Research Projects

Storage tanks with an open or closed cover must be protected from incidental fires to avoid losses in the process industries. Fighting storage tank fires is difficult because of the fuel's vast surface area, the large heat it produces, and the need for immediate suppression to prevent the fire from spreading rapidly. Storage tank fire, once becomes an enormous fire is extremely difficult to extinguish using any of the fire-fighting methods available. A system of accurate detection and autonomous fire suppressant application in the early stages of the fire might prove crucial for the successful extinguishment of storage tank fires. Existing conventional foam-based firefighting system offers huge limitations such as difficulties in application in specific scenarios, significant usage of water, environmental impact, re-ignition in some cases, etc. Fine mist cools flames, displaces oxygen, dilutes fuel vapor, and prevents re-ignition owing to significant heat extraction from the fuel compared to the existing foam-based fire suppression system. Its use in large-scale, open-space situations, such as storage tank fires is relatively unexplored. The literature is scarce about experimental investigations on fire suppression by the water mist system with a base injection that is reported to be more efficient. Thus, it aims to employ an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based fire detection system to ensure the timely detection and autonomous actuation of the extinguishment system. It intends to offer a safer, more sustainable, and more efficient fire extinguishment solution for storage tank facilities to significantly improve industrial fire safety and environmental protection through field testing and cooperation with industry partners. The scientific objectives are to design and develop an AI-based fire detection system, to design and optimize the water mist firefighting system for a given storage tank, to develop the prototype of the water mist firefighting system by integrating with the smart fire detection system, to demonstrate the utility of the system through the convenient integration with the scaled-up storage tank fire and through efficient firefighting in the laboratory, to develop the framework with validated design specifications for large-scale applications A small-scale prototype will be developed and tested on supervised fires to evaluate the extinguishment capabilities, suppression efficacy, and potential for re-ignition prevention. Field/lab testing will include tests on large tank fires to evaluate actual performance. Outcomes will be enhanced and remote monitoring avoiding unnecessary human intervention and ensuring the safety, potential to integrate in the future with other advanced techniques such Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Twin, etc., more sustainable solutions for industrial facilities, and a scalable and practical system suitable for retrofitting in existing storage tank facilities, ensuring broad industry applicability.