Fireproofing

A form of passive fire protection , protect

against intense and prolonged heat
exposure that can cause the weakness of
steel and eventually collapse of
unprotected equipment , vessel and
support and lead to the spread of pool fire
and substantial loss of SHE

Hazards
A sudden collapse of supporting steel
structures could result in injury to
personnel or in the release of large
quantities of flammable products and/or
toxic materials, leading to effects which
might even extend beyond the property
limit.

Example

Effects of Radiation on Steel

Simple Rules:
Time to failure in minutes = 0.8* thickness in mm.
Normally no concern for 8 Kw/m2.
Metal temperature is a critical parameter.
Normally 12.5 Kw/m2 is used as cut-off to apply
cooling.

Determination of required
fire protection measures
Reference API 2218
Conduct fire hazards evaluation

( Develop fire scenarios , impact , level of

protection )

Ex . Determination of required
fire protection measures
Heat radiation level of 12.5 kW/m2 or less.
At that radiation level the unprotected
metal's temperature stabilises at about 300
C, which will not endanger its integrity.
However, at a heat radiation level of
37.5 kW/m2 unprotected steel equipment
will quickly exceed the critical metal
temperature (just above 400 C)

Scenario
In Flame

Typical effect
Flame
Impingement

Heat radiation
> 50 KM/m2

Close to Flame Rapid escalation ~ 37.5 KW/m2

If on fire
protection
applied

Near Flame

Sterile area
Clear Sunny
day

Escalation for
long exposure
, no protection
Personnel
Injury
Sun Burn

8 ~ 12 KW/m2

5 ~ 6 KW/m2
0.8 KW/m2

The extent of the FP

(and the resulting extent of
fireproofing) shall be
established in a fire safety
assessment of the particular
plant

RESISTANCE AGAINST FIRE

A minimum of 30 minutes protection time
UL 1709

Cables in trays
IEC 60331-21

 AMERICAN STANDARDS
Rapid rise fire tests of protection materials for structural steel UL 1709
Issued by:
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
333, Pfingsten Rd.,
Northbrook IL60062
USA
BRITISH STANDARDS
Structural use of concrete
BS 8110
Issued by:
British Standards Institution
389 Chiswick High Road
London W4 4AL
UK
IEC 60331-21
Issued by:
Central Office of the IEC
3, Rue de Varemb
CH 1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland
Copies can also be obtained from national standards organizations.

Extent of fireproofing

 The extent of the FP is defined as a

function of liquid pool fires as follows:
The FP is a volume with a cylindrical shape.
The cylinder shall have a radius of 9 m from
the source and a height of 8 m above HZL
In general it is not cost effective to apply
fireproofing on supporting steel structures to
protect against jet fires.

8 meters

9 meters
8 meters
Potential source of leak

EX:
Fireproofing , steel structure

8M
9M

EX. Brainstorming
Fin-Fan Air Cooler

QUALITY CONTROL
Particular attention shall be given to at
least the following:
- condition of the steel surfaces to be
fireproofed;
- placing of mesh reinforcement;
- application of the fireproofing material;
- the joints between steel work and
fireproofing where exposed to the weather;
- weatherproofing, where required.

Column/vessel skirts
Column and vessel skirts located within a FPZ
shall be fireproofed on the outside if one or more
of the following criteria apply:
1 The column/vessel contains a total of more than
2 tonnes of flammable product.
2. The total mass of the column/vessel (including
contents) is more than 10 tonnes.
3 The column/vessel contains toxic material.
4. Failure of the column/vessel may lead to
consequences beyond the site perimeter
including environmental damage.

Pipe rack and pipe supports

Steel structures supporting overhead pipe racks and individual pipe supports,
located within an FPZ, shall be fireproofed if one or more of the following
criteria apply:

1. The pipe is a flare line or an emergency depressurising

vent line.
2. The pipe contains a toxic material.
3. The pipe is connected to equipment which would be
severely damaged by additional nozzle loading in the
event of loss of pipe support.
4. The pipe runs beneath an air cooler whose steel support
structure is fireproofed (including horizontal members).
5. The pipe carries fire-fighting water and/or other utilities
which would reduce the fire-fighting capability in the event
of loss of support.
6. The pipe is an instrument air line or hydraulic control line
whose loss would interfere with the ability to shut down the
plant.

Furnace support structures

stanchions shall be fireproofed from

grade level to full height of stanchion.
All structural members incorporated to
reduce the effective buckling length of
these stanchions shall be fireproofed.

Process vessels, storage vessels and piping

An example of such a case is found in

large propane refrigerant systems, where
the probability of a BLEVE caused by a jet
fire is reduced by means of passive fire

Process safety design : Failure

clip