HIGH VOLTAGE PROJECT

High Voltage Project shifts from summer to fall phase
Appeared in Inside Purdue, September 6, 2006
April 11, 2006 | June 6, 2006

The first phase of the campus-wide High Voltage Improvements Project is reaching successful completion this month. New 12.47-kV electrical equipment is now in service at Hovde Hall, and will soon be in use at Purdue Memorial Union and Lambert Fieldhouse.

Twenty projects are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008. Going forward, two buildings will be upgraded at a time, which enables the four mobile substations to be rotated through the sites.

Summer 2006 Projects:

Hovde Hall : Old electrical equipment was removed from the vault, and the vault walls and ceiling were repaired. New transformers, switches, conduit and cables were installed. Outside, a new ductbank was installed between a manhole in front of Hovde and the vault, to carry the 12.47-kV power into the vault.

You can see before-and-after photos of the high voltage work done at Hovde Hall this summer at: http://www.purdue.edu/physicalfacilities/HVP/hovde.php .

Purdue Memorial Union : A new electrical vault has been constructed on the north side of the building. New ductbank was installed from a manhole north of PMU. The electrical vault is now completely enclosed, the new electrical equipment has been installed, and exterior work is done. Interior work is expected to be finished later in September.

Lambert Fieldhouse : Construction is largely done at this site, with the vault repairs and new equipment installation complete. A short section of duct bank was also installed from the manhole on University Ave. The final steps of connecting cables and equipment in the vault is expected to be finished in September.

Additional duct bank installations : New duct banks were installed in four areas: Founders Park, the Armory, Elliott/PSYCH, and in the EE/ME corridor. These projects will facilitate future vault upgrades. By completing them during the summer break, project planners were able to minimize the inconveniences that students, faculty, and staff in these areas would have experienced had the duct banks been installed in conjunction with the planned vault upgrades.

Fall 2007 Projects:

The Armory and Elliott Hall of Music are the next two sites slated to receive upgraded high voltage equipment as part of the ongoing High Voltage Improvements Project. During construction, the high voltage vaults will be stripped of their existing equipment, and the vaults will be repaired and upgraded. All new switches, transformers, and cables will be installed, so that these buildings can be fed from the 12.47-kV power system. Construction is projected to begin in late September/early October, and be completed by January 12, 2007.  

While construction takes place at Armory and Elliott, inconveniences to building occupants will be minimized as much as possible. However, the following can be expected:

• A temporary electrical shutdown will take place at the start of the project, in order to deactivate the vault equipment and connect the buildings to the mobile substations. (WBAA will be powered by generators during shutdowns.)
• Two mobile substations will be parked outside of each building for the duration of the project. They will be fenced off. They do not produce any noticeable noise.
• The area around the vault will be fenced off to enable crews to access the equipment and make the necessary repairs. This may impede pedestrian or road traffic. Available parking will be reduced on the road between ELLT and PSYCH, and on the east side of the Armory.
• Another temporary electrical shutdown will take place at the end of the project, in order to disconnect the mobile subs and activate the new electrical equipment in the vault. These and any other needed shutdowns will be scheduled and announced in advance.

Throughout these projects, updates and photos will be available at: http://www.purdue.edu/physicalfacilities/HVP/.

For questions or concerns about the High Voltage Project, contact Stephanie Boland, Physical Facilities Communications Coordinator, at 49-46916 or seboland@purdue.edu.