Water Spray Protection Design for Storage Tanks under Heavy Wind
Water Spray Protection Design for Storage Tanks under Heavy Wind
(OP)
Hi Everyone here,
I met a review question from client regarding to the water spray protection for storage tank, they wonder how the cooling water and spray system were designed to against the heavy wind (40m/s) when fire happen.
Honestly speaking, I had never consider such issue, the quantity of cooling water was usually designed according to the firefighting hours and protected area.
Can somebody here give me any advice how the wind impact can be accounted in the ring spray system? Any design guide that I can find?
Thanks in advance.
I met a review question from client regarding to the water spray protection for storage tank, they wonder how the cooling water and spray system were designed to against the heavy wind (40m/s) when fire happen.
Honestly speaking, I had never consider such issue, the quantity of cooling water was usually designed according to the firefighting hours and protected area.
Can somebody here give me any advice how the wind impact can be accounted in the ring spray system? Any design guide that I can find?
Thanks in advance.





RE: Water Spray Protection Design for Storage Tanks under Heavy Wind
Given that 40 m/s (90 mph) is hurricane speed, I don't imagine you'll find too many prescriptive-based solutions. Contacting a nozzle manufacturer is probably the best avenue.
RE: Water Spray Protection Design for Storage Tanks under Heavy Wind
I was going to discount the wind load since two extreme conditions (fire and hurricane) won't happen concurrently, however, the discounted wind speed shall still be issue noticed me.
RE: Water Spray Protection Design for Storage Tanks under Heavy Wind
RE: Water Spray Protection Design for Storage Tanks under Heavy Wind
Ideally a lab test will tell how much of the water is not inpinged in the surface.
Variables to consider: placing more nozzles closer, bigger K, narrower cone, extra pressure, extra flow. Maybe playing with these parameters may lead to a reasonable "overdesign" that maybe the client will accept.
If the wind is that high, and the tank separation is big, what is the cooling effect of the wind?. I reckon, that in case of a hurricane the wind itself may have a strong cooling effect.
The spray cooling is suposed to cool radiated heat, in case of a strong wind the heat received by the tank surface will require a modeling analysis to decide what is the heat received by convection.