Value Delivered
EMCOR Facilities Services (EFS) performed the annual shutdown and maintenance at a major university client's heat plant, combined heat and power plant, and chiller plant —featuring complex and highly demanding work on a Siemens Gas Turbine Generator.
In a typical year, EFS performs standard work at the plant while a Denmark-based company handles specialty maintenance on the turbine. This year due to COVID-19, that company was unable to travel on-site, and our plant managers had to handle both responsibilities during the 10-day plant shut down.
After securing necessary parts, we utilized video conferencing and augmented reality (AR) glasses to collaborate with the Denmark-based technicians remotely and completed the repair. Thanks to the hard work, long hours, and creativity of our managers, operators, and mechanics, we successfully completed the shutdown, receiving numerous accolades from our client.
Client Objectives
While EFS regularly coordinates and manages the annual plant shutdown, this year the client had to depend on our team more than any time in the past. With travel restrictions in place, our on-site plant managers were the only personnel with the experience necessary to accomplish the turbine maintenance the plant needed.
Solutions
During the project, EFS performed a range of regular maintenance procedures while our managers put in double-duty, working 10-hour shifts to complete the turbine repair.
For the turbine, AR glasses allowed the Denmark-based technicians to see everything our plant managers saw as they worked and communicated with minimal delay, helping us complete filter changes, instrument calibrations, general inspection, and borescope inspection.
Throughout the process, our managers led the entirety of the plant shutdown and coordinated a number of other ongoing tasks, including:
- Monitoring and enforcing plant safety measures including orientation and COVID protocols
- Major piping work to convert the existing chilled and heating hot water distribution systems to a dual temp system
- Cyber security upgrade to the plant LAN involving the replacement of LAN equipment, wiring, software, and IP addresses
- Replacement of three chilled water coils in the intake air cooler and annual preventive maintenance on the chiller