Transformer Explosion Golf Course
Jesper Sahu
Around 11:15 a.m., a transformer located in between the baseball field and the golf course exploded, causing a fire on the utility pole and along the path near the creek, said interim Palo Alto Fire Chief Geo Blackshire.
At about the same time, on the other side of the creek, the Menlo Park Fire Protection District responded to three small fires near the Gardens neighborhood and along the creek, said Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman.
Originally, some apps such as the Citizen App and PulsePoint, which display recent emergency responses, showed that there was an airplane crash at the golf course. However, both Blackshire and Schapelhouman said there was no crash.
The Daily Post has been adjudicated by the Superior Court of Santa Clara County as a newspaper of general circulation in the City of Palo Alto and County of Santa Clara, and is qualified to publish legal notices, including:
While a large section of the damaged building still stands, a golf course employee confirmed to SocialHouseNews.com that the entire building will need be to be demolished because of the unsafe nature of the remains.
In the immediate wake of the fire, Superior Township fire officials and DTE Energy representatives were investigating whether a transformer that blew near the intersection of Ford and Napier roads may have ignited a power sure that potentially started the blaze.
We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website, store your preferences, and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you. These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent.
Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.
This case history involves the investigation of a utility transformer failure that occurred in a rural area surrounded mostly by farmland and open space. The failure occurred in a location where power quality problems are rare.
Fig. 1 shows a one-line diagram of the system. The failed transformer was at the end of a medium voltage utility feeder. The transformer secondary was configured as a 120/208 V, 3-phase, 4-wire system. The load consisted of three end-users: a small apartment complex, a dairy farm and a golf course clubhouse.
The engineer began his investigation by checking for reports of problems with other transformers connected to the same feeder. This bit of research didn't turn anything up, so he concluded the problem was probably related to the secondary loads. His next step was to question the end-users.
The farm owner said his milk processing equipment was running when the transformer failed. He also said nothing unusual had occurred prior to the failure, and his equipment continued to work normally after the transformer was replaced.
The apartment manager recalled that things were quiet at his facility on the evening the failure occurred. His apartment dwellers were home, cooking dinner and watching TV. Nothing unusual had occurred.
The golf course superintendent said the club had sponsored a large tournament on the day the transformer failed. The club had rented several battery powered golf carts to supplement their normal fleet. Operators plugged all of these in for recharging at the end of the tournament. About an hour after that, a fuse blew in the clubhouse's main service panel. The superintendent replaced the fuse, and not long after that the power went out - this time, due to a failed transformer.
Battery chargers are invariably non-linear loads that generate harmonic currents, due to the action of diodes or other semiconductors that convert ac to dc. The waveform shown in Fig. 2 is typical of a transformer coupled diode rectifier. The Fluke 43B showed the total harmonic distortion (THD) of the golf cart charger current to be 37 %. Values above 20 % would be dangerously high, given the estimated size of the charger load in relation to the total transformer load.
When harmonic currents are flowing in a transformer, the result is extra heat in the windings and core laminations. Losses from high-frequency eddy currents constitute the primary cause of this extra heat. Some additional harmonic heating is due to skin effect, where the effective cross-section of a conductor is reduced at high harmonic frequencies. The amount of harmonic heating a transformer can tolerate is inversely proportional to the total secondary load. A heavily loaded transformer can overheat and fail if a large portion of the load current contains harmonics.
In the case of the rural transformer, three end-users contributed to the total load and all three experienced peak loads at the same time. The timing of the blown fuse andthe ultimate failure indicated that the sudden addition of the large battery charger load caused the transformer to overheat.
Normally, the golf cart charger loads were staggered throughout the day. People plugged in the chargers at the conclusion of each round of golf. The tournament situation was unusual, because it replaced this staggered load pattern with a simultaneous load pattern. Operators plugged in all the charger units in the normal fleet plus those from the rental units, at about the same time. The sudden battery charger load coincided with the peak load from the apartment complex. Residential peak loads occur around dinnertime when people are using electric ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, and TV sets.
To prevent failures, the golf club supervisor agreed to use careful load management. He would restrict the total number of chargers connected at any one time, and avoid the use of chargers between 5 and 7 p.m.
Reports are coming in this Friday evening, March 2, of a big transformer explosion over the track in Plandome Manor in the Circle Drive area. The explosion which occurred before 6 p.m. during the peak of rush hour traffic has caused a huge fire on the nearby grounds.
There are electrical wires down on the tracks and the fire is visible from the Plandome Country Club golf course first fairway. The LIRR commuter train was able to pull into the Plandome train station and evacuated the train.
For those golfers who want to hire a buggy (cart) and play only 9 holes please note the cost has just increased to 600bht (from 350bht). I understand the charge is the same for 18 holes ie 600bht. Maybe the extra revenue if any, will be used to transform the fairways from farm land into a proper golf course?
I spoke to these guys last week and the price without buggy is still less than Asia Pattaya on weekends. Still a great deal at 400 baht for nine holes (without buggy) on weekends, even cheaper during the week.
Having spoken to a Bang Saray caddie this afternoon, it seems common sense has for once prevailed. Apparently, several farangs arrived to play today and expressed their disgust and voted with their feet! This was noted by the caddie team (40 ladies) who feared they would lose a lot of work and tips. The caddies sent a delegation into the golf controller's office and it was decided that the fee would not be increased, at least for the time being. Well done caddies!!
Los Angeles County Fire Department lifeguards have a long-standing tradition of being one of the top ocean lifeguarding agencies in the world. Learn the steps of how to become a Los Angeles County lifeguard.
DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF CENTRAL REGIONAL OPERATIONS BUREAURobert HarrisDeputy Fire Chief Robert Harris started his career at the age of 19 after he was appointed reserve firefighter with the City of Montebello Fire Department.
Chief Harris began his service with the County of Los Angeles Fire Department on May 8, 1992. During his tenure with the Department, he has promoted through the ranks from Firefighter, Fire Fighter Paramedic, Fire Inspector, Fire Fighter Specialist, Fire Captain, Battalion Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, Acting Deputy Fire Chief, and Deputy Fire Chief, Central Regional Operations Bureau, effective June 1, 2024.
Over the years, Chief Harris has attended Dillard University (New Orleans), the University of Southern California, Long Beach Community College, and Compton Community College. Chief Harris is a graduate of Columbia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Administration.
Fire ChiefAnthony C. MarroneFire Chief Anthony C. Marrone has been a member of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department for 38 years and a chief officer for the past 26 years. Prior to his appointment by the County of Los Angeles Board of Supervisors as the tenth Fire Chief and Forester and Fire Warden, Chief Marrone served as the Interim Fire Chief.
ACTING DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF CENTRAL REGIONAL OPERATIONS BUREAUWilliam L. MayfieldDeputy Fire Chief William L. Mayfield Jr. is a 35-year veteran of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department (LACoFD). He began his fire service career in 1988. He has held the ranks of firefighter, firefighter specialist, fire captain, battalion chief, assistant fire chief, and deputy fire chief.
Chief Mayfield currently manages the Training and Emergency Medical Services Bureau. Emergency medical services is responsible for paramedic training, certification, equipment, quality improvement, and legal aspects for all basic and advanced emergency medical services provided by the LACoFD. Training Services is responsible for training all new firefighters and conducting ongoing in-service training sessions for all members. Training Services develops training materials, organizes classes and training programs for recruits and refresher courses for other Department personnel.
ACTING DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF SPECIAL SERVICES BUREAUMichael R InmanDeputy Fire Chief Mike Inman has worked as a fire service professional for over 40 years. Chief Inman started his career in 1983, as a reserve firefighter with the Monterey Park Fire Department. In 1986, he was hired as a firefighter with the County of Los Angeles Fire Department (LACoFD) and has promoted through the ranks as a firefighter paramedic, firefighter specialist, fire captain, battalion chief, and assistant fire chief.
c80f0f1006