We mobilized the firefighting turbine by mounting it onto a compact caterpillar vehicle: the TAF35 firefighting robot! The main advantage of the firefighting robot is that it prevents putting the fire crew in danger during its operation. The extinguishing turbine can be put into position by remote control.
Fire fighting systems in electrical substations and transformers
Fields of Application
Thanks to the use of water mist and its remote control, the firefighting robot is a safe extinguishing variant for transformer fires
When transformers or substations catch fire, extinguishing is always a very delicate and challenging task. Since water conducts electricity, water is not a suitable extinguishing agent and sometimes even prohibited. The device, for example, if exposed to a full water jet on live parts, could overturn the voltage and thus injure or even kill a firefighter.
The use of other extinguishing options such as carbon dioxide or metal fire powder is not without risk. Therefore, people have begun to look for further alternatives and recognize that water mist is very well suited.
Water mist consists of many small individual droplets that are not connected, which means they do not conduct electricity. The use of water mist in burning transformers or substations is therefore mostly harmless.
At EmiControls, we specialize in firefighting using water mist, better known as the development of highly effective and innovative firefighting turbines. The turbine is equipped with a nozzle ring, which atomizes water into fine aerosols. This water aerosol is distributed using propellers and reaches over 50 meters in the aerosolized state and 75 meters in the full jet.
Advantages of using extinguishing turbines on substations and transformers:
- Water mist does not conduct electricity
- The firefighting robot is remotely controlled (the firefighter can be positioned up to 300 meters away), so no one needs to be sent to the danger zone
- Water mist can be used when extinguishing oil fires
- The cooling effect of water mist is very high and can therefore also be used, for example, for cooling down transformers (before a fire breaks out)
- The water mist can even reach hidden areas of the fire well
- You can work without foam and thus protect the environment
These solutions are suitable for use in substations and transformers:
Most Suitable Solution
The Firefighting Robot in Substations
Video
Another advantage of the water mist is that it can also be used when extinguishing oil. This is an important factor, especially in transformer fires, as they are filled with large quantities of oil. The temperature must not rise too high and must be cooled in time. Leakage of the oil would pose a considerable threat to the emergency services, the neighborhood, and the environment. Furthermore, the risk of boiling delay (fat explosion) is reduced by the use of a smaller amount of water.
Case Study: Water mist turbines for transformer protection in China
Video
Fires in substations can lead to power outages and major property damage. As the transformers are filled with large quantities of oil, they need to be extinguished quickly and efficiently. Since water mist technology is an excellent extinguishing agent in this field, more and more countries and companies are looking at this innovative technology as a solution. China is now turning to water mist to prevent fires in substations and numerous extinguishing turbines from EmiControls have been protecting electric power plants in China since 2020.
More pictures of the firefighting turbines in substations
