A brand new hearth security research by survival know-how options supplier Survitec finds that current fire-fighting strategies used to extinguish equipment area spray and pool fires on conventionally fueled vessels are insufficient when coping with methanol-based fires.
This follows intensive comparative hearth checks on dual-fuel marine engines utilizing diesel oil and methanol.
“Our checks affirm that conventional water mist hearth suppression mechanisms don’t carry out as anticipated on methanol pool fires and methanol spray fires. A very totally different strategy is required if these ships are to stay protected,” stated Michał Sadzyński, Product Supervisor, Water Mist Techniques, Survitec.
Methanol is a methyl alcohol (CH3OH) that has a a lot decrease flashpoint of 12°C (54°F). Nevertheless, whereas there are established hearth security rules and testing requirements for diesel fuels, clear check protocols for alcohol-based fuels reminiscent of methanol and ethanol have but to be developed.
“We consider this can be a high-risk state of affairs that wants speedy motion,” pressured Sadzyński. “Methanol fires are much more aggressive than fires involving conventional hydrocarbon fuels. Methanol fires have totally different physicochemical properties and they also can’t be extinguished as simply or with the identical strategy.”
The Survitec checks discovered that whereas water mist programs are extremely efficient in absorbing warmth and displacing oxygen on diesel fires, they don’t produce the identical outcomes on methanol fires.
“We needed to utterly rethink nozzle placement, spacing and different elements to make water mist suppression efficient on methanol. For example, the vary for nozzle set up peak is way decrease than that wanted to place out a diesel hearth,” he stated.
This discovering signifies that if current vessels are retrofitted to run on methanol, they would wish to overtake and redesign their mounted fire-fighting association utterly.
For bilge areas, statutory guidelines formulated in IMO MSC.1/Circ.1621 set up a requirement for an authorised alcohol-resistant foam system for ships working on methanol. For the primary time, a hard and fast, low growth foam system is obligatory underneath the principles in terms of defending equipment area bilges.
“Our checks display that commonplace discharge gadgets don’t correctly extinguish methanol pool fires within the confined bilge area. It’s essential to ship correctly expanded foam on the methanol pool hearth and this isn’t a simple process inside such a slender area the place throw size is proscribed,” stated Maciej Nieścioruk, Product Supervisor, Foam Techniques, Survitec.
He stated: “MSC.1/Circ.1621 gives us with a beginning guideline however it is rather common and subsequently open to interpretation. Furthermore, methanol compliance for Native Software Firefighting (LAFF) programs just isn’t but lined. As an trade, we have to come collectively and develop complete and sturdy hearth check requirements and security guidelines tailor-made to methanol’s distinctive properties.”
The stark conclusion of the investigation arrives at a time of accelerating orders for methanol-fueled ships. The greener gasoline is seen as a panacea to assembly the trade’s emissions abatement targets, and forecasts predict accelerated adoption charges.
Orders for methanol-fueled newbuilds elevated by 9% within the final 12 months, 2% greater than these for LNG-fueled ships. Analysts counsel the methanol-fueled fleet will account for 20mgt by 2028.
“We’re seeing a major uptake in orders for methanol-fueled vessels, with 2023 being the breakout yr for this various marine gasoline. With extra methanol-powered ships being constructed yearly, the trade should act now to stop harmful gaps in hearth security,” stated Nieścioruk. “We encourage all stakeholders to return collectively to deal with methanol’s distinctive hearth dangers and create clear requirements, new testing protocols and up to date security guidelines for methanol.”
