Compressed Natural Gas: Delivering a Clean, Reliable and Cost-effective Energy Option Oil, Gas & Chemical n
By Jim Flear
This past year, Cianbro Corporation completed construction of a compressed natural gas (CNG) facility and distribution terminal located in New York. The natural gas is delivered to the terminal by pipeline and is then transported to industrial and commercial businesses which are located off the pipeline route. The completed station was comprised of a compressor facility and a meter station, both with a separate set of drawings, specifications, and construction criteria. The collective scope of work included site and civil construction, electrical and instrumentation installation, pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) erection and fit out, mechanical piping installation, and fire alarm and security system installation. Each scope of construction was administered under a separate contract, and was coordinated by the owner’s overall site construction manager. Cianbro was contracted to complete the electrical and instrumentation installation, the PEMB erection and fit out, and performed subcontract work for the fire alarm and security system installer. The electrical work began in late October of 2014, and included the installation of the primary switchgear, motor starters, master control systems, a Programmable Logic Control system, as well as the installation of all plant power and control to the compressors, process equipment, and PEMB systems. This
work included installing all instrumentation components and our electrical team providing commissioning support. Immediately upon arriving on-site, the Cianbro team began installing conduits in the foundation forms, just ahead of the concrete pours. In mid-November, Cianbro was awarded the PEMB erection and fit out. The PEMB scope consisted of erecting a 2,560 square foot pre-engineered building and fitting out all required building finishes, including a control room, office, bathroom, workshop, storage, and electrical rooms, and also providing sanitary sewer, domestic water, and the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. The owner awarded the electrical and PEMB scopes to the same contractor in an effort to streamline the clashing of the PEMB with the various mechanical, electrical, and architectural systems. This expedited any required field adjustments, including moving walls, doors, louvers, etc. to allow building systems, electrical, fire alarm panels, conduits, etc. to fit. This latitude greatly decreased the engineer review process and allowed interior building construction to progress efficiently. The building was delivered to the site in early December and erection began soon after. The electrical and PEMB work continued through the holidays and into the coldest winter (2015) in recent history in an area affected by lakeeffect snow. The New Year brought new challenges, as many days started below zero and several started in the negative double digits with daytime highs in the
single digits. North winds would gust over 30 miles per hour and snow would drift even on the sunny days. Despite the adverse temperatures and near white-out conditions, our desire and commitment to complete the project safely did not waver. The PEMB building shell was completed during the first week of January and temporary heat was installed, which allowed for a portion of the interior work to commence. The fit-out and building system construction continued in coordination with the interior electrical and fire alarm activities. Exterior electrical activities progressed and included the direct bury cables, wire pulls, site conduit, and lighting. The electrical scope at the meter station was completed in mid-March and met the commissioning schedule. The following month, the facility’s electrical scope was completed in coordination with the other trades. Cianbro provided assistance for the facility commissioning and the startup team, and the first CNG truck was successfully filled in April of 2015. The owner assumed full operation and applied the final touches before unveiling it to the public this past summer. Many thanks to the entire Cianbro team including Gary Hayes, Ricky Viens, Steve Michaud, Jason Despaw, Rich White, Sean Briggs, Andre Wright, Tyler Brougham, Ron Ayres, Dennis Martin, Jeff Fortier, Chelci Allis, and Jim Flear
for working through the challenges and turning over a quality project. 4 9,846 Project Safe Hours
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