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Investigation of a naphtha storage tank fire
Author(s) -
Rodante Thomas V.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
process safety progress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.378
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1547-5913
pISSN - 1066-8527
DOI - 10.1002/prs.10067
Subject(s) - naphtha , refinery , underground storage tank , firefighting , storage tank , engineering , waste management , gasoline , environmental science , kerosene , forensic engineering , geography , biochemistry , chemistry , cartography , catalysis , organic chemistry
Abstract In October 1988, one of the world's largest combined loss storage tank fires occurred at a refinery located on the island of Pulau Merlimau, Singapore. At the height of the incident, the blaze involved three floating roof naphtha storage tanks, each approximately 134 feet in diameter and containing a total of 294,500 barrels of product. The resultant property loss was estimated at over USD 6.6 million in 1988 dollars. At several stages, the fire threatened to involve tankage in adjacent dikes containing kerosene, reformate, motor gasoline, and diesel product. Because the refinery was located on an island, equipment and manpower were ferried to the site. Despite the size of the fire and adverse logistics, fire‐fighting efforts were successful in containing the incident to the primary dike tankage. This paper investigates the incidents leading up to the fire, operational and design engineering considerations, and analyzes the basic fire‐fighting strategy, prefire and emergency response plans, fire water management, and fixed/semifixed foam systems. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog, 2005