Firewater

Dual Suction Impeller, Single Stage, NFPA Code/ Firewater... 

In the third e.vample, the line terminates at 53%. This means DO NOT run this pump at less than 53% of the BEP. 53% of 4500 gpm is 2385 gpm. Because this is a firewater pump and because firemen need to throttle the nozzles on their fire hoses, then we need to install a pressure relief valve on this system with a discharge bypass line so that the pump dumps the restricted water (less than 2400 gpm) back into the suction tank or lake. If not, this firewater pump is likely to suffer bearing failure during an emergency. 

The next graph is a typical family curve for a firewater pump (Figure 7-14) ... 

Firewater Systems. These systems are best laid out by contractors or other specialists. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) rules will spell out required coverage, typical pump size, and other standard items. A small jockey pump will maintain system pressure at all times. 

A, . iil.ihility of firewater as a diverse injection system for BWRs... 

Some licensees have a switch to bypass RCIC high steam tunnel temperature trips. Some licensees are evaluating improvements to prevent seal LOCAs from loss of seal cooling which are most important for W plants, but B W licensees identified improvements related to alternate seal flow capability under loss of power conditions. The use of high temperature seals is noted for some W plants. Many PWR IPEs identify AFWS improvements. These include additional backup water supplies such as the firewater system and redundant pump cooling capability. Other reliability... 

Prime movers are typically fueled by natural gas or diesel. Dual fuel turbine units exist that can run on natural gas and can automatically switch to diesel. So-called dual fuel reciprocating engines run on a mixture of diesel and natural gas. When natural gas is not available, they can automatically switch to 100% diesel. Most prime movers associated with producing facilities are typically natural gas fueled due to the ready availability of fuel. Diesel fueled machines are typically used to provide stand-by power or power for intermittent or emergency users such as cranes, stand-by generators, firewater pumps, etc. 

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. 

For firewater, steel pipes are used but corrosion products can block sprinklers. Cement asbestos pipes are utilized but pressure limitations restrict their use. For critical applications, including offshore oil installations, cupronickel alloys and even duplex stainless steels are used. Fire-retardant grades of fiber-reinforced plastics are now available. 

It works on any type of water-using operation (e.g. firewater makeup, cooling tower makeup, and so on). 

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). 

Explosion at reactor severely damage facility and impacted firewater supply system 215,300,000 loss... 

Corrosion failure of a carbon steel elbow released propane vapors that exploded in the FCC unit that impacted all utilities and firewater system 300,000,000 loss... 

Firewater Reliability - A mathematical model of the ability of the firewater system to provide firewater upon demand as required by the design of the system without a component failure, e.g., a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) analysis. 

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. 

Safety systems should not be segregated together. Each safety system should be diversified as much as possible to avoid the possibility of a single point failure. A prime example is the firewater supply which should be pumped into a facility firemain at several separate and remote locations. 

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. 

The fire zone drawings serve as an aid in determining which areas need special protection measures such as adequate fireproofing, firewater protection systems, drainage facilities, etc. 

Fire Risk. Area Firewater Flowrate (GPM) Maximum Liquid Spillage (Bbls) Sewer Capacity Flowrate (GPM) Caatainmen Provisions (Bbls) Runoff Requirements... 

A vessel provided with a firewater deluge system to protect against hydrocarbon fire exposures for the duration the worst case plausible incident. 

In some cases radiation shields are provided to protect against heat effects from fire incidents and operation requirements. The shields usually are of two styles either a dual layer wire mesh screen or a plexy-giass see through barrier. The shields provide a barrier from the effects of radiant heat for specific levels. They are most often used for protection against flare heat and for barriers at fixed firewater monitor devices, most notably at the helidecks of offshore facilities. 

Firewater supply sources can be the city public water main, a dedicated storage tank and pumps, or the most convenient lake, river or if an offshore installation the open sea. Brackish or salt water supplies can be used if suitable corrosion protection measures are applied to the entire firewater system if it is planned to be used for an extended life (i.e., grater than five years). If a short life span of the facility is expected, short corrosion resistant materials may be used (i.e., carbon steel, galvanized steel, etc.), provided periodic testing indicates their integrity is still adequate and scale or corrosion particles do not affect operational efficiency. 

Most hydrocarbon facility process areas and high volume storage areas have standardized on a minimum supply or availability of four hours of firewater for the WCCE. The performance of risk analysis may reveal the level of fire water protection may be more or less than this requirement. Once a detailed design is completed on a facility or if a verification of existing water demands is needed, a simple tabular calculation of firewater requirements can be made. This table can be used to document spray density requirements, duration levels, code requirements and other features. Table 23 provides and example of arrangement to document such information. 

The metallurgy selected for construction of a firewater pump is dependent on the properties of the water source to be used. For fresh water sources (i.e., public water mains), cast iron is normally adequate although bronze internals may be optional. Brackish or sea water utilization will require the use of highly corrosion resistance materials and possibly coatings. Typically specified metals include alloy bronze, monnel, ni-resistant, or duplex stainless steels sometime combined with a corrosion resistant paint or specialized coating. 

Small capacity pumps commonly referred to as "jockey" pumps are provided on a firewater system to compensate for small leakages and incidental usage without the main pump(s) startup. They are set to start 0.70 to 1.05 kg/sq. cm. (10 to 15 psi) above the start up pressure of main firewater pumps. In some cases a cross-over from the utility water system can be used in place of a jockey pump, however a check valve is installed to prevent drain down of the firewater by the utility water system. Jockey pumps do not require the... 

The firewater system should be dedicated to firewater usage. Utilization for process or domestic services, erodes the function and capability of the firewater system, particularly its pressure, possibly during an emergency. 

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