ESTIMATION OF THERMAL RESISTANCE OF INTUMESCENT FIRE-PROTECTIVE COMPOSITIONS FOR OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY FACILITIES

Abstract

An important role in the fire safety system of oil and gas facilities is given to measures aimed at reducing the fire risk. The development of methods for assessing various impacts, in particular, high temperatures, manifested in hydrocarbon combustion, as well as the improvement of the regulatory framework are topical issues for resolv- ing fire safety issues in the oil and gas industry. A convenient tool for assessing the effects of high temperatures on mate- rials of different chemical nature is the method of thermal analysis. An approach to the assessment of thermal stability of intumescent flame retardants for oil and gas facilities is proposed. It has been established that the following criteria should be used to assess the heat resistance of intumescent flame retardants: weight loss at 600 °C, ash residue at a temperature of 1100 °C, maximum mass loss temperature in the tem- perature range 700-1100 °C and mass loss rate in the temperature range 700-1100 °C. The estimation of the heat resistance of the compositions of different chemical nature in accordance with the proposed criteria is given. The final degree of heat resistance of the considered flame retard- ant composition of intumescent type according to the above four criteria is determined by the lowest heat resistance obtained for each of the cri- teria. The developed classification of heat resistance of intumescent type flame retardants is proposed to be used in the method of assessing the heat resistance of intumescent type flame retardant for oil and gas facilities with the aim of predicting the flame retardant effectiveness of intumescent coatings.