Fire protection fireproofing

Process system emergency safety features (i.e. ESD, isolation, depressurization and blowdown) should be considered the prime safeguards for loss prevention over fire protection measures (i.e. fireproofing or barriers, firewater systems, manual fire fighting). 

Ideally most oil or gas incidents will be controlled by the process shut down systems (ESD, depressurization, drainage, etc.) and hopeful the fire protection systems (fireproofing, water deluge, etc ), will not be required. However these primary fire defense systems may not be able to control fire incidents if previous explosions have previously occurred. Before any consideration of fire suppression efforts, explosion effects must first be analyzed to determine the extent of protection necessary. Most major fire incidents associated with hydrocarbon process incidents are preceded by explosion incident. 

Following an explosion incident, local fires develop which it left uncontrolled, result in a conflagration of the entire facility and its destruction. Fire protection measures are provided as required to control these occurrences. The ideal fire protection measure is one that does not require addition action to implement and is always in place. These methods are considered passive protection measures and the most familiar is fireproofing. 

Water spray systems for hydrocarbon facilities are routinely specified because of the rapid application means the system can provide and the excellent heat absorption a water based system represents. Water sprays are also used when passive fire protection measures (i.e., fireproofing, spacing, etc.) cannot practically be utilized. The key to providing an effective system is to ensure the surfaces to be protected receive adequate water densities and that the arrangements to activate the system are equally fast acting. By far the highest... 

A passive fire protection system requires no action to occur for it to function per its design intent. Examples of passive fire protection methods are fireproofing, spill containment, and physical separation of units and buildings. 

Measures to reduce the impact of fire include active and passive systems. Active systems include automatic sprinkler, water deluge, water mist, gaseous agent, dry chemical, foam, and standpipe handle systems. Passive protection is provided by fire resistive construction, including spray-applied or cementitious fireproofing of steel, concrete/masonry construction, and water-filled steel columns. Chapter 7 provides details on the design of fire protection systems. 

This section discusses basic design guidelines for fireproofing or passive fire protection in areas where flammable liquids and gases are processed, handled, and stored. API 2218, Fireproofing Practices in Petroleum and Petrochemical Processing Plants (API, 1999) can be referenced for additional information. 

Fireproofing is a fire resistant material or system that is applied to a surface to delay heat transfer to that surface. Fireproofing, a form of passive fire protection, protects against intense and prolonged heat exposure that can cause the weakening of steel and eventual collapse of unprotected equipment, vessels, and supports and lead to the spread of burning liquids and substantial loss of property. The primary purpose is to improve the capability of equipment/struc-... 

For those process vessels containing a significant quantity of flammables or heated combustibles, a combination of passive and active fire protection should be considered in addition to manual firefighting. This additional protection is usually in the form of fireproofing and fixed sprinkler or directional water spray. Additional vessel protection should be applied as follows ... 

Refrigerated vessels handling flammables should also be provided with fixed fire protection in a manner similar to that of other storage tanks and vessels. Water spray protection or fireproofing of vessel surfaces that could be fire exposed should be considered. Where fireproofing is used, it should be specified for a fire endurance rating of 1 hr. 

Jet flame contact on the shell of a vessel makes water spray cooling ineffective. The momentum and velocity of medium to large jet flames is such that they will deflect any water spray pattern and thus prevent the local application of cooling to the vessel s shell. The concentrated application of fire water by monitors can provide adequate cooling. Unwetted steel shell subjected to a jet flame can be expected to fail within 10 minutes, thus there are practical difficulties in being able to bring the necessary resources to bear in sufficient time to be effective. Therefore, fireproofing and separation distance are the fire protection options for jet fires. 

Fireproof paint is a paint which in itself does not (after application) contain any material or substance that will contribute fuel to a fire but which does not necessarily impart any fire protection to the material to which it is applied. 

A fireproof safe is to be constructed. Its walls consist of two 2-nun steel sheets with a layer of asbestos board between them. Using the chart for a slab, estimate the thickness of asbestos required to give 1 hr of fire protection on the basis that, for an outside temperature of 800 ° C, the inside temperature is not to rise above 120 ° C during this period. The heat transfer coefficient at the exterior surface is 25 W/m2 -K. 

Plasters have been in use in passive fire protection, as fireproofing products, for many decades. The finished plaster releases water vapour when exposed to flame, acting to slow the spread of the fire, for as much as an hour or two depending on thiekness. It also provides some insulation to retard heat flow into structural steel elements, which would otherwise lose their strength and collapse in a fire. Early versions of these plasters have used asbestos fibres, which have by now been outlawed in industrialized nations and have eaused significant removal and re-coating work. 

Finally, the choice of a liquid dielectric is always the fruit of compromise between technical and economic imperatives and the safety of lives and property. It must therefore be remembered that appropriate regulations for installation and operation, oil pits, fire walls, fireproofing, smoke removal system, absence of overloading, electrical protection, detection of latent defects) can go a long way towards remedying the disadvantages inherent in an imperfect solution. 

A vessel provided with fireproofing material (insulation) rated to withstand the expected fire exposures until other fire protection measures are employed (e.g., manual firefighting)... 

Feuerwehrschlauch fire polished feuerpoliert fire protection/fire prevention (fire control/fireproofing)... 

Provide an environment in which laboratory testing does not compromise the safety of the staff, or the quality of the pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical processes. Design the laboratory to assure proper equipment placement, adequate ventilation, and sufficient storage areas. Ensure lab design supports archiving of data in a secure fireproof, fire-resistant, or fire-protected environment. Provide access to authorized personnel only. Laboratory designs must provide sufficient... 

The process area has combustible gas detectors, fireproofing, and a water deluge system. Cable trays are protected with deluge, and portable dry chemical extinguishers are in the process area. Diesel-powered fire water pumps can provide a maximum fire water demand for 4 hr. 

Fire and Smoke Models - A mathematical estimation model depicting the duration and extent of heat, flame and smoke that may be generated from the ignition of a hydrocarbon release. The results of these estimates are compared against protection mechanisms (e.g., firewater, fireproofing, etc.) afforded to the subject area to determine adequacy. 

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