Experience in application of SOGDA thermal-protection shields at fire and explosion hazardous facilities in Uzbekistan

Abstract

Goal. The aim and objective of the study is to summarize the long-term experience of the State Fire Safety Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan in equipping the industrial enterprises of the oil and gas and chemical industries with various models of thermal-protection shields, their optimal location, methods of their application and delivery, training of firefighters and members of the Voluntary Fire Brigade (VFB) in the application of this innovative equipment, as well as the experience in application of special types of shields in the elimination of accidents at oil and gas gushers. Review of experience in application of the shields. Outputs. The experience of using SOGDA thermal-protection shields at fire hazardous facilities in Uzbekistan, as evidenced by the example of the Bukhara Oil Refinery Plant, shows that they increase the operational readiness of the force and VFB members of the facility in the event of an emergency, protect their life and health during the elimination of accidents, which will obviously improve fire-fighting efficiency. Thermal-protection shields SOGDA are adopted by such large facilities in theRepublicofUzbekistanas the Bukhara Oil Refinery Plant (refinery), theFerganarefinery, etc. Conclusions. In more than 15 years of using different types of thermal-protection shields by the companies in the oil and gas chemical industry, their most rational modifications have been developed separately for each of the fire and explosion hazardous sites of the facilities, depending on their risk degree. For example, tank batteries, truck and rail loading and unloading racks, barrel storage warehouses for oil products, gas stations, as well as fire-fighting stations at highly important facilities are recommended to be equipped with mobile thermal-protection shields, and for fixed fire-fighting monitors a stationary thermal-protection shield, which protects the operator of the monitor against high intensity thermal radiation, is recommended. Further research showed that the scientific idea of “attenuation of heat flow” represents a breakthrough innovative technology not only in the field of fire safety, but also in wider areas ensuring safety of human activities. The implementation of research based on this scientific idea will open wide opportunities for creating hundreds of devices implementing this technology.