What’s happening - Doyon Utilities · The Imhoff tank lid replacement project has been com-pleted and our in house workforce did an excellent job. Here is a pic-ture of one of our

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What’s February 2010

DOYON UTILITIES’ MONTHLY PROGRESS AT-A-GLANCE

happening

In This Issue Ash Hauling Operations

Life Size Teleconference System

Site Specific Happenings


Safety Matters

Miscellaneous Happenings

Contact Us

Doyon Utilities, LLC 714 4th Ave., Suite 201 Fairbanks, AK 99701

P - (907) 455-1500 F - (907) 455-6788

[email protected]

Ash Hauling Operations at the FWA Central Heat & Power Plant (CHPP)

In our March 2009 newsletter we provided information about a pro-ject FWA CHPP had undertaken to reduce the costs and increase the efficiency of the ash handling proc-ess at the CHPP. Below is an up-date on this project.

Background The CHPP burns coal to produce steam that is used to generate elec-tricity and space heat for the Post. The burning of the coal pro-duces ash which requires dis-posal. At FWA, the ash is currently used by the FWA landfill for cover material. The ash is hauled from the CHPP to the landfill in dump trucks. Prior to Doyon Utilities’ acquisition of the FWA CHPP, the disposal of the coal ash was a gov-ernmental function.

The coal ash is produced in two forms, bottom ash and fly ash. Bottom ash is the residue that falls off the grate after coal is bur-ied. It is coarser than fly ash with a consistency similar to sand. Fly ash is the residue that is normally sus-pended in exhaust gasses. It is a very fine powdery material with a consistency similar to talc. The ash is conveyed through ash conveying systems to two silos where the ash is stored until it can be hauled away to the landfill. Previously the proc-ess involved one truck hauling bot-tom ash and a second truck hauling fly ash. The truck that previously hauled bottom ash was configured so that it would haul approximately 10 cubic yards per load. The truck

used to haul fly ash had a fabri-cated steel box setting in the dump

bed that would haul approximately 20 cubic yards. Earlier dump trucks used for hauling the bottom ash were filled with respect to vol-ume rather than weight. The unit weight of coal ash is much less then the dump trucks gross weight capacity.

The Project Doyon Utilities’ goal was to maxi-mize the weight capacity of the dump trucks hauling the ash rather than the volume capacity. The solution was to purchase three dump trucks dedi-cated to hauling ash. These dump trucks, as purchased, were equipped with standard 10 cubic yard dump boxes. DU then had the boxes modified so that they would each hold 25.4 cubic yards. The newly remodeled dump beds had full height dump gates that were inclined so the weight of the gate would aid in the sealing of the opening when the bed was filled to minimize spillage dur-ing transit. DU also had custom tops fabricated for covering the new dump boxes. These tops had specific open-ings designed so that the dumping chutes from the silos lined up over the openings when the trucks were parked in the unloading area.

Success! A significant improvement in the efficiency of hauling ash to the land-fill was achieved by using the newly

Please see page 2 for pictures and a detailed descriptions.

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Ash Hauling (continued)

configured DU ash hauling trucks. The table to the right compares the cubic yards of coal ash hauled per trip for three months before the new trucks be-gan operation and the corresponding months the following year after the new trucks were put in service. The amount of ash produced over this period of time is comparable. However, it took approximately 30% less dump truck trips per day to transport the ash to the land fill. The reduction in trips to the landfill from December through February resulted in the savings of ap-proximately 30 man hours plus additional sav-ings related to fuel, mechanical wear on the truck, tire wear and road pavement wear.

Cubic Yards of Ash Hauled

Number of Trucks Loads

Cubic Yards of Ash

Per Truck Load

Dec 2008 166.3 10.3 16.2

Dec 2009 170.5 7.3 23.4

Jan 2009 187.5 12.8 14.6

Jan 2010 197.6 7.8 25.2

Feb 2009 159.3 9.8 16.2

Feb 2010 155.6 8.0 19.5

Avg. 2008-2009 171.1 11.0 15.7

Avg. 2009-2010 174.6 7.7 22.7

Special top with loading port—allows more efficient loading which greatly re-duced as spillage.

Specially fabricated oversize bed to take advantage of the vehicle load weight capacity rather than restricted volume capacity.

Angled bed with end gate to seal bed and reduce ash spillage.

Do you need to schedule a meeting and face logistical challenges? Doyon Utili-ties has a state-of-the-art teleconference system we call “Life Size” available at FWA, FGA, FRA and headquarters. This equipment allows up to all four loca-tions to participate simultaneously in meetings via live video teleconferenc-ing. To utilize the video conferencing equipment, meeting participants must be physically located in one of the conference rooms located at a DU site. The sys-tem does not have the capability of connecting to outside systems.

We welcome the many government agencies or business associates that we work with to utilize this equipment. The site managers, assistant site managers and administrative assistants are well versed in using the equipment and would be pleased to host meetings from their respective locations. (Contact a DU repre-sentative to schedule a meeting.)

Technology Increases Productivity and Reduces Costs - Life Size Teleconference Equipment at FWA, FGA, FRA and Headquarters

Site Administrative Assistants meet regu-larly via the Life Size teleconferencing system.


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Winter is typically a slow time for construction pro-jects; however, electrical projects at Ft. Wainwright continue to make progress. The airfield lighting pro-ject is in Phase II, engineering specifications are nearly complete and the bid package should be available to contractors by mid-March.

Feeders 23 and 24 are still under construction. Work on the north side of the Chena River by the ski area and along River Road is continuing and work will continue up Canol toward the tank farm. Feeder 24 has been rebuilt from the top of the ski hill to the ammo storage area and along Sage Road. Work will continue in this area and the portion of the feeder that serves the housing areas will be completed in the spring.

Bids are being evaluated for the Generator Breaker Replacement project and award is expected in early March. Work has continued on engineering and cable runs from the switchgear outside to the new locations near the CHPP.

The Feeder 9 Backup Generation project is in the final stages. System testing began on Feb 22nd with Caterpillar personnel and our construction and en-gineering contractors. Each generator must run for 48 hours before they are commissioned to operate. That process is ongoing at this time.

A contract was awarded to EPS for upgrade of the turbine governors and actuators at the CHPP. Rocky Mountain Power is providing the technical expertise. Controllers, panels and Hydraulic Pumping Units have already been ordered. This project will be completed in 2010.

Preparation for 2010 construction season upgrades on Feeders 12/13, and 14/15 is progressing quickly. Field surveys of existing facilities in ongoing and materials have been ordered. Power poles for the project are expected to begin arriving in early March. A bid package for the project is expected to be released in early March.

Fort Wainwright

The bulk of the water system SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) has been transferred to a new operating system. Additional repairs and enhancements to the existing system are still re-quired in order to make the system fully operational. Actions are ongoing to make the wireless radio sys-tem enhancements which improve the SCADA sys-tem reliability.

The Water Treatment Plant Master Valve has been replaced and is currently under manual control. In-

Fort Richardson

stalling SCADA controls is all that remains to com-plete the project. That effort will be incorporated in the overall SCADA project for the Water Treatment Plant that is ongoing.

The “D” Street Substation project location has been surveyed and work is being accomplished in order to install the Standby Caterpillar Generators. All generators will be delivered by August of this year and final installation must be completed in order to demolish Building 772 before year end.

The 138 KvA /12.5 substation is com-plete. GVEA has completed testing of the 138 substation and load testing was completed the last week of February.



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CHPP steam system maintenance is on-going. Crews are in the process of replacing steam traps in the CHPP primary while conducting other system maintenance. Bad steam traps contribute signifi-cantly to boiler water makeup requirements and reduced system efficiency.

Other projects being worked at Ft. Richardson in-clude a proposal for installing a Ship Creek Hydroe-lectric Power generator, evaluating a proposal to modernize the Water Treatment Plant, and Installing Light Emitting Diode lighting on Ft. Richardson’s streets. Joint meetings have been held between Doyon Utilities and FRA DPW representatives to classify each roadway on post in order to develop a specific standard for each classification.

Another interesting development at Ft. Richardson is their collaboration with the Job Corps Center in Palmer, Alaska to accept two job corps students that have an interest in utility operations. The Job Corps Center has a formal program that allows students to work on systems in order to work toward state certi-fication. The Job Corps Center pays all wages and

provides insurance for the students for up to one year while they are in a training status. The pro-gram offers a tremendous opportunity for students accepted into the program.

Fort Richardson

Fort Greely

Data attributes collection and entry into the Asset Guardian System is wrapping up. The initial round of “tagging” is nearly complete. Field personnel will use the Asset Guardian system to generate and complete work orders, document historical mainte-nance data and monitor maintenance costs on all assets. As additional assets are added to DU’s in-ventory or components are replaced the process of adding the attributes will continue.

Steam main inspections earlier determined that some of the welded joints had deteriorated to the point of presenting system reliability concerns. Non destructive testing located several joints that indi-cated internal corrosion at the weld. As a result, Doyon Utilities is implementing a testing program for pressure piping to determine other areas that need to be repaired or replaced in the upcoming summer. The pressure pipe (steam pipe) joints are insulated so the deteriorated condition is not evident without implementing more sophisticated testing protocols. The testing will begin in March 2010.

The Imhoff tank lid replacement project has been com-pleted and our in house workforce did an excellent job.

Here is a pic-ture of one of our Job Corps students, Jay-son Benipayo, with one of our operators, Jae Yun, flushing manholes out in the field.


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Safety Matters

Doyon Utilities is committed to providing a healthy and safe work environment for all its employees. Consideration of worker safety and health is an integral part of everything we do, and we consider no phase of operations or administration to be of greater importance than injury and illness prevention. At Doyon Utilities, we believe every accident and every injury is avoidable, and we will take every reasonable step to reduce the possibility of injury, illness, or accident.

Safety is identifying and eliminating or minimizing occupational health and safety risks. Management has the princi-pal responsibility for safety, and all workers and subcontractors share an obligation for promoting a safe and healthy work environment.

Guiding Principles:

All Injuries and occupational illnesses are preventable.

Safety is fundamental to the conduct of our business.

Worker involvement, feedback, and recognition are fundamental to safety.

Safe behavior is doing the job properly.

Management is responsible for visibly and consis-tently establishing safety as a priority.

Workplace risk will be reduced in the following priority:

Engineering controls;

Administrative controls, and operating prac-tices;

Personal protective equipment.

Workers and subcontractors are responsible and accountable for their actions.

Here is a little challenge for you. Try and find at least 25 safety practices that are being violated.

Visit our website at

doyonutilities.com

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February Birthdays Timothy Castleberry

Rufus Bunch David Kerner Jeffery Brown

Roger Price Manuel Davis Greg LeBeau Melvin Nevils

Zachary Molinar Daniel Gold Eric Berrie

Michael Adams Jason McCullough

Employee News Teddy Belton, the coal handling op-erations lead at the Fort Wainwright CHPP, was awarded the President’s Coin for his exceptional perform-ance. A recent visit by personnel unfamiliar with a coal fired power plant highlighted Teddy Belton’s professionalism and knowledge as he provided an informative tour and presentation. Teddy’s extensive knowledge of the coal handling op-erations and his ability to explain the entire process to site visitors has provided essential information that

allowed senior government plan-ners to understand the complexity of fueling a major power plant in Alaska. For Teddy Belton’s dem-onstrated professionalism and duty performance, he was presented with the Doyon Utilities Presi-dent’s Coin.

The President’s Coin is a program established to provide special recog-nition for outstanding performance by DU employees. Teddy Belton with company President/CEO

Dan Gavora.


Did you know? The quality control for drinking water produced by Doyon Utili-ties is more stringently regulated than bottled water that is pur-chased at a store? Drinking water produced by Doyon Utilities meets or exceeds all Federal, State and local drinking water standards. Water Treatment Plant operators routinely test water quality to maintain our very high standards.

Doyon Utilities has specially certified personnel to ob-serve smoke stack emissions at each installation in order to comply with facility Alaska Department of Environ-mental Conservation air permits. These employees must complete a classroom and field exercise phase in order to be certified. The “opacity readers” must attend and successfully complete visual emissions evaluation train-ing every six months to remain certified.




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Terry Walters WTP Foreman

Justin Northern WTP Operator

Joseph Atkins WTP Operator

David Swingley WTP Operator

Ken Wolkoff WTP Operator

Robert Abbey WTP Operator

Eric Williamson WTP Operator

Harmon Roehl Utility Fitter Foreman

Brandon LeBaron Utility Fitter

Jon Hutchens Utility Fitter

Jae Young Yun Utility Fitter

Lorraine “Larry” Parde

Utility Fitter

Congratulations!

The 12 FRA employees shown here recently com-pleted certification on Chlo-rine Gas handling and safety. The training was provided by Oasis Environmental and the certificates are valid for three years.

Gaseous chlorine is used at Fort Richardson in the water treatment process.

Documents

What’s happening - Doyon Utilities · The Imhoff tank lid replacement project has been com-pleted and our in house workforce did an excellent job. Here is a pic-ture of one of our