FIRE in oil and gas industry is a critical phenomenon from safety stand point. Such a fire could be a standard pool fire or an impinging jet fire. A more critical and devastating scenario would be the LPG storage where a severe explosion could occur if the BLEVE (boiling liquid evaporating vapour explosion) and this explosion could have parts of the steel tank flying all around simulating a blast-explosion situation. As such these fires need to be contained and the structural elements and storage tanks need to be protected with a passive fireproofing system that will keep the steel temperature from reaching its yield temperature or the BLEVE temperature in case of an LPG storage tank. It, therefore, becomes mandatory that entities like structural steel, pipe-rack structure, LPG storage spheres or bullets are coated with a suitable material that is well documented with acceptable track record of performance and an extensive technical service support.
Another critical area requiring such a protection is the concrete soffit and walls of transport tunnels under a high-rise fire defined by the RWS (Rijks-waterstat) fire curve or the RBAT fire curve.
Dammam-based Arabian Vermiculite Industries (AVI) is one of the leading manufacturers of passive fireproofing materials in the Middle East region. AVI has been involved in the industry since 1985 servicing the petrochemical industry. AVI’s AVIKOTE Petrochemical Grade Cementitious materials have been tested extensively for protection of entities under fire exposures.
AVIKOTE materials are supplied in two grades, viz: Type AV650 and Type AV800 have been tested and listed for: UL1709 high-rise fire under XR-Designs; OTI 95 634 jet-fire; BS 476 Part 20, Appendix D hydrocarbon fire followed by NFPA 251 water hose test on a steel column; blast explosion; FM listing for use on LPG storage tanks; Efectis (formerly TNO), Netherlands for transport tunnels and MFPA, Germany for transport tunnels.
AVI has experienced teams of its applicators who are trained, certified and monitored for performance evaluation on a regular basis. Multiple teams of such applicator companies are available in all parts of Africa, Middle East, Far East, Europe, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey.
AVIKOTE materials have been well accepted in the oil, gas and petrochemical industry internationally. Some of the major clients who have used these products are: Adco, UAE; Gasco, UAE; Emirates Gas for LPG storage tanks; Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) for LPG storage spheres; Qatar Petroleum (QP); Qatar Gas (Raslaffan); Reliance Petroleum, India; Petrofac for its various projects in Algeria, UAE, Qatar and Iraq; Enka-Bechtel; Bechtel UK; Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia; Pars Oil & Gas, Iran; Iranian Oil Company, Iran; Sabic; Saudi Arabia; KNPC, Kuwait; KOC, Kuwait; Sonatrach, Algeria; and Ghana National Gas, Sinopec.
