Tank farms are used for the storage of highly flammable and explosive substances; Consequently, preventive fire safety is of major importance. When rehabilitation of such a tank farm is deliberate, contractors often recommend intensive – and thus expensive – measures. A fire-protection answer developed by TÜV SÜD demonstrates that an equivalent stage of security may additionally be reached with a far more cost-effective resolution. A central function in injury limitation is played by early fireplace detection utilizing thermographic cameras.
Numerous tank farms throughout Germany retailer petrol, diesel, kerosene or liquefied petroleum gasoline (LPG). In contact with air, these extremely flammable substances can form explosive mixtures. Given this, tank farms require particular measures within the field of preventive hearth safety. If rehabilitation of fire-protection techniques turns into necessary at an older tank farm, far-reaching measures must be taken, not solely by the use of precaution but also to exclude attainable legal responsibility dangers. And yet not every measure that’s technologically possible can also be necessary in case of a rehabilitation, as could be seen from the instance of a tank farm in Bavaria, Germany.
The tank farm is located at a basin of a river port in Bavaria. The a part of the tank farm in want 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 highly flammable fluids with flame points of < 21 levels Celsius, as outlined within the German hazardous substances laws. In fireplace 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 To exchange the outdated and non-conforming system, an engineering agency submitted an in depth record of measures.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 absolutely glad all regulatory necessities however represented a really cost-intensive answer, requiring a full rehabilitation using traditional extinguishing systems. For the tank-farm operating firm, the prices of implementing these measures would have added as much as 1.7 million euros.
In fireplace safety, the problem lies in connecting well-founded technological information and authorized know-how. In follow this means harmonising reasonable engineering services and legal applications to obtain a cohesive, economically possible and easily implemented fire-protection idea.
Alternative resolution developed by TÜV SÜD
At the working company’s request, TÜV SÜD’s third-party experts validated the person measures and the cost-effectiveness of the rehabilitation plan submitted by the engineering firm. Owing to the large variety of deficiencies recognized within the tank farm, the consultants first prepared an inventory of priorities with the measures essential to fulfil the safety requirements and achieve the safety aims. They arrived at the conclusion that not all the proposed measures really wanted to be applied. Starting from this discovering, they then drew up an alternative fire-protection concept that would finally cut back the projected costs by one third.
TÜV SÜD’s rehabilitation plan included the fire-protection infrastructure already in place on the tank farm, such as a non-automatic foam extinguishing system with a complete foaming-agent provide of 10,500 litres distributed throughout two tanks, two submerged pumps within the port basin with a pump capability of a hundred and eighty m3 per hour to ensure 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 vitality supplier. The feed-in of emergency energy was effected by the local professional fireplace department.
The engineering agency, against this, had planned to exchange the complete fire-extinguishing system. They needed to put in three mobile extinguishing-agent distribution systems in container form for remote controlled sprinkling and foaming of the tanks. This answer would have required the set up of new electrical, operational and control systems in addition to new pipe routes connecting the extinguishing-agent distribution techniques with the fire-fighting methods in the tank fields. The costs for the three extinguishing-agent distribution techniques in container form alone would have added as much as around 1.2 million euros.
Incipient hearth combating state of affairs with intact energy supply and free access to the tank farm.
Implementation of three packages of measures
The various rehabilitation concept developed by TÜV SÜD, which additionally met the necessities of the Bavarian Building Code (BayBo [1]), offered for three essential packages of measures to achieve the protection and security objectives.
First, installation of a fully automated infrared measuring system made by DIAS Infrared to ensure early fireplace detection. The system’s seven thermographic cameras are installed on pan-tilt models. They detect adjustments in temperature on the surfaces of the tanks made of different supplies and positioned within the area monitored by the cameras, earlier than these adjustments in temperature can cause a fireplace. As the cameras can move, the areas to be monitored may be divided into sectors. The cameras then method these sectors cyclically in sequence. To protect the cameras towards exterior influences, they’re housed in ventilated and heated weatherproof enclosures (Fig. 1). Monitoring focuses totally on the security devices of the tanks, pumps and motors and on the filling techniques on the tank-farm premises. The management room on the tank farm and the local skilled fire department are notified immediately as quickly because the temperature exceeds a certain restrict. The measure package deal also includes distant triggering of the extinguishing-agent provide from the control centre and automation of the protection gadgets.
เกจ์อาร์กอนsumo fighting state of affairs with power loss where access 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 answer supplied for replacement of the leaking and corroded pipe sections with new pipes and for set up of three mounted foam-extinguishing techniques within the type of foam screens to struggle incipient fires instantly. In addition, a cell foam monitor was deliberate as a backup.
A third focus area considerations safeguarding the ability supply required for early fire detection and hearth preventing. According to the regional power supplier, energy outages might have a duration of no less than 30 minutes. Given this, the tank-farm wanted an unbiased energy supply system that was ready to make sure power supply for no much less than 2 hours. The specialists relied on battery buffering and a diesel operated emergency energy unit to unravel this downside.
Fire protection must guarantee achievement of the safety objectives
Protection aims and equal safety stage reached
The fire-protection solution introduced by TÜV SÜD was agreed with each the tank farm’s working firm, the municipal authority and the professional hearth department. The three measure packages additionally complied with the required safety objectives and the safety levels. And in the end, they proved far more cost-effective than the answer initially proposed. Since rehabilitation of the tank farm, early fire detection along side improved fire-protection infrastructure has become a central part of damage limitation. Since the rehabilitation idea was carried out, the tank-farm’s operating company – working with the professional fireplace division – has been capable of effectively counteract all attainable scenarios of incipient hearth successfully and at an early stage, even in cases of power loss or when entry to the tank farm is blocked (see Figures 2 and 3).
For extra data, go to www.tuev-sued.de/is or www.dias-infrared.de
Classification under 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 highly explosive or flammable substances. Protection measures and safety precautions thus not only fall throughout the working company’s responsibility but are also a matter of public curiosity. Given this, the BayBO stipulates requirements including materials necessities which, as “General clauses of fire protection”, assist to support the protection aims defined in Article 12. However, in accordance with article three (1) deviations from the technical constructing regulations are attainable if an alternate resolution is discovered that is equivalent when it comes to fulfilling the final necessities in paragraph 1. In other words, the necessities laid down in the Building Code are deemed complied with if the commonly recognised guidelines of structure and know-how are fulfilled.
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