Power-Station

CHALLENGE

To keep up with the booming energy demands of this growing region the local utility company determined that they needed to build a new peak usage facility to meet critical electricity demand during periods of maximum grid stress. Incidentally, the grid is most stressed, and the generators most needed, during periods of extreme temperatures. As a result, the facility needed to be kept at ideal conditions to ensure that the turbines could be started at a moment’s notice. This is of course in addition to the ventilation required to exhaust the heat produced by the generators during operation.

DESIGN

Moffitt worked with Engineering firm Sargent & Lundy and General Contractor Fagen, Inc, to design the solution for this project. Sargent & Lundry and Fagen, Inc. have each worked with Moffitt before and consequently sought them out to develop the ventilation solution.

This peak power plant houses 10 massive natural gas engines. These engines would emit a great deal of heat during operation. Two large MoffittVent natural ventilators were positioned on the roof of the building to allow the hot air to exhaust. Make-up air units were then incorporated to introduce fresh, clean air into the building. This would ensure the proper pressure level was maintained and that the building could stay around 58 air changes per hour.

Together the system exhausted up to 572,000 CFM movement. More than sufficient to keep the generators running even on the hottest days of the summer.

With the ventilation resolved, the team next looked into keeping the building from getting too cold. To avoid having to add individual unit heaters, Moffitt suggested adding extra heating components to the make-up air units. The modular nature of the Moffitt Make-up Air systems made this an easy change. A direct fired gas burner was added to about 25% of the MAUs. This would ensure that the air kept moving through the building at all times, and that it would stay above the 50 F threshold.

Dampers on the MoffittVent units would ensure that the warm air stayed inside of the building.

The make-up air units were tied directly into the buildings’ overall systems so they would activate when it got too cold and then deactivate when either the weather got warmer or the turbines turned on and started to heat up the space.

INSTALLATION

Moffitt advised Fagen on the installation of the MV. The unit was assembled on the ground and hoisted into place, several long sections at a time. This avoided extended work on the roof of the building.

RESULTS

Moffitt continues to work with the contractor and engineer through start-up and commissioning of the plant. The ventilation equipment is installed and commissioned on building 1, with building 2 scheduled for completion shortly. Everything seems to be working as designed so far but the real test will come this summer when the generators are activated.