Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Concourse C Substation A2 Replacement at Dulles International Airport

Customer:

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

Washington DC

Cynergy was awarded a contract for $4,294,475.00 in August 2023 for the replacement of one existing substation, installing concrete pads, bollards, rigid steel conduits, stainless steel pull boxes, structural steel supports, grounding systems, intercept and extend existing 15kV cables, and demolish existing associated 15kV feeders.

The nature of the installation being on Airport property involved a great deal of scheduling due to the feeders supplying power to essential buildings that were affected. Confined space permits and lock out/tag out procedures were also paramount to successful completion of the project.

The principal features of the project were:

·         Install 15kV pad-mounted switchgear

·         Install 480/277V indoor rated NEMA 1 switchgear

·         Install 3000/3450KVA cast coil type outdoor transformer

·         Install 4,000A copper outdoor rated bus close-coupled between the transformer and 480V switchgear

·         Provide structural steel support for outdoor busway

·         Provide new concrete pads for the transformer and MV switchgear

·         Provide new underground concrete-encased duct-banks

·         Intercept and extend existing 15kV cables from manhole to equipment

·         Provide 15kV terminations, 15kV 900-amp dead-break elbows, and junctions in manhole

·         Provide grounding, identification tags and arc-proof tape in manhole

·         Provide a short circuit, coordination, and arc-flash study

·         Provide third party NETA testing on cables and all temporary and new equipment

·         Demolition of existing indoor 13.2KV metal enclosed switchgear, transformer, 480/277V service switchboard, 480V switchboard A2DP10 and associated equipment

·         Installation of 480V temporary cabling in overhead gutter

·         Provide temporary power equipment and connections to support all active circuits at Substation A2

·         Altering exterior walls of Substation A2 to accommodate busway entry point

The facility had to remain operational 24/7 during construction. All service outages had to be limited to off-hours coordinated and approved by the owner. A detailed construction sequence was developed and had to be approved by the owner before any outage could begin. The project required all outages to be performed during work hours that would not interfere with the building occupants. The logistics of the project were difficult at best. There were complex rigging requirements to install the new equipment. Phased outages were required for the extension of 15kV feeders.

A temporary substation and switchgear had to be installed to support the loads from the existing A2 substation. The existing loads were transferred from the old A2 switchgear to the temporary switchgear so the existing switchgear could be removed. The new A2 switchgear was installed inside the building and connected to the new transformer. The building loads were then transferred from the temporary switchgear to the new permanent switchgear and the temporary substation was removed.

All work was performed by qualified and certified high voltage technicians. All technicians go through annual OSHA training for confined space, lock-out/tag-out, electrical safe work practice, ARC flash and many other certifications. Cynergy owns and operates an APS75 diesel driven underground hydraulic cable trailer. The trailer is designed specifically to install underground cable, and has industry leading features like anti-twist rope, rotating modular extension arm and an advanced electronic information system for monitoring and documenting vital pulling functions. Cynergy is one of the few contractors that is a certified MVPower Contractor by TE Energy (Raychem).  Any products installed by MVPower Certified Contractors, using Raychem 5-35KV medium voltage splice and termination power cable accessories, provide a twenty (20) years warranty after installation. To become a certified MVPower Contractor extensive training and validation for products used by all technicians were performed. All technicians are also certified by the National Cable Splicing Board which certification is designed to ensure personnel handling medium voltage cables and components are properly trained. In the medium voltage service industry, you will inevitably come across unusual cable or uncommon applications/requests from customers. Cynergy has the staff to tackle unusual or difficult applications, older cables, and customized product applications.

Commissioning and field testing were a large component in the project. Third party testing was provided for all medium voltage switchgear, 480V switchgear, busway, 480V breakers, grounding grids and 15kV cables. Factory field services were provided for hands-on training; classroom training and operation and maintenance manuals were provided for all operational systems. Other items provided by Cynergy were an arc flash, short circuit & coordination study, erosion & sediment control, new concrete pads, traffic bollards, concrete vehicle barriers, concrete pavement repair, test pits, structural steel support for busway, scheduling, quality control, safety and security were important elements of the entire project. The project was completed ahead of schedule.