The accident at Reftinskaya TPP has become a serious test for the entire energy system of our country. Until now, representatives of the commission established to investigate its causes cannot give a definite answer regarding the causes of this incident.
Own investigation was conducted not only by such departments as the Ministry of Energy, and the Federal Rostekhnadzor. Investigation of the accident at Reftinskaya GRES was also carried out by journalists, having been at the scene of the tragedy, talking with the leadership of this station, and also listening to the opinions of independent experts.
Tragedy at the station
The fire, which occurred on August 22 of this year at two in the afternoon, was the result of a splash of molten metal. At Reftinskaya TPP, an accident occurred due to the destruction of the insulator. Such a statement sounded as if there was no tragedy and life at the station was proceeding normally.
Department of Energy version
The most complete version of the events was the information provided by the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation. The accident at Reftinskaya GRES is considered as the cause of the destruction of the high-voltage line capacitor (220 kV). As a result, the oil was released, the tire section was switched off during its ignition. At the station, the generated power was reduced from the maximum indicator (2295 MW) to a zero parameter.
Consequences of power loss
The accident at Reftinskaya TPP led to the instantaneous operation of automatic protection systems. All high-voltage lines that leave this station are disconnected. Reftinskaya state district power station (accident of 2016, to be more precise) provoked numerous cascading outages throughout the country.
Power systems in many Russian regions had to switch to an isolated work system . As a result, the accident at the Reftinskaya TPP left six Siberian regions without full power supply. It took a lot of effort to return to normal operation of the power system.
Expert opinion
Talking about what kind of accident occurred at Reftinskaya TPP, experts agree that this is one of the largest man-made disasters in the post-Soviet space.
They call the coupling capacitor the main reason for the large-scale shocks that have occurred. This two meter long bar with insulating ceramic rings contained molten oil inside.
Experts do not have exact information about whether the capacitor exploded, but it is in it that the main causes of the accident at the Reftinskaya TPP. The work of experts continues, other possible causes of fire at the station are identified.
Opinion of local residents
Residents of the nearest village of Reftinsky learned from their relatives that an accident had occurred at the Reftinsky state district power station. Photos of the damage they saw only in the newspapers. When the journalists who arrived in these places in order to conduct their own independent investigation began to ask the inhabitants of the area about the tragedy that had occurred, all of them, without hesitation, replied that there was an explosion of an oil condenser. Such unanimity aroused doubts among the press, they decided to go to the scene.
Location of the accident
The picture that appeared before the journalists was depressing. As a result of the release of molten oil on the territory of a dozen square kilometers, the land was completely burnt out. The place of the tragedy that occurred was perfectly visible from the road.
Near the fence, on which the barbed wire was pulled, the grass was scorched. It was here that oil splashed from the condenser burned. Eyewitnesses say that at first a loud explosion was heard, then a crack was heard.
Journalistic investigation
Many locals observed sparks from an electric arc, as there was a short circuit in the sections of wire closest to each other. People say that it seemed as if the whole sky was filled with sparks.
This is a confirmation of how serious the accident at the Reftinskaya TPP turned out to be. Photos taken immediately after the tragedy confirm the scale of the tragedy. Journalists who conducted their independent investigation failed to photograph the consequences of the accident.
Representatives of the security service of the Reftinskaya TPP told the press that this station is a strategic object, therefore, any photo and video shooting is prohibited. After interference in the current situation, the press service of PJSC Enel Russia, the direct owner of this power station, managed to resolve the conflict situation.
After ascertaining the identities of the journalists, the station security chief gave permission to photograph the scene of the accident. These frames were published, attracted the attention of Russian ecologists. Residents of the village of Reftinsky believe that they are just lucky. If the protection system did not work at the station, the consequences of the accident would be much larger.
In his interview, Oleg Kosmenyuk, who holds the post of Deputy General Director of Enel Russia, noted that immediately after he received information about the accident, he flew to Yekaterinburg. According to him, on an open switchgear designed for 220 kW, there was a complete destruction of the coupling capacitor.
As a result of this, a short circuit was observed propagating along the buses rated for 220 kW. At the time of the tragedy, six energy blocks participated in the full-fledged work.
Thanks to modern automatic protection systems available at this station, after the technological blocking was triggered, it was possible to phase out all power units. Such actions eliminated any possibility of continuing the accident.
The situation at the station is currently
The system operator requested that all eight energy units be included in the normal operation mode. Just a few days after the tragedy, the working capacity of the sixth block was restored, then the second block returned to its normal schedule.
By Wednesday, August 24, the station regained its original mode of operation. Thanks to the coordinated work of professional power engineers, we managed to cope with an emergency in the shortest possible time.
Professional Version
Engineers cautiously answer journalists' questions about whether a more serious and powerful explosion could really have happened if not for the professionalism of the employees and the automation of the station. They told the press that they are always ready for any emergency situations and are working to create a complete system of measures aimed at improving the protection of the station.
Safety comes first
Particular attention is paid to ongoing training of personnel, emergency response training. During such classes, various problematic situations are simulated, allowing staff to improve their practical skills and deal with behavior in case of an emergency.
After the training, the actions of each employee of the station must be understood, all the shortcomings are analyzed so that the next time they are not repeated.
Experts say that it was thanks to the coordinated work of the station staff that they were able to quickly cope with the emergency situation and prevent human casualties. In the course of the investigation, journalists found out that in September 2000 an emergency situation had already occurred at Reftinskaya TPP.
The station’s employees confirmed this fact and noted that in both cases, the station’s landing in the zero phase, that is, a power outage, was accepted as a solution to serious consequences.
That is why all training with working personnel, systematically conducted by labor protection specialists, relates to the actions of workers in the event of an emergency in this scenario.
Conclusion
One of the versions of the accident, considered by various expert commissions, was the abnormally high temperature that established in that region at that time. A direct answer to the existing connection between the exploded capacitor and the abnormal temperature was not revealed during the investigation.
Experts with an understanding of the operation of such equipment argue that one of the causes of an emergency may be a hidden defect (defective equipment), as well as a violation of operating rules, poor-quality installation of installations. Experts explain that when installing power equipment of this class, they mainly attract third-party organizations.
Due to the fact that the warranty period has already ended, it will be difficult to hold them accountable. Experts also note the need for systematic monitoring of the condition of the station and the advisability of timely preventive maintenance.
Professional power engineers do not exclude the possibility of negative effects on the normal operation of capacitors of abnormally high air temperatures. They are convinced that environmental conditions could become an additional factor that, together with human resources, led to an emergency. They explain their position on the basis of a high school physics course. During heating, the oil expands, which can cause an explosion.
Environmentalists have not yet voiced their position on the tragedy, its consequences for wildlife. They continue to analyze the changes observed in the region in order to assess the severity of the accident at the state district power station. Investigation of the accident at Reftinskaya GRES continues.