Turbine Hall Fire Detection and Suppression System

The contractor shall provide a complete engineered fire detection and suppression system, including all labour, materials, plant, access equipment, design services, testing equipment, certification and documentation necessary to deliver a fully operational system.

The protected scope comprises four individual turbine areas within the Turbine Hall. For tendering purposes, each turbine shall be assumed to have an approximate protected area of 15 m², giving an indicative total protected turbine area of approximately 60 m². Tenderers shall verify all dimensions, access constraints, hazard locations and coverage requirements during the site survey and shall base the final design on confirmed site measurements and risk assessment.

• Site surveys and risk assessment of the Turbine Hall and protected turbine assets.
• Design of the fire detection, alarm interface and suppression system.
• Selection and supply of detectors, control panels, suppression equipment, pipework, nozzles, cylinders, pumps, valves, cabling, containment, signage and ancillary equipment.
• Installation of all system components, including interfaces with existing fire alarm, plant control, shutdown, ventilation or building management systems where required.
• Factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, commissioning and functional performance testing.
• Provision of certification, operation and maintenance manuals, as-built drawings, cause-and-effect documentation and training.
• Provision of warranty, defects support and proposals for ongoing inspection, testing and maintenance.

4. Regulatory and Standards Compliance

The system and all works shall comply with all applicable UK legislation, regulations, approved guidance and recognised standards current at the date of tender and installation. The contractor shall identify and declare all applicable standards within their tender submission and shall state any proposed deviations.

• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the duties of the Responsible Person.
• BS 5839-1 for fire detection and fire alarm systems in non-domestic premises, including design, installation, commissioning and maintenance requirements.
• Applicable BS EN 54 standards for fire detection and alarm components.
• Applicable standards for the selected suppression technology, which may include BS EN 15004 for gaseous extinguishing systems, BS 8489 for industrial and commercial watermist systems, BS EN 12845 for sprinkler systems, or other relevant recognised standards appropriate to the proposed solution.
• Where water mist is proposed, the system shall comply with BS 8489 or another applicable recognised standard for industrial and commercial water mist systems, together with manufacturer approvals, fire test evidence and any insurer requirements relevant to turbine or machinery-space oil-fire protection.
• BS 7273 requirements for interfaces between fire detection systems and ancillary fire protection measures, where applicable.
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, CDM Regulations 2015, Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and all applicable site safety requirements.
• Manufacturer installation instructions, insurer requirements and industry best practice.

5. Technical Requirements

5.1 Fire Risk Basis

The principal fire risk within the protected turbine areas arises from steam pipework operating at conditions and temperatures above the flash point of the oil used within the turbine systems. Oil pipework and steam pipework run adjacent to one another, increasing the likelihood that an oil leak, spray, mist or release could come into contact with hot steam pipework or other high-temperature surfaces and ignite.

The fire detection and suppression design shall therefore be based on credible oil-release scenarios, including pressurised leakage, dripping, pooling, spray impingement, atomised mist and contact with hot pipework or adjacent hot surfaces. Tenderers shall explain how their proposed solution detects and suppresses fires originating from these scenarios at an early stage and how the design reduces the risk of fire escalation to adjacent turbine equipment, cable routes, insulation, lagging and structural elements.

5.2 Fire Detection

• The detection system shall provide reliable early warning appropriate to the turbine risk profile and environmental conditions within the Turbine Hall, with particular consideration of oil leakage onto high-temperature steam pipework and associated hot-surface ignition scenarios.
• The preferred detection technology is infrared flame detection. Tenderers shall propose IR flame detectors, or an equivalent or superior flame detection solution, and shall justify the suitability of the proposed technology for the turbine environment.
• The detection system shall be capable of reliable operation in dark conditions and in areas containing numerous hot surfaces, including turbine casings, pipework, lagging, exhaust surfaces and other high-temperature equipment.
• The system shall be capable of detecting fires fuelled by different substances and materials reasonably foreseeable within the Turbine Hall environment, including but not limited to hydrocarbon fuels, lubricating oils, electrical equipment, insulation materials, plastics, cable materials and other combustible or flammable materials associated with turbine operation and maintenance.
• The design shall address potential false alarm sources, including hot surfaces, reflected radiation, welding or maintenance activities, sunlight or artificial light, airflow, temperature variation, dust, vibration, access constraints and maintenance requirements.
• The system shall include appropriate zoning, device identification, alarm indication and integration with the existing fire alarm infrastructure.
• The tenderer shall provide a proposed cause-and-effect matrix showing alarms, alerts, shutdowns, suppression release logic, delays, interlocks, manual release and abort functions where applicable.

5.3 Fire Suppression

The suppression design shall provide suitable protection for all four turbine areas. Tenderers shall state whether their proposed suppression approach is based on individual turbine local application, grouped zone protection, total flooding or another engineered arrangement, and shall justify how the design achieves effective coverage for each approximate 15 m² turbine area.

• The suppression system shall be suitable for the turbine fire risks, including oil leakage or spray onto steam pipework operating above the oil flash point, electrical, mechanical and hot-surface ignition scenarios where relevant.
• Any water mist design shall be suitable for oil leakage, spray or pool-fire scenarios involving ignition on or near high-temperature steam pipework and other hot surfaces, and shall demonstrate effective suppression or control without relying on excessive water application.
• The preferred suppression technology is a water mist system, selected to minimise water usage, reduce collateral damage and improve suppression effectiveness for credible oil-fire scenarios within the turbine areas. Tenderers shall propose a water mist solution, or an equivalent or superior suppression technology, and shall justify the selected suppression medium and method, including design basis, discharge performance, droplet characteristics, protected volume or local application approach, compatibility with turbine equipment and impact on personnel safety.
• The solution shall minimise collateral damage, avoid unacceptable operational impact and be suitable for the environmental conditions of the Turbine Hall.
• The system shall include all required detection-release controls, manual release points, lock-off or isolation arrangements, warning devices, signage, monitoring, status indication and fault reporting.
• The contractor shall identify any requirements for ventilation shutdown, plant trip, fuel or oil isolation, electrical isolation, dampers, access control, evacuation warnings or post-discharge recovery.

5.4 Integration and Interfaces

The contractor shall identify all required interfaces with existing site systems and shall include the design, testing and commissioning of those interfaces within their tender price unless explicitly excluded. Interfaces may include the existing fire alarm system, turbine controls, emergency shutdown systems, ventilation controls, building management systems, security systems, local alarms and remote monitoring arrangements.

6. Contractor Competence and Quality Requirements

• Tenderers shall demonstrate proven experience in designing and installing fire detection and suppression systems in industrial, power generation, energy-from-waste, turbine, machinery space or comparable high-value asset environments.
• Tenderers shall provide evidence of relevant third-party certification, competent-person arrangements, manufacturer accreditation and quality management systems.
• All works shall be undertaken by trained and competent personnel using approved materials and methods.
• The contractor shall provide project-specific risk assessments, method statements, lifting plans, access plans, isolation requirements and commissioning procedures before commencing work.