Fairfield Medical Center, Primary Switch Replacement

This critical project was a replacement of the primary 13.2 KV distribution switch for the entire hospital campus. The aging infrastructure was a point of considerable maintenance and unplanned outages. Claypool Electric worked with the hospital to design and replace the existing switch with a new G&W gas sectionalizing switch.

CHALLENGES

This switch is the main distribution point for the entire hospital, feeding six separate substations and an external transformer. Replacing it required careful consideration and coordination. We came up with a plan to complete as much of the work as possible ahead of time to reduce the time of the outage. There was also coordination with AEP as this took place at the same time as a metering cabinet switch, with both staffs working concurrently on each project.

OUTCOME

Work was completed without any safety or electrical issues over a six-hour time frame. The hospital received a much-improved system with the ability to isolate most of their substations without having to affect the rest of the campus. The new G&W gas switch utilizes load break elbows instead of pot heads, reducing the effects of moisture and weather on the terminations and preventing maintenance issues

HIGHLIGHTS

• New G&W gas load break fault interrupting switch.
• Ability to turn off individual substations for maintenance.
• Upgrade of aging 15KV cable to older substations inside the hospital.
• Fault protection at the utility source provides added protection for the electrical systems.