Performance of passive fire protection for liquefied petroleum gas vessels: An experimental and numerical study

Fire is among the most dangerous accident scenarios that may affect process industry. Vessels containing pressurized liquefied gases are vulnerable to external fires, which can cause the vessel failure and a significant escalation of accident severity. Passive Fire Protection (PFP) may be a robust and effective solution to reduce the probability of accident escalation. The behaviour assessment of the material exposed to fire is a critical issue for determining the effectiveness of the PFP system. In the present study, an approach to the assessment of the effectiveness of PFP systems is presented. The approach integrates experimental results (Thermogravimetric Analysis and lab-scale furnace tests) and Finite Element Modelling (FEM). This allowed predicting the expected behaviour of real scale pressurized tanks engulfed by fires. Preliminary results evidenced that the time to failure is clearly increased by PFP coating, but a detailed model for PFP properties prediction is required to enhance the results