Experimental Study on Fire Suppression of the Outdoor Oil-Immersed Transformer by High-Pressure Water Mist System
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methodology
2.1. Design Principle
- The layout of the water mist nozzle is generally based on the rectangular shape.
- The emitted water mist should be evenly distributed to fill the protective space and completely shield the protected object.
- The working pressure P at the worst place must be no less than 10 MPa.
- The water spray intensity W must be no less than 1.2 L/(min·m2), and the water consumption should not be overdone.
- The flow discharge coefficient K should be within the design domain of the manufacturer.
2.2. Problem Analysis
2.3. Similarity Design
3. Experiment Platform
3.1. Platform Building
3.2. Experiment Procedure
3.3. Testing Scheme
4. Results and Discussion
4.1. Fire Suppression Process
4.2. The Temperature Curve of the Typical Test
4.3. The Impact Analysis of Ejecting Flow Rate on Fire Extinguishing Efficiency
4.4. The Impact Analysis of Nozzle Installation Height on Fire Extinguishing Efficiency
4.5. The Impact Analysis of Wind Speed on Fire Extinguishing Efficiency
5. Conclusions
- There were some defects in the design of the high-pressure water mist fire-extinguishing system for the small-scale transformer when using the routine national standards, such as the flow discharge coefficient K of the nozzle not meeting the requirement of the manufacturer. Therefore, the method of the similarity principle was proposed to construct a real-type test platform and conduct relevant experimental research. The design results fully met the national standard and manufacturer requirements.
- When the transformer fire entered a state of full combustion, the high-pressure water mist fire-extinguishing system was activated. The following phenomena could be observed: (i) After the water mist was sprayed, there was a deflagration phenomenon lasting about 2–4 s, which was influenced by a fresh supply of oxygen; at this moment, the flame temperature rose rapidly and then dropped sharply, and finally cooled to the indoor temperature; (ii) the closer to the nozzle, the sooner the oil pan fire was extinguished.
- Based on the current testing conditions, the influence of three main factors (the water flow rate, nozzle installation position and ambient wind speed) on the fire extinguishing efficiency of the high-pressure water mist system for the outdoor transformer fire is discussed. The results show that: (i) increasing the flow rate of the nozzle can effectively shorten the fire extinguishing time and significantly improve the performance of the high-pressure water mist system; (ii) the project team adjusted the upper nozzle height within the range of 1400 mm ≤ H1 ≤ 1800 mm and found that the fire extinguishing efficiency of the system was best at the height of 1800 m; (iii) the greater the ambient wind speed, the more disadvantageous the suppression effect of the high-pressure water mist system on the transformer fire.
- This paper has a positive significance in promoting the use of high-pressure water mist fire extinguishing systems for outdoor oil-immersed transformers. The main deficiency of this paper is the lack of repeatability tests due to the limitation of the test conditions. Therefore, there may be random errors in the final result, and the project’s team plans to conduct a larger experimental study.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Items | Similar Relation | Proportional Coefficient | Prototype | Model |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boundary geometry of the transformer (mm) | lm/lf = C | 4 | 4000 | 1000 |
Water flow rate of a single nozzle (L/min) | Qm/Qf = C5/2 | 32 | 10 | 0.3125 |
Horizontal spacing between nozzles (mm) | dm/df = C | 4 | 2500 | 625 |
Vertical interval between layers (mm) | hm/hf = C | 4 | 4000 | 1000 |
Distance from the nozzle to the transformer (mm) | Lm/Lf = C1/2 | 2 | 1500 | 750 |
Height from the top nozzle to the ground (mm) | Hm/Hf = C | 4 | 6800 | 1700 |
System Pressure (MPa) | K Factor (L/min/MPa0.5) | Flow Rate of a Nozzle (L/min) | Number of Nozzles | Water Spray Intensity (L/min·m2) |
---|---|---|---|---|
15 | 0.03 | 0.367 | 24 | 1.746 |
15 | 0.06 | 0.735 | 24 | 3.492 |
15 | 0.03 | 0.367 | 16 | 1.164 |
15 | 0.06 | 0.735 | 16 | 2.328 |
Density (kg/m3) | Kinematic Viscosity (mm2/s) | Point of Flammability (°C) | Gasoline (mL) | Transformer oil (mL) | Water (mL) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
882.8 | 9.4 | 155.5 | 5 | 500 | 4000 |
No. | Upper Nozzle Height (mm) | Air Speed (m/s) | K Factor (L/min/MPa0.5) | Total Nozzles Number | Oil Pans 5#–8# (s) | Oil Pans 1#–4# (s) | Average Extinguishing Time (s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1800 | 0 | 0.03 | 24 | 152 | 204 | 178 |
2 | 1800 | 0 | 0.06 | 24 | 24 | 7 | 15.5 |
3 | 1800 | 0 | 0.06 | 16 | 72 | 104 | 88 |
4 | 1600 | 0 | 0.06 | 24 | 10 | 108 | 59 |
5 | 1400 | 0 | 0.06 | 24 | 14 | 81 | 47.5 |
6 | 1400 | 0.5 | 0.06 | 24 | 55 | 79 | 67 |
7 | 1400 | 1 | 0.06 | 24 | 50 | 106 | 78 |
8 | 1400 | 2 | 0.06 | 24 | 89 | 76 | 82.5 |
9 | 1400 | 0 | 0.06 | 16 | 33 | 165 | 99 |
10 | 1400 | 0 | 0.03 | 16 | 62 | 249 | 155.5 |
11 | 1400 | 0 | 0.03 | 24 | 38 | 68 | 53 |
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Song, H.; Yao, H.; Wei, X.; Qin, H.; Li, Y.; Lv, K.; Chen, Q. Experimental Study on Fire Suppression of the Outdoor Oil-Immersed Transformer by High-Pressure Water Mist System. Fire 2023, 6, 238. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire6060238
Song H, Yao H, Wei X, Qin H, Li Y, Lv K, Chen Q. Experimental Study on Fire Suppression of the Outdoor Oil-Immersed Transformer by High-Pressure Water Mist System. Fire. 2023; 6(6):238. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire6060238
Chicago/Turabian StyleSong, Huaitao, Haowei Yao, Xiaoge Wei, Hengjie Qin, Youxin Li, Kefeng Lv, and Qianlong Chen. 2023. "Experimental Study on Fire Suppression of the Outdoor Oil-Immersed Transformer by High-Pressure Water Mist System" Fire 6, no. 6: 238. https://doi.org/10.3390/fire6060238