Critical Power

ASSET’s team of engineers are experts and thought leaders in all aspects of power delivery and grid connectivity. Many of our clients have power-critical functionality requiring extreme care and consideration in the design of their power projects. ASSET’s engineers are experienced in developing solutions to meet these requirements, including green field, brown field, upgrades and retrofit projects. Our portfolio includes the successful delivery of hundreds of utility transmission and distribution projects. From High voltage transmission lines to 480V Motor Control Centers, ASSET’s engineers are prepared to fulfill our clients’ power engineering needs.

ASSET also understands the importance of energy conservation, sustainable design, renewable energy sources and achieving a practical balance with realistic applications. Our portfolio of renewable energy projects includes biomass facilities, cogeneration plants, wind and solar farms.

The integration of these technologies ushers in additional challenges and constraints for the industry including a growing need for more reliable electric service (critical infrastructure), higher design thresholds and statutory requirements for protection of critical infrastructure assets (weather hardening, security against terrorist threats) and a need for increased specialized technical and design ability.

Data Centers
Healthcare Facilities
Mission Critical Facilities

We believe in the inherent power of teamwork to bring people and projects to their greatest potential. This is why we’re proud to serve some of today’s leading academic and health care institutions.

Health and educational institutions carry an immense responsibility to meet the needs of the thousands you serve every single day. ASSET Engineering makes it easy for you to focus on your mission of supporting your communities, instead of worrying about your systems failing.

Military bases are some of the most secure locations in the country. It is essential that you have access to constant, reliable power. We take pride in the power system communications design, build, and deployment we provide to some of the top military facilities in the nation. Whether we’re starting from a blank slate or repairing current systems, ASSET Engineering is one partner that will stop at nothing to deliver exceptional value.

For more detailed information about our Core Services and Competencies, please visit the Why ASSET? page on our site.

Select Projects

Data Centers

Digital Realty – Project Piscataway and Project Totowa (Piscataway, NJ and Totowa, NJ)
Digital Realty is the world’s largest wholesale colocation services and data center solutions provider with over 130 secure locations globally. DR is involved in datacenter acquisition, ownership, development and operation. Projects include turn-key, build to suit, buy to suit and powered base datacenters.

DR–Piscataway and DR–Totowa are datacenters requiring dedicated interconnections with the local utility (PSE&G) through a 69/26.4kV substation. The substation was divided into two major design sections: 1) 69kV Ring bus comprised of four (4) 69kV SF6 breakers, and 2) 26.4kV Switchgear with a Main-Tie-Main configuration and eight (8) feeders. The 69kV ring bus was designed in accordance with PSE&G standards and specifications, and the 26kV system was design in accordance with DR standards and specifications. These projects were standard substation design packages including design of protection and control schemes, protective relaying and coordination studies, and ground grid designs, along with substation equipment specifications. The projects presented unique challenges and design aspects. The Piscataway project had a compressed schedule with limited engineering and construction timelines. ASSET allocated resources to provide focused engineering efforts which enabled construction to be completed on-time. Unique design aspects included the development of a human-machine interface (HMI) for the customer’s RTU. The HMI was viewable locally in the substation or remotely on networked computers. Additionally, the switchgear control system utilized PLC programming for implementing a closed transition transfer scheme. Logic specifications were required to account for temporary “brown” out or transient switching conditions by the utility. ASSET was the lead engineer for commissioning and energizing the switchgear transfer scheme and also provided post-energization training for onsite maintenance and operation personnel.

Due to the performance and quality of service during the Piscataway project, the customer awarded the successive project in Totowa prior to the initial project being completed.

Hospitals

Biloxi VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System (Biloxi, MS)
Arc flash studies are used to determine the minimum level of personnel protective equipment (PPE) workers must wear when they are near exposed energized electrical equipment as required by OSHA regulations. By modeling the electrical power distribution system with software like SKM or ETAP, arc flash calculations can be developed that provide a measurable assessment of the hazard level. These calculations are then documented on labels that are installed on the equipment to provide the authorized personnel information on the hazard and the minimum requirements for PPE.

To be compliant with government and OSHA regulations, The Biloxi VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care facility commissioned an arc flash study to be completed on the existing buildings at the Biloxi site. Mississippi Power Company (MPC) was engaged to execute this work and acted as the project manager. A local electrical contractor familiar with the facility was engaged by MPC to collect the required data for the input into the model for the study. MPC contracted ASSET Engineering to build the power system model and perform the arc flash hazard analysis. The scope of the project began at the incoming service from the utility (MPC), and included all indoor and outdoor switchgear and panels, in over twenty buildings down to the 208VAC level. The challenges that were overcome included having to work from outdated facility drawings and missing documentation. Over 1,000 buses were modeled in our SKM software and over 700 labels were printed and installed for the project.

Mission Critical Facilities

Alexandria VA Hospital and Campus (Pineville, LA)
ASSET was engaged by Coactint, LLC, a SDVOB, to provide all of the electrical studies, reports, data collection, and infrared scans for the Alexandria Veterans Administration facility in Pineville, Louisiana. Our scope of services included the power systems modeling using SKM PowerTools software and performing the following studies, calculations and reports:

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• Short Circuit
• Protective Device Coordination
• Arc Flash Analysis
• Thermographic
• Voltage Drop
• Protective Device Settings

The Arc Flash Study was performed in accordance with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1584, and the Guide for Performing Arc Flash Hazard Calculations. The study included all significant locations in the electrical distribution system (switchboards, switchgear, motor control centers, panelboards, busways, etc.) from the incoming utility equipment or cabling down to 208V systems where work could be performed on energized circuits. Data collection and documentation of all electrical systems 110V and above. Final submittals included a formal reporting of findings, collection data and study calculations in a comprehensive report. In addition to the services mentioned above, ASSET also provided and installed all labels as well as provided training for the VA’s personnel.

Power System Study for Naval Air Station Complex (Pensacola, FL)
Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) requested that Gulf Power Company (GPC) perform power system studies for its Naval Air Station Complex in Pensacola comprised of NAS Pensacola, Corry, and the Hospital Complex. In turn, GPC contracted with ASSET Engineering to perform the technical work scopes required in NAVFAC’s Specification Section 260575.0025. This work consisted of two elements: (1) a field inventory of the new and changed equipment in the electrical system and update of the Utility Inventory and Risk Assessment (UIRA) data base (for items found and not listed), and (2) an update of the electrical power system model and preparation of new studies.

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ASSET with NAVFAC performed a comparison of the SKM model and the URIA Database Spreadsheet to the provided single line diagrams to identify deficiencies which had to be inventoried. ASSET developed the plan to collect electrical system data for the SKM model and to collect limited data for URIA Database Spreadsheet. During the field inventory, ASSET performed an infrared survey along overhead lines, at connection points (mechanical tap on a line or connection to a switch for example), switchgear and all transformers to pinpoint potential points of failure.

• Short circuit study of the maximum fault current case to document Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Fault Current levels throughout the complex and document equipment bus bracing and interrupting ratings
• Load Flow Study (down to primary distribution transformer secondary voltage level) to power flow throughout the complex during normal operating conditions to confirm transformer capacity, conductor ampacity, and voltage drop are with acceptable limits
• Coordination Study and Protective Device Coordination to document current and proposed settings to provide for selectivity. Settings changes to microprocessor based relays and trip units will be documented in an easy to understand format to detail work to be completed in the field
• Arc Flash Hazard Analysis per NFPA 70E and IEEE 1584 for normal and one alternate system configuration to determine the incident energy at equipment locations across the system
• Infrared Study including prioritized list of equipment needing attention noting location, limited scope of work and cost estimates and images captured for documentation

Electrical System Studies listed above were performed after primary load currents and transformer secondary voltage, current, and power measurements were made. Noncontact amp-probe current meters with hotsticks were used to measure currents on overhead power lines and in pad mounted junction vaults and transformers as identified by selection of critical nodes. Battery operated power recorders using rope-type current transformers and voltage clips were placed in secondary compartments of transformers (approximately 10 units per NAVFAC request). Recordings were made for 48 hours in an effort to capture values for two consecutive summer electrical peak days. Ten recorders were used, with five recorders moved to new locations each day until all load measurements had been captured and documented for later use in the SKM load flow study.

Hurlburt Field AFB, Power Quality Study (Mary Esther, FL)
Gulf Power engaged ASSET Engineering to perform the technical scope for replacing an existing pad-mounted medium voltage multi-step capacitor bank at Hurlburts’ main substation. Harmonics analysis was required to determine the values associated with the design and operation of the filtered capacitor bank. ASSET Engineering provided a Harmonics Study and Analysis, inclusive of collecting the field measurements required in the specification of the capacitor bank. The following project tasks and deliverables represented our scope:

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• Update an EASY POWER model with the GPC fault current, transformer, cable, and existing capacitor bank information, and measured fundamental and harmonic currents on each of the four (4) 12 kV Feeders and the Main Bus.
• Perform harmonic study in order to specify new capacitor units taking into account switching for Power Factor Correction.
• Narrative findings summary for the harmonics studies, and proposed component modifications.
• Updated Easy Power model for use in Filter Evaluation
• Report documenting the findings of:

o Harmonic analysis of the station in conjunction with GPC provided fault current levels and ASSET measured fundamental and harmonic currents on each feeder and the main substation bus, and
o Capacitor bank rating per stage along with component specifications to account for present and future Gulf Power fault current contributions and present and anticipated future base loads including their harmonic content.

Critical Power

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