Philadelphia, PA · 2010 – 2014
Mission Critical, 6 MW, N+1 Redundant, 13,200 Volt Electrical Power Generation and Distribution System with 120,000 gallons of on-site diesel fuel, priority load shedding for critical and essential loads throughout the 110 bed VA Hospital, and fifty-one automatic transfer switches. The system has operated as commissioned since 2016. Delaware Valley Notable Achievement Award Winner in 2018 and Certified LEED Silver.
Even after giving a presentation to the VA on why their Original Preliminary Design for the Detailed and Final Engineering and Design of a 6 Megawatt (MW), Mission Critical, N+1 Redundant, Emergency Generator Standby System, was useless and their budget was almost 50% less than needed for the project, the VA selected Maida Engineering, Inc. for the Detailed and Final Engineering and Design. Maida Engineering, Inc. developed the new Conceptual, Preliminary, Detailed and Final Design for new N+1 Mission Critical Standby Power Systems that included three (3) - New 2MW, 13.2 KV Standby Generators, each housed in separate prefabricated building that are accessible from covered walkways from a renovated main electrical service entrance building that houses the new 13.2 KV Paralleling Switchgear and the Paralleling and Priority Load Shedding Control Panel. Two (2) - 60,000 gallons, underground fuel tanks and pumping system housed in a new pump house in the yard with the New Generators.
The new Emergency Power Distribution System distributes power to a combination of fifty-one (51) existing and new automatic transfer switches within the 100 bed Hospital, in the Central Utility Plant and in the Boiler House. The engineering included the phasing and scheduling that would limiting the time that the hospital's critical loads would be without emergency power to 1 hour or less and the installation of new Unit Substation in the Existing Generator Building using the space that was formerly occupied by four (4) - 480 volt Emergency Generators that were removed.
Provisions and space were provided for a fourth 2 MW generator. A rental generator connection cabinet was provided for maintaining the new equipment while maintaining N+1 redundant emergency power system for essential and critical loads. New emergency power unit substations were installed in the room with the paralleling switchgear, in a new electrical room within the hospital, in the boiler house, and in the building that previously housed the existing emergency generators. A new redundant PLC based control system uses a redundant network to control low voltage circuit breakers within the new unit substations and to provide priority load shedding at system startup and in the case of a generator failure. The control system and a new metering system provide required documentation for Joint Commission reporting.
The project received the 2019 Notable Achievement Award from the Engineering Societies in the Delaware Valley. More importantly, the hospital will have electricity to fulfill its mission even if there is a complete failure of the utility grid electrical system in the area for two or more days.