Asset integrity in the case of wildfires at wildland-industrial interfaces

Abstract

Wildfires are uncontrolled fires involving the combustion of wild vegetation. When a wildfire front approaches the Wildland-Industrial Interface there can be a serious threat for process and storage equipment items located at the plant boundary. Ensuring the integrity of such equipment prevents the fire from spreading inside the plant site and causing major accidents such as fire, explosion, and toxic gas dispersion. The provision of adequate clearance areas is paramount since the early stages of the plant design. Once the facility is built, the implementation of safety measures can protect industrial items and ensure tank integrity. A tailored methodology for the calculation of safety distances between wild vegetation and tanks accounting for the safety system was developed and applied to a case study. The outcomes provide useful information on the effectiveness of safety measures for the protection of industrial items exposed to wildfire.