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We are the design team. Currently, the office of a local work safety committee has issued a document requiring that chemical plants install separate flares for their processing units, high-pressure tanks, semi-frozen tanks, fully frozen tanks, as well as tanks containing acidic or toxic substances. In addition, flares for high, medium, and low pressures must also be installed, along with a backup flare. In other words, a chemical plant must have at least one flare for its processing units, one flare for its tank areas, and one backup flare. There are also floating roof tanks; for oil storage tanks, steel floating roof types must be used, and materials that are prone to melting cannot be employed. The capacity of such tanks cannot exceed 50,000 cubic meters. If the capacity is less than 5,000 cubic meters, a fusible disk can be used, but nitrogen sealing is required for protection. A fixed sprinkler system should be installed in the vehicle loading and unloading area, yet there are no regulations specifying how such a system should be constructed, what its design should be like, or what the intensity of the spraying should be. There are a few points I don’t quite understand here: isn’t it okay to share a flare with both the unit and the pressure vessel? What are the hazards of using fusible material floaters in large oil storage areas? What is the purpose of adding sprinklers in the vehicle loading and unloading area? Water should not be used to extinguish fires involving oils; since water is dense, spraying it in the event of a leak is ineffective. Moreover, using water during loading operations in hot summer weather is also not practical.
Regarding your question, I have some personal opinions on it; just sharing them here. 1. In general, pressure vessels and devices can share the same flare stack, as long as the pressure is appropriate and there are no special requirements regarding the medium. 2. Fusible materials are not allowed to be used in large tanks; aside from the coverage area provided by foam spraying, this is also due to environmental considerations. 3. Sealing the small containers with nitrogen is also a consideration for environmental protection. 4. As for the sprinkler system, the owner isn’t referring to a water curtain, is he?