Many of Hallam-ICS’s clients use hazardous materials as part of their process. Statutory codes provide several requirements depending on the material properties and quantities of hazardous materials. This blog focuses on the requirements for spill control and secondary containment.
This blog outlines the code requirements for secondary containment and spill control when handling hazardous materials. It compares editions of the International Fire Code (IFC) and NFPA 1/NFPA 400, explaining when and how these requirements apply. You’ll also find practical examples of containment solutions used in industrial facilities to help you evaluate or design compliant systems.
The codes in effect in the United States differ by state and municipality. In general, the fire code in effect is an edition of one of the following:
Both organizations publish an edition of their fire code every three years. Municipalities then adopt a specific edition, usually with some modifications.
For the purposes of this article, I will focus on the 2021 editions of both fire codes. It is important to check which edition of which is statutory for your facility and if there are any modifications by your local municipality.
These two terms are often confused because the solution for spill control and secondary containment is often a single solution.
Secondary containment refers to controlling the contents of tanks or piping in the event of a mechanical failure. This could be a tank, valve, pipe, fitting, or other component. Some common examples:
Where codes require secondary containment, they may also require containing additional water that may enter the containment. This is to prevent the runoff of hazardous materials to other building areas and to the exterior. The requirements for this are:
The requirement for spill control and secondary containment depends on the quantities of materials stored compared to the Maximum Allowable Quantity (MAQ) for that material. In general, statutory codes require both spill control and secondary containment for quantities exceeding the Maximum Allowable Quantity for that material.
If you need to review these code requirements for your own project the following will help point you in the right direction.
Both fire codes have similar logic to requiring spill control and secondary containment, but the code path is different.
There are many solutions for spill control and secondary containment. This section shows some of the more common solutions with generic examples. Note that there are often variations to these that work better for different projects.
These are tanks specifically constructed to contain a leak if the primary tank fails.
This design is often compact but can be complex. Depending on the material there are additional code requirements and best practices. For example, a bottom connection on the tank is a single point of failure for the tank. Generally piping connections should be located on the top of the tank, and the design should incorporate a method to prevent siphoning liquid from the tank.
Figure 1: Double Walled Tank
Containment berms are a common solution. These are often constructed of concrete. If the area surrounding the tank area is large, this berm often does not need to be very high.
Several products exist to provide temporary berms for operations such as portable tank or truck loading.
Figure 2: Containment Berm
For smaller quantities of material, the storage room floor can be sloped and sealed so a spill will stay within the room. Depending on the room size, this is often a simple cost effective solution. Note that this solution alone does not provide fire protection water containment.
Figure 3: Sloped Flooring
Providing a lower floor than the surrounding area can contain liquids. Depending on the height of this recess this can also contain fire protection water.
The entry to this room will require a ramp or step. This requires coordination with the architect.
For this strategy the walking surface is grating with solid surface below the grating. The solid surface often slopes toward a low point for cleaning or pumping.
One major drawback to this strategy is that the area below the grating is difficult to safely access for piping modifications or cleaning.
Several vendors offer pop-up spill barriers intended to prevent spills from exiting through a doorway. With this solution, the product is recessed into the floor. If liquid enters the product, it causes a containment berm to rise and block liquid from passing through the doorway.
This solution drains liquids in the space to a low point in the room. There are several options for this low point:
Understanding and applying code requirements for secondary containment and spill control is essential to ensure safety, regulatory compliance, and environmental protection. If you're planning a new facility, reviewing existing infrastructure, or navigating code requirements for hazardous materials, Hallam-ICS can help. Contact our team to discuss your project needs or schedule a code compliance review with one of our experts.
About the Author
Ash Kreider is a Mechanical Engineer at Hallam-ICS. He has process engineering experience in multiple industries. He currently designs systems for a wide range of applications including gas distribution, cryogenic fluid recovery, process equipment hookup and HVAC.
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About Hallam-ICS
Hallam-ICS is an engineering and automation company that designs MEP systems for facilities and plants, engineers control and automation solutions, and ensures safety and regulatory compliance through arc flash studies, commissioning, and validation. Our offices are located in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Vermont and North Carolina Texas, Florida and our projects take us world-wide.