Fire-resistant insulating material

The required protection may be obtained by active, passive, or a combination of both protection systems. For example, steel support located in a fire exposed area within process unit battery limits may be protected by either a fixed water spray system or the application of fire resistant insulating material to the steelwork or possibly both. Note Passive protection is generally the preferable method for protecting structural steel. 

Fire resistant insulating material can provide passive protection for both vertical and horizontal structural steel members. The level or rating of fire resistance should be consistent to the expected fire duration. Where only fire resistant insulating material will be used, the material and its installation system should be specified to have a 2- to 3-hour fire rating (UL 1709). In applications using a combination of fixed water spray or sprinkler protection and fire resistant insulation, a 1- to 2-hour fire rating (UL 1709) is frequently specified for the fireproofing. 

For further guidance on where and how to use fire resistant insulating materials, refer to API Publication 2218, Fireproofing Practices in Petroleum and Petrochemical Processing Plants (API, 1999). 

Fire-resistive insulating material only 2 to 3-hour rated fireproofing 2- to 3-hour rated fireproofing Passive protection potential for unseen corrosion. 

Combination water spray with fire-resistive insulating material 1 to 1V2-hour rated fireproofing plus water spray (as above) 1 to 1V2-hour rated fireproofing plus water spray (as above) Active protection but the passive fireproofing allows some time of protection in event water system fails. 

Example of an Electron Beam Curable Fire-Resistant Insulating Material... 

The cable is available with either solid or stranded conductors that are insulated with insudite , a fire-resistant insulation material. The conductors are then screened by wrapping an aluminium tape around the insulated conductors, that is, between the insulated conductors and the outer sheath. This aluminium tape screen is applied metal side down and in contact with the bare CPC. 

This is the commonest reinforcing material. Glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP), more commonly referred to as fibreglass, has many useful properties such as high tensile and compressive strength, hard smooth surfaces unreactive to chemicals, fire resistance, insulator of heat, electricity and sound, impervious to water, easily... 

Mitigation measures can also be passive safeguards, meaning that they require no human intervention and no engineered sensing and actuation system to work. Examples of passive mitigation measures are secondary containment systems, blast-resistant and fire-resistant structures, insulated or low-heat-capacity spill surfaces to reduce the rate of evaporation, and an increased distance between the hazardous materials and energies and the sensitive receptors. 

Electrical conductors are normally insulated for protection and avoidance of electrical shorting. Typical insulating materials are plastics that can readily bum with toxic vapors. The NEC specifies certain fire resistant rating to electrical cables to lessen the possibility of cable insulation ignitability and fire spread. 

The use of inorganic CERASHELL, a sandwich composed of cellular or foamed straw insulation between two fibre-reinforced high-strength dense materials, surpasses the characteristics of the foam/concrete composite. Pneumatic placement of a non-woven fibre matte as the outer shell results in a low-cost shelter in the first stage prior to placement in later stages of the insulative and structural components. The costs of steel reinforcement and urethane are eliminated, whilst extremely safe buildings of remarkable wind, earthquake, and fire-resistance are produced. 

In terms of fire safety, there are no fire resistance requirements and all interior surfaces must comply with the FSI of 200 in the Steiner tunnel test, ASTM E 84,114 or a radiant panel index of 200 in the radiant panel test, ASTM E 162.55 Thermal insulation materials, other than foam plastics, must meet an ASTM E 84 Class A requirement (i.e., FSI < 25 and SDI < 450) and loose-fill insulation must meet the same requirements as the building codes, which are mostly based on smoldering tests (as the materials tend to be cellulosic). Foam plastic insulation must be treated as in the building codes as well (see Table 21.13) it cannot be used exposed (expensive foam that meets the NFPA 286 test is not used in manufactured housing) and must meet an ASTM E 84 Class B requirement behind the thermal barrier. 

ASTM D 6113 Standard Test Method for Using a Cone Calorimeter to Determine Fire-Test-Response Characteristics of Insulating Materials Contained in Electrical or Optical Fiber Cables ASTM D 6194 Standard Test Method for Glow Wire Ignition of Materials ASTM D 6413 Standard Test Method for Flame Resistance of Textiles (Vertical Test)... 

In Sections 24.3 and 24.5 the flammability and fire resistance of individual fiber/fabric type are discussed. However, as also discussed before, the fire resistance of a fabric not only depends upon the nature of components and the FR treatments applied, but also on fabric area density, construction, air permeability, and moisture content. Nonwovens, for example, will have superior properties to woven or knitted structure, even if all other variables are kept the same.93 The air entrapped within the interstices of any fabric structure and between layers of fabrics within a garment assembly provides the real thermal insulation. For effective thermal and fire resistance in a fabric structure, these insulating air domains need to be maintained.22 In general, for protective clothing and fire-block materials, for best performance multilayered fabric structures are employed. The assembly structures can be engineered to maximize their performance. It is beyond the scope of this chapter to go into details of these composite structures hence the reader is referred to the literature on specified applications and products available. 

Fire-resistant materials or insulation, absence of openings to transmit flames... 

Asbestos has been used in a broad variety of industrial applications which draw upon its low cost and desirable properties such as heat and fire resistance, wear and friction characteristics, tensile strength, heat, electrical and sound insulation, adsorption capacity, and resistence to chemical and biological attack. At the peak of its demand, about 3,000 applications or types of products were listed for asbestos. In most of its applications, asbestos is bonded with other materials such as Portland cement, plastics, and resins. In other applications, asbestos is used as a loose fibrous mixture or woven as a textile. 

Mineral wool is resilient, lightweight, fibrous, wool-like, thermally efficient, and fire resistant up to 1100°C (2000 F), and forms a sound barrier. Mineral wool insulation comes in the form of blankets, rolls, or blocks. Calcium silicate is a solid material that is suitable for use at high temperatures, but it is more expensive. Also, it needs to be cut with a. saw during installation, and thus it takes longer to install and there is more waste. 

This copolymer can be obtained from a polydimethylsiloxane that has aminoalkyl end groups in a reaction with the polyetherimide formed from the reaction of a bis(ether anhydride) with diaminobenzene. The material is fire resistant and is used in cable insulations. Among other more complex copolymers with practical applications are poly[2,2-propanebis(4-phenyl)-carbonate]-b/ock-poly(dimethylsiloxane)] and a silicone phenol formaldehyde copolymer obtained in two steps, the first being the heating of a polydimethylsiloxane that has reactive end groups with glycerol, and the second step being the reaction with a phenol formaldehyde resin. 

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