Firetrace Saves Another Wind Turbine                                                                            
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – A Firetrace automatic fire suppression system successfully detected and suppressed a fire in a wind turbine converter cabinet. The turbine, owned by Whitewater Energy Corporation at the Karen Avenue Wind farm in Palm Springs, Calif, was the second fire incident in one of their 1.5MW turbine converter cabinets.
“There is absolutely no damage to the cabinet or internal components, other than the failed component, however we will not be turning the turbine on until we have replaced the fire suppression system and ensure that the cabinet is properly protected in the event of another incident,” said Ken Hamilton, Site Supervisor for the Palm Spring wind farm.
The Firetrace systems were installed in all six Whitewater 1.5MW turbine converter cabinets in late 2009 following a catastrophic fire that caused more than $243,000 in damaged equipment and downtime (lost revenues & production tax credits). The Firetrace systems were just a small fraction of that cost to protect the converter cabinets of all of the turbines.
Downtime in an industry that depends on the availability of wind is a big concern when talking about replacing costly equipment. Firetrace was able to rush a replacement system to their facility and the turbine was up and running the following day.
What makes the Firetrace system so unique is the linear pneumatic detection tubing that can be routed throughout the equipment, ensuring immediate detection and suppression of a fire at the source. The Firetrace solution is automatic, requiring no external power, providing uninterrupted protection even in the most remote locations. Due to the compact size and unique detection method the systems are able to tolerate dirt, vibration and temperature extreme typical in this environment.
These Firetrace systems utilizes 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid; one of the most environmentally friendly agents available on the market with zero ozone depletion. Novec leaves no residue after discharge, safe for employees if present in the event of a discharge and electrically non-conductive.
Firetrace International has more 150,000 systems installed, protecting critical equipment, worldwide. Specializing in commercial, industrial and military fire protection solutions, Firetrace systems can be found in wind, vehicle, aerospace, machine, electrical, server and laboratory applications. The systems are available in multiple sizes and Firetrace recommends a hazard assessment to determine the most accurate combination of systems for the identified fire risks.