Pump up the volume!
Published: 01 July, 2005
Explains Arnie Arnold: “Firewater is the key to what can be done and it depends on the supply available. At Coryton the resource is sufficient for the worst case scenario but is continually seeking to improve.
Figures for Coryton
As a facility, Coryton Refinery is certainly impressive. Crude oil is purchased on the international markets by BP’s traders and arrives at the refinery by ship. Huge cargoes are then pumped ashore and moved into Coryton’s ‘tank farm’ of giant storage tanks. The basic crude, or a blend of crudes, is moved to the process zones where the refining takes place.
By fully-exploiting technical developments, Coryton has been able to support BP’s ‘green fuels’ agenda. The newly constructed clean fuels units are designed to produce cleaner, virtually sulphur-free gasoline and diesel fuels for the UK market well in advance of the EU requirement to make them available by 2009.
“Fire prevention systems are an integral feature of all the process units,” explains Arnie. “We have well-trained personnel and a permanent fire-fighting appliance that can be quickly mobilised. In the unlikely event of a major incident, the refinery’s emergency control team will also call on the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service for support.
“From safety hats, safety glasses and earplugs to protective overalls, gloves and boots, everyone on site - including visitors to the process areas - is required to wear the appropriate clothing. Everyone should be aware of the refinery’s uncompromising ‘zero tolerance’ safety message.” he says.
Technical specifications
“Thanks to extensive preplanning we have sufficient pumping capabilities here at Coryton to handle any scenario,” points out Arnie. “We can provide 50,000 litres per minute of fresh or saltwater supplied by five refinery firemain pumps, both electric and diesel. Each pump provides 570m3 per hour.”
The technical specifications include: 2 Electrics @ 570m3/hr; 1 x North Diesel @ 570m3/hr; 2 x South Diesel @ 570m3/hr. This represents a total of 50,000 lpm at 13 bar.
Arnie explains the maths behind this for IFJ’s readers: “We also have a Williams Fire & Hazard Control SIX GUN and a TEN GUN. The SIX GUN needs 23,000 litres per minute, while the TEN GUN requires 38,000 litres per minute - that’s a total of 61,000 litres of firefighting water at 9 bar.”
The shortfall in water supply is made up by an original cooling water main via hard-suction mobile pumps from the Essex County Fire & Rescue Service, supplied through a mutual-aid agreement. This involves a number of fire tenders which can each supply up to 1,000 gallons per minute.
“Firefighting strategies evolve to remove the risks for firefighters, and at BP we take this serious commitment on board. At Coryton we have developed a proven industrial delivery system for our firefighting equipment.” This takes the form of a roll-on-roll-off modular transport system which encompasses: foam agent supplies, a SIX GUN, a TEN GUN, plus a hose-laying lorry carrying kilometres of 6” fire hose and a hose retrieval system.
“We purchased a second-hand roll-on-roll-off lorry to prove the system worked - and it does,” says Arnie.
This ‘can-do’ attitude of the fire team at Coryton is reflected in the fact that the site now has its own BA Fire Trainer consisting of specially adapted steel shipping containers with modified interiors fed by an artificial smoke machine. “Our BA unit can be expanded in a modular way and at a fraction of the price of commercially-available systems,” Arnie comments with a smile.
New firefighting tugs
Recently, two new tugs were delivered with a third due to arrive soon. They are available 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to respond to Coryton’s shipping demands at its five jetties. All three vessels - the STANFORD, the CASTLE POINT and the CORRINGHAM meet a FiFi 1 Classification and are fitted with fire monitor pumps driven off main engines.
Each of the shipboard pumps (1,200rpm) delivers 1,230m3/hr (20,500lpm) at the monitor. This represents a total of 2,460m3/hr with both pumps running (41,000 lpm). Each 1,800rpm pump delivers 1,850m3/hr (30,833 lpm) while a total of 3,700m3/hr is delivered with both pumps running from one tug (this represents 61,666 lpm). The pressure at the pump with FiFi monitors operating is approximately 16 bar.
“A future development is to use 60,000 lpm from a single fire tug to ensure over-capacity and provide future growth for the firefighting water supply,” explains Arnie. “The final capacity for firefighting with a passive application to surrounding assets is impressive. By combining one tug at 61,000 lpm at 16 bar and the refinery fire pumps at 50,000 lpm, this gives us a cooling water supply of 111,000 lpm. We also have an additional capacity to supplement the cooling main with 61,000 lpm for an independent tug supply.”
The tugs are called on station in the event of a fire to supplement the 50,000 litres provided by the capacity of the refinery’s firemain.
“As I said before, this will give me a total capacity of 111,000 lpm. Each of the two shipboard pumps is capable of delivering 30,800 litres per minute, while each monitor provides 20,000 litres per minute all day and night long if necessary,” reports Arnie.
“The effect of the new vessels is to give me a three-dimensional firefighting capability. The tugs provide one side, the land-based side has fixed monitors, while the third dimension is provided by the fire crews who form a mobile force depending on the fire conditions and risks involved.”
“This additional pumping capacity was delivered to Coryton following talks within BP that recognised an opportunity to ensure the ongoing safety of our site.” Arnie comments.
In co-ordination with the tug masters, Arnie will work with the tug crews should an emergency arise. “The crews have all completed in-depth firefighting training programmes held at a major European training facility,” he says.
“The Thames is growing more commercially important all the time and we need to handle any future growth in shipping safely and effectively and protect our environment.
“The effective management of environmental issues is a fundamental part of our business and everyone who works for us has a responsibility to ensure our impact is minimised.”
What about the future?
“We as fire chiefs have inherited systems and equipment which deliver firewater,” says Arnie. “The role of the chief fire officer or emergency specialist is to both orchestrate and ensure that resources are in place.”
“A good practice is to ensure that the equipment or systems put in place are functional for the future too. For us, suggestions and ideas come from the fire crews and process workers - when we all work together as a team we are at our most effective,” he explains.
He concludes: “BP is always prepared to take these ideas onboard and is committed to a safe future.”
