ABSTRACT
Protective systems are employed to reduce/eliminate hazards and risks and may be viewed as a special category of process equipment. Provisions for protection and safety equipment should be incorporated in the original plant design. Wetting agents and high-expansion foam have been used in some plant protection systems. All fire extinguishing systems should be evaluated for their potential health risks as well as their overall effectiveness before incorporation into a plant. The layout for various types of fire protection installations and the appropriate recommendations for their design are found in the standards of the National Fire Protection Association. Optimizing operation from a safety perspective is often an overlooked consideration. The management of the protective system's operation and maintenance and testing information should occur within the overall management approach. Most of these involve the solution of problems that cannot be solved by analytical or ordinary numerical methods.
