The energy industry is rapidly changing, and governments are pushing towards adopting cleaner and sustainable energy sources. The adoption of offshore wind farm energy is continually increasing globally to reduce carbon emissions from other energy sources such as burning fossil fuels and coal that negatively impact the environment. Countries all over the world need to contribute to a greener environment by adopting cleaner sources of energy.
Besides, our dependence on renewable energy is rapidly growing. Most households and businesses need consistent energy sources they can rely on. As such, current wind turbines being constructed are even taller and more powerful, which means more energy. Yet with these remarkable changes comes the need to keep these assets well operational. After blade failure, the second cause of accidents in wind turbines is fire. Condition monitoring is necessary to keep wind turbine assets fully functional and reduce the risks of accidents and asset damage.
There are thousands of wind turbines worldwide, yet most of them have no fire suppression systems in place. About 10-30% of all loss of power generation incidents in wind farms is due to fire incidences. This is because the nacelle operates at high heat and contains highly flammable resin fiberglass with internal insulation. In addition to the risk of lightning strikes, wind turbines are highly vulnerable to fires.
Wind turbine fires are risky.
During wind turbine constructions or repairs and maintenance, the escape routes are, in most cases, are very long and vertical, which poses a great danger in case of fire. Therefore, technical experts need to work closely with wind farms experts to ensure people can adopt green energy without exposing engineers and the surrounding landscape to fire risks.
Ways to ensure fire risks do not recur
There are different ways to ensure wind turbine fire risks do not recur. One way is by protecting the nacelle through small fire suppression systems to help avoid total loss, protect critical infrastructure and save lives before maintenance engineers arrive on site.
Testing accurately
Condition monitoring, quick and accurate tests can make the ultimate difference in maintaining wind turbines in good working conditions.
Fire suppression systems
Wind farm installation companies can adopt fire suppression systems such as ultrasonic technology as a preventative measure against wind turbine fires through technology.
Automatic fire alarm systems
Should a wind turbine fire erupt, an automatic fire alarm and extinguishing system can reduce damage and downtimes. It ought to be necessary for every turbine, regardless of whether it is onshore or offshore wind farms. Sensitive heat and smoke detectors can detect fire risks early, forward the information to the central management system and a central alarm to initiate a complete shutdown.
Protection systems for electrical systems
Circuit breakers and fuses can selectively detect faults and immediately disconnect defective parts of a turbine’s network. With protection devices, a trigger should automatically alert the personnel at the remote management center.
Concluding thoughts
Wind turbine fire risks pose a threat to businesses and human lives, but they can be prevented. Many wind turbine manufacturers are acknowledging the risks to assets hence fitting fire suppression systems into the existing sites. Whether onshore or offshore, there must be a proper configuration in turbines to account for internal and external risk management. Fortunately, there are active fire fighting systems that detect fire in offshore wind turbines and automatically extinguish it, thanks to technology.
