CALCULATION OF THERMAL RADIATION FOR THE DESIGN OF PROTECTION AND FIRE FIGHTING SYSTEMS FOR LPG STORAGE PARKS

Abstract

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is industrially stored in spherical or cylindrical vessels. These follow strict construction standards to prevent accidents that may be caused by fire or explosions in neighboring equipment. The heat transfer by thermal radiation is LPG’s main fire propagator. However, even with standards in place, design and operational failures can still occur. In this context, the installation of firefighting systems to avert major disasters becomes critical. The design of these systems must follow national and international standards and codes, which indicate prescriptive criteria for the selection of equipment to be cooled in case of fire in a LPG storage park. The present paper presents a case study for a LPG spherical vessel storage park. It uses the ALOHA simulator to calculate the action radius of thermal radiation and subsequent selection of spheres to be cooled. It also compares standards adopted in Brazil to international standards, demonstrating that Brazilian standards are more conservative and obsolete in regards to the advances in Fire Engineering. The work has the potential to be used as the basis for reviewing Brazilian’s standards.