PROJECT

Critical Power System Upgrade

CATEGORY #1

Project of the Year – Under $2 Million

Prime Contractor

OWNER

A T & T Corporation

PRIME CONTRACTOR

Ludvik Electric Co.

ARCHITECT

MCB Architects

ENGINEER

Cator, Ruma Engineering

SUBMITTED BY:

Ludvik Electric Co.

Communication over telephone lines has dramatically changed over the past decade. New long distance services. Modems. E-mail. Faxes. The Internet. Demand for phone lines is at an unprecedented level and growing. Long distance isn’t just for calling grandma anymore.

Long distance leader AT&T operates a network feeder and carrier facility near Mead, Colorado that gives a new definition to the word "critical". Approximately 45% of the long distance traffic between the Midwest and the West Coast passes through this facility. A failure of any kind could be disastrous for customers and cost AT&T as much as $5 million per hour in long distance revenue. Obviously, reliable electric power is vital to the facility’s operation.

A T & T needed to upgrade the facility’s critical power system. The competitive-bid hard-dollar project involved removal of two old, undersized backup power generators and controls and installation of two new parallel and redundant Onan/Cummins generators with state-of-the-art Programmable Logic Controls. Seems simple enough. But . . .

1. The old generators had been installed when the building was constructed in the 1950’s and there was no large access door in the generator room located in the basement. The only possible access was through a 50-foot concrete vertical shaft from the basement to the roof.
2. The facility could not be shut down, even briefly, and AT&T required a backup power source throughout the entire removal and installation process.
3. Procurement, customization and delivery of the new generators had to be precisely managed and scheduled for installation during a two-day window identified by A T & T. Missing the window would require rescheduling of the entire project weeks later.
4. Because of highly sensitive digital and fiber optic equipment, the environment ranked between a cleanroom and a hospital operating room, requiring extreme attention to cleanliness.

This was anything but a simple, everyday, routine installation.

To provide access, Ludvik first had to create an opening by removing the air duct intake grating and louvers between the basement generator room and the shaft leading to the roof. A catwalk in the shaft also had to be removed to clear the way for passage of the generators. While the shaft reached the roof, it had been sealed by a 19,000-pound "removable" panel, which had then been roofed over. The panel was located and the roof cut around it, enabling it to be lifted out. This created the only possible opening through which old and new equipment could be conveyed. Since it was the rainy season, a curb was built around the opening and a "shoe box" type removable lid was fabricated to cover it temporarily (and permanently once the project was completed).

Meanwhile, Ludvik was working closely with AT&T and its consultant on specifications and delivery of the new custom-built generators. Because timing was critical, the usual 16-week procurement process was reduced to 10 weeks, thanks in part to a strong working relationship between Ludvik and the regional Onan/Cummins distributor. A target delivery date was identified and committed to by the manufacturer.

While the project required weeks of planning, the real work took place within a matter of hours. As prime contractor, Ludvik coordinated the activities of all trades including electrical, roofing, crane, sheet metal, mechanical and automation controls. Weekly schedule updates and construction meetings insured that everything and everyone was prepared for the installation window. Teamwork was essential to the success of the project. Ludvik prepared a Special Method of Procedure (SMOP) for every step of the process, detailed to 15-minute intervals. Everything had to work. There was no room for error, no way to rehearse!

Finally, right on schedule, the "window of opportunity" arrived. A temporary external backup generator that matched the building’s features was tied in just in case of power failure. After disconnecting the old generators, a system of dollies and chains was employed to pull them out of the generator room and lift them up through the shaft. The "easy" part.

The next day, the new 12,000-pound 14’ x 6’ generators went in. To lower them down the 18’ x 18’ shaft and turn them into the generator room, they had to be tilted at a precise angle of 70 degrees, lowered through the exhaust shaft, and then turned 90 degrees to fit into the access hold. The tolerance was a matter of degrees and inches as the generators barely fit in the shaft. It was trial and error all the way down. But a specially configured system of chains and rollers, along with a well-thought-out plan for lowering the huge pieces of equipment, got the job done.

The first generator was in place five hours. The second took only 1.5 hours. What was planned only on paper and in theory had worked! The parallel generators, one the prime backup and the other a secondary backup, were tied into the building’s electrical system, programmed and debugged. The usual 30-day testing and commissioning process was accomplished in just five days – working from midnight to 6:00 a.m.

The unusual nature of the installation required unusual attention to safety. Orientation meetings, safety audits and special training sessions educated all trade workers on issues including confined spaces, ladders, power actuated tools, hoist and lift operations, fall protection, tripping and dust hazards. The sensitive environment often meant that personnel had to work in stocking feet, requiring specially designed tool pouches. Non-conductive dielectric tools were also required. Result: no lost time accidents during 2,000 hours spent on the job.