A large electric utility company installed Anhydrous Ammonia detection transmitters at their coal-fired facility in North Carolina. Anhydrous Ammonia Gas is used as part of the environmental treatment process and when stored in large quantities can be a hazard to plant personnel due to the serious risk of damage to the skin, eyes, and respiratory system. In order to enhance existing safety systems. Mesa provided an engineering solution for the installation of Anhydrous Ammonia detection transmitters in the ammonia bulk storage facility. In addition to the local area alarms, the detection transmitters trigger alarms in the plant control room when ammonia concentration levels exceed the control limits per the plant safety guidelines. The control room alarms guarantee a quick safety response by trained plant personnel, while the local alarms allow for a safe evacuation of personnel until the safety team corrects the issue and deems the area safe for normal operations. Mesa’s engineering approach was to provide adequate detection coverage in the area and to minimize the project expense. The use of laser scanning technology and a working 3D model of the area allowed the Mesa team to pinpoint optimal locations for detector installation which reduced the total number of detectors needed for adequate coverage. The result of the optimization resulted in a decrease in the overall construction cost and schedule. The project was installed on time and under budget through the use of up to date technology and creative engineering.
About Mesa Associates, Inc.
Mesa is a woman/minority-owned full-service multi-discipline engineering, procurement, and construction management firm specializing in providing engineering services for the commercial, government, industrial, municipal, and electric utility industry. Mesa is currently providing over $180M of engineering services to 13 of the top 15 utilities across the United States. Our growth is a result of delivering quality projects and value to our clients with unparalleled customer service. We differentiate ourselves by saying we are Large Enough to Perform, Small Enough to Care.