This document discusses fire protection standards and codes for power stations. It begins by listing common fire hazards at power stations. It then discusses planning for risk scenarios, looking to the latest technology from research centers, and implementing the right fire protection systems. One case study discussed is an explosion at a power plant under construction in Connecticut, USA, which resulted in deaths and injuries. This disaster led to adjustments in fire protection standards. The document contrasts codes, which can be adopted into law, from standards, which are recommendations, and discusses how standards can evolve into regulations. It stresses the importance of testing fire protection systems according to standards and servicing them according to best practices.

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STANDARDS & CODES
Australian Gas Turbines Conference, 25 November 2015
Joerg Lindner
Minimax Fire Fighting Systems Pty. Ltd.

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1) Coal storage (stockpiles/bunkers)
2) Coal conveyors
3) Oil tanks
4) Boiler house (heat recovery boiler)
5) Boiler house (burners)
6) Gas turbines with enclosure
7) Steam turbines with enclosure
8) Switchgear buildings
9) Cable channels and cable rooms/galleries
10) Transformers
11) Administration buildings
12) Telecommunication facilities
FIRE HAZARD EXAMPLES

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PLAN FOR YOUR RISK SCENARIOS

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LOOK FOR THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY
Minimax Fire Research Centre
 Practical proof of theoretical research
 Cooperation with testing authorities
 Solutions to specific client issues
 Development of new solutions
 Fire tests in a 1:1 scale
 Mobile suspended ceiling (2-15 m)
 Auditorium with 140 seats

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 Rio Tinto – Yarwun (QLD)
 CS Energy – Kogan Creek (QLD)
 Energy Australia – Tallawarra (NSW)
 Snowy Hydro – Colongra (NSW)
 NewGen – Kwinana (WA)
 Synergy – Cockburn (WA)
 Alcoa – Wagerup (WA)
 Origin Energy – Mortlake (VIC)
 Alinta – Bell Bay (TAS)
 Pulau Seraya Power Plant, Singapore
 RWE Power Coal Power Plant, Germany
 Ratchaburi Power Plants, Thailand
 Termo Rio Power Plant, Brazil
 Repower 5M Wind Power Plant, Germany
 Gas Power Plant, Kuwait
FIND AN EXPERIENCED VENDOR
Minimax has 35 years experience in implementing fire protection for power stations

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1. Cylinder Battery
2. Actuation and Delay Device
3. Selector Valve
4. Pneumatic Actuation Device
5. Fire Control Panel
6. Safety Valve
7. Room Nozzle
8. Detector Flooding area 1
(generator)
Flooding area 2
(gas turbine)
IMPLEMENT THE RIGHT FIRE PROTECTION

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let’s look at some things gone wrong…
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

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 A blast at the 620-megawatt combined cycle
gas and oil-fired power plant occurred on 7
February 2010 at 11:17.
 The initial blast killed five and injured at least
fifty; one of the injured later died in hospital,
bringing the total death toll to six. *
 The plant had been under construction and
was scheduled to start supplying energy in
June 2010.
 The local fire marshal said the explosion was
the result of an attempted purging of natural
gas from a pipeline as a test, a procedure
known as a blow-down.
 On 5 August 2010, the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) announced
that it planned to fine seventeen companies
involved in the construction of the plant a total
of $16.6 million. OSHA said that it had found a
total of 371 safety violations in the construction
of the plant, 225 of which it considered
deliberate.
Credits.
Source Wikipedia, Picture: Harfort Courant / Getty Images, Video: LocalOnlineNewsTV
MIDDLETOWN POWER PLANT (CONNECTICUT, USA)
Aftermath, implications on standards

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MIDDLETOWN POWER PLANT (CONNECTICUT, USA)
Aftermath, implications on standards
Picture: Rick Hardford / Hartford Courant

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 27-11-2011: The National Fire Protection
Association's new standard, published a
few weeks ago and publicly introduced
Tuesday, prohibits the use of natural gas
to clean pipes at industrial plants,
commercial developments and other
projects. *
 In 2014 the proposal made its way into
new standards
Credits.
Source: Huffington Post , Picture: Mark Mirko / Hartford Courant
MIDDLETOWN POWER PLANT (CONNECTICUT, USA)
Aftermath, implications on standards
Disasters can trigger
adjustments to existing
standards.
Standards reflect a
‘Best Practice
Recommendation”

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WHAT IS A CODE? WHAT IS A STANDARD?
• The earliest building code is thought to have been developed
sometime between 1955 B.C. and 1913 B.C., during the reign of
King Hammurabi of Babylon.
• The code didn’t specify how to build a building - but laid out the
consequences of not building well. If a house fell and killed the
owner or his child, then the builder, or his child, would be slain
in retaliation.
• A code is a model, a set of rules that knowledgeable people
recommend for others to follow. It is not a law, but can be
adopted into law.
• A standard on the other hand tends be a more detailed
elaboration - the nuts and bolts of meeting a code.
A standard is a recommendation.
Source: nfpa.org

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FROM STANDARD TO REGULATION

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A STANDARD PROVIDES DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Source: nfpa.org

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Example:
CO2 Concentration Test
PASS:
Design
34% in 60s
Over 30% after 20min
50kg/min ext. CO2
Integrity test
42% in 60s
14kg/min ext. CO2
Actual
40% in 60s
1st Sensor <30% at 30min
TESTING OF SYSTEMS – WHAT STANDARD APPLIES?
Blue = high
Green = centre
Yellow = low

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MURPHY’S LAW - IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE
 Installation company certified clean
installation of pipes and fittings with no
excess hemp; all fittings double
checked for tightness; pipes blown out
with compressed air in surges; door
fan test passed the enclosure.
 Full discharge FAIL; nozzles blocked,
fittings leaked, 1” pipe blocked solid
 Best practise is one full discharge
every five years, minimum after
installation and/or changes

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GOING BEYOND STANDARDS AND CODES?
• Fire Protection is a key factor in keeping a power station future proof
and safe!
• Often fire protection measurements are only implemented according
to fulfil time-based service intervals or current legal requirements.
• Ongoing corrosion, new environmental challenges and the
development of new technical capacities would require a more
dynamic approach.
• Should Fire Protection should ‘grow’ with these requirements?
(before codes or standards can catch up…)

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QUESTIONS?
ROUNDUP