FURI | Fall 2019

Silica Aerogel as Fireproofing Material for Transformer Firewall

Transformer fire is an alarming occurrence that hits an electric utility. It is a threat to human life on-site and outside a power plant. The aim of this research is to develop a fireproofing material that is light, cost-effective, has good thermal insulation and is fire resistant from silica aerogel to replace the current cementitious fireproofing material used in transformer firewalls. The composite formed will be tested and compared with the ASTM E119 test (Standard Test Methods for Fire Tests of Building Construction and Materials). Future work could be improving on the silica aerogel composite to serve as fireproofing material for every structure.