BESS Fire Moss Landing

[TugboatEng]

One of the largest BESS facilities is on fire again. If it's Tesla's, this would be the 2nd time and if it's Vistra it's the 3rd time. However, this time the fire appears to be catastrophic. I was going to post this in the climate change forum but, considering the amount of taxpayer money burning, I figured I should escalate this to a disaster.

Notice that the article only mentions the Tesla pack and not the Vistra pack that is most likely the one that is actually burning. Of course they use ambiguous language like "possible" so they can't be called out for misinformation when we learn that it was not the Tesla battery.

Fire at Moss Landing Power Plant triggers evacuation orders in Monterey County

Monterey County sent out an emergency alert system warning Thursday evening to say the North County Fire Department is responding to a fire at Moss Landing Power Plant.

www.ktvu.com

 

[Garbage1]

Climate Change Engineering Strikes Again!

Wonder what the Goobernor will waive now?

It appears California is using gas fired generators, and Not Solar or Wind, to charge the Mega Lithum Ion Batteries, which are currently creating a MEGA Environmental hazard and disaster.

Also County Official says Vistra Building not Tesla.

Battery storage plant catches fire in California, forcing state’s latest evacuations: ‘This is a disaster’

“There’s no way to sugarcoat it. This is a disaster,” Monterey County Supervisor Glen Church SAID.

nypost.com

 

[fel3]

I have a high school classmate who now lives in Pacific Grove, which is about 10 miles SSW of Moss Landing. She posted a photo on Facebook this morning from the shore near her house and the flames were very evident, even from that distance. Scary stuff.

 

[TugboatEng]

Now I see that the previous Tesla fire never happened either. It was a PGE substation that caught fire.

 

[Sym P. le]

I don't know if I understand this correctly but it seems that the burning units are housed within the repurposed power house building. It's not the externally located units that initiated the fire. Past fire alarms from the building triggered on heat buildup from ventilation unit mechanical issues which in turn triggered H2O sprinklers which then damaged the battery packs.

???

 

[Sparweb]

which in turn triggered H2O sprinklers which then damaged the battery packs

Water sprinklers installed over lithium battery packs?
I detect an engineering failure right there.

 

[Sym P. le]

Vistra Announces Investigation Findings and Corrective Actions Related to Fall 2021 Incident at Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility

The investigation found that in response to detection of very low levels of smoke in one area of the facility, the water-based heat suppression system armed and, because of failures of a small number of couplings on flexible hoses and pipes, improperly sprayed water on battery racks. The smoke is believed to have originated from a failed bearing in an air handling unit, which is separate from the battery system. The water damaged the batteries and caused some to overheat, thus creating more smoke which, in turn, resulted in the release of more water and caused damage to additional batteries. In total, roughly 7% of the facility’s battery modules were damaged.

 

[TugboatEng]

Google's algorithm is too intrusive to find any information on extinguishing Li-Ion battery fires by water flooding but I believe this is the preferred method. If you can put enough water on to stop the thermal runaway despite the potential of increasing load on the battery by shorting then you can successfully extinguish the fire.

 

[Sym P. le]

From newscientist.com

The fire started the afternoon of 16 January, burning through a concrete building full of lithium batteries at the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in Monterey county, California. Other buildings on the site, including more battery storage facilities and a natural gas plant, were not affected.

 

[Garbage1]

From newscientist.com

Looking at this image shows a MEGA amount of HVAC equipment required to cool the Li-Ion 'Ticking Time Bombs'. It is hard to believe with all the costs and supplemental systems costs required to store High Risk Batteries can be better for the environment that just clean natural gas power generation for peak demand loads. Especially when you factor in the High Risk Toxic Fire events that have occurred 5 times in the last few years. This one being a MEGA Disaster.

 

[GregLocock]

BESS fire database. https://storagewiki.epri.com/index.php/BESS_Failure_Incident_Database. I count 3 separate fires at Moss Landing over the years.

This is rather an embarrassing graph, but I suppose the average plant age is dropping at the moment as new capacity is installed.

 

[TugboatEng]

To be fair, Moss Landing has a significant fire when contractors were cutting up the oil storage tanks after the natural gas conversion. One of the tanks they were torching had over a million gallons of bunker oil. Not all of its fires are battery related.

 

[Garbage1]

Quote: "One of the tanks they were torching had over a million gallons of bunker oil."

I am surprised with all of California's Commissions and Regulations that a guy was able to roll up in his low-rider and whip out his cutting torch, then immediately start cutting into an oil tank, without all the Commissions and Regulatory Bodies ensuring tank was empty and properly cleaned first with contents properly removed from site by Battery Operated Trucks and Construction Equipment..........

 

[TugboatEng]

It was a floating lid tank. I assume that presents some challenges with regards to cleaning.

 

[FacEngrPE]

Cleaning any tank (or anything else) filled with Bunker (No 6) oil is an awful chore.

 

[LittleInch]

It was a floating lid tank. I assume that presents some challenges with regards to cleaning.

Think you mean floating roof?

They come with retractable legs which keep the roof of the floor, but yes, it's then like a mine seam.

Bunker fuel isn't normally in a EFR tank, but maybe it was heated. Pretty criminal to e doing hot work or a tank still containing considerable quantities of fuel.

 

[TugboatEng]

I'm not positive on the fuel type, just assuming. This is the only intact writing on the fire that I can find that still has pictures. The plant has been converted to natural gas decades prior. The tanks were being demolished to make room for a peaking plant.

Duke Energy Power Plant Fire in Moss Landing (2003)

FACTS The fire was adjacent to Elkhorn Slough, a nationally-recognized critical estuary. Environmental concerns included water contamination and harm from smoke and ash. The cool marine air kept th…

sanctuarysimon.org