Tdworld 1431 Modular Integrated Transportable Substation
Tdworld 1431 Modular Integrated Transportable Substation
Tdworld 1431 Modular Integrated Transportable Substation
Tdworld 1431 Modular Integrated Transportable Substation
Tdworld 1431 Modular Integrated Transportable Substation

Modular Integrated Transportable Substation Speeds Power Recovery

March 1, 2013
Hurricane Sandy left much of the upper East Coast devastated by rain, wind and rising tides. The residents of Rockaway Beach, New York, experienced the

Hurricane Sandy left much of the upper East Coast devastated by rain, wind and rising tides. The residents of Rockaway Beach, New York, experienced the power of the storm firsthand.

When Hurricane Sandy hit Rockaway Beach, the storm surge left the 53rd Street Substation under 5.5 ft (1.6 m) of water according to the local power authority. The 53rd Street Substation was an air-insulated metal-clad design. When the storm surge entered the metal-clad switchgear, the result was a substation so badly damaged by fire and salt water that the authorities soon recognized that a quick replacement would be needed. The power authority contracts with a large northeastern utility to operate and provide a wide range of electrical services within their territory. The utility recently had purchased a Cooper Power Systems Modular Integrated Transportable Substation (MITS) to replace an aging substation for upstate New York, but realized that the MITS was the ideal solution to help restore the power quickly at Rockaway Beach.

The MITS is well suited for this type of application for many reasons. First, it is completely prewired and tested at the factory, saving significant time when installing the MITS in a disaster recovery effort. Secondly, the MITS is manufactured to use the space as efficiently as possible. The small footprint makes transporting the MITS, even in a disaster area, manageable — everything fits neatly on to one skid.

The MITS designed for service in upstate New York had a simple design with a 5 MVA power transformer to convert voltage from 34.5 kV to 13.2 kV. This unit also was equipped with a bank of three single-phase pad-mounted voltage regulators to provide superior power quality, and a pad-mounted recloser for feeder protection. The entire MITS is powered by a small single-phase power transformer that supplies 120 V power to the control systems integrated into the unit. This particular MITS was even equipped with extra features such as built-in spill containment, telescoping flood lights and in-cabinet door lights, which will be helpful for crews that are trying to restore power at night. The MITS design minimized installation time since the equipment is securely bolted in place on a skid all the interconnections between devices are completed at the factory. A MITS, once on site, can be safely energized in a matter of days instead of weeks or months. Cooper Power Systems shipped the MITS directly to the damaged 53rd Street Substation on a dedicated truck. Local line crews worked with utility engineers and operation personnel made connections between the damaged system and the MITS to restore power.

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