Only sulfuric acid, caustic soda, and hydrochloric acid are stored within the plant area – is it necessary to have a fire pond?

This post was last edited by jingsan on 2010-2-7 at 16:48. Article 8.1.2 of the «Code for Fire Protection Design of Buildings» (GB50016-2006) stipulates that when planning and designing cities, residential areas, factories, warehouses, etc., a fire water supply system must also be designed. Municipal fire hydrants should be installed in cities and residential areas. Outdoor fire hydrants should be installed in civil buildings, factories (warehouses), storage tanks (areas), and stockyards. Civil buildings and factory buildings (warehouses) shall be equipped with indoor fire hydrants, and shall comply with the provisions of Article 8.3.1 of these specifications. Fire-fighting water can be supplied by the urban water supply network, natural water sources, or fire water tanks. When using natural water sources, the reliability rate should be no less than 97%, and reliable water intake facilities should be installed. For Class E factories with a fire resistance rating of not less than Grade 2 and a building volume of 3000 m3 or less, or residential areas with a population of no more than 500 people and a maximum of two floors, a fire protection water supply may not be required. Based on what the poster has described, if the sulfuric acid stored is not fuming sulfuric acid, a fire suppression system may not be necessary. However, safety facilities such as leak prevention dikes, eyewash stations and emergency shower stations, as well as level gauges in the storage tank area, still need to be designed comprehensively.

2# jingsan: Thank you to the friend on the second floor; I’m extremely grateful. The concentration of sulfuric acid stored in this project is 98%, while that of hydrochloric acid is 31%. When providing evaluations, I generally consider 98% sulfuric acid as a Category B liquid; therefore, I feel conflicted: can it be determined that a fire pond and fire hydrants are not necessary in the sulfuric acid storage area? Companies also don’t want to dig pools anymore

According to the Code for Fire Protection Design of Buildings (GB50016-2006), sulfuric acid is classified as belonging to Category B in terms of fire hazard. 8.1.2 When planning and designing cities, residential areas, factories, warehouses, etc., fire water supply systems must be designed simultaneously. Cities and residential areas should be equipped with municipal fire hydrants. Outdoor fire hydrants should be installed in civil buildings, factories (warehouses), storage tanks (areas), and stockyards. Civil buildings and factories (warehouses) shall be equipped with indoor fire hydrants, and shall comply with the provisions of Article 8.3.1 of these specifications. Fire-fighting water can be supplied by the urban water supply network, natural water sources, or fire water tanks. When using natural water sources, the reliability rate should be no less than 97%, and reliable water intake facilities should be installed. For Class E factories with a fire resistance rating of not less than Grade 2 and a building volume of 3000 m³ or less, or residential areas with a population of no more than 500 people and a maximum of two floors, a fire water supply system may not be required. So, the enterprises you mentioned must install a fire water supply system.

The last edit to this post was made by FS_SE on 2010-2-7 at 19:07. According to Article 8.6.1 of the «Code for Fire Protection Design of Buildings» (GB50016-2006), a fire water tank shall be installed if one of the following conditions is met: 1 When the demand for water for production and daily use reaches its maximum, the municipal water supply pipes, inlet pipes, or natural water sources are not sufficient to meet the water needs for fire fighting both indoors and outdoors； 2 The municipal water supply pipes are branched or have only one inlet pipe, and the combined demand for fire water use inside and outside the building is greater than 25 L/s. You should calculate the indoor and outdoor fire-fighting water requirements in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Code for Fire Protection Design of Buildings, and also consider the municipal water supply situation in your company, before deciding whether to install a fire water tank. Basically, all enterprises should have a fire water supply system. It’s just that your fire-fighting water can be supplied by the municipal water supply system; when this supply is not sufficient to meet your fire-fighting needs, you must install a fire water tank. For example, if your business is located next to a water plant and you have no trouble obtaining water, then there’s certainly no need to build a fire pond. If a company is located on a hill and the water in the pipes is only sufficient for daily production and domestic use, then even if the risk of fire is low, it is still necessary to build a fire suppression tank.

The maximum storage capacity for each type of acid and base material is around 200 tons, and they are stored in tanks; therefore, there is no need at all to install a fire water tank. However, fire prevention measures must still be taken, such as avoiding the storage of flammable materials around sulfuric acid.