Tank farms are used for the storage of highly flammable and explosive substances; Consequently, preventive hearth protection is of major importance. When pressure gauge หน้าปัด 2 นิ้ว of such a tank farm is deliberate, contractors often advocate in depth – and thus expensive – measures. A fire-protection answer developed by TÜV SÜD demonstrates that an equal degree of security may additionally be reached with a much more cost-effective solution. A central function in injury limitation is performed by early fireplace detection using thermographic cameras.
Numerous tank farms throughout Germany store petrol, diesel, kerosene or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). In contact with air, these highly flammable substances can kind explosive mixtures. Given this, tank farms require special measures in the area of preventive hearth protection. If rehabilitation of fire-protection methods becomes needed at an older tank farm, far-reaching measures must be taken, not solely by method of precaution but additionally to exclude potential legal responsibility risks. And yet not each measure that is technologically feasible is also necessary in case of a rehabilitation, as could be seen from the example of a tank farm in Bavaria, Germany.
The tank farm is positioned at a basin of a river port in Bavaria. The part of the tank farm in need of rehabilitation covers 24 tanks with a storage volume of between 600 and 2,000 cubic metres. The tank farm is used for intermediate storage of extremely flammable fluids with flame factors of < 21 degrees Celsius, as outlined within the German hazardous substances laws. In hearth inspections and on-site inspections after incidents, the inspectors had recognized main non-conformities in the fire-extinguishing system. To exchange the outdated and non-conforming system, an engineering agency submitted an in depth record of measures. These measures fully happy all regulatory requirements but represented a very cost-intensive solution, requiring a full rehabilitation using conventional extinguishing techniques. For the tank-farm working firm, the prices of implementing these measures would have added as a lot as 1.7 million euros.
In fire safety, the problem lies in connecting well-founded technological data and authorized know-how. In follow this implies harmonising cheap engineering services and legal applications to acquire a cohesive, economically feasible and easily carried out fire-protection idea.
Alternative resolution developed by TÜV SÜD
At the working company’s request, TÜV SÜD’s third-party consultants validated the person measures and the cost-effectiveness of the rehabilitation plan submitted by the engineering agency. Owing to the massive variety of deficiencies identified in the tank farm, the consultants first ready an inventory of priorities with the measures essential to fulfil the safety requirements and obtain the protection goals. They arrived at the conclusion that not all the proposed measures actually wanted to be implemented. Starting from this finding, they then drew up an alternative fire-protection idea that would ultimately reduce the projected prices by one third.
TÜV SÜD’s rehabilitation plan included the fire-protection infrastructure already in place on the tank farm, corresponding to a non-automatic foam extinguishing system with a complete foaming-agent supply of 10,500 litres distributed throughout two tanks, two submerged pumps within the port basin with a pump capability of one hundred eighty m3 per hour to make sure water provide for fireplace preventing and sprinkling the shells and the roofs of the tanks, manual triggering of the shut-off valves and a transformer station powered by the regional energy provider. The feed-in of emergency energy was effected by the native professional hearth division.
The engineering firm, against this, had planned to switch the whole fire-extinguishing system. They wanted to install three cell extinguishing-agent distribution systems in container kind for distant controlled sprinkling and foaming of the tanks. This resolution would have required the set up of recent electrical, operational and control systems in addition to new pipe routes connecting the extinguishing-agent distribution techniques with the fire-fighting techniques in the tank fields. เพรสเชอร์เกจน้ำ for the three extinguishing-agent distribution systems in container type alone would have added as much as around 1.2 million euros.
Incipient fire combating scenario with intact power provide and free entry to the tank farm.
Implementation of three packages of measures
The different rehabilitation idea developed by TÜV SÜD, which also met the necessities of the Bavarian Building Code (BayBo [1]), offered for three essential packages of measures to attain the safety and safety objectives.
First, set up of a totally computerized infrared measuring system made by DIAS Infrared to make sure early fire detection. The system’s seven thermographic cameras are put in on pan-tilt items. They detect adjustments in temperature at the surfaces of the tanks made of different supplies and situated in the space monitored by the cameras, before these changes in temperature could cause a hearth. As the cameras can transfer, the areas to be monitored could be divided into sectors. The cameras then approach these sectors cyclically in sequence. To defend the cameras towards exterior influences, they’re housed in ventilated and heated weatherproof enclosures (Fig. 1). Monitoring focuses primarily on the protection units of the tanks, pumps and motors and on the filling methods on the tank-farm premises. The management room on the tank farm and the native professional hearth division are notified instantly as quickly as the temperature exceeds a certain restrict. The measure package additionally consists of remote triggering of the extinguishing-agent supply from the control centre and automation of the protection units.
Incipient fireplace fighting situation with energy loss where entry to the tank farm is blocked by a cargo practice.
In addition, it covers rehabilitation of the sprinkler and foam-extinguisher system. In this context, TÜV SÜD’s solution supplied for alternative of the leaking and corroded pipe sections with new pipes and for set up of three fastened foam-extinguishing systems within the type of foam screens to battle incipient fires instantly. In addition, a cellular foam monitor was planned as a backup.
A third focus area issues safeguarding the ability supply required for early hearth detection and fireplace combating. According to the regional vitality provider, energy outages may have a duration of a minimum of half-hour. Given this, the tank-farm wanted an unbiased power supply system that was ready to make sure energy provide for no much less than 2 hours. The experts relied on battery buffering and a diesel operated emergency power unit to solve this problem.
Fire safety should ensure achievement of the safety aims
Protection goals and equal safety stage reached
The fire-protection answer offered by TÜV SÜD was agreed with each the tank farm’s working company, the municipal authority and the professional fire division. The three measure packages also complied with the required protection goals and the safety ranges. And in the end, they proved far cheaper than the solution initially proposed. Since rehabilitation of the tank farm, early fireplace detection along side improved fire-protection infrastructure has turn out to be a central a half of injury limitation. Since the rehabilitation idea was carried out, the tank-farm’s working company – working with the skilled fireplace division – has been capable of effectively counteract all potential eventualities of incipient hearth successfully and at an early stage, even in circumstances of power loss or when access to the tank farm is blocked (see Figures 2 and 3).
For more data, go to www.tuev-sued.de/is or www.dias-infrared.de
Classification beneath the Bavarian Building Code (Bayerische Bauordnung, BayBo)
Tank farms are installations of a particular sort and use (special structures). Their operation includes the handling and storing of extremely explosive or flammable substances. Protection measures and security precautions thus not only fall within the working company’s duty however are additionally a matter of public interest. Given this, the BayBO stipulates necessities together with materials requirements which, as “General clauses of fireside protection”, help to help the protection objectives outlined in Article 12. However, based on article 3 (1) deviations from the technical constructing regulations are attainable if an alternate answer is found that’s equal in terms of fulfilling the final necessities in paragraph 1. In other phrases, the necessities laid down within the Building Code are deemed complied with if the commonly recognised guidelines of structure and technology are fulfilled.
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