BN-DS-C69 Minimum spacing for refineries and petrochemical plants

Details

Revision: May 9, 2014

Minimum spacing for refineries and petrochemical plants

Spacing between equipment and other facilities are determined at the start of the plot plan design. The spacing is determined by safety considerations, expansion requirements and maintenance requirements. It is the responsibility of the (piping) plot plan engineer to consider all these facts in close cooperation with all current and future stake holders of the plant. For example; it is required that the sufficient access with equipment is possible to items that will require regular maintenance. If this not implemented correctly the maintenance will become unnecessarily expensive.

The spacing between items as listed in below table can be found at the crossing of the vertical and horizontal line of the two items under consideration. For example: the distance between 'Tank truck loading' and 'Process unit battery limits' is 45 meters.

Notes:

  1. Distances are in meters.
  2. Minimum distances between buildings, process equipment and property are shown and apply to edge distances. Additional spacing may be required for high hazard petrochemical classifications
  3. Top entry in each column represents the spacing between alike items (i.e. two cooling towers)
  4. Where unusual conditions require closer spacing, fire protection exceeding the standard requirements shall be provided subject to approval of the owner.
  5. Main plant roads are defined as roads normally open to thru traffic. Roads which are normally used only for maintenance access, etc. are considered as secondary plant roads.
  6. Monitor locations shall be selected to protect specific items of equipment.
  7. Additional spacing may be required to maintain the flare radiation intensity within the requirements of API RP-520 and RP-521.

Legend:

  • na = not applicable, no distance can be determined
  • nm = no minimum spacing requirements, use engineering judgment for spacing

 

1 Administration and office building
2 Shops, warehouses, shipping building, laboratories, etc.
3 Main plant substation
4 Fire pumps and fire station
5 Tank truck and rail car loading racks, piers
6 Boilers and power generation, instrument air compressors
7 Cooling towers
8 Main process control house
9 Process unit control house
10 Process unit battery limits
11 Main plant roads (see note 5)
12 Property boundary and public roads
13 Hydrants and fire monitors (see note 6)
14 Process unit substation
15 Explosion proof electrical switch racks
16 Water spray control valves and emergency shutdowns
17 Unit isolation, depressurizing, control and snuffing steam valves
18 Fired process heaters and open flame equipment
19 HC compressors and expanders
20 Desalter
21 Internally insulated reactors (above ignition temperature)
22 Externally insulated reactors (above ignition temperature)
23 Reactors (below ignition temperature)
24 Heat exchangers (above ignition temperature)
25 Heat exchangers (below ignition temperature)
26 Process pumps handling LPG products
27 Process pumps handling HC above auto ignition temperature
28 Process pumps handling HC below auto ignition temperature
29 Fractionation towers, absorbers, drums, accumulators, KO ports, etc.
30 Air coolers
31 Pipe ways
32 Equipment handling non flammables
33 Atmospheric storage tanks
34 Low pressure storage tanks (not over 15 PSIG)
35 High pressure storage tanks (spheres and bullets)
36 Flare (see note 7)


  1                                                                      
7.5   2                                                                    
7.5 7.5   3                                                                  
nm nm na   4                                                                
nm 15 30 1   5                                                              
60 60 60 45 nm   6                                                            
45 45 30 30 60 nm   7                                                          
30 30 30 30 45 30 7.5   8                                                        
na 7.5 30 na 60 30 30 na   9                                                      
na 7.5 30 na 60 30 30 na na   10                                                    
60 30 30 60 45 30 15 na nm 30   11                                                  
nm nm 15 7.5 15 15 15 nm nm 15 na   12                                                
nm nm 30 15 30 45 15 30 30 60 na na   13                                              
15 15 15 nm 15 15 15 15 15 nm 1.5 nm nm   14                                            
na 7.5 nm 15 45 nm 15 nm nm nm nm 15 15 na   15                                          
na na na na 15 na nm nm nm nm nm na nm nm nm   16                                        
na na na na 15 nm 15 nm nm nm nm na na nm nm nm   17                                      
na na na na 15 nm na nm nm nm nm na na nm nm na nm   18                                    
75 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 30 60 15 15 15 15 15 7.5   19                                  
60 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 15 15 10 15 2   20                                
60 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 nm 15 10 15 10 1.5   21                              
60 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 15 15 10 7.5 10 7.5 5   22                            
60 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 6 15 10 7.5 10 7.5 5 5   23                          
60 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 6 15 10 15 10 7.5 5 5 1.5   24                        
60 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 6 15 15 5 10 7.5 5 5 5 2   25                      
60 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 6 10 10 15 10 3 5 5 5 5 1   26                    
60 45 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 30 60 15 15 6 15 15 15 7.5 7.5 5 5 5 5 5 1.5   27                  
60 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 6 15 15 7.5 7.5 7.5 5 5 5 5 5 5 2   28                
60 30 30 60 30 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 6 10 10 15 7.5 3 5 5 5 5 3 3 3 1   29              
60 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 6 15 10 15 10 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 3 3   30            
60 30 30 60 60 30 30 30 15 na 15 60 15 15 6 nm 10 15 7.5 5 5 5 5 5 3 5 5 3 3 nm   31          
60 15 15 15 15 15 15 7.5 7.5 na 3 15 nm 7.5 na na na 7.5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1.5 5 5 1.5 3 nm nm   32        
nm nm nm nm 15 nm nm nm nm na 3 nm 15 na 5 na na 5 7.5 nm 5 3 3 3 3 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 nm nm nm   33      
60 60 60 60 45 60 45 60 60 60 45 NFPA No. 30 45 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 45       34    
60 60 60 60 45 60 45 60 60 60 45 45 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 45 NFPA     35  
75 75 75 75 45 60 45 60 60 60 45 45 75 75 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 45 No. 30     36
90 for ground flare. This distance can be reduced by the flare height for elevated flare.