Coordination leads to safe and successful completion of maintenance projects

Ironworkers and riggers from the AEDC Model Shop reinstall the intake hood for the Primary Pumping Station on Woods Reservoir. The hood was removed to make repairs to the rollers, tracks and the screen that blocks debris from entering the pump chamber. This hood is critical to operations during hot weather because it allows water to be taken from deeper/colder levels of the lake to provide better cooling to plant and test facility equipment. This work was part of the maintenance performed during a recent 11-day water and power outage. (AEDC photo)

Coordination leads to safe and successful completion of maintenance projects

A confined space rescue watch team from Industrial Emergency Services, LLC, and an AEDC pipefitter, stand by for AEDC personnel in a vault and a connecting 48-inch diameter water line. An inspection was performed on the inside of the water line pipe to determine if there is any cause for a larger than normal pressure drop in this section of pipe. The inspection was part of the maintenance performed during a recent 11-day water and power outage. (AEDC photo)

Coordination leads to safe and successful completion of maintenance projects

AEDC pipefitter Chris Shores, far left, and Wilbert Eppenger remove a manway to permit access into a 72-inch water line in the Engine Test Facility J-Cell area to repair a leak 100 feet down the buried pipeline. The repair was conducted during an 11-day electrical and water outage in early July. Two rescue personnel from Industrial Emergency Services, LLC, were present to provide emergency assistance if needed. (AEDC photo)

Coordination leads to safe and successful completion of maintenance projects

Published Aug. 9, 2016
By Raquel March
AEDC/PA

ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. -- Coordination was a key factor in completing multiple maintenance projects safely at AEDC during a recent 11-day water and power outage.

The outages provided an opportunity to access, maintain and repair equipment that is used for daily test operations.
The base-wide water outage was scheduled to involve 19 corrective maintenance projects, while the electrical outage at the AEDC Propulsion Wind Tunnel test facility plant involved six preventive maintenance projects.

“The AEDC contractor team had an ultra-successful outage period from June 30 through July 10,” said Brian Allen, an operations officer for the AEDC Test Support Division. “In this small window, craftsmen and technicians performed preventive maintenance on five large unit sub-transformers and circuit switchers including the PWT main drive switch gear and also tested filter capacitors. Additionally, they completed preventive maintenance on the 13.8kV (kilovolt) breakers and other critical electrical components.”

Allen said during the water outage, workers safely repaired seven known leaks in the cooling water system and conducted nine repairs of valves and other components. Concrete repairs were also performed on the Complex secondary reservoir which supplies cooling water to the test facilities.

According to Ronnie Skipworth, a National Aerospace Solutions, LLC, Utilities manager with the Test, Operations and Support contract, 18 scheduled jobs and three unscheduled jobs were completed with the water outage. During the electrical outage, all scheduled jobs were completed, as well as four that were unscheduled.

Due to the number of projects, many AEDC team members were
involved in safety, scheduling and work.

“Coordination with the different areas was required to ensure the safety of the maintenance workers and to allow for access to the equipment during a non-operational period,” Skipworth said.

Team members including pipefitters, welders, equipment operators, electricians, laborers, carpenters, safety personnel, an emergency response team and others, were involved in performing tasks.

The AEDC Tactical Integration Group, an Air Force and contractor scheduling group, reviewed the maintenance schedule to minimize the impact to testing and limit impacts to the facilities.

“Executing this work will reduce the probability of downtime impacts and provide better reliability for our test customers,” Skipworth said.

-AEDC-