Size: N/A
GC: Columbia Construction
Owner/Developer: Siemens
J&M Brown furnished and installed a new medium voltage prefabricated electrical house approximately 60′ x 30′ consisting of new double-ended switchgear with the main for (2) new Eversource incoming 1200 amp 13,800 volt feeds. Each side of the Eversource gear had (4) custom 1200 amp breakers at 13,800V feeding a new lineup of medium voltage switches, (6) in total with each switch consisting of (3) incoming sections.
Designed with kirk keyes allowed 1 of 3 different incoming lines to feed. Each of the (6) building loads has a potential of (3) incoming feeds to choose from so if a feeder lost power it would take only minutes to transfer a load to another feeder.
The existing service feed was picked up via new underground 5” conduits to existing service manholes. The (6) building loads were picked up at various locations via 5” underground conduits including manhole(s) splicing onto existing conductors, while some loads being brought into existing buildings switchgear directly.
Siemens Healthineers has a manufacturing and research facility in Massachusetts and this project was part of the $300 million facility upgrade.
Highlights:
- The cut over from exiting power to new service feeds took a 26 hour shift working around the clock to minimize the down time to building power.
- Weather conditions played into the complexity of this project at the medium voltage house was set via crane in the middle of a snow storm and cut overs were performed during on and off thunder showers and sever rain.
- Safety was a major factor and no incidents occurred.
- A temporary overhead 13,800V Eversource service was brought to the existing service loads during construction as the campus did not have the required capacity on the existing service to handle the added production requirements.
