Fire pump

Fire pumps should have a weekly and annual inspection and test. Specific requirements for fire pump inspection, testing, and maintenance are contained in NFPA 25. 

Applicable Fire Protection System NFPA References 

NFPA 22—Standard for Water Tanks For Private Fire Protection NFPA 24—Standard for the Installation of Private Fire Service Mains and Their Appurtenances 

NFPA 1 3—Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems NFPA 14—Standard for the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems NFPA25—Standard for the Inspection, Testingand Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems 

N FPA 2 91 —Recommended Practice for Fire Flow Testing and Marking of Hydrants 

AREA or HAZARD EQUIPMENT specification FIREWATE CONC SUPPLY COMMENTS 

SEPARATION AREA OIL FIRE Area is too large to extinguish 

Exposure Cooling of FWKO Desalters. (3) 600 gpm Monitors NFPA 15-4.4.3.2 0.25 gpm 2 1800 1560 simultaneously. One section 

Extinguish oil fire with foam from hoses. (2) 280 gpm Hoses NFPA 11-3.1.5 0.1 gpm/ft2 560 500 6.96 will be extinguished and secured 

FWKO AREA GAS FIRE 0.35 gpm/ft2 Radius of exposure protection 

---

National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) NFPA-20 Centrifugal Fire Pumps... 

Refuse piles H2S, particulates, and smoke from burning storage piles Digging out fire, pumping water onto fire area, blanketing with incombustible material... 

At 2 20 A M., another explosion occurred, the BLEVE of sphere 407. Its fireball was less intense than the earlier one. The sphere s top section traveled 190 m (620 ft) and caused the destruction of a firewater tank and one of the plant s fire pumps. Other sections further damaged other units. The pressure relief valve of this sphere traveled 500 m (1600 ft). The damage from projectiles was much greater than that caused by the first sphere failure because they traveled farther and in more damaging directions. 

Fire pumps ANSI, FM, IEEE, NFPA, UL, USCG... 

Actually, fire pumps are usually designed with discharge pressures of 100-125 psig so that the hose and monitor nozzle streams will have an effective reach. In addition, the size of the monitor is governed by requirements in the fire codes.15... 

Loss control features include combustible gas detectors installed around the containment area and transfer system. A diesel-driven fire pump is capable of handling the emergency demand for 4 hr. A water deluge system has been installed around the storage tank and transfer pump. 

The water supply requirements must be determined. This involves estimating the maximum flow rate and the pressure required for adequate performance. The existing water supply and piping system should then be evaluated to determine whether or not it is able to meet these requirements. Remember that the water must be available instantaneously and that this cannot be accomplished by starting a fire pump. 

Geelong, Australia, Refinery, Fire Pump bearing failure released crude oil... 

Contractor cut live liquid propane releasing contents which were feed by salt dome reservoir. Explosion and fire impacted fire pumps. 

Rafness, Norway, Chemical Plant, Explosion/Fire Pump seal leakage released vapor cloud 11,000,000 loss... 

Several catastrophic fire incidents in the petroleum industry have been the result of the facility firewater pumps being directly affected by the initial effects of the incident. The cause of these impacts has been mainly due to the siting of the fire pumps in vulnerable locations without adequate protection measures from the probable incident and the unavailability or provision of other backup water sources. A single point failure analysis of firewater distribution systems is an effective analysis that can be performed to identify where design deficiencies may exist. For all high risk locations, fire water supplies should be available from several remotely located sources that are totally independent of each and utility systems which are required for support. 

Fire pumps should be solely dedicated to fire protection. They may be used to feed into a backup system for emergency process cooling but not as the primary supply. If such backup is allowed is should be tightly controlled and easily accessible for prompt shutdown in case of a real emergency. 

Purchase or specification of a fire pump to support hydrocarbon operations should be in compliance with recognized international standards for such equipment. The most commonly referenced standards are listed below. All of these standards require a factory acceptance test of the unit. 

NFPA20 Standard on the Installation of Centrifugal Fire Pumps. 

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), NFPA 20. Installation of Centrifugal Fire Pumps. NFPA, Quincy, MA, 1990. 

Instruction signs should be posted at all emergency systems in which the operation of the unit is not inherently obvious (i.e., fire pump startup, fixed foam systems, etc.). Flow arrows of water flow should be provide on piping where the isolation means is provided. Number of hydrants, monitors, pumps, foam chambers can all enhance the operational use of such equipment. Control panel labels should be provided which are descriptive instead of just numerical identifications. 

Normal fire protection practices and standards recommend fire pumps be tested annually to determine performance levels. Common practice in the petroleum industry is to trend the result of flow performance to prepare predictive maintenance and replacement forecasts. Such forecast can predict poor pump performance and prepare measures to implement corrective actions before this occurs. 

Determine the flow measurement method to be used during the test, i.e., flowmeter or pitot tube measures of the nearest available water outlets on the system. Ensure that the flow measurement devices are calibrated or adjusted for the fire pump maximum flow output. 

Typical Data Form for Fire Pump Testing... 

---