BERMAD Fire Protection

Corrosion is an everyday topic encountered in our industry on a regular basis.
This technical issue contains many aspects that ultimately place a high-cost burden on facility owners.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) standards are widely used safety and quality specifications for the Oil & Gas industry. While a number of their standards apply to industrial process valves, API 598 in particular governs valve inspection and testing, including testing for valves with a pressure rating of ANSI 1500 or higher.

From an engineering point of view, almost all valves leak by some measure. Valves may be said to be "bubble tight" or "zero leakage,” but in actuality most standards will let small amounts of water through. Every fire protection valve is subject to regulation by government, corporate, and/or other agencies. Valves must comply with safety standards as defined by established safety organizations such as the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) or UL (Underwriters Laboratories).

Seawater is often used as a fire protection fluid, both in offshore applications and for on-shore sites located close to the ocean, due to its ready availability and low cost. However, seawater does present challenges due to its corrosive nature.  

Industrial fire protection valves are designed to be robust, but even the toughest valve body can crack or break when subjected to the pressure exerted upon it from inside by the expansion of water as it freezes. In environments where freezing temperatures are likely or even possible, it is important to protect your deluge valves from this possibility. A number of solutions exist to protect deluge valves from freezing. Let’s explore the pros and cons of each.