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The PKI crew used proprietary plural-component spray equip- ment to apply the Chartek 1709 intumescent coating. LEFT ator is the structure in which that process occurs. This chemical process generates extreme amounts of heat, and so it is vital that the facility has a method for extinguishing any fires should they occur. The fractionator itself cannot be coated with intumescent materials as the heat generated from the process would cause them to char, but the surrounding tower and pipes can. These pipes allow the facility to drain the fractionator in the event of a hydrocarbon fire. The owners knew they needed a fire protection system, but when and where to apply it—in the shop or in the field after the steel had been erected? And what type of intumescent coating to use? They turned to Kevin Turpin, founder, president, and CEO of PK Industrial, a leading national fireproofing applicator. WHY PASSIVE FIRE PROTECTION? Since water is often not an effective means for extinguishing hydro- carbon fires, facilities that process hydrocarbon materials employ a variety of different systems in order to control or extinguish fires. The goal is to allow the operator to maintain control of the facility so that he or she can control the fuel source feeding the fire. By cutting the fuel source, the fire will consume the available fuel load and will "burn itself out," or it will at least be reduced enough so that it can be extinguished through traditional firefighting methods. Turpin and the owners discussed several key points when BY DAVID HUNTER PHOTOS COURTESY OF PK INDUSTRIAL B ushton, Kansas. America's Heartland. The same Zip code as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. But also a land of oil. Ironically, Kansas is full of "Texas Tea." To meet the world's energy challenges, creating energy capacity is critical. Interestingly, no new sites for refinery locations have been approved in the United States since 1976. Gas prices are driven by supply and demand. There is plenty of supply — that is, a location of proven reserves. There is plenty of demand. The problem is the capacity to turn that supply into something you can use in your vehicle. Refineries are running at very high capacities and efficiencies. There is just no more room in the refining capacity to handle the incremental increase in demand. Hence $4 to $5 a gallon gasoline prices. To meet capacity—and demand—expansion projects are being undertaken worldwide, including multi-billion dollar investments in both oil and natural gas. This is the story of just one of the multi-billion dollar undertak- ings. Right here. In Bushton, Kansas. To expand its Bushton facility, a major refinery was building a new fractionator. Fractionation is a process through which the oil is broken down into different chemical constituents, and a fraction- ABOVE The thickness of mils of intumescent coating applied to the steel depended on the size and fire-rating of the piece of steel to be sprayed. determining the type of intumescent coating available and the nature of the application process. The challenge was in maintain- ing control of the facility and the surrounding structures. When exposed to fires of this temperature, steel structures will lose structural capacity and collapse. If structures collapse, opera- tors lose the ability to control valves and pumps, to release pressures safely, to divert flow away from the fire, and to drain storage structures that could be in the path of the fire. This leads to escalation events, in which the fire expands and consumes July 2012 J www.coatingspromag.com 69