Numerical analysis of performances of passive fire protections in processing facilities

Abstract

The oil and gas industry have developed and advanced rapidly over the past few decades and the use of a fire protection system (FPS) in this industry is inevitable. A fire protection system assists in preventing fire occurrence as well as mitigating the consequences of a fire. An FPS can be categorised as active, passive and/or inherent. Effectiveness and performance of FPS relies heavily on the combination of various fire protection systems. Among these fire risk reduction strategies, passive fire protection (PFP) system is one of the most common strategies applied to mitigating fire impact. However, a comparative effectiveness analysis of various PFP systems has not been performed before despite their wide applications. This study presents a numerical assessment of performances of various commonly used PFP materials in oil and gas refinery facilities to determine their effectiveness in preventing fire escalation. Maximum Credible Accident Scenario (MCAS) methodology is used to obtain the three most credible fire scenarios among 27 fire scenarios and they are simulated using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) software. This study considered 1 cm and 10 cm thickness of PFP. The obtained results are used for the effectiveness analysis of various PFP materials based on maximum heat flux received by equipment and equipment wall temperature. The study revealed that cementitious material and cellular glass have better performance than other considered PFPs in preventing the temperature rise of equipment when exposed to hydrocarbon fires. This study will provide a key insight into PFP selection and optimisation to mitigate fire impact and prevention of fire escalation.