Fire Protection in Refineries

API RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 2001 TENTH EDITION, JULY 2019

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Copyright © 2019 American Petroleum Institute

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Foreword

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• the term “shall” denotes a minimum requirement to conform to the standard;

  
  

• the term “should” denotes a recommendation or that which is advised but not required to conform to the standard;

  
  

• the term “may” is used to express permission or a provision that is optional;

  
  

• the term “can” is used to express possibility or capability.

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Contents

Page

1. Purpose and Scope 1

   1. Purpose 1

   2. Scope 1

   3. Concept of Hazard vs Risk 1

2. Normative References 1

3. Terms, Definitions, Abbreviations, and Acronyms 2

   1. Terms and Definitions 2

   2. Acronyms and Abbreviations 3

4. Chemistry and Physics of Fire—Special Considerations 4

   1. Chemistry and Physics of Fire 4

   2. Special Situations, Considerations, and Hazards 5

5. Fire Considerations in Refinery Design 5

   1. General 5

   2. Hazard Analysis 5

   3. Process Design 6

   4. Equipment Design 6

   5. Location 14

   6. Layout and Spacing 14

   7. Fireproofing 23

   8. Pressure Relief and Flare Systems 23

   9. Drainage, Containment, and Waste Disposal 26

   10. Power and Utilities 27

6. Fire Control and Extinguishing Equipment 29

   1. General 29

   2. Water for Fire Suppression 29

   3. Foam 37

   4. Dry Chemicals 38

   5. Combined (Dual) Agents 39

   6. Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing 39

7. Operating Practices 41

   1. General 41

   2. Normal Operations 42

   3. Emergency Operations 43

   4. Loss of Containment 44

8. Maintenance Procedures 45

   1. General 45

   2. Hot Work 45

   3. Planned Maintenance Activities 46

   4. Winterizing and Freeze Protection 46

9. Emergency Response Organization 47

   1. General 47

   2. Incident Command System (ICS) 47

   3. Duties of Fire Protection Staff 48

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      Contents

      Page

   4. Notification Procedures 48

   5. Firefighter Selection and Training 49

   6. Incident Commander 49

   7. Firefighter Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment 50

10. Training for Firefighting 50

    1. General 50

    2. Drill Ground Training 50

    3. Classroom Instruction 52

    4. Overcoming Personal Concerns 52

    5. Documentation 52

11. Pre-fire Incident Planning 52

    1. General 52

    2. Pre-fire Incident Planning 53

Annex A (informative) Chemistry and Physics of Fire 54

Annex B (informative) Cold Weather Hazards, Winterizing, and Freeze Protection 61

Annex C (informative) Conversion Factors 70

Annex D (Informative) Marine Firefighting 72

Bibliography 74

Figures

1. Risk Assessment Work Process Example 20

2. Water-foam Solution Flow Requirement for Full Surface Fire, gallons per minute at Varied gpm/ft2 Application Rates (Figure 5 from API 2021, Fourth Edition) 34

A.1 Fire Tetrahedron Diagram 54

Tables

1. Example Water Flow Rates for Manual Firefighting a 32

2. Suggested Residual Pressures 33

1. Historical Freezing Weather Incident Examples 63

2. Winterization Audit Checklist 65

3. Winterization “Discovery” Dead-leg Surveillance—Sample Checklist for Evaluating Dead-legs 66

4. Sample—Winterization Checklist—Example of One Approach 68

C.1 U.S. Customary (USC) to Metric (SI) Units of Measure 71

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Introduction

API’s Fire Protection in Refineries, First Edition, appeared in 1933 as the beginning of fire safety guidance series for the “downstream” segment. This 10th Edition recommended practice builds on experience gained over seven decades.

The term fire protection used in this publication includes measures taken to prevent fires, as well as those to minimize, control, or extinguish fires already burning. A thorough approach to fire protection starts with an understanding of the ignition and combustion processes, including control of potential fuel sources with an emphasis on containment. This publication gives some basic information on these subjects and identifies sources of more detailed information. While sections of this document discuss general design principles, it is not intended as a design manual. Rather, it presents guidance for those providing fire protection services to refineries and gives reference to sources of more detailed design related information.

The information presented is based primarily upon experience in many refineries. It is not intended to exclude or limit the use of other approaches of comparable merit.

Fire protection references comprise a very large body of literature. API 2001 highlights many of these references relevant to refineries while seeking not to duplicate them. Most of these references are not incorporated as “normative,” and the user is advised to determine their relevance for specific applications.

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Fire Protection in Refineries

1. Purpose and Scope

   
   

   1. Purpose

      
      

      The purpose of this recommended practice is to provide a better understanding of refinery fire protection and the steps needed to promote the safe storage, handling, and processing of petroleum and petroleum products in refineries. A basic premise of this standard is that fire prevention provides the fundamental foundation for fire protection.

      
      

   2. Scope

      
      

      This document covers basic concepts of refinery fire prevention and protection. It reviews the chemistry and physics of refinery fires; discusses how the design of refinery systems and infrastructure impact the probability and consequences of potential fires; describes fire control and extinguishing systems typically used in refineries; examines fire protection concepts that should be covered in operating and maintenance practices and procedures; and provides information on organization of and training for refinery emergency responders. Many of the concepts, systems, and equipment discussed in this document are covered in detail in referenced publications, standards, or governmental requirements.

      
      

   3. Concept of Hazard vs Risk

      
      

      Hazards are situations or properties of materials with the inherent ability to cause harm. Flammability, toxicity, corrosivity, and stored electrical, chemical, or mechanical energy all are hazards associated with various industrial materials or situations.

      
      

      Risk requires exposure. A hot surface or material can cause thermal skin burns or a corrosive acid can cause chemical skin burns, but these can occur only if there is contact exposure to skin.

      
      

      A person working at an elevated height has “stored energy” and a fall from a height can cause injury—but there is no risk unless a person is indeed working at heights and thus exposed to the hazard. There is no risk when there is no potential for exposure.

      
      

      Determining the level of risk for any activity involves understanding and recognizing hazards, then estimating the probability and severity of exposure events that could lead to harm or damage, and the resulting consequences. Principles relating hazards to the risk for people are valid for evaluating property or environmental risk. For instance, hydrocarbon vapors in a flammable mixture with air can ignite if exposed to a source of ignition resulting in a fire that could cause property damage as well as injure people. Hydrocarbons that will burn are hazardous materials—but one element of risk includes a flammable fuel-air mixture being exposed to an ignition source.

      
      

2. Normative References

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document and are normative in those geographic areas under U.S. Federal OSHA jurisdiction. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies. The bibliography organizes other references and sources of additional information by primary subject area. Additional information may be available from the Internet sites cited therein.

NFPA 30 1, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code

1 National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169, www.nfpa.org.

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