30/9/2015 Designing 

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Designing Offshore Facilities Against Fire and Blast Loading

Offshore platforms are limited in space, highly congested and when in production have an ever present source of flammable
materials.  All of these factors combined can lead to serious challenges when it comes to providing for the protection of personnel
and vital equipment against fires and blast loading.  Limited space sometimes requires living quarters and control rooms to be
placed in areas prone to fires and blast overpressures.

In 2006 the American Petroleum Institute published the first edition of RP 2FB “Recommended Practice for the Design of Offshore
Facilities Against Fire and Blast Loading”. This document was published under the API Subcommittee on Offshore Structures and is
intended as a guideline for both fixed and floating structures used in the offshore oil and gas industry. This document covers a
broad spectrum of topics including risk assessment, performance criteria, and fire and blast protection.  The commentary section
of the document provides examples and guidelines of recognized engineering practices, methods and data.

Fire hazards in the offshore industry include hydrocarbon, pool, and jet fires. Section 5 titled Fire Mitigation discusses fire walls
and passive fire protection methods. Fire wall ratings in the offshore industry include:

B Class – maintains stability and integrity for 30 minutes when exposed to a cellulose fire.
A Class – maintains stability and integrity for 60 minutes.
H Class – maintains stability and integrity for 120 minutes for a hydrocarbon fire.

In all cases the cold face of the wall is limited to a temperature rise of 284 deg F.  Additionally, in A Class and H Class, the walls
must prevent the passage of smoke and flames and that the load bearing structures of the wall must not reach 752 deg F. Passive
fire protection (PFP) includes materials such as mineral wool, ceramic fiber and Intumescent materials (Intumescent materials are
thin coatings which form a thick char to prevent heat transfer).

Blast

The two major sources of blast loads are reaction loads from the expulsion of vented gases and side loads caused by the ignition
of a vapor cloud (also known as a VCE). Section 7.2 describes blast load levels and design.  The two types of load levels are:

Ductility Level Blast (DLB) defined as a low probability, high consequence and is considered an extreme design event. This
design is used for temporary refuge, safe muster areas and escape routes.
Strength Level Blast (SLB) is analogous to earthquake design and is considered a higher probability, lower consequence event.

In all cases operators must evaluate the structure and mitigate the consequences of a blast.

The interactions of fire and blast may be synergistic, with fires occurring as a result of a blast event, or a blast as a result of a fire.
Consequently, both of these variables should be considered in structural design and analysis.

If you would like more information on this subject please refer to RP 2FB or feel free to contact MBI at (337) 334-1900. MBI has
over a decade of experience in the offshore industry designing and fabricating buildings to provide protection from fire and blast.
Our engineering and sales teams are available to help solve your protective building needs.

Bryan Trahan, Director of Business Development

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