Blast-resistant buildings designed to protect essential power and control systems on oil and gas plants

Portastor has a proven track record of manufacturing robust, blast-resistant buildings designed to withstand specific blast loadings for oil and gas plants worldwide. Our buildings are used to protect essential power, process control and ancillary systems against explosions.

Complete protection against extreme blast incidents

Portastor designs buildings to project-specific blast requirements. We have previous experience of supplying buildings able to withstand peak reflected wave pressures of more than 1 bar and durations exceeding 200ms. Our buildings enable plants to resume operations as quickly as possible after any blast incident.

Buildings designed to strict international blast criteria

All design specifications for our blast-resistant buildings are based on recognised engineering design methods and oil industry standards, which have their basis in ASCE and US military standards. Our buildings are typically designed to fulfil Low Response criteria – see below.

Response Criteria	Description
Low Response	Localised building/component damage. Building can be used, however repairs are required to restore integrity of structural envelope.
Medium Response	Widespread building/component damage. Building cannot be used until repaired. Total cost of repairs is significant
High Response	Building/component has lost structural integrity and may collapse due to environmental conditions (i.e. wind, snow, rain). Total cost of repairs approach replacement cost of building.

How do we design and build blast-resistant buildings?

Portastor uses structural modelling, finite element analysis and stress plots to refine the design of blast-resistant buildings, ensuring they meet all client specifications before construction begins.  

The key to effective blast resistance is to prevent the blast wave from entering the building and to prevent excessive distortion of the structure, so that the equipment within is protected. Typical designs require a foundation that retains the building in a fixed position, as opposed to one that is “free to slide”. This means that considerable additional force is transmitted through the building and into the foundation, requiring a significantly increased anchor than in static conditions.

The selective design and use of materials allows buildings to resist significant blast pressures with minimal effect, thus limiting the extent of distortion and protecting the equipment within. This protection has to extend to openings and doorways, all of which are purpose-designed around the same blast rating.

 

Find out what our customers think…

Take a look at our case studies, to find out how we have fulfilled the diverse requirements of customers in all industry sectors, around the world. You can also visit our manufacturing facilities to see how off-site construction and more than 50 years’ experience can benefit your organisation. We will arrange everything.

Find out more

For more information about any of our products and services, contact us today.

Telephone: +44 (0)845 60 41 443