scope:

This publication is recommended for use at petroleum and petrochemical facilities, where fire can rapidly expose structural supports to very high temperatures. Intense exposure can cause the collapse of equipment, the spread of burning liquids, and a substantial loss of property.

The decision to fireproof structural supports should be based on a variety of factors, including the type of product being processed or handled, the severity of the operating conditions, the size and spacing of equipment, and the extent of fire-water protection systems. It is not practical to specify in any guideline fireproofing requirements that are applicable to a particular unit or plant. This publication attempts to assist in the evaluation of where and to what extent fire-proofing might be applied to mitigate the effects of a severe fire.

This guideline is specifically concerned with limiting fire-related property loss, but good fireproofing applications may also mitigate concerns about life safety. Additional fire-resistance measures may have to be considered for fires in which a hazardous chemical could be released or for situations in which the loss of control of a particular process could create hazardous exposure to employees or persons outside the plant.

This publication applies mainly to onshore processing plants; however, it may be applied to a limited extent to other petroleum properties that could suffer similar losses as a result of fire.

This publication is concerned only with passive fireproofing systems. It does not address active systems such as automatic water deluge, which can be used to protect processing structures and equipment, including exposed structural steel supports.

Opinion differs within the hydrocarbon industry about the relative value of different types of fireproofing materials and the extent to which fireproofing should be applied in establishing an acceptable cost/benefit ratio.

Since almost nothing can be made totally safe from the effects of fire, the term fireproofing is somewhat misleading; nonetheless, the term continues to be widely used in industry. In this publication, fireproofing refers to materials or the application of materials that provide a degree of fire resistance for protected substrates.