MUSTANG Fire Suppression System Offshore
MUSTANG Fire Suppression System Offshore
MUSTANG Fire Suppression System Offshore
www.of fshore-engineer.com
DECEMBER 2005
Marine seismic on a high Ormen Langes wideband win Fire protection in the frame
Deep compression
PLUS: PROSPECTS MATT STRAW OFFERS CURE FOR THE COMMON COLD SPOT
safety
ince the earliest days of offshore oil and gas exploration, when small platforms or barges were used to drill in less than 20ft of water and well within sight of land, there have been industry and governmental regulations that addressed fire protection and prevention. They were usually adapted from onshore facility standards. The application of passive protection was minimal, and water sprinkler or deluge water spray systems were used only when required and then on a limited basis. Equipment technology was slow to change as the industry moved farther from shore during the subsequent four decades. Specialists in fire protection were generally used only to consult on equipment layout and process controls, but the industrys fire prevention and protection standards were not generally applied. The Piper Alpha catastrophe in the late 1980s which killed 167 workers, and the subsequent findings of Lord Cullens inquiry into the tragedy had an almost immediate impact on the industry , including fire prevention and protection standards in the North Sea. The oil industry at that point recognized that the way they were using the existing fire detection and fire extinguishing techniques, emergency shutdown systems (ESD), and passive protection methods was not adequate and that even some of the fire-rated materials were not capable of performing adequately in pressurized, high-temperature hydrocarbon fires. That is, while the fire protection that was provided met the codes, it did not meet the expectations imposed upon it by the facility . A 7000psi jet fire exposing two-hour fire proofing materials yielded poor results because of the erosive effects of the jet and the high thermal energy posed by the severe fire. Today floating structures are operating worldwide in water , depths exceeding 5000ft and hundreds of miles from shore. They
are considerably larger than previous generation facilities and many like floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) , vessels, contain a significant hydrocarbon storage capacity . Systems and equipment are tightly spaced on these new facilities because of the cost of providing space on floating structures. These congested spaces lend themselves to greater fire exposure and higher explosion pressures should an event occur. Asset values of the structures can exceed $1 billion and take years to construct. The challenges to life safety and asset protection are far greater than they were when offshore facilities were smaller and closer to shore. Fire suppression and protection systems now have to be able to deal with much larger releases in very congested spaces, resulting in pool fires of standing or free-flowing liquids. The higher pressures from todays deepwater formations can result in significant jet fires that can effect equipment for several hundred feet in any direction. With a solid deck, a release from a 1/2in weld-o-let failure can exceed 230gpm. This release rate will cover 732ft2 of deck every minute with a burnable liquid. Multiple escape routes and technologies are imperative for personnel protection. More robust and redundant fire protection equipment and systems are required to protect the facility and allow personnel time to escape. While the basic equipment types have not changed significantly fire size and duration potentials , are continually increasing and require alterations to traditional fire protection selection, equipment sizes and choices. Redundant fire protection systems are provided to offer protection in the event of damage to or the failure of the primary systems. The use of fire protection systems is also being extended to provide several forms of protection from a single system. As a consequence of these changing conditions, operating companies are becoming extremely proactive in the application of fire protection during topsides production facilities design and integration. Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) involving formalized analysis procedures (HAZOPs, What If, etc) are playing a more significant role during the design of these facilities. Increasingly they are relying on the fire protection engineer resident in the engineering and construction firms to design these sophisticated systems.
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OFFSHORE ENGINEER
december 2005
safety
Who are those guys?
Todays fire protection engineer has to incorporate multiple engineering disciplines and must be conversant on a broad spectrum of issues and abatement techniques. Many have formal education as graduates of fire protection programs at major universities, combined with significant hands-on experience. Not only does this individual need to know how to identify potential fire sources, recognize how specific combustible materials burn and understand how to deal with them expeditiously he/she needs , to interface with other engineering disciplines responsible for project design. For instance, fire protection engineers must be able to discuss fireproofing with the structural engineer to determine what level of passive structural protection is needed based on fire size and generated heat potential. They work with architects to plan efficient and viable escape routes from quarters and control buildings on the structure. Fire pump design, sizing, hydraulic pressures and sequencing are determined through interaction with mechanical and piping engineers. Instrument and automation engineers are consulted with respect to operation of the ESD, alarm and detection systems, and interface with electrical engineers is necessary for preparation of the projects electrical classification drawings and emergency power systems. The fire protection engineer also works with process engineers on process isolation and de-inventory systems and their effect on fire size and duration. The integrity of systems during fire or explosion exposure is also addressed to lessen the probability of event escalation.
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OFFSHORE ENGINEER
december 2005
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