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Hokkaido, Japan – Ø42m Tank
• The tank burnt for 42 h and collapsed
• App. 120 m3 foam concentrate was used
• Use of hundreds of fire fighters and more than 20 fire trucks
• Enormous air pollution |
• Unreliable, complicated technology (fire, water, pumps, foam generators, monitors, fire fighting vehicles etc. are needed)
• Long preparation time (sometimes several hours)
• Very long extinguishing times (sometimes days)
• Low performance
• High demand on human rescources
• designed in accordance with old fashioned standards |
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Orion-Norco, USA - Ø80m Tank
• 13 h of burning time, damaged tank
• Problems with water supply and other technical problems
• More than 200 fire fighters were involved
• Enormous air pollution |
Experience in most cases:
• Storage tanks are on fire for days
• Enormous losses (tank repair or rebuilding effords, product losses)
• Unacceptable air pollution (e.g. a fire at a diameter 80 m tank produces 14 t/min black carbon!) |
| |
Traditional semi-fixed or mobile |
Automatic
FoamFatale™ System |
| Fire water mains |
Substantial |
Not required |
| Reliability |
Low |
Very high |
| Success rate |
Low |
Very high |
| Extinguishing time |
From 10 minutes to deveral hours |
Less than two minutes |
| Air pollution |
Considerable |
Minimal |
| Soil pollution |
Considerable |
Zero |
| Sensitivity of the application device to earthquake |
Foam chambers and foam generators can be damaged |
Not sensitive
The CLN and the foam riser are very robust, the foam header connection is flexible. |
| Foam application method |
Through foam chambers, subsurface application or by means of monitors. |
Via continous linear nozzle |
| Pattern of foam application |
Point-like |
Curtain-like application along the inside of the tank shell. |
| Inside cooling of the shell |
Virtually zero |
Very effective |
| Wall effect |
Makes difficulties |
Does not exist |
| Sensitivity of the application device to an internal explosion |
Foam chambers are very vulnerable; subsurface systems are well protected |
The linear nozzle reinforces the top part of the shell and will function after an explosion |
| Foam supply method |
Foam solution is supplied by a fire truck and turned into foam generators located near the foam application devices. |
The foam is prefabricated and stored in the vicinity of the storage tank when exiting the linear nozzle it becomes expanded foam. |
| Foam supply rate limitations |
Limited by the performance of the pump, engine and the foam proportioners. |
Unlimited, very high foam application rates can be achieved. |
| Tank types protected |
Cone roof and floating roof by semi fixed systems, monitors for opened fire surfaces. |
Cone roof and floating roof |
| Fire types |
Monitors are not suitable for fighting rim seal fires. |
Suitable for rim seal and full surfaces fires. |
| Foam application rates |
4-6,5 liters/minute/m² as per NFPA |
25-40 liters/minutes/m² |
| Recommanded application time |
Minimum 55 minutes (gasoline) |
Maximum 2 minutes (gasoline) |
| Preparation time from alarm signal |
From 10 minutes to several hours |
10 seconds |
| Total burning time = preparation time + extinguish time |
Hours |
Maximum 3 minutes |
| Losses in stored material |
Often full loss |
No or minor damage |
| Loss in operation time of tanks |
Considerable |
Minor additional damage |
| Sensitivity to technical malfunction |
Highly sensitive to malfunction due to complexity of systems and mistakes by personnel. |
Not sensitive, since system is very simple and involvement of personnel is not needed. |
| Moving parts |
Pump, engine, valves power supply |
There is only one shut off valve you have to rely. |
| Maintenance |
Complicated |
Simple |
| Remote monitoring system |
Not suitable |
Possible and simple |
| Operation costs |
High |
Low |
| Manpower |
Needed |
Not needed |
| Skill and training |
Needed |
Not needed |
| Foam concentrate needed to put out 500m² size gasoline fire |
3,4m³ |
0,2m³ |
