Analysis and Assessment of Fire and Explosion Safety of a Block-Modular Boiler House Using an Alternative Coolant

Abstract

Currently, boiler installations, in which high-temperature mineral or synthetic oil is used as a coolant, are an alternative to industrial steam boilers with superheated steam as a source of process heat. The advantages of the technological and economic nature of the introduction of block-modular boilers into the energy industry with the use of alternative working bodies should be combined with the solution of issues of ensuring their safe operation. The article ranks technological advantages, as well as hazards by the type of coolant used in the thermal oil, steam, and hot water boilers. Difficulties in calculating the category of boiler room premises for explosion and fire hazards are associated with the lack of reliable data on the physico-chemical properties of diathermic oil. Calculations of the most important characteristics influencing the choice of the category of premises for explosion and fire hazard are presented, the factors influencing the fire and explosion safety of the boiler house by oil are identified. It is shown that the safety level of a thermal oil block-modular gas boiler house, tested for emergency oil spills, corresponds to the fire and explosion hazard category B or B3. Calculation of the category of the room of the thermal oil boiler room for explosion and fire hazard in case of emergency gas leaks showed that the boiler room should be attributed to the most hazardous category of explosion and fire A. When calculating the explosion and fire hazard category of the thermal oil gas boiler room, it is determined by gas.