Gap Analysis of Kandla Site with respect to Vopak standard on Fire Protection and Control

Document Number 0101-000-11-002Version 2.1, Date June 2016

Standard requirements /Questions

Compliance status
Non

2.1
Control of Flammable Atmosphere
Vopak defines the following approach as the most appropriate response:
N2 blanketing: if required by local regulations or firefighting requirements,
or if required by product/customer (product quality reasons);
Prevent static electricity (main potential ignition source within a tank) from
occurring: competent and trained people, adequate infrastructural design;
Prevent static electricity: grounding and bonding, proper system
maintenance and regular testing of systems to prevent static electricity
2.2

Survey Flammability of Products

Where very toxic (according to GHS) or highly flammable products (GHS Class 1)
are stored, intermediate bunding should be installed in line with NFPA. Else, Vopak
policy is NOT to install intermediate bunding, unless required by local legislation.
Alternatively drainage channels in between tanks could be considered as indicated

Partial

Observations
Complete

Areas of
Improvement

by NFPA 30 in section 22.11.2.6

Intermediate bunding results in a decrease of surface to apply foam. For large tank
pits this is a considerable cost reduction and should be considered
As per the Vopak Standard on Secondary Containment; bund and bund drainage
capacity philosophy should take into consideration the quantity and flow rate of
firewater and foam solution that may be applied during a prolonged fire incident.
Any bund drains or channels to remote containment basins should have fire traps
to prevent flame spread. These can be relatively simple devices consisting of a
water filled trap preventing continuous contact between liquid surface and air.

Heat Radiation Contours

Off Site Provision

The fire water capacity shall provide sufficient redundancy / overcapacity

for future upgrades of the site.
Vopak prefers:
-

Fixed foam system for tanks with remote control from the
central control room (CCR) plus manual activation
locally;

Fixed cooling systems within the 10 kW/m2 heat

radiation contour for tanks with remote control from CCR
plus manual activation locally.

Fire Water Supply

International codes such as NFPA require only 6 hours of continuous firewater

supply for the maximum design use. The capacity can be built from a combination
of water stored at site, water which can be re-supplied by pipeline during the
event, or water extracted from external sources (river, sea, or underground).
Based on discussions in recent projects, the Vopak policy shall be more stringent
than NFPA:
- For terminals having large product storage tanks (typically
above 10k m3) containing flammable products, unlimited
water supply is a must because these tanks could burn for
days. Unlimited water supply can be arranged in various ways
ranging from fixed connections extracting from rivers and / or
sea or through mutual aid agreements with neighbours / local
fire brigade. Firewater pumps diesel storage in use for diesel
driven fire fighting pumps shall be designed for this scenario;
For other terminals 6 hours firewater supply, as per NFPA, is deemed sufficient
Minimum design requirements of the fire water supply shall be:
- A fire water ring main shall transport and distribute the fire
water supply. The ring main shall be designed to allow the
maximum demand of water flow from each direction. At least
two directions for each credible fire scenario are required;
- The firewater ring main shall preferably be installed
underground to protect against frost and mechanical damage
with fixed connections to tank cooling system. The ring main
shall be equipped with sectional block valves with post
indicator valves to allow for continuous operation during
maintenance shutdown and/or mechanical failures
- Underground firewater ring main: The material of construction shall be
either GRE (Glass fibre Reinforced Epoxy), cement lined cast iron,
cement lined ductile iron, or high density polyethylene (HDPE). GRE is
vulnerable to stresses due to misalignment and should therefore not be

used where settlement is expected (e.g., reclaimed land);

Use of HDPE is not recommended at locations with historical pollution in
view of the limited resistance to chemicals. In addition, GRE is not
compatible with possible styrene contaminations;
Aboveground firewater ring mains should not be made of GRE, as this is
vulnerable to mechanical damage;
The fire water ring main system shall be kept under standby pressure by
2 jockey pumps (one redundant). If the pressure in the fire water system
drops below a fixed setting, a low-pressure cut-in shall start the first fire
pump and give an alarm to a permanently manned CCR;
Fire mains shall preferably not cross drainage ditches into which
flammable liquids may be discharged, else the fire water mains should
be fireproofed;
The firewater distribution ring main lines shall be located outside the
bund walls;
The fire water main system shall be painted red (See Painting Standard)
when above ground;
Hose connections shall be provided at the jetty for fire boats to pump
water into the terminal main.

Vopak minimum performance requirements for firewater hydraulics are:

- Fire water system shall be designed for a minimum system pressure
rating of 10 barg (150 psig), as per NFPA 24 Section 10.1.5, and a
maximum of 16 barg (General Industry Practice and also pipe class for
most fire protection systems);
- Standby pressure shall be 10 barg (150 psig); this is not an NFPA
requirement but a General Industry Practice;
- A minimum of 7 barg (105 psig) shall be guaranteed for the worst
credible fire scenario at the hydraulically most unfavourable location of
the firewater distribution network when extracting water from the
network. This is not an NFPA requirement but a General Industry

Practice.

Firewater pump selection:

- Quantity of firewater pumps shall be according the n+1 principle (1
spare) to allow for maintenance or pump failure while maintaining the
required supply;
- The firewater pumps shall be capable of providing the water required to
fight the worst credible fire scenario;
- The firewater pump stations shall be in a protected area or at least 30
meters from the nearest fire risk. Protection may be by fire walls,
building or other construction as appropriate in line with NFPA 20;
- In some cases fire pumps may need to be located at an appropriate
(greater than 30m) distance for survivability purposes and this distance
will depend on the results of fire risk assessment including assessment
of radiant heat, potential vapour cloud explosion overpressure and
vapour dispersion extent;
- Firewater pumps shall continue to operate in the absence of main
electrical power. This can be achieved by using diesel driven pumps or
by having a diesel generator backup power supply enabling the pumps
to run. These shall be located such that the likelihood of the power
supply to the fire pumps being interrupted is minimized;
- It shall be possible to start the fire water pumps locally at the
pumps, or at a remote location,
e.g. CCR. In addition, the fire water pumps should start automatic on fire system
pressure drop or fire alarm activation;
- If river / lake / sea water is used, pump inlet suction screens
shall be provided which can be cleaned while the pump is in
service;

Horizontal split-case fire pumps shall take suction from a

water supply under positive head (tank or reservoir). These
pumps are not designed to take water from a supply below
ground (well, harbour, lake, water stream, open swamp etc.);
- Vertical turbine pumps shall be applied where water sources
are located below ground (such as drilled wells, lakes,
harbours, stream, and other subsurface sources);
- It is not recommended to use other types of fire water pumps;
Suction pipe shall be properly designed to avoid air leaks and air pockets, either of
which can seriously affect the operation of the pump
NFPA does not list specific requirements for tank cooling; therefore cooling
rates shall be based on IP19. IP19 states that "Lessons learned from incidents
include many cases where water has been over-applied for cooling adjacent tanks,
leading to bund flooding, carry-over of product to other areas and excessive
discharge of contaminated water offsite", and "Rates higher than 2 l/min/m2 do not
provide a proportional increase in protection."
-

Tank cooling rates shall therefore be 2 l/min/m2 (IP19 based), unless required
otherwise by local legislation / authorities.
The basic requirements for applying cooling water to storage tanks are:
- Even distribution of water shall be guaranteed. This can be
achieved by the application of cooling rings. Uneven cooling
can cause the tank to deform and eventually collapse;
- Wind stiffeners form obstruction to even the water distribution.
Extra spray nozzles below stiffeners are recommended.
Requirements for tank cooling depend upon multiple factors. Vopak's policy on tank
cooling is:
- Fixed cooling systems for tanks which can receive radiant
heat above 10 kW/m2 or more stringent when required by

local codes and standards;

Where the radiant heat level is lower than 10 kW/m2, no fixed
cooling systems are required;
If the shell is fitted with cooling systems then the tank roof
shall also be equipped with a cooling water system. The roofs
are normally less resistant to radiant heat since they are not in
full contact with the stored product. The product can
accumulate lots of radiant energy, preserving the steel
containment for the tank shell.

Design requirements in case tank cooling is required:

- Tank cooling rings shall be applied for cooling of shell and
roof. A central drenching point is NOT allowed for tank roof
cooling as this may lead to uneven water distribution over the
tank roof. Other systems are not permitted (e.g. no central
spray nozzles with firewater running down from the roof
alongside the tank walls or single ring header at the top of the
tank wall (rim dome principle));
- Fixed cooling (deluge systems) systems shall be activated
manually locally and remotely controlled (from CCR);
- External heat detection combined with automated activation of
the cooling system shall not be installed on tanks;
- Deluge valves shall be housed in a cabinet or building for
physical protection and winterizing purposes (when required).
- For larger tanks (typically > 40m) the cooling rings should be
segmented into 2 or 4 sections to enable only cooling of the
parts actually subjected to the heat radiation. This also
reduces cooling water supply rates, cooling water supply line
sizing, and limits firewater runoff in the bund;
- In case of non-segmented cooling, Vopak prefers to install a
single riser supplied via a single deluge valve to supply fire

water to the fixed tank cooling systems;

Tank cooling systems and fixed connections: material of
construction should be galvanized carbon steel (e.g.
threaded) or GRE. Carbon steel is not permitted because of
corrosion and scale potentially blocking sprinklers.
Tank roof cooling for geodesic dome roofs might be required
based on heat radiation contours;
Bunds shall be equiped with emergency pump out facilities.
These shall minimally consist of a pipeline of an appropriate
diameter based on the bund size and rain / fire water to be
expected and shall be routed to a remote safe area where a
pump can be readily connected without the need to put
persons in danger.

The number of hydrants to be installed shall be based on risk assessment and

calculated based on NFPA 14. Fixed hydrant shall be installed at regulated
intervals of maximum 60 meters throughout the site. In critical areas such as pump
platforms and manifolds, hydrants or monitors shall be provided to enable fire
attack under all wind conditions.
Tanks bunds, pump pits, manifold areas and process unit areas shall be provided
with fixed or mobile fire fighting equipment (in accordance with NFPA 24) and must
be accessible for deployment by the local fire brigade. See also the Vopak
Standard on secondary containment for details of general bund requirements.
Fire monitors are not intended for tank cooling, as they typically cannot provide
sufficient capacity and might cause uneven tank cooling with potential catastrophic
tank failure.
Portable monitors are intended to provide water cooling screens or to apply foam to

spills at locations where no fixed system need to be installed,

Any equipment other than storage tanks, which may be exposed to more than
32 kW/m2 radiant heat, or when damage could lead to incident escalation or
significant loss of operational capability should be provided with fixed cooling water
systems.
Fixed cooling water systems shall be designed in accordance with recognized
codes of practice, like NFPA 13 and 15.

All foam system designs shall be based on NFPA 11. Foam is applied for fire
extinguishing. The required foam volume capacity shall be based on the worst
credible fire scenario. The foam solution volume shall be determined by scenario
and by calculations based on the application rate and multiplied by the duration.
Reference is made to NFPA 11 for further guidance.

2.1.1 Foam Supply

Foam system requirements:
- Minimum foam stock requirement
depends on the situation and stored
products in line with NFPA 11. Resupply
shall be within 24 hours based on the
worst credible fire scenario..
-

Foam solution (pre-mix of foam

concentrate and water) can be either
1% - 3% (for hydrocarbons) or 3% - 6%
(for chemicals) depending upon stored
products..

The selected foam type shall be checked

for compatibility with available fire water
sources.

Typically for larger terminals multiple

smaller systems are more beneficial:

Foam storage shall be via either bladder

tank(s) or concentrate tank(s) with
pump(s).

If portable or mobile response to spill

fires cannot be guaranteed within 15
minutes, fixed systems shall be
provided.

Foam systems shall be installed on tanks which store class I and II products
according to NFPA, i.e. products with flash point lower than 60C.

The foam system installation requirements are:

- Wall mounted foam generators in tanks are preferred because
of better maintainability and testing requirements.
- The installation of foam generators on the roof is NOT allowed
because there is a high chance that they will be blown away
during an explosion...
- The foam generators shall be positioned as high as possible
on the tank shell to optimize the effective volume of the tank..
- Vopak does not recommend automatic activation in view of
false alarms risks. Where automatic activation is required by
local legislation, a reliable system with e.g. double signals
shall be installed.
The number and sizes of monitors to be installed shall be based on risk
assessment and calculated based on NFPA 11. Foam monitors can be both fixed
and mobile systems. If mobile foam trailers with deck monitors are used, these
shall be positioned at strategic locations.
In critical areas such as pump platforms and manifolds, hydrants or monitors shall
be provided to enable fire attack under all wind conditions; this will normally imply
two monitors at least and in some circumstances 4 monitors to enable a safe
approach..
Tanks bunds, pump pits and manifold areas shall be provided with fixed or mobile
foam fire fighting equipment (in accordance with NFPA 11 & 24) and must be
accessible for deployment by the local fire brigade. See also the Vopak Standard

on secondary containment for details of general bund requirements

Structures
One method by which the radiant heat effect on steel
structures can be reduced is by the use of passive fire
protection or insulation. Passive fire protection (PFP) is
defined as any system (usually coatings, cladding or
insulation) that does not require manual activation to
protect against heat radiation.
Applications that could be considered include
protection of specific critical items of equipment (e.g.
valves and actuators) and critical metal structures
such as loading racks or pipe rack supports. A
common industry practice is to apply fire proofing in
these cases up to 9 meters height maximum.

PFP in the form of fire rated enclosures shall be

provided for control rooms, accommodation, offices
and safety critical equipment rooms e.g., UPS.
Reference is made to API 2218 "Fireproofing Practices
in Petroleum and Petrochemical processing Plants" for
further guidance and details.
The fit analysis of this standard to existing terminals should follow the
design approach as highlighted in section 4. The fit analysis should identify

improvement areas related to infrastructure, organisation (both onsite and

offsite), and maintenance.
Based on the results of the fit analysis, a detailed risk assessment should
be conducted in order to arrive at an agreed fire protection and control sub
plan for the location in which the identified gaps are addressed. Typically, a
phased implementation approach is followed.
The fire protection and control sub plan should than be reviewed and
approved as part of the yearly sustaining capex budget update cycle