What are the risks? Should we take increasing high temperatures or pressure into account? Does it involve the escape of harmful gases or leakage of fluids? Once it’s clear where the danger lies, detection systems can be utilised to signal potentially harmful situations at the earliest possible stage. Then, a cooling or extinguishing system needs to come into action. The SK FireSafety Group can design and deliver these systems entirely according to customer requirements. As an extinguishing agent, water is still the most widely used, but it is not available everywhere in large volumes. This means that our work often starts with an analysis that maps the availability of the water supply. If availability is restricted, we search for an alternative. This could involve adapting your processes or defining an alternative extinguishing agent. Water is also entirely unsuitable as extinguishing agent in some production processes. In those cases, we can work with special powders instead. Whatever your process, the SK FireSafety Group has the right solution.

Our Rim Seal Fire Protection System is used for the largest type of tank; storage tanks with a floating roof. This is an automatic detection and extinguishing system that will automatically extinguish fires at the tank's roof edge. Operators often don't even notice such a fire but see it as an alarm message on their reporting system. A fire on the roof itself requires a different approach: the tank shell needs to be cooled and the fire itself extinguished with foam. The foam needs to be mixed with water in the designed ratio and the correct quantity of this mix needs to be applied for the correct duration to ensure timely extinguishing. For smaller storage tanks with a fixed roof, foam is applied in the tank itself. This also demands a specific extinguishing mix and strategy. Each tank and its contents requires its own expertise; expertise that the SK FireSafety Group possesses as no other. Fires break out in storage tanks somewhere in the world every day. The fact that these are not publicised in the media is due, to a large extent, to the effectiveness of fire fighting systems.

As each activity carries its own risks, the SK FireSafety Group provides the right fire safety solution for each situation. Another major consideration is that all these aspects of refinery activity often take place near to each other. This means that in the event of fire, it is often necessary to separate the different zones with water curtains, so that a fire is restricted to the area in which it originated. The fire can then be fought using the correct extinguishing agent and strategy. So, in summary, fire safety in refineries involves three basic questions: How do we save lives? How do we save installations? How do we save the raw materials? A well designed and integrated fire safety system answers all these questions.

Consideration must be given to preventing a gas cloud developing. In these situations, High Expansion Foam is applied to form a blanket around the heart of the fire. At the same time attempts are made to recover the gas. LNG poses another fire safety challenge: the LNG production companies transport the LNG in liquid form (at a temperature of -162 degrees Celcius) around the world in super tankers. The LNG is then transferred to the gas terminals where it is stored and re-gassified as required. There are thus two key moments in the production and transport chain when the gas needs to be pumped. These are two specific risk situations that require adequate safety measures. Today, the SK FireSafety Group is already extremely experienced in providing these safety measures.

In addition, extremely restricting requirements are set on the equipment's volume and weight, and the space available is by definition, small. Finally, a system used at sea must meet stringent anti-corrosion requirements. As storage tanks are present within the same, limited space, it is necessary to divide fire zones. Water curtains installed in the right place can contain fires within certain zones. When it comes to the “topsides” and the hull of a typical FPSO, we are well versed in the varying design standards that are applicable, such as IMO and ABS regulations.

As inflammable gases are always present around a platform, preventing sparks has the highest priority. All regulations are geared towards this.
This means that it is imperative that fire detection and extinguishing systems work reliably and as automatically as possible. All extinguishing equipment needs to be simple to operate so that the personnel present can use, maintain and repair this without problem. At the same time, the equipment has to withstand high levels of corrosion.

The construction of an offshore platform poses specific problems for fire protection systems, not only because many processes take place in a confined small surface area, but also because these processes are not spread horizontally, but vertically. Each platform level requires its own safety services. For example, the rooms in which personnel sleep and the helicopter platform have to be protected in different ways. Finally, there are space and weight limitations. And these are substantial. Within all these conditions and limitations, the SK FireSatefy Group can offer you the best solution. We understand the offshore world.