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COURSE OIL AND GAS TECHNOLOGY CODE

SUBJECT CO2 FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM P/TM/TRG/I.FF/001

Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the trainees should:

• Understand the concept of fire fighting
• Know about different fire fighting equipment
• Know about CO2 F/F system components
• Know about outstanding points on CO2 F/F system

Contents:
1. General
2. CO2 Fire fighting system
3. CO2 F/F system components
4. CO2 Bottles (cylinders) and accessories
5. CO2 F/F system alarm devices
6. CO2 F/F system control devices
7. CO2 F/F system control panel
8. Outstanding points on CO2 F/F system
9. Annex I - picture

Prepared by M. Nasrollahi Checked by Yeganeh Approved by C. Auge

A. R. Shadman Larijani
Date 11/08/02 Date Date
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1. GENERAL
This document is intended to provide the general technical information on the fire fighting
system in a commercial and industrial building and installations, particularly in oil and gas
complexes, for the trainees of all disciplines during the common course period.

More detailed and specialized technical data and training material shall be offered to the
electrical and instrument trainees during the specific course, particularly with the help of
technical vendor data and manuals which shall be provided by the supplier of the fire fighting
system due installed in Assaluyeh complex.

1.1. Fire Fighting

Once the outbreak of a fire is detected, no matter automatically by the fire & gas alarm system
or by the operators themselves, the existing existinguishing equipment shall be utilized to
suppress the fire and extinguish it as quick as possible in order to minimize the damages and
prevent the further spread of the fire to nearby areas. The necessary electrical, instrument and
mechanical devices, and gears installed in a plant to help the safety and production operators to
fight with the fire and extinguish it is referred to as “Fire Fighting system”

1.2. Different Fire Fighting Systems

Depending on the extent and intensity of the fire, particularly the location of the fire outbreak,
different kinds of fire fighting systems and equipment could be installed and utilized.
Followings are the most common fire fighting systems used in an oil and gas complex.

- Portable Fire Extinguisher

(Using special foam or powder material or consolidated CO2 called “dry ice”)
- Water Based Extinguishing Systems
- Pressurized CO2 Gas System
This document shall provide brief introductions on the first two above-mentioned
firefighting systems, because details on such extinguishers shall be offered in safety sessions
and documents. Regarding the pressurized CO2 gas extinguishing systems, sufficient technical
introductions shall be offered in the following sections because of the common extensive
application of the CO2 fire fighting system in onshore/ offshore oil and gas complexes.

1.3. Portable Fire Extinguishers (PFE’s)

Portable fire extinguishers are special cylindrical container filled with special extinguishing
chemical materials. PFE’s are normally wall-mounted and installed in appropriate places inside
the commercial, residential and industrial buildings. Followings are the different chemical
substance charged into the PEF’s.
- Liquefied Gases (HALON 1211,1301, 2402)
- Carbon Dioxides
- Dry Chemicals
- Dry Powder
Fig. 1 shows a typical portable fire extinguisher.
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1.4. Water Based Extinguishing Systems

In these fire-fighting systems the extinguishing liquid is pressurized water maintained either in
truck-loaded vessels or in an appropriate piping network with corresponding components such
as water reservoirs tanks, pumps, valves, local manual nozzles and accessories, local
automatic nozzles (water sprinklers). Automatic water sprinklers are special type of pre-closed
nozzles, internally fitted with a thin glass barrier. Once the fire breaks out and the related heat
reaches the sprinklers, the barrier glass breaks automatically, opening the way for the
pressurized water to flow onto the fire zone. Depending on the type and extension of the fire, an
appropriate number of water sprinklers are installed over the specific zone.

Fig. 2, 3 show typical water sprinklers. A flow switch is incorporated with the sprinklers water
supply line, which initiates the control signal once any of the sprinklers is activated. This control
signal shall lead to the automatic disruption of electrical power to the fire zone.
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2. CO2 FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM

CO2 fire fighting system is commonly designed and installed for control buildings in oil and gas
complexes. Pressurized CO2 gas, reserved and depoted in suitable containers, is released onto
the fire zone through the appropriate pipings and the corresponding CO2 nozzles. Once the fire
outbreak is detected and alarmed, the operators shall initially identify the exact zone of the fire
by simply referring to the alarm annunciator on the Fire & Gas alarm system control panel. After
the fire zone is identified and spotted, the operator initially shall make sure nobody is inside or in
the vicinity of the identified zone. Once all the operators are evacuated from the fired zone (or
zones), the control room operator shall activate the release of CO2 gas, which is automatically
conducted through the corresponding pipes and nozzles dedicated to that specific fired zone (or
zones). (Fig. 4)

As it will be later explained, in fire fighting system, the release of CO2 to specific fired zone
could be either activated from the control room by means of push buttons on the fire fighting
control panel, or the locally-installed special break-glass units.

Figure 4 shows the general schematic diagram of a CO2 fire fighting system for a typical control
building.
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Small multipurpose home fire extinguisher. (The badger company)

Fig. 1
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Fig. 2
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Standard upright automatic sprinkler with typical double deflector

Concealed ceiling sprinkler. Cover plate drops away when heat is applied to bottom side of
plate. (Chemetron Stargard Model G)

Prussag SFH glass bulb type décor sprinkler

Fig. 3
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Fig. 4
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3. CO2 FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEM COMPONENTS

CO2 fire fighting systems are generally comprised of the following components:

- CO2 Bottles (CO2 Gas Cylinders) and Accessories

- CO2 Pipings and Accessories
- Fire Fighting Alarm Devices
- Fire Fighting Control Devices
- Fire Fighting Control Panel
- Electrical Wiring and Cabling
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4. CO2 BOTTLES AND ACCESSORIES

Pressurized CO2 in liquid form is reserved and depoted in large CO2 bottles (CO2 cylinders). The
area in which the CO2 bottles are depoted is referred to as “CO2 bottles bay” which is essentially
a semi-open area with suitable shelters. CO2 bottle bay should essentially be very close to the
control building preferably adjacent to it as an small annexed area.

4.1. As a standard design practice, two set of CO2 bottles are provided in the CO2 bottle bay, of
which one set (main bottles) is geared to the fire fighting system while the second set (slave
bottles) is actually regarded as stand-by and taken into service once the CO2 pressure in the
outlet of main bottles drops below a pre set value.

4.2. Accessories
Followings are the accessories with the CO2 bottles and CO2 distribution facility installed in CO2
bottle bay:
- CO2 bottles support frame
- CO2 bottles valves
- CO2 release mechanism
- CO2 bottles weighing mechanism, which monitors the quantity of CO2 in the bottles.
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5. CO2 PIPINGS AND ACCESSORIES

The released CO2 gas is conducted from the CO2 bottles to the various zones by means of a
steel piping arrangement with the corresponding accessories.

5.1. The CO2 Piping Network Is Comprised of the Following Components.

- Galvanized steel pipes of various diameter (according to the design
specification)
- Pipe connection fittings (Flanges, unions, tee’s, elbows, etc.)
- Non-return valves
- Solenoid valves & directional valves & Selector valves
- CO2 distribution manifold
- CO2 Nozzles
- Earthing strips and accessories for protection of the CO2 piping system against static
voltage.

5.2. Location of CO2 Nozzles.

CO2 piping in control building is extended to all locations with potential risk of fire, particularly
those locations that are covered by the fire detectors of the Fire & Gas Alarm system.

CO2 nozzles are installed in following areas of the control building:

- Above the UPS panels in UPS room
- Above the MCC panels installed in control building or in separate power stations.
- Above the Instrument panels inside the equipment rooms of the control building.
- Under the false floor of the equipment room and inside false ceiling space of
the equipment room beneath the concrete ceiling.
- Above the HVAC equipment in HVAC room
- Inside the battery room

5.3. Installation of CO2 F/F pipings and nozzles should not be extended into the following areas.
- Control rooms where the operators are always present
- Offices, conference rooms, libraries inside the control building
- Pantries and sanitary services
- Hallways, doorways and stairways
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6. FIRE FIGHTING ALARM DEVICES

Once the CO2 fire fighting system is activated for an specific zone and the CO2 gas is released,
certain alarm devices are simultaneously initiated for safety to alert the operators who might be
still in the vicinity of the fired zone.

CO2 gas can be fatal; therefore the operators should have evacuated from the fired zone well
before the release of CO2 gas.
Following alarm devices are normally incorporated in standard CO2 fire fighting systems.

6.1. Local Horns / or Bells

Installed inside the protected zone, normally on the top of the entrance door.
Local horns and bells are energized once the CO2 system is activated for the relevant zone.

6.2. Illuminating Exit Signs

Installed on the top of the entrance door of each individual zone.
“Exit” signs are illuminated once the CO2 system is activated for the relevant zone.

6.3. Main Siren

Once the CO2 fire fighting system is activated inside the control building, no matter which zone
or zones, a relatively big siren with sufficient high blaring sound level is energized for safety to
alert the whole operators outside the control building.

The main siren is essentially installed outside the control building, somewhere
on the roof parapet or on the sidewall of the control building.
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7. FIRE FIGHTING CONTROL DEVICES

Once fire outbreak is detected for a specific zone or zones, either manually by the operators (by
mean of Break glass units) or automatically (by means of fire detectors), the CO2 release
system can be activated for the corresponding zone (or zones) in two following ways, whichever
happens earlier.

7.1. The CO2 release system is activated by the control room operators, using the CO2 release
push buttons dedicated for the corresponding zone on the control panel of CO2 fire fighting
system.

7.2. The CO2 release system is activated by any of the operators who has first visually detected
and alarmed the fire outbreak (by means of the existing local Manual Alarm Call point
MAC/Alarming Break Glass Unit).

To achieve this, special break glass units are provided and installed in appropriate locations.
The fire fighting break glass units, also called as “manual Electrical Call Point” or simply “MEC”,
are most similar to the break glass units, introduced in Fire & Gas Alarm system document
(P/TM/TRG/I.FA/001), with respect to the construction and functioning mechanism. Fire Fighting
break glass units for a specific zone are installed as close to the corresponding Fire & Gas
Alarm System as possible according to the appropriate design preferences.

Once the thin glass fabricated on the F/F break glass unit, is smashed and broken, the
activating signal (command) is sent to the F/F control panel, where the automatic Control
Circuits shall produce the activating signal for the release of CO2 onto the specific fired zone
after processing and analyzing the received command signal.
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8. FIRE FIGHTING CONTROL PANEL

Fire fighting control panel is actually the heart and the brain of the system, and therefore is
installed inside the main control room of the oil and gas complex.

All the incoming and outgoing signals with respect to the CO2 F/F system are received, analyzed
and initiated by the main F/F control panel. Followings are the most common and significant
alarm indications on the F/F panel annunciator as well as the CO2 activating signal buttons
available on the F/F control panel front door.

8.1.“CO2 Released-Zone X”
This is the alarm indication for the release of CO2 in an specific zone (separate indication lamp
for individual zones)

8.2. “CO2 Low Reserve”

This alarm indication is initiated, whenever the CO2 pressure in CO2 bottles outlet manifold
drops below a pre-set value (low quantity of CO2 gas in CO2 bottles)

8.3. Power Supply Fault (UPS Supply Failure)

8.4. CO2 F/F System Fault.
8.5. Line Monitoring Alarms for All Valves, Pressure Switches and Limit Switches.
8.6. Weight Indication for Each CO2 Bottle.
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9. OUTSTANDING POINTS ON CO2 F/F SYSTEM

9.1. Electrical power for the CO2 F/F systems should be supplied from the control building UPS
unit.

9.2. F/F System Wiring and Cabling

To achieve a safe and reliable operation of the CO2 F/F system, all the electrical and
instrument wiring and cabling should be carried out using special fire-retardant cables. The most
common cables use in fire fighting systems are of mineral insulated cables (MICC Cables).
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