FP McCann Precast Concrete Firewall Installed on Scottish Energy Management Facility
Project: Blackhillock Subsation Synchronous Condenser Facility, Keith, Moray
Grid Stability Developer: TiNZ Ltd Joint-Venture
Civil Engineering Contractor: RJ McLeod (Contractors)Ltd
Firewall Installation: FP McCann
Products Supplied: Brick Slip Stair Cores FP McCann 4-hour rating Precast Concrete Firewall
FP McCann has supplied and installed a 4-hour rated firewall as part of a new development to construct the Blackhillock Synchronous Condenser facility at a 400kV substation in Keith, Moray. The energy management facility uses the dedicated substation for the Beatrice offshore wind farm to connect to the National Grid. The site comprises a new electricity infrastructure compound including plant rooms, transmission compound and access road.
TiNZ Ltd, a grid stability contracts joint-venture between Transmission Investment and PeakGen, has been appointed on the Blackhillock project to deliver the new synchronous condenser which will provide inertia to strengthen the grid and short circuit power to ensure a reliable operation and reactive power for voltage control. Grid Stability means maintaining a constant frequency of electricity across the grid network, providing reliable power supply in case of system disruptions.
To protect the high voltage transformer and the Grid Stability Building, FP McCann, working alongside Dingwall based specialist civil engineer RJ McLeod (Contractors) Ltd, has installed an 8 bay precast concrete firewall measuring approximately 72 metres long with 200mm thick panel walls.
The wall has been constructed using FP McCann steel reinforced precast concrete ‘H’ columns and special prestressed precast concrete horizontal wall panels, all manufactured at the Company’s Lydney factory in Gloucestershire.
Five bays have an effective height of 9.0 metres and three bays an effective height of 6.5 metres. Horizontal wall panels range from 2.275 metres in length to 3.915 metres and weigh between 1.11 tonnes and 1.91 tonnes. Each supporting ‘H’ column has been located in a pre-formed concrete foundation.
In total 34 precast concrete ‘H’ columns and 227 pre-stressed horizontal wall panels have been supplied and installed. As an additional requirement of the build,
4 dividing walls have pre-formed bus duct holes.
Commenting on the installation of the precast concrete fire protection wall, Thomas Murray, Site Agent for RJ McLeod, says, “FP McCann delivered and installed the firewall to meet our tight construction program. Installation was a speedy and simple process, and the use of off-site manufactured precast concrete products, has significantly reduced the amount of formwork and wet concrete trades on site in comparison to traditional in-situ construction.”
FP McCann steel reinforced precast concrete firewalls are designed to contain fire from 30 minutes up to 4 hours, depending on the thickness of the panels specified. Rapid installation is possible due to the tongue and grooved joints. Standard column sections vary dependant on overall wall height and are made to order to suit customer requirements.
