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Buildings and structures in the Arctic and Antarctic need to be protected to prevent low temperature leakage and fire exposure. This article analyzes three different structural fire protection materials discussed in the "Architecture" magazine.
Antarctic Research Station. Research: Structural fire protection of steel structures under Arctic conditions. Image Credit: Tarpan/Shutterstock.com
The winter minimum temperature range of the Arctic climate is -54 °C to -71 °C. Therefore, special materials should be used to protect the structures and buildings of the Arctic and Antarctic-especially flame retardants to increase their fire resistance. The same is filled with cryogenic liquids, For example, liquefied natural gas (LNG). Many technical disasters and fires also occurred at the North Pole Station, and its load-bearing components were steel structures.
The best solution to protect steel structures from fire is to use intumescent coatings. One of the main components of intumescent coatings is the binder, which has a variety of physical and chemical properties to achieve defect-free, high-quality, and durable flame-retardant coatings. Another important aspect of intumescent coatings is their relative water solubility.
Considering the existence of the passive fire protection (PFP) layer, a simplified method can be used to analyze the thermomechanical behavior of offshore structures at high temperatures. The mechanical properties were analyzed using improved techniques, and a database was developed to apply a series of nonlinear structural and thermal finite element analyses of the PFP bulkhead marine system.
Figure 1 depicts the scheme of means and methods for fire protection of steel structures. This shows that the most preferred method of fire protection in the Arctic climate is the application of structural fire protection. The main advantages are "dry" installation and high fire resistance.
Figure 1 Means and methods for fire protection of steel structures. Image credit: Gravit and Shabunina, 2021.
Ultra-thin basalt fiber (STBF) is a possible basis for thermal insulation materials and products. They are made entirely of basalt and contain no other minerals. Due to its many characteristics, STBF-based products are superior to their analogs. Table 1 compares the characteristics of various insulation cotton.
Table 1 Comparison of the characteristics of different types of insulation cotton. Source: Gravit and Shabunina, 2021.
This paper aims to analyze the protection of structures based on STBF under the operating conditions of the Arctic climate.
Flame retardant material "PROMISOL-MIX PROPLEIT-50-K" (sample number 1) and "BST-MAT" (sample number 2) during the fire test under hydrocarbon temperature conditions and flame retardant material "3M Interam" (Sample Nos. 3.1 and 3.2) Subsequent fire tests during low temperature exposure and in the case of hydrocarbon fires are taken into consideration.
Examine the test sample under the condition that the hydrocarbon temperature range is formed in the combustion chamber of the furnace.
No. 1 and No. 2 samples used thermocouples to analyze the temperature in the furnace, and 3 pieces were riveted on the average cross section of the I-beam wall and inner wall samples. The surface of the flange. For samples No. 3.1 and No. 3.2, six thermocouples, three main thermocouples and three repeats were installed, symmetrical to the main thermocouple.
Sample No. 1 is a steel column with I-shaped section No. 20B1. The analysis was carried out in the VNIIPO of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. Sample No. 1 was kept in the combustion chamber of the furnace, and subjected to four-sided thermal exposure without static load until the sample reached its limit state.
The temperature of the combustion chamber is generated by the combustion state of hydrocarbons and is measured with furnace thermocouples at five positions.
Sample 2 is a steel column with I-shaped cross-section, and the analysis was carried out in the testing laboratory POZH-AUDIT.
The actual thickness of the flame-retardant coating applied to the sample is measured before the test. Sample 2 was kept in the combustion chamber of the furnace and exposed to heat on all sides without static load.
For experiment 3, two samples were checked. Sample No.3.1 is an I-shaped cross-section No.50B2 steel column with flame-retardant coating, and sample No.3.2 is an I-shaped cross-section No.50B2 steel column with a flame-retardant coating. The test is carried out at the Ognestoykost test center.
The test of the sample is carried out in two stages-the low temperature exposure stage and the heat exposure stage under hydrocarbon fire conditions, and the two test stages are carried out continuously on the same day.
Liquid nitrogen is used as a liquid hydrocarbon analog because it has a lower boiling point than LNG or liquid oxygen and is not flammable. Perform analysis according to ISO 20088-1 to determine the time to reach a critical state under low temperature exposure.
For low-temperature testing, a storage tank made of polystyrene foam (Figure 2) was strictly fixed to the surface of the fireproof gasket in the center of the I-steel flange using a flame-retardant sealant. Pour about 3.5 liters of liquid nitrogen into the tank. In order to reduce the evaporation rate, the tank is covered with a 50 mm thick polystyrene foam board from above.
Figure 2. (a) Schematic diagram of fireproof coating assembly; (b) Part of fireproof coating assembly with thermocouple position. Image credit: Gravit and Shabunina, 2021.
After being exposed to liquid nitrogen on the flame retardant system of sample No. 3.1 and No. 3.2, the polystyrene foam and sealant residue were removed from the surface of the tank. The sample is then placed in the test furnace, which retains the temperature state of the hydrocarbons.
Observation results show that the 50mm thick No. 1 sample has a fireproof effect, and no obvious changes are found in the external state of the sample (Figure 3). After 95 minutes-the sample reaches the critical temperature-the experiment stops.
Figure 3. (a) Sample No. 1 before the test; (b) During the test; (c) After the test. Image credit: Gravit and Shabunina, 2021.
The results show that the 20 mm thick sample No. 2 provides fire protection efficiency. At the end of the experiment, the surface showed burnt and slight embrittlement of the aluminum foil. After 92 minutes, the experiment stopped when the sample reached the critical temperature.
Figure 4. (a) Sample No. 2 before the test; (b) After the test. Image credit: Gravit and Shabunina, 2021.
Low-temperature tests on flame-retardant systems with sample numbers 3.1 and 3.2 show that exposure to liquid nitrogen for 1 hour does not significantly reduce the surface temperature of the protected metal.
Figure 5. (a) No. 3.1 and No. 3.2 samples in the fire test; (b) after all tests. Image credit: Gravit and Shabunina, 2021.
Sample 3. After 60 minutes of low temperature test, it provides similar fire resistance to the coatings of Sample 1 and Sample 2, and is affected by the combustion conditions of hydrocarbons and has no low temperature effects (Table 2).
Table 2. Comparison of initial data and obtained results of STBF-based fire retardant coatings. Source: Gravit and Shabunina, 2021.
Figure 6 depicts the temperature change of the sample during the combustion test.
Figure 6. The temperature change of the sample during the fire test. Image credit: Gravit and Shabunina, 2021.
Figure 7 depicts a multi-factor analysis of flame retardants as a function of operational, technical, and cost parameters, and presents these dependencies in the form of a histogram.
Figure 7. (a) Graph and (b) histogram of different types of fire protection (red-epoxy resin coating, green-STBF structural protection, yellow-plaster composition, gray-structural protection heat absorption). Image credit: Gravit and Shabunina, 2021.
In the past five years, the design of improving the fire resistance limit of steel structures has been controlled by international and industry standards for oil and gas facilities.
The research results show that in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, the most effective means of fire protection for steel structures is STBF-based materials, providing a "dry" installation method, long operation time under severe conditions, and resistance to low-temperature overflow of liquefied hydrocarbons and hydrocarbons. Fire system.
Gravit, M & Shabunina, D (2021) Structural fire protection of steel structures under arctic conditions. Building, 11(11), p. 499. See: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/11/11/499/htm.
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