The fire separation distances for Class A and B liquid storage tanks and Class A production units are insufficient
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I’m seeking help from experts: I’m working on a project in an existing factory complex, where there are currently 1,000 cubic meters of Class A liquid storage tanks as well as Class A production facilities (located outdoors). When applying for fire safety approval initially, in accordance with building codes, the equipment of Class A production units was required to be placed at a fire separation distance of 25*1.25=31.25 meters from the liquid storage tank walls; thus, a distance of 31.75 meters was left. Fire pass. Two years ago, the owner carried out modifications on their own and added a piece of equipment to the Class A production facility (outdoor). Current calculations show that the distance between this new equipment and the Class A liquid storage area is only 28 meters, which does not meet the required fire separation distance of 31.25 meters. The Class A liquid storage tanks and Class A production units (outdoor) mentioned above (including the newly added ones) are all in normal operation. The question now is: what methods or measures can be used to meet the fire separation requirements between Class A production facilities (outdoor) and Class A liquid storage tanks? At present, we are considering adding an external independent fire wall between the Class A production facility (outdoor) and the Class A liquid storage tanks in order to increase the fire separation distance between them; however, we cannot find any regulatory basis for this in the regulations related to oil tanks. (The addition of an external independent fire wall is based on the building codes: when the higher of the adjacent exterior walls serves as a fire wall, or when in two adjacent buildings with the same fire resistance rating, either of the adjacent exterior walls can serve as a fire wall provided that the fire resistance rating of the roof is not less than 1.00 hour, then there is no limit on the fire separation distance; however, it should be at least 4 meters between Class A factories.) )The approach taken into consideration is… May I ask the experts here, have you encountered similar problems? Are there any good suggestions or relevant legal references? Please tell me. Thank you
There are differences depending on whether the storage tank is a floating-roof tank or a fixed-roof tank. Production facilities are different from industrial buildings; based on the characteristics of the facility, one can check Table 4.2.12 of GB50160 to see if it is possible to reduce the required distance. If it is not a chemical enterprise, then relevant specialized standards should be consulted. From the perspective of building codes alone, this distance is definitely insufficient; the only solution is to consider the nature of the facility itself, by not classifying such Class A production facilities as Class A industrial buildings, and then applying other more appropriate standards.
Thank you! First, the owner has already communicated with the fire department, and that production unit has been classified as Category A (since it is an RTO). Additionally, we originally intended to start from the equipment margins and ensure that these margins were such that they met the 31.25m requirement with respect to the tank wall. However, after communicating with the owner and the fire department, they considered the flame arrestors in the RTO as part of the equipment, while we regarded them as piping fittings. So, as a last resort, the idea came up of adding an outdoor standalone firewall in between. But no relevant evidence can be found; otherwise, the safety assessment experts would not sign.
It’s best to move the equipment. This approach of 50016 is not very well received by 50160. It was not mentioned in 50160 that fire separation distances can be reduced by constructing walls.
A solution has finally been found. The Class A device I mentioned earlier is an RTO. The RTO meets the requirements specified in Building Code 25*1.25; the only issue is that the fire separation distance from the pipe flame arrester (wet type) located before the RTO to the tank area is only 28 meters. If we consider this pipe flame arrester as a flammable gas storage tank – given that it is relatively large, it can be treated as such equipment – then it meets the requirements of Building Code 4.3. Let’s celebrate! !
I’m very curious about what the air volume of your RTO is – why is such a large flame arrester needed? Could you please tell me the air volume and the dimensions of the flame arrester?
Shouldn’t the RTO be Class D?
Also, is this so-called facility a factory building with walls? Still an open device