PROCESS puzzler

Foil a Future Fire

Readers suggest ways to improve safety at a cylinder storage site

This Months Puzzler

We had a fire and resulting explosion in our gas storage facility. The fire turned out to be caused by relief
valves popping off on individual liquefied-propane bottles stored in the sun on black top. The bottles are
standard high pressure ones equipped with simple safety-relief valves vented to the atmosphere. They
typically are stored in steel pallet racks side-by-side to maximize storage space. Our manager demands
that we redesign the facility so that such an incident can never happen again. How can we change the
layout and operating procedures of the area to reduce the risk to an absolute minimum?

TAKE SEVEN STEPS
Large fires and explosions in cylinder storage facili-
ties occur because the flammable gas venting from
relief valves can catch fire and rapidly overheat
nearby cylinders.
It only takes a temperature of approximately 125F
to lift the typical relief valve set at 250 psig. In addi-
tion, the springs in older relief valves can fatigue, caus-
ing the valves to leak prematurely. Another concern is
overfilling the cylinders can cause relief valves to open
much sooner than expected because the liquid hydrau-
lically overfills the cylinder as the temperature rises.
Measures to limit the temperature are critical.
However, without an industry-wide change in cylin-
der design pressures there will always be the potential
for fire caused by a small leak to cascade through a
large group of cylinders. I propose the following coun-
termeasures: 1) ensure cylinders are painted white; 2)
compartmentalize storage; 3) improve maintenance
and inspection; 4) provide covered storage; 5) reduce
inventory; 6) install a deluge sprinkler system and
inspect it; and 7) change the site culture.
The danger of overheating is not just from sitting on
blacktop. It also extends to cylinders sitting in trucks
waiting for delivery. The single most effective measure is
to ensure the cylinders are painted white. There are low
absorption coatings such as roof paints that keep a roof
cool enough to touch in the middle of a summer day.
The surface of the blacktop should also be changed by
applying roof paint, dusting with concrete, etc.
The greatest risk from a small fire is numerous
cylinders relieving with a high potential for causing
an explosion. It is mandatory that bays be designed for
pallets and separated with fire barriers like concrete
walls to keep a fire from spreading. Two ends of the
bays should be left off to allow for circulation and
keep flammable vapors from collecting.
The manufacturers of small inexpensive relief valves
often recommend outright replacing the valves peri-
odically, say every 5 years, instead of trying to test or
overhaul the valves. New valves may leak if pop-tested.
A method to ensure new valves are set properly and
dont leak is to test on air at 90% of set pressure before
placing them in service. In addition overfilling can be
prevented with internal float valves, weighing, etc.
Covering the storage area would shield the cylin-
ders from the sun. There should be adequate overhead
space to ensure good ventilation to keep the air tem-
perature down and allow any vapors to dissipate.
Consider reducing the number of cylinders kept
on hand and changing to bulk storage, if practical.
This would significantly reduce the number of poten-
tial leak points and the potential for problems caused
by a small fire to cascade.
A sprinkler system could significantly reduce
this fire risk. The only downside is that if a cylinder
explodes due to localized fire impingement the
sprinkler system can be damaged. Periodic inspection
assures that the deluge system improves as accidental
fires are better understood.
The manager never wants this to happen again.
However, there is the inevitable pressure to minimize
costs. The company can weigh the costs and associ-
ated risk reduction. If it is serious then it should do
the majority of these items not the minimum.
Bob Siml, process specialist,
S&B Engineers & Constructors, Houston
PAINT IT WHITE
I once had a similar situation with a liquid chlorine
cylinder stored on the east side of a building in Iowa.
We didnt want to build a shed, as that would have
made replacing empties hard because of the large size,
4 ft. dia. by 6 ft. We built a wooden cover that rested
on top of the cylinder and allowed for air circulation;
we painted the cover white. Over-heating was never
a problem! A forklift was used to remove the cover
when a replacement cylinder was installed. The facility

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 PROCESS puzzler

needs shade for its cylinders and air circulation. Also, temperature effects. Berms were built to minimize
venting to a flare system would help. contagion and everything was grounded. Dont as-
Donald Phillips, engineer sume that placing a cylinder on concrete or asphalt is
Phillips Engineering, Melbourne, Fla. enough if the pad is grounded. This isnt always safe.
Ground cylinders to racks. Ground racks individu-
LOWER THE FILL DENSITY AND TEMPERATURE ally to a plate or cable connected to grid grounded to
The problem has two dimensions, temperature earth; confirm soil conductivity during installation
and density. As the temperature and density of the of the grid sand is less conductive than clay. Take
propane, a liquefied compressed gas, increase so does care to avoid grounding to something thats painted.
the resulting pressure. The normal propane DOT Nonconductive fluids such as hydrocarbons generate
4BW-240 cylinder, a cylinder with a test pressure of electricity as they flow. Grounding at the destination of
480 psig and a rated pressure of 240 psig, is usually the flow is critical to avoid a spark. Unfortunately, relief
equipped with a pressure relief device set at 375 psig. valves are a special case. Nothing is more dangerous than
The permitted fill density for propane is found a hydrocarbon liquid atomized by a relief valve. Numer-
in 49 CFR 173.304a (d) and is 42% of the cylinders ous sources suggest setting a maximum velocity of 15 ft./
water capacity. sec. for hydrocarbons. This is probably impractical for re-
Current hazardous materials transportation ship- lief valves; however grounding of relief headers may help.
ping regulations permit the cylinder to be liquid full These sources also suggest that the energy exchanged
at 149F (65C) the problem is you are storing the between atoms of escaping hydrocarbons may produce
containers above that temperature. sufficient static electricity to cause an explosion in some
So, reduce the package fill density [kg propane/L] cases. There may be little that can be done to prevent all
by: a. understanding the variance associated with the fires with such gases as propane and propylene. Maybe
internal volume of your package; b. understanding the locating the relief vents so that they dont become blow
variance associated with your filling process (scale, op- torches when the relief valve lifts is the only sure option
erator, etc.); and c. utilizing a 40% maximum filling besides berms, shading and dispersing clusters of bottles.
density versus the 42% maximum filling density. Dirk Willard, process engineer
Reduce the radiant heat gain by: a. storing the Citgo, Lemont, Ill.
units on a lighter surface; b. covering the units from
Decembers Puzzler
the radiant solar rays; c. ensuring that the cylinders
are painted a light/reflective color (white or silver); and We add a polymer agent as a coagulant to a
d. cooling the units for 5 min. every hour (between 10 cosmetic tank. During development, the ingredi-
a.m. and 6 p.m.) with a water spray. ent was added by hand. In a large bulk tank, this is
Increasing the start to discharge pressure on the too inconvenient. So, we enlisted an open-impeller
pressure relief device from 375 psig to 390 psig will do centrifugal pump to batch the agent to the bulk
very little to help the problem. mixing tank, i.e., reactor. Now, however, the product,
William R. Fink, packaging engineer which should have a consistency of tapioca pudding,
Air Products and Chemicals, Trexlertown, Pa. resembles runny soup. How should we investigate
this problem and what could be the cause? How do
CONSIDER SPACE BLANKETS you suggest we can improve the consistency?
The first step is to minimize the solar exposure, so in- Send us your comments, suggestions or solu-
stall a roof over the storage area. If the area is so large tions for this question by November 10, 2008.
that crane access is needed, build the roof with remov- Well include as many of them as possible in the
able panels. The angle of the sun needs to be consid- December 2008 issue and all on www.Chemical
ered, so adequate overhang is provided to protect the Processing.com. Send visuals a sketch is fine.
bottles at the edge of the storage area. A less expensive E-mail us at ProcessPuzzler@putman.net or mail
solution would be to cover the cylinders with space to Process Puzzler, Chemical Processing, 555 W.
blankets to deflect the solar radiation. Pierce Road, Suite 301, Itasca, IL 60143. Fax: (630)
Darryl E. Laxo, consultant 467-1120. Please include your name, title, location
Windsor, Calif. and company affiliation in the response.
And, of course, if you have a process problem
ADDRESS GROUNDING youd like to pose to our readers, send it along
When I worked with explosive materials in the mili- and well be pleased to consider it for publication.
tary I noticed that everything was done to minimize

October 2008 chemicalprocessing.com  40

CP0810_39_40_Puzzler.indd 40 10/6/08 10:07:52 AM


Look Beyond the Lore
Dont rely on recollections about how a unit had performed
PLANT LEGENDS arise from a blend of hear-
say, lack of time for proper analysis, and insuf-
ficient understanding of process fundamentals.
Such mythology often stands in the way of ef-
fective scope definition and troubleshooting, as
a recent experience at a trans-shipment terminal
certainly illustrates.
The terminal is currently releasing hydrocarbons
to atmosphere because its flare system is out of service. the seal drum requires 10 in. of water column to push
To get the flare running again, engineers propose
to replace components to bring the unit back to its
original as-designed condition.
Three tanks connect to a common flare seal drum
(Figure 1). These fixed-roof tanks contain light hydro-
Excessive seal
4-in. WC Condensate
relief buildup
40 ft.
4-in. WC
relief
40 ft. 7.5 ft.
4-in. WC
Storage tank relief
40 ft.
Storage tank
Storage tank
carbons. Temperatures significantly rise during the
day, causing tank pressure increases. So, some gas is
vented. The flare system is intended to burn the vent-
ing gases to prevent their release to the atmosphere.
The drum uses a water seal. This provides a
nearly fail-safe method of setting a back pressure
on the drum to minimize breathing losses from
the day/night cycle while keeping an open route
to the flare at all times. Because turning a single
valve in the flare vent line could isolate a tank,
each tank has a local conservation vent.
Postponed maintenance has rendered the flare
useless. Neither the flare tip nor the ignition system is
physically capable of working anymore. The opera-
tions department argues: Why bother to fix the flare?
It hasnt worked for years anyway.
Operations has good reason for this opinion after
all Figure 1 shows three mutually inconsistent factors:
1. The conservation vent on the tank is set to relieve
CP0810_41_InSites.indd 41
PLANT INSITES
at 4 in. of water column (0.14 psi).
2. The water seal in the flare drum is 10 in. into
the seal water (0.36 psi).
3. The piping has a 7.5-ft.-deep low spot in the
system that eventually will fill with condensate
(roughly 2 psi).
Hydrocarbon vapors from the tanks obviously cant
get to the flare. Even if the piping low spot is empty, A myth had
the water out of the seal legs. Yet the tanks only hold 4 developed about
in. column before the conservation vents open. the performance
Now plant mythology enters the situation. Many
people on site remember that the flare system worked of the flare.
when first installed. But it turns out that simply meant
they saw flame from the flare.
Likewise, the lack of visible flame
was the only consistent explana-
Flare seal tion of not working. So, the
drum
legend arose that a working flare is
To flare one with a visible flame.
However, fundamentals dispel
that myth. The pressure balance
10-in. proves it was impossible for the sys-
seal
tem ever to have met its objective.
Figure 1. Problems in the lines from the tanks to the
flare seal drum undermined successful operation.
Restoring the equipment to original
mechanical condition wont reduce
light hydrocarbon emissions. That goal demands an
in-depth repair removing the seal loop in the piping
system and shortening the seal leg depth in the seal drum
to reduce the seal back-pressure on the tanks.
GET MORE INSITES
Past columns are available online at www.
ChemicalProcessing.com/voices/plant_insites.
html. In addition, check out the answers to plant
problems posted in Ask the Experts at www.
ChemicalProcessing.com/ experts/index.html.
Unfortunately, many plants have areas where the
definition of working hasnt anything to do with
the actual process objective or fundamentals of how
equipment functions.
ANDREW SLOLEY, Contributing Editor
ASloley@putman.net
41 CHEMICALPROCESSING.COM OCTOBER 2008
10/6/08 10:08:30 AM