Numerical Simulation of Converter Station Fire: A Study focus on the Fire Hazard of Valve Tower

Abstract

The fire hazard of a valve tower in converter station fires were investigated by using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). The 2 m2, 5 m2 and 10 m2 transformer oil pool fires with the calculated heat release rate (HRR) of 2.02, 6.23 and 13.78 MW were considered in the simulations, and the smoke propagation process, smoke temperature and visibility were mainly concerned. The results showed that the whole valve tower was immersed in the fire smoke at about 600 s in 2 m2 fire condition, and the maximum temperature rise inside the valve hall was about 20ºC. In the 5 m2 fire condition, the smoke layer height descended to the bottom of the valve tower at about 300 s, and the visibility around the valve modules was lower than 5 m at about 450 s. The maximum smoke temperature inside the valve hall was over 60ºC, and the temperature of smoke around the valve modules ranged from 43 to 52ºC. In the 10 m2 fire condition, the valve tower was immersed in the fire smoke at about 210 s, and the visibility around the valve modules was lower than 5 m at about 300 s. The smoke temperature beneath the ceiling of the valve hall was over 100ºC, and the temperature at the height of valve towers ranged from 65 to 80ºC. It was observed that the larger the fire size was, the higher the fire hazard of the valve tower would be found. In the 5 m2 and 10 m2 pool fire conditions, the thermal damage to the valve tower was non-negligible. The normal operation of the electrical components in the valve tower might be affected, and the failure of electrical components might be occurred.