Oetinger presented the paper, ?Fire Prevention in Thermal Heat Transfer Fluids for Heating Storage Tanks,? at the ILTA?s conference in Houston on June 12 and 13. In his paper, Oetinger reviews the three most common causes of fire in thermal fluid systems: component failure, insulation fires and fires around the heater. He also reviews minimizing the risk of these fires through proper installation, adequate and thorough maintenance.

In addition to identifying the types of fires related to thermal fluid systems and their most frequent causes, Oetinger defines critical elements in determining the risk of fire with the use of thermal fluids, including flask and fire points, auto ignition temperature and boiling range. He also defines the most common causes of fire in thermal fluid systems, including those caused by system failures, such as leaks due to mechanical failure in expansion joints, flexible hoses or rotary unions; those caused by leaks from damaged fittings into open insulation materials; and those caused by defects in the operation of the heater, including interruptions to the flow of thermal fluid to the heater or damage to the heater tubes.

Oetinger also provides guidelines for fire prevention in heat thermal systems, including guidelines for proper mechanical design and installation, appropriate sizes for expansion tanks, proper maintenance of fluid flow rates, choosing the most appropriate insulating materials, effective use of low flow indicators and proper operating procedures.

The ILTA is an international trade association that represents bulk liquid terminal companies that store commercial liquids in above-ground storage tanks and transfer products to and from oceangoing tank ships, tank barges, pipelines, tank trucks and tank rail cars.

For copies of ?Fire Prevention in Thermal Heat Transfer Fluids for Heating Storage Tanks,? contact Jim Oetinger.