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Liquid Nitrogen Storage Rooms

M

Michael Knott

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Dec 12, 2017
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Florida
Do liquid nitrogen storage rooms need to be fire rated? According to 2016 NFPA 55 6.4.4, gas storage rooms need to be 1 hr rated, but it seems odd since nitrogen can be used as a fire extinguishing agent.
 
e hilton said:
1 hr rating isn’t hard to achieve. Why are you asking?
Click to expand...
We are working on a lab project and liquid nitrogen dewars may be stored in the glass wash room. I just want to inform the architect if the walls need to be rated and will also need to provide fire dampers in our ductwork.
 
Are you also under IFC??

Can you restate

Are these plain old compressed cylinders??

Or cryogenic, which I don’t think you are dealing with.
 
Looks like you start here:::

6.3.1.1 Threshold Exceedences.

Where the quantities of compressed gases or cryogenic fluids stored or used within an indoor control area exceed those shown in Table 6.3.1.1, the area shall meet the requirements for Protection Levels 1 through 5 in accordance with the building code, based on the requirements of 6.3.2.

And for nitrogen/ inert, appears NA across the board???
 
cda said:
Looks like you start here:::

6.3.1.1 Threshold Exceedences.

Where the quantities of compressed gases or cryogenic fluids stored or used within an indoor control area exceed those shown in Table 6.3.1.1, the area shall meet the requirements for Protection Levels 1 through 5 in accordance with the building code, based on the requirements of 6.3.2.

And for nitrogen/ inert, appears NA across the board???
Click to expand...
It will be liquid nitrogen which is cryogenic. The table shows no limit for an inert gas, but this is for control areas which are already fire rated areas according to Table 6.2.1.
 
Michael Knott said:
Do liquid nitrogen storage rooms need to be fire rated? According to 2016 NFPA 55 6.4.4, gas storage rooms need to be 1 hr rated, but it seems odd since nitrogen can be used as a fire extinguishing agent.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind that bulk storage of any chemical could be a hazard to the occupant or first responder in an emergency, even if it is sometimes used as a fire retardant.
 
Michael Knott said:
It will be liquid nitrogen which is cryogenic. The table shows no limit for an inert gas, but this is for control areas which are already fire rated areas according to Table 6.2.1.
Click to expand...

Per the table I read no limit in a building

Which would mean no control area required

Or if a control area is there, no limit on nitrogen

I just need to look at cryogenic inside the building
 
Ok interesting
Have not done indoor cryogenic

Appears for inert. No Requirements
 
Michael Knott said:
Do liquid nitrogen storage rooms need to be fire rated? According to 2016 NFPA 55 6.4.4, gas storage rooms need to be 1 hr rated, but it seems odd since nitrogen can be used as a fire extinguishing agent.
Click to expand...
Hi Michael,
I'm not sure if you got a satisfactory answer to your question so I'm chiming in. First, if you're dealing with cryogenic nitrogen, which it sounds like you are if you're talking about dewars, then you should be looking in Section 8 (Cryogenic Fluids) and Sections 5 and 6 of NFPA 55. Construction a Gas Room in accordance with Section 6.4 is one of the options you have to increase the maximum allowable quantity (MAQ) (Table 6.3.1.1) if the actual quantity being stored in the control area exceeds the MAQ. Take a look at Table 6.3.1.1 and you will see that the quantity of Inert Cryogenic fluids in a control area is not limited. You are not required to have one-hour construction simply based on having liquid nitrogen. Hope that helps. - Best, Lynne @ HMEx Assistant
 
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