Dowdell Public Utility District - Water Plant No. 3 Generator Replacement

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Prime Consultant: Vandewiele & Vogler
E & I Engineer: Infrastructure Associates
Construction Budget: TBD

PROJECT BACKGROUND
The existing generators at this facility, located east of Tomball, Texas, were designed to carry the electrical full load of the entire facility, inclusive of one 250 HP motor, three 50 HP pumps, and miscellaneous smaller site loads.  This original design had two smaller 275 kW diesel generators operating in parallel with an integral synchronism controller.  Since the installation 3 years ago the generators have had constant problems, often failing to synchronize and even when fully operating the generators often struggled to handle the in-rush associated with the starting of the large 250 HP well pump, causing the generators to shut down. Infrastructure Associates was hired to visit the site, provide an evaluation with options, and proceed with a design based on load calculations.

​ELECTRICAL DESIGN
IA engineers prepared a full accurate as-built one line diagram, site utilities plan, and determined an optimized single, large generator would be the most cost-effective solution to the problem. The design featured a solution so that the existing generators could be left in service during installation of the new generator, minimizing possible exposure to electrical service downtime. IA coordinated site visits with used equipment dealers to facilitate sale of the existing generators once the new generator is commissioned, helping recoup a portion of the project’s cost. Construction is set to begin in 2nd half of 2017.