FIRETECH’s Fire Suppression Excellence: The Indian Oil Corporation – Dumad Refinery Warehouse Case Study

Situation:

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has a refinery unit in Vadodara, Gujarat having a capacity of 13 MMTPA popularly known as Dumad Refinery. This is one of the key refining cum petrochemical complex facilities of IOCL in India. The nature of processes at the refinery and its operations are inherently hazardous and possess multiple fire-prone areas within the complex boundaries. One such facility is the warehouse for Acrylic/Oxo Alcohol products/materials. To mitigate the fire risk, the refinery has opted for an overhead Foam Sprinkler System in accordance with OISD and NFPA guidelines.??

Background:

Protecting a big asset and footprint, the refinery has always ensured the best in class and most suitable fire protection system for Dumad Refinery. As an extension of the same, in 2021, plans were initiated to develop a Foam-based Fire Suppression System for the Acrylic/Oxo Alcohol Warehouse. IOCL in collaboration with Worley India Pvt. Ltd. (PMC), Thermosystems Pvt. Ltd. (EPC), chose to partner with FIRETECH, a global leader renowned for its best-in-class fire suppression systems, capable of safeguarding the expansive assets of warehouses. The system is comprised of a Bladder Tank Skid for a wide range proportioning output, Closed Head Type Foam Sprinklers, and other accessories.?

Problem & Comprehensive Solution:

The Acrylic/Oxo Alcohol Warehouse is a big facility with a floor area larger than 12,000 sq. meters. In order to protect this large floor area with overhead Foam Sprinkler System was a bigger challenge as Sprinkler System works on a variable flow demand requiring larger/wider variable flow devices such as a foam proportioner. Another constraint was at the time, there was no Indian manufacturer available that could manufacture such wide range proportioners to cater to this wide range proportioner requirement using Bladder Tank System to fit into the low-cost options.?

FIRETECH with years of technical expertise and know-how of systems has come up with and designed a Bladder Tank Foam Proportioning System that uses existing normal range proportioners for wide range applications.?

1. The system adopts multiple proportioners of different capacities that can cater to the lowest to the highest range of foam demands expected to arise from opened/activated sprinklers.
2. The automatic mode of operation ensures that no manual intervention is required to operate multiple proportioners in this system and the system is intelligently designed to cater to changing variable flow demands.
3. As per the changing variable flow demand, the appropriate and designated proportioner operates automatically fulfilling complete system requirements.
4. Successfully operates minimum flow demand of 4 sprinklers to maximum area coverage of 3,780 sq. meters per zone, as per NFPA standard.?

In the year 2022-23, FIRETECH has successfully designed, manufactured, and commissioned the system protecting the critical and high-value asset for IOCL. This collaborative effort between Thermosystems and FIRETECH has ensured cutting-edge fire protection solution that is proudly 100% Made in India, ensuring the safety of the refinery community for years to come.

Outcome:

FIRETECH’s unique capability of delivering value from concept to commissioning has once again proven the best outcome in this challenging task and an alternative to engineering problems at a particular time. Key features of this Bladder Tank Skid for Wide Range Foam Proportioning application includes:

• Inhouse Design and Engineering?
• Variable and Wide Range Accurate Foam Proportioning?
• Suitable for Closed Head Foam Sprinkler Application
• Suitable for Large Floor Area Protection
• Intelligent and Automatic Foam Proportioning System

FIRETECH Bladder Tank Skids are custom-engineered systems and are available in capacities ranging from 100 liters to 20,000 liters. Foam proportioners are UL-listed with multiple foam concentrate types including 1%, 2%, and 3%, fluorine-free foams, and multiple materials of construction for tank as per the client’s requirement which are even suitable for corrosive environments. The bladder tanks are also available in various pressure ratings to cater to larger foam travel distances vertically & horizontally and big facility protections.?

FIRETECH Bladder Tank Skids are the most cost-effective Indian alternative to other imported systems and are highly versatile for customized applications. It has been rigorously tested to perform effectively for desired applications and accurate proportioning with a long life.?