The June 2019 explosion at the Philadelphia Refinery was described as being like a nuclear eruption. Fires at refineries are, unfortunately, all too common often taking a tragic toll in human life.
That’s why BERMAD responded to a tender for the supply and installation of deluge valves for the Sarpom Petrochemicals Refinery in Italy. Deluge valves are fast opening fire protection valves, considered the heart of any fire protection deluge system. As soon as an excessive heat source has been identified by the heat detection system and the alarm has been raised these valves receive an electrical signal to open on demand without fail to deliver the extinguishing media to the sprinklers to bring the fire under control.
The deluge valves include a locally and manually operated hydro mechanical mechanism on the valve, which prevents them from shutting off accidently or automatically before the fire has been put out. Only once an operator has physically gone to the valve situated close to the protected area and verified that the fire has been extinguished, can the valve be closed by turning the closing lever on the valve. As a fail-safe, all BERMAD deluge valves are fitted with a manual override which enables fast manual opening of the deluge valve and the fire protection system.
The frequent freezing conditions in the area where the system was installed provided an additional challenge, raising the concern that the solution in the extinguishing media would freeze solid, rendering the whole system inoperable. To prevent the fluid from freezing, 8-inch valves with heated thermal insulation were installed.
The valves meet international FM & UL standards including explosion and flameproof specification compliance, as they are required to operate safely and reliably in an environment that includes possible exposure to inflammable gases and fuels.
See how BERMAD’s customized solution met the oil refinery’s needs.
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