Braid recently transported and set three 42-ton transformers and accessories for a power plant in New Jersey. The power equipment’s arrival to its final destination culminated a long journey from China where the transformers were shipped on a heavy lift type vessel.
The 512-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant is currently supporting the gas-using businesses in the region and is being expanded through the installation of additional equipment to increase its power generating capacity.
Braid’s scope began at the port of Philadelphia. With the power pads being under construction at the time of vessel’s arrival, the move had to be postponed. Therefore, the transformers were received from vessel and staged at a temporary storage area where they were inspected; all major external components were found intact. The units were later delivered to the jobsite as needed on a just-in-time basis. Transformers had to be staggered in a particular sequence so as to overcome obstacles related to the congestion in the work area. The units were lifted with a 350-ton crane positioned next to the foundation within a 30-foot radius. The outriggers were deployed onto steel mats and timbers placed underneath them to distribute the load of the crane to the ground and achieve a minimum soil bearing capacity of 2500 lbs psf. Transformers were then gently swung around 180 degrees from the delivering equipment onto their respective concrete pads for installation. All other accessories were successfully offloaded to the laydown area.
“We have overcome challenges related to a changing delivery schedule and congestion”, said Gus Chalos, President of Braid Projects. “Nevertheless, we delivered as requested and have allowed the site to carry out its expansion work without causing disruptions to the general operations of the plant”.
