Type of Tank to use for fire water storage

[plantprowler]

Are there any best practices / restrictions on what type of tank is acceptable as fire water system storage tank (200 m3 capacity) for a chemicals manufacturing site? The tank can be located 15 m away from any flammable source.

e.g. Some options are: Underground RCC; at grade RCC; at grade Carbon steel; at grade reinforced polymer tank.

I can see that most of these types are allowed as per *general* fire protection codes. But specifically for a chemicals-site (i.e. higher hazard & flammable inventories) would any of these forbidden / preferred? Any pitfalls or other considerations?

The site is a small specialty chemicals unit (20,000 m2 site). Since the site is located in a 3rd world country with very little local governing code to specify these things I'm not rigidly constrained by any particular code.

 

[LCREP]

From an insurance point of view I would want the tank and fire pump the max distance possible from the hazard. If an event has the potential to take out the heart of the fire protection, the water supply, why put it in harms way? Below ground helps providing the pump is also below ground. What kind of pump driver diesel or electric, I would assume diesel or perhaps one of each.

Remember the code is minimum you can always do more. Have you reached out to the insurance carrier engineering department to see what they want?

 

[plantprowler]

Thanks @LCREP!

The primary & jockey pumps are electric. The backup pump is diesel driven.

Indeed the code is the minimum. Hence I am reaching out here for best practices. I did reach out to the local insurer that covers the plant but they weren't very helpful.

 

[LCREP]

Check out FM Data Sheet 7-14 Fire Protection for Chemical Plants, lots of good stuff, available for free from Factory Mutual.

 

[LCREP]

Also ch ck out FM Data Sheet 3-2 water tanks for fire protection, 105 pages of fun stuff.