593 degrees ultra-high pressure valve explodes, 4 dead… What happened to thermal power generation two years after completion?
A pipe exploded at a coal-fired power plant that was only completed two years ago, killing one person and suffering serious burns at three others. The police, fire authorities, and thermal power plant are investigating the cause of the accident.
At 10:39 a.m. on the 11th, a valve exploded in a boiler room pipe on the 5th floor of the main building of Korea Midland Power Company’s Shin Seocheon Thermal Power Plant in Seomyeon, Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, causing high-pressure water vapor to leak. In this accident, Mr. A (50) of KEPCO KPS died and another Mr. A (56) was seriously injured. In addition, two people, including B (38) from Korea Midland Power Company, suffered serious burns and are being treated at the hospital. When the accident occurred, the power plant stopped power generation and began rescuing the victims while reporting it to 119. A power plant official said, “It seems that the accident occurred because the valve could not withstand the pressure and burst while inspecting the (failure) code. “KEPCO KPS, to which Mr.
The pipe valve in which the accident occurred is known to be part of ultra-supercritical pressure equipment. Ultra-supercritical pressure equipment is the latest power generation technology that increases power generation efficiency and reduces fuel consumption by having a steam pressure of more than 246 kg/cm2 and a steam temperature of more than 593 degrees Celsius entering the turbine. Regarding this, the power plant explained, “The pipe of the burst valve had a diameter of 2.4 cm and was not the main pipe connected to the turbine, etc., so it is difficult to regard it as an ultra-supercritical pressure facility.”
When the accident occurred, police, fire departments, and labor inspectors from the Boryeong Branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor are investigating the scene. However, as of 2:40 p.m. on this day, work is still being done to lower the pressure of the valve and remove water vapor at the accident site, so it is still time to determine the cause of the accident. This is expected to take longer. Police and fire authorities plan to investigate detailed accidents and violations안전놀이터 of safety measures at power plants, while labor authorities plan to investigate violations of the Serious Accident Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
A police official said, “We are paying attention to an accident that occurred in the facilities of a new coal power plant that was completed only two years ago. “We are checking whether there was a malfunction that caused the steam pressure and temperature to rise above the standard,” he said. “After consulting with labor authorities, we plan to request a detailed identification from the National Institute of Forensic Science to determine the cause of the accident.”
The 1,000 MW Shin Seocheon Thermal Power Plant went into operation on June 30, 2021. At the time, the Shin Seocheon Thermal Power Plant was announced as “an eco-friendly power plant equipped with ultra-high-efficiency ultra-supercritical pressure equipment and installing a silo-type outdoor coal storage facility to minimize coal scattering.”