Modernisation |


Advanced fire suppression technology can help improve hydropower plant safety, writes Zack Almont of Victaulic, giving the example of a recent installation at Boundary Dam in the US


Stepping beyond standard to enhance safety


Main image: Workers at Boundary Dam on the Pend Oreille River in northeastern Washington enter and exit its underground powerhouse through a 500-ft tunnel (Photo courtesy of Fire Pro)


SAFETY UPGRADES ARE ALWAYS on the agenda when a hydropower plant undergoes a rewind. With the extended downtime of a longer outage, owners can review potential safety risks to determine if advances in technology have led to solutions that were not previously available. One of the most


obvious worker safety risks is the widely used CO2 fire suppression system, which can cause worker injury and death in the event of a system discharge.


18 | January 2022 | www.waterpowermagazine.com Since removal and reinstallation of the CO2 system is


required during a rewind, it is a prime opportunity for upgrading to a safer solution.


Understanding the status quo Choosing a fire protection system for hydropower


generator enclosures historically has been a decision plagued by compromises. When many of today’s plants were built, halon systems were commonplace.


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