Natural Gas Modeling
As a part of transforming its power generation fleet from coal to natural gas generation, a large utility client needed to understand the potential of...
Utilities
Experience To Match Challenging Demands
What we Do
Valdes has established an experienced team for utility plant retrofits and upgrades. Our mix of personnel —including utilities, independent power producers, equipment manufacturers and engineering firms — allows us to approach your project with the highest degree of technical expertise and with the mindset of an owner. Valdes provides attention to detail but is also practical and cost-effective. We bring this same approach and expertise to steam production and distribution, gas storage and gate stations, renewable energy and water treatment plants.
Utilities Project Experience
Power Generation
Types of Power Plants
- Coal Fired Power Plants
- Gas Fired Power Plants (Simple & Combined Cycle)
- Biomass Fired Power Plants
- Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Plants
- Cogeneration Plants
- Combined Heat & Power Plants
- Reciprocating Engine Power Plants
Services Provided
- Conceptual Studies
- Total Installed Cost Estimating
- Detailed Design
- Laser Scanning & Modeling
- Equipment & Labor Specifications
- Project Management
- Construction Support
- Start-up & Commissioning Support
Power Delivery Services
Substation Design
- New & Upgrades
Services Provided
- Conceptual Studies
- Total Installed Cost Estimating
- Detailed Design
- Laser Scanning & Modeling
- Equipment & Labor Specifications
- Project Management
- Construction Support
- Start-Up & Commissioning Support
Areas of Experience
- Relay Settings
- Structural Design
- Single-Line Development
- Rigid Bus Design
- Lightning Shielding Design
- Ground Grid Design (WinIGS)
- Protection & Control, AC/DC
- General Arrangements
- Plan and Section Drawings
- Control Buildings
- Raceway Design, Trenches, Duct Bank, Underground Get-Aways
- Wiring Design
- Laser Scanning for 3D Modeling of Substations
- Lighting Design
- Battery Sizing Calculations/Studies
- UPS Studies & Implementation
Areas of Experience
Civil / Structural / Architectural
- Design of Site Draining, Grading, Tractwork & Storm Sewers
- Site Work
- Industrial Architectural Design for Buildings
- Structural Design
- Platform Design
- Foundation Design
Electrical Systems
- Grounding Design
- High, Medium, & Low Voltage and/or Auxiliary Power Electrical Systems
- Transformers
- DC Battery Systems
- Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs)
- Protective Relay Upgrades
Mechanical Systems Design
- High Energy Piping (HEP)
- Material Handling Systems
- Coal
- Coal Combustion Residuals
- Limestone
- Gypsum
- Boilers (Solids & Gas Fuels)
- Pressure Parts
- Burners
- Regenerative Air Pre-Heaters
- Forced Draft, Induced Draft, Primary, Secondary Fans
- Steam Coil Air Heaters
- Feedwater Heaters
- Deaerators
- Coal Mills
- Air Quality Control Systems
- Selective Catalytic Reducer (SCR)
- Selective Non-Catalytic Reducers (SNCR)
- Dry Sorbent Injection (DSI) Systems
- Wet ScrubbersSpray Dryer Absorbers (SDA)
- Pulse Jet Fabric Filters (Baghouse)
- Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs)
- Turbines, Combustion & Steam and their Auxiliaries
- Circulating Water Systems
- Mechanical Cooling Towers
- Steam Surface Condensers
- Water / Wastewater Treatment Systems
- Fire Protection Design
- Balance of Plant (BOP) Systems
- Water / Waste Water Treatment
- Station & Instrument Air
- Pumps
- Cooling Water
- Pressure Vessels
- Storage Tanks
- Control System & Automation Upgrades
- DCS
- PLC
- PLC Migration to DCS
- Instrumentation
- Burner Management Systems
- Turbine Control Systems
Projects
Generating Station – Reverse Osmosis System
A utility client’s combustion turbine peaking plant uses reverse osmosis (RO) water for exhaust gas emission controls. The plant was designed for RO...
Site Bulk Material Handling – Coal Pile #3 Decommissioning
In preparation for the construction of a liquid natural gas plant on the current site of their Site Bulk Material Handling (SBMH) Coal Pile #3, a util...
Generating Station – Circulating Water Pump Variable Frequency Drive Study
A local department of natural resources requested that Valdes’ utility client study the feasibility of installing a variable frequency drive (VFD) o...
Utility Power Plant – Units Decommissioning
A utility client will be bringing various plant units offline. The units will be decommissioned and retired. The plant is a coal-based power plant wit...
Utility Generating Station – Reverse Osmosis System
A utility client has a combustion turbine peaking plant that uses reverse osmosis (RO) water for exhaust gas emission controls. The plant was designed...
Utility Power Plant – Fan Replacement Study
A utility client contracted Valdes Architecture & Engineering (Valdes) to perform an engineering scoping study for the replacement of the forced draft...
Outage Planning Services
A utility client needed to plan for an outage in their supercritical generating station. They had identified systems that were in need of replacement,...
Switchgear Replacement Study and Implementation
The units and switchgear for our client’s power plant had been in service for over 60 years, were nearing their end of life and presenting reliabili...
Ash Leachate and Contact Water System Upgrades
A power plant client needed to redirect ash contact water from an on-site landfill to wet scrubbers for pollution mitigation to comply with a consent ...
Roof Top Solar Energy – PV Design
An international manufacturer of automotive components needed a plan for the installation of solar panels on the roof of their plant as a part of thei...
480V Load Centers
A power plant had numerous 480V load centers (LCs) that had reached their end of life and most had no spare capacity. It was clear to the client that ...
Switchyard Upgrade
A client was looking to sell its trigeneration facility and required mechanical and electrical upgrades. Due to the installation of a new upstream sub...
Substation Upgrade Project
A refinery client initiated a project to increase the incoming power capability from the local utility to the 34kV busses at its refinery. They needed...
