pressure caused by thermal
expansion. In this case a small valve is adequate because most liquids are nearly
incompressible, and so a relatively small amount of fluid discharged through the relief valve will
produce a substantial reduction in pressure.

As a substance increases in temperature, it also increases in size, which causes a subsequent
increase in pressure when contained. This process, called thermal expansion, could easily
destroy equipment based on hot steam or water. In order to counteract thermal expansion,
people use thermal relief valves. These valves allow excess pressure to bleed out of a system
rather than cause an explosion. A thermal relief valve is common on many home and commercial
devices, as the law requires their use as a basic safety precaution.
Though it is called a thermal relief valve, it operates based on pressure. As temperature
increases, so does internal pressureit is this pressure that cases the valve to trigger. The
thermal relief valve entered common usage with the steam boiler, a machine that uses heat to
turn water into steam, which creates a positive pressure inside the boiler. This pressure forces
the steam out and past a wheel, which turns from the force of the passing steam. The turning
generates power, and the steam is contained, allowed to cool and put back into the boiler.
These machines were prone to overheating and explosion if not monitored very carefully. The
earliest thermal relief valves allowed the water to come out when the pressure become too high
inside the boiler. The early valves were very simple, usually relying on a plug that would be
forced up and out when the pressure became too high. Even though it was very rudimentary, this
is still the basis for many modern thermal relief valves.
A thermal relief valve varies in size based on whether it releases water or vapor. A water relief
valve is usually much smaller than a steam release valve. This is because pressure is based on
quantity. In a steam-based system, much of the volume is taken up by air, while a water system
is just water. This means to get rid of the same volume of material, a lot more air needs to be
removed.
Most of the time, a person will find a thermal relief valve on the portion of a system that relies on
hot water. While portions of systems that run on hot steam will also generate excess heat and
pressure, they are less likely to have full valve systems. When air is under enough pressure, it
reverts to a liquid; in liquid form, it takes up less space, which removes pressure. It takes a
significant amount of pressure to cause water to revert to a solid, a pressure far in excess of
most equipment. This generally makes water-based pressure more dangerous than steam-
based.