Is a fixed foam fire suppression system necessary for liquid sulfur storage tanks?
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There is currently 1 fixed-roof liquid sulfur storage tank with a capacity of 2,000 m3 (for the sulfuric acid production project). Liquid sulfur is classified as a Class B flammable liquid; according to the mandatory requirement in Article 8.3.10 of the 2014 edition of building codes, a fixed foam fire extinguishing system must be installed. However, no foam fire extinguishing system has ever been used for these liquid sulfur storage tanks before – water and steam have been used instead for fire suppression, and I personally believe that such a system is not necessary. According to the petrochemical regulations, fixed foam systems are required for non-water-soluble Class B liquid storage tanks with a capacity of 10,000 m3 or more, but the nature of this project falls outside the scope of those regulations. Let’s discuss how to handle this.
It can be done in a semi-fixed manner; actually, steam sterilization is better, but avoid using water directly as it will cause splashing
Are there any other opinions? We have done several such projects already, and we’re always torn every time.
Use a large amount of water to extinguish the fire – are there any specific examples of what happens as a result of the splashing?
Sulfur, camphor, and paraffin belong to meltable solids
Personally, I think a fixed foam fire suppression system should not be used; foam systems certainly involve a lot of water. Concentrated sulfuric acid, as long as it is not fuming sulfuric acid, does not pose a high fire hazard, but it has strong oxidizing and corrosive properties. When sulfuric acid leaks, using foam may cause it to splash around, leading to secondary injuries.
For liquid sulfur storage tanks, we generally use steam fire suppression only. None of the tests showed any discrepancies