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TAM800 Fire and Safety Design
TAM800 Fire and Safety Design
TAM800 Fire and Safety Design
Abstract
This section contains guidance and requirements for tank and tank field design
which reduce the risk of fire and improve the ability to fight a fire. It presents
information on tank spacing, drainage, and impoundage and helps you determine the
need for, and design of, fixed extinguishing systems. It also lists design
considerations and methods that reduce the risk of fire. Both designer and
management can use the section to determine design criteria beyond national, state
and local codes and regulations.
Contents Page
Lightning Ignition
See Section 430 for a discussion of tank grounding.
Seals on Open-top Floating Roof Tanks. Prevent these fires by properly designing
and maintaining shunts for primary and secondary seals, and insulated pantograph
hanger sections where applicable. (See Section 420.)
Internal Floating Roof Tanks. Ignition has occurred at vent openings due to
flammable vapors in the vapor space. The flammable vapor space can be caused by:
• A sunken roof
• Filling the tank after the roof has been set on its legs
• Volatile liquids entering the tank due to process upset
• A separated roof seal
Use of a buoyant roof, routine monitoring of the vapor space, and procedural control
during lightning storms will prevent such fires (see Section 420). Internal floating
roofs are not vulnerable to lightning ignitions at the seals, and shunts are not
required.
Cone Roof Tanks. On tanks with flammable vapor space, ignition has occurred
when there have been openings through the roof. To prevent these incidents, use
pressure/vacuum valves on the tank vents (see Section 743), assure the gaging and
sampling hatches have been closed, and use proper maintenance to ensure that no
corrosion openings exist in the tank’s vapor space. It is recommended to use floating
roof or internal floating roof tanks for flammable liquids and for liquids stored at or
above their flash point (with the exception of hot asphalt tanks).
Tank Froth-overs
Froth-overs occur when water enters hot tanks (over 212°F) or when hot streams
enter tanks with water bottoms. The resulting massive froth releases have travelled
significant distances to reach exterior ignition sources (see below).
Tank froth-overs can be minimized by (1) designing process limit cooling water
systems to operate at a lower pressure than the hot process streams. This method
prevents water from leaking through the cooler bundles into hot rundown streams;
(2) providing proper instrumentation on rundown lines to tankage operating below
212°F, preventing these rundown streams from exceeding that temperature (usually
200°F is the tank temperature limit, see Section 1230); and (3) by designing
facilities to make it easy to regularly remove any water which accumulates in the
bottom of the tank.
Pyrophoric Ignitions
These spontaneous ignitions occur when iron sulfide deposits oxidize in the
presence of a flammable mixture in the vapor space of tanks. Such iron sulfide
deposits can form on metal in the vapor space where the hydrogen sulfide content is
high and there is no oxygen. Upon introduction of air, such deposits oxidize and
create an ignition source.
During normal operation of sour stock tanks, the risk can be minimized by using
floating roof tanks or by inert blanketing of fixed roof tanks. When removing sour
tanks from service, use careful procedural control until the tanks are gas free and all
built up deposits removed. Tank design should provide a means to evacuate gas and
sweeten the tank.
Accessibility
Accessibility is the key factor, both in the movement of the mobile equipment to the
fire site and the effective, safe use there. Some of the primary overall considerations
in this regard are:
Roads. Two or more road accesses from different directions should be available to
each tank field area. A road should be provided on at least one side of all low flash
stock tanks. The roads must be wide enough or have sufficient turnouts to allow
efficient maneuvering of firefighting vehicles.
Mains, hydrants. Fire water mains and hydrants should be located along these
roadways, with hydrants positioned on the roadside of any dikes, pipeways,
drainage ditches, or other obstructions. As appropriate, walkways or accessways
should be provided over wide pipeways or other obstructions to allow for running
hose lines into the tankage areas.
Dikes. Dike heights normally should be limited to six feet above the surrounding
land to allow ease of access over the dikes by firefighters. Stairways or other
operator accessways normally would be provided over both sides of the dike near
the roadside for operations control.
Stairways. The bottom of the tank stairway should be located on the tank near the
operator access point. For operation as well as firefighting considerations, locate the
top of the stairway on the prevailing upwind side of the tanks where practical.
Where dikes must be higher than six feet for earthen construction or four feet for
concrete, an additional stairway on the opposite side of the dike enclosure is desir-
able for easy egress.
Some specific design considerations for different types of anticipated fires are:
wafer butterfly valves with exposed bolts should be used on the tank and in the
drainage and impounding areas.
• Acceptable design arrangements for piping flexibility near tanks including fire
resistance and mechanical flexibility (see Section 700). To avoid failures or
leakage, piping must be flexible enough to accommodate settling of tanks,
shifting of foundation, expansion and contraction from temperature changes
and soil movement. If mechanical joints are used, they should not fail during
fire exposure.
• Tank sampling connections, where installed below the liquid level, should have
a root valve against the tank (normally closed except when sampling), readily
accessible by the operators. For tanks with circular stairways, these valves
should be accessible from the stairway or at a centrally located manifold (see
Section 700).
• Drains for spill pads under sample connections or mixers should be tied to the
area drain system through a sealed connection. This reduces the build-up of
spilled oil which creates housekeeping and fire risk problems.
• Tank nozzles for filling/withdrawal, water drawoff, and sampling should not be
installed beneath the stairway. This protects stairway access if a spill from one
of these nozzles should catch fire. Also, these nozzles should be separated from
each other (see Section 600).
Safe Practices
In addition, there are a number of safety/fire prevention practices associated with
tank maintenance and operations. Items falling into this category are:
• Safe operating practices to prevent overfilling tanks. Clearly developed and
enforced procedures are essential in establishing firm operator control to avoid
overfilling.
• Procedures and controls for filling, sampling and gauging. Static can
accumulate during filling, and restraints must be imposed during initial filling
and during sampling and gauging of certain types of tanks to avoid introduction
of an ignition source. Refer to API Recommended Practice 2003, “Protection
Against Ignitions Arising Out of Static, Lightning, and Stray Currents.”
• Procedures for drawing water and minimizing oil losses which include operator
coverage at all times. Properly controlled water drawoff reduces the chance of
significant oil spills and resultant potential for fire.
• Hot work on tanks in or out of service. Special precautions and procedures need
to be established to properly eliminate or control ignitable materials at tanks
where mechanical hot work is to be performed. Refer to Section 1100.
• Procedures for in-service testing and maintenance of level and alarm systems.
Such instrumentation must be regularly tested to assure continued reliability.
Testing must include the entire system — from primary level sensing element
to the alarm in the control room. Where tanks must be removed from service
821 Location
Tank location is influenced by a number of factors including:
• Operating requirements,
• Topographical features,
• Fire protection considerations, and
• Optimum use of property.
Operating Requirements
Operating requirements may dictate whether tankage is located close to or remote
from units which they serve. Generally tanks are uphill from their transfer pumps
and close to each other for ready access, short suction lines and minimum piping.
Sometimes stock characteristics, quality control, or other factors may require
location of tanks close to processing units. Generally these tanks should be limited
in size to meet processing needs rather than storage requirements.
Fig. 800-2 Aboveground Tanks for Class III B Liquids with Flash Points at or above 200°F Reprinted with permission
from NFPA 30-1996, “Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code”, Copyright © 1996, National Fire Protec-
tion Association, Quincy MA 02269.
Minimum Distance in Feet from Minimum Distance in Feet from
Property Line Which Is or Can be Nearest Side of Any Public Way or
Built Upon Including the Opposite from Nearest Important Building on
Tank Capacity (Gallons) Side of a Public Way the Same Property
12,000 or less 5 5
12,001 to 30,000 10 5
30,001 to 50,000 10 10
50,001 to 100,000 15 10
100,001 or more 15 15
Fig. 800-3 Reference Minimum Distance for Use in Figure 800-1 Reprinted with permission from NFPA 30-1996,
“Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code”, Copyright © 1996, National Fire Protection Association,
Quincy MA 02269.
Minimum Distance in Feet from Minimum Distance in Feet from
Property Line Which Is or Can Nearest Side of Any Public Way
be Built Upon Including the or from Nearest Important
Tank Capacity (Gallons) Opposite Side of a Public Way Building on the Same Property
275 or less 5 5
276 to 750 10 5
751 to 12,000 15 5
12,001 to 30,000 20 5
30,001 to 50,000 30 10
50,001 to 100,000 50 15
100,001 to 500,000 80 25
500,001 to 1,000,000 100 35
1,000,001 to 2,000,000 135 45
2,000,001 to 3,000,000 165 55
3,000,001 or more 175 60
Fig. 800-4 Aboveground Tanks for Crude Oil Reprinted with permission from NFPA 30-1996, “Flammable and
Combustible Liquids Code”, Copyright © 1996, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy MA 02269.
Minimum Distance in Minimum Distance in
Feet from Property Line Feet from Nearest Side
Which Is or Can be Built of Any Public Way or
Upon Including the from Nearest Important
Opposite Side of a Building on the Same
Public Way (Not Less Property (Not Less
Type of Tank(1) Protection Than 5 Feet) Than 5 Feet)
Floating Roof Protection for 1/2 times diameter of tank 1/6 times diameter of tank
Exposures(2)
None(3) Diameter of tank 1/6 times diameter of tank
(4)
Fixed Roof Approved foam or Diameter of tank 1/3 times diameter of tank
Vertical With Frangible inerting system
Joint for Roof-to-Shell
Protection for Exposures(2) 2 times diameter of tank 2/3 times diameter of tank
Seam
(3)
None 4 times diameter of tank 2/3 times diameter of tank
but need to exceed 350
feet
(1) Approved floating roof tanks and frangible joints are defined in Section 100 and API 650.
(2) Protection for exposures shall mean fire protection for structures on property adjacent to liquid storage. Fire protection for such struc-
tures shall be acceptable when located (1) within the jurisdiction of any public fire department or (2) adjacent to plants having private
fire brigades capable of providing cooling water streams on structures on property adjacent to liquid storage.
(3) Use this for producing areas where no fire water is on site and there is no public or private fire brigade to respond.
(4) It is NOT ALLOWED to store liquid with boilover characteristics (such as crude oil) in fixed roof tanks over 120 feet in diameter. See the
Fire Protection Manual.
Shell-To-Shell Spacing
It is generally Company practice to follow NFPA 30 Code requirements for
minimum spacing between aboveground storage tanks. However, for large tanks
having diameters over 120 feet but less than 150 feet, and for smaller fixed roof
crude oil tanks in remote locations having remote impounding, Company shell-to-
shell spacing requirements are more conservative than NFPA 30. Greater spacing
will allow for adequate drainage of spilled oil away from tanks, limit the chance of
spread of a large tank fire and provide better access for handling fires in these large
tanks.
Figure 800-5 gives the Company’s spacing requirements. In the figure, D1 and D2
are the diameters of any two adjacent tanks.
Fig. 800-5 Minimum Spacing (Shell-to-Shell) Between Aboveground Tanks for Flammable and Combustible Liquids
Reprinted with permission from NFPA 30-1996, “Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code”, Copyright ©
1996, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy MA 02269.
Floating Roof
Tanks(1) Fixed Roof Tanks
Class I & II (Other
For All Type Liquids Crude Oil Than Crude)(2) Class IIIA(2)
1. Tanks Not Over 120 Note(3)
Feet Diameter D1 D2 D1 D2 D1 D2 D1 D2
a. For tanks having ------ + ------ ------ + ------ ------ + ------ ------ + ------
6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
remote
impounding
b. For tanks not D1 D2 D 1 D2 D1 D2 D1 D2
having remote ------ + ------ ------ + ------ ------ + ------ ------ + ------
6 6 4 4 6 6 6 6
impounding
Note(3)
2. Tanks Over 120 Feet
Diameter D D D D D D
1 2 Note(4) 1 2 1 2
a. For tanks having ------ + ------ ------ + ------ ------ + ------
6 6 4 4 6 6
remote
impounding
b. For tanks not D1 D2 D1 D2 D1 D2
having remote ------ + ------ Note(4) ------ + ------ ------ + ------
4 4 3 3 4 4
impounding
Note Tanks used for storing Class IIIB liquids may be spaced no less than 3 feet apart unless within a diked area or drainage path for a
tank storing Class I or II liquid, in which case provisions of this figure apply.
50 feet from high flash tankage (over 100°F flash point) and 100 feet for flammable
liquid storage.
Resulting Plan
The Company has weighed these risks in light of its experience to decide which
facilities will have built-in fire suppression systems. The normal approach that has
evolved is:
Producing tankage normally would not be equipped with firefighting facilities.
This is primarily due to the remote locations and absence of a local source of fire
water.
Marketing bulk plants, terminals, and pipeline stations normally would not have
built-in firefighting facilities. These areas typically depend on public fire brigades
and their water supplies and equipment. In-plant firefighting facilities may be
provided in certain areas of special exposure or reduced spacing, or where local
codes and regulations require them to be installed.
Refineries and other manufacturing plants typically have built-in fire protection
facilities for tankage areas along with their other operating areas. Foam is the
primary extinguishing agent for tank fires, with water used to cool exposed tank
shells. The assumption is that only one tank fire will occur at any one time, and the
fire fighting system is sized accordingly.
Hydrants
In accordance with the Fire Protection Manual, hydrants should be:
• On the streetside or accesswayside of all pipelines, fences, dike walls or
drainage ditches
Materials
Hard-piped foam systems in salt water service have plugged from corrosion
products in a short time. For this service, piping should be epoxy-lined. Consult
with the appropriate CRTC specialist for an appropriate lining system.
Up to 120-foot-diameter Tanks
Hose can be laid up the stairs to the gaging platform and foam directed by hand. If
the hose won't reach all the seal from the platform, it can usually be taken down the
roof ladder, and, if necessary, onto the roof to extinguish any remaining fire at the
tank seal. Foam dams are normally justified on these smaller floating roof tanks
only in areas of high lightning frequency where tank appurtenances would interfere
with applying foam to the entire seal space from the gaging platform.
above the wind girder. The riser should end below the shell top angle and be
accessible near the top of the stairway with two 2½-inch valved outlets, one of
which should be equipped with a 1½-inch reducer for a 1½-inch fire hose. The
clearance between valve handles and the wind girder handrail should be 24 inches.
Alternately, the foam solution piping can be routed beneath the wind girder
(properly braced) to provide the hose connections at the outer edge of the handrail.
Depending on local conditions, this riser can start a few feet above ground level on
the shell of the tank or be extended to the road where it can be reached without
having to lay a hose to the tank (see Standard Drawing GC-S1005).
On 151- to 200-foot-diameter Tanks. These tanks should have two dry pipe risers:
one located near the gaging platform and the other spaced about 180 degrees from
it. The riser near the gaging platform should be fitted with a special foam maker
assembly. Applying foam beneath the platform will enable firefighters to safely
access the platform when they arrive and assess the best way to put out the fire.
Figure 800-6 shows the necessary appurtenances for the approach. The piping to the
foam maker should have a valve in it so it can be shut off from the wind girder if the
foam maker is not needed. The valve should normally be open so that if a seal fire
should occur in the vicinity of the platform the foam will run down the inside of the
shell and in to the seal space under the platform. This fixed foam maker should have
a capacity of at least 50 gpm of water-foam concentrate solution.
Fig. 800-6 Dry Pipe Riser Installation for Floating Roof Tanks 151 to 200 feet in Diameter (Conceptual Layout Only)
Fig. 800-7 Over-the-top Foam Application for Tanks Over 200 feet in Diameter (Conceptual Layout Only)
Hand-held Hose Lines. Two dry pipe risers should be installed per Standard
Drawing GC-S1055: one located near the gaging platform above the wind girder
and the other about 180 degrees across the tank. These risers allow firefighters to
put out limited seal space fires with a hand-held hose from the wind girder without
having to activate the entire built-in system.
Also, high winds may prevent complete fixed systems from blanketing all areas.
The hand-held hose lines provide a ready means of covering these voids in the foam
blanket.
Application Rate. The minimum design rate of solution for this system would be
3 gpm per 10 square foot of the seal area surface. Considering the maximum
spacing of these foam makers around the seal area and the size of foam makers used
(50 gpm at 75 psi inlet pressure), the actual rate would be in excess of 3 gpm per
10 square foot of seal area surface. A minimum supply of foam concentrate should
be available to assure at least 20 minutes’ foam application at minimum rates for the
largest tank involved.
Foam Dams
These dams retain the foam at the seal area and provide for sufficient depth to cause
the foam to flow laterally to a point where the seal may have been ruptured. They
also prevent excess foam from flowing out onto the roof. Foam dams are required
for open-top floating roof tanks over 120 feet in diameter and for smaller tanks in
high lightning areas.
Location: Two feet from the roof edge to minimize amount of foam required to
cover the seal area.
Height: 2 feet minimum, with 6 inches elevation above the high point of weather
shields, secondary seals, collection trough for wax scrapers, or any other
appurtenance that might interfere with applying foam to the seal area.
Material: At least No. 10 U.S. Standard Gage galvanized steel sheet securely
fastened to the roof. No roof accessories such as vents or gage hatches should be
between the dam and the shell.
Drain Slots: The dam should have slots to release rainwater but the size should be
minimized to reduce the amount of foam lost during an emergency. Vertical slots, 1
inch high by ½ inch wide spaced at 10-foot intervals will normally be adequate.
There should be no other openings on the bottom of the foam dam.
Attachment Method: The dam is to be attached to the roof by a 2" in 10" stitch
weld or other means to avoid leakage except at drain holes.
Section 300 is based on the concepts presented in API Recommended Practice 500-
B and -C for petroleum operations and NFPA 497 for chemical plants.
We classify areas to avoid fire potential during normal or reasonably anticipated
upset conditions. The classification system is not intended to include catastrophic
releases that are improbable with proper equipment design and reasonable operator
control. All areas are classed in one of two divisions:
Division 1: Areas where flammable gases (flash point < 100°F) might be found
under normal operating conditions.
These might include the interior of tanks handling flammable liquids, 5’ area around
pressure vents on cone roof tanks, and any sumps or below-ground pits in
impounding basins where flammable liquids are handled.
Division 2: Areas where flammable gases might be found infrequently, such as
during equipment failure or operator error.
This includes all areas 10’ from tank, within impounding basins serving tanks
handling flammable liquids up to the height of the dike, areas within the drainage
paths to remote impounding, and a zone immediately adjacent to flammable liquid
tanks.
Figures 800-9 and 800-10 provide the basis for classification around flammable
storage tanks and in drainage paths to remote impounding basins.
851 Drainage
Proper drainage design is a major factor in meeting tankage safety objectives. Tank
fields preferably should drain to a remote impounding area on Company property.
This will prevent a spill from endangering adjoining property and waterways, and
from exposing valuable Company property. This section is based on the standards in
NFPA 30.
Drainage can be by large drain pipes or surface drainage but is usually provided by
overland flow in shaped channels or swales. Surface drainage should slope away
from tank piping and other equipment at a 1% minimum grade. This helps prevent
underside corrosion and fire at the base of a tank. Surface drainage can use low
diversion walls and/or drainage ditches or channels to divert the liquid to the
impounding area. Where drainage channels go through pipes or culverts, a means
should be provided to direct overflow in case of pipe plugging or flooding. This can
usually be done by lowering a section of the elevated roadway or dike directly over
the pipe or culvert.
Drainage channels should be sized as a minimum to handle the largest stream of oil
that could result from a tank overfill or discharge from a broken pipeline under
maximum normal pump pressure or by gravity from one of the tanks. (Flow
channels and dikes are not usually designed for a tank rupture.) The other major
Fig. 800-9 Flammable Liquid Storage Tank—Electrical Classification of Areas Courtesy of the American Petroleum
Institute
Note 1: For floating roof tanks, the area above the tank roof and within the shell is classified
Division 1.
Note 2: High filling rates or blending operations involving Class I liquids (<100°F flash point)
may require extending the boundaries of classified areas.
Note 3: Distances given are for typical process areas and oil and gas handling facilities; they
must be used with judgement, with considerations given to all factors discussed in Section 300
of the Electrical Manual.
consideration for drainage runoff would be rainfall and fire water. Some guidance
on these quantities is given in Section 500 of the Civil and Structural Manual.
Rainwater from floating roof tanks should be directed into a drainage channel to the
basin and not piped directly to public waters. This allows an easy visual check that
the roof drain is functioning properly and prevents a spill from escaping into other
areas that possibly do not have large enough retention capacity.
It is important to locate electrical equipment outside of electrically classified
drainage areas (Section 840). It should also be located far enough away from liquid
drainage and impounding areas so that it is unlikely to be damaged if a fire should
involve the spilled liquid. Motor vehicle access for tank field operators should not
cross impounding basins or drainage channels that could contain flammable liquids.
Fig. 800-10 Drainage Path to Remote Impounding Basin from Flammable Liquid Storage Tank—Electrical Classifica-
tion of Areas
Note: Distances are for typical process areas and oil and gas handling facilities; they
must be used with judgement, with consideration given to all factors discussed in Section
300 of the Electrical Manual.
partial remote impounding is more desirable than diking to impound all spilled
liquid close to the tank and piping.
The basin should be sloped to drain to a low point where a drain pipe can release
accumulated rainwater. There must be a valve on the drain line outside of the basin
and it must be normally closed. The basin dikes are normally built of earth and
should be shaped to be durable and be easy to maintain. The dike can have an access
road on top but an access road at the outside base of the dike would be more useful
in an emergency.
10 feet to any property line that could be built on. The area between the dike and the
fence should be kept clear for access.
Diked enclosures should be able to contain the greatest amount of liquid that can be
released from the largest tank within the diked area. The capacity of the diked area
enclosing more than one tank should be calculated by deducting the volume of the
tanks other than the largest tank, below the height of the dike. However, if multiple
small tanks in the area could be overturned or damaged during an earthquake the
diked area capacity should be greater than the capacity of the largest tank.
Dikes must be liquid-tight and impervious to the stock. They can be constructed of
suitable earth, masonry, concrete, or metal depending upon the space available.
Diked areas located in extremely porous soils may require special treatment to
prevent seepage of hazardous liquids to low-lying areas in case of spills.
The average interior height of such dikes should not be more than six feet above
grade. If higher dikes are needed due to local considerations, special added design
features, such as remote operator valves, elevated walkways, or similar arrange-
ments may be required (consult NFPA 30).
Each dike containing two or more tanks should be subdivided, preferably by
drainage channels or at least by 18-inch high intermediate dikes, to prevent small
spills from endangering adjacent tanks within the dike area. Again NFPA 30 can
guide you on subdivision requirements.
In general, pumps, filters, and other equipment in the tank field, including major
valve manifolds, should be located outside of the dike areas where they will not be
affected by tank spills. In some cases it may not be feasible to protect this
equipment from the maximum possible spill, but it should be protected from a spill
of at least 10% of the largest tank in the impounding area.
Motor vehicle access for tank field operators would normally be excluded from the
diked areas of flammable liquid tankage. However, access must be provided into
these diked areas for maintenance equipment. This is usually accomplished by
ramped entries into the diked area. Vehicles need hot work permits to enter tank
diked areas.
Where provisions are made to drain water from the impounding area, a manual gate
valve operable from outside the impound area should be provided. It must
normally be closed.
facilitate installation of the link seal. Link seals can be ordered in accordance with
the following designations:
Designation Service
C Standard service -40°F to +250°F (insulating type)
S Corrosive service -40°F to +250°F
O Oil resistant service -40°F to +250°F
T High temperature service 67°F to +450°F
FD FS fire rated service (non-insulating)
“Pyro-Pac” To be used on lines entering firewalls, impound areas,
and on angled entrance sleeves.