I am a chemical process engineer with 45+ years experience and have never before come across a fire relief problem that has me completely stumped.
Client has asked me to size an emergency fire relief for a resin holding tank.
Information provided by the client.
Material is a proprietary terpene resin,
It is an NFPA Class IIIB combustible liquid
Molecular weight ~575-600
It has no melting or freezing point.
Has no boiling point.
Flash point 399.2 F
Softening point ~245 F
Specific gravity 1.05
Viscosity, 3765 cp at 150 C.(302 F)
Negligible vapor pressure, <0.001 mm Hg @ 20C
Auto ignition temp. 460 C (860 F)
Decomposes on “high” temperature, producing CO, CO2, light hydrocarbons. And a carbon char.
May contain volatiles, up to 0.15% volatiles, xylene/naphtha volatiles
Additional information:
Tank size 12,000+ gallons
Tank located in same containment area with lower class flammables and combustibles.
NFPA 30 default is hexane which requires a rather large vent and client has already stated that as not acceptable.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.