soybean meal storage warehouse

[mody2017]

Dear members,
i have a warehouse with area of 1356m2 and 13m height, and we store 30,000 m3 of soybean meal materail for oil company.
i store soybean meal material as shown in the attached photos.
i want to know the effective fire protection system and code reference to it.
i will appreciate your help very well.
iam waiting your reply soon.

 

[chicopee]

Have you done a search of the national fire codes on this product? I don't know much about the explosive property of soybean meal but I suspect that it could have a low combustibility as a meal. Contact your insurance fire carrier for information as this carriers have professional fire protection engineers. Most dust explosion occur because of improper housekeeping and cleaning, inadequate maintenance of equipment and unsuitable use of equipment if your storage is a listed area.

 

[mody2017]

the problem is that iam the fire protection engineer for the company and i can find proper fire protection system.
for that i asked for assistance.

 

[chicopee]

You got my curiosity peaked, so I checked out my nfpa fire protection handbook, 17th edition, about stored soybeans and it states that will create its own heat due to moisture and from self heating. There is also in section8/chapter2 the subject of solvent extraction using soybean meal. Scanning thru that section, it refers to NFPA 36 on solvent extraction plants which highlights the safety practices. I suggest that you buy a copy of the NFPA fire protection handbook (tax deductible to the company) , NFPA 36 and all others codes as referenced since you are the fire protection engineer. Also in your line of work, there should be an association from which you can receive help thru published literature. Your property insurance company may also be a valuable asset, so next time the insurance field engineer visits your property ask him relevant questions.

 

[LCREP]

If you go with automatic sprinkler protection, I would think extra hazard Group 2 because of the deep seated fire. Unknown if the building is heated if not and in subject to freezing, if so a dry pipe system should be considered. As an insurance loss prevention representative that is what I would have recommended.

 

[mody2017]

Thanks a lot for your kind assistance.

 

[LCREP]

Based on this site

http://staubex.ifa.dguv.de/exploergebnis.aspx?lang=e

The dust is explosive rated as a ST1. See NFPA 654: Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids

All that dust on the ceiling rafters can present a problem from a dust explosion point of view. If you have an existing facility with this product take a sample of the dust AT THE CEILING and send it out for testing to determine the kst of the material. Also review NFPA 70 for dust proof electric hazard classification. Combustible dust is often an overlooked hazard.

You may want to consult with a dust expert once you receive the dust test results.

 

[LCREP]

The link I gave you for some reason did not go to Soy Bean. I will try the link again,

http://staubex.ifa.dguv.de/exploergebnis.aspx?lang=e

If not use the search feature in the top.

 

[mody2017]

THANKS A LOT FOR YOUR KIND ASSISTANCE.

 

[LCREP]

Mody

Yea no problem after doing this for 36 years I picked up a few useful things and why not share the hard knocks it took me to figure it out.

I hope it was helpful in your quest for knowledge.....

 

[chicopee]

Not so fast guys. I did a little more research on this soybean meal and soybean flour. I would agree with LCREP if we were to deal with soybean flour since its average particle size is 40 micron and its dust is combustible. By contrast, soybean meal which is made from soybean after its oil has been extracted either by a solvent process or by mechanical process involving a heating application has no reference to create dust, however, I suspect though that the solvent process may leave traces of solvent in the meal. Before thinking that a sprinkler system for EH group2 may be the right choice for a deep seated fire, a careful review as to the potential fire hazard of soybean meal be conducted.
What was not said in the OP was whether or not a sprinkler system was already in place by the way this statement "I want to know the effective fire protection system and code reference to it" was written.

 

[mody2017]

the most important question that is soybean meal materiel is combustible or not?