Burner Fire Control deploys DNV Fire Protection Solution

Burner Fire Control was selected by a leading deepwater engineering company to deploy DNV fire protection equipment deck arrangement for Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR) vessel chartered for subsea flow line remediation.

A fire protection strategy was defined to address potential hazards of the flow line hydrate operation that had two areas of special concern. (1) Hydrocarbons and methanol being flowed to the surface and (2) the storage and transport of methanol on the vessel. The vessel was supplied with minimum existing fire equipment that included fire, gas, smoke detection, alarm systems, and both hand held and hose fire extinguishing stations throughout.

Burner Fire Control supplied additional firefighting equipment meeting DNV/IMO requirements to include foam monitors with self educating nozzles, large capacity foam concentrate totes, purple-k hand portable extinguishers, offshore certified Burner fire pumps, hookup manifolds, and inline foam educators. For pre-flow back preparation, Burner inspected all firefighting equipment on arrival to facility, deployed and inspected all hand portable and wheeled extinguishers, initiated pre flow-back drills, and conducted a comprehensive hazard review.

A Burner supervisor was deployed on deck to train and assist rig fire team on equipment operations. Training of vessel crews on the additional fire equipment was conducted prior to methanol related operations and were focused on specific scenarios and how to fight these hazard types in incipient stages. Barriers were placed in the areas of concern to prevent the entry on non-essential personnel during incident response.

Calculations for Protection of Methanol in Hazardous Area

 The Hazardous Cargo Area is defined as the area with Methanol storage, Piping, connections and valves with a 3m radius around such items including a 10m radius around Methanol Fill Ports.

 Hazardous Deck Area = 740 m/²

 *As Per DNV / IMO Regulations

10 Liters Per Min Per m/² = 7400 Liters Per Min x 20 Minutes = 148,000 Liters of 3% Foam Solution Required:  148,000 Total Liters (39,097.46 Total Gallons) of Foam Solution Required                                

 PROPOSED EQUIPMENT TO BE SUPPLIED FOR METHANOL PROTECTION

• (5) 3” Foam Monitors with 350 GPM Self Educting Nozzle Each with (1) 265 Gallon Tote of 3% Foam Concentrate

• Required amount of Foam Concentrate Per Min @ 3% = 10.5 Gallons of Foam Concentrate per Monitor

• 265 Gallon Tote of 3%  @ 10.5 Gallons Per Min = 25.2 Min Total Application Duration per Monitor

• 5 Monitors @ 350 GPM = 1750 GPM Total Application Rate x 25.2 Min Application Duration = 44,100 Total Gallons Foam Solution

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  About Burner Fire Control

  Burner Fire Control delivers complete fire protection for onshore and offshore operations as well as safety, construction, fabrication, and maintenance services. Each person on our technical management team has an average of 25 years in the industrial & marine fire safety field experience. 

  These skills plus the industry’s most respected certifications, our growing list of client credentials, and expertise in both the offshore and onshore fields make us one of the most unique privately-held organizations in the oilfield services sector.