Safety distance for natural gas heaters

I believe these two standards target the upstream sector, primarily oil and gas production, pipeline transportation, and receiving terminals； One application area is the downstream sector, primarily the petrochemical industry. Generally speaking, petrochemical enterprises are considered to be relatively high-risk, and therefore higher safety distances are required for open-flame equipment such as heating furnaces as well as for process equipment of Category A.

But during a project related to natural gas processing, when I went to the head office to give a report, a group of industry leaders reviewed it and specifically raised this issue, demanding that it be implemented.

I reviewed GB 50183-2004 \"Code for Fire Protection Design of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering\" and GB 50160—92 \"Code for Fire Protection Design of Petrochemical Enterprises\", and I agree with the opinion of the user on the second floor. GB 50183-2004 \"Code for Fire Protection Design of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering\" is primarily aimed at the facilities related to crude oil and natural gas production in oil fields； GB 50160—92 \"Code for Fire Protection Design of Petrochemical Enterprises\" is applicable to production facilities in the petrochemical industry, such as refineries and other plants. When carrying out the implementation, determine which category your project falls into and follow the corresponding standard. Also, should GB 50160—92 \"Code for Fire Protection Design of Petrochemical Enterprises\" be revised? GB 50183-2004, \"Code for Fire Protection Design of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering\", was formulated on the basis of revising the \"Code for Fire Protection Design of Crude Oil and Natural Gas Engineering\" GB 50183—93. This post was last edited by chuwyc45 on 2009-2-19 09:50]

I often encounter this issue as well; I frequently participate in the design reviews for natural gas processing projects. Those experts only focus on conducting reviews without taking any responsibility. In one of the natural gas processing plants, the flue gas burner used for burning the ethylene glycol after regeneration (which uses an open flame) is located in the plant area, and the electrical equipment and instruments surrounding it must also be explosion-proof. However, the natural gas heaters in our several natural gas processing plants are still quite far away from the main process units, usually over 50 meters; it might be just a psychological factor.

The Code for Fire Protection Design of Petrochemical Enterprises has been revised, and the new code came into effect in 2009

Expert review is not binding, but you must follow their advice; otherwise, the review will not be approved.

The layout of oil and gas stations must certainly comply with GB50183; the fire protection regulations for petrochemical enterprises cannot be applied. Industry bigwigs who demand that everything be carried out must be ignorant bureaucrats pretending to know everything.

There’s nothing you can do; other experts approve your implementation standards, and you must follow them.

I agree with the view from the 3rd floor: apply the relevant specification for each specific project. But one of our experts suggested choosing the one with stricter requirements among the two standards. That is, take 30 meters! I also don’t know exactly how to carry it out

What is the fire separation distance between two or three phase separators? I see that 1.5 meters is indicated on many design drawings, but I couldn’t find any basis for it. Please give me some advice

That is, in fact, if conditions permit, the greater the distance, the better; but sometimes due to costs and space constraints, it’s not possible to maintain a very large safety distance.

In fact, there is no requirement for a safety distance between the two phase separators; the value of 1.5m is set taking into account the needs for maintenance and inspection.

GB 50160-2008 Code for Fire Protection Design of Petrochemical Enterprises. This code was revised in 1999 based on the 1992 version; the latest 2008 version has not yet been put into effect. Standard status: About to be implemented. Replacement situation: Replaces GB 50160-1992 (1999 version). Issuing department: Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China. Date of issuance: December 30, 2008. Date of implementation: July 1, 2009. Publisher: China Planning Press. Date of publication: July 1, 2009

I agree with the view from the second floor; GB 50160—92, the \"Code for Fire Protection Design of Petrochemical Enterprises\", is the standard that production facilities in the petrochemical industry, such as refineries and other plants, must follow, and stricter requirements are applied here!