Coventional Fire Fighting System with Online Monitoring VS Nitrogen Injection System for Transformer Fire Safety

Is this a homework question?

I am assuming the nitrogen injection system will also use Real Time Online Monitoring of DGA (Dissolved Gas Analysis), PD (Partial Discharge) and C&DF (Capacitance and Dissipation Factor).

All you really need to do is analyse the pros and cons of a conventional fire protection system compared to using a nitrogen atmosphere system. I would say as long as you have the detection in place a conventional fire protection system is fine.

Also, have you considered other sensitive detection systems such as Buchholz protection? Again, it is all about reducing the risk of a fault and hence transformer fire.

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Remember the whole point of your protection is to detect a fault and disconnect power as soon as possible to prevent the oil (or other materials like insulation) catching fire and limit damage to the transformer.

A conventional system or nitrogen injection system is only a last resort option (like a broom and shovel after a bomb has gone off, the damage is already done and now you are left cleaning up the resulting mess). It is still necessary but it is not the most important thing.

Thanks for your help. Much appreciated.

This is not a homework question. We are considering this for a project.

I would like to mention that there have happened some malfunctioning incidences in our region of Nitrogen Injection system leading to very long downtime and resulting in financial losses. Can you please opine considering all of this also?

Any fire-fighting system is there as a last resort with primary intention of saving life.

Any <...financial losses...> come about as a result of mismanaging the facility and the <...We...> needs to address this as a matter of high priority. Top of the agenda is the protection arrangements for the <...Transformer...>, which need to be robust enough so that, in the event of a fault, it is disconnected from sources of energy such that a fire is extremely unlikely, with the fire-fighting system only there and becoming activated should the protection arrangements fail for some reason. Addressing the <...malfunctioning incidences...of Nitrogen Injection system...> is also high on the agenda, primarily for the protection of life.

If the protection is being abused so that the <...Transformer...> continues working beyond its manufacturer-advised distress limits then no fire-fighting system is going to be enough to stem the <...financial losses...> that will inevitably occur from this abuse. One of the possibilities is that the <...Transformer...> is being loaded beyond its design/distress limits; if this is the case and the load cannot be reduced below the distress limit then larger, or additional, equipment is going to be an unavoidable financial outlay to sustain the excess load.

This forum does not deal with financial matters, which are usually commercially sensitive, concentrating usually on technical ones.

Hey! Many Thanks for your response.

The <...someone...> in the best positon to <...shed light...> on these sorts of questions are:

1. The transformer manufacturer
2. The facility's fire insurance provider
3. The facility's Health & Safety Officer/Adviser
4. The local authority's Fire Prevention Officer/Adviser, part of the local fire brigade.

This forum does not currently have access to their telephone numbers, nor the incentive to make the calls.

Thanks.

The most reasonable and cost efficient system is thermal detection and a waterspray sprinkler system. Anything else is sales.

Thank you so much for your response.

I have seen Mulsifier systems widely used with large transformers. I have even seen maloperation (i.e. the system operating when there was no fault in reality).

Maloperation of mulsifier system only causes transformer to be engulfed with water spray and mist which is not going to harm the transformer.

In case of Nitrogen injection system, I don't have any experience. It would be great if you could share the details of incidents you mentioned.

Thank you so much for your response, Raghun.

In one of the cases, the Nitrogen Injection system accidentally operated during routine maintenance of the transformer, after which the clean up had to be done before eneegization of the transformer.

In another case, the system maloperated due to failure in it's own sensing sub system.

Releasing <...Nitrogen...> into a place where people are carrying out <...maintenance...> will eventually lead to fatalities. Why wasn’t the system isolated as part of a Permit To Work system, please?

Does this not suggest mismanagement of the facility?

In India Regulation requires both Nitrogen Injection & HV water spray mulsifier system if transformer voltage class is 230kV above

The forum doesn't know where in the universe the <...transformer...> in question is located.

A few years ago I 3D printed a mechanical device that would squeeze the daylights out of a handle of a handheld fire extinguisher if the ambient temperature rose to a high level.

I brought up the idea to a leading fire suppression supplier and was brushed off.

I was able to make it adapt to various sizes and shaped handles.

Because of liability concerns and so on I haven't touched it since.

But I think about it for the garage and so on.

It would work great for a transformer or other unattended locations.