INTRODUCTION

A local utility company in Rochester, N.Y. is investing millions to increase Eastman Business Park’s energy efficiency and utilities productivity in order to help attract new businesses and jobs to the region while ensuring compliance with Boiler MACT and other pending environmental regulations. The utility company purchased the Park from a local chemical/film company in late 2013 and has been working on infrastructure upgrades since then.

The utility company’s operations manager called Optimation’s construction manager, Jack Burke, for an emergency meeting after a 70 lb. steam main had fractured beneath Lake Avenue. This line supplied steam to a neighboring company, causing the company to shut down operations. Both the neighboring company and the utility company became concerned about cold weather causing sprinklers to go off and damage operations and research in the neighboring company’s production facility.

The objective: fix the steam main and get utilities back up and running to the neighboring company ASAP.

SOLUTION

Optimation had to think out of the box to create a solution that would quickly fix the problem, without requiring cranes onsite and the holdup of waiting for an out-of-state contractor.

Within a day, Optimation assembled a team of welders, pipefitters, riggers and an insulation partner to fabricate a series of pipes that would be connected by bolts, gaskets and welds underneath the street, repairing the fractured line. 160 feet of pipe was pre-fabricated in Optimation’s shop prior to arriving at the job site.

In another effort to save time at the job site, the construction manager planned to have the pipes insulated in Optimation’s shop space after welding. The pipes were then moved by crane to prevent damage to the insulation and still save time for the client on the job site. Picking points were welded onto the pipe to prevent damage to the insulation during mobilization and installation.

When in the field, the client contracted an excavation company to dig a 3 foot deep trench. Optimation needed to tie into the existing mains, custom fabricating transition pieces to connect tie points to Optimation’s pre-fabricated pipes. Optimation pipefitters redirected the pipes to stay south of the damaged area.

RESULTS

The work was completed in 2.5 days, saving the client from weeks of lost time. The client was appreciative of the efforts that Optimation’s skilled tradesmen put in to fix the problem.