Middletown, Connecticut rocked by explosion

Digital Journal ^ | Sunday Feb7 2010 10:19 AM MST | KJ Mullins

[malamute]

An explosion in Middletown, Connecticut has rocked the town. Initial reports are that about a dozen people have been injured.

Middletown, United States - The Middletown Fire Department just said in a phone interview that they are in the process of putting out a second alarm. There are an unknown number of casualities. The explosion took place at NRG Power Plant on River Road. According to their web site they are the fossil-fueled electric generating plant in the state. Reports are saying that the blast could be felt as far away as Durham.

[John W]

See post 54.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Thanks for the reminder. I tend to confuse the terms at times.

[Doogle]

looks like RT9 IS ABOUT 1 1/2 FROM THE PLANT IN YOU ZOOM IN OBN MAP ABOVE AND GO HYBIRD

[Man50D]

Routes 91 and 66 are fairly distant from the area that this occurred. Rte 9 is closest major road but is also pretty distant.

Good. I wasn't sure if they would be effected given the the distance of the blast went far beyond both roads.

[raybbr]

I wouldn't go that far.

I would. I am very near Guilford and Clinton. I felt it. I thought it was a heavy truck bouncing on the dip in the road in front of my house but I didn't hear the usual truck noise. Remember that CT is basically dirt covered bedrock. Vibrations travel through stone easily. After I thought about it I had believed I had felt my first earthquake then I discovered this thread.

[JustPiper]

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) Fire official says 50 people in Conn. power plant when explosion blew away part of building.

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) A Connecticut emergency official says there are some fatalities in a power plant explosion.

[Man50D]

looks like RT9 IS ABOUT 1 1/2 FROM THE PLANT IN YOU ZOOM IN OBN MAP ABOVE AND GO HYBIR

I never claimed rte 9 wasn't that close! I lived less than one mile from Rte 9 for three years! I was merely wandering if the blast effected I-91 and rte 66 and next thing I know people who never lived there are telling me I'm wrong!

[alecqss]

Well, Rt. 9 passes right near plant. I-91 in about 6 to 8 miles from there.
(trying 2nd time - since we are talking about probability of closing roads due to explosion. Explosion has occurred at the plant, not in all of Middletown or in some generic anywhere part of it)

[Gondring]

No, none. But, a human being chose this start up date and time. Did they have to choose this date and time?

Nope...they could have just defaulted on the loans and bonds and not done it. Is that better?

It's not like they just flipped a switch and it was on today.

[raybbr]

I am guessing they tried this when electrical demand was down. Maybe even tried to connect into the grid and that’s why they picked a Sunday.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

“loss of sealing oil for the hydrogen in the turbine”

***is H2 used for cooling, & if so, why not air, because H2 has a higher heat capacity?***

I spoke too quick. The sealing oil is to keep hydrogen in the GENERATOR part of the turbine-generator. H2 is used for cooling the generator because it creates less friction than air cooled generators. The hot H2 is then cooled by water in a heat exchanger.

The H2 must be kept at a purity of 95% or more to keep it from exploding. From all I have heard recently this may be a natural gas explosion.

[Man50D]

Vibrations travel through stone easily.

I live 30 miles from there and didn't hear or feel a thing. There are many points beyond 30 miles from Middletown in the state.

[Gondring]

I never thought Siemens made as good a product as GE or Mitsubishi.

I didn't realize that, and I don't know anything about the SGT6-PAC 5000F/5000. I read that O&G had the EPC contract and I bet it's Algonquin's gas.

[raybbr]

I live 30 miles from there and didn't hear or feel a thing. There are many points beyond 30 miles from Middletown in the state.

True but a 25 mile radius from Middletown would be close to half the state. CT is only 60 miles from N to S.

[Man50D]

Well, Rt. 9 passes right near plant. I-91 in about 6 to 8 miles from there. (trying 2nd time - since we are talking about probability of closing roads due to explosion. Explosion has occurred at the plant, not in all of Middletown or in some generic anywhere part of it)

What is it with you people? I know where the Interstate and highways are located! As I have stated more than once I lived there! I merely presented the possibility since at the time there wasn't any report. Know they weren't effected.

[Gondring]

Of course not... but neither is it an indication of terrorism.

[Man50D]

True but a 25 mile radius from Middletown would be close to half the state. CT is only 60 miles from N to S.

I agree with the north to south distance but Connecticut is much wider east to west than 60 miles. Most if not all of the northern half of Connecticut didn't feel the blast, as well as far eastern and far western Connecticut.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

“loss of sealing oil for the hydrogen in the turbine”

That was my error. I meant to say turbine-generator.

Several years ago we saw some photos of what was said to be a South African power plant that blew up because of a leak in the generator sealing oil.

The H2 leak caught fire which set the sealing oil on fire, which blew up the bearing oil lines and all of that oil also caught on fire.

This recent explosion sounds more like a natural gas explosion.

[Robert A Cook PE]

No, none. But, a human being chose this start up date and time. Did they have to choose this date and time?

Coldest days this year, very snowy across the region?

Of course they are going to need to start up as soon as practical. And, realistically, there is no reason not to start up on a clod day either. Delays do no good for their cold customers.

I discount the reports of 300 people injured: Even in the middle of a shutdown at a larger plant you rarely see 300 people on one shift - and this supposedly right at the end during startup testing & acceptance = even less of a reason to have lots of people around.

[JustPiper]

And if the explosion was deliberate, do you honestly think MSM would report such in this administration’s climate? BTW it doesn’t seem terror related IMO, due to the fact of new renovations etc.