Electrical fires are never a good thing, causing extensive damage and putting lives at risk. But when those fires take place in remote and hard to access places, they can be so much more destructive, often burning uncontrolled until they have burned themselves out.
That’s why the dependable protection of Fire Sleeve for cables is so important in the offshore wind sector.
The worst-case fire scenario
Any electrical system is vulnerable to fires. These can happen due to wear and tear, overheating and damage, causing sparks and short circuits that can quickly ignite both the system itself and any nearby materials. In the case of offshore wind turbines, the risk factors include highly flammable lubricants and transmission fluids, as well as the plastic structures of the turbines and nacelles.
In 2003, a multi-million dollar German 1.2MW Vensys 62 turbine burned down due to something as simple as a short circuit in fail safe battery pack on its pitch control system.
Take this powder keg, and place it hundreds of feet in the air, several miles offshore, in location specifically chosen for its wind, which only fans the flames further, and it’s easy to see why most turbine fires cannot be contained. With little or no immediate access for fire fighting teams, in most cases, there is no choice but to let the turbine itself out, resulting in the total loss of the unit, and often significant damage to the interconnecting cables that link the other turbines in the array.
The Scroby Sands fire
Wind farm fires may be rare, with only one fire per 2000 turbines each year, but when they do happen, they can be devastating. The Scroby Sands fire, 2miles off the east coast of England in 2023, resulted in the total loss of the turbine, with the tower left with nothing but a burned out skeleton at the top.
Chris Smith, manager of the Scroby Sands wind farm said that “an electrical fault is the most likely cause. There’s a lot of electrical components in those things and electrical items are the most likely things to generate heat. When something like this happens,” he added “you can only watch as the fire burns out.”
As the 4Coffshore.com report concluded, ‘the incident underscores the need for constant vigilance and rigorous safety protocols in the maintenance and operation of wind farms.’ Here at National Firesleeve, we have everything you need to implement those safety protocols, including our core range of Fire Sleeve for cables.
Fire Sleeve for cables
Fire Sleeve for cables provides complete protection for all kinds of wiring in all kinds of locations and situations, including the remote and challenging environments of offshore wind farms.
Tried and tested, and certified to the most stringent standards, Fire Sleeve for cables protects wiring from heat, as well as chemical and mechanical damage. At the same time, Fire Sleeve for cables protects the environment around the electrical system from the kind of shorts and sparks that pose the greatest fire risks.
With offshore wind operating at high voltages – up to 66kV for inter-turbine connections and 132kV and above for transmission onshore – cable protection, such as Fire Sleeve for cables, is a critical part of the design and safety systems. Given the catastrophic consequences of fire as outlined above, there is simply no room for compromise.
To find out more about how National Firesleeve are supporting America’s growing offshore wind sector, keeping turbines, power supplies and investments safe, get in touch with our team today or read our Offshore Wind Power Generation section on this website.
