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Location: Cecil, Ohio
Segment: Utility
Problem: Update an existing substation allowing for maintenance access, future load growth and standardized components to cascade to other substations.
Solution: Substation turnkey, design/build project
Results: An expanded substation with increased access to safely perform maintenance and consistency of design for ongoing fleet modernization
We were impressed with the communication from Eaton throughout the project. We worked with their project manager as a single point of contact. Eaton’s transparency, flexibility and attentiveness to the project were best in class.
Background
Founded in 1936, Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative (PPEC) is a member-owned and member-controlled nonprofit electric distribution utility; serving more than 12,900 homes and businesses in Ohio and Indiana.
PPEC was in the midst of rebuilding substations in their service territory. The utility was looking for an experienced manufacturer and service provider who could take complete end-to-end ownership to rebuild and upgrade their 69kV substation. The project was planned to improve electric reliability, reduce outages and ensure future electric load capacity for businesses in the Paulding, Ohio area. Eaton’s turnkey approach ensured that the utility received not just a best-in-class solution but were also ideally placed to meet the objectives of their long-term substation strategy.
Challenge
This substation rebuilding project was part of a multistage, multi-year program for PPEC. The engineering team needed to ensure the solution provided interchangeability of installed equipment and spare parts as well as future load growth considerations.
Eaton also ensured the design eliminated the operational and maintenance restrictions caused by the current layout. For instance, the current placement of voltage regulators required PPEC to deenergize the transformer or find a way to squeeze a maintenance vehicle in to pull the regulators out to perform maintenance in a safe manner. The new Cecil Substation needed to be equipped with a 12 MVA station transformer, which is more than twice the capacity of the existing transformer.
Solution
Eaton’s Engineering Services took a consultative approach to the project, considering all of PPEC’s requirements to ensure they were fully addressed during the design stage. Eaton developed a conceptual design via a site walkdown and multiple discussions with personnel from PPEC. This gave Eaton a clear understanding of their current and future requirements, as well as issues in their older substations, allowing Eaton to anticipate and mitigate in this substation rebuild project.
While upgrading the existing substation, the utility emphasized using the new products with equal or better quality and attributes as their older products – such as the size of transformer and type of reclosers among others. Along with modernizing the substation, Eaton also provided allowance for further load expansion.
These provisions for expansion capability are expected to result in significant cost benefits.
Eaton also designed the substation to provide easy operational and maintenance access to all components, including the voltage regulators and new control house. The new design positioned both with drive up access, ensuring efficiency and safety of field personal during maintenance activities.
Apart from the design considerations, the overall scope of work included engineering, construction, and testing and commissioning. Eaton undertook electrical, civil and structural engineering which included disassembly and demolition of the existing substation and installation and commissioning of a completely new substation. Eaton also performed site acceptance testing on the new outdoor electrical equipment located in the HV switchyard and functional testing of new equipment controls and protection schemes.
Eaton provided a dedicated project manager to support the project. The project manager was the single point of contact thereby ensuring that PPEC had direct, transparent and efficient communication with Eaton.
Benefits
End-to-end project responsibility
All aspects of the project including electrical, civil and structural design work, demolition and disposal of existing equipment, along with equipment installation, startup and commissioning were under Eaton’s supervision.
Safety focus in design and project execution
The new design and layout of the Cecil substation ensures safe and easy access to high voltage equipment for routine maintenance operations. All products were selected for standardization across the utility’s fleet, ensuring familiarity for field personnel.
Inventory management and product standardization
A key design component requested by the customer was product standardization across all their substations. Eaton assisted the utility in meeting their objective by consciously ordering products which can be used across all substations.
Eaton’s consultative and design/build approach allowed the Cecil Substation upgrade to be completed on-time, meeting all industry standards of safety and quality assurance.
(PDF 540 KB)
Read this story about a design/build turnkey solution, where Eaton provided new equipment, expanded maintenance areas and implemented equipment consistency for future growth.
