J-W Power Company Motor Control Centers, Manteca, CA
With a reputation for providing innovative, custom, design-build panels, it’s no wonder BLOC was selected to design prototype motor control centers for a prominent, North American natural gas and electricity company.
BLOC was asked to design and build two, Siemens 400 horse power, variable frequency drive, motor control center panels (400 HP VFD/MCC). Similar to panels BLOC has built for this company in the past, these machines bring power in from generators, clean and stabilize that power, provide motor control and overcurrent protection, then deliver power to all the electrical components on the unit. Each unit required a 400 HP VFD to control the main compressor motor; a 20 HP VFD to control the compressor cooling fan; a 2 HP Smart Starter to control the pre-lube pump; and a contactor to control the oil immersion heater. A 10 kVA hazardous location step down transformer was used in conjunction with a newly designed light-weight hazardous location lighting panel to distribute low-voltage power. A 2200 volt amp uninterruptable power supply for the logic control panel was also necessary. Because all this equipment generates a lot of heat, we incorporated two, 20,000 BTU hazardous location air conditioners that will maintain an internal cabinet temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit even in direct sunlight. The panels alone were six-feet tall and eight-feet long assembled on the tongue of a, custom-built, 18-wheeler, low-deck trailer.
Before design began, multiple design meetings took place to go over every detail of the equipment that needed to be powered or controlled. The weight on the motor control centers was a major concern sense the panels were 3,000-pounds each. With that in mind, the design team was careful to reduce the weight on the units however possible, while maintaining the necessary hazard rating. To facilitate this, we found a pioneering lightweight hazardous location lighting panel.
Never created before, these completely original, custom-designed units are mobile, electronic, natural gas, cross compression stations. They allow evacuating sections of gas pipelines for maintenance, moving gas from one pipeline to another, or even pumping gas into custom tanker trucks. All BLOC panels are developed in strict compliance with the Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) standards. UL is a global independent safety science company that is the primary certification agency for electrical components used is industrial control panel equipment. It certifies, validates, tests, inspects, and audits products for ongoing compliance.
Services Provided
Electrical Engineering
BLOC Contact
Chase Frazier, Principal-in-Charge / Project Manager
Owner
Confidential natural gas company
Owner Reference
Confidential
Design
Start: September 2016
End: December 2016
Construction
Cost: $184,000 ($92K each)
Start: January 2017
End: April 2017
Project Size
Two, Siemens 400 HP VFD / MCC panels