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To meet today’s evolving energy needs, providers have many options at their disposal.
The steady push toward sustainability has led to the adoption of alternative fuels, and that has spurred advances in how these fuels are processed and stored.
But no one has outrun the risk of loss of containment scenarios. As a result, a more complex range of cryogenic, fire, and explosion hazards exists.
Today, Pyrocrete 241 is arguably considered the industry standard cementitious passive fire protection (PFP) product for onshore hydrocarbon facilities. It has been the keystone of Carboline’s Pyrocrete series, protecting assets in an evolving energy market from hydrocarbon fires for over 40 years.
With proven performance in actual loss scenarios, Pyrocrete is synonymous with high quality. But engineers, contractors, and owners likely didn’t think so when Carboline first marketed the lightweight Portland cement-based product in the late 1970s.
Achieving better performance than cast-in-place dense concrete at one-third the installed weight seemed too good to be true, and it took some time—and the bravery of early adopters—before the industry realized how badly it had needed Pyrocrete 241.
For one thing, it changed the notion that all construction needed to be completed in-situ. Introducing off-site techniques reduced material, shipping, and installation costs associated with passive fire protection. For another, it demonstrated reproducible performance and thermal response of protected substrates for a finite period when evaluated to industry-developed standards. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it relieved designers of the annoying burden cast-in-place concrete imposed upon them. They could re-think material selection, layout, and even facility function with greater freedom.
Those benefits made Pyrocrete 241 the mainstay among those responsible for protecting assets from hydrocarbon fires.
But fuel refining is much different today. Commodities are more numerous, processes more complex, and risk matrices wider-ranging. Particularly noteworthy are alternative fuels like liquid natural gas and liquid hydrogen, the refinement and storage of which involve cryogenic temperatures.
We’re protecting safety- and environment-critical elements, including structural steel supports, against temperatures ranging from very hot to very cold. Myriad materials are available to protect against those exposures, but a savvy owner might wonder: Do I know enough about how these products work to get the most value out of my choice?
One line of defense for multi-phase hazards
Pyrocrete 241 was right for its time. But times have changed.
Pyrocrete 341 represents a new era in lightweight cementitious PFP to mitigate losses from credible release scenarios. It is steeped in heritage but engineered for the future.
One cannot call it a non-traditional reactive epoxy intumescent material: It comes dry in a bag and is mixed and then troweled or sprayed like any lightweight mortar. And yet its hybrid composition, unique application characteristics, and distinctive curing mechanism mean it’s no ordinary cementitious fire-resistive material.
Think of Pyrocrete 341 as buy one, get two free with hydrocarbon pool fire, jet fire, and cryogenic spill protection neatly contained in a single package. It means process safety engineers can simplify complex quantitative fire and cryogenic spill risk assessments by designing for the worst-case credible event without worrying about added PFP material thickness and the engineering challenges accompanying it.
Consider its extensive testing to meet all of the significant hydrocarbon-related standards and specification requirements, including:
- Hydrocarbon pool fire per ANSI/UL 1709 including multi-section, multi-duration, multi-temperature assessments
- Hydrocarbon jet fire per ISO 22899
- Cryogenic spill protection per ISO 20088
- Cryogenic spill per ISO 20088 followed by immediate and delayed ISO hydrocarbon jet fire thermal loads per ISO 22899
- Blast-resistant to 4-bar overpressure
- Simultaneous torch and hose stream testing per NFPA 290 extended up to two and a half hours
- Durability and environmental testing to UL 2431 Classification I-A and ISO 12944-9 (Cx)
We call it a reinforced hydrophobic cementitious hybrid, and it’s got some unique features.
First, “reinforced” refers to the product’s fortified micro-fiber structure which provides added flexibility and durability. This is essential to achieving multi-phase hazard protection including accidental cryogenic spills and ignited pressurized or non-pressurized releases of hydrocarbons. Just as very cold temperatures embrittle structural steel, they can also cause brittle fracture or ductile tearing of rigid epoxy intumescents. This may lead to a loss of durability, reduced corrosion protection, and diminished fire-resistive properties.
Second, “hydrophobic” describes the product's capacity to inhibit moisture absorption. A lower likelihood of material deterioration over its operational lifespan offers a durable, robust, and economical solution for safeguarding the protected substrates.
Third, Pyrocrete 341 is lightweight—around one-third the weight of concrete. But coupled with improvements in thermal efficiency, it represents an even greater reduction in the overall applied weight per functional unit area of protected structure compared to Pyrocrete 241.
Apart from all that, there’s its cost. For asset owners who seek to make informed choices, cost is what you pay, value is what you get, and safety is what you require. Compared to other material technologies, Pyrocrete 341 is touted as economically attractive in the short- and long-term life cycle of assets. It offers protection without compromising performance and can potentially lead to cost savings.
Those savings compound when you consider that one layer of a standard intumescent is typically good for one threat or loss scenario. For an intumescent to protect structural steel in the event of a cryogenic spill and a fire, for example, that’s two or three layers, which can result in a significant increase in required protection thickness.
Pyrocrete 341 does all that it does in just one.
As a bonus, that single-coat characteristic makes Pyrocrete 341 ideal for brownfield maintenance and repair. Independent UL testing has demonstrated that 341 adheres well and performs as intended when applied over its predecessor, Pyrocrete 241.
Because only a single thickness is needed, that’s one layer’s worth of material, equipment, and labor hour investment.
Product selection: Questions worth asking
Material selection considerations to mitigate the risk of fire and explosion events is a systematic process based on understanding the hazard, inventory type, containment loss scenario, and emergency or evacuation response controls.
A powerful PFP hybrid blending modern innovation with a rich heritage
When considering Pyrocrete 341 for your project needs, it is crucial to thoroughly analyze several key factors for selecting the most appropriate PFP solution. These factors include:
Thermal scenarios
Begin by examining credible thermal scenarios arising from potential loss of containment. This includes assessing the material's performance and response to cryogenic and high-temperature conditions.
Is there risk of cryogenic exposure? If the answer is yes, then Pyrocrete 341 is obviously a good candidate. Remember that low-temperature processing or storage is not the only vector for cryogenic exposure. It gets cold enough in some climates to bring standard carbon steel below -20°F (-29°C), the point at which the material transitions from being ductile to brittle.
What fire risks exist? Pyrocrete 341 achieves fire protection ratings for both hydrocarbon pool fires and jet fires without erosion factors. Buy one, get one free.
Installation complexities
Be aware of the intricacies of the installation process, paying particular attention to factors that impact throughput. Consider aspects like the application location, curing time requirements, and any special handling or preparation needed for optimal results.
How much curing time can you afford? All other aspects held equal, one advantage a straight epoxy intumescent material has over any cementitious material is that the former cures in about a day while the latter needs a week. Pyrocrete 341 does not need a week owing to proprietary aspects of its composition, bridging the gap between two competing technologies and underscoring the true hybrid characteristics of Pyrocrete 341.
In-shop or field application? Pyrocrete 341 is suitable for shop or field application (stick or modular), giving owners, engineers, and installers an added measure of flexibility in their management of a project’s material staging and scheduling.
End-use environment
Consider the service conditions in the specific environment where your PFP materials will be commissioned and in service. It’s critical that the material is suitable for the expected conditions and can maintain its integrity over time.
Will moisture be an issue? Exposure to precipitation or other moisture sources is a determining factor in PFP material selection. One of Pyrocrete 341’s improvements over its forebear is the material's hydrophobic nature, reducing the risk of damage from moisture, particularly in very cold climates where freeze-thaw cycles are common.
To have a deeper discussion on whether it’s worth adding Pyrocrete 341 to your project specification, visit carboline.com/contact.
