Heating Tracing For Outdoor Transmitter Locations in Cold Weather

Today, we had our combined cycle unit online, and I was running some tests on the water purification system with a steam heater unit, by balancing the supply network so the branch with the heater in the loop was the dominant flow path. That was working fine.

All of a sudden there was this hell roar - the HRSG steam drum safety had lifted. This does not usually or normally happen. I eventually walked out to look, and people were scrambling all over the HRSG, and fire trucks were pulling up. There was actually a fire up top by the steam drum, and it knocked out all of the transmitters located in that area that were contained in a weather box. The fire was quickly put out by some fast acting, stair climbing dudes, but the firemen actually climbed the ladder in full turn out gear on the back side of the unit. Don't ask me why, perhaps it showed them a challenge.

One of our sharper I&E techs got the wiring to the more or less undamaged transmitters restored and we went back online after lunch. Then our marketing partner called and ended the dispatch, not needed.

Turns out the fire was caused by jake-leg alcoholic I&E tech (no longer working here), that suicide wired the weather box heater and plugged it in on an extension cord. Last time I checked, the fire marshal inspector had condemned the long term use of extension cords on high wattage devices anywhere in our facilities. Fortunately for all, no one injured, although there was a real scramble to get X number of fire extinguishers up the stairs (98 steps) for a fast response. Fire was out by the time the fire trucks rolled up on scene.