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53: Callide C Blackout episode artwork

Mar 30, 2024 50 min

53: Callide C Blackout

from Causality Hosted by The Engineered Network

In 2021 the Callide C Power Station experienced a unit failure that tore the turbine-generator apart, resulted in hundreds of thousands of premises losing power, and cost hundreds of millions to repair. We look at how design errors and ultimately a lack of information led to the incident escalating out of control, when it could have been recovered. With John Chidgey. Formal Reports: Callide Unit C4 Turbine Generator Failure 25 May 2021 (PDF) Animation of the Callide Unit C4 incident Trip of multiple generators and lines in Central Queensland and associated under-frequency load shedding on 25 May 2021 (PDF) News Releases and Articles: CS Energy releases report into 2021 Callide C4 Unit Failure CS Energy releases technical report into 2021 Unit C4 incident Dr Sean Brady to lead independent investigation into Callide incident Battery failure led to power plant mass outage Both units trip at Callide C on Wednesday 13th January 2021 Statement regarding IG Power Intergen voluntary administration Report says Callide C4 incident “could not have been anticipated” Callide explosion blamed on battery charger failure Callide Power Trading taken to court over system failure CS Energy says insurers won’t agree to $300m claim over power station Jim Soorley stands down from CS Energy CS Energy Post about Incident on LinkedIn Super-Critical Boilers: Super-Critical Boiler Technology (PDF) Supercritical Fluids Supercritical Coal Plants Electrical Engineering References: Hydrogen-cooled Turbo Generator Reverse Active Power Protection (ANSI 32P) Court Action: Alleged failure to obtain regulatory approval to operate a generating system Notice of Filing: Australian Energy Regulator v Callide Power Trading Pty Ltd (PDF) Coal generator to face court over blackouts caused by catastrophic explosion General Information: Callide Power Station Stanwell Power Station Tarong Power Station Callide Power Station CS Energy: Water Management NOTE: Minor Corrections in audio updated: 31st March, 2024 Support Causality on Patreon Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle. Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Lesley, Jared Roman, Joel Maher, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto and Ian Gallagher.

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In 2021 the Callide C Power Station experienced a unit failure that tore the turbine-generator apart, resulted in hundreds of thousands of premises losing power, and cost hundreds of millions to repair. We look at how design errors and ultimately a lack of information led to the incident escalating out of control, when it could have been recovered.

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53: Callide C Blackout

0:00 50:52

Chapters

  1. 0:42 Introduction
  2. 6:16 The Incident
  3. 15:17 The Investigation
  4. 17:17 The DC Power System
  5. 21:14 Cooling Gas
  6. 22:30 Feeds And Interlocks
  7. 29:19 Circuit Breaker X And Y Power
  8. 31:34 Loss Of DC Led To Loss Of AC
  9. 37:05 What Do We Learn?
  10. 41:14 The Aftermath
  11. 45:59 Conclusion
  12. 49:07 Outroduction

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This episode was published on March 30, 2024.

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