Coal-Fired Power Plant

Protectowire is the industry standard when protecting coal-fired power plants. They make the most robust linear heat detection cables on the market. Most coal-fired plants have Protectowire protecting their conveyor belt systems even inside their control rooms. 

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Other suppression products used in coal-fired power plants should be chosen based on the type of coal used. Some coal is more volatile than others which means some plants need a special layer of suppression called F500. This is an encapsulating agent sometimes known as 3D. A normal fire fighting foam system is considered 2D because it creates a layer over the top of a surface to provide a blanket of oxygen and cooling. In contrast, F500 creates a full encapsulation all the way around the target giving a 3D effect around the coal substance to protect the facility.

The plant manager oversees everything inside the fence line. Generally, the plant manager is responsible for everything from procurement to the electrical output of the power plant. We may work with the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) officer and the fleet manager at larger plants. We also partner with the procurement team when working on solutions for a site with multiple facets of fire protection within one facility.

Safety is the number one priority. Generating electricity is important, but the safety of every person onsite is the most important. The ORR Protection team will always be properly trained when they go into the facility and have the necessary equipment. All of our industrial associates are equipped with full PPE including monitoring devices for hydrogen sulfide and fire resistant clothing. Knowing the environment and making sure our associates are fully aware of the safety issues and protocols is our top priority. We want our associates and our customers to be safe.

One of the things that makes coal-fired power plants unique is the control room and the electrical rooms. These are often the critical applications we must consider when developing a solution for a plant. These spaces typically need detection, clean agent fire suppression systems, and possibly an inerting system. Often in the electrical rooms where the switch gears operate we use early warning smoke detection or off-gas detection in order to detect threats in the earliest stages of an event. Another application in coal-fired power plants is the general service transformer units which we typically protect with a water mist technology or a sprinkler system located outside the power plant. 

Most of the codes and standards in this space are regulated by NFPA 850, but there are some coal generation facilities that have their own codes and standards that must be adhered to. We always inquire to make sure we are in compliance with the customer’s internal requirements.