Free courseFoam transitionAbout 50 minutes

SFFF Transition Design: Narrated Course

A narrated course on the engineering of a change from AFFF to fluorine-free foam in fixed systems at petroleum and petrochemical facilities.

Replacement of AFFF is often treated as a procurement exercise, in which an approved fluorine-free foam is selected and the tank refilled.

A change of concentrate has wider effects. It alters the hydraulics, proportioning, listings, fire performance and storage of the system, and it leaves a legacy of PFAS in the pipework to remove. This course works through each of those in turn, using calculations, listing data and anonymised project cases, and closes with ten questions an owner should answer before buying SFFF.

What the course covers

  1. Regulatory context and scope. The EU programme for PFAS in firefighting foam as a benchmark, and the six elements of a foam system that a change of concentrate affects.
  2. Concentrate properties and hydraulics. Why concentrate lines and pumps sized for AFFF may not deliver a shear-thinning SFFF at the required pressure and flow.
  3. Proportioning, listings and fire performance. Metering with a new concentrate, listing envelopes as the design boundary, and what listing fire tests do and do not show for large tanks.
  4. Storage in hot climates. The effect of temperature and moisture on SFFF concentrates.
  5. Failure modes and case studies. Common failure modes, with cases from a marine terminal and a bulk liquid terminal.
  6. Decontamination of legacy systems. Acceptance limits for residual PFAS, and the energy, waste and cost of cleaning.
  7. Pilot testing, lifecycle cost and programme. Testing retained hardware, reducing transition cost, and the stages of a transition programme.
  8. Owner’s checklist. Ten questions to answer before procurement of SFFF.
For engineersTopics in detail
  • Composition of SFFF concentrates
  • Friction loss in a concentrate line, AFFF and SFFF
  • Hydraulic analysis of a concentrate network
  • Viscosity and friction loss of three UL-listed SFFF concentrates
  • Proportioner metering with a change of concentrate
  • UL listing envelopes as the design boundary
  • Listing fire tests and full-scale tank protection
  • Interaction between the SFFF blanket and the fuel
  • Effect of temperature and moisture on concentrates
  • Acceptance limits for residual PFAS
  • Pilot testing of retained hardware
  • Listing database and independent testing

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    Narration is computer-generated in a British English voice. Client projects referred to in the course are anonymised. The course is general technical guidance and is not a design for any specific facility.

    Kenny Lee, CFPS

    Director, Archer (S) Pte Ltd. Mechanical engineer with 20 years in fire protection engineering, working on foam transition since 2016 across petrochemical plants, storage terminals and industrial facilities.