OIL & GAS: Rig Deluge
RIG DELUGE FREE FLOW NOZZLE TECHNOLOGY™
CONCENTRIC FLOW TECHNOLOGY ™
One of the main problems encountered with offshore
facilities is the blocking of fire sprinkler heads caused
by the effects of sea water as a delivery fluid. This is
a problem for all types of fire containment systems
including both Heat Suppression and Fire Fighting.
One of the bench mark problems encountered and
lessons learnt in the oil and gas industry was the Piper
Alpha; 50% of the nozzles located on C-Block were
blocked and inoperable through debris and concentric
corrosion being present in the delivery lines.
Not only can the equipment being used on this system
be noted as problematic but the process of ‘Fail Fix’ can
also be noted as a contributing factor.
27 years on, companies across the world still use
the same sprinkler heads and the fail fix processes. In
our eyes, these inherent behaviours seen time and time
again in the offshore industry can be summed up by the
statement “but we’ve always done it that way”. This is not
just a risk based statement as it requires a shift in attitudes
and behaviours to open new ideas related to safety.
24
HSE INTERNATIONAL
“A shift in attitudes and
behaviours is required to
open new ideas related to
safety”
This is why RigDeluge® innovated Free Flow Nozzle
Technology™ and Concentric Flow Technology™
Today, RigDeluge® has a proven solution to reduce
the risks of nozzles blocking through delivery line
contaminants and concentric corrosion.
The process of increased wet testing has been proven
to fail and contributes to external system corrosion
due to the effects of salt water, yet this is still common
practice as per the Piper Alpha disaster; need we say any
more?
The nozzles currently used in the industry block with
as little as 6g of debris and when the existing nozzle
screen is in place, block even quicker with less debris.