Engineering Management - Installation of a 65KVA Transformer - Case Study Example

Installation of a 65KVA transformer Contents Project objective 2 Deliverables: Work breakdown structure (WBS). 3 Methodology. 4 Transportation 4 Removal of the old transformers 5 Resizing the original transformer housing. 5 Installation of the new transformer 5 Transformer inspection after installation. 6 Work package. 6 Package preparation for transportation. 6 Transport arrangements. 6 Arrival inspection. 7 Old transformer removal. 7 Installation of the new transformer. 7 Inspection and commissioning of the installed transformer. 8 Cleaning the site. 8 Estimated time schedule 9 Limits and exclusions 10 Conclusion. 10 References. 11 Project objective About 40 million distribution transformers are used to supply electricity to consumers. Due to their efficiencies, research shows that the transformers account for 229 billion kilowatt hour energy, is lost annually during electricity delivery. In order to reduce the losses, the distribution agencies should replace the old, less efficient, transformers with modern and more efficient ones. This research involves feasibility study on replacing two 25KVA transformers with a single 65KVA transformer, at a substation located at 34 kilometers east Nipigon Ontario. The research includes transportation, installation and commissioning of the new transformer. Substation transformers are designed to be installed on three-phase grid systems. Its unit are also constructed for indoor or outdoor installation and are to be mounted on a concrete pad. The high and low voltage cables are designed to enter the operating sections via enclosed sideways mounted bushings. They can also be connected to the cover or sidewall mounted bushings. Technically, all the efforts have been made to anticipate normal installation, operation and servicing problems of transformers. However, the available solutions do not exhaustively cover all possible variations in equipment or applicable conditions (Aldhubaib, 2014). Deliverables: Work breakdown structure (WBS). Work 47% Work 48% Work 2% Budget $9400 Budget $ 9600 Budget. $ 400 1.1 Personnel. 2.1. Uninstalling old 3.2. Land filling fee Work 3.0% transformer Work 3% Budget $ 600 work 15% Budget $ 600 1.2 New transformer Budget $3000 & equipment. Installation of the new transformer. Work 10% Work 31% Budget $2000 Budget 1.3 Old transformer Work 26% Budget $5200 1.4 Waste material & BCP Work 9% Budget $1800 Methodology. Transportation The transportation of large power transformers (LPTs) can be challenging due to their weight and dimensions. It thus poses a unique challenge on ensuring that their safety and efficient transportation is achieved. This is in relation to the current condition of the road, rail, and port, relying on this means of transport, which take more time and are expensive. It is also not advisable to carry the transformer using the regular rail cars since they are not supposed to be rolled down the hill or even bumped into other rails cars. Bumping a transformer into other rail cars can lead to severe damages (Mehairajan, 2015). A specialized truck is, thus, supposed to be used to transport the transformer since it is highly specialized in carrying massive loads. The rental charges for this special vehicles are up to $2500 per day, in addition to other special fees. Due to the nature of the transformer it could also attract additional charges, damages or even closure of some regional stations (Mehairajan, 2015). Removal of the old transformers The electrical team will be summoned to dismantle the old transformers inside its housing in order to ease removal since they cannot fit the door of the housing as a whole. The PCB coolant will be drained from the coolant tank into special containers before dismantling the transformer (Warshay, 2015). Since they cannot be removed through the door, the back side of the housing will be demolished. The demolished side will then be extended so as to enlarge it fit the new transformer. The team will perform the process of removing the old transformer in accordance to the manual provided. Resizing the original transformer housing. After the removal of the old transformers, the civil engineering team will be required to resize the housing by extending one end of the original housing. It thus means that the amount of masonry work will be greatly reduced on only one side of the original housing will be extended to fit the length of the new transformer. Since the door of the existing housing can accommodate the new transformer, it shall be kept intact (Warshay, 2015). Also, the supporting pins on the base of the old transformers shall be repositioned to ensure that the new transformer is adequately supported. Installation of the new transformer Transformers are provided with access covers that can facilitate the installation. The access covers should, thus, be mounted in place before the installation process begin. There should also be a safety program that ensure the personnel and the transformer are safe. The ventilation in the room should be sufficient, and there should be no combustible material around the transformer. There should be no heat-generating equipment around the transformer (Aldhubaib, 2014). During the installation, the core, and the coil should be solidly grounded to the enclosure. Transformer inspection after installation. It is advisable to inspect the transformer immediately after installation. This will help detect any damage during the installation. Any bolted electrical connection should be checked and tightened to the recommended torque (Mehairajan, 2015). Work package. Package preparation for transportation. The transformer will be dried out thoroughly before dispatch and the oil filtered before the shipment. All the parts that are liable to get damaged during transportation shall be removed and transported in a separate case. Accessories like the radiators, explosion-vent, temperature indicators, and bushings together with the pressure relief devices shall be removed and place in separate cases for shipment (Warshay, 2015). An impact recorder will be used to monitor the equipment during transportation. Transport arrangements. Due to the challenging and inconveniencing nature of the site location and the urgency of the operation, the team will be required to hire one truck. The truck carry the transformer to the site and later serve to transport the two old transformers from the site to the disposal region. All the personnel who will be working on the site will be transported to the site according to the order of operations. The electrical technicians will perform their duty of removing the old transformers for three consecutive days (Warshay, 2015). Arrival inspection. Once the transformer arrives at the sub-station, it will be first inspected on the truck before offloading. Some of the areas of high concern during the inspection are the high and low voltage bushings. These shall be checked for any crack, chips or leakage. Also, all the internal accessories will be inspected for breakage or loss. The pressure gauges, paint, tanks and radiators are also supposed to be checked for any damage or leakage where applicable (Aldhubaib, 2014). Old transformer removal. Once the housing roofing has been removed carefully, the electrical technicians’ team will disconnect the transformer and cautiously drain all the Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB). The coolant will be placed in special containers and immediately transported to the approved storage facility. Removal of the PCB will be done in compliance with the environmental health and safety authorities who shall have been notified prior to the draining process. Transportation of the PCB will be monitored to the storage facility and inspected for any spillage upon arrival at the facility (Mehairajan, 2015). Installation of the new transformer. Once the civil work is complete, the transformer installation will begin. The technicians will ensure the area is clean the positioning of the lifting cranes, and the transformer is suitable. Extra precautions shall be taken while lifting the transformer with the sling angle being maintained below 60 degrees (Aldhubaib, 2014). The point of attaching the sling should be inspected for crack weld or even loose bolts and nuts by the quality engineer before lifting the transformer. Guiding ropes will be used to prevent the transformer from twisting or swinging once it has been lifted. It will then be lowered slowly and placed down on the level surface which is capable of supporting its weight (Aldhubaib, 2014). The cable support, cabling, and terminations shall then be completed as per the approved drawing recommendation. Inspection and commissioning of the installed transformer. The final inspection will be done in three major steps, namely electrical, internal and external. For electrical inspection, the inspection manager will ensure that all the external connections have been made properly and that all the accessory circuits are operational (Aldhubaib, 2014). Internal inspections help to ensure that there is no moisture; all bushes are clean, and all the bolt connections are tight. They also ensure that there is no shifting of any part or damage. External inspection help to check for final painting of scratches and that no tool are left on top of the transformer or its enclosures (Warshay, 2015). It also ensures that mechanical pressure relief valves are operational. Finally, all the accessories like the liquid gauges, liquid temperature gauges, and pressure-vacuum gauges are inspected for proper operation. Once all the inspections have been performed the transformer is commissioned to operate, and an inspection calendar developed to ensure continued proper operation of the transformer (Mehairajan, 2015). Cleaning the site. The site should be kept clean as possible. This will enhance the safety of the personnel as well as the equipment. Once the old transformers have been removed from the housing, they shall be prepared and packaged for transportation and assembled at one point to avoid obstruction. Once the new transformer is off-loaded from the truck, one of the old transformers will be loaded immediately to the truck for disposal (Cao, 2014). It thus means that the truck will only make two trips to the site. Other waste resulting from the demolished housing, broken casing, and the wrapping will be continually loaded onto a small truck for disposal. The table below shows the work package, as summarized in a gnat chart. Project Start Date: 3/23/2015 (Monday) ## Display Week: 1   Task Start End Cal. Days % Done Work Days Estimated cost [Task Category]               package preparation for transportation   Mon 3/23/15 Fri 3/27/15 5 100% 5 $200  Transport Arrangements   Sat 3/28/15 Wed 4/01/15 5 50% 3 $300  Arrival inspection   Thu 4/02/15 Sun 4/05/15 4 75% 2   Old transformer removal   Wed 3/25/15 Sat 3/28/15 4 50% 3 $500  Installation of the new transformer   Sun 3/29/15 Mon 3/30/15 2 50% 1 $450  inspection and commissioning of the installed transformer   Tue 3/24/15 Thu 3/26/15 3 50% 3 $300  cleaning the site   Fri 3/27/15 Tue 3/31/15 5 50% 3  $150 report writing and presentation   Wed 4/01/15 Tue 4/07/15 7 50% 5  $200 Table 2: gnat chart Estimated time schedule Notification and consultation with relevant stakeholders May 2015 File applications form June 2015 Start construction if the project is approved August 2015 Complete construction. January 2016. Although we attempt to follow our anticipated schedule, it is subject to change and thus promise to provide updated schedule information as the project progresses. Limits and exclusions The limits shall basically, be meant or saety and ensuring good working conditions. Incorporating a risk plan in the project will help to curb unforeseen accidentals occurrences. The management team analyzed the risk involved with uninstalling old transformers and installing the new one and came up with the following measures (Cao, 2014). The site will be fitted with adequate fire extinguishers and an open and separate fire assembly point. Due to the risk involved in handling the PCBs the involved personnel will be issued with adequate safety clothing. The community will also be notified in advance so as to keep off the perimeters of the site (Cao, 2014). The coolant will also be transported immediately to the approved storage facility. Due to the nature of the nature of the 34 kilometer connecting road between the highway 17 and the site, personnel will be positioned near the junction to control traffic. In addition, one crane will be stationed at the site so as to respond to any breakdown of the transports’ truck along the single lane road. Conclusion. The provided estimate time schedule is prone to changes depending on the time of approval and the environmental condition of the site. Since the site relies on the single lane connecting road, the transport expenses are likely to change. The change will only be effective to enhance the timely supply of the required materials without inconveniencing other road users. The (WBS) depicts the allocation to individual activities necessary to accomplish the installation effectively and timely. The individual allocation is based on the current market cost of different equipment and services. It thus mean that depending on the time of approval the structure can change to suit the market. References. Aldhubaib, H. A. (2014). A Novel Approach to Investigate the Effect of Maintenance on the Replacement Time for Transformers. Power Delivery, IEEE Transactions on,. 29(4), 1603-1612. Cao, Y. X. ( 2014). Study on Power Transformer Fault Risk Assessment Method. Applied Mechanics and Materials, . 433, 691-699. Mehairajan, R. P. ( 2015). Risk-Based Approach to Maintenance Management Applied on Power Transformers. Springer International Publishing. 9th WCEAM Research Papers , 415-434. Warshay, B. ( 2015). Upgrading the Grid: How to Modernize Americas Electrical Infrastructure. Foreign Aff.. 94, 125. Read More