Scrubbers, and Reactors

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  

Columns, scrubbers, reactors, and similar process vessels, particularly those containing packed beds, either structured or random (or loose-fill), can be susceptible to internal fires when they are opened to the atmosphere for internal 

Carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, tantalum, titanium, and zirconium are used for both loose-fill and structured metal packing. All have reportedly been involved in packing fire incidents. Titanium, in particular, has been involved in a number of column fires. 

The following are examples of incidents involving metal packing fires in packed columns  

If at all possible, hot work should not be performed above or below any type of packed beds inside of process vessels. Where possible, consideration should be given to removal of the packing prior to performing hot work. 

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