ANNEX 11

Fire Protection Measures

 
Extract of Design Summary Report for Tank Farm at Les Grandes Salines

10. Fire protection

10.1 Design standard
The tank farm will be designed in accordance with the requirements of NFPA Fire protection systems
as required including storage tanks, pipelines, hot water heating system, buildings, pumps, fire main,
hydrants, fire hose cabinets, deluge, AFF foam and extinguishers.
Guidance may also be taken from the Energy Institute (Formerly the Institute of Petroleum) Model
Safe Code of Practice. The Energy Institute is a professional body incorporated in the UK and is
referred to by a number of items of UK legislation. The particular Energy Institute standards referred
to is Part 19 of the Model Code of Safe Practice, entitled “Fire Precautions at Petroleum Refineries
and Bulk Storage Installations”. It is referred to below as “the Code”.

10.2 Recommendations
The following are general principles and recommendations in relation to fire fighting at tank farms:
�Skilled personnel should be available at short notice 24 hours a day
�Personnel should be experienced in the operation of similar installations
�Operation of the tank farm should not to be interrupted due to false alarms and failures in automatic
systems
�Regular training of personnel in correct operating procedures should be provided
�Plant shall be well maintained and kept in good order
�Maintenance work including welding and cutting shall be done with appropriate precautions and
instructions (hot work permits and fire watch)
�Installed fire protection equipment shall be properly maintained and periodically tested

10.3 Tank fire protection

Tank safety distances shall be designed according to NFPA 30 as described in Section 4. On this
basis, NFPA 30 states that the proposed tanks at Les Grandes Salines “generally shall not require
protection”. It is therefore not proposed to provide any fixed spray systems on the outside of the new
storage tanks or any foam systems to extinguish fires inside the tanks.

10.4 Cooling of tanks on fire

Section D.5(i) of Annex D to the IP Code advises that cooling of tanks on fire is recommended only
towards the end of an incident to assist the extinguishing of the fire. Cooling of a tank which is on fire
will therefore not be allowed for.

10.5 Cooling of neighbouring tanks

10.5.1 General
Tanks adjacent to a tank on fire should be cooled by a water spray to prevent spread of the fire from
tank to tank.
NFPA 15, Section 7.4.2 advises that water spray should be applied at a rate of 10.2 kg/min/m2, but
this relatively high rate of water application is not generally practical for large storage tanks.
Table D.1 of Annex D to the IP Code indicates that cooling water for storage tanks exposed to radiant
heat should be applied at a rate of not less than 2 kg/min/m2. Section D.5 of the Annex D indicates
that this rate of application is normally sufficient and that higher rates do not provide a proportionate
increase in protection.

10.5.2 Quantities of cooling water required

Table D.1 of Annex D to the IP Code indicates that cooling water should be applied to the roof and
shell of fixed-roof tanks.
The proposed tanks each have diameter 30 m and height 9.2 m, and therefore a total shell area of
2 2
867 m and a roof area of 707 m . Application of cooling water at 2 kg/min/m2 to the half of the tank
3
facing the fire therefore gives a total cooling water requirement per tank of 52.5 l/s or 189 m /h.
3
Since cooling for two tanks will normally be required, the total water flow needed is 378 m /h.
3
At least four water monitors with approximately 120 m /h capacity each shall be provided to cool the
surfaces of neighbouring tanks in the case of a fire in one of the tanks. The location of the monitors
will be decided during the detail design phase

10.6 Bund fire fighting

The recommended technique for fighting fires in bunded areas is to extinguish and secure one area
and then to move on and extinguish the next section of the bund. This procedure is continued until the

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Extract of Design Summary Report for Tank Farm at Les Grandes Salines

complete bunded area is extinguished. NFPA 11 recommends fixed foam pourers for common bunds
surrounding multiple tanks with poor access or less than 0.5 tank diameter spacings.
2
BS 5306 states a minimum application rate of 4 l/min/m and at least one 2600 l/min discharge device
2
(low or medium expansion foam) for each 450 m of bund area Discharge time is to be 60 minutes.
2
For the proposed bund size of 3851 m , nine discharge devices will be required.
In line with the principle that bund fires should be tackled in sections, the flow rate required for
tackling 25% of the bund surface area is we estimate that three of these would operate
3
simultaneously giving a maximum total flow rate of 231 m /h.
It is not recommended that tank cooling should be applied at the same time that bund fires are being
tackled, since the cooling water will interfere with the proper action of the foam.

10.7 Water supply

NFPA 850 requires that fire water supply systems shall be designed to provide the maximum likely
3
simultaneous water demand from fixed fire protection systems, plus an allowance of 113 m /h to
3
cover hose stream demand. The required total flow rate is therefore 378 plus 113 equal to 491 m /h.
Since it not to be anticipated that fires would occur in two bunds simultaneously, this flow rate will be
sufficient for both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the proposed development.
For this flow rate a nominal 300 mm diameter fire main is recommended.

10.8 Fire water tank

NFPA 850 recommends that water storage should be sufficient to provide the required water supply
3
flow rate for not less than two hours. The required fire water storage will therefore be 982 m .

10.9 Make-up water

The supply of make-up water will be required to fill the fire water tank in not less than eight hours,
3
which is a flow rate of 123 m /h. A nominal 200 mm diameter supply pipe should be sufficient for this
purpose.

10.10 Fire water pumps

In the Fire Fighting Water pump house there will be two fire pumps, one driven by diesel engine and
the other by an electric motor. The pumps supply water from the Fire Fighting Water tank for the
standpipe system and fire hydrants.
Either one of these centrifugal pumps must alone be able to deliver the required amount of water. At
the rated flow, the pressure produced by the pumps will be from 8 to 10 bar. The final pressure should
be evaluated according to system requirements.
An electric jockey pump will be provided to maintain the pressure in the pipeline. If the jockey pump
cannot maintain the pressure, the pump control system will automatically start the electrically driven
pump and diesel engine driven pump at respective pressure set points. Operating conditions of fire
water pumps shall be displayed on the SCADA.
3
The selected capacity of one fire water pump is not less than 500 m /h. The pumps shall be
hydraulically sized according to the NFPA 20 standard (Not less than 150 % of rated capacity at not
less than 65 % of total rated head).

10.11 Foam supply system

The foam supply system will be bladder tank type or atmospheric storage tank with a foam
concentrate pump, level indicators and low level alarms. The foam tank can be located either in same
location with the main pumps or in the separate container or shelter whichever is considered more
feasible during detailed design phase.
The tank shall be of double-skinned design and fabricated from or lined with material compatible with
the foam concentration. The foam system shall be designed in accordance with NFPA 16-Standard
for the installation of foam-water sprinkler and foam-water spray systems.

10.12 Fire main and hydrants

A buried fire main shall surround the tank farm area. The fire main shall be built using NFPA 24
“Private fire service main” as the design standard and shall be fitted with hydrants as required.
Hydrants with 2 x 2½” connections shall be used on the site area in accordance with NFPA 850 and
NFPA 24. The connections to the fire main shall be the size DN 150. The underground pipe material
shall be preferably plastic (high pressure PE pipe or equivalent) or other corrosion resistant type.
Unprotected carbon steel pipes shall not be used for underground service due to the risk of corrosion

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Extract of Design Summary Report for Tank Farm at Les Grandes Salines

The total number of site area hydrants shall be determined as part of the detailed design. An
appropriate number of them shall have spool pipe for monitor connection

 Each hydrant shall be provided with following minimum equipment:

 1 Hydrant turn key and bar
 1 Hose wrench
 2 Lay flat hose with light alloy instantaneous couplings. Hose size 2 ½” and 20 m standard
length. The coupling standard to be agreed with local fire department
 1 Nozzle 2½ “
 Cabinets equipped with keys
 Each of the cabinet stands shall be also equipped with 12 kg dry powder extinguisher

10.13 Buildings

10.13.1 Fuel pump house

The fuel pump house shall have:
�automatic heat detection,
� wet pipe water sprinkler system (NFPA 13, Extra hazard group 1)
�4 portable 12 kg dry powder extinguishers
�1 wheeled type 50 kg dry powder extinguisher Water hydrants and
�fire hose equipment from site area available

10.13.2 Electrical room and office

These rooms shall have:
�automatic smoke detection
� FM200 or other equivalent clean agent extinguishing system with automatic and manual release
(NFPA 2001) Minimum 10 minutes application time.
�4 portable 5 kg CO2 extinguishers
�1 trolley type 22 kg CO2 extinguisher

10.13.3 Fire fighting pump house

The fire pump house shall have
�2 portable 12 kg dry powder extinguisher
�Wet pipe sprinkler system (NFPA 13)
�Water hydrant and fire hose equipment from site area available

10.13.4 Guard house / office

This building shall have
�automatic smoke detection
�1 portable 12 kg dry powder extinguisher
� water hydrant and fire hose equipment from site available

10.13.5 Workshop and store

This building shall have:
�automatic smoke detection
�2 portable 5kg CO2 extinguisher
�1 trolley type 22 kg CO2 extinguisher
� water hydrant and fire hose equipment from site available

10.13.6 Boiler house

The boiler house shall have:
�automatic smoke detection
�2 portable 12 kg dry powder extinguisher
� wet pipe sprinkler system (NFPA 13)
� water hydrant and fire hose equipment from site area available

11. Fire detection

11.1 General
The fire detection system shall be in accordance with NFPA 72 or EN54 standards.

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Extract of Design Summary Report for Tank Farm at Les Grandes Salines

The fire alarm system shall consist of the following main components:
� a fire alarm centre including a supervision unit, a display unit, input and output terminal units, a
power supply unit, and a message transfer unit
�fire detectors and manual call points connected to the fire alarm centre
�alarm devices (bells, sirens, flashing lights) connected to the fire alarm centre

When designing the fire alarm system, the following basic principles shall be considered:
�The fire alarm centre shall be placed in, or the signals relayed to, a continuously manned room
�The supervised rooms should be divided into alarm zones to ease locating the fire
�
� Alarm bells, sirens and flashing lights must be situated so that they can be heard or seen
everywhere inside and where needed outside the buildings
�An average ambient sound level greater than 105 dBA shall require the use of a visible notification
appliances.

11.2 Fire alarm system and zones

Either addressable or non-addressable systems shall be acceptable.
The following shall be taken into consideration in selecting fire alarm zones
� The purpose of fire alarm zones is to group the fire detectors and in that way ease the fire location
at an alarm
�At least the following areas should be defined as separate fire alarm zones:
− Separate buildings
− Separate floors (except stairways which may encompass several floors)
− Rooms separated by fire walls
− Areas of different fire classes
− Rooms or areas of essentially different heights
− Rooms that cannot be accessed without passing through other zones

11.3 Designing fire detection system

11.3.1 Selecting fire detectors
The basic principle is to install the type and number of fire detectors that will give the earliest possible
fire detection without causing false alarms during normal operation conditions
Optical smoke detectors are recommended, except in workshops and similar rooms where smoke
may appear as a result of the normal use of the room. Differential maximum heat detectors shall be
used in rooms where smoke detectors cannot be used
Smoke detectors are suitable for pump rooms, switchgear rooms, offices, stores and control rooms.
Optical smoke detectors detect visible smoke particles, either based on their light reflectance or light
absorption. Ion detectors are activated at an increased electrical ionization resistance and they are
able to detect even invisible smoke
Heat detectors are immune to exhaust gas and welding smoke and are therefore suitable for use in
workshops. Heat detectors shall be provided on the tank vents to give early warning of tank fires.
The maximal heat detectors operate in cases where a maximum temperature is exceeded. The
differential detectors operate in cases where the temperature rises too fast. The differential maximal
detectors operate in both cases.

11.3.2 Detection of bund fires

Bund fires will be detected visually by means of the CCTV system.

11.3.3 Locating manual call points

In a manual alarm device, the fire alarm is activated with a push button. Normally the button is
protected with a cover that can be crushed
Push buttons for activating fire alarms manually should be placed close to each exit road and close to
the fire alarm panel or alarm centre. Each fire detection loop must have at least one push button.

11.3.4 Arranging fire detection loops

The fire detectors and fire call buttons are located along one or more closed loops starting and ending
in the fire alarm centre. In addressable systems, a fire alarm loop may extend over several alarm
zones
Each detection loop will be partitioned by a number of disconnecting devices. The disconnecting
devices may be installed as separate devices or included in the detector bases as “isolator bases”. At

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Extract of Design Summary Report for Tank Farm at Les Grandes Salines

a line break or short circuit on the loop, the faulty section is isolated at the two closest disconnecting
devices. The other detectors on the loop will stay in contact with the fire centre along either end of the
loop Cable with copper wires (2x0.8 mm indoors and 4x0.8 mm in outdoor circuitries) that fulfil the fire
condition requirements of IEC 332-1 should be used.

11.3.5 Alarm signalling system

The following types of alarm signalling devices will be used:
�Alarm bells
�Flashing lights
�Alarm sirens where feasible
Visual alarm devices (flashing lights) shall be placed so that they can be seen in all locations where
people are located.
The following shall be provided:
Control / electrical room: One audible alarm device (alarm bell)
Other rooms: Audible alarm devices should be placed so that they can be heard in all rooms where
people are located. The sound level should be at least 15 dBA above the average sound level in the
room or 5 dBA above the maximum sound having a duration of at least 60 seconds whichever is
greater, measured 1.5 m above the floor.
Outdoors: One audible alarm device on each side of the site as a minimum. Additional alarm devices
shall be provided when there are other buildings or other obstructions which may limit the hearing of
the alarm
All alarm devices everywhere in the plant shall be activated in the case of a fire alarm. The fire alarm
loops shall be arranged so that a fault message is obtained at cable break or short circuit.
The cables with solid copper conductors (3x1.5 mm2 in the buildings, and 2x2.5 mm2 between
buildings) that fulfill the fire condition requirements of IEC 332-1 have been used.

11.4 Fire alarm centre

There will be at least two independent power supplies:
�230 VAC taken from the LV switchgear (or public grid)
�One or more batteries (generally 24 VDC) with battery charger
Each of them must be able to provide the power required when the system is in alarm state for a
period of 0.5 hours.
Available potential free contacts should be arranged so as to open at a fire alarm or fault (normally
closed).
The contacts can be used for transferring alarm and fault signals to the plant control system. Plant
control system Alarm and fault signals can be used for activating alarm and possible consequential
actions in the plant control system.

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