Active Passive Fire Protection Systems

Course: ChE 6204

Fire Protection and Safety

MSc in Occupational and Process Safety (OPS)

Dr. Md Easir Arafat Khan

Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University
of Engineering and Technology (BUET)
Email: [email protected]
www.eakhan.com www.cpisafety.com

Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 General Design Guidance

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 Activation Systems
• The two main type of activation systems for desired
mitigation are:
– Automatic
– Manual
• The general design criteria can be used for most fire
protection system design and provides information for
use when considering all aspects of fire protection

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 Automatic Activation

• It is a system where fire protection devices are

integrated with a detection system designed to
automatically activate upon sensing fire
• Advantages:
– Minimizing response time delay
– Significant reduction in the chance of larger fire

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 Automatic Activation (II)

Disadvantage:
– Faults in the detection or logic associated with the system
there is potential of unwanted activations which can result in
damage
– The damage may be extended to to shutdown of production
and require the fire protection systems to be recharged
– Failure of the detection system or activation system may lead
to compromise of the automated system

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 Manual Activation

• Requires a person to activate the system by pushing a

button or opening a valve in response to either an
observation of a fire or a signal from detection systems
• Advantage:
– Lower cost of installation and maintenance
– Lower complexity

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 Manual Activation (II)

Disadvantages:
– Liable to significant delays in activation due to reliance
on human actions
– Delays may lead to growth of fire and associated
damage
– Delays may be exacerbated by the tendency of having
fewer operators in the field

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 Active Fire Protection

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 Manually Activated System

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 Points to Consider When Deciding System (I)

Automatic activation system

– Increased cost due to inclusion of activation system
– Additional maintenance required
– Damage that could occur due to abnormal activation

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 Points to Consider When Deciding System (II)

Manual activation system:

– Additional emergency response capability may be required
because fire may escalate or be larger
– Surveillance capability
– Availability of personnel
– If a delay in activation occurs, the fire may be larger and
longer

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 Isolation

• Process fires may continue until:

– Flow of fuel/fuel is exhausted
– Fire is extinguished
• Isolation valves are used to reduce or isolate
inventories of flammable gases or liquids

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 Isolation Valves

• Isolation valves may be located near:

– Property line
– Edge of a process unit
– Liquid outlet of a vessel
• Valves should be installed on all hazardous materials
lines entering or leaving the facility
• Valves should be near the battery limit of each unit or
dike walls for safety and ease of access

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 Valve – E.g.

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 Valves - Considerations

• Unit isolation valves should be clearly identified and

installed in easily accessible locations that are at a safe
distance
• Generally 25 to 50 ft provides an acceptable separation
distance
• Isolation valves can be used for turnaround purposes and
should be located near ground levels

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 Valves Considerations

• Equipment associated with large inventories (> 5000

gallons) should be provided with emergency isolation
valves
• The decision to add emergency isolation depends on
the flammability of has, its pressure, the quantity of
gas and associated piping and vessels

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 Isolation Valves Operational Modes

Isolation valves are operated in four modes:

– Remote automatic
– Local Automatic
– Remote manual
– Local Manual

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 Remote Mode

• Based on a sensing element logic solver and output

signal to close the valve
• In mist cases automatic valves are designed to fail
safe
• Automatic isolation can be associated with the
automatic activation of a shutdown system for
equipment or process unit

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 Local Mode

• Isolation valves may be automatic but locally

actuated
• Actuation device may be a fusible link or fusible
tubing arrangement

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 Remote Manual and Local Manual

• Remote manual – Unit or equipment isolation valves may be at

elevated locations
• Valves are activated manually from a remote location
• Local Manual: Manual unit or equipment isolation valves
operated by a handle or actuator
• Typically single action actuators powered by air or spring to
close design
• Isolation valves should be clearly identified by sign or color

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 Depressurization
• When the shell of a vessel is exposed to extreme heat on
the outside and contains vapor, metal temperatures may
reach levels where tensile strength is reduced which may
lead to rupture
• This may happen before the set point of the pressure relief
valve is reached
• Vapor depressurizing provides fire protection for process
units by reducing the contained pressure at a high rate

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 Depressurization (II)
• There is a significant reduction in the chance of rupture
of any steel pressure vessel exposed to fire
• The driving force behind pressure jet flames is rapidly
decreased
• The leakage rate of liquid spills decreases allowing for
containment of pool fires

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 Advantages of Using Vapor Depressuring
• Autorefrigeration effect may be produced in a pressure vessel
which provides cooling of liquid contained in the vessel
• The need for a liquid blowdown system is eliminated. By retaining
liquid in the vessel as a heat sink any increase in temperature of
the wetted shell is minimized
• It should be noted that Vapor Depressuring may not be practical
when the vessel design pressure is less than 100 psig because
valves and piping can become unreasonably large or costly

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 Approved / Listed Equipment
• Approved of listed equipment for fire service is generally
understood to mean acceptable to the authority having
jurisdiction
• AHJ includes organization or individuals that are
reasonable for accepting equipment, materials, an
installation or procedure
• AHJ could be a fire marshal, insurance company, owner
or some other organization

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 Listing Organization
• Listed equipment is typically defined as materials have
been tested to a standard by an organization that is
acceptable to the AHJ
• Listing organization such as:
• Underwriters laboratories
• Factory Mutual
• They maintain a periodic audit of listed equipment or
materials to ensure that they meet the standards

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 Listed Equipment - Standardization
• Important for demonstrating that fire protection system
components can function in accordance with
requirements
• High level of reliability
• Traced back to a standardized test protocol
• Listing is a expensive process for manufacturers and the
market for this larger equipment is relatively small and
not economically justifiable

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 Qualification and Competence of Personnel
• The competence of personnel who select, design, install test and
maintain protection system s is the ultimate factor that control the
effectiveness and reliability of fire protection systems
• Personnel who are involved:
– Fire protection engineer
– Facility personnel for inspection
– Facility personnel who perform testing and maintenance
– Service companies

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 Fire Protection Engineer

• Engineer should be knowledgeable and trained in fire

protection
• Should preferably be a registered engineer and be
available to review fire protection designs
• Fire safety, loss prevention or process safety engineers
should assist in the hazard analysis, selection of protection
systems, approvals and acceptance testing

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 Personnel Performing Fire Protection Inspections
• Personnel who perform inspections on fixed fire
protection
• Should have knowledge about systems and received
training and inspection protocols
• Facility personnel may be operations, maintenance,
security or fire protection personnel or others assigned by
management

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 Facility Personnel Performing Testing and Maintenance

• Facility personnel who perform testing and maintenance on

equipment
• Should be trained, experienced and knowledgeable in
systems and protocols
• Knowledge includes work history, education experience,
craft certification, manufacturer certification, field verification
and job assessment and testing
• Facility personnel may be pump mechanics, pump fitters,
instrument technicians etc.

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 Fire Protection Service Companies
• Many facility outsource all or part of the design,
installation and maintenance functions to engineering
and fire protection service companies
• Important that the outside service company meet the
facility pre qualification criteria
• Service company should be able to provide evidence that
personnel performing design, installation and
maintenance are qualified to perform work

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 Life Safety

• Life safety addresses construction, protection and

occupancy features in building to minimize danger from
fire, smoke, fumes and panic
• NFPA 101 – The life safety code can be utilized
• NFPA 101 is primarily designed for life safety
• Life safety benefits that are achieved from the property
protection features provided, or vice versa

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 Life Safety - Buildings
• Building can include office, laboratory, control building,
warehouse, maintenance and open/closed structures
• Life safety features that apply begin with classification of
structure
• Combination of hazards of contents and occupancy
• Hazard contents are low, ordinary or high depending on
amount and type of the fuel

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 Occupancy Classifications
Assembly
Educational
Healthcare
Detention and correctional
Residential
Mercantile
Business
Industrial
Storage
Mixed occupancies

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 Classification According to NFPA 101

• General industrial occupancy – ordinary and low

hazards in building of conventional design suitable
for various types of processes
• Special purpose industrial occupancy – ordinary or
low hazards designed for low density of employee
population with much of the area occupied by
vessels, equipment piping or machinery

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 Classification by NFPA 101

• High hazard industrial occupancy – High hazard

materials or processes or high hazard contents
• May contain significant fire and explosion hazards
• Open structures – Structures supporting equipment or
operations
• Found in refineries, chemical processing or power plants
• Roofs or canopies without enclosing walls

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 Exits and Arrangements
• For open ground level processing areas, the provision is simple
• No specific codes and standards
• Common practice dictates equipment, vessel and piping
arrangement, reasonably straight pathways should be provided
through the processing area to its perimeter
• Pathways should allow egress in two different directions
• Should have adequate illumination and avoid proximity with
hazards

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 Important Definitions
• Common path of travel – The portion of the route to an
exit access that must be traversed before the two
separate and distinct path of travels to two separate
exits are available
• Dead end – A potential corridor, area or path of travel
that has no opportunity for exit at its end, forcing a
person to retrace the path travelled to again reach a
choice of egress routes to an exit

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 Exit Guidelines
• Common paths of travels and deadends cannot exceed
50 feet and are prohibited in high hazard occupancies
• An exception is for specially protected industrial
occupancies protected by automatic fixed fire protection
to be up to 100 ft
• At least two means of egress are required for every level,
story or section of a process structure

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 Low Hazard Structures
• Structures which do not handle flammable or combustible
materials
• If the travel distance to the exit or stair does not exceed:
• 50 feet
• 100 feet (with automatic fixed fire protection)
• Levels, floors or platforms with an area less than 200ft2 if the
travel distance to the exit or stair does not exceed 25 feet
• If occupied by not more than 3 persons

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 Exit Guidelines
• The two means of egress should be separated from each
other
• Stairway entrances should be separated by the following
minimum distances:
– With automatic fixed fire protection (1/2x) diagonal dimension
– Without automatic fixed fire protection, (1/3X) diagonal
dimension

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 Ladders
• Properly designed ladders are recognized and allowed as the
primary and possibly only egress from certain locations
• Locations may include – towers and columns, tops of horizontal
vessels, tops of smaller vertical cylindrical tanks, platforms
mounted on the sides of vessels or equipment, platforms around
machinery
• Ladders are permitted as second means of egress from area not
considered high hazard or not occupied by more than three
people

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 Ladders

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 Enclosed Process Structure
• In special purpose industrial and high , every hazard
industrial occupancies where unprotected vertical
openings exist, every floor level must have direct access to
enclosed stairs
• Enclosed process structures any inside stairs that serve as
an exit or exit component require enclosure to provide
personnel protection from fire and smoke during
emergency egress

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 Enclosed Structures (II)
Fire resistive rating requirements
– 3 stories or less – at least 1 hour fire resistance rating
– 4 stories or more – at least a 2 hour fire resistance rating
For enclosed process structure, open outside stairs may
be used for an exit but require protective separation
from the interior of the building by walls

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 Enclosed Process Structures

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 Specific Guidance | Open vs Closed Structures

Enclosed structures should consider the following

– Forced ventilation to limit hazardous gas concentrations
– Fixed fire protection systems
– Safe personnel emergency escape routes
– Solid versus grating floors within the enclosed space
process structures

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 Open Facilities
• Outdoor facilities are preferable for processing
significant quantity of hazards
• Outdoor releases in an outdoor location or open process
structure are more readily dispersed
• Greater ease of personnel egress in a typical open
structures
• Runoff from firefighting is more readily accommodated

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 Process Structure Design Impacts

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 Tanks and Fire Potential (I)

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 Tanks and Fire Potential (II)

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 Protection Measures for Atmospheric Tanks (I)

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 Protection Measures for Atmospheric Tanks (II)

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 Protection Measures for Atmospheric Tanks (III)

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 Situations Requiring Special Consideration

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 Unstable and Reactive Chemicals

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 Separation Distances for Outdoor Idle Pallet Storage

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 Cooling Tower Protection and Spacing

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 FIRE PROTECTION AND SAFETY

Active/Passive Fire Protection Systems

Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 References
• UK health and safety executive (retrieved from
:http://www.hse.gov.uk/comah/sragtech/techmeasfire.htm)
• Guidelines for fire protection in chemical, petrochemical and hydrocarbon
processing facilities, AICHE,CCPS, 2003 (All tables are sourced from this
reference)
• Handbook of fire and explosion protection engineering principles: for Oil
and Gas, Chemical and Related facilities, Dennis P.Nolan, Elsevier 2014

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 Introduction

• The duty of the fire protection system is to:

– Extinguish the fire
– Control the fire
– Provide exposure protection to prevent domino effects
• The general principle for the protection system it should be an
effective and practical plan for the containment and fighting of
fires on its process installations

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 Active and Passive Protection

• Active protection: Use of water sprinkler and spray systems

widely used in the process industries for protection of storage
vessels, plants loading installations and warehouses
• Passive protection – Provide an effective alternative to active
systems for protecting against vessel failure. This generally
consists of a coating of fire resistant insulating media applied to
a vessel or steel surface

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 General Principles for Determining Fire Protection
Measures (I)

• Fire hazard posed by substance

• Toxicity of substances and the smoke produced
• Inventory Size
• Frequency of hazardous installations

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 General Principles for Determining Fire Protection
Measures (II)

• Distance to other hazardous installations

• Available access to fight fire
• Fire fighting capability of on site emergency response
team
• Response time of nearest fire brigade
• Resources available to fire brigade

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 Active Protection Systems
Selection of the media will depend on the duty
Types of fire fighting media
– Water
– Foams
– Inert gases
– Chemical Powders
– Halons

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 Considerations – Media Selections

• Water is not recommended as a extinguishing media for low flash

point liquids
• Foam is more effective extinguishing media for low flash point
substances and is widely used against liquid fires
• Various types of foams are available – most widely used is protein
foam
• Alcohol resistant foams have been developed to give improved
extinguishing properties

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 Other Agents
• Some other agents used for fire suppression are:
– Inert gases
– Chemical powders
– Halogen based gases
• The above are more exotic but used in special cases such as enclosure of a
gas turbine, or for the protection of switch rooms and panels
• There has been movement away from halons because of the potential effect on
the ozone layer and other environmental effects

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 Passive Fire Protections
Passive fire protections systems include:
– Mortar based coating
– Intumescent coating
– Sublimation coating
– Mineral Fibre matting
– Earth mounds

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 Portable Fire Extinguishers
• The objective for providing portable fire extinguishers to have an
available supply of plentiful extinguishers that can be easily used
in the early stages of a fire growth
• Portable fire extinguishers are classified by expected application
on a specific type of fire and the expected area of suppression
• The types of fires are grouped according to the type of material
burning

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 Types of Fires
• Class A fires : Ordinary combustibles such as wood cloth
and paper
• Class B fires : Flammable liquids, oils and grease burning
• Class C fires: Fires involving live electrical equipment
• Class D fires: Fires involving combustible metals such as
magnesium, potassium and odium

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 Extinguishers for Class A Fire
• Class A extinguishers are usually based on water
• Water provides a heat absorbing cooling effect on
the burning material to extinguish the fire
• Pressurized water extinguishers use air under
pressure to expel the water which is directed with a
short hose

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 Extinguishers for Class B Fires

• Class B fires are put out by excluding air

• The main types of reagents used are carbon dioxide, dry
chemicals and foam waters for fires involving flammable liquids
greases and oils
• Carbon dioxide is a compressed gas agent
• The two types of chemical extinguishers are one that contain
sodium potassium bicarbonate and the ones which use
potassium bicarbonate and potassium chloride base agents

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 Extinguishers for Class C Fires

• The extinguishing agent in a class C fire extinguisher must be

electrically non conductive
• Carbon dioxide and dry chemicals can be used for electrical fires
• An advantage of carbon dioxide is that it leaves no residue after
the fire is extinguished
• When electrical equipment is not energized extinguishers for
class A or B fires may be used

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 Extinguishers for Class D Fires
• A heat absorbing extinguishing medium is needed for
fires in combustible metals
• Extinguishing medium must not react with the burning
metals
• Extinguishing agents known as dry powders cover the
burning metal and provide a smothering blanket

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 General Guidelines for Fire Extinguishers
• Extinguishing label provides operating instructions and
identifies the class or classes of the fire
• Portable fire extinguishers should be positioned in all
process facility areas so that the travel distance to any
extinguisher is a maximum of 15m
• They are generally sited on main walkways or exits from an
area near the high hazard
• They are mounted so individuals can easily retrieve them

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 Design | Water Suppression Systems

• Water is the most useful and vital suppression system

• It has enormous heat absorption properties – 3.8 litres of
water absorbs 1512 kCal of heat
• Steam created by water evaporation expands to about
17000 times its volume in open atmosphere thereby
limiting combustion processes by displacing oxygen in
the area

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 Water Supplies
• Water supplies can be public water mains, storage
tanks, lake, river etc.
• If a short life span is expected, short life span corrosion
resistant materials may be used ( carbon steel,
galvanized steel) etc.
• Most process facilities areas and high volume storage
areas have standard minimum supply of of FOUR hours
firewater

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 Fire Pumps
• Fire protection water pumping systems are almost universally
required to be installed according to NFPA 20
• They are inspected according to NFPA 25
• Pump sizes depend on the water requirements to suppress the
hazards
• The preferred driver for fire pumps at most process facilities is by an
electric motor or alternatively an electric motor and one prime mover
standby unit

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 Fire Pumps

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 Fire Pumps

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 Fire Pumps General Guidelines

• To avoid common failure incidents – prime mover and

backup pumps should not be located immediately next o
each other and ideally should be housed at separate
locations at the facility
• They should feed into the distribution system at different
points
• Generally a single fire water tank would suffice with the siting
of all the pumps close to the tank

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 Fire Pumps Location Guidelines
• The firewater pumps should be located as remote from the
facility as feasible
• It should be a higher elevation in the upwind direction
• In a review of one hundred major petroleum industry fires,
the failure of the firewater pump was a major contributor to
ensuring large scale destruction of the facility for 12 of the
incidents

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 Firewater Pumps | Metallurgy
• The metallurgy of the pump depends on the type of water
used
• For fresh water – cast iron with bronze internals may be
used
• Brackish or seawater require highly specialized materials
• Typical metals include ally bronze, Monel, Ni resistant
alloy or duplex steels

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 Fire Water Pumps | Types
• Onshore firewater pumps – Horizontal centrifugal pump with a
relatively flat performance curve (pressure vs volume)
• Offshore facility – Shaft driven, hydraulic drive and
submersible pump
• Shaft driven pumps have historically been used extensively
offshore
• Hydraulic calculations for offshore pump installations must
remember to account for wave and tide fluctuation

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 Offshore/Open Body Pumps | Precautions

• In fire pump installations in open bodies, the activity of

underwater diver operations must be taken into consideration
• Underwater diving operations occur routinely at the structural
support for corrosion monitoring and safety inspections etc.
• The high water current at the intake to the submerged pump
poses a safety hazard to the divers as they may be pulled into
this intake

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 Importance of Fire Water Pump Placement

• During the operation of the Piper alpha platform it was

common practice to switch the fire pump to manual
startup mode (For diving operations)
• This was the case on the night the installation was
destroyed by the fire and explosions

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 Piper Alpha Fire and Explosion

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 Firewater Pumps Operations

• All fire water pumps should be able to be started from remote

activation switches located in manned control rooms, but
shutdown should be accomplished at the pump itself
• Depending on the number of pumps available they should be
sequentially be setup decreasing fire main pressure set points
• They should be coordinated to start in sequence as an
immediate startup of all pumps may lead to damage of the
system

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 Jockey Pumps

• Small capacity pumps provided to compensate for

small leakages and incidental usage without main
pump startup
• They are set to start at 0.70 to 1.05 Kg/Sq.cm. above
the startup of the main water pumps
• Jockey pumps should no t be credited for fire water
supply when calculating available water supplies

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 Verification of Fire Water Pumps
• Testing should be done to ensure adequate performance during
emergency
• Techniques include audits, insurance surveys and local
maintenance requirements
• Predictive maintenance can be performed before the firewater
pumps reduce flow or pressure performance levels requiring
removal
• The size of the flow in the test piping should account for the
maximum flowrate of the unit not just its rated capacity

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 Fire Pump Standards

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 Firewater Distribution Systems
• Distribution system needs to be designed to incorporate
redundancy
• This is accomplished by a looped network of pipes and isolation
valves at strategic locations
• A loop network should be provided around each process area
• For onshore facilities – the piping is normally buried for protection
purposes
• Offshore it should be routed behind structural members for
protection against fire and explosion

94 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Fire Water Distribution System

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 Sizing of Distribution Systems
• Sizing of piping is based on hydraulic analysis of the worst
case credible event (ECCE)
• The main delivery pipe should be sized to provide 150
percent of the design flow rate
• A residual pressure flow requirements at the most remote
process area or storage location from the supply location
indicates the sizing of the remaining system

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 Fire Water Control and Isolation

• Firewater control valves need to be tested to a

recognizable standard
• All fixed fire suppression system control valves should
be location out of the hazard area
• For high hazard area such as offshore facilities, a dual
feeds to fire suppression system should be considered

97 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Test Standards for Fire Protection Valves

98 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Sprinkler System
• Wet and dry pipe sprinkler ate commonly provided to
indoor occupancies such as warehouses, repair shops
and inspection shops
• They are considered essentially 100 percent effective
for fire suppression if properly maintained and the
hazard has not changed since original design
• NFPA 13 is the standard that is usually mandated for
the system

99 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Fire Sprinklers

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 Fire Sprinklers

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 Water Deluge System
• Deluge system are provided where immediate water spray
coverages are needed for a large surface area, especially
for cooling purposes such as for vessels and tanks
• They are typically activated by automatic means
• Activation by manual means defeats the objective of
installing a deluge system and firewater monitors should be
provided

102 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Water Deluge System (2)
• Most deluge systems are activated by a heat
detection systems
• Usually a fusible plug pneumatic loop detection
system or UV/IR detectors are placed around the
equipment
• This ensure activation when operators are not
present and only when a real fire situation is present

103 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Water Deluge System (3)
• Vessels protected by deluge systems, the most important
points are the vessel ends, the portion of the vessel that
contains a vapor space
• Flange connections that can leak and if the vessel is
located close to the ground without good surface drainage
• The immediate underneath surface of the vessel that
would be exposed to flames from a liquid spill

104 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Water Deluge System (3)

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 Water Flooding

• Water flooding is the principle of injecting water into

the interior of a storage tank to prevent combustible
liquids from being released point or to extinguish a fire
• The principle involves filling a tank or vessel with water
so that the lighter density hydrocarbon fluids will float
in the water and only water is released from the
container

106 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Precautions for Water Flooding

• The logistics should be monitored such that while

conducting the operations there are no extraneous
problems
• Additionally, for products stored under pressure and
possibly with low temperatures, additional precautions
should be taken in advance

107 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Water Curtains
• Fire water sprays are employed as an aid to vapor dispersion
and can also mitigate available ignition sources
• Literature suggests two mechanisms for enhanced protection
• First, a water spray will start a current of air in the direction of
the spray
• The force of water en-gulfs the air and disperses it further from
the normal circulating patterns

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 Water Curtains (2)

• The second mechanism is that a water spray will warm a

vapor to neutral or higher buoyancy to aid its natural
atmospheric dispersion characteristics
• E.G. One spray head operating at 276 kPa will move
7835 liters per second of air in a 3 m elevation.
• This movement will reduce the flammable vapor
concentration within a relatively short period

109 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Water Curtains

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 Water Curtains

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 Hydrants
• Hydrants should be considered as backup water supply source to
monitor fire suppression systems
• Hydrants should be located on the ringmain at intervals to
suitable direct fire hazard with a fire hose
• Hydrant monitor and hose reels should be placed at a minimum
of 15 meters from the hazard they protect for onshore facilities
• Off shore hydrants are located at the main access ways at the
edge of each platform for each module

112 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 FIRE & EXPLOSION ENGINEERING

Active/Passive Fire and Explosion Protection

Systems

Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Fire Protection
Blast Protection

Dr Md Easir
114 Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET
 References
• Handbook of fire and explosion protection engineering principles: for Oil and Gas,
Chemical and Related facilities, Dennis P.Nolan, Elsevier 2014
• Industrial automation and drive technologies, Products and systems for use in
hazardous areas, Brochure, November 2010,
http://www.automation.siemens.com/salesmaterialas/brochure/en/brochure_explos
ion_protection_en.pdf (accessed on 11/22/2015)
• Guidelines for fire protection in chemical, petrochemical and hydrocarbon
processing facilities, AICHE,CCPS, 2003
• References for images from internet are in the notes section

115 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Foam Suppression Systems

• Foam for fire protection are an aggregate of air filled

bubbles that float on the surface of a flammable liquid
• Foams are made from aerated water solution and a
small percentage of foam liquid concentrate
• They are used principally to form a cohesive floating
blanket on the liquid surface that extinguishes the fire
by excluding air, thus smothering and cooling the fuel

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 Foam Suppression System (II)
• Foam application also helps prevent re-ignition by averting
formation of combustible mixtures of vapor and air
• Low expansion foams are particularly suited for extinguishing
two dimensional pool (Flammable liquid fires that involve spills)
• High expansion foams are good for contained or indoor three
dimensional fires. They are also used to control LNG fires
• When fire involves polar or water miscible liquids only foams
compatible with such liquids are used

117 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Types of Foams

• Fluoroprotein foams – Available as concentrates for

3 to 6% proportioning with water
• Proportioners must be designed properly as the to
meter the concentration of the foam to be used
• Fluoroprotein foam is produced through the
turbulent mixing of atmospheric air into the foam
solution

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 Types of Foams

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 Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF)
• Air foams generated by AFFF solutions possess a low viscosity
and have fast spreading leveling and self sealing properties
• AFFF acts as a surface barrier to limit fuel vaporization and
exclude air
• Foam blanket should cover the entire surface of the spill
• AFFF concentrates and protein and fluoroprotein concentrates
should not be mixed since they are incompatible

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 AFFF Concentrates - Guidelines
• AFFF concentrates should not be used with water miscible or
polar solvents unless they are alcohol resistant type
• The solubility must be checked before usage
• The concentrates have component which may react with polar
solvents and form a plastic film
• Greater concentrations and application rates are required when
combating water miscible and polar liquids than are required
when combating hydrocarbon fires

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 High Expansion Foams
• High expansion foam is made from synthetic foam concentrate
• The foam equipment operates by passage of air or other has
through a screen or net that is wetted by the foam solution
• Foam expansion ratios of 100:1 to 1000:1 can be obtained
• The foam is particularly well for class A or class B fires in
buildings, warehouse pits etc.

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 Halon
• Halogenated extinguishing agents are hydrocarbon where one or
more hydrogen atoms is replaced by Fluorine, chlorine, bromine
or iodine atom
• The substituted atom is not only rendered non flammable, but it
acts as a very efficient chain breaking agent for many of the
reactions occur during combustion
• The Montreal protocol of September 1987 restricts the production
of halon extinguishing agents most notably halon 1301

123 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Carbon Dioxide

• Non corrosive, electrically nonconductive and residue freeze that will

not freeze or deteriorate with age
• CO2 is stored in liquid form for low pressure system and gaseous for
high pressure systems
• It is used extensively to protect high valuable equipment
• It is a asphyxiate, a respiratory stimulant and a depressant of the
nervous system - alarms, warning signs and oxygen sensors are
required for a safe system

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 Carbon Dioxide

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 Dry Chemicals

The three most common are

– Sodium bicarbonate
– Potassium bicarbonate (Purple K)
– Monoammonium phosphate

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 Dry Chemicals

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 Clean Agents
• They are nonconductive, volatile or gaseous fire extinguish
ants that do not leave a residue upon evaporation
• Clean agents: 1) Halocarbons 2) inert gases
• Typical halocarbons include HFC, HCFC, PFC, and
fluoroiodocarbons
• Typical inert gases include argon, nitrogen, carbon dioxide or a
combination of these agents

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 Typical Hazards Protected by Clean Agents

• Electrical and electronic hazards

• Subfloors and other concealed spaces
• Flammable and combustible liquids
• Telecommunication equipment hazards

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 Clean Agents SHOULD NOT be Used When

• Materials capable of rapid oxidation e.g. cellulose nitrate

and gunpowder
• Reactive metals e.g. lithium, sodium, potassium,
magnesium, titanium, zirconium, uranium and plutonium
• Metal hydrides
• Chemicals capable of decomposition e.g. organic
peroxides and hydrazine

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 Passive Protection System
Types of passive protection systems
–Spacing and layout
–Fireproofing
–Containment and drainage
–Diking
–Fire walls
–Electrical area classification
–Static electricity, lightning and stray current protection

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 Spacing and Layout (I)
• Purpose is to design a workplace that will minimize
personnel injuries, overall property damage and
related business interruption resulting from potential
toxic releases fires and explosions
• The magnitude of a incident is reduced by:
–Minimizing or eliminating piping runs through unrelated units
by locating vulnerable, interconnecting piping
–Keeping fuel separate from potential ignition sources

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 Spacing and Layout (II)
• Separating high consequences areas from high risk
operations
• Removing pumps from underneath fin fans
• Separation distances are calculated through one of two
methods – utilizing spacing tables or calculating potential
fire distances
• The spacing tables are developed based on practice,
incidents, regulatory data and engineering experience

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 Spacing Table Overview

Table 702 CCPS (2003b) provides an overview of the spacing tables

134 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET Guidelines for facility siting and layout (CCPS, 2003b) for more information
 Approach for Spacing and Layout

• Identify the hazards inherent in the process unit

• Identify the release of flammable materials that
could result from accident involving the hazards
• Calculate the fire and explosion impacts on
exposed process equipment, populations, facilities
and adjacent areas

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 Guidelines Applying to Entire Site

• Firefighting access should be provided from at least two

directions and should not require crossing an adjacent unit
• Access ways should be at least every 200 ft and at least 20 m
wide and not pass under pipe ways
• Access ways serve as firebreaks and permit firefighting from
two directions with 100ft lengths of hose
• The classification of electrical equipment should be considered
relative to the surrounding equipment and electrical plan

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 Fire Barriers

• Considered when the spacing recommended can not be met and

hazards are not easily mitigated with active fire protections
• Barriers, such as walls, partitions and floors, provide physical
separation of spaces and materials
• The effectiveness of a fire barrier is dependent on its fire
resistance, material of construction, and number of penetrations

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 Factors to Consider for Fire Barriers

• Types, quantity, density and location of combustible

materials
• Location and configuration of plant equipment
• Consequence of fire exposure on adjacent plant
equipment
• Location of fire detection and suppression systems

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 Places Where Fire Barriers are Used
• Adjacent turbine generators beneath the underside of the
operating floor
• Battery rooms from adjacent areas
• Cable spreading rooms and cable tunnels
• Control room, computer room, or combined room from
adjacent areas
• Fire water pumps from adjacent areas
• Office buildings from adjacent areas

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 Fire Proofing

• API 2218, fireproofing practices in petroleum and petrochemical

processing plants can be referenced for additional information
• Fire proofing is a fire resistant material or system that is applied to
a surface to delay heat transfer to that surface
• Passive form of fire protection, protects against the intense and
prolonged heat exposure that can cause weakening of steel and
eventual collapse of unprotected equipment

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 Determining Fireproofing Needs
• Conducting a hazard evaluation, including quantification of
inventories of potential fuels
• Developing fire scenarios, including potential release rates and
demining the dimensions of fire scenario envelopes
• Determining fireproofing needs based on the probability of an
incident considering industry experience
• Choosing the level of protection that should be provided by
fireproofing material for specific equipment based on the needs
analysis

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 Fire Scenario Envelope

• Three dimensional space into which equipment can release

flammable or combustible fluids capable of burning long enough
with enough intensity to cause substantial property damage
• Integral part of defining the fire scenario envelope is determining
the appropriate dimensions for use in planning fire protection
• For pool or spill fires the containment used are such as dikes and
curbs

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 Fire Scenario Envelope

• The required duration of the fireproofing protection is

commonly referred to as fire resistance rating
• Rating generally depend on the type and thickness of the
material and range from 1 to 4 hours
• The manufacturers of fire proofing materials provide
design criteria for given fire resistance ratings based on
fire tests

143 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Considerations to Determine Fire Resistance Rating

• Time required to provide isolation of fuel that may be released

• The availability and capacity of an uninterrupted water supply
• The time required to apply adequate, reliable cooling from
fixed water spray systems or fixed monitors including response
time for personnel to operate them
• Response time and capability of plant or other fire brigades
• Time required for the area’s drainage

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 Time Temperature Curves

145 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Testing for Fire Proofing Systems
Test procedures used to simulate real fires are:
• IL 1709
• ASTM E 1529
• Developed to represent flammable liquids and pool
fires conditions
• Test procedures reach 2000F within 5 minutes and
maintain that temperature for the remainder of the test

146 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Fire Proofing Materials
• Combination of materials of various physical and
chemical properties
• Selection of fireproofing materials required care to obtain
the desired degree of protection during the service life
• Other characteristics should also be considered for
fireproofing materials

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 Selection of Fireproofing Materials (I)
• Adhesion or bonding strength and durability
• Chemical resistance
• Coefficient of expansion
• Compatibility
• Density
• Ease of application
• Fire resistance rating
• Friability

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 Selection of Fireproofing Materials (II)
• Hardness or resistance to impact
• Porosity
• Reinforcing requirements
• Resistance to thermal shock
• Specific surface preparation and support structures
• Tolerance to exposure from adjacent hot equipment
• Vibration resistance and flexural strength
• Weatherability and weight, toxicity

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 Heavy Weight Concrete

• Concrete made with portland cement having a specific

weight between 2242 and 2400 Kg/m3
• Absorbs heat of the fire when chemically bound water is
released from the crystalline structure
• Can be formed in place or sprayed pneumatically
• Corrosive effect of saline environment may affect the use of
primars or sealants

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 Advantages of Light Weight Concrete

• Easily maintained
• Durability, can withstand thermal shock or direct hose
streams
• Can withstand direct flame impingement
• Ability for most general contractors to satisfactorily apply
• Extensive proven performance for four or more hours of
protection

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 Disadvantages of Dense Concrete

• Relatively high weight

• Relatively high thermal conductivity
• Need for steel reinforcement
• The installation cost and time involved in forming in
place, especially when applied to existing facilities
• Susceptible to weathering and cracking

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 Other Fire Proofings
• Lightweight concrete
• Subliming, intumescent and ablative plastics
• Intumescent epoxy coatings
• Performed inorganic panels
• Masonry blocks and bricks
• Endothermic wrap fireproofing
• Insulation
• Magnesium oxychloride

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 Mastics
• Subliming mastics adsorb large amounts of heat as they
change directly from a solid to a gaseous state
• Intumescent mastics expand to several times their volumes
when exposed to heat and form a protective insulating ash or
char at the surface that faces the fire
• Ablative mastics adsorb heat as they lose mass through
oxidative erosion

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 Advantage of Mastics
• They can be quickly applied
• They are lightweight
• They are suitable for use on existing equipment supports that may not be able
to handle additional weight
Disadvantages
–Coating thickness and proper bonding is critical
–May shrink while drying
–Need skill for application
–Durability may vary

155 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Intumescent Epoxy Coatings
• Mix of thermally reactive chemicals in a specific epoxy matrix formulated for
fireproofing applications
• They react and emit gases which cool the surface while a low density char is
formed

Advantages
• Excellent bonding and corrosion protection while being lightweight and
durable under non fire conditions
• Flexible, tolerates vibrations, can be “designer”

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 Intumescent Epoxy Coatings (II)
Exceptional durability in severe jet fire tests
Coatings are available that provide an attractive finish appearance
Disadvantages
– Possibility of damage to the char during fire
– Need expertise in application
– May require factory certified personnel
– Potential toxicity of gases

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 Inorganic Panels
Preformed fire resistant inorganic panels cast or compressed
from inorganic substrate such as calcium silicate
Advantages:
– Clean application
– No curing time
– Disadvantages
– Labor intensive application
– More susceptible to damage than concrete

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 Masonry Blocks and Bricks
• Lightweight blast furnace slag are used
• Units laid up to staggered joints not more than 0.8cm
thick
• Joints should be fire resistant mortar
• High installation cost and fairly maintenance
requirements
• They may tend to crack and admit moisture which can
lead to serious corrosion and spalling

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 Endothermic Wrap Fireproofing
• They adsorb heat chemically generally with counter current release of water
and physically through heat adsorption by the released water
• Flexible tough inorganic sheet material with a bonded aluminum foil outer
layer
• Advantages
• Easily reentered and repaired, does not catalyze corrosion
• Can be applied directly over existing cement and can be coupled with other
fireproofing
• System needs to be weatherproofed

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 Insulation
Used for fireproofing that should be rated for 650C
minimum service
– Types of materials
– Calcium silicate
– Ceramic form
– Expanded alumina silica fiber blanket
– Foam glass
– Mineral wool block
– perlite

161 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Insulation (II)
• The surface (carbon steel) should be prepared and
painted in accordance with a manufacturer
• Minimum thickness of insulation should be 2in (5cm)
• Insulation should be jacketed with 18cr – 8 Ni stainless,
vinyl clad steel or uncoated galvanized steel
• Might not survive the high temperatures generated in
tests such as UL 1709 or ASTM E 1529

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 Consideration for Installing Fireproof Coatings (I)

• Shelf life should be determined and maintained

• Materials should be stored onsite in accordance with the
manufacturer ‘s recommendations
• Storage and shipping should be properly done
• Fire proofing materials which are directly applied should be to
proper specifications
• Some may require a controlled curing period
• Thickness should be properly considered before application

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 Explosion Protection Technology
• Explosion is the sudden chemical reaction of a combustible
substance involving the release of high energy
• Factors affecting explosion
• Combustible substance
• Oxygen
• Source of ignition

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 Protective Measures - Explosion

• Avoidance of combustible substances

• Inerting
• Limiting of the concentration
• Improved ventilation
• Secondary explosion may require if the explosion
hazard cannot be removed

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 Explosion Limits

Explosion limits are ranges of concentration where an

explosion may take place

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 Legislative Basis and Standards for Explosive Protection

• Explosive protection is regulated by the legislature of the individual

countries
• National differences in technical requirements required approvals for
explosion protected devices make significant demands primarily on
global players and require considerable overhead in development and
approval testing
• At the international level, the IEC is attempting to get closer to the aim
of a single global test and certificate

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 Standards

168 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Explosion Proof Equipment
Identification of electrical equipment for explosion proof
areas indicates the following:
• Vendor
• Designated area of use
• Gases and vapors – dusts or mines
• Types of zones where equipment can be used
• Certifications
• Data required of such a device of industrial design must be
provided

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 Locations Where Explosion Overpressure
Should Considered
• Gases stored as liquid with by refrigeration or pressure
• Flammable or combustible liquids existing above atmospheric
boiling point and maintained as a liquid because of application
of pressure
• Gases contained underpressure of 3448 kPa or more
• Any combination of vessels and piping that has the potential to
release a total volume concentration more than 907 kg

170 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Locations Where Explosion Overpressure Should Considered

• Onshore areas that are considered to have confinement

• Location that may have a manned control room less than 46 meters
• Gas compressor buildings that may be partially or fully enclosed
• Offshore structures that handle or process hydrocarbon materials

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 Explosion Protection Design Arrangements
• Explosion suppression systems are available on the
commercial market for small enclosures based on power and
gaseous inerting fire suppression agents
• For large areas a tremendous volume of suppression agent is
necessary therefore there is a point of diminishing returns
• Research indicated that small droplets spray systems can act to
reduce the rate of flame speed acceleration there the
consequential damage that could be produced

172 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Methods to Prevent Vapor Cloud Explosions

• Specific examination should be undertaken at all areas that the

hazard area classification is defined as class I, Division 1, Class II,
Division 2
Practices which can be used:
1. Enclosed spaces are avoided
2. Walls and roofs are used only where absolutely necessary
3. A minimum of six air changes per hour are provided to enclosed areas
4. Floor areas that are elevated are constructed of open grating

173 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Methods to Prevent Vapor Cloud Explosions (II)
• Area of congestion should be kept to a minimum
• Release of exposure of combustible vapors or gases to the atmosphere
should be avoided
• Waste combustible vapors should be flared or returned to the process
header
• Sealed drainage should be used with procedures to remove spills
immediately
• Gas detection should be provided
• Air or oxygen should be eliminated from the interior of process systems

174 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Methods to Prevent Vapor Cloud Explosions (III)

• Protective devices are provided outside hazardous

areas or behind protective devices
• Semi or permanently occupied buildings should be
constructed to withstand explosive overpressures
• Pressure vessel orientation should be avoided
towards critical equipment or high inventory locations

175 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Vapor Dispersion Enhancements
• Location optimized based on prevailing winds
• The prevailing winds should be analyzed and plotted on a wind
rose (diagram indicating frequency of wind in a particular direction)
• Highly volatile chemicals should be located at locations where
dispersion is easier
• Water spray system designed to disperse vapor should be
provided
• Air cooler fans which create induced air currents to provide cooling
for process requirements

176 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Example of Prevailing Winds Utilized for Facility Siting

177 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Supplementary Ventilation Systems

• Enclosed locations may be susceptible to build up of

combustible gases
• Sufficient ventilation and air changes should be
provided to prevent accumulations
• Typical examples include battery rooms, gas turbine
enclosures and offshore modules

178 Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET

 Thank you

Dr Md Easir Arafat Khan, ChE, BUET