The legal requirement for fire protection of fuel oil storage vessels means that a fire barrier must be used to protect the tank from any potential source of ignition in the surrounding area.
A 30 minute fire rated barrier is required where oil storage tanks of less than 3,500 litres capacity serving single family dwellings are sited:-
- Within 760mm of a combustible boundary
- Within 1800mm of a combustible wall of a building
- Within 1800mm of an opening in a non combustible wall (door, window, flue, etc.)
A 60 minute fire rated barrier is required for commercial installations and tanks of over 3,500 litres capacity. Further information on 60 minute installations can be found in OFTEC information sheet TI/136.
CHM Firewall Barriers?
The test used to rate fire barriers for oil tanks measures both integrity of the barrier in a fire situation and the insulation it provides. The insulation requirement is very difficult to achieve. Many materials which have excellent integrity in a fire situation do not provide the insulation required.
After 30 minutes in the standard fire test the exposed side of the fire barrier reaches over 900°C . To achieve a 30 minute fire rating, the temperature on the non-fire side must be less than 140°C above ambient temperature.
A solid steel plate may meet the 30 minute fire resistance criteria for integrity but would fail in less than 5 minutes on insulation. Fire rated mineral boards also have high fire integrity but are likely to fail on insulation in less than 30 minutes unless a high thickness material is used.
CHM Firewall Barriers are designed to meet OFTEC requirements. Barriers are available with 30, 60 or 120 minute fire ratings. For domestic applications, barriers are supplied in easy to assemble, made to measure kits. For commercial and industrial installations bespoke systems can be supplied, tailored to suit the specific requirements of the site.
Firewall Barrier Kits
CHM Firewall Barriers are delivered in easy to assemble kit form. Each barrier kit contains sufficient panels to make up the total dimensions of the barrier. The panels are assembled together using u-section and h-section channel. Standard timber fence posts can be used to support the barrier. These must be positioned on the tank side of the barrier so that they are protected from any fire. Kits include all screws and fixings to fit to a wooden fence post. Kits contain everything required except fence posts.
CONTACT US IF YOU NEED A FIREWALL BARRIER DATA SHEET