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Energy company BP has teamed up with the Institution of Chemical Engineers to publish two slide rules, to help estimate foam application rates and so reduce the dangers of tank fires.
Covering both metric (SI) and imperial units (US), the rules are suitable for tank designers, firefighters and fire brigade officers. They are part of BP and IChemE’s Process Safety publications range, and should be used in conjunction with Liquid Hydrocarbon Tank Fires: Prevention and Response.
The first rule is used to estimate the application flow, and foam and water quantities required for a full surface tank fire, using mobile or fixed firefighting equipment. The second is used to estimate the flow, foam and water quantities for a rim seal fire using fixed firefighting equipment, based on the tank diameter and a bund (dike) fire, based on the spill surface or bund surface on fire.
Few people have had direct experience in fighting tank fires, yet their potential for devastation was demonstrated at Buncefield. The biggest post-war fire in Europe needed 15m litres of water (32,000 litres per minute) and 250,000 litres of foam to extinguish the blaze.