Project: ABB / National Grid SVC, Civil portion of Electric Utility Project
Location: Athens, NY
Date: 2010
Special Skills: Complete renovation of building housing high voltage power line regulating equipment; Roofing; Masonry; Painting including epoxy coatings and anchoring; Waterproofing; Security fences.
Rebuild of high voltage power transmission line regulating facility. ABB designed, manufactured and built this facility about 25 years ago, and rebuilt it in 2010-11. ABB made all the new equipment and hired an electrical contractor for the installation. We were responsible for the civil portion of the job, i.e. the building renovation. Our clean safety record was critical to ABB and National Grid, the utility owner.
Deteriorated exterior facade.
Roof copings drain onto facade. Exterior paint faded and deteriorated.
Makeshift wall openings. Rusted door buck.
Bushings: the wall penetrations for 18,000 volt busses entering the building. The original system of caulk sealant between the orange painted steel frame and the exterior wall stucco was not keeping water out.
Water/frost damage to masonry wall.
Deteriorated facade.
Interior view of thyristor stacks, buss bars and bushings, showing interior damage from leaky bushings.
Bushing frame sealed to stucco with Liberty Castle Keep Membrane, resulting in waterproof assembly.
Bushing frame sealed to stucco with Liberty Castle Keep Membrane, resulting in waterproof assembly.
For train buffs: New York Central Hudson River West Shore Line passing at back of site.
As soon as all the old equipment was removed, we were under intense time pressure to repair and epoxy paint the floor. The Utility could be penalised by the Public Service Commission if the facility was left out of service for too long.
New equipment installed. Fiber optic control cable trays and coolant piping overhead. Walls (waterproof masonry coating) and floor (epoxy) painted, safety fence reconfigured, anchored to concrete and grounded with heavy gauge copper cable.
Metalic silver epoxy paint for below floor cable gutter covers.
Metalic silver epoxy paint for below floor cable gutter covers.
Old roof removal.
New EPDM neatly installed.
New insulation around roof drain.
Put to the test: no leaks. New cant strips to drain coping onto roof, keeping exterior stucco dry.
New coping covers were installed on cant strips, keeping drainage off facade.
Electricians wiring new control cabinets.
Isometric schematic (no walls shown): air vent equipment at top center, coolant pump below, control wiring cabinets in foreground, bushings and associated thyristor stacks left and right.
Signage is important in the industrial environment.
Lots of wires...
Color coded wires...
Restored bushings, bus bars, copper grounding cables, wall paint.
"I didn't want to ask the electricians to make holes in the walls for the new fiber optic cable trays: I thought you guys would make a better looking job"...
...sleeved and mortared...
...accurately sized and placed, it was indistinguishable from the original construction once it was painted.
Newly repaired and painted masonry, roof coping cover. Coolant piping and fans in foreground.
Ready for re-commissioning.
"You made the building look brand new again." Although not quite true for all our clients, that's what was sought after here.
New orange paint too; and new commercial locks and door hardware.
Ready for all weather...
Ready for all weather...
