W1ATR
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« on: February 08, 2010, 12:57:21 AM » |
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Any of you CT guys feel that boom this morning when then gas power plant went up in Middletown? (Sunday around 11:15am) Was out in my yard sitting on a tree stump watching the dog run around when it happened. I thought it was a minor earthquake until I saw the news.
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KX5JT
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John-O-Phonic
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« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2010, 02:07:55 AM » |
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Oh no... I hope no lives were lost.
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AMI#1684
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WA1LGQ
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« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2010, 06:01:37 AM » |
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KX5JT
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John-O-Phonic
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« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2010, 06:16:06 AM » |
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My thoughts and prayers shall be with families of victims. Horrible!
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AMI#1684
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W3RSW
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Rick & "Roosevelt"
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« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2010, 07:24:08 AM » |
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Wow Jared,
I'm really sorry to hear and view this. This type of plant was to be a good alternate to large coal fired plants. I haven't 'Googled' it yet but the video shows what looks like to be a combined cycle nat. gas/ oil back-up generating station. Gas turbines directly to generators or perhaps nat. gas to boilers and steam driven turbines driving the generators.
Too bad about the five or six fatalities; they may have been debugging and trying to fire up one of the turbines when something went wrong.
Doesn't sound good from a lot of aspects.
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RICK *W3RSW*
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AJ1G
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« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2010, 07:34:40 AM » |
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Wonder if a static discharge spark was the trigger? In this cold dry weather the carpet shocks have been really strapescent.....
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Chris, AJ1G
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WA1GFZ
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« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2010, 09:26:41 AM » |
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Sounds ESD to me. Cold and dry. Gas must have collected in the building due to a leak or purge and 1 spark.
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flintstone mop
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« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2010, 09:54:13 AM » |
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Reading into the report....there does not seem to be safety systems in place when purging gas mains inside a building. Similar explosion in NC (?)
Fred
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Fred KC4MOP
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Bill, KD0HG
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« Reply #8 on: February 08, 2010, 10:12:46 AM » |
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I am guessing that they were dealing with bulk, high pressure gas which doesn't have an odorant added.
Terrible thing.
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WA4JK
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« Reply #9 on: February 08, 2010, 11:19:08 AM » |
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You have to purge the systems before start-up to clear any other gas or air in the lines. They use raw gas to do so. They dump to gas to outside via a 30ft pipe. The other unit is in the same building was still under construction. With the cold the gas may have settled in the building and one contactor closing or spark of any kind and BOOOOMMMMMM your toast. Looks like these guys did not have control of who , what or when things were happening.
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Steve - WB3HUZ
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« Reply #10 on: February 08, 2010, 12:36:35 PM » |
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I heard on the news it could be related to some control circuitry being overloaded by RF.
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K1JJ
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« Reply #11 on: February 08, 2010, 12:48:56 PM » |
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I heard on the news it could be related to some control circuitry being overloaded by RF.
Unless it was an LDE (long delayed echo) coming back from the Oort Cloud beyond Pluto, (9 light-hours round trip - since I was on) IT WASN'T ME! ...  T |
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Use an "AM Courtesy Filter" to limit transmit audio bandwidth +-4.5 KHz, +-6.0 KHz or +-8.0 KHz when needed. Easily done in DSP.
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W1RKW
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« Reply #12 on: February 08, 2010, 04:08:35 PM » |
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I'm 10 miles due east of the plant and was home alone when it happened. All nice and quiet then wump around 1130. It sounded/felt like a very low and dull sonic boom with a 1/2 second reverberation or rumble. Didn't think anything of it until a few phone calls from relatives then the news on the radio. I've felt rumbles from geologic stuff in the past. And sonic booms from aircraft when growing up near an air base as a pre-JN.. This was different but chalked it up to a geologic event since a sonic booms from aircraft are non-existent in populated areas.
I have a cousin who lives on the opposite side of the ridge from the plant. He thought a tree fell on the house. Went out to investigate and saw nothing.
I wonder what those who were traveling Rt66 in Portland across the river saw and felt at that time. Must have been one heck of a sight and feeling.
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Bob
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K9PNP
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« Reply #13 on: February 08, 2010, 06:49:35 PM » |
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You have to purge the systems before start-up to clear any other gas or air in the lines. They use raw gas to do so. They dump to gas to outside via a 30ft pipe. The other unit is in the same building was still under construction. With the cold the gas may have settled in the building and one contactor closing or spark of any kind and BOOOOMMMMMM your toast. You may have some something there. Consider that the flash point is -188 degrees C, LEL = 3.6%, UEL = 17%. Doesn't take much to go boom. Vapor density of natural gas is listed at 0.555 so it should go up. However, there is the footnote: "Vapors are initially heavier than air [when compressed] and spread along the ground. Vapors may travel to source of ignition and flash back." And, unfortunately, it doesn't take a spark: "Incompatibilities: Oxygen, oxidizing agents, air. Mixtures with bromine pentafluoride, chlorine, yellow mercuric oxide, nitrogen trifluoride, liquid oxygen, and oxygen difluoride may explode." It's the little things that kill you. |
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73, Mitch
Since 1958. There still is nothing like tubes to keep your coffee warm in the shack.
Vulcan Theory of Troubleshooting: Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
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W3SLK
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« Reply #14 on: February 08, 2010, 06:58:39 PM » |
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I don't think it would be good until all the evidence is in. Anything right now is mere speculation.
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Mike(y)/W3SLK
Invisible airwaves crackle with life, bright antenna bristle with the energy. Emotional feedback, on timeless wavelength, bearing a gift beyond lights, almost free.... Spirit of Radio/Rush
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Carl WA1KPD
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« Reply #15 on: February 08, 2010, 07:36:34 PM » |
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Turns out one of the people killed was a ham From: Chris Burns [mailto:w1hvn@sparc.us] Sent: Monday, February 08, 2010 1:40 PM To: k1eic@mindspring.comCc: Brian Freeman Subject: Loss of fellow operator in explosion. Betsey it is with much regret that I must inform you of a loss of a fellow ARES volunteer and operator. Mr Chris Walters call sign N0HVK has passed away in the Kleen Energy Plant explosion yesterday. Chris was a SPARC member and gave much of his free time to special events and volunteer activities in the community through Amateur Radio. He will be missed. Please goto http://sparc.us for more information. Chris lived in Missouri and worked here in CT. |
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Carl
"Okay, gang are you ready to play radio? Are you ready to shuffle off the mortal coil of mediocrity? I am if you are." Shepherd
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WA1GFZ
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« Reply #16 on: February 09, 2010, 09:44:24 AM » |
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There was a guy who lived through the blast on TV this morning.
He said the place really smelled of gas. When someone made a big deal out of it, he was told to open the doors so air blew through the building.
Way past stupid. He said he was close to the first blast near the guys who died then the whole place blew.
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WA4JK
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« Reply #17 on: February 09, 2010, 10:17:42 AM » |
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Been around CT's for a while, I'm not jumping to conclusions. They had little or no control of who was on site or what was inprogress between contractors and ops. The purging of the lines is very critical and must be controlled across the entire plant site. This is common with merchant builders of power stations to not have control of who,where and what they are doing. Gas was either leaking for a open valve internal to the enclosed building or being blown down into the building by down draft and when the open door fed oxygen to the area and one spark from a contactor or open flame was introduced it was instant flash boooommmm.
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W1RKW
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« Reply #18 on: February 09, 2010, 05:47:14 PM » |
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This was a major FU and and safe to say procedure was not followed.
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Bob
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WA1GFZ
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« Reply #19 on: February 10, 2010, 08:35:14 AM » |
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I bet they saved money on cheap help
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Opcom
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« Reply #20 on: February 10, 2010, 10:39:57 PM » |
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or Chinese materials. Either way it is pretty bad news.
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