Service: Prime Consultant
McMaster University
Trigeneration Plant
HH Angus was initially engaged to perform a Detailed Engineering Study to determine the viability of installing a natural gas-fired turbine for power and steam generation, and the use of absorption cooling to balance out steam production in the warmer months.
For a full year, we reviewed heating, cooling and electrical power loading at McMaster University. We also reviewed operating costs covering maintenance, operating and natural gas costs, and completed a sensitivity analysis of gas and power pricing variances. Capital and Operating budgets were also prepared to determine ROI on the proposed investment.
Following the Detailed Engineering Study, we were engaged to design the new trigeneration plant using a gas turbine (5.4 MW) coupled with an HRSG (Heat Recovery Steam Generator), natural gas compressor, absorption chiller (1000 tons) and centrifugal chiller (2500 tons). The plant was installed in the existing central utility plant room, and significant demolition of redundant equipment was undertaken to generate the space for this system upgrade.
There were a number of interesting challenges associated with the work:
- Selective demolition of two existing steam boilers, two existing incinerators and one 5,000 ton electric centrifugal chiller including isolation of services and asbestos abatement to not impact existing plant operations
- Fitting this large equipment into an area with significant space constraints
- Creating a path of ingress for the equipment from outside into the sub-grade basement level of the plant for installation during winter months where the weather would be unpredictable
- Minimizing the impact on daily operations within the plant during the demolition and construction phases.
- Integration and coordination with a switchgear replacement project running in parallel with the cogeneration project
- Targeting a completion date of October, 2017 to ensure the client would receive full IESO funding for the project
Some of our solutions included:
- Thorough surveys of existing equipment and services to ensure the equipment slated for demolition could be isolated from the operating plant with minimal to no service interruption
- Engaging with equipment suppliers at an early date to ensure required footprints were allocated
- Coordinating with the structural engineers to design a removable roof cap that could be installed prior to the existing roof being cut open to allow equipment installation
- On-going coordination with plant staff during the design phase to get buy-in of any modifications required to the existing plant
- Pre-tendering long lead item equipment to ensure on-site delivery dates would meet the construction schedule
By designing to eliminate potential interferences or issues with installation, we were able to meet the delivery targets and deliver a successful project.
SERVICES
Prime Consultant | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering
PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed 2017
LOCATION
Hamilton, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Year-long detailed engineering study | Reviewed heating, cooling and electrical power loading | Study included sensitive analysis of gas and power pricing variances | Introduced new design for trigeneration plant usage, a gas turbine (5.4MW) coupled with an HRSG, natural gas compressor, absorbtion chiller and centrifugal chiller
Casino Rama
Power Infrastructure Upgrade
“The installation of protective electric equipment designed and specified by HH Angus is working amazingly, and has afforded us the confidence that we no longer need to pre-start all three of our 1 MW generators during every looming lightening storm”.
— John Haley, Director of Engineering and EVS Casino Rama
Casino Rama features over 2,500 state-of-the-art electronic gaming machines. The popular facility is owned by the Chippewa’s of Rama First Nation and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. It welcomes over three million visitors annually.
Because power quality issues occasionally damaged sensitive electronics in gaming machines, Casino Rama gave HH Angus a mandate to find a solution that would protect equipment while minimizing games downtime, as well as shutdowns required to implement the solution.
HH Angus analyzed Casino Rama’s existing power distribution systems, critical loads, plans for future electrical load growth, and building infrastructure, including available service space and mechanical infrastructure.
A number of recommendations were presented, with varying degrees of risk mitigation and cost. Casino Rama opted for a 1.2 MW centralized uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for the portion of the existing emergency generator powered distribution system dedicated to their electronic gaming machines.
In addition to providing protection against power quality disturbances, the centralized UPS provides gamers with an uninterrupted playing experience during a utility power outage. The UPS bridges the gap between the onset of a utility power outage and the time it takes the onsite 3 MW emergency generators to come online and support the critical loads.
Implementing the centralized UPS system had its own unique challenges. Available service space had to be identified. The system had to be integrated with the facility’s electrical system in a way that minimized the time required for machine shut-downs and tie-ins. Additional air conditioning units were provided to ensure that the stipulated ambient temperatures were maintained. Structural reinforcement was also needed to ensure the floor slab could support the added weight of the battery banks. All these requirements had to be taken into account when designing the project.
SERVICES
Prime Consultant | Electrical Engineering
PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed 2012
LOCATION
Orillia, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
1.2 MW central UPS dedicated to 2500+ gaming machines | Power distribution analysis | Integration with existing electrical system | Eliminated power quality issues
Zero Power Quality Issues
Since the installation of the centralized UPS system, Casino Rama has had no power quality incidents affecting their sensitive electronic gaming machines. In addition, electrical distribution fault-related downtime has been eliminated, resulting in a substantial reduction in annual maintenance costs.
Quote source: Casino Rama hires HHA to help with power infrastructure
— Photos courtesy of WZMH Architects
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
High Voltage Emergency Power Renewal
HH Angus has been providing mechanical and electrical engineering at the Sunnybrook campus since 1945. The complex now totals more than 2,000,000 ft2. In that time, a great many individual projects have been successfully delivered. The high voltage emergency power renewal described below was a large infrastructure improvement project. Other large project examples from our work at Sunnybrook include M Wing and the Toronto Sunnybrook Cancer Centre.
High Voltage Emergency Power Renewal
The renewal project involved replacement and upgrades of existing forty-year-old standby generators and associated infrastructure. The specifics included: installation of 8.75MW of diesel generators, new medium voltage switchgear, a selective catalytic reduction system for each new generator (for emissions control), fuel oil system upgrades and replacement of a campus-wide PLC-based load management system. The selective catalytic reduction systems allow Sunnybrook to use their plant for offsetting peak loads during summer months and to realize savings in annual hydro expenditures.
The high voltage emergency power renewal project replaced the existing 4160V generating capacity of 4.3MW with 8MW of new 4160V generating capacity. A 600V, 750kW generator replaced an existing 400kW generator.
SERVICES
Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering | Prime Consultant
PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed 2015
LOCATION
Toronto, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Large infrastructure improvement project involving architectural and structural design for a building plenum expansion | Installed 8.75MW diesel generator | Added selective catalytic reduction system for each new generator | Multi-phase project to ensure service redundancy for critical functions
Prime consulting services
HH Angus was the Prime Consultant, as well as the electrical and mechanical engineer for the project. We retained the services of an architect and structural engineer to design a building plenum expansion for the new diesel generators. The general trades work included extensive structural steel work, excavation and concrete work.
HH Angus managed equipment procurement for the project and helped Sunnybrook Health Sciences select an equipment supplier to provide a .9 million CDN (2013) equipment package.
Phasing for service redundancy
The project was multi-phased to allow temporary power to maintain service redundancy for critical healthcare functions while existing diesel generators were decommissioned and the new structure constructed and plant equipment installed.
MAN Diesel
Bonaire, 14 MWe Power Station
The island of Bonaire (formerly the Netherlands Antilles), has been a special municipality of the Netherlands since 2010. It lies in the Leeward Antilles chain of Caribbean islands, with an area of 288 square kilometers (111 sq.mi.)
With the commissioning of its sophisticated new sustainable wind-diesel hybrid power plant, Bonaire became the first Caribbean island capable of 100% renewable energy. This project’s aim was to transform today’s largely fossil fuel-based energy supply infrastructure in Bonaire into one based on the application of 100% sustainable energy sources within five years (bio diesel extracted from algae).
The Bonaire project featured a 14 MWe turnkey power station with site work, roads and electrical connections. HH Angus was responsible for all mechanical, electrical, civil structural engineering, including various piping systems (heavy fuel oil, light fuel oil, lubricating oil, compressed air, etc), high and low voltage distribution, and PLC control systems. All mechanical detailing was completed with 3D CAD software, with related materials captured in Excel for the bill of material procurement.
Our design scope covered a capacity increase to 20 MW (designed for future use) and was based initially on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) as the principal fuel, and light fuel oil (LFO) as an alternative. The plant was designed with the capability to be converted to operate on biofuel in future. Also included in the project was an extensive tank farm with storage of HFO, LFO and lubricating oil.
The plant consists of 5 X2.85 MWe MAN Diesel generating sets at 11kV, and was designed as a base load plant with parallel displacement production from a windfarm generating system. Each genset is selectable to dual busbar systems that each step up to 30kV for island distribution.
This is the only power plant on the island. The diesels supply voltage regulation, as well as VARs and power production to supplement the island’s needs when wind production has been harvested to maximum benefit.
Special care had to be taken to integrate the control systems of the wind turbines and the diesel engines, as the grid performance has to be maintained through fluctuations of the wind resource. The diesel engines have to respond to the changes in output from the wind turbines in order to maintain electrical grid balance.
SERVICES
Prime Consultant | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering
PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed 2010
LOCATION
Leeward Antilles, The Caribbean Islands
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Wind-diesel hybrid power plant | 100% renewable energy | 14 MWe turnkey power station | Piping system, civil structure, high and low voltage distribution and PLC control systems | Capacity increase to 20MW | Heavy fuel oil as principal fuel & light fuel oil as alternative | Extensive tank farm with storage of HFO, LFO and lubricating oil
Brantford Power
Landfill & WWTP Cogeneration 5.4 MW
HH Angus was retained to provide a turnkey natural gas fired cogeneration plant to take in landfill gas and digester gas and, in turn, produce electricity to feed to the Ontario power grid.
The cogen plant also transfers heat back to the digesters for process treatment of municipal liquid waste. In a future phase of the project, heat would be distributed to a district energy system.
Brantford is unique in that its solid waste landfill and the municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) are adjacent to each other. Based on the available methane from the WWTP and the landfill, two 2.7MWe engines were provided (5.4MWe total), with a provision for an additional set as the landfill continues to grow.
The engine hot water is 95˚C and designed to be distributed to the adjacent WWTP. The design allowed for future exhaust gas recovery when the planned district energy system was developed.
The electrical output is 42% of the energy input, and the overall efficiency of the system was designed to be 88%, assuming that full thermal recovery would be implemented in a future district energy phase.
The station service load is supplied by the utility at 347/600V; however, the power is generated at 4160V and steps up to 27.6kV to supply into the grid. Synchronization is at 4160V.
SERVICES
Prime Consultant | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering
PROJECT FEATURES
Status: Completed 2010
LOCATION
Brantford, Ontario
KEY SCOPE ELEMENTS
Prime Consultant for Design-Build | |Provided two 2.7MWe engines based on available methane | Integrated 42% of electrical output | Overall efficiency designed for 88% at implementation of full thermal recovery