Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility – Blower Optimization & Standby Power Improvements

Key Accomplishments

Johnston Construction Company

• The project included new low-pressure process-air piping, butterfly valves, supports, insulation, identification, and connections to the existing aeration headers.
• JCC furnished and operated a complete temporary backup blower system to maintain uninterrupted aeration while the existing equipment was taken out of service.
• Construction was carefully sequenced so the wastewater-treatment plant remained operational and continued meeting its required discharge limits.
• JCC installed and modified transformers, switchboards, panelboards, motor controllers, conduits, conductors, grounding, and supporting electrical equipment.
• The project included integration of the new blower controls with the existing dissolved-oxygen control panel, plant PLCs, communications network, and SCADA system.
• JCC coordinated manufacturer services, functional testing, startup, operator training, record documentation, and final project closeout.
• Johnston Construction Company served as the prime contractor for the Blower Optimization Equipment Installation project at the Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility located at 139 Milford Neck Road in Milford, Delaware.
• The project was completed for the Kent County Levy Court Department of Public Works.
• Hazen and Sawyer served as the Engineer and Owner’s representative for the project.
• The facility’s aeration system provides process air required for biological wastewater treatment.
• Reliable blower operation was therefore essential throughout construction.
• JCC had to replace and modify the existing blower systems without interrupting the aeration process or affecting the facility’s ability to comply with its operating and discharge requirements.

Concrete Services Division

• Concrete Services Division, LLC constructed the reinforced-concrete foundations and equipment pads supporting the Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility blower-optimization improvements.
• CSD completed concrete work for the new high-speed turbo blowers and associated electrical transformers.
• The work included slab-on-grade formwork, reinforcing-steel placement, dowels, concrete accessories, concrete placement, finishing, and curing.
• CSD’s scope was later expanded to include the foundations and structural concrete required for the facility’s standby-power system.
• The additional work included the packaged-generator foundation, equipment pad, containment walls and curbs, switchgear-building slab, door landings, platform bases, and ground-well concrete collars.
• CSD coordinated the setting of anchor bolts and embedded components required for the blower, generator, transformer, and switchgear equipment.
• Approximately 230 cubic yards of concrete were placed through the combined blower-optimization and standby-power work.
• The work was coordinated with JCC’s excavation, subgrade preparation, reinforcing-steel delivery, concrete procurement, pumping, testing, equipment installation, and construction schedule.
• Concrete Services Division, LLC performed the concrete construction associated with the Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility Blower Optimization Equipment Installation project in Milford, Delaware.
• The facility is located at 139 Milford Neck Road and is operated by the Kent County Levy Court Department of Public Works.
• Hazen and Sawyer served as the Engineer, Johnston Construction Company served as the prime contractor, and CSD performed the assigned concrete work as JCC’s concrete subcontractor.
• The subcontract required CSD to furnish the labor, formwork materials, tools, supplies, supervision, finishing materials, curing materials, concrete accessories, and reinforcing-steel placement services necessary to construct the blower foundations and transformer pads.
• The blower-optimization project included installation of two Owner-furnished high-speed turbo blowers and associated electrical-distribution equipment.
• The new blowers and transformers required accurately formed, reinforced, and finished concrete foundations capable of supporting the equipment and maintaining the required alignment and operating clearances.

B & R Electrical Contractors

• B & R Electrical Contractors, Inc. performed the major electrical construction supporting installation of two high-speed turbo blowers at the Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility.
• BRE completed electrical demolition associated with the existing blower starters, transformers, motor-control equipment, fuses, and related electrical systems.
• The project included new transformers, switchgear, reduced-voltage solid-state motor controllers, conduits, conductors, boxes, devices, grounding, and equipment connections.
• BRE installed extensive power and control raceways and wiring serving the new blower equipment and its associated control systems.
• The company coordinated third-party electrical testing, including power-system studies, equipment testing, infrared inspections, grounding tests, and commissioning activities.
• A subsequent expansion of BRE’s work added the electrical installation for the facility’s new standby-power system, including a packaged generator and medium-voltage switchgear building.
• The standby-power work included medium-voltage cable, cold-shrink terminations, underground duct banks, fiber-optic cabling, ground grids, equipment connections, testing, and startup support.
• BRE coordinated its work with JCC, Kent County, Hazen and Sawyer, the blower manufacturer, the generator manufacturer, electrical-equipment suppliers, the controls integrator, and the serving electric utility.
• B & R Electrical Contractors, Inc. performed the electrical construction associated with the Blower Optimization Equipment Installation project at the Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility in Milford, Delaware.
• The facility is located at 139 Milford Neck Road and provides wastewater-treatment services for Kent County.
• Kent County Levy Court’s Department of Public Works served as the Owner, Hazen and Sawyer served as the Engineer, Johnston Construction Company served as the prime contractor, and BRE performed the electrical work as JCC’s electrical subcontractor.
• The subcontract required BRE to furnish the labor, materials, tools, equipment, supervision, electrical permits, testing coordination, submittals, and record documentation necessary to complete the electrical work for Kent County Contract No. 1890.64-C.
• The overall project replaced two existing multistage blowers with two Owner-furnished high-speed turbo blowers and included the associated mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and control-system improvements.
• BRE’s work supported installation of the new blower equipment and its integration into the facility’s existing electrical-distribution and process-control systems.

Additional project details

• JCC replaced two existing multistage blowers with two Owner-furnished high-speed turbo blowers at the active Kent County Regional Resource Recovery Facility, 139 Milford Neck Road.
• The installation combined equipment removal, structural modifications, process-air piping, electrical upgrades, and controls integration while maintaining continuous wastewater treatment.