Engineer's Week 2012

2 | BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Saturday | February 25, 2012

It has been frequently statedthat, “Scientists investigate thatwhich already is; engineers createthat which has never been.” Someof the greatest challenges of mod-ern life have been overcome thanksto engineers. And their reach con-tinues to grow.

Engineers do more than designbridges and buildings. Their workpermeates many aspects of a per-son’s daily life. Beyond this, engi-neers help to solve many of theworld’s most puzzling problems.

Many people do not fully realizehow comprehensive engineers’roles are. Nor do students recog-nize how fulfilling a career in thisdiscipline can be. There are morethan 1.6 million engineers world-wide. These people often cross thedisciplines of math, science andengineering and venture intomany different industries to con-quer a host of challenges.

“Whether it’s the latest tabletcomputer, electric sports car orother cool new product, people getvery excited about innovation —and more often than not theseinnovations are brought to marketby engineers working in technolo-gy hubs like Silicon Valley,” saysVinton Cerf, IEEE Fellow.

Exploring just how far-reachingengineering work can be shedsnew light on a field that can oftenbe awe-inspiring.

HHeeaalltthh,, MMeeddiiccaall aanndd HHuummaanniittyyOftentimes, engineers are seen

as being the builders of theabstract, working against the hur-dles of logistics, roads, and othermanmade materials. But engineersalso play a significant role in thefields that directly touch people’slives and impact their well-being.

Engineers are instrumental indesigning the products that help in

the area of medicine and personalhealth. From creating better, moreinnovative wheelchairs for the67,000,000 people worldwide whorequire them, to developing cus-tom-fit prosthetics that bettermimic the function of actual limbs,to creating technology that enablesblind people to “see” through elec-trical impulses in the brain, engi-neers are behind some of the med-ical field’s most innovative prod-ucts. Individuals are often pouringover the hypotheses of how tobuild it better, including betterhearing devices, such as surgicallyimplanted computers that allowfor direct neural connectionsinstead of external aids. In manycases, engineers have helped devel-op products that rival the humanbody or even exceed its capabilities.

RRoobboottiiccssRobots can be used to replace

human error in many instances.They can also be substituted forpeople when conditions may betoo dangerous. Robots are alreadyused to defuse bombs or to collectintelligence in times of war.

Engineers have helped createmore than 8.6 million robots

worldwide. There are predictionsthat robots may be classified astheir own subset of the populationas early as 2040. These forms ofartificial intelligence will replacehumans in some of the more dan-gerous jobs, like military person-

This supplement was produced and published by the

EEddiittoorr//LLaayyoouutt:: David M. FitzpatrickWWrriittiinngg//PPhhoottooggrraapphhyy:: David M. Fitzpatrick, Brian Swartz

Some stories and photos submitted by participating advertisers.SSaalleess:: Linda Hayes CCoovveerr DDeessiiggnn:: Faith Burgos

If you’d like to participate in next year’s Engineers Week, or if you’d like to learn more aboutpromoting your business or organization with your own special supplement contact

Linda Hayes at (207) 990-8136 or [email protected].

See ENGINEERS, Page 4

Since the year 2000, Maine’sengineers have invited the public,and especially the young, to ourpopular showcase of what engi-neers do. Every child’s an engineerat heart, learning new ways ofdoing things every day. As adults,engineers live their lives followingthis passion, developing new prod-ucts, processes, and concepts.

Tung-Yen Lin, founder of T.Y.Lin in Falmouth, said it well whenhe spoke to us a few years back:“When I was 10 years old, I used tolook across the wide river andwonder what the people on theother side were like.” Lin became aleader in the field of pre-stressedconcrete, and is famous for design-ing beautiful new bridges.

Today hundreds of kids, their

parents, and their teachers comevisit our stadium full of projectsshowing how we “ingen-ers” useour ingenuity to conceive newthings. A 2-year old girl, playingwith wires, batteries, and a motor,thrills to see the motor spin andwants to show us her motor turnsthis way and that when shereverses the wires. A kindergart-ner proudly shows off goop he

made using chemical engineeringwith the Society of Women Engi-neers. A group of 10-year-oldscompetes with handmade wind-powered cars. Middle-schoolersshowcase their inventions fromscience fairs and robots fromLego League. High-school teamsdemonstrate the 200-mph windtunnel they designed using com-puter-aided analysis. An engineer

from Limington takes us throughdrawings he created for the SuezCanal.

All kids are engineers nomatter what age they are and inMaine we’re working to includeengineering in daily pre-K throughGrade 12 education so these youngminds grow up knowing what theycan do with their native talents.Come see for yourself!

Our celebration banquet is Fri-day, March 2, at 5 p.m. at the WellsConference Center and the Uni-versity of Maine in Orono. TheBrainPower 12 Engineers WeekExpo will take place Saturday,March 3 from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. at theUMaine Field House in Orono.

For more details, visitwww.engineeringme.com.

Looking for a career? Engineers help improve the world

All kids are engineers! Get ready for the BrainPower 12 Expo

BANGOR DAILY NEWS | Saturday | February 25, 2012 | 3

By Sargent Corporation

In fall 2009, Sargent Corpora-tion and Lane Construction Cor-poration teamed up to reconstructa 7-mile stretch of Route 1Anorthwest of Ellsworth, one ofMaine’s busiest highways. Despitesignificant challenges, the twocompanies completed the job infall 2010, eight months ahead ofschedule, with minimal disruptionto tourist, commuter, and deliverytruck traffic.

The job was actually two adja-cent projects. Both included pave-ment removal, excavation, newgravel, drainage, and paving thehighway with 12-foot travel lanesand 8-foot shoulders to improvethe roadway’s safety and function-ality.

The first project, a 3.9-mile sec-tion of Route 1A near downtown

Ellsworth, was awarded it to LaneConstruction in July 2009. Thesecond project, a 2.9-mile sectionat the end of the first project, wasawarded to Sargent in August2009.

Ordinarily, MDOT wouldn’thave scheduled adjacent projectson the same highway for the sameconstruction season, but whenfederal stimulus funds becameavailable that summer, the secondRoute 1A project was the best proj-ect available, given the stimulustime constraints and the designavailability of potential projects.

The first challenge was for twocontractors, facing the prospect ofworking back-to-back projects ina very congested commuter andtourist corridor, to make the situ-ation practical. One of the bestthings about Maine is the closeties that many contractors have

Teamwork made Route 1A dual-construction easy

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARGENT CORPORATION

Two back-to-back projects to rebuild 7 miles of Route 1A northwest of Ellsworth in 2009 and 2010had the potential to become a traffic nightmare for tourists, commuters, and delivery trucks. But

Sargent Corporation, which held the contract for one segment, and Lane Construction, which heldthe other, worked together as each other’s subcontractors to get the job done efficiently, safely,and eight months ahead of schedule, and with minimal traffic disturbances, thanks to overnight

work during the week.See SARGENT, Page 7


By Cianbro

“If they had a place to stand, they couldfind a way to move the Earth.” That’s howCianbro Corporation President Andi Viguedescribes the company’s engineering teamwhich is integrated into everything Cianbrobuilds. Their capabilitiesare vast, ranging fromwide experience in deepexcavation to working inand around water to usingsingle- or multi-craneplans for erecting struc-tures safely to usingmother nature to movemassive structures such asthe lift spans of moveablebridges.

“We do everything from mills to bridgesto railroads,” said Senior Design EngineerJoe Foley. “So we have to know all of thespecifications involved. It’s not somethingyou just jump into out of school. It requiresa lot of experience. And all our people arevery experienced.”

Cianbro’s Engineering Group DesignerJames Haut says an outstanding engineering

team must have the ability to relay ideas. HisCAD skills are crucial to that achievement atCianbro. “It’s not just coming up with abright idea, but being able to communicateto other people who will implement thatidea at the construction site. We have theabilities in our group to do that.”

Technology accentuates Cianbro’s engi-neering abilities. “I canremember back in the daywhen we had scales andpencils and now we’re allon computers with CAD,”said 27-year veteran DaveSaucier. “We stay current.We need to. All of ourclients are current. Andfor us to communicatewith them, we have to stay

up to date as well.”Perhaps the greatest asset of Cianbro’s

engineers is each other. They work togetherand trust each other to get the job done forthe client. “It all goes back to an old Cianbromotto,” said 30-year veteran Tom Gilbert.“No one in this room is smarter than all ofus. Teamwork. It’s great to talk about, but welive it. We live it in this group. We live it inthis company.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF CIANBRO

Cianbro’s temporary trestle facilitates work atLittle Bay Bridge project in New Hampshire.

Teamwork helps Cianbroengineers move the Earth

“No one in thisroom is smarterthan all of us.”-Tom Gilbert, Cianbro

nel, loggers, industrial machinery repairpeople, and fishermen. Fishermen have oneof the most dangerous jobs, with 200 deathsfor every 100,000 full-time workers, accord-ing to data from The Discovery Channel.Robots might one day prove instrumental inreducing such fatalities.

EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall IIssssuueessMuch has been learned about the human

impact on the planet and the fast-movingdepletion of natural resources. Engineers areoften trying to solve the problems of theenvironment, including alternatives toreliance on fossil fuels.

There are some innovators who haveposed questions about harnessing the powerof natural weather phenomena, like hurri-canes and tornadoes, to replace the 85 mil-lion barrels of crude oil used by the worldevery day. Hurricane power rivals nuclearstockpiles and tornado wind energy exceeds300 miles per hour speeds. With the increaseof natural disasters, engineers are seeking

ways to harness this power for the greatergood.

In addition, in 2011 the world has wit-nessed tsunamis and earthquakes in Japanand a string of powerful tornadoes blowthrough the southern U.S. Engineers are insearch of technology that can better fore-warn about impending disasters to reduceloss of life and damage.

“For me, making a positive impact onsociety is one of the primary reasons tobecome an engineer — and also to becomean entrepreneur,” offers John Cioffi, IEEEFellow. “True engineering contribution doesnot arise solely from writing papers andmaking presentations, but requires a simul-taneous effort to realize ideas in practice. Ifyou don’t develop these fine ideas into real-istic implementations, there is a goodchance no one else will either.”

The IEEE, the largest professional associ-ation for the advancement of technology,wants more people to know about the pro-found impact engineers have on the world.More information is available at http://solu-tionists.iee.org. Find out the ways engineerscross-collaborate across different fields tofind solutions to improve the planet.

changing the way you look a t const ruct ion throughi n n o v a t i o n . c o l l a b o r a t i o n . t e c h n o l o g y .

Commercial & Institutional | Electrical Transmission & Distribution | Fabrication & CoatingFuel Transmission & Distribution | Industrial | Marine Fixed Structures | Modular | Power Generation & Energy

Refining & Petrochemical | Offshore Marine Services | Transportation | Water / Waste Water

cianbro.comNow hiring Engineers, Electricians, Iron Workers, Pipefitters, Pipe Welders, Millwrights and more!

Apply online at cianbro.com or call 1-866-CIANBRO for information

EngineersContinued from Page 2


By John M. Riordan, P.E.SGC ENGINEERING

The town of Merrimac, Mass. has continued tooperate a municipal water system supplied exclusive-ly from two well fields and providing potable waterto approximately 5,250 people. Portions of the sys-tem are over 100 years old. The existing system iscomprised of water distribution system extensionsadded over time and has benefited from variousimprovements in storage capacity and water treat-ment as well.

However, recent physical inspections of the waterinfrastructure and engineering evaluations completedusing mathematical hydraulic modeling software haveconfirmed a number of deficiencies. These must becorrected to allow the system to operate within stan-dards that will provide water for potable and fire-fighting demands for the next 20-plus years. Conse-quently, the town has undertaken many improve-ments that will require a substantial financial com-mitment. This commitment is regarded as essentialfor maintaining the public health and economic vital-ity of the community. SGC Engineering is designing

these improvements that will consist of:• Replacement of two aged suction lift pumps at the

primary well field with individual submersible wellpumps in the six active 40-foot-deep wells, incorpo-rating the use of variable-frequency drives to vary thepumping capacity, and using a fully integratedSCADA system to greatly improve pumping reliabili-ty and efficiency, and to also optimize the value of thiscritical sand and gravel aquifer potable water supply:

• Rehabilitation of two water storage tanks torestore the useful life of each tank and ensure a reli-able volume of stored water for both potable and fire-fighting purposes;

• Provision of three water booster pump stations toestablish compliance with the recommended mini-mum pressure throughout the system under potabledemand conditions and largely resolve pressure defi-ciencies below 20 psi under fire flow conditions.

Additional considerations are underway that willcompare the cost-effectiveness of water main replace-ments with strategic placement of buried fire cisternsto augment the availability of stored water for fire-fighting purposes in those areas of the water distribu-tion system where hydraulicrestrictions are the most severe.

Merrimac, Mass. taking bold stepswith its water supply system

www.www.sgceng.com sgceng.com

WestbrWestbrook,ook, ME ME (207) 347-8100

OronOrono,o, ME ME (207) 866-6571 Hallowell, ME Hallowell, ME (207) 370-0590

Hinesburgnesburg, VT , VT (802) 735-0258 Cranbe Cranberry Twp, PA rry Twp, PA (412) 567-2626

● Power Systems Engineering & Design Power Systems Engineering & Design

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SGC Engineering, LL SGC Engineering, LLC C a part a part of Senerg of Senergy y

(ARA) - If you ask kids in elementaryschool what they want to be when they growup, you’ll likely hear singer, ballerina, athleteor movie star. As students move into middleschool and high school, they think moreseriously about career possibilities. All par-ents want their children to be successful, sowhat careers should they expose them to inorder to help them make a good decision?

This is a tough question for parents livingin current economic times, where once suc-

cessful career paths now suffer from fiercecompetition and high unemployment rates.There is a career, however, that continues tothrive through the down economy, and itoffers a variety of flavors that can fit justabout any child’s interests and personality:engineering.

Did you know employment in engineer-ing is more than 4 percentage points lowerthan the national unemployment rate? Engi-neering majors make an average yearlyincome of $75,000, higher than the yearlyincome of graduates in any other field. Thesefacts alone may inspire more parents to thinkof suggesting engineering as a career optionto their children.

Intel recently commissioned a study of1,000 American teens aged 13 to 18, to betterunderstand how to get more of them inter-ested in engineering as a career. The resultssuggest that exposure to any facts aboutengineering may inspire nearly half of teensto consider engineering as a career.

A conversation with your teen about whatengineers do and specifically how muchmoney they earn might be all that liesbetween your child and his or her future as asuccessful engineer. Here are six proactivetips for parents and teachers to help studentsconsider a career in engineering:

What’s the right career for yourchildren? Could be engineering

See CAREERS, Page 6


By CES

In 2011, the Eastport Port Authority com-pleted an expansion partially funded by $2million from the Transportation InvestmentGenerating Economic Recovery, or TIGERgrant, along with $4.5 million in state trans-portation bond money. This $6.5 millionexpansion consisted of site development onthe nearly 13-acre parcel, the installation ofa new 900-foot bidirectional conveyor sys-tem, and a 5-acre wood chip storage yard.

Many important factors were involved inthis significant expansion. As project man-ager, CES’s team of engineers and surveyorsprovided services including land surveying,site design, state and federal permitting, biddocument development, and constructionoversight. In a collaborative effort, the proj-ect was successfully completed on a fast-tracked schedule that required input frommany stakeholders including the EastportPort Authority, the Main4eDOT, the ArmyCorps of Engineers, and the MaineDEP.

Under CES’ plan, workers dropped aledge hill in the middle of the site by 26 feetto create a level table, removing 100,000cubic yards of rock in the process. The exca-vated rock material was processed on siteand used as the base for the wood chip stor-age yard and a future warehouse (to meetthe port’s ever increasing storage needs).The material was also used to stabilize a por-tion of the Sea Street shore, which the MaineDepartment of Environmental Protectionhad declared in need of emergency repairs.Approximately 26 feet of shoreline had beenlost since 1978, and the rock helped to pro-tect several local structures.

The 900-foot bidirectional conveyor wasconstructed to allow for easier and fasterhandling of bulk commodities. This convey-or allows for efficient loading and unloadingof ships, greatly increasing the port’sthroughput capability. With this projectnow behind them, the port is poised to growits volume of imports and exports, provid-ing a direct benefit to the Downeast regionand the entire state of Maine.

$6.5M Eastport Port Authority expansion completed in 2011

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CES

Construction underway at the Eastport Port Authority. CES’ plan dropped a ledgehill in the middle of the site by 26 feet to create a level table, removing 100,000cubic yards of rock. The rock was processed on site and reused; some of it was

used to stabilize part of the Sea Street shore. which the Maine DEP had declaredin need of emergency repairs.

11.. HHeellpp kkiiddss uunnddeerrssttaanndd eennggiinneeeerriinngg..Providing your children with a better

understanding of what engineers do canincrease consideration of a career in thefield. Talk about how rewarding it is to be anengineer. Explain the different types of engi-neers, such as chemical, agricultural, soundor computer, and what exactly they do.

22.. MMaakkee eennggiinneeeerriinngg mmoorree ppeerrssoonnaall..Children who know an engineer are more

likely to consider the field. Do you have afriend or colleague they could meet and askquestions, or job shadow? Giving a face toengineers can help create a sense that “if theycan do it, I can do it.”

33.. EEmmpphhaassiizzee hhooww eennggiinneeeerrss ccaann ppllaayy aa rroolleeiinn mmaakkiinngg tthhee wwoorrlldd aa bbeetttteerr ppllaaccee..

Play up the impact engineers have on theworld. For example, explain that engineerswere responsible for saving the trappedChilean miners last year. Or how a biomed-ical engineer might work on a new medicaldevice that can help save thousands of livesand environmental engineers help endan-gered plants and animals survive.

44.. RReeffrraammee tthhee ddiiffffiiccuullttyy ooff eennggiinneeeerriinngg aass aappoossiittiivvee cchhaalllleennggee,, aa bbaaddggee ooff hhoonnoorr..

Most adults know that succeeding at

something you thought was hard is one ofthe best feelings in the world. Parents shouldexplain their own experiences with overcom-ing difficulty and motivate their kids to takeon new challenges, despite how dauntingthey may seem. The rewards could beimpressive. In fact, engineering is the mostcommon college major amongst S&P 500CEOs.

55.. TTaallkk ddoollllaarrss aanndd cceennttss..Explain the earning power of those who

work in the engineering field. Half of the top20 best-paying college degrees are in an engi-neering field. Roughly 60 percent of teenssurveyed are more likely to consider engi-neering after learning about the career’searning power.

66.. EExxppllaaiinn tthhaatt eennggiinneeeerrss hheellpp oouurr ccoouunnttrryy..From 1990 to 2010, overall college grad-

uation levels in the United States havegrown about 50 percent, but during thatsame period the number of engineeringgraduates has stagnated at around120,000. By contrast, roughly 1 millionengineers a year graduate from universi-ties in India and China. This gap hindersglobal competitiveness and threatens ourability to both retain and create high-tech,good-paying jobs here in the UnitedStates. More children becoming engineerswill help America remain the world’s lead-ing innovator.

CareersContinued from Page 5


developed over decades of working together.Such was the case with Sargent Corporationand Lane Construction. They agreed to part-ner these contracts together through mutualsubcontracting agreements, making a man-ageable situation out of what could havebeen a nightmare for everyone, including thegeneral public.

As a result, the two projects were operatedas one, and the Maine Department of Trans-portation Web site referred to them as a sin-gle 7-mile project.

On the 3.9-milestretch closest to down-town Ellsworth, Sargentwas a subcontractor toLane Construction. Onthe next 2.9 miles, Lanewas a subcontractor toSargent. On both proj-ects, Sargent did thehighway construction,and Lane did the millingand paving. MaineDrilling and Blasting wasthe blasting subcontrac-tor for both; Sargent didthe excavation and sup-ported the blasting work.

The second challengeinvolved the way the projects weredesigned—the 3.9-mile section using met-ric measurements (meters, centimeters,etc.) and the 2.9-mile section using tradi-tional English measurements (feet, inches,etc.). The documents for the 3.9-mile sec-tion were drawn up several years before theproject was bid, when the federal govern-ment required its highway-fund projectsbe in metric. The crews had to be on theirtoes integrating two projects with differentmeasurement systems.

The biggest challenge was traffic. Withabout 20,000 vehicles a day and no suitable

detour, traffic management was paramount.The first thought was that traffic would beheaviest on weekends and holidays as accessto the Acadia and Bar Harbor region, but themajority was by commuters between Bangorand Ellsworth, and deliver-truck traffic, dur-ing the week — when most of the construc-tion would take place.

After work began in fall 2009, there weremajor traffic delays, including delaying thegovernor for a while one day. Joint meet-ings with MDOT, Sargent, and Lane wereheld throughout the winter to plan trafficmanagement and overall project manage-ment. The contractors and MDOT wereable to put a work plan in place to involve

daytime and nighttimework that kept trafficmoving and allowed theproject to be finishedahead of schedule.

In May 2010, Sargentcrews began working two12-hour shifts, doingmajor excavation andpaving being at night,and grading, ditching,and pipe work in the day-time. As a result, most ofthe alternating one-waytraffic was limited to thenighttime hours whentraffic was lightest. Daycrews worked outside the

core of the roadway as much as possible,allowing for the passage of two-way trafficduring the critical morning and eveningcommuting hours.

The 12-hour shifts also allowed Sargent torun some of the heavy equipment 24/7 hoursa day. Crews were on the job from 6 a.m.Monday to 6 p.m. Friday, leaving Route 1Aopen for summer traffic on the weekends.

The project was designed by the MaineDepartment of Transportation and con-structed by two of Maine’s premier construc-tion companies with the assistance of severalquality subcontractors.

Bob Sherman, P.E., Lead EngineerTHE FITCH COMPANY

In the fall of 2011, The Fitch Companyimplemented a state-of-the-art BurnerManagement System (BMS) for a largemanufacturing plant in Maine. The FitchCompany, with offices in Bangor, Rumford,and Gray, provides industrial automationdesign, fabrication, and commissioning fora variety of customers nationwide. Onegrowing business segment for The FitchCompany is in the field of Burner Manage-ment Systems. The demand for modifica-tion or replacement of these systems con-tinues to grow as customer seek to lowerfuel costs by substituting natural gas as theprimary fuel source.

A BMS contains the necessary softwareand hardware safeguards to ensure properlight-off and combustion of fuel. If a BMShas not been properly engineered, a fuel-rich atmosphere can result in an explosion.This explosion could result in loss of lifeand/or major equipment damage. Thedesign, fabrication, and implementation ofa BMS are normally done by Electrical andControl Engineers who have extensiveexperience with National Fire ProtectionAgency (NFPA) standards. The NFPA peri-odically publishes industrial standards thatprovide guidelines to ensure these systemsare engineered correctly.

The first step to engineer a BMS is to

determine proper control devices. Auto-matic valves, pressure switches, flow switch-es, etc. are required to regulate and combustthe fuel properly. This work is normallydone by mechanical and process engineers.Next, the electrical engineering firm willdetermine the size of the control systemneeded to support the control devices.

The quantity of control devices will varyfrom a dozen devices to hundreds ofdevices. The electrical engineering firm willthen create drawings so that electrical con-tractor can wire the devices properly to thecontrol system. A control engineer will pro-gram the control system, normally a pro-grammable logic controller, and an opera-tor interface, also known as a humanmachine interface.

These systems work together to ensurethat all proper combustion safeguards aremet to ensure safe, efficient combustion offuel. The design, fabrication, and imple-mentation of a BMS normally takes severalmonths because many engineering andconstruction disciplines are needed to com-plete the system.

The new BMS now operating at the man-ufacturing plant has enabled the plant todrastically lower its fuel costs while provid-ing efficient heat needed for the process.The new BMS provides the operators theability to quickly and safely start and stopthe combustion process and also providesexcellent diagnostics to determine when aproblem occurs.

SargentContinued from Page 3

Burner Management System lowersmanufacturer’s fuel costs

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE FITCH COMPANY

Human Machine Interface (HMI) Screen Shot of some the hardware associatedwith a Burner Management System. Shown are the ControlLogix PAC, Pan-

elView HMI, Alarm Banner, diagnostic indicators, and screen navigation buttons.

The biggestchallenge wastraffic. With

about 20,000vehicles a dayand no suitabledetour, trafficmanagement

was paramount.


Woodard & Curran is a 650-person, integrated engineering, science, and operations company, serving public and private clients locally & nationwide. From our environmental roots to the broad range of services we provide today, our project portfolio continues to grow into emerging markets like the energy and power generation industry. At the heart of our company are our talented people whose commitment and integrity drive results for our clients every day.

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By Woodard & Curran

In 2010, Maine School Administrative District 29asked Woodard & Curran to evaluate the potentialbenefits of adding biomass boilers at Houlton HighSchool and the Region 2 School of Applied Technolo-gy. MSAD 29 had secured a grant from the Depart-ment of Forestry, and with Woodard & Curran’s assis-tance on a tight schedule, the grant level was increasedto cover the equipment that was necessary to meetnew EPA emissions rules scheduled to go into effect.

Woodard & Curran then took the lead role as thedesign-build contractor for the innovative procure-ment, design, permitting, and installation of the newsystem and fuel storage facilities. The team of engi-neers and contractors was able to complete a concept

design to integrate the new wood chip boilers into theexisting No. 2 fuel hot water baseboard systems in thetwo buildings and complete the system interconnectwithout disturbing the normal use of the facilities.Startup of the system occurred in February of 2011,and it is estimated that the cost of heating the twofacilities will be reduced by $200,000 per year.

Woodard & Curran’s contract provides MSAD 29performance guarantees that the system will provide acost-effective, renewable alternative to petroleum-based fuel systems while maintaining them as a reli-able back-up. The wood chip fuel will be purchasedfrom local manufacturers that primarily serve thepaper industry, providing a secondary stream of rev-enue for those businesses. The project’s economic andenvironmental benefits will be recognized for years tocome.

By David M. FitzpatrickSPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER

Look no further than somethinglike the Hoover Dam, a project ledby UMaine College of Engineeringgraduate Frank Crowe, to see howthe CoE has long been a leader ininnovation and engineering. Eventhen, the Hoover Dam usedrenewable energy by harnessingfreely available water to provideelectricity for three states. Eightyyears later, renewable-energy solu-tions are surging at the CoE.

“When we look at the biggestchallenges that are facing the U.S.today, and the world, energy isright near the top of the list,” saidCoE Dean Dana Humphrey.“Energy is not something new forengineers; we’ve been workingwith energy since there were engi-

neers. But now everybody else hasrealized the importance of energy,because the price keeps going up.”

Unless you live under a rock,you’ve heard about the project tofloat turbines out to sea to harnesswind power for gigawatts of elec-tricity. The CoE has spearheadedthe program, developing and test-ing its technologies and working asa leading partner of theDeepCwind Consortium.

But that’s just one of manyinnovative renewable-energy proj-ects at UMaine. For example, sincepaper production only uses woodfiber — only half the wood — theCoE is finding ways to use the rest.One project extracts the sugarsfrom the wood and ferments itinto ethanol for fuel. Another usesa chemical from wood calledlignin in wood-pellet manufac-ture, resulting in hotter-burning

pellets. Now, the CoE is workingon getting lignin from grasses,which grows much faster thanwood.

Trees aren’t the only renewableresource being researched; the CoEis working on advanced fuel cells,ground- and air-sourced heatpumps, tidal power, makingnanofibers out of wood for rein-forcement in composites, andmuch more.

That’s to say nothing of theCoE’s involvement with the pushto develop a smart electrical gridin Maine, which will utilize theexisting infrastructure but addhigh-tech updates. The first stageis to replace manual-read electricalmeters with automated meters,which enable power utilities to notonly monitor how much energy weuse but when we use it. In addition

Biomass boilers at MSAD 29 facilities a win-win scenario

UMaine College of Engineering focusing on renewable energy

PHOTO COURTESY OF UMAINE

Wind turbine research. From left to right, Adanced Structures andComposites Center research engineers Shawn Eary and TomSnape and civil engineering graduate student Heather Martin

observe the performance of 1/50 scale model turbine which wastested in the Netherlands in spring 2011. See UMAINE, Page 10


By Sevee & Maher Engineers

Sevee & Maher Engineers, Inc. wasrecently retained by the Long Creek Water-shed Management District (LCWMD) toprovide engineering designs to improvestormwater runoff quality from aroundThomas Drive in Westbrook.

In 2009 the EPA exercised its ResidualDesignation Authority (RDA) in the LongCreek Watershed, which requires stormwa-ter permitting for any landowner with oneor more acres of impervious cover. Thisprecedent-setting use of RDA led to theestablishment of LCWMD, which imple-

ments permit requirements for 97 percent ofthe watershed’s designated landowners. It’sthe first use of RDA in Maine and the sec-ond in the nation.

The project goal, in line with the overall2009 Watershed Management Plan, is toachieve cleaner waters in Long Creek within10 years in a cost-effective manner. Thisphase, identified as Catchment B-21, isapproximately 33 acres with developed areasaccounting for 53 percent of that area.

The Catchment contains many ditchesand pipe networks on public and privateland that drain to one of two outfalls dis-charging to Blanchette Brook, a small streamin Long Creek’s headwaters. Currently, a

stormwater pond provides runoff flood con-trol through one of the outfalls; runoff to thesecond outfall has no system for the controlof peak flow rates or runoff quality.

SME is designing a gravel wetland retrofitfor the stormwater pond with a goal ofremoving 99 percent of the sediments, zinc,and nutrients prior to discharge intoBlanchette Brook. This will also reduce peakflows from frequent small storms in theseareas and will allow the runoff to cool beforeentering Blanchette Brook. Temperatureand high flows are suspected to be the pri-

mary contributors to the brook’s impairedwater quality.

Runoff from an 55 percent of the devel-oped area will be treated using a series ofunderdrained soil filters that will also pro-vide substantial removal of sediment andimpervious cover-related contaminants.The retrofit design for this portion of LongCreek should be completed in mid-March,and the project constructed this summer.

For more information about the LongCreek project, visit :

www.restorelongcreek.com.

By Brian SwartzCUSTOM PUBLICATIONS EDITOR

Color the venerable Maine lob-ster boat “green” for improved fuelefficiency, thanks to a jointresearch project involving theStonington-based Penobscot EastResource Center and Maine Mar-itime Academy

Since summer 2010, Dr. Dou-glas Read, Ph.D., has conductedresearch “to see if the traditionalMaine lobster boat can be mademore efficient.” A naval architectwho once designed destroyers atBath Iron Works, he is an assistantprofessor of engineering at MMAin Castine.

According to Robin Alden, thePenobscot East Resource Centerinitiated the “Green” Lobster BoatProject because “we’re trying tomake sure there is a future for fish-ing communities in Maine.” She isPERC’s executive director.

“Looking ahead, we are asking,‘How do people who are fishing ona community scale remain prof-itable in the face of rising fuelprices?’ This is a fundamentalissue,” Alden said. “Can we designa boat that will cut fuel use and beergonomically better than the cur-rent vessels as well?

“This is a Penobscot EastResource Center project, and wehave contracted with Doug to dothis for us” for two years, with theproject costing $15,000 to $20,000per year, she said. “He started byresearching current lobster boats,the demands they need to meetand assessing the options for fuelsavings.”

“The Maine lobster boat [that]we have is very good at what itdoes already,” Read said. “TheDown East hull form has evolvedinto a very efficient shape. Youreally can’t do something betterwithout doing something radical”in changing the boat’s design.

The Penobscot East ResourceCenter put Read in touch with “alot of fishermen at the beginningto talk about what they needed in aboat,” Alden said.

According to Read, initialresearch examined “diesel-electricand hybrid propulsion systems.”However, “the benefits for a fishingboat are not there yet due to theadded complexity,” he said.

The hybrid systems would alsopush the design toward an electricpot hauler, which has “a very badreputation with lobstermen,” Readsaid. Experience leads them to pre-fer hydraulic pot hauler.

“For now we’re not going tomess with the propulsion and themachinery,” Read said. “Thatleaves the hull. The traditionalMaine lobster boat has a semi-planing round chine hull with abig skeg on it.

“How do we improve on that?”he asked.

“There is very little technical

data on lobster-boat hulls as toresistance and propulsion,” he said,noting that he found only onesuch study published in the

December 1981 “National Fisher-man” magazine. “What is the dragon a lobster-boat hull?”

Improving Long Creek Watershed’s stormwater runoff

IMAGE

COURTESY OF

SEVEE & MAHER

ENGINEERS

An overview ofthe LongCreek plan.The projectgoal is toachieve clean-er waterswithin 10years in LongCreek.

Maine Maritime Academy: ‘greener’ lobster boats

BDN PHOTO BY BRIAN SWARTZ

At Maine Maritime Academy, Dr. Douglas Read, Ph.D. is research-ing ways to improve the fuel efficiency of Maine lobster boats.His research project involves MMA and the Stonington-based

Penobscot East Resource Center.

See MMA, Page 11


to providing deep education in this field —which includes electrical engineering andcomputer engineering as key components— the CoE is working with many players inthe field, locally and abroad, to make theproject happen.

That collaboration has resulted in devel-oping the Maine Smart Grid Center at theuniversity. Its aim is to collect voltage, ener-gy, thermal, and environmental data thatwill enable the MSGC to conduct experi-

ments and develop methods for predictionof transmission-line capacities and theirstability.

“The purpose of all this is to moveMaine’s economy forward by the studentswe graduate and developing new technolo-gies,” said Humphrey. “Right now, there isno better way than a focus on energy.”

The push towards renewable energy hasprompted UMaine to recently establishthree new renewable-energy minors whichcan be added to a student’s course of study:Renewable Energy Engineering, RenewableEnergy Science & Technology, andRenewable Energy Economics & Policy. By

enrolling in one of the minor pro-grams, students learn specific skillsthat enhance their degrees.

“We’re spanning the academicdisciplines,” said James Passanisi,the project coordinator for theRenewable Energy Curriculum.“Renewable energy is a growth areain the economy and we want stu-dents from diverse backgrounds tobe able to access those opportuni-ties.”

For example, if you’re an electri-cal engineer, a Renewable EnergyEngineering minor can really posi-tion you to work in, say, the SmartGrid field or something else morespecialized.

The CoE has also developedcomprehensive, 8- to 12-week

internships with the DeepCwindConsortium, either at UMaine through labssuch as Advanced Structures andComposites Center or with the roughly 30current partners in the DeepCwindConsortium. Engineering students will getreal-world, on-the-job experience in variousphases of the wind-turbine constructionand operation. The internships even qualifyfor academic credit that can be applied tothe new minors.

Passanisi said this is part of the work Dr.Habib Dagher, director of the AdvancedStructures and Composites Center and theleader of the DeepCwind project, is doing.

“His vision is for us to partner with all ofthose companies that we already work withto get UMaine students into those opportu-nities,” Passanisi said. “At the end of the day,one of our goals is to make the University ofMaine… a real destination for students whowant to study renewable energy.”

And they have loads of options at a schoolthat’s exploring the entire gamut of what“renewable” means: wind, solar, tidal, biofu-el cells, hydropower, and heat pumps, as wellas more conventional fuels such as oil, coal,and natural gas but used in a more efficientway. Humphrey said there’s no one silver

bullet for energy solutions — no “Eureka!”element that will solve all our needs.

“The further we look into the future, themore diverse our sources of energy are goingto be,” he said. “There’s a multitude of solu-tions, and it’s going to be the generation ofstudents that are going to school right nowthat are going to be part of this revolution.”

It doesn’t hurt that a typical engineeringgraduate can expect a starting salary of$50,000 to $65,000. And the most recentsurvey by the CoE shows that, six monthsafter graduation, all but 3 percent of engi-neering grads had jobs; in engineering tech-nology, everyone had a job. Meanwhile, for-get the boys’ club; for several years, the CoEhovered at around 15 percent female enroll-ment, but last year soared to 23 percentwomen in the incoming class.

Humphrey enjoys reminding studentsconsidering engineering careers of theimportant role engineers play in the world.He likes to invoke Einstein, who said,“Scientists investigate that which already is;engineers create that which has never been.”

“We’ve got the right technologies avail-able to not just solve today’s problem, but tosolve tomorrow’s problems,” Humphreysaid. “And that’s our job.”

By Gregg Ritter, CIC, AAI, AICCLARK INSURANCE

For design professionals, LoL is not short-hand for “laugh out loud” or “lots of love”— it means limitation of liability and it issomething worth considering when negoti-ating contracts.

A limitation of liability (LoL) clause canbe one of the most effective risk allocationtools available to design firms. However,these clauses can also be among the mostdifficult to negotiate with your client and,depending on your jurisdiction, one of themost contested once applied. Therefore it iscrucial that any LoL clause be carefullydrafted in a fair and equitable manner that islikely to hold up to a challenge in court.

These and many other considerations arepart of the service we provide at Clark

Insurance for ourdesign professionals.As one of the largestproviders of coveragefor architects and engi-neers in the region, ourwell-known team ofprofessionals hasextensive experiencedesigning, structuringand managing insur-ance programs forfirms of all sizes.

In addition, Clark provides a wealth ofproperty and casualty insurance solutions,including loss control and cost containmentprograms, risk management tools and safe-ty-related communications. We also have alarge and growing Employee Benefits Groupproviding health, dental, disability, life, andlong-term protection.

GGrreegggg RRiitttteerrClark Insurance

UMaineContinued from Page 8

PHOTO COURTESY OF UMAINE

A composite wind blade, manufactured at the Offshore Wind Laboratory at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, is ready to mount and test.

Liability, not laughs or lovePHOTO COURTESY OF UMAINE

Only about half of wood is fiber, used in paper-making. The College of Engineering is working

on other uses, such as using the chemical ligninin wood pellets; lignin burns hotter, producing

more energy per pellet. UMaine is also research-ing various biofuels and other wood uses.


By Russell G. Martin, PE, F.NSPESECRETARY, MAINE SOCIETY OF

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS

Many state licensing boards have recog-nized the need for the demonstration ofcontinuing professional development(CPD) as a condition of licensure renewal.This typically takes the form of the engineerearning professional development hoursfrom a variety of activities. In Maine, profes-sional engineers must earn a minimum of15 professional development hours annuallyto maintain their licenses.

The subject of mandatory CPD has gen-erated open discussion in many professions,including engineering. Our profession haschanged dramatically over the last 50 years,embracing new areas of practice andincreasing the specialized knowledge neededby practicing engineers. Engineering

encompasses a broad range of job areas,including education, research, design, con-struction, manufacturing, management, andregulation. There are many reasons for engi-neers to expand their personal knowledgebases, including:

• maintaining relevance in a continuallychanging environment;

• making a statement about one’s com-mitment to the protection of publichealth and safety;

• recognizing the need to embrace newthoughts and ideas throughout one’scareer;

• increasing the stature of yourself andthe profession to your employer andthe public.

The National Society of ProfessionalEngineers and the Maine Society of Profes-sional Engineers were originally formed tochampion the cause of licensure of all engi-

neers. Attendance at the MeSPE 8th Educa-tional Symposium March 2 in Orono is oneway that PEs can improve their standing as

individual engineers through the attainmentof continuing professional developmenthours.

According to Read, “the fisher-men want a lot of beam on theirboats to increase their workingarea. If you widen a traditionallobster boat to accommodate thatincreased beam, you increase itsdrag. So you pay for the extraspace with fuel.

“We focused on multi-hulls,”such as catamarans and trimarans,he said. “By going to a multi-hull,

you decouple the beam that youwant from the drag. Any multi-hull will do that.”

During the 2010-11 academicyear, two MMA seniors helpedbuild a 4½-foot, 1/8th-scalemodel of a 36-foot lobster boat aspart of their Capstone project.Made of poplar, this model fea-tured a deck-covered trimaranhull. Testing took place in a towtank at the Webb Institute in GlenCove, N.Y.

“We measured a 25-percentreduction in drag,” Read said.“Power is drag times velocity. Thisleads us to project there should bea corresponding 25-percent cut infuel consumption for a givenspeed.”

He indicated that a 36-foot lob-ster boat with a trimaran hullwould have a 13-foot beam, a com-fortable width for many lobster-men. “If you were standing in thecockpit, it would look like a tradi-tional lobster boat,” Read said.“The only thing you would noticeis that you would be a little higheroff the water.”

To obtain additional data abouta trimaran lobster boat’s perform-ance, “we are building two modelswith this year’s Capstone stu-dents,” Read said. Both models willbe approximately 1/5th-scale andmeasure 6 feet, 9 inches; onemodel will incorporate a tradi-tional lobster-boat hull, the othermodel a trimaran lobster boat

“with the full top side on it,” hesaid.

The models “will be built liketraditional boats” with fiberglassinterior hulls and gel-coat exteriorhulls, Read said.

Assisting with the model con-struction are two MMA seniors,Tom Morrison and Gordon Smith.Both are enrolled in the college’sfive-year marine systems engineer-ing program.

Last semester, they developed adetailed “white paper” that “was aconcise summary of what we’regoing to do and how we’re going todo it,” said Morrison, who hailsfrom Waldoboro and has workedas a sternman on a Friendship-based lobster boat. Smith has priorexperience with building modelboats.

Using MMA facilities, includingthe Boat Shop and a CNCmachine, Morrison and Smith willconstruct the mono-hull model.To this they will mount “a three-axis accelerometer” to record thehull’s roll, pitch, and heave duringspringtime testing, Morrison said.

“The actual model construc-tion, it will be nice to see thismodel when it’s done,” he said.

“The testing we’re going to do isfor sea-keeping, how the boat actsin waves,” Read said.

“This is such a radical new idea,we have to test its sea-keeping abil-ity as well,” Alden said.

After their completion, the boat

models will ship to California,where the San Diego-based M ShipCo. will test them simultaneouslynext summer with the RapidEmpirical Innovation program.According to M Ship literature,“hull models are evaluated on aself-powered, open-water tow test-ing platform that provides real-time force, trim, and accelerationmeasurements to optimize per-formance and ride quality.”

“They will do drag and sea-keeping comparisons, side by side,economically,” Read said.

“Most people don’t realize thedifficulty and expense of testingfor these parameters in a tank test,”Alden said. “That’s why we are

pleased to find this way to do thetesting.”

“If the tests are favorable … wewill start looking for a way to buildone (a trimaran lobster boat), full-scale,” Read said.

The Penobscot East ResourceCenter is planning the next stepsfor the project, “some of whichneeds to wait until after the test-ing,” Alden said. “It’s an excitingproject. There is a lot of curiosityin the industry because this is abrand new idea.

“And we recognize that this boathas to be pretty. Above the water-line, we’re trying to make the boatlook as traditional as possible,” shesaid.

The importance of continuing education for engineers

MMAContinued from Page 9

PHOTO COURTESY OF DOUGLAS READ

In 2011, MMA researchers designed and constructed a scale-model lobster boat with a trimaran hull. The model underwent

testing in a wave tank at the Wentworth Institute.

BDN PHOTO BY BRIAN SWARTZ

Tom Morrison is a senior in thefive-year marine systems engi-neering program at MMA. He

and another senior, GordonSmith, are designing a scalemodel of a mono-hull lobster

boat. This model’s sea-keepingcapabilities will be tested in

California later this year.


By Patrick Graham, PEAND LISA SCHOONMAKER

Established in 1880, James W. SewallCompany is one of Maine’s oldest compa-nies. Since it first provided the forest indus-try with inventory, surveying, and mappingservices, the firm has gradually expanded itsmarkets across government and industrysectors and broadened its services to includea wide range of engineering, naturalresource, and geographic information sys-tems (GIS) consulting services.

Sewall began serving Maine’s wind indus-try in 2006, providing civil engineeringdesign and stormwater permitting servicesfor Maine’s first commercial wind farm, theMars Hill Wind Project. Adapting Sewall’sexpertise in civil engineering to the designand permitting of wind project access roadsand turbine sites in mountainous terrainwas a natural fit. Since then, Sewall hasdiversified its services to include project sit-ing and GIS consulting services for the windindustry in Maine, New England andnationwide.

In 2007, Sewall provided aerial photogra-phy for the Stetson Wind Project, mappingthe features and contours of a proposed 38-mile electric transmission corridor. Sewallalso flew and mapped project developmentsites for the Record Hill and Kibby WindProjects, generating the necessary topo-graphic contours to support civil site androad designs. For these projects, Sewallexpanded its services to include evaluationof proposed transportation routes for windturbine components from port of entry tothe project sites. This work involved analysisnot only of turning radii, but also of roadgrade changes and overhead obstacles due tothe low ground clearance of transportationvehicles and the height of some turbinecomponents.

A year later, Sewall leveraged its GIS con-sulting expertise to provide wind developerswith project prospecting and siting assis-tance. These services included developingproperty maps and project base maps withkey cultural, environmental and infrastruc-ture information; and managing projectdata using web-based information systems.The information systems evolved intoSewall’s WindSite application, a web-basedGIS that enables multiple project teammembers to access and share project infor-mation online.

The same year, Sewall teamed with theUniversity of Maine to develop the OffshoreWind Energy GIS (OWEGIS) ecospatialdatabase, now over 650 layers of informa-

tion relevant to the siting and permitting ofoffshore wind projects in the Gulf of Maine.This information forms the basis for theMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Report, aUS Department of Energy-funded studythat the UMaine-Sewall team developed andreleased in February 2011 to assist compa-nies interested in developing deepwater off-shore wind pilot projects in Maine.

Recently, Sewall leveraged its experiencein ecospatial database development toexpand the geographic reach of its services

by conducting siting studies for internation-al clients seeking to develop offshore windprojects in southern New England and themid-Atlantic. Sewall is also collaboratingwith partners in the Midwest to use theOWEGIS data framework to build an off-shore wind siting and decision support toolfor the Great Lakes. Through this projectand others to come, Sewall plans to contin-ue growing and expanding its services, as ithas done for the past 132 years, to meet thechanging needs of its clients.

Sewall leverages geospatial expertise to help develop Maine’s wind industry

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAMES W. SEWALL CO.

Top right: A wind-turbine blade on aflatbed makes a careful corner en route

to the Kibby Wind job site.

Left: Cranes erect a tower at Kibby.

Below: Existing towers on Record Hill.

Documents

Engineer's Week 2012