Passive fire protection specified for an office tower is the wrong product for a gas plant, and the reason is the fire curve. Understanding that difference prevents a specification error that only reveals itself in an incident.
Two different fires
The standard cellulosic curve, used in BS 476 and EN test methods, models a building fire fed by timber, paper and furnishings: temperature climbs over minutes, reaching roughly 900 degrees Celsius at an hour. Thin film intumescent coatings are tested and rated against this curve.
A hydrocarbon pool fire behaves differently. Temperature rises to around 1,100 degrees within about five minutes. A jet fire adds erosive force: burning gas under pressure blasts the protective char away as it forms. UL 1709 is the recognised test for hydrocarbon exposure, and ISO 22899 covers jet fire resistance.
Why epoxy intumescents
Thin film products designed for cellulosic exposure produce a soft char that cannot survive rapid rise heat flux or jet erosion. Epoxy based passive fire protection such as Chartek forms a dense, mechanically robust char that stays in place under those conditions. Epoxy systems also resist weathering, salt and impact through years of plant service before any fire, which matters on offshore and coastal UAE assets where the coating is exposed to the Gulf environment continuously.
Where it is specified
Refineries, gas processing plants and petrochemical complexes. Offshore platforms and floating production units. LNG facilities and loading terminals. Within those, the typical scope covers vessel skirts, pipe racks, structural steel supporting critical equipment, emergency shutdown valve actuators and cable trays feeding safety systems.
Application realities
Epoxy PFP is applied at far greater thickness than thin film intumescent, often several millimetres, usually by plural component spray, with mesh reinforcement on certain configurations though many modern grades are mesh free on standard sections. It demands qualified applicators and rigorous thickness verification. Material take off should come from a member schedule with section factors, as explained in our section factor guide.
Documentation
Expect test certification against UL 1709 and jet fire evidence where the risk assessment requires it, loading tables matched to the rating period, applicator qualification records and inspection reports of achieved thickness. For building projects governed by the cellulosic framework instead, see our UAE fire rating guide.
MENA Industrial Supplies supplies epoxy passive fire protection with certification support for UAE oil and gas projects.