Follow up to Mission Impossible..

As followers of the blog remember, a few weeks ago we were given a project to duplicate some switchgear that had been involved in a fire. Power Plant:  The accident occurred at the DeCordova Power Plant in Granbury, Texas.  The plant operates four natural gas-fired combustion turbines that generate 260 MW total.  The Accident:  It is believed that operators or electricians energized the 4160-volt switchgear while a ground was still installed following a maintenance activity.   While initially it had to look like there was not much chance of a "quick solution" or perhaps any solution (they had to think they needed magicians not scientists), fortunately the power plant called on the right service group who knew how to solve the problem.

By combining resources, our two companies were able to respond to this project in the time frame required by the customer.  There are way too many folks to thank here on this blog entry but about everyone on staff was involved in some little way either in working on the project direct or covering another job while we allocated that person to the project.  Pretty easy for the author to say it was fun, but I heard at least one tech say "let's not do that again for a couple weeks".  Scientists not magicians, this time we were magicians.  This switchgear went from the left to the right in about 3 weeks.




That's what we call CBS Emergency Response. Check out the wire, tape, termination care package we also sent along.  We even think of the little things.  Hopefully you will not need us, but if you do, you will be glad we are there.

UPDATE 3/11/12 - Check out this video (posted in 3D if you can handle it! I think you have to download the "wmv" file and then watch it with NVidia on a 3D enabled monitor). But we are the first to have some 3D Video.

From They want this back next week...

Mission Possible!

Last week our best local customer, who is also a large NETA service company brought us the following pieces of switchgear for "repair or reconditioning" (or whatever that magic that we do is called).

Their customer, a local utility has a very important customer who is serviced by this distribution gear.  It was/is imperative this customer be back on line fully functional ASAP.  And when I say "imperative/ASAP" I mean we were deputized to "do whatever it takes" and "duplicate this gear" (you cannot really fix some of that, we are scientists not magicians).  And so off we went.

I am not sure there are many companies that could accomplish this mission. And assuming the Texas Rangers games do not go into too many extra innings this weekend we should ship several sections like the following to replace this destroyed gear.  Fortunately we had about all of the components for this piece in stock and we sourced the rest.  The challenge was the customer insisted that this be an "exact replacement".  Kudos to Justin Brewer for overseeing the job and to all the crew working two shifts to make it happen.

More close up photos soon.

Links to more photos..

When Emergency Calls, we are there!

OK many of you thought that the weekend job we did a couple weeks back with all the General Electric Magneblast equipment was impressive (and it was).  But that was before we pulled this one off.  

Recent flooding in upstate New York caused a known service and repair facility to call us with their "hope".  Their local utility was calling on them to bring a "ancient" Allis Chalmers 5kV substation back on after it had gone under 1 foot of water.  I said "only 1 foot, no problem, how many breakers do you need?"  And we proceeded to work out the details.

The total turn around time from receipt of the first phone call till the truck left our facility was 34 hours. 

Here are some photos of the (16) MA-250 Vacuum Roll In Replacements we shipped to replace the customers air breakers that went underwater.   We had to ship (2) 2000 amp mains to replace his MA-250C-1 breakers that were wired to a 18-723-364-402 wiring scheme and (13) 1200 amp feeders to replace his 1200 amp MA's and a couple MSV-250 breakers that were wired to a 18-806-541-411 scheme.

The customer was impressed that we had this many modern replacement breakers in our inventories, that we had the wiring diagrams on file, and that we could have them out this quickly rewired and fully tested.  They were not fighting the cost of the equipment, they are fighting the cost of downtime. 

Not very many dealers could pull off a solution like this in the time frame this customer asked for.  We even "cell fit" each breaker to to be sure everything was just perfect.   And the customer even commented that "the price was fair".  No one says that. 

Another big salute to Tim Brewer and his emergency crew for making this happen.  There will be more information on them "blogged in the future".

 Here is a link to the Reference Gallery showing lots of the ways that we can perform. 

Pulling Rabbits out of a Switchgear Hat!

AM13.8-1000 3000 amp
Primary Disconnects "Bottles""

Here is what the guys came in and expedited out last weekend for a large utility in Pennsylvania that had a generation station "off-line".

Luckily between the legacy parts we keep on hand and our used equipment inventories, we were able to deliver the  perfect solution in the time requested.  This is the kind of stuff we do best.

Kudos again to Tim Brewer and all the guys he entangled for a job well done.  The main office said they will all get this Monday off. 

Our Service Crews will be following up right behind this equipment to see if there is a way we can help them avoid these emergencies and the added costs they incur.  We sell proactive solutions as well as emergency response.

Shutter slide assembly, secondary
disconnection and M-36 parts

In the first picture is a set of "primary disconnects cell side" for the General Electric Magneblast M-36 Switchgear with the AM13.8-1000 3000 amp air circuit breaker.  Then we have all the elevating assembly and a all the parts to supply a "replacement cubicle in the box" (some assembly required).

You can see more examples of these "switchgear rabbits" in some of our shared photo galleries:  

         We Ship Parts Every Day!
         References and Examples of Quality

Call today if we can help (800) 232-5809 or (940) 665-4444 or EMAIL of course!

PS.. Hang on, the results of the "Mystery Part Contest" will be posted soon..