In the third part of our interview with Dr. Ceyhun Eren, whom we met at the Allianz Technical Earthquake & Fire Testing and Training Center, entitled the “Effects of the Earthquake on Industrial Facilities and Rooftop Solar Energy Systems”; you can read his opinions about the following questions:
Following the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes, we conducted technical damage surveys, specifically aimed at industrial facilities. My area of expertise is the earthquake behavior of buildings. During my doctorate, I developed models for PML (Probable Maximum Loss) calculations. I also had the opportunity to conduct a validation study.
Light industrial buildings in particular are generally single-story prefabricated reinforced concrete with office sections on mezzanine stories. Based on my observations, we have noticed that structural damages are prominent in buildings with old construction dates, especially due to low column sections. We have also noticed non-structural damages such as machines falling over, elevators collapsing, sprinkler system pipes breaking, server cabinets falling over, electrical panels falling over, which can lead to business interruptions.
If you were to ask me ‘what had the biggest impact on the extent of the damage’, I would say the answer is ground conditions. Firstly, we have once again learned through this painful experience that buildings should not be built on land that should be used as fertile agricultural land. We should listen to nature more. We saw that the location we call the hill-plain relationship is crucial and that it caused great damage in the valley. We can say that the primary reason why Hatay experienced such a great disaster despite being far from the epicenter of the earthquake is the soil amplification coefficient. We noticed that the soft ground structure increased the wavelength by twice compared to the epicenter of the earthquake, and the wave speed slowed down and increased the duration of the effect much more. So I can say that this is the primary factor that lead to great destruction and disaster.
One of my significant observations was about solar energy panels installed on roofs. Due to climate change, our need for clean energy has increased. However this is not covered much in the literature. The critical issue here, in terms of engineering, is that when installing such systems on the roof of a building, not only static but also dynamic analyses must be performed. One of the unique formulas we use in earthquake engineering is the one devised by Isaac Newton in the 1680s. Conservation of Momentum or Force = Mass X Acceleration. From this perspective, we found that the roofs of industrial facilities that we considered not dynamically analyzed and of which column sections were not suitable have collapsed. This is a major cause of the damage.
Moreover, I had the opportunity to survey a facility which had solar panels installed on its roof and completely burned down in a massive fire after the earthquake. The cause of the fire is unknown, it could have been the solar panel or it could have started from a fallen electrical panel. In conclusion, we believe that fires after earthquakes are critical and that especially in this case, the failure of the systems to work must have played a big role in the damage caused by the fires.
If we were to talk about the fire at İskenderun Port, we must mention one of the measures that we always emphasize and is quite crucial in general. Firstly, if any flammable or inflammable materials are used, it is necessary to plan the storage conditions of these materials, specifically in areas of earthquake risk, taking into account what could happen during an earthquake. During our inspections at the facilities, we noticed industrial tanks and pressure cylinders that fell over and silos that were severely damaged. We observed massive problems in cases where they were not properly fixed. Again, when we consider the causes of fires, we can see that the use of inflammable materials stands out. Therefore, we consider it extremely critical for certain industries to plan “detection and extinguishing” from the start in order to fix and be prepared against the risks of falling over.
Another important subject is the lack of information on the earthquake resistance of our industrial buildings. People believe that it is sufficient for the design target of buildings against earthquakes to be in the “Safety of Life” (Controlled Damage) performance according to many regulations in the world. However, especially in industrial buildings, operational continuity is also very important after major earthquakes. It is also possible to design our industrial buildings aimed at uninterrupted use (Immediate Use) according to the new regulations. Obviously the safety of life is more important than anything else in our facilities. However, I believe that our industrial facilities should aim higher in certain fields of activity. This is an important issue that will reduce both non-structural factors and damages. Considering the anticipated Marmara Earthquake, perhaps the industrial facilities that are close to the city should be prioritized based on their risk level and urgent measures should be taken by moving them.
We can definitely say that they pose an additional risk of fire. The first risk is again on the structural side, especially if there is a panel-type coating material used on the roof and it uses a flammable insulation such as polyurethane and its derivatives, a small spark that could arise from the system you have installed on the roof can turn into a fire load that can affect the entire building.
The second risk is that these types of systems ultimately require electrical parts, significant cabling and installation. Unfortunately, lack of maintenance is quite prominent in electrical installations as well. Much like any electronic device, problems such as a malfunction or overheating, additional resistance created by a loose screw, usually cause an increase in temperature before starting a fire. Thermal cameras can provide measures at this point. For example, the leak on the roof of the building can spread to the entire infrastructure before you notice it, causing the fire to grow. For example, in the projects that we take part in at Allianz Deutschland, we work towards having preventive measures in place with thermal cameras from helicopters for detection before it is too late in massive solar panel fields.
I believe that there is value in working on how to extinguish photovoltaic panels if they continue to produce energy simultaneously during a potential fire. That is to say that, if there is no possibility for remote intervention, creative and preventive measures must be taken. The same topic will be highlighted for charging stations in the future because extinguishing lithium-ion batteries is also stated as “not possible” in the literature. For such electronic devices that cannot be extinguished with just water, different solutions need to be developed.
