Hydrocarbon Processing - December 2021 - 55

Environment and Safety
able for jet fire protection. Structural steel within the jet fire
impact zone was specified to be fireproofed up to 12 m from
grade with a jet-fire-resilient fireproofing material. Secondary
protection was provided through remote-controlled firewater
monitors, ensuring the application of copious amounts of water
for cooling purposes for protection against radiation from
high-intensity jet fires.
Takeaways. The methodology presented in this case study
brought forth the recommendation to apply a combination of
protective measures based on the evaluation of coarse QRA
data and consequence modeling. A combination of preventive,
control and mitigative measures was specified, taking
into consideration significantly large hydrocarbon inventories
and congestion due to the modular design of the plant's
process units. Although the recommendation of jet-fire-rated
PFP to multiple assets early in a project (e.g., the FEED phase)
is generally not considered cost effective and is not preferred
by site operations and maintenance teams, its application in
this case study was justified by the following:
* There was a lack of effective de-inventory capabilities
within the PDH facility.
* Insulation was already specified in some of the process
equipment, thus requiring only an upgrade to jet-firerated
PFP.
* Equipment structures and pipe racks in the impact
zones were already specified for pool-fire-rated PFP,
based on the API 2218 fire scenario envelope approach,
therefore only requiring fireproofing material selection
suitable for jet fire protection.
* Evidence existed to support that water-spraying
systems with design densities specified in codes and
standards were ineffective against sustained jet fires.
* There was insufficient firewater monitor coverage
due to the modular design of the plant's process units.
As this case study illustrates, credible jet fire risk exists
even in onshore projects, especially when the project involves
a modular design. Prior to the determination of mitigation
measures, it is important that emphasis is first placed on the
prevention and control of jet fires by selecting an equipment
design that could reduce or eliminate loss of containment
events and subsequent fires. Examples of recommended design
features include:
* Increased thickness of piping/equipment
* Seal-less technology for pumps handling flammable
materials
* Flange guards
* Fireproofing insulation for equipment/pipework
suitable to provide protection against jet fires.
Mitigation against jet fires can be achieved by providing the
following:
* Jet-fire-resilient fireproofing for equipment structures
and pipe racks within the jet fire impact zone
* Adequate firewater monitor coverage, either through
grade firewater monitors or elevated remote-controlled
firewater monitors
* Water spray with higher discharge densities, where
fireproofing for equipment is not preferred due to
concerns related to corrosion under insulation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank Ian Wallis, Fluor's global process functional lead
for process safety and department manager for technical HSE, along with Fluor's
project process team, project mechanical team and project piping team for their valuable
input and contributions to the development of this case study.
NOTES
a
DNV GL's Phast 8.21 process hazard analysis software
LITERATURE CITED
1
UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), " Fire and Explosion Strategy-Issue 1, "
Hazardous Installations Directorate, Offshore Division, HSE's Energy Division,
Liverpool, UK, February 2003.
2
3
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, " Investigation Report-
LPG Fire at Valero McKee Refinery, " Report No. 2007-07-I-TX, July 2008.
Center for Chemical Process Safety, " Guidelines for Fire Protection in Chemical,
Petrochemical and Hydrocarbon Processing Facilities, " New York City, New York,
2003.
4
5
Scandpower, " Guidelines for the Protection of Pressurized Systems Exposed to
Fire, " Report 27.207.291/R1, Version 2, Scandpower, March 2004.
Fire and Blast Information Group (FABIG), " Design Guidance for Hydrocarbon
Fires, " Technical Note 13, FABIG, The Steel Construction Institute, September
2014.
6
7
8
9
10
11
American Petroleum Institute, " Fireproofing Practices in Petroleum and
Petrochemical Processing Plants, " API, Washington, D.C., March 2020.
Ahmad, A., S. A. Hassan, A. Ripin, M. W. Ali and S. Haron, " A Risk-Based Method
for Determining Passive Fire Protection Adequacy, " Fire Safety Journal, May 2013.
Sanguino, O. and D. W. Hissong, " Methodology for selecting hole sizes for consequence
studies, " Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, May 2013.
Celnik, M. and P. Murray, " Risk-Based Fire Engineering for Offshore Installations, "
ICheme HAZARDs, 2016
Spouge, J., Centre for Marine and Petroleum Technology, " Guide to Quantitative
Risk Assessment for Offshore Installations, " Energy Institute, 1999.
Duckett, A., " Ineos picks McDermott for new PDH unit, " The Chemical
Engineer, October 2018, online: www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/ineospicks-mcdermott-for-new-pdh-unit
12
13
UK
Health and Safety Executive, " Emergency Isolation of Process Plant in the
Chemical Industry, " HSE Books, Sudbury, England, 1999.
UK Health and Safety Executive, " Remotely operated shutoff valves (ROSOVs)
for emergency isolation of hazardous substances: Guidance on good practice, "
UK, 2004, online: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg244.htm
SHIV JADEJA is a Fluor Fellow and a global subject matter
expert (SME) in fire protection engineering design, focusing
on understanding fire phenomena and using holistic
approaches to the management of fire and explosion hazards.
With more than 20 yr of experience in various energy and
chemical industry sectors, he has served in industrial fire and
safety departments. A chartered engineer (CEng) and an
NFPA-certified fire protection specialist (CFPS), Mr. Jadeja is also a Fellow of
the Energy Institute and a professional member of the Institute of Fire
Engineers and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.
NISHIN HARIS is a Process Safety Engineer with 11 yr
of experience in process safety, loss prevention, functional
safety and risk assessment in the oil, gas, refining and
petrochemicals industries. He has worked as a consultant
with EPC companies, and has been involved in pre-FEED,
FEED and EPC stages of brownfield, greenfield and revamp
projects. Mr. Harris has broad experience in technical HSE,
and is certified as a TUV functional safety engineer. His core experience
includes consequence analysis, QRA, fire and explosion risk assessment
(FERA), toxic gas risk assessment, HAZOP and functional safety studies,
and layer of protection analysis (LOPA).
ALEXANDER SELIRIO is a Process Engineer with Fluor
Philippines. He has 10 yr of process engineering experience
on a wide range of projects in the energy and chemicals
industries, supplemented with experience process simulation,
jet fire modeling and technical safety.
Hydrocarbon Processing | DECEMBER 2021 55

http://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/ineospicks-medermott-for-new-pdh-unit http://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/ineospicks-medermott-for-new-pdh-unit https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg244.htm

Hydrocarbon Processing - December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hydrocarbon Processing - December 2021