Wind turbine destroyed by fire at Vietnamese wind farm

What happened

A wind turbine at the Phong Dien 1 Wind Farm in Tuy Phong District, Binh Thuan Province, caught fire. Witnesses reported black smoke billowing from the turbine, followed by explosive sounds before a blade fell to the ground. Due to the turbine's height of about 80 metres, wind farm staff and the local fire protection force were unable to extinguish the fire, which completely destroyed the unit. No injuries were reported.

The wind farm, operated by Vietnam Renewable Energy One Member Company, Ltd, is Vietnam's first wind power facility and comprises 20 turbines with a combined capacity of 30 MW, commissioned in 2009. At the time of reporting, technicians were investigating the cause of the fire and assessing the extent of the damage.

Contributing factors

The cause of the fire had not been determined at the time of reporting. The turbine's significant height (approximately 80 metres) prevented ground-based firefighting efforts from being effective.

Lessons learned

1. A nacelle fire at 80 metres height cannot be fought from the ground, so the plan must rest on early detection and remote isolation.
2. Explosive sounds followed by a blade falling indicate structural failure after fire starts, so operators should fit blade fire suppression.

More lessons on structural integrity and turbines, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

• Cause of the fire
• Turbine model and age
• Cost of the damage
• Length of downtime

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

e.vnexpress.net