A master thesis from Aalborg University
Analysis of the application and sizing of pressure safety valves for fire protection on offshore oil and gas installations
Author(s)
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2015
Submitted on
2015-06-09
Pages
118 pages
Abstract
In this master thesis, the effectiveness of a fire PSV has been investigated, when offshore oil and gas process equipment is exposed to a small jet fire, large jet fire, or a pool fire. According to API 521, care should be taken when a fire scenario is affecting the unwetted part of a pressure vessel. Case studies are carried out, by simulating fire scenarios, using a state-of-the-art simulation tool, VessFire, in order to determine the effectiveness of a fire PSV. The case studies showed that a fire PSV does not offer adequate protection, in fire scenarios where the unwetted part of a pressure vessel is subjected to a fire. Alternatives to the use of a fire PSV, such as blowdown and passive fire protection, are discussed. The applicability of the stationary sizing method suggested by API 521, in fire case scenarios, are investigated. API 521 suggests a dynamic model in order to better predict the size of a fire PSV. A model is developed and compared with the stationary sizing equations. Results show that the stationary sizing method, in general, oversizes the fire PSV, and in cases with light hydrocarbons tends to undersize the fire PSV. It is found that a dynamic sizing method is advantageous when sizing a fire PSV.
Documents
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