@article{ref1,
title="Risk of fire and explosion in electrical substations due to the formation of flammable mixtures",
journal="Scientific reports",
year="2020",
author="El-Harbawi, Mohanad and Al-Mubaddel, Fahad",
volume="10",
number="1",
pages="e6295-e6295",
abstract="Transformers reduce the voltage from overhead powerlines to voltages acceptable for city/neighbourhood needs. Overheating of transformer cooling fluids presents a serious hazard. In this work, the risk of fires and explosions due to vaporisation of the hydrocarbon components of mineral oil, which is used as a transformer cooling fluid in electrical substations, was investigated. The compositions of new and used mineral oil from an electrical substation in Riyadh were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and C<sub>6</sub> to C<sub>41</sub> hydrocarbons were detected. The majority of the components were alkanes, alkenes, or alkynes; some ketone, alcohol, aromatic, and anhydride species were also detected. Approximately 25% of the compounds comprising the new oil sample were alkanes, whereas more than 33% of the used oil sample components were alkanes. The lower and upper flammability limits (LFL and UFL) of the mixtures were found to be 0.88 and 5.75 vol.% for the new oil and 0.47 and 3.05 vol.% for the used oil, respectively. These values were used to construct a flammability diagram. The results indicated that the new and used oil vapour mixtures were not flammable at 25 °C and 1 atm, but would become flammable at 77 and 115 °C.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2045-2322",
doi="10.1038/s41598-020-63354-4",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63354-4"
}