Fire protection for wind turbines Safe for certain protection for wind turbines Safe for certain BRANCH SOLUTION Over the last few years, the g en eratio n o f electricity fro m win

Fire protection for wind turbines Safe for certain

BRANCH SOLUTION

Over the last few years, the

g en eratio n o f elec tric ity fro m

win d en erg y has b ec o m e a

m ajo r tec hn o lo g y sho win g

hu g e g ro wth rates an d ex c el-

len t o p p o rtu n ities fo r the fu -

tu re. T o d ay's hig hly effic ien t

win d p o wer statio n s are a far

c ry fro m trad itio n al win d m ills.

Offsho re in stallatio n an d the

p ro d u c tio n o f the latest hig h-

p erfo rm an c e win d tu rb in es

req u ire c o n sid erab le in vest-

m en t, whic h m u st b e sec u red

ag ain st d o wn tim es an d p o ten -

tial lo ss. U n til rec en tly, m an u -

fac tu rers, o p erato rs an d fire-

fig hters were u n ab le to red u c e

the risk o f d am ag e b y fire.

Underestimated risk

T he n ac elle is at the heart o f

win d tu rb in es, as it c o n tain s

the essen tial elem en ts su c h as

the g en erato r, the g earb o x ,

b rak es, c o n tro l p an els, the

tran sfo rm er an d the c o n verter.

It also p o ses a p artic u larly

hig h risk o f fire.

If a fire b reak s o u t, fo r in stan c e

as a resu lt o f o verheated c o m -

p o n en ts, elec tric al fau lts o r a

b o lt o f lig htn in g , the fire c an

sp read easily as the n ac elle

c o n tain s c o m b u stib le m aterials

su c h as m in eral o ils, lu b ric an ts,

p lastic s an d elec tric al c o m p o -

n en ts.

E ffec tive in terven tio n is ham -

p ered b y lo n g resp o n se tim es

o n the p art o f the em erg en c y

servic es, rem o te lo c atio n with

p o o r ro ad s an d win d tu rb in es

with ex trem e hu b heig hts.

A s ac c ess to the seat o f the

fire is c ru c ial fo r a su c c essfu l

in terven tio n , fire-fig hters are

o ften u n ab le to in terven e, as

stan d ard fire lad d ers c an o n ly

b e ex ten d ed to a heig ht o f

ap p ro x im ately 3 0 m etres.

U n d er su c h c irc u m stan c es,

fire-fig htin g m easu res are

thu s red u c ed to p ro tec tin g

the im m ed iate vic in ity an d

watc hin g the statio n o n fire

b u rn d o wn . In o ffsho re p lan ts,

in terven tio n fro m the sho re is

in an y c ase far to o slo w to

m ak e a d ifferen c e.

T h e conseq uences:

D o wn tim es o r to tal lo ss o f

the u n it, with c o n sid erab le

ec o n o m ic c o n seq u en c es fo r

o p erato rs, m an u fac tu rers

an d in su ran c e c o m p an ies.

R IS K IN G A FIR E IS R IS K IN G Y O UR IN V E S T M

M in im ax is the o n ly su p p lier in

E u ro p e p ro vid in g m o b ile an d

fix ed fire p ro tec tio n so lu tio n s.

F o r m o re than 1 0 0 years,

M in im ax has o ffered p lan n in g ,

d esig n , in stallatio n , m ain te-

n an c e an d train in g in the field

o f fire p ro tec tio n .

Loss of corporate image

and uneasiness on the part

of investors and the gene-

ral public.

Minimax

fire protection solutions

Minimax, the market leader in

fire protection solutions, has

developed effective systems

specifically designed for wind

turbines, based on proven and

tested components.

The Minimax systems detect a

fire at an early stage and

extinguish it automatically,

minimising downtimes and

damage to the equipment.

In order to determine the

Minimax protection system

that best suits your wind tur-

bine, our specialised engineers

will advise you on all aspects

of the technology and design

with you a tailor-made solu-

tion that meets your needs.

On the above basis, Minimax

offers a range of different fire

protection solutions that are

suitable for new wind turbines

as well as for retrofitting in

existing units.

Fire gas detectors, smoke or

heat detectors installed at the

relevant critical locations au-

tomatically detect a fire at a

very early stage. Also, a num-

ber of manual call points are

located in the wind turbine.

As soon as a detector is trig-

gered, the control panel

immediately shuts down the

wind turbine and initiates a

sequence of pre-programmed

procedures. V isual and acous-

tic alarms indicate the level

of risk; at the same time, the

alarm signal is forwarded to

a ” continuously manned

post“ . If the fire haz ard is not

eliminated by shutting down

the unit, and if further de-

tectors are triggered, the in-

stalled extinguishing system

is activated.

All messages and data from

the fire detection control

panel can be easily integrated

into the condition monitoring

system of the wind turbine.

In addition to that the

Minimax fire detection and

control panel may be equip-

ped to allow remote diag-

nostics and remote control

of the panel.

FIRE D ETEC TION SYSTEMS

BRANCH SOLUTION

ENT

Given that offshore wind parks

require huge investments and

are difficult to reach in the

event of an emergency, auto-

matic fire extinguishing systems

are a must, as insurance cover is

otherwise not obtainable.

Argotec extinguishing systems

with nitrogen from Minimax

are the ideal solution for wind

turbines.

The figure to the left shows

the main components of the

fire protection system and

their ideal location in the

turbine:

- N itrogen gas cylinder bank

at the base of the tower

- Downstream P ipes with

extinguishing nozzles in the

nacelle and the electrical

devices

- Fire detectors and the con-

trol panel to detect the fire

at an early stage, to control

the automatic extinguishing

process and alert the fire

brigade

Automatic

fire detectors

Manual release

for the nitrogen

extinguishing system

Downstream

pipework with

extinguishing

nozzles

Upstream pipe

N itrogen

cylinder bankFire detection

control panel

GAS EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS

ARGOTEC – AND THE FIRE RUNS OUT OF AIR

As the gas cylinders are stored

at the base of the tower, its

static properties are not af-

fected by additional weight.

The nitrogen is stored in pres-

surised containers and can

thus be quickly distributed

through the upstream pipe,

reaching even the highest

nacelle within seconds.

The nitrogen reduces the

oxygen in the air, necessary

for each combustion process,

and extinguishes the fire

quickly and without leaving

any residue behind. The gas

is non-conductive and reaches

even the most remote loca-

tions in the nacelle, entering

every groove and gap and

penetrating housings and

switch cabinets.

Fast and effective.

Reliable.

In the event of a fire, the

extinguishing process is auto-

matically started and control-

led. The downstream pipes

and installed extinguishing

nozzles ensure a fast and

homogenous distribution of

the nitrogen in the protection

zone so that the concentra-

tion necessary to extinguish a

fire is reached quickly. The fire

is smothered before any

serious damage is done.

W hen the fire is fully extin-

guished, the wind turbine

can be restarted without

delay, as the nitrogen gas

does not leave any residue

behind. S imply ventilate the

room to let the gas escape.

Advantag es of the Arg otec

exting uishing technolog y

with nitrog en

Fast extinction without

leaving residue behind

Only short interruption

of operations

No damage to electrical

and electronic components

Nitrogen gas harmless

to humans and the

environment

Extinguishes fires even at

extremely low ambient

temperatures

C ompact unit requiring

minimum space thanks to

300 bar technology

Low-cost extinguishing

agent that is widely

available

Tested and approved quality

BRANCH SOLUTION

The flexible FMZ 5000 fire detection

control panel monitors and controls

the attached automatic extinguish-

ing systems

MINIFOG SYSTEMS

Minifog fine water spray sys-

tems were developed to allow

for protection concepts that

combine excellent fire fight-

ing capabilities with a mini-

mum discharge of water. The

Minifog nozzles are installed

in such a way that crucial com-

ponents such as main bearings,

gear systems, brakes and

generators are effectively

protected.

To ensure reliability even un-

der extreme conditions, an

antifreeze solution is used

that allows for proper extin-

guishing at down to minus

30 degrees Celsius.

To enhance the efficiency of

the extinguishing agent it in-

cludes a film forming foam

and is sprayed through spe-

cially designed nozzles. B y

atomising the water, its sur-

face is multiplied, increasing

the heat binding capability of

the agent and intensifying the

cooling effect. As the agent

evaporates, it effectively re-

duces the heat from the fire,

while the vapour has a suffo-

cation effect, displacing the

oxygen at the seat of the fire.

As the amount of water re-

leased by the Minifog system

is minimal, there is normally

no need to provide extra re-

taining containers for the

extinguishing agent.

The water supply system was

developed as a compact unit

with minimum weight to

allow easy installation in the

nacelle. The Minifog system

may be installed during nacel-

le production, thus allowing

for a minimised erection time

for the wind turbine.

Since 19 8 9 , Minimax fire protec-

tion systems have been installed in

a variety of different wind turbine

types. Minimax offers fire protec-

tion solutions for all types of units,

from simple wind machines to

modern turbines with capacities of

several megawatts. Systems are

developed and extensively tested

in our fire research centre to

ensure reliability under realistic

conditions.

The water supply unit of the

Minifog system is of a compact de-

sign requiring only minimum space

Nitrogen gas cylinders of the

Argotec compact extinguishing

system are pressurised to 300 bar,

so that the weight and space re-

quirements are minimised

Advantages of the Minifog

fine water spray technology

H ighly effective

Only small amounts of water

required

No risk to persons

H omogeneous cooling

of protected equipment

Smoke-cleaning effect

Approved technology

with low costs

Minimisation of

expensive downtimes

MINIFOG – AND FIRES DISAP P EAR IN THE FOG

While a Minifog fine water

spray system protects the

mechanical components in

the nacelle, the electrical and

electronic control cabinets

of the wind turbine are

safeguarded by an Argotec

system.

BRANCH SOLUTION

Please see Minimax product sheets for detailed information.

Manufacturers

Competitive edge, thanks to improved availability

Enhanced image, as fire

protection also means

protecting the environment

Fire brigade

Effective fire protection for persons

and property, prevention of damage

to the environment and elimination

of operational risks

Active support of the fire brigade as

weaknesses in the safety concept are

effectively eliminated

Minimax fire fighting solutions

Effective prevention of damage by fire and all resulting economic consequences

Enhancement of the image of wind turbines as safe and environmentally friendly systems

Use of ecologically sustainable technologies

Insurance companies

Proven reduction of risks and

damage by automatic fire

protection systems

Accurate assessment, thanks to

the use of approved and certified

products and technologies (VdS,

German Lloyd, etc.)

Operators and investors

In the event of a fire,

downtimes are minimised

Optimised availability, as the risk of

fire and serious damage is minimised

Only the installation of an automatic

fire protection system can prevent

total loss by fire

Stronger position for negotiations

with insurance companies and banks

Protection of the investment

Upgrading of existing units

Minimax GmbH & Co. KG

Industriestrasse 10/12 2 384 0 Bad OldesloeGermanyPhone: + 4 9 4 531 803-0 Fax: + 4 9 4 531 803-2 4 8E-mail: info@ minimax.dewww.minimax.de

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Title: „ Windpark Dubener Platte“, Copyright: Das Grü ne Emissionshaus