Overview
ISO 15541:2016 - Ships and marine technology - specifies requirements for a test bench used to determine the fire resistance of non-metallic hose assemblies and non-metallic compensators (nominal diameter up to 150 mm). The standard defines the test-bench components, burner chamber, coolant circuit, monitoring/recording, safety facilities and pressure-producing equipment. Only water is permitted as the test medium and tests simulate flame exposure with possible working pressures up to 16 bar. The test bench is intended to produce reproducible fire-resistance results; it does not assess flame spread ability.
Key topics and technical requirements
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Scope and limits
- Applies to nominal diameters up to 150 mm; may be used for larger sizes if test-bench conditions are appropriate.
- Maximum working pressure during flame exposure: up to 16 bar.
- Test medium: only water (combustible media excluded).
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Burner chamber
- Burner sectional area minimum 150 mm × 500 mm (can be multiple units).
- Burner must create a flame of (800 ± 50) °C measured 15–20 mm below the test specimen.
- Minimum burner nozzle density: 20 nozzles per dm²; burners can be fan or atmospheric type.
- Upward directed airflow with exhaust trunk and variable exhaust fan to produce a directed flame.
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Coolant and aggregate box
- Water inlet temperature: (80 ± 2) °C.
- Minimum water velocity in specimen: 0.1 m/s.
- Provision for constant pressure (≥ (5 ± 0.2) bar up to M.A.W.P.).
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Monitoring, recording and instrumentation
- Key parameters (temperatures, flow rate, working pressure, test duration) must be measured and recorded at least once every 2 minutes.
- Instrument tolerances: pressure gauges ±1.0% of max scale; electrical instruments Class 1 (IEC 60051-1); flow meter ±1.0% of max scale.
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Safety facilities and tests
- Automatic gas shut-off on flame failure, pressure/flow drop, box opening, insufficient exhaust or emergency stop.
- Quick-closing valves, pressure release, burner flooding and drainage provisions.
- Safety valve limiting working pressure to 1.1× set value; heating interlock with circulation pump.
Applications and users
- Intended for test laboratories, marine equipment manufacturers, shipyards, classification societies and regulatory bodies that need to verify serviceability of non-metallic hoses and compensators under fire exposure.
- Used to certify components for shipboard piping systems, onboard fire-safety assessments and type-approval testing in marine technology.
Related standards
- Normative reference: ISO 15540:2016 (Fire resistance - Test methods for non-metallic hose assemblies and compensators).
- Instrumentation reference: IEC 60051-1:1997 (electrical measuring instruments).
Keywords: ISO 15541:2016, fire resistance, non-metallic hose assemblies, non-metallic compensators, test bench, ships and marine technology, burner chamber, coolant circuit, safety facilities.