Maintaining Passive Fire Protection Systems in a Petro-chemical Facility

By: Arthur J. Parker, P.E. William P. Wheeler, P.E. Senior Fire Protection Engineers
NACE International Bring on the Heat Conference New Orleans, LA June 4-6, 2013

Presentation Outline

Plant Safety Audits Preparation For An Audit Audit Report Fire Protection Features Commonly Reviewed Case Study and Lessons Learned

Plant Safety Audit

Auditor will review:

Loss

Prevention Program records Overall plant operations Personnel training records Process documents Operations documentation Safety plans/hazards identification Site inspection
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Plant Safety Audit

Who is the auditor?

Owner/Owner

Representative

Compliance Inspector/Officer Outside Inspection Agency

Federal, Insurer

State, Local Jurisdiction

Who the auditor is influences inspection

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What is Commonly Audited

PQV (Program Quality Verification) P Program

Does

the loss prevention program cover all required topics, plant areas, etc.

Q Quality
Does

the program have adequate detail, technical basis, etc.

the audit verify the program is being implemented as stated

V Verification
Does
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3 Keys to Successful Audit

1. Documentation 2. Documentation 3. Documentation

Audit Preparation

Process diagrams
PFDs,

P&IDs, inventory MSDS sheets

Up-to-date documentation & records Pre-Inspection Regular inspection and maintenance

Audit Report
Issued upon completion of audit Formal vs. informal still a business record

Determined

by who the auditor was and purpose of audit (internal or external) Dictates response detail

Audit Report (Cont.)

Likely contains recommendations

Recommendation

tracking system critical Prepare written response to each recommendation Address the hazard identified, not necessarily the recommendation as worded Develop SMART plans of action to address each recommendation Document, Document, Document
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SMART Plan

S Specific
Avoid

vague responses

M Measureable
Able

to measure completion of action

A Attainable R Relevant T Time bound

Set

due dates
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Fire Protection Features/Systems Audited

Active Systems
Fire

Pumps Water Supply Monitors Detection Systems Suppression Systems

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Fire Protection Systems

Passive Systems
Passive

fire protection systems

Structural steel protection Rated barriers

Plant

layout/separation Drainage/containment Flammable liquids (quantities, pressures, types, etc.)

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Passive Fire Proofing

Documented design basis

Defined

hazard areas Extent of coverage (vertical and horizontal) Design basis exposure conditions Required hourly ratings

Documented maintenance records

Manufacturers

recommended practice
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Management of Change

Case Study
Small specialty refinery First plant inspection by outside auditor Plant audit identified variety of safety issues

Most

notable being deficient structural steel protection

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Compromised Steel Protection

Damaged/deteriorated fireproofing Areas of missing/removed fireproofing Incomplete installation Unprotected secondary members and supports No documentation to support any specific fire scenario or exposure duration

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Remediation Steps

Site visit conducted to:

Document

existing structural steel protection conditions Gather basic process details Obtain site plans to identify hazards and equipment location Develop additional information required for refinery audit/hazard scenario development
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Remediation Recommendations

Determine:
Type

of fire exposure (hydrocarbon, jet fire) Determine hourly fire-resistance ratings required Specify appropriate passive fire protection material (s)
Availability, cost, application requirements, etc.

Conduct refinery audit

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Fire Protection Analysis

Establish fire scenario envelope

API

2218 guidelines and any site specific guidelines

Identify high fire-potential equipment by semi-qualitative approach

Type

and quantities of hazardous liquids

Establish fire scenario envelope

Horizontal

and vertical
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Fire Protection Analysis

Identify structural steel members in fire scenario envelope Determine required fire-resistance rating Identify candidate passive fire protection materials concrete, SFRM, epoxy intumescents, etc. Develop remediation plan

Include

steel prep and application guidelines

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Fire Protection Analysis

Proposed remedial actions documented Report submitted to Loss Prevention Agency for approval Upon acceptance, remedial actions initiated and completed Repairs documented

Establish

regular I&M program

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Summary
Audit intended to review existing procedures, conditions, documentation Noted deficiencies need to be addressed Regular internal audits can identify issues prior to formal audits Remediation responses need to be specific Documentation, Documentation, Documentation

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