Safety and Protection Measures in Tank Farms and Underground Piping Sécurité et mesures de protection dans les parcs à réservoirs et les galeries souterraines

Abstract

The chemical site at Monthey consists of nearly one hundred production buildings and 27 tank farms. The internal guidelines stipulate the safety measures for the four companies on the site regarding tank farms and for the underground water piping network. Cimo engineers have developed a special automatic fire fighting system (water + emulsifier) to protect the storage tanks situated in the tank farms as well as the storage areas. A network for chemical waters, clean water, and sewage water connect all the buildings to the wastewater treatment plant. The network is made up of inspection galleries situated roughly eight meters below ground, underneath the site. A guideline stipulates the safety measures that must be observed by any employee having to enter a confined space in order to carry out inspection rounds or maintenance work. Different types of dangers can arise, for example escape of toxic substances, explosive atmosphere, water pollution.