Unlike existing techniques, the Survitec method means testing can be performed while the vessel is berthed alongside, without having to discharge any foam overboard or send samples to testing labs.
Testing the effectiveness of fire-fighting foam is a complicated business.
Mandatory requirements set out in IMO MSC.1/Circ.1432 9.2.4 require every vessel or offshore structure that has a deck foam system, a high expansion foam system (engine room) or Heli-deck foam system to carry out stringent Produced Foam Tests.
Most commercial ships and rigs will have a fixed system that uses foam to extinguish a fire, but the ratio of foam concentrate to seawater has to be correct for the produced foam to work.
Foam proportioners or other mixing devices need to be tested every five years to confirm that the mixing ratio is within +30 to -10% of the nominal mixing ratio defined by the manufacturer. This is crucial in creating a foam capable of extinguishing a fire.
Service experience, however, is demonstrating that wear and tear, plus the ageing of the foam mixing equipment, can have a negative effect on the correct mixing ratio given by the foam system.
Current test methodologies have to run the fire-fighting system with foam for at least two minutes, and as the produced foam is discharged overboard, there is a heavy consumption of costly concentrate, often resulting in the need to replace the entire tank volume.
Samples also need to be sent to a service station for testing and if the sample fails, then the foam proportioner has to be adjusted, and the process repeated, which makes other available solutions more costly and time-consuming, compared with Survitec’s new test process new Produced Foam Live Test.
Using ultrasound technology to verify the effectiveness of fire-fighting foam, Survitec’s methodology has already been green-lighted for use on maritime vessels or offshore structures following the issuance of a verification statement from classification society DNV.
While ultrasonic flow meters are commonly used to measure fluid flow in pipework, it is thought to be the first time ultrasound technology has been used to quantify the exact water/foam ratio. Two ultrasonic flow meters are used to compare both values.
Jan-Oskar Lid, Technical Sales Manager, Survitec, said: “We have developed a safe, environmentally sound and predictable test method removing a lot of the time and expense involved in foam sampling and testing. It delivers peace of mind to ship operators and crews.”
Unlike existing techniques, the Survitec method means testing can be performed while the vessel is berthed alongside, without having to discharge any foam overboard or send samples to testing labs.
On using the new ultrasound technique, Lid said: “All the crew has to do is ensure that a fire pump is running at the required capacity for the test’s duration. The procedure obviates the need to use the system’s foam concentrate.
Since Survitec’s Produced Foam Live Test does not need to use the concentrate or produce foam in the test, using only seawater, which is more environmentally friendly than alternative solutions, there is no need to top up or refill the tank. “And if any adjustments are required then the foam proportioner can be tweaked during the test and not in interludes, which can affect normal service,” said Lid.
Survitec has trained teams to use the new process at service stations in Singapore, Fujairah, Barcelona, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Aberdeen, Liverpool, Houston, Panama and Macae (Brazil), and will roll out the system to other locations over the coming months.
Survitec’s Produced Foam Live Test method has already been used by several well-known gas carrier operators.
About Survitec
Survitec is a global leader in survival and safety solutions to the marine, defence, aviation, and energy markets. Survitec has 3,000 employees worldwide covering eight manufacturing facilities and over 53 owned service centres. It is further supported by a network of over 400 third party service centres and distributors. Survitec has received Z-17 approval as a class-approved service provider from seven major classification societies, and has ISO 9001 certification, the international standard for quality management systems. Throughout its 160-year+ history, Survitec has remained at the forefront of innovation, design and application engineering and is the trusted name when it comes to critical global safety and survival solutions.
Visit: www.survitecgroup.com
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