Paint mixing room in fire-rated storage container for Siemens
Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB in Finspång, Sweden, decided to improve working conditions for employees in the paint department. The fire protection in the new paint mixing room needed to be better than that in the old room. As the existing paint mixing room was in the Production area, in the event of a fire the whole production plant would have been affected.
Siemens is one of the world's largest companies in the health, energy and manufacturing industries. The company is active in more than 190 countries and has over 360000 employees.
In Sweden, Finspång is the largest production site. Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery produces world class steam and gas turbines here. Complete power stations are designed, producing power, steam and heat. Siemens' turbines form the heart of the whole facility. The turbines sold are also used to drive compressors and pumps, especially in the oil and gas industry.
Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB (SIT AB) in Finspång supplies power stations and turbines with high effectiveness and low emissions. 2800 employees work in Finspång. The turnover figure is 10 billion Krona.
The challenge and task
Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB in Finspång, Sweden, wanted to improve working conditions for workers in the paint department. The fire protection in the new paint mixing room needed to be better than that in the old room. As the existing paint mixing room was in the production area, in the event of a fire the whole production plant would have been affected. For this reason the new paint mixing room needed to be a separate fire area, which would be directly next to the existing rooms but separate from them. The paint mixing room and the paint store needed to be next to each other. Before, they were in different areas. The necessary logistics took additional time.
The insurance company required an improvement in fire protection to meet German and European requirements. These are more stringent than Swedish requirements. A fire resistance of 90 minutes (EI90) was required for the new paint mixing room. The room had to be well ventilated and the work station for paint mixing needed to be fitted with an air extraction system. This was for safety purposes but also created a better working environment for the employees. Siemens considered various solutions including the construction of a new room, which would meet the requirements, outsourcing the paint mixing as well as a fire-rated System container for hazardous substances.
The solution
DENIOS presented a solution, which would be fitted directly next to the existing building, but would also offer fire protection separation. The suggested BMC-X 600 fire-rated container for hazardous substances would be adapted to suit Siemens requirements. Storage and mixing of paints are possible in the same container. The different areas are separated by a fire protection wall. To remove the flammable gases which arise when working with the substances, each room is fitted with technical ventilation.
In total the hazardous material storage container is fitted with three fire protection doors. One connects the building with the container, one links the two storage areas and one leads outside. The paints for the store are taken through the outer door. This means that the flammable paints do not need to be transported through production.
The inside of the container is designated as explosion zone 1. Thanks to the fire protection separation, no Ex Zone needs to be designated outside the container. All of the electrical equipment in the container meets the requirements of the ATEX guidelines and is approved for the storage of flammable substances and their handling.
The light grey paintwork inside the fire-rated storage container creates a pleasant working atmosphere. In addition the container was fitted with a warm water shower for emergencies. A high level of lighting is provided.
DENIOS fitted a Varioflow Premium air extraction system, which is developed and manufactured by DENIOS. The advantage of this extraction system is in the design of the ventilation. No glass screen is required when working. All potentially toxic gases are drawn into the work station. As there is no need for a glass screen, working conditions are very good.
Result and customer benefits
The new paint mixing room is now lighter, better ventilated, less of a fire risk and offers better working conditions. Siemens now have the benefit that the paint mixing room and the store are in the same building, but are separated in such a way that a high level of safety is guaranteed. Thanks to the wide range of standard products offered for fire-rated System containers for hazardous substances and the possibility of adapting these to suit individual customer requirements, the solution was cost-effective. The container was delivered on time. The use of a mobile solution meant that the working day was not disrupted, as the existing paint mixing room could be used until the new one was ready.
Siemens now had improved flexibility, as the paint mixing room could be moved if future conditions changed. As the fire-rated storage container for hazardous substances from DENIOS already met the European standards, Siemens also had the guarantee that the product met the requirements of the legislative bodies and the insurance company.
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