The security and economic stability of many nations and multinational oil companies are highly dependent on the safe and uninterrupted operation of their oil, gas and chemical facilities. One of the most critical impacts that can occur to these operations are fires and explosions from accidental or political incidents. This publication is intended as a general engineering handbook and reference guideline for those personnel involved with fire and explosion protection aspects of critical hydrocarbon facilities. Design guidelines and specifications of major, small and independent oil companies as well as information from engineering firms and published industry references have been reviewed to assist in its preparation. Some of the latest published practices and research into fire and explosions have also been mentioned.
Dennis P. Nolan has had a long career devoted to fire protection engineering, risk engineering, loss prevention engineering, and system safety engineering. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Business Administration from Berne University, Master of Science degree in Systems Management from Florida Institute of Technology. His Bachelor of Science degree is in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland. He is also a U.S.-registered Fire Protection Engineering, Professional Engineer, in the State of California.
Dr. Nolan is currently associated with the Loss Prevention executive management staff of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco). He is located in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, site of the largest oil and gas operations in the world. The magnitude of the risks, worldwide sensitivity, and foreign location make this one the most highly critical operations in the world. He has also been associated with Boeing, Lockheed, Marathon Oil Company, and Occidental Petroleum Corporation in various fire protection engineering, risk analysis, and safety roles in several locations in the United States and overseas. As part of his career, he has examined oil production, refining, and marketing facilities under severe conditions and in various unique worldwide locations, including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Russia, and North and South America. His activity in the aerospace field has included engineering support for the NASA Space Shuttle launch facilities at Kennedy Space Center, Florida and Vandenburg Air Force Base, California and classified "Star Wars" defense systems.
He has received numerous safety awards and is a member of several professional societies. He was a member of the Fire Protection Working Group of the UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA). He is the author of many technical papers and professional articles in various international fire safety publications. Dr. Nolan has also been listed for many years in Who's Who in California, has been included in the sixteenth edition of Who's Who in the World and listed in "Living Legends" (2004) published by the International Biographical Center, Cambridge, England.
Dr. Nolan is married with two sons and maintains residences in southern California and in the Portland, Oregon area.
