A process engineer discovers that a relief-valve calculation used the wrong reaction heat and the installed valve may be undersized. Startup is scheduled. The engineer should:
- (A)Document the error, notify responsible management, and withhold approval until the hazard is resolved
- (B)Approve startup because the valve has not yet failed
- (C)Delete the calculation and repeat it after startup
- (D)Let the equipment vendor decide without disclosing the error
Show worked solution
Answer: (A)
A credible overpressure protection deficiency must be disclosed and resolved before professional startup approval.
Reaction heat directly affects runaway relief load, making the discovered input error material to safety.
A corrected independent relief calculation can verify capacity before startup and create an auditable decision basis.
FE Reference Handbook — Ethics: Public Safety and Objective Reporting
Why the other choices appear
- (B)Absence of a prior failure does not establish adequate relief capacity for a known scenario.
- (C)Deleting the calculation conceals evidence and allows an unresolved public-safety risk.
- (D)Vendor input may help, but the engineer must disclose the basis error and ensure responsible resolution.