September 12, 2007 – Industrial Power Systems, Inc. (IPS) of Jacksonville, Florida, recently completed the successful design, build, and start-up of innovative automatic emergency power system and generator paralleling controls for Bonita Springs Utilities’ (BSU) new $58 million East Water Reclamation Facility. BSU is an award-winning, not-for-profit water and wastewater utility serving the potable water, irrigation water and wastewater treatment needs of Bonita Springs, Florida. IPS designs and builds quality electrical controls, switchgear and automation systems for marine and industrial applications and are specialists in custom design and fabrication.
Bonita Springs is one of the fastest-growing coastal communities in Southwest Florida and BSU’s territory incorporates a 60-square mile area with nearly 38,000 homes and businesses served. The most recent addition to BSU’s state-of-the-art infrastructure is the East Water Reclamation Facility brought online in the spring. The most technologically advanced plant in Florida, the new facility can handle 4 million gallons of domestic wastewater a day and can be expanded to 8 million gallons. The site is expected to handle long-term expansion to 16 mgd.
The advanced IPS-built automatic emergency switchgear not only provides controls and protection to supply power for selected critical loads during short-term power interruptions, but also serves a unique supplementary capability to totally avoid power outages during major weather events.
The carefully-configured system of switchgear and generator controls enables plant operators to intervene and manage anticipated bad weather emergencies by seamlessly transferring all critical operations from the utility grid to emergency generators with no loss of power (closed transition transfer), and later to automatically transfer plant loads back to the utility prior to emergency system shut down.
The nerve center of the integrated IPS switchgear is composed of redundant programmable logic controllers (PLC), a touch screen multi-graphic display and interface, and integration of control logic operations between the PLC’s, graphic display, and emergency generator system’s electronic controller, using SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) automation software adapted for this application, using the latest versions of Allen-Bradley Rockwell’s ControlLogix and PanelView hardware, and their RS-Logix and RS-View software.
The IPS-built paralleling switchgear was sold to BSU in coordination with Caterpillar engine-driven generator sets supplied by Ring Power Systems, the Northern Florida Caterpillar distributor. The generator sets are sized at 1750 kW, 4160V. Installation of the switchgear and generator sets was completed by Cogburn Brothers Electrical Contractors, and consulting engineering for overall system design was provided by CH2M Hill, of Gainesville, Florida.
IPS has been designing and building electrical power control systems for the industrial and marine industries for over 25 years and is a major supplier of electrical industrial control panels and generator set paralleling switchgear for the municipal and private water and wastewater markets.
In the last 7 years, IPS has supplied over 25 water and wastewater treatment (WWTP) projects in more than 10 States and 6 Caribbean counties, including:
- Catoma Water Utilities, Birmingham, AL
- Bella Vista Water Plant, CA
- Ave Maria WWTP, Ave Maria, FL
- Brockton WWTP, Brockton, MA
- Dade County Reclamation Facility, Miami, FL
- Reedy Creek WWTP for Disney, Orlando, FL
- 37th Street WWTP, Norfolk, VA
- Janesville WWTP, Janesville, WI
- Eastern Regional Water Facility, Orlando, FL
- City of Tampa David L. Tippin WTF, Tampa, FL
- McAlpine Creek WTP, Pineville, NC
- Roslyn Water Plant, Poughkeepsie, NY
- Ardmore WWTP, Ardmore, OK
- Lake Jackson WTP, Lake Jackson, TX
- Water treatment and reverse osmosis facilities in The Bahamas, Jamaica, Nevis, St. Thomas, St. Maarten
These projects have included odor control panels, process automation controls, emergency standby switchgear, and utility paralleling switchgear.
Industrial Power Systems, Inc. (IPS) is a privately-owned Florida company established in 1981 by Bill Young, President and Chief Technology Officer of the company. IPS designs and builds quality electrical controls, switchgear and automation systems for marine and industrial applications. Specialists in custom design and fabrication, IPS offers both bid-to-specification, and design-and-build products.
Gas, diesel and turbine-driven generator switchgear and control systems are built to UL-891 and UL-1558 low voltage standards, and UL-1670 medium voltage standards, for 120/208V, 277/480V, 600V, 5kV and 15kV voltage systems in emergency standby, prime power, base loading, peak shaving, and cogeneration applications. Customers have recognized IPS’s outstanding workmanship since its inception more than 25 years ago.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Jerry Steinberg, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Industrial Power Systems, Inc., 3010 Powers Avenue, Bldg 16, Jacksonville FL 32207, (904) 731-8844 extension 14, Fax (904) 731-0188, or via email to jerry@ipsjax.com.
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