A B757-200 IN CLB AT 10000 FT DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO INTENSE BURNING ODOR IN COCKPIT AND CABIN CAUSED BY A FAILED PWR PORT CONVERTER.

Narrative

AFTER TKOF FROM DFW ON FLT XXX ON 00/10/FRI; DURING FLAP RETRACTION FO AND MYSELF NOTICED INTENSE BURNING ODOR AND WE DONNED MASK/GOGGLES. ACCOMPLISHED CABIN FIRE SMOKE PROC. FA 1 ENTERED COCKPIT TO RPRT INTENSE BURNING ODOR BUT NO SMOKE IN PAX CABIN NEAR ROW 9 AND 10. CONSENSUS WAS ELECTRICAL EQUIP OF UNKN LOCATION WAS BURNING IN LOWER COMPARTMENT OF ACFT. ODOR; SUBSIDED AFTER UTILITY BUSES WERE TURNED OFF; RETURNED TO DFW. MADE APPROPRIATE LOG ENTRY AND DISPATCH WAS NOTIFIED INFLIGHT OF OUR RETURN. WE LANDED SLIGHTLY OVERWEIGHT; 207000 LBS AND MADE LOGBOOK ENTRY. MX DISCOVERED PWR PORT CONVERTOR ROW 10 WAS INOP AND THIS HAD BURNED UP DUST ACCUMULATED IN SIDEWALL DUCT IN THAT AREA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE SOURCE OF THE ODOR AND FUMES WAS THE PWR PORT CONVERTER WHICH SHORTED OUT AND OVERHEATED AND BURNED THE DUST AND DEBRIS BEHIND THE RETURN AIR FLOOR GRILLS. THE RPTR SAID THE PWR CONVERTER IS LOCATED AT OR JUST BELOW THE PAX CABIN FLOOR ON THE ACFT STRUCTURE BEHIND THE CABIN SIDEWALL LINING. THE RPTR STATED THE UNIT IS ADJACENT TO THE CABIN AIR RETURN DUCTING AND FLOOR GRILLS AND BEING ELECTROSTATIC COLLECTS DUST AND DEBRIS FROM THE PAX CABIN FLOOR. THE RPTR STATED AT NO TIME DID ANY CIRCUIT BREAKER TRIP AND TRIPPING THE UTILITY BUS APPEARED TO REMOVE PWR FROM THIS SYS.