NEWS FROM WESTERN AREA POWER ADMINISTRATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 31,
2005
CONTACT: LaVerne Kyriss, 720-962-7051, kyriss@wapa.gov
TEAM REPORTS ON GLENDALE SUBSTATION
VOLTAGE REGULATOR FAILURE
LAKEWOOD, Colo.—An internal Western Area Power Administration incident investigation team completed its report on the May 24, 2005 failure of a voltage regulator during in-service testing at Glendale Substation near Cody, Wyo. The ensuing fire and explosion injured two Western employees and caused a temporary customer outage in the Cody area.
The investigation team concluded that the root cause of the incident was a lack of familiarity with the new microprocessor control unit on the replacement regulators. This started a chain of events that led to a technician placing the voltage regulator in an automatic position while the equipment was in bypass mode. The bypass mode is used when the regulator is taken out of service for maintenance. In bypass mode, power does not flow through the regulator to the distribution network. This caused abnormally high heat and pressure to build up within the regulator, which led to the fire and explosion.
One of the primary functions of voltage regulators is to maintain the voltage level seen by downstream devices within a certain set of limits. Voltage regulators are also used to condition power for customer use. A replacement regulator was put in service on June 17, 2005 without further incident.
Power system incident reports are prepared to find the root cause of the incident and provide management recommendations that will help keep this type of incident from reoccurring. Western is currently placing the team’s recommendations into written work procedures and safety requirements to help ensure the safe and reliable operation and maintenance of its power system facilities.
Western Area Power Administration annually markets and transmits more than 10,000 megawatts of power from hydroelectric powerplants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 15 western and central states. It is part of the Department of Energy.
Serving the West with Federal hydropower
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