Fire & Explosion Risk Assessment (FERA) Engineering Service in Oman

What is the FERA (Fire Explosion Risk Assessment?

FERA Fire & Explosion Risk Assessment is a formal, Structured Quantitative Risk Analysis QRA method that assists companies in managing risks to their facilities and enhancing safety. It does this by identifying major hazards, assessing the likelihood and potential consequences associated with these hazards across various facilities, and calculating the overall risk levels.

Purpose Of FERA

The Primary Need for a FERA Study are as Follows:

• Identify fire and explosion hazards on the facility that may pose a risk to personnel, affect the facility equipment and may escalate to other parts of the facility;
• Quantification of fire and explosion risks arising from loss of containment LOC;
• To determine the acceptability of the calculated fire and explosion risk at the facilities and identification of the key fire and explosion risk contributors. Risk contributors need to be identified by source and location;
• Assess the benefit of existing and possible, inherently safe, prevention, detection, control and mitigation measures for identified fire and explosion scenarios;
• Comparing fire and explosion risks of the design options being considered. This helps identifying design options with low risk, and selecting the option which is best from a risk
• For a Brownfield project the purpose of the FERA is to assess the new fire and explosion risks due to plant modification and to arrive at the cumulative risk of the new and existing facilities. In such a project the risk from the new facilities will not be assessed separately, it will be assessed in relation to the existing risk at the facility, and in particular the process facilities adjoining to the new facilities;
• To provide clear and unambiguous recommendations for risk reduction where necessary, to ensure that the facilities fire and explosion risks are controlled within acceptable limits.

The FERA Process flowchart is used as a framework for this guideline and to serve as a basis for the minimum requirement for a FERA study undertaken by a FERA specialist.

Why FERA (Fire & Explosion Risk Assessment) is Essential for Effective Risk Management and Facility Safety

Alternative to CFD Modelling: Where CFD modelling is not feasible or appropriate, Elixir Engineering can utilize DNV Phast software for gas dispersion or consequence modelling.

Scenario Selection: Scenarios are chosen based on common leaks, worst-case leaks, and any other client-specified scenarios.

Modelling Focus: This approach reviews the dispersion of flammable gas with a focus on potential explosive accumulations.

Support for Safety Reviews: The modelling aids in safety reviews and validates Fire and Gas (F&G) detection and protection measures, both proposed and existing.

Caution with Scenario-Based Models: Scenario-based models can be misleading and dangerous if used alongside Fire and Gas F&G detection mapping without a solid understanding of consequence analysis and F&G detection design principles.

DNV Phast Software: A comprehensive hazard analysis tool for the process industry, covering all design and operation stages.

Incident Progress Analysis: The software models the progression of potential incidents, from initial release to far-field dispersion, including pool spreading, evaporation, and flammable/toxic effects.

Expert Cross-Checks: Despite computational modelling, all outputs are cross-checked by subject matter experts, ensuring accuracy and reliability of the semi-quantitative model outputs.

FERA Methodology

PROCESS OF FERA

• Identification of events which could cause fires or explosions;
• Analysis of frequencies of these events based on generic failure data;
• Modelling of event consequences, in terms of fire size, explosion damage and subsequent escalation;
• Recommending suitable means of preventing, detecting, controlling and mitigating fire and explosion events.

The FERA considers accidental releases from equipment’s carrying flammable & hazardous inventory. Normal design operation of the isolation system is assumed when determining the duration and characteristics of releases. Dust release rates and duration shall calculate based on normal operating pressures and process conditions.

The consequence analysis determines the size and duration of releases and predicts hazard zones for releases in terms of radiant heat. FERA evaluates the adequacy of fire protection system and recommends risk reduction measures based on the consequence results

Understanding the Basics of Fire Safety: The Four Key Elements of Fire Prevention

Fire safety is all about understanding how fires start and how to prevent or control them. There are four key things that a fire needs to exist:

• Fuel: This is what burns in a fire. It could be anything like wood, paper, gasoline, or natural gas. To prevent fires, we need to be careful about where we store and use these flammable materials.
• Heat/Ignition Source: A fire needs something to start it, like a spark, an open flame, or heat from electrical equipment. To keep fires from starting, we should keep anything that can catch fire away from these heat sources.
• Oxygen: Fire needs air (specifically, the oxygen in the air) to keep burning. In fire safety, we sometimes try to control how much oxygen is available in areas where fires might start, like using sprinklers that spray water to help reduce oxygen and stop the fire from spreading.
• Chemical Chain Reaction: Once a fire starts, a chemical reaction between the fuel, heat, and oxygen keeps it going. Fire safety methods aim to stop this reaction, either by putting out the fire with things like water or foam or by removing one of the other elements (fuel, heat, or oxygen).

To sum it up: If you want to prevent or stop a fire, you need to break one of these four parts. That’s what fire safety is all about — knowing how fires work so you can stop them before they start or put them out quickly if they do.

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