Tank farms are used for the storage of extremely flammable and explosive substances; Consequently, preventive fire safety is of major importance. When rehabilitation of such a tank farm is deliberate, contractors often suggest extensive – and thus costly – measures. A fire-protection resolution developed by TÜV SÜD demonstrates that an equivalent stage of safety may also be reached with a far more cost-effective resolution. A central position in damage limitation is played by early hearth detection utilizing thermographic cameras.
Numerous tank farms all through Germany retailer petrol, diesel, kerosene or liquefied petroleum fuel (LPG). In contact with air, these extremely flammable substances can form explosive mixtures. Given เกจวัดแรงดันลมขนาดเล็ก , tank farms require particular measures within the area of preventive hearth protection. If rehabilitation of fire-protection methods turns into necessary at an older tank farm, far-reaching measures should be taken, not solely by means of precaution but in addition to exclude attainable legal responsibility risks. And yet not every 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 quantity 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 degrees Celsius, as outlined in the German hazardous substances laws. In fireplace inspections and on-site inspections after incidents, the inspectors had identified main non-conformities in the fire-extinguishing system. To replace the outdated and non-conforming system, an engineering firm submitted an intensive list of measures. These measures fully satisfied all regulatory necessities but represented a very cost-intensive answer, requiring a full rehabilitation using conventional extinguishing techniques. For the tank-farm operating company, the costs of implementing these measures would have added as a lot as 1.7 million euros.
In fireplace safety, the problem lies in connecting well-founded technological data and authorized know-how. In follow this means harmonising reasonable engineering providers and authorized purposes to acquire a cohesive, economically possible and simply implemented fire-protection concept.
Alternative resolution developed by TÜV SÜD
At the operating company’s request, TÜV SÜD’s third-party specialists validated the person measures and the cost-effectiveness of the rehabilitation plan submitted by the engineering firm. Owing to the big number of deficiencies recognized within the tank farm, the experts first ready a listing of priorities with the measures essential to fulfil the protection requirements and obtain the safety aims. They arrived on the conclusion that not all the proposed measures truly wanted to be carried out. Starting from this discovering, they then drew up an alternate fire-protection idea that may 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, corresponding to a non-automatic foam extinguishing system with a complete foaming-agent provide of 10,500 litres distributed throughout two tanks, two submerged pumps in the port basin with a pump capacity of one hundred eighty m3 per hour to ensure water supply for fire fighting and sprinkling the shells and the roofs of the tanks, handbook triggering of the shut-off valves and a transformer station powered by the regional power supplier. The feed-in of emergency power was effected by the local professional fire division.
The engineering firm, against this, had deliberate to switch the whole fire-extinguishing system. They wished to install three cellular extinguishing-agent distribution systems in container kind for remote managed sprinkling and foaming of the tanks. This resolution would have required the set up of latest electrical, operational and management methods as nicely as new pipe routes connecting the extinguishing-agent distribution systems with the fire-fighting techniques within the tank fields. The prices for the three extinguishing-agent distribution systems in container kind alone would have added up to round 1.2 million euros.
Incipient fireplace combating scenario 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 also met the requirements of the Bavarian Building Code (BayBo [1]), provided for three essential packages of measures to achieve the protection and security aims.
First, installation of a fully automated infrared measuring system made by DIAS Infrared to make sure early fireplace detection. The system’s seven thermographic cameras are installed on pan-tilt units. They detect changes in temperature on the surfaces of the tanks made of various supplies and situated in the space monitored by the cameras, before these adjustments in temperature may cause a fireplace. As the cameras can transfer, the areas to be monitored could be divided into sectors. The cameras then strategy these sectors cyclically in sequence. To defend the cameras towards external influences, they’re housed in ventilated and heated weatherproof enclosures (Fig. 1). Monitoring focuses primarily on the safety gadgets of the tanks, pumps and motors and on the filling methods on the tank-farm premises. The control room on the tank farm and the native professional hearth division are notified immediately as quickly as the temperature exceeds a certain limit. The measure package deal also contains remote triggering of the extinguishing-agent provide from the control centre and automation of the protection devices.
Incipient fireplace combating situation with power loss the place entry to the tank farm is blocked by a cargo train.
In addition, it covers rehabilitation of the sprinkler and foam-extinguisher system. In this context, TÜV SÜD’s solution offered for alternative of the leaking and corroded pipe sections with new pipes and for set up of three mounted foam-extinguishing methods within the form of foam screens to struggle incipient fires instantly. In addition, a cellular foam monitor was planned as a backup.
A third focus space concerns safeguarding the ability provide required for early fire detection and fireplace combating. According to the regional vitality provider, energy outages could have a length of at least 30 minutes. Given this, the tank-farm wanted an impartial power provide system that was able to ensure power supply for a minimum of 2 hours. The specialists relied on battery buffering and a diesel operated emergency power unit to solve this downside.
Fire protection must guarantee achievement of the safety goals
Protection aims and equivalent security 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 hearth division. The three measure packages also complied with the required safety aims and the protection ranges. And ultimately, they proved far less expensive than the answer initially proposed. Since rehabilitation of the tank farm, early hearth detection at the side of improved fire-protection infrastructure has turn out to be a central part of damage limitation. Since the rehabilitation idea was applied, the tank-farm’s operating firm – working with the skilled fireplace department – has been capable of effectively counteract all possible eventualities of incipient fireplace successfully and at an early stage, even in instances of power loss or when access 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 beneath the Bavarian Building Code (Bayerische Bauordnung, BayBo)
Tank farms are installations of a special kind and use (special structures). Their operation includes the dealing with and storing of highly explosive or flammable substances. Protection measures and security precautions thus not solely fall within the operating company’s accountability however are additionally a matter of public interest. Given this, the BayBO stipulates requirements including material necessities which, as “General clauses of fireside protection”, help to support the protection objectives defined in Article 12. However, according to article 3 (1) deviations from the technical constructing regulations are potential if an alternate solution is discovered that is equivalent in phrases of fulfilling the overall necessities in paragraph 1. In other words, the necessities laid down within the Building Code are deemed complied with if the widely recognised rules of structure and expertise are fulfilled.
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