Specifications for fire sprinklers in storage tanks

Codes > Code for Fire Protection Design of Oil and Gas Engineering GB50183-2004 > 8.4 Fire Protection Facilities in Oil Tank Areas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.4.1 Unless otherwise specified in this code, oil tank areas shall be equipped with a fire extinguishing system and a fire cooling water system; the fire extinguishing system should preferably be a low-expansion foam fire extinguishing system. 8.4.2 The installation of low-expansion foam fire suppression systems in tank farms shall comply with the following provisions: 1 Fixed-roof tanks with a single-tank capacity of not less than 10,000 m3, floating-roof tanks with a single-tank capacity of not less than 50,000 m3, and tank farms where mobile fire-fighting equipment cannot provide protection or where the terrain is complex and makes it difficult for fire trucks to carry out operations, shall be equipped with fixed low-expansion foam fire suppression systems. 2 Mobile foam fire extinguishing systems can be used for vertical oil tanks and horizontal oil tanks with a tank wall height of less than 7 m or a volume of no more than 200 m3. 3 Except as specified in paragraphs 1 and 2, semi-fixed foam fire extinguishing systems should be used in oil tank areas. 8.4.3 For fixed-roof oil tanks with a single tank capacity of not less than 20,000 m3, their foam fire extinguishing systems and fire cooling water systems shall have a interlocking control function. Floating roof oil tanks with a single tank capacity of not less than 50,000 m3 shall be equipped with an automatic fire alarm system. For floating roof oil tanks with a single tank capacity of not less than 100,000 m3, their foam fire extinguishing systems and fire cooling water systems shall have automatic control functions. 8.4.4 The design of the low-expansion foam fire extinguishing system in the tank farm shall be carried out in accordance with the current **standard \"Code for Design of Low-Expansion Foam Fire Extinguishing Systems\" GB 50151. 8.4.5 The design of the fire cooling water system for oil tank areas shall comply with the following provisions: 1 Fixed-roof oil tanks with a single-tank capacity of not less than 10,000 m3, and floating-roof oil tanks with a single-tank capacity of not less than 50,000 m3, shall be equipped with a fixed fire cooling water system. 2 For fixed-roof oil tanks with a single-tank capacity of less than 10,000 m3 and greater than 500 m3, as well as floating-roof oil tanks with a single-tank capacity of less than 50,000 m3, a semi-fixed fire cooling water system can be installed. 3 For fixed-roof oil tanks and horizontal oil tanks with a single-tank capacity of no more than 500 m3, a mobile fire cooling water system can be installed. 8.4.6 The scope of fire water cooling for the oil tank area shall comply with the following provisions: 1 Fixed-roof above-ground oil tanks that are on fire, as well as adjacent above-ground oil tanks within a range of 1.5 times the diameter of the wall of the burning oil tank, shall be cooled simultaneously ； When there are more than 3 adjacent above-ground oil tanks, the fire cooling water requirement can be calculated based on the 3 largest adjacent oil tanks. 2 The floating roof tank on fire should be cooled, while the adjacent oil tanks need not be cooled. 3 The horizontal oil tanks on the ground where a fire is occurring, as well as the adjacent oil tanks within half the sum of the diameter and length of the tank on fire, should be cooled. 8.4.7 The supply range and supply rate of fire-fighting cooling water for oil tanks shall comply with the following provisions: 1 The supply range and supply rate of fire-fighting cooling water for above-ground vertical oil tanks shall not be less than those specified in Table 8.4.7. 2 The cooling water supply rate for horizontal oil tanks on the fireground should not be less than 6.0 L/min·m², while the cooling water supply rate for adjacent oil tanks should not be less than 3.0 L/min·m². The cooling area should be calculated based on the projected area of the oil tank. The total fire water flow rate should not be less than 50 m3/h. 3 When installing a fixed fire cooling water system, the cooling area for adjacent tanks can be calculated based on the area of the parts that need to be cooled, but it must not be less than 1/2 of the total surface area of the tank walls. The supply rate of fire-fighting cooling water for oil tanks should be verified based on the equipment selected in the design. Table 8.4.7 Scope and supply intensity of fire cooling water Supply note: The protection range of a θ16mm nozzle is 8–10 m, while that of a θ19mm nozzle is 9–11 m. 8.4.8 The continuous supply time of fire cooling water for above-ground fixed-roof oil tanks with a diameter greater than 20 m shall not be less than 6 hours ； The continuous supply time of fire cooling water for other vertical oil tanks should not be less than 4 hours ； The continuous supply time of fire cooling water for above-ground horizontal oil tanks should not be less than 1 hour. 8.4.9 The installation of the fixed fire cooling water system for oil tanks shall comply with the following provisions: 1 Cooling nozzles shall be installed, and the angle between the direction in which the water from these nozzles is sprayed and the tank wall shall be between 30° and 60°. 2 When the wind-resistant ring or reinforcement ring of the oil tank lacks guiding facilities, a cooling spray ring pipe should be installed beneath it. 3 When the annular cooling water pipes on the storage tank are divided into two or more arc-shaped sections, these sections shall not be connected to each other, and they shall be connected to the water supply pipes from outside the fire dike separately ； Control valves capable of detecting the open/closed status should also be installed on the water inlet pipes outside the fire dike. 4 The cooling water risers should be fixed to the tank wall using pipe clamps, with a spacing of no more than 3 m between them. A rust scum cleaning port should be provided at the lower end of the riser. The distance between this cleaning port and the top surface of the tank foundation should be greater than 300 mm, and the length of the pipe section used to collect rust scum should not be less than 300 mm. 5 A drain valve should be installed at the lowest point of the fire cooling water pipeline outside the fire dike. 6 When the source of fire-fighting cooling water is surface water, a filter should be installed. 8.4.10 In remote areas with water shortages, crude oil storage areas (excluding condensate oil storage areas) with a total capacity of no more than 4000 m3 and a tank diameter of no more than 12 m may be equipped with a smoke suppression system, and a fire cooling water system may not be required. 8.4.11 Vertical oil tank areas with a total capacity of not more than 200 m3 and a single-tank capacity of not more than 100 m3, or horizontal oil tank areas in drilling sites with a total capacity of not more than 500 m3 and a single-tank capacity of not more than 100 m3, may be exempt from having fire suppression systems and fire cooling water systems.

It’s not 10,000 cubic meters; please refer to page 58 of the Oil Tank Design Code, section 12.1.5: Above-ground vertical storage tanks with a capacity of 3000 or more, or with a tank height of 15 meters or more. A fixed fire cooling water system should be installed.

Reminder: First, appropriate standards should be adopted based on the location where the storage tank is situated. Gb50074, 50160, and 50183 are suitable for different locations.