Replace Unit Substations 9 and 17 and A3B Switchgear

Added: Feb 17, 2015 1:02 pm  

The Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) intends to solicit, negotiate and award a contract on a sole source basis to Siemens Energy, Inc. 1345 Ridgeland Parkway Suite 116, Alpharetta, GA, 30004 for the design, equipment and installation required for replacement of medium voltage switchgear and primary unit substations for Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC).  The GIS switchgear shall be manufactured by Siemens Corporation.  The work includes the design of A3B Switchgear and Unit Substation 9 and switchgear including e-house, switchgear platforms, overcurrent and protection study.  Provide A3B switchgear and Unit Substation 9 and switchgear including e-house, switchgear platforms, cables, and factory acceptance tests.  Install A3b switchgear, Unit Substation 9, Unit Sub 9 switchgear, and medium voltage cables.

AEDC has the need to procure medium voltage switchgear that is reliable and safe.  This project includes supply of equipment and installation required for replacement of medium voltage switchgear and a primary unit substation.   The medium voltage Gas Insulated Switchgear line-up includes 11 cubicles, an indoor platform, cable terminations, and control wiring. The unit substation Gas Insulated Switchgear line-up includes 6 cubicles, an outdoor e-house, spare medium voltage transformer, cable terminations, high resistance ground, and control wiring.  Siemens support services include engineering, commissioning, and drawing reviews.  The remaining solicitation requirements is for demolition of existing equipment, purchase of new supplies and general construction items.  AEDC has the need to procure medium voltage switchgear that is reliable and safe.  Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) is the latest technology that provides power without requiring personnel be equipped with arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE) while operating or maintaining the GIS equipment.  Hours of industry wide research, competitive bidding, and accepted maintenance and reliability practice have resulted in the conclusion that Siemens Type 8DA10 Gas Insulated Switchgear is the only switchgear that confines each of the three phases of power in three separate compartments.  This is a critical requirement from a safety standpoint and mitigates electrical fault severity to avoid costly shutdowns of the entire system.  Competitors' designs have all three phases in a single compartment.  With the isolation of the phases a factory-trained Siemens employee can remove the damaged phase and replace it with the identical part from a spare cubicle, and return the cubicle to service in a short amount of time.  In most cases this work can be completed with the remainder of the switchgear lineup still in service.  In these situations, all competitors' GIS, in most cases, require that the entire switchgear lineup to be de-energized while the entire enclosure is removed (all three phases) and sent to the factory for repair.  If spares are available, a new enclosure could be installed from the spare cubicle but the entire lineup would be unavailable throughout the duration of the repair.  The competitors also have sections of conductors that are not housed in gas compartments and if the failure occurs at these points in the circuit it could result in much more severe damage.