Official urges immediate shutdown of Power Plant 1

A concerned power plant official has urged for the immediate shutdown of the engines at Power Plant 1 in Lower Base as he corroborated Gov. Benigno R. Fitial’s warning of possible explosion in the facility.

“From the technical point of view, the engines of Power Plant 1 have to be shutdown at the soonest,” said the power plant official who requested not to be identified.

If the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. chooses to run the engines at risk, the official recommended a close monitoring on the crankcase pressure and act according to the recommendation of the engine manufacturer.

“They should also clean the surroundings of the engines of all combustible materials to prevent fire,” the power plant official, who previously worked in many power plants in a number of countries, told Saipan Tribune.

He said in case of an explosion it can be powerful enough to blow off the metal doors of the engine crankcase.

Fitial has declared a state of disaster emergency for the CNMI, citing that one of the power engines at Power Plant 1 could explode at any time, maiming or killing power plant workers.

Fitial disclosed that one or more of the engines is so damaged by wear and lack of adequate maintenance for many years that it may experience a catastrophic failure.

“The condition of the engines is so bad that the technical experts at the plant cannot predict precisely the time of failure. But they do predict such a catastrophic failure,” said the governor in the declaration he signed Aug. 1.

Asked for comment by the Saipan Tribune about the governor’s warning, the power plant official stated that the chances of crankcase explosion increases as the power engine unit approach its overhauling schedule.

The official explained that there is always a chance of crankcase explosion in any diesel engine caused by blow byes resulting from sudden breakage of piston rings (unpredictable) or increase of clearance between piston and liner (predictable).

“The increase can even go exponential if the units are run at low load as the production of carbon which is hard and abrasive is very high due to incomplete combustion,” he said.

The concerned official provided the following anatomy of the crankcase explosion:

The operating oil in the crankcase due to heat forms a mist. If the heat is within the operating range, the crankcase pressure will stabilize at a range recommended by the engine manufacturer.

When the heat is coupled by a blow bye or an overheated bearing, the pressure of the crankcase will also correspondingly increase which, if not corrected could cause the explosion doors to open to relieve the pressure.

However in doing so sometimes surrounding air (oxygen) can come into the crankcase resulting to fire and explosion.

The blue flame from this explosion can have a temperature of over 1,500 degrees Celsius, which is enough to cause second or third degree burns.

If there are combustible materials on the path of the flame, these will also burn spontaneously.