Fire safety in
energy production

One of the major risks on an energy production site is fire. Securing the premises and personnel is essential to protect property and production facilities. The destruction of work equipment by fire would lead to the temporary, or even permanent, shutdown of operations in 70% of cases.

Energy-producing establishments include the following sectors of activity: hydraulic structures, thermal power plants (fuel, gas turbine and combined), nuclear power plants, hydrogen production sites and offshore wind farms.

There are no specific regulations for these buildings, except for hydrogen production facilities and nuclear power plants, which are particularly closely monitored. Other establishments can refer to the APSAD (French National Fire Protection Agency) guidelines regarding the installation and maintenance parameters of fire safety systems, as well as the NF standard regarding the specific requirements of the equipment.
These establishments generally present two types of fire risks: 70% of the risks are electrical in nature, and the remaining 30% come from hydrocarbons and derivatives (oils, fuel oil, etc.). It is therefore essential to have an effective fire safety system in place to effectively combat these risks and meet insurance and environmental code requirements.

Fire Safety in Hydraulic Structures

Hydraulic dams are facilities that generate energy where human presence is minimal, or even absent. Therefore, the fire safety system will focus primarily on the early detection of the onset of a fire (smoke and/or flames) and transmit the information to the regional central monitoring station.

Specific fire detection

To detect any fire outbreaks, it is advisable to study and install automatic smoke and flame detectors based on the security and vulnerability analysis. Additional fiber optic radiant thermal measurement systems can monitor specific potential risks such as alternators, power cable evacuation shafts, and power transformers.

Smoke extraction for occupied areas

Since production units may be occasionally occupied by humans, they must be equipped with a smoke extraction system to assist in the compartmentalization of the fires and the evacuation of personnel.

Systems maintenance

All fire safety equipment must be maintained once or twice a year in accordance with current safety standards and regulations.

Digital services and supervision for remote control

To ensure the proper functioning of fire safety equipment in real time, the control panels are connected to a remote operating unit that can receive information from the equipment and take the necessary measures in the event of a fire alarm, malfunction, or breakdown. This service is all the more important since the structures are most often operated remotely and without human presence.

Fire safety in thermal power plants

Detect
a fire

Early detection of the onset of fire in areas with potential “risks” of electrical and/or hydrocarbon nature, primarily.

Automatic fire detectors for smoke and flames can be installed in all areas where there is an established fire risk, such as electrical rooms in any building, engine rooms, electrical conversion rooms, and cable bridge areas.

Regarding the fire risk of hydrocarbons, it is recommended to install a high-sensitivity aspirating smoke detection system combined with flame detection to protect sensitive systems such as emergency diesel generators and storage areas.

Contact your fire detection expert DEF

Keeping people safe

Automated Personnel Safety System

Thermal power plants have a control room for each production unit, with a permanent presence of operational staff. In order to ensure the safety of personnel in case of fire, it is necessary to implement an Automated Safety System (CMSI), which is linked to the fire safety system (FSS) to manage both the compartmentalization zones and the implementation of smoke extraction by controlling passive components such as: fire doors, fire dampers, ventilation, and evacuation sirens that allow for the evacuation of personnel.

Contact your emergency exits expert Alligator

Mastering
fire

Control the fire and prevent it from restarting

To prevent a hydrocarbon fire from spreading, premises and systems such as emergency diesel engines are equipped with an automatic fire protection system using water mist boosted with an AFFF extinguishing agent.

This fire protection principle extinguishes the fire, prevents it from restarting, and facilitates access for security personnel (no more radiant heat effect).

Another principle of neutral gas extinguishing can be installed in sensitive process electrical cabinets to preserve production equipment.

Contact your DEF gas extinguishing expert

Maintain the facilities

Fire safety system maintenance is mandatory once or twice a year. It ensures proper equipment operation and the long-term durability of the installations.

Contact your DEF maintenance expert

Train
staff

To minimize human error, personnel involved in the fire safety system must be trained on the equipment and be aware of fire risks. It is essential that they are familiar with best practices and emergency procedures.

Contact your OFC training expert

Fire safety in the hydrogen sector

Regulations

Hydrogen Sector Regulations

The hydrogen sector is subject to regulations regarding ICPE (Classified Installations for Environmental Protection):

Hydrogen Gas Distribution Stations

According to ICPE No. 1416 – Arrêté of October 22, 2018,

  • Buildings, containers, etc., housing equipment potentially containing hydrogen must be equipped with a hydrogen-specific fire detection system (Article 2.6), placed near potential leak points, and in areas at risk of accumulation. Gas detectors must be installed in risk areas. (Article 4.3)
  • The distribution line must include a hydrogen detector at the distribution point (Article 2.7.2).
  • The monitoring of an unattended self-service station must alert the operator in case of fire detection, and any leak. (Article 3.1)

According to ICPE No. 4715 – Arrêté of November 26, 2015, each parking area must be equipped with a suitable fire detection device associated with a fire alarm. The 4m distance between parking spaces is not applicable if an automatic fire detection and suppression system is installed.

Installations Supplying Hydrogen Gas Carts

According to ICPE No. 4715 – Arrêté of February 12, 1998, gas detectors must be installed in the parts of the installation that present risks (Article 4.9)

Electric Accumulator Charging Workshops

According to the arrêté of May 29, 2000, parts of installations presenting a specific risk are located and equipped with hydrogen detectors.

Risks

Classified in the IIC gas group (the most dangerous), the production and storage of hydrogen represent very high risks. Nearly 400 incidents have been reported over the last three years.

Hydrogen (H2) is extremely flammable (R12)​.​ With low density, odorless, and colorless, its presence can easily go unnoticed.

There are 3 main risks:

  • Risk of leakage: Hydrogen’s small molecule size allows it to escape through extremely small openings. The risk of leakage is therefore higher with hydrogen than with other fuels.
  • Risk of inflammability: When a hydrogen cloud forms, the risk of inflammability is much higher than for a gasoline or gas cloud. The energy required to ignite it is about 10 times lower than for natural gas.
  • Risk of explosive cloud formation: Hydrogen disperses faster than traditional fuels. It dilutes 4 times faster in the air than natural gas and 12 times faster than gasoline vapors. This volatility is a protective factor limiting the formation of hydrogen clouds.

Solutions

Fire detection and gas detection solutions in ATEX zones meet the needs of the hydrogen sector. ​They allow for the early detection of fire outbreaks and enable the fastest possible intervention to prevent their spread. These solutions will be specifically installed in high-risk areas.

Learn more about gas detection

Fire safety in the nuclear industry

Risks

Nuclear power plants present unique fire risks due to the presence of highly flammable materials, intense heat sources, and radioactive materials. Several risks and installations exist:

  • Electrical fire risks: Nuclear installations (INB) integrate numerous sensitive systems and areas: electrical rooms, cable trays, control rooms, machine rooms, power transformers, as well as kilometers of cables. Any short circuits, overloads, and insulation faults can cause fires.
  • Hydrocarbon fire risks in facilities: Turbines, primary pumps, emergency diesel generators, power transformers, all contain oils and products with high flammability levels.
  • Fire risks in the Nuclear Island buildings: The reactor building, the fuel building, and the nuclear auxiliary building contain highly radioactive and flammable materials.
  • Fire risks in sensitive buildings: Storage of hazardous and/or contaminated products, laboratories, where chemical and radioactive materials are handled.
  • Risks of sabotage or terrorist attacks that could use methods that generate fire outbreaks, damage critical systems, and potentially cause a biological breach.

The consequences of a fire can be significant:

  • Reduction in the power plant’s production capacity, requiring interventions to maintain reactor cooling and ensure optimal safety and security levels.
  • Unplanned shutdowns or major operational interruptions.
  • Release of toxic and radioactive substances, endangering personnel, the environment, and national and public safety.

Regulations

Nuclear power plants must comply with a series of regulations covering all aspects of fire prevention, detection, suppression, and management, ensuring the protection of people, infrastructure, and the environment:

  • Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) – Decision No. 2014-DC-0462 of ASN from January 6, 2014, which imposes requirements on the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of fire safety systems.
    – ASN Guide No. 2.3 “Fire Risk Management in Nuclear Installations”
  • Labor Code – Articles R4227-1 to R4227-57: obligations for detection and alarm systems, staff training, etc.
  • Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Institute (IRSN) Standards: technical recommendations on the safety of nuclear installations, including fire safety aspects.
  • International Standards (IAEA and NFPA): international standards for fire safety.
  • International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Standards – SSG-64 “Protection against Internal Fires and Explosions in the Design of Nuclear Power Plants” and NS-G-2.1 “Fire Safety in the Operation of Nuclear Power Plants”
  • National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): 804 and 805
  • APSAD, NF Standards
  • European Directives: 2009/71/Euratom
  • Incident and Emergency Management Plans: PUI
  • Specific Intervention Plan: PPI

Note: Physical aging simulations of equipment up to 50-60 years are conducted in the nuclear sector.

Fire detection

Fire detection in nuclear power plants plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of personnel, protecting sensitive equipment, and preserving critical infrastructure.

Early detection allows for intervention before the fire spreads and becomes irreversible.

The most common fire detection equipment provided for installations in a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) includes:

  • Point smoke detectors (often in conventional electrical cabling areas, control rooms, or other sensitive places),
  • Heat detectors (areas where heat is a key indicator of fire),
  • Flame detectors in areas such as machine rooms, emergency diesel rooms, power transformers, and storage areas for products.
  • Gas detectors in areas where flammable or toxic substances may be present, battery rooms, chemical laboratories, and underground galleries.
  • A central fire alarm management unit (Fire Safety System) that enables operation of all fire safety installations through visual and sound interfaces, allowing for control of actions to secure people and property.

DEF Energie offers specific systems tailored to high radiological constraints.

For fire safety of the Primary Pump Motor Groups, the detection embedded in each case and primary circuit consists of a high-sensitivity aspirating system that is redundant by ambient air sampling, coupled with flame detection.

For fire safety of power cable routes in sensitive areas, fire detection is carried out using radiant thermal detection systems employing multimode fiber optics. This detection principle can be used in irradiated areas where the risk of electrical-origin fires is high.

Contact your DEF Energie Detection expert

 

Smoke extraction

Smoke extraction in the nuclear sector is complex because we cannot afford a biological breach of containment and release contaminated substances into the open air. It must integrate specific design characteristics:

  • Smoke extraction systems must be equipped with redundancies to ensure their operation under all circumstances, even in the event of a system component failure.
  • Smoke extraction and fire safety equipment must be designed to meet the technical requirements for qualification and premature aging of materials to ensure optimal performance.

Contact your DMF smoke extraction expert

Extinction

Two types of fire suppression systems can be used in nuclear power plants and INB (Basic Nuclear Installations):

  • Water Mist System: Used to protect sensitive equipment, it employs fine water droplets to extinguish fires while minimizing water damage. It can be used in emergency diesel generators, machine rooms, and electrical cable trays, for example.

Contact your Water Mist expert PROFOG

  • Gas Suppression Systems that reduce the oxygen content and extinguish the fire without damaging equipment. It is used in server rooms, electrical cabinets in sensitive processes, data centers, and control rooms with critical electronic equipment. This neutral gas suppression system has been chosen for fire protection in storage bunkers for contaminated and radioactive products.

Contact your Gas Suppression expert DEF Energie

Maintenance

Fire detection systems must be regularly maintained and tested to ensure proper functioning in case of an emergency.

Contact your Maintenance expert DEF

Training

Personnel involved in fire safety in the nuclear / INB sector must be trained and authorized. They undergo regular medical check-ups.

Contact your training expert OFC

Fight against malice

Control access to classified sensitive sites

To combat malicious attacks on energy production sites (nuclear, thermal, hydraulic, hydrogen, etc.), it is essential to implement measures to ensure the safety of the premises. Systems such as access control combined with video surveillance and passive anti-intrusion devices help secure sites and prevent irreversible damage.

Réseau DEF, by your side for your fire safety projects

For over 60 years, Réseau DEF has been supporting the energy sector with their simple and complex fire safety projects. We work from risk analysis to system implementation and maintenance.

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