Pozhneftehim reports at NTS RMRS meeting

Pozhneftehim reports at NTS RMRS meeting

On November 23, 2022, the meeting of the Science and Technical Council of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (NTS RMRS) was attended by the heads of the Pozhneftehim Group: General Director Evgeniy Dmitrievich Veselov, Deputy Director Sergey Alexandrovich Panov and Head of R&D Yuri Konstantinovich Poteryaev.

Within the framework of Fire Protection section, Pozhneftehim made a report on the use of high-expansion foam at facilities subordinate to the RMRS. The speaker of Pozhneftehim, Ph.D. Yuri Poteryaev talked about the company's experience and expressed opinion on topical regulatory and technical issues. The topic is all the more relevant in the context of technology development, taking into account import substitution. 

According to the Rules of Classification and Construction of Marine vessels (Part VI, ver. 01.10.2022) fire extinguishing with high-expansion foam, is used for such premises as:

• helicopter hangars and enclosed garages;
• cargo spaces;
• machine categories A;
• machinery without a permanent watch, in which rowing electric engines or steam engines or turbines with a capacity of at least 375 kW are located;
• pumping stations with LVZH and GZH circulation;
• industrial premises (production workshops, laboratories, etc., as well as mines leading to these premises) in which liquid fuels, flammable liquids are used or combustible materials are processed;
• separator rooms.

The main protected objects subordinate to the RMRS are helicopter desks, bow and stern devices for loading and unloading on oil tankers. One should pay attention to the choice of foam extinguishing agents, dosing systems with different response time characteristics, foam concentrates, as well as water curtains and water heat-protective screens as means of protecting escape routes and critical equipment.

At the same time, the issues of optimal expansion and synchronization of national and international standards in the field of testing foam concentrates, foam generators and dosing systems remain debatable. These issues were raised in the framework of the Pozhneftehim report. Additionally, the speaker paid attention to the use of excessively high expansion and the requirements for testing foam installations according to the protocol Circ. 1384. 

The meeting was attended by about 30 experts from state organizations and private companies. The topic of using high-expansion foam aroused interest and discussion. We thank the organizers of the NTS RMRS for the opportunity to express the expert opinion of our company at the meeting and discuss current issues with colleagues in the industry.