The National Electrical Safety Code, powerline clearances, and wildfires

IF 2 4区 材料科学 Q3 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Vytenis Babrauskas
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The provisions of the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) have a long, but undocumented history. They are the primary means by which Public Utilities Commission agencies in various States in the United States enforce requirements for electrical clearances pertinent to high‐voltage powerlines. Examination of the NESC provisions for clearances between grounded guy wires and distribution phase conductors in the context of the Woolsey Fire indicates a comprehensive lack of realism in the Code provisions. While they may be entirely sufficient to prevent sparkover under normal operating conditions, they are wholly insufficient to cope with even modest adverse events. The profession should consider explicitly assessing factors beyond sparkover that affect the adequacy of clearance requirements. The provisions of the NESC (and California's parallel General Order No. 95) should be systematically reexamined in order to ensure that safety regulations can cope with adverse events that are serious, but not extreme. Since the vast majority of the electrical power network is aging and not new construction, a scheme should be developed to establish priorities for upgrading existing facilities at the highest risk of failure.
国家电气安全规范》、电力线净空和野火
国家电气安全规范》(NESC)的规定由来已久,但却无据可查。它们是美国各州公用事业委员会机构执行高压电线相关电气间距要求的主要手段。在伍尔西大火的背景下,对 NESC 有关接地连接线和配电相导线之间间隙的规定进行的审查表明,该规范的规定完全缺乏现实性。虽然这些规定可能完全足以防止正常运行条件下的火花溢出,但却完全不足以应对即使是轻微的不利事件。专业人员应考虑明确评估影响净空要求充分性的其他因素。应系统地重新审查 NESC(以及与之平行的加利福尼亚州第 95 号通令)的规定,以确保安全法规能够应对严重但非极端的不利事件。由于绝大多数电力网络都已老化,而非新建,因此应制定一项计划,确定对故障风险最高的现有设施进行升级的优先次序。
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来源期刊
Fire and Materials
Fire and Materials 工程技术-材料科学:综合
CiteScore
4.60
自引率
5.30%
发文量
72
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: Fire and Materials is an international journal for scientific and technological communications directed at the fire properties of materials and the products into which they are made. This covers all aspects of the polymer field and the end uses where polymers find application; the important developments in the fields of natural products - wood and cellulosics; non-polymeric materials - metals and ceramics; as well as the chemistry and industrial applications of fire retardant chemicals. Contributions will be particularly welcomed on heat release; properties of combustion products - smoke opacity, toxicity and corrosivity; modelling and testing.
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