Practical demonstration fire behaviour IBCs
Intermediate Bulk Containers, or IBCs, are a well-loved storage medium for fluids in the (chemical) industry, but the plastic containers have their risks. During a fire, they can fall apart in a very short amount of time, after which an uncontrollable pool fire can occur. Various reports have already been written and published about this issue, but until now the practical guidelines were missing for incident controllers.
In order to gain a better insight into the behaviour of IBCs during a fire, H2K together with Marsh Risk Consulting has conducted a series of practical tests. The insights and conclusions from those tests can be used during incident control, risk consultancy and trainings.
H2K was approached by Marsh Risk Consulting with the following question: organise and facilitate a representative and credible practical test to gain a better insight into the behaviour of IBCs during exposure to fire. How and at what point do the containers disintegrate, how does the liquid flow and spread, and what impact do the environmental factors have on such fire scenarios?
H2K was approached because of specific knowledge in the field of industrial fire scenarios, experience in organising and executing practical tests, and access to relevant testing and training locations where such tests could be performed under safe and controlled conditions. Together with Marsh, H2K determined the conditions of the practical test and embedded that in a testing protocol. After that, the IBCs and the fuel were arranged and the practical tests were performed on a firefighting training centre in Vernon. The progression of the fire tests was recorded in a test report, with pictures and moving images. By properly documenting the tests, the results can be shared in an engaging manner with various target audiences in the industry and in the world of fire safety.
The fire tests provide a good insight into the vulnerability of IBCs and the speed with which a flammable liquid fire can expand and spread if flammable liquids are released from these damaged IBCs in a relatively short amount of time. Making the effects of fire scenarios with IBCs properly insightful is important for the risk awareness of the companies that work with IBCs. Marsh Risk Consulting uses the testing results for its consultancy with companies that work with hazardous substances, while H2K uses the results as input for industrial firefighting training and workshops.
