Gaseous Suppression
THE CHALLENGE
No.1 Tanfield House, Edinburgh
No. 1 Tanfield House is an attractive, ultra-modern office facility and, amongst others, is home to two businesses operating in the e-commerce sector and active in a globally connected ethernet world that mandates business continuity and safeguards for vital electronic equipment. Craneware and Dell are located on the 2nd and 1st floor levels respectively and gaining access to these offices with fire suppression system equipment played a part in the decision making process.
THE SOLUTION
FM-200® was ultimately chosen by both companies . FM-200® would offer benefits such as speed of suppression, cylinder footprint and safety. Stored as a liquid rather than a gas, it requires less storage containers than inert gas systems and moving containers during periodic testing was a major consideration. Where business continuity is important in electronic environments, gaseous agents are usually the preferred choice.
THE CHALLENGE
The Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh
The Roslin Institute is a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) National Institute. In March 2011, the Roslin Institute moved to a new £60 million state-of-the-art building located on the University of Edinburgh’s Easter Bush campus. Vipond were called in to provide proposals for protecting the computer server rooms on the Ground Floor and Level Three of the new building. These facilities are dependent on secure computer services and if these services were interrupted due to an outbreak of fire the direct consequences could be immeasurable.
THE SOLUTION
Within the new building two computer server rooms would be built, one on the ground floor and the other on level three. These would demand automatic fixed firefighting systems which would not interfere with the data processing if a fire occurred. Due to the nature of the electronic areas to be protected, a high hazard design concentration would be required in accordance with BS EN15004. An IG-55 gaseous fire suppression system was selected for each room. IG-555 is an equal blend of Nitrogen and Argon, both naturally occurring gases, ensuring that this system has essentially no effect on the environment.
THE CHALLENGE
Tovi Eco Park
Tovi Eco Park is part of a 28 year contract awarded to Urbaser Balfour Beatty by both Essex County Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, to manage waste from households across Essex and Southend. The mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facility will treat all residual waste as well as complementing existing recycling and composting services within the region. The client required the contracts to be compliant with industry specific guidance, including Property Damage Fire Prevention for Energy from Waste Plants.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond’s systems design department closely tracked those requirements during the design process to provide the solutions demanded by the client. The scope of works extended to a wide range of fire suppression systems throughout including an automatic fire sprinkler system in accordance with BS EN12845, gaseous fire extinguishing systems to BS EN15004, water spray systems and the provision of water cannon to protect deep bunkers. Sprinklers.
Sprinklers
The scope afforded property protection with 6 installations covering over 12 distinct areas throughout the facility. With the exception of the car park these systems were almost entirely to High Hazard category.
IG55 Gas Suppression
Automatic/manual IG55 systems were installed within the Generator room, Transformer room and Electrical Switchrooms. The 300 bar systems are designed deliver a uniform concentration of extinguishing agent throughout the protected areas within 1 minute in accordance with BS EN15004.
Water Cannon
Water cannon and hydrant supply were facilitated by a 45m3 tank with 2 electric Fire Pumps and Jockey pump. The manually operated cannons enable an operator from the security of the control room to direct a water stream at a fire within the bunkers. All in all a comprehensive series of fire protection measures are provided for by a wide range of Vipond suppression systems at Tovi Eco Park. This allows an integrated approach to the fire safety plan and the safety of the premises.
THE CHALLENGE
South Glasgow University Hospital, Glasgow
The new South Glasgow University Hospital opened in May 2015. The 14 floor multiplex has over 1100 adult beds and in excess of 250 beds in the children’s hospital plus state-of-the-art Critical Care, Theatre and Diagnostic Services, 29 theatres and a dedicated helicopter landing pad. Both the Adult and the Children’s hospital each have a computer room. Failure of the equipment in the rooms following a fire could be catastrophic thus they required a comprehensive and sensitive detection and suppression system.
THE SOLUTION
With outline system features established, the decision to use a gas suppression system was finalised. Cost savings in consequential losses made by using clean agent systems would be substantial. The decision now fell to a choice between a halocarbon system such as FM-200® or an Inert gas system. Halocarbon systems are stored as liquids but discharge from the nozzles as a vapour in the same way as Inert gases but the halocarbon systems offer more compact storage for the cylinders and consequently have a smaller storage footprint thus FM-200® was the customer’s system of choice.
THE CHALLENGE
Virador, Polmadie
A new recycling and renewable energy centre has changed the skyline along Polmadie Road in the South Side of Glasgow. This facility will have the capacity to recycle 200,000 tonnes of domestic waste annually and replaces a well established waste depot with its landmark towering chimneys. The new plant will divert residual waste whilst releasing recyclable resources from household waste and producing enough energy to power 22,000 households in the city. The complex processes and risk factors required a comprehensive and integrated range of fire protection measures.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond Fire have provided a wide range of system solutions from fire sprinklers at roof level fed from a 1.25 million water storage tank, water monitors, infrared flame detectors and gaseous fire suppression systems. These solutions are tailored to the industrial processes, starting where fuel arrives at Waste Reception in its raw condition and enters the recyclable material process.
THE CHALLENGE
Museum Collection Centre, Aberdeen
The new Museums Collections Centre has been built in one of Aberdeen’s regeneration areas and will house publicly-owned works of art which are not normally on display in other galleries. Rather than just build a new storage facility the council wanted to create a venue where historical objects and artworks, not on display in other galleries, will continue to be seen by the community.
THE SOLUTION
Protecting sensitive works of art from fire needs careful consideration. A clean fire suppression agent which has a high safety factor and a compact storage footprint in a building already crammed with other building services was needed. Other requirements were approved fire equipment and a third party certificated fire company for design installation and commissioning of the gas suppression systems. With global warming an issue, an important consideration in the decision process was the environment. Sapphire Suppression Systems were proposed for the Centre.
THE CHALLENGE
The National Library, Aberystwyth, Wales
The National Library of Wales is a listed library in Aberystwyth. The internal atrium was infilled to create an archive store, the structure of which was a steel frame with concrete floors and block work walls across six levels. The items in storage were of a sensitive nature that would result in huge losses both financially and culturally should it be subject to a fire. Storage would have been paper based literature that would be valuable to the foundation of the library’s history and finances. Fire protection for the area would need to be a system that would limit damage not only from fire, but from the fire protection system itself.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond fire protection provided a bespoke solution that would meet the customers above referenced needs. An Inergen (IG-541) inert gas suppression system was provided. This was a centralised bank of gas suppression cylinders stored on the ground floor which fed, through a selective valve piping network, to each of the six floors. Our design team took time to engineer a solution that would limit storage footprint of cylinders but ensure the efficiency of the system was not compromised, which allowed the system to be zoned per floor via each selector valve. The installation period took place of a period of circa 6-8 weeks including commissioning and installation of the associated detection system that would automatically actuate the gas system on confirmed receipt of a signal showing a fire.
Sprinklers
THE CHALLENGE
Stansted Airport, Essex
During 2014/15 the airside retail complex at London’s third busiest airport, Stansted, was to be completely refurbished. This involved a comprehensive strip-out and reconfiguring of the internal building fabric including the building services. The life safety fire sprinkler system was a vital part of these services and this too had to be stripped back to the main supply pipe downstream of the control valves. From 2013 Vipond Fire Protection, working closely with Carillion, and Jacobs were tasked with carrying out all operational works whilst the airport remained open for business.
THE SOLUTION
The new installation was based on a complete redesign of the system to LPC regulations Ordinary Hazard Class 3 with BS EN12845 life safety enhancements. This covered 42 new retail units, food outlets and duty-free shops. The airport required two levels of protection due to congestion of services at high level, one at the ceiling soffit and one below the other building services.
THE CHALLENGE
Fairview Court, Pontypool
Fairview Court is a 1960’s twelve storey tower block and Pentan Partnership’s first project for Cwmbran based Bron Afon Community Housing. The principle objective of the project was to completely refurbish to modern-day thermal standards with eco-friendly enhancements and an upgrade to the fire protection measures. The block is one of the first high rise projects to benefit from the Welsh Assembly’s decision to install fire sprinklers in refurbished residential buildings.
THE SOLUTION
It was decided that at each floor level, the main pipe feed would be split into two – one to serve the flats and the other to serve the common areas. Lowered suspended ceilings were provided to conceal services such as the fire sprinkler pipework. Careful planning of pipe routes within the flats was a key consideration and pipework in each apartment was mounted tightly along the hallway and kitchen walls. This was painted to blend with the surrounding decor. Vipond have extensive experience of working in many building types and providing solutions that are appealing to customers.
THE CHALLENGE
Abbotsford House, Galashiels
Abbotsford House is a historic country house, formerly the residence of Sir Walter Scott who developed this magnificent property having originally purchased it as a farmhouse. The decor is both extravagant and exudes opulence. The complex fabric of the building and its historical importance provided a challenging backdrop to design and install an effective fire safety system.
THE SOLUTION
Due to the delicate nature of transcripts and finishes in the Scott Rooms, comprehensive discussions were held with Historic Scotland to ensure that the nature of the fire protection provided would be effective, and importantly, in keeping with the nature of the house. In these rooms, low pressure water mist was proposed enable a firefighting capability from a significantly reduced quantity of water. The potential damage to precious artefacts would be minimised as a direct result of this fire strategy. In all other areas within the building, a residential sprinkler system was installed in accordance with BS 9251:2005 using concealed heads.
THE CHALLENGE
Asda Stores, Telford
Asda opened its new £4 million store in Telford in February 2014. The shop had many areas which require sprinkler protection. Other than the sales and warehouse roof areas, there were additional areas such as canopies, racks, Home Shopping, ducts and the underground car park. The programming of an installation is always an important factor in a project’s success and this was carefully coordinated by Vipond.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond proposed a fixed automatic sprinkler system, designed in accordance with BS EN12845. The water supplies were provided by a 300m3 storage tank of galvanised cylindrical construction with butyl liner. Hazard classification determined water discharge densities throughout. The fire classifications varied across the premises ranging from ordinary hazard class 2 (OH2) in the car park, OH3 in the sales office and High Hazard in the warehouse areas. A total of 1,628 sprinkler heads were fitted throughout the premises with almost a half of these installed in the underground car park. All sprinklers in public areas were anti vandal. The sprinklers are fed from a network of steel pipe to BS 1387/3601. Vipond’s policy is to fabricate pipework at its LPCB certificated workshop.
THE CHALLENGE
Tovi Eco Park
Tovi Eco Park is part of a 28 year contract awarded to Urbaser Balfour Beatty by both Essex County Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, to manage waste from households across Essex and Southend. The mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facility will treat all residual waste as well as complementing existing recycling and composting services within the region. The client required the contracts to be compliant with industry specific guidance, including Property Damage Fire Prevention for Energy from Waste Plants.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond’s systems design department closely tracked those requirements during the design process to provide the solutions demanded by the client. The scope of works extended to a wide range of fire suppression systems throughout including an automatic fire sprinkler system in accordance with BS EN12845, gaseous fire extinguishing systems to BS EN15004, water spray systems and the provision of water cannon to protect deep bunkers.
Sprinklers
The scope afforded property protection with 6 installations covering over 12 distinct areas throughout the facility. With the exception of the car park these systems were almost entirely to High Hazard category.
IG55 Gas Suppression
Automatic/manual IG55 systems were installed within the Generator room, Transformer room and Electrical Switchrooms. The 300 bar systems are designed deliver a uniform concentration of extinguishing agent throughout the protected areas within 1 minute in accordance with BS EN15004.
Water Cannon
Water cannon and hydrant supply were facilitated by a 45m3 tank with 2 electric Fire Pumps and Jockey pump. The manually operated cannons enable an operator from the security of the control room to direct a water stream at a fire within the bunkers. All in all a comprehensive series of fire protection measures are provided for by a wide range of Vipond suppression systems at Tovi Eco Park. This allows an integrated approach to the fire safety plan and the safety of the premises.
Residential Sprinklers
THE CHALLENGE
Fairview Court, Pontypool
Fairview Court is a 1960’s twelve storey tower block and Pentan Partnership’s first project for Cwmbran based Bron Afon Community Housing. The principle objective of the project was to completely refurbish to modern-day thermal standards with eco-friendly enhancements and an upgrade to the fire protection measures. The block is one of the first high rise projects to benefit from the Welsh Assembly’s decision to install fire sprinklers in refurbished residential buildings.
THE SOLUTION
It was decided that at each floor level, the main pipe feed would be split into two – one to serve the flats and the other to serve the common areas. Lowered suspended ceilings were provided to conceal services such as the fire sprinkler pipework and concealed sprinkler heads that were fitted. Careful planning of pipe routes within the flats was a key consideration and pipework in each apartment was mounted tightly along the hallway and kitchen walls. This was painted to blend with the surrounding decor. Vipond have extensive experience of working in many building types and providing solutions that are appealing to customers.
Commercial & Industrial Sprinklers
THE CHALLENGE
Stansted Airport, Essex
During 2014/15 the airside retail complex at London’s third busiest airport, Stansted, was to be completely refurbished. This involved a comprehensive strip-out and reconfiguring of the internal building fabric including the building services. The life safety fire sprinkler system was a vital part of these services and this too had to be stripped back to the main supply pipe downstream of the control valves. From 2013 Vipond Fire Protection, working closely with Carillion, and Jacob’s were tasked with carrying out all operational works whilst the airport remained open for business.
THE SOLUTION
The new installation was based on a complete redesign of the system to LPC regulations Ordinary Hazard Class 3 with BS EN12845 life safety enhancements. This covered 42 new retail units, food outlets and duty-free shops. The airport required two levels of protection due to congestion of services at high level, one at the ceiling soffit and one below the other building services.
THE CHALLENGE
Tovi Eco Park
Tovi Eco Park is part of a 28 year contract awarded to Urbaser Balfour Beatty by both Essex County Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, to manage waste from households across Essex and Southend. The mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facility will treat all residual waste as well as complementing existing recycling and composting services within the region. The client required the contracts to be compliant with industry specific guidance, including Property Damage Fire Prevention for Energy from Waste Plants.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond’s systems design department closely tracked those requirements during the design process to provide the solutions demanded by the client. The scope of works extended to a wide range of fire suppression systems throughout including an automatic fire sprinkler system in accordance with BS EN12845, gaseous fire extinguishing systems to BS EN15004, water spray systems and the provision of water cannon to protect deep bunkers.
Sprinklers
The scope afforded property protection with 6 installations covering over 12 distinct areas throughout the facility. With the exception of the car park these systems were almost entirely to High Hazard category.
IG55 Gas Suppression
Automatic/manual IG55 systems were installed within the Generator room, Transformer room and Electrical Switchrooms. The 300 bar systems are designed deliver a uniform concentration of extinguishing agent throughout the protected areas within 1 minute in accordance with BS EN15004.
Water Cannon
Water cannon and hydrant supply were facilitated by a 45m3 tank with 2 electric Fire Pumps and Jockey pump. The manually operated cannons enable an operator from the security of the control room to direct a water stream at a fire within the bunkers. All in all a comprehensive series of fire protection measures are provided for by a wide range of Vipond suppression systems at Tovi Eco Park. This allows an integrated approach to the fire safety plan and the safety of the premises.
THE CHALLENGE
Asda Stores, Telford
Asda opened its new £4 million store in Telford in February 2014. The shop had many areas which require sprinkler protection. Other than the sales and warehouse roof areas, there were additional areas such as canopies, racks, Home Shopping, ducts and the underground car park. The programming of an installation is always an important factor in a project’s success and this was carefully coordinated by Vipond.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond proposed a fixed automatic sprinkler system, designed in accordance with BS EN12845. The water supplies were provided by a 300m3 storage tank of galvanised cylindrical construction with butyl liner. Hazard classification determined water discharge densities throughout. The fire classifications varied across the premises ranging from ordinary hazard class 2 (OH2) in the car park, OH3 in the sales office and High Hazard in the warehouse areas. A total of 1,628 sprinkler heads were fitted throughout the premises with almost a half of these installed in the underground car park. All sprinklers in public areas were anti vandal. The sprinklers are fed from a network of steel pipe to BS 1387/3601. Vipond’s policy is to fabricate pipework at its LPCB certificated workshop.
THE CHALLENGE
UPM Caledonian
UPM Caledonian is located in Irvine, Ayrshire, The mill has been in production since April 1989 and produces high quality light weight coated paper (LWC) for use in magazine publishing and catalogues and it is the only manufacturer of this product in the UK. The paper making process extends to approximately 1 km long. Recent developments at UPM Caledonian included a modern, fully integrated biomass CHP plant to replace the existing fossil fuel fired boiler. It was felt that an automatic active fire protection system would be advantageous in terms of speed and effectiveness of response and provide a comprehensive fire safety solution to the industrial process.
THE SOLUTION
It was agreed that a comprehensive detection and suppression system would be installed appropriate to the risks. Localised detection sprinkler heads were positioned in the five areas of concern. If a fire occurs in any of these areas, the deluge valve will trip allowing water to flow into the deluge nozzles and discharge foam enhanced water onto the risk. Two Triple IR Flame Detectors were strategically placed. These sense fires very efficiently and have the highest immunity to false alarms.
THE CHALLENGE
Virador, Polmadie
A new recycling and renewable energy centre has changed the skyline along Polmadie Road in the South Side of Glasgow. This facility will have the capacity to recycle 200,000 tonnes of domestic waste annually and replaces a well established waste depot with its landmark towering chimneys. The new plant will divert residual waste whilst releasing recyclable resources from household waste and producing enough energy to power 22,000 households in the city. The complex processes and risk factors required a comprehensive and integrated range of fire protection measures.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond Fire have provided a wide range of system solutions from fire sprinklers at roof level fed from a 1.25 million water storage tank, water monitors, infrared flame detectors and gaseous fire suppression systems. These solutions are tailored to the industrial processes, starting where fuel arrives at Waste Reception in its raw condition and enters the recyclable material process.
THE CHALLENGE
Michelin Tyre Plant, Dundee
Fire Protection to a new purpose built processing and storage warehouse situated next to the existing Michelin Tyre Plant. The new warehouse is primarily being used to store tyres manufactured within the adjoin Michelin Plant facility. The design had to be coordinated to ensure the sprinkler plant was positioned with no impact to the processing of the tyre plant production line, while maintaining the required fire sprinkler coverage to the premises.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond fire protection were contracted to install a new fire sprinkler system complete with new dedicated water supplies and extend the existing fire hydrant system. Vipond used 3D modelling to assist with the design of the fire sprinkler system to ensure the installation was installed and made operational with no impact to the processing and production of the tyre plant.
THE CHALLENGE
ACS Clothing, North Lanarkshire
Fire Protection to an existing 190,000 sq ft storage facility which is being retrofitted to house a fast growing leading provider of dress and formalwear. The facility comprises of a mezzanine storage area and a three storey hanging garment structure which is fully automated. A fire sprinkler system also to be installed within a two storey office area, along with a dry-riser system to the fire escape stairways. The design of the fire sprinkler system had to be fully coordinated around the new mechanical/ electrical plant and equipment, particularly the automated garment conveyor line to ensure no impact to the processing and production.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond fire protection were contracted to install a new fire sprinkler system complete with new dedicated water supplies consisting of a full capacity galvanised cylindrical tank, and twin diesel sprinkler pumps. With a primary installation programme window of four months, Vipond completed the project within the agreed time frame. Vipond used 3D modelling to assist with the design of the fire sprinkler system to ensure the installation was installed and made operational with no impact to the processing and production to the automated garment conveyors. All aspects of the works was completed by Vipond from; Design / procurement / fabrication / installation / testing/ commissioning / demonstration / hand-over and final documentation.
THE CHALLENGE
Abertillery School, Abertillery
The Abertillery School project involved a new build school to replace 2 ageing schools which it was deemed it was uneconomic to repair/ maintain. The new school was located over ground and first floor levels which were angled to generally follow the slope of the hill side. The building was constructed using a steel frame enclosed by traditional brick/block construction with flat roof over throughout.
THE SOLUTION
The sprinkler system is required by Technical Bulletin 221: 2013: 1 and BS EN 12845 2015 to be a ‘wet’ sprinkler system – which means the pipework is charged with water at all times. This is to provide the fastest possible water discharge response time to give the sprinkler system the best chance of suppressing a fire. The sprinkler system on this project was designed to meet the Ordinary Hazard Group 1 classification for a school which requires a discharge density of 5mm/min/m2 over a maximum involvement area of 72m2 for a 30 minutes duration.
Water Mist
THE CHALLENGE
Abbotsford House, Galashiels
Abbotsford House is a historic country house, formerly the residence of Sir Walter Scott who developed this magnificent property having originally purchased it as a farmhouse. The decor is both extravagant and exudes opulence. The complex fabric of the building and its historical importance provided a challenging backdrop to design and install an effective fire safety system.
THE SOLUTION
Due to the delicate nature of transcripts and finishes in the Scott Rooms, comprehensive discussions were held with Historic Scotland to ensure that the nature of the fire protection provided would be effective, and importantly, in keeping with the nature of the house. In these rooms, low pressure water mist was proposed enable a firefighting capability from a significantly reduced quantity of water. The potential damage to precious artefacts would be minimised as a direct result of this fire strategy. In all other areas within the building, a residential sprinkler system was installed in accordance with BS 9251:2005 using concealed heads.
Detection & Alarm Systems
THE CHALLENGE
Scottish Gas Training Academy, Hamilton
Scottish Gas operates a Training Academy at Hamilton which trains all their engineers. Due to the nature of the practical training there was a high incidence of false alarms with the fire detection system. During training demonstrations the system would be activated causing inconvenient interruptions to the days training, not to mention the unnecessary calling out of the fire and rescue service. There was clearly a need to reduce unwanted alarms.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond quickly established that the existing fire detection & alarm system was unable to differentiate between boiler fumes and actual smoke during training demonstrations. As a distributor for fire detection & alarm equipment manufacturer Notifier, Vipond proposed that this high end equipment would provide the key to the problem. The Notifier Smart4 intelligent Multi-Criteria Detector combines four separate sensing elements to act as a single unit. It combines CO sensing to monitor carbon dioxide from smouldering fires, infra-red sensing for measuring ambient light levels and flames, optical smoke detection and heat detection. The installation resolved the false alarm issues at the Training Academy and paved the way for uninterrupted training.
THE CHALLENGE
Virador, Polmadie
A new recycling and renewable energy centre has changed the skyline along Polmadie Road in the South Side of Glasgow. This facility will have the capacity to recycle 200,000 tonnes of domestic waste annually and replaces a well established waste depot with its landmark towering chimneys. The new plant will divert residual waste whilst releasing recyclable resources from household waste and producing enough energy to power 22,000 households in the city. The complex processes and risk factors required a comprehensive and integrated range of fire protection measures.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond Fire have provided a wide range of system solutions from fire sprinklers at roof level fed from a 1.25 million water storage tank, water monitors, infrared flame detectors and gaseous fire suppression systems. These solutions are tailored to the industrial processes, starting where fuel arrives at Waste Reception in its raw condition and enters the recyclable material process.
THE CHALLENGE
The White Company, Nationwide
In early 2016 Vipond were asked to provide a proposal and were successfully awarded the contract to provide the routine service and maintenance for sprinkler systems, fire alarms and fire extinguishers throughout all of the company’s retail portfolio and its distribution centre in Swan Valley.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond’s LPS accreditations in fire alarm and sprinkler systems ensure that the equipment throughout the White Companies properties are being serviced to the correct standard, as well as providing nationwide 24 hour, 365 day emergency coverage for the clients peace of mind.
THE CHALLENGE
Buchanan Street Subway Station, Glasgow
The Glasgow Subway, opened in 1896 and is the third oldest metro system in the world after London and Budapest. It provides trains for the public every four minutes during peak times, so life safety is a high priority. A recent multi-million pound upgrade included refurbishment to the subway stations providing easier access to the stations.
THE SOLUTION
As part of the upgrades a comprehensive evaluation of the fire protection measures were carried out by the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. The fire strategy that emerged, included improvements to the fire alarm system. Vipond Fire Protection were selected for the job and installed a FireClass analogue addressable fire controller in the ticket office. In addition to managing multistate fire detectors and manual callpoint breakglass units the FireClass panel also provides ancilliary functions including interface units to stop the travellator and escalators.
Waterspray & Deluge
THE CHALLENGE
Versalis, Grangemouth
The Italian chemical firm, Versalis recently invested in the region of £45m at its plant in Grangemouth to expand elastomer production. The Grangemouth site produces synthetic elastomers and lattices which serve the automotive tyre industry. The expansion to the plant included a 4th Finishing Line. The fire engineering solution established that water spray and deluge would be required to the associated fourth finishing line plant. All systems were required to be UL approved and to NFPA standards.
THE SOLUTION
The systems were to be designed in accordance with NFPA 13. One work package was dedicated to the conventional sprinkler system and a further four work packages outlined the requirements for water deluge systems to provide protection to external chemical plant areas. Careful planning is pivotal to fixed fire systems and Vipond provided key lead-in dates. One of the more unusual requirement’s in one of the water deluge works packages was to bend the pipework to follow the contour of the tank to be protected. Close tolerances were required to ensure that the fabricated lengths matched the curvature of the tank.