Why fix it, if it isn’t broken? That’s often the response we come across. The reality is, many large manufacturing or processing facilities only think about their ageing electrical infrastructure when something goes wrong, and that’s not surprising. The perceived complexity and cost involved in making changes is what extends the delays. Until then, the issues continue to go unnoticed and hopefully they continue to sit quietly in the background.

Does any of this sound familiar?

• Critical equipment is ageing, out of date or no longer compliant with today’s safety and standards
• Processes require manual steps that could be automated
• Upgrades feel impossible because the site can’t afford to shut down
• Power quality issues continue to threaten costly penalties from the energy network provider
• No clear idea where or how to start

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. These were the challenges Huon Aquaculture’s Parramatta Creek facility in Tasmania was facing. That is, until Enginuity Power Solutions was engaged to help.

What began as a single job has grown, over a number of years, into a long-term partnership.

The video below features Tom Green, Managing Director of Enginuity Power Solutions, speaking with Pete Dutton, Maintenance Planner at Huon Aquaculture, on site at Parramatta Creek talking about how the partnership has grown and the various issues have all been addressed.

It All Started With a Water Pump

Huon Aquaculture is one of Australia’s premier producers of Atlantic salmon. The first engagement with the team at Huon Aquaculture was to look closely at their processes and in particular their essential water supply operations.

The facility at Parramatta Creek in Tasmania’s north is a rural location, and processing uses an enormous volume of water. That water is sourced from the Mersey River, and is pumped approximately 8 km to the facility, as the crow flies. It travels through agricultural pipes across farmland and into various holding dams and concrete tanks before being pumped all the way up to the water treatment plant at the processing facility.

When Enginuity Power Solutions was first engaged, no automation existed. Starting the pump meant the maintenance team driving from the facility to the pumping station, a trip of roughly 20 to 25 minutes on very rural Tasmanian roads. It was a time consuming process and added an additional layer of risk with personnel travelling back and forward everyday. And what’s more, it left one of the facility’s most critical assets reliant on someone being in the right place at the right time. Surely there had to be an easier, safer way.

Once onsite at the pumping shed, there came the manual start-up consisting of around 15 to 20 steps, opening valves by hand to control water flow, remove water hammer and dealing with pressure surges that can occur in a pipeline.

It was a very antiquated approach to a system that could be modernised.

Safe First. Smarter Next.

Before a solution could be tied in, the asset had to be brought up to a safe, reliable and compliant standard. That meant working with the existing switchboards and infrastructure to improve the overall condition, remove waste, and remove non-safe, non-compliant aspects.

Once that foundation was in place, the upgrade followed:

• Automated valves and system control to replace the manual start-up routine
• Installing a Variable Speed Drive that controls the speed of the motor and output to match the process
• Telemetry for remote operation enabling the process to be activated from anywhere in the world via a text message

Now, only when an alarm is triggered does a member of the maintenance team need to be sent to the Mersey River site. The routine drive to the pumping station, and the time and risk that are associated with it, are gone. And with the motor running at an efficient speed, the system saves energy while delivering the required amount of water to the processing facility.

Energy efficiency was not the original driver of this project. Time and safety were.

“While efficiency wasn’t the driver, the time and the safety aspect were. The return on investment based on the energy savings that we’ve delivered made the project make sense.” Tom Green, Enginuity Power Solutions

It is a good reminder that when a site is made safe, reliable and well controlled, efficiency often follows. As Tom Green puts it, it is these by-products of what Enginuity Power Solutions does that ultimately get projects over the line.

The Right Experts at Every Stage

A site like this rarely requires just one trade or a single skill set. The work at Huon Aquaculture relied on power quality analysis, high voltage (HV) switching and operating, high voltage cable termination, new switchgear installation, compliance, and the automation and remote monitoring that tie it all together.

Enginuity Power Solutions is built on three pillars: consult, design and deliver. Behind these pillars is an experienced team with the expertise to manage every stage of a project, from initial consultation and engineering design through to delivery and implementation.

It is a team that not only understands the fundamentals of electrical power, but it can also procure and implement engineered solutions in many applications.

It is a mix Pete Dutton has experienced first-hand.

“Their team bring a depth of technical expertise and practical problem-solving that gives us confidence our assets are being managed to the highest standard.” Pete Dutton, Huon Aquaculture

From 1970s Switchgear to a Safer, Modern Switchboard

The partnership expanded from the Mersey River pump station, to upgrading the site’s High Voltage network and back up power generator.

The transformation inside the old HEC brick kiosk substation is striking. Previously, bare busbars used to run across the top of the room, carrying the two HV power supplies from each of the transformers with old single isolators used to isolate each phase. Old Merlin Gerin M6 switchgear, manufactured circa 1975, once lived in the same cupboard. In the event of a power outage, the changeover process to the backup generator was potentially more dangerous than you might think. As Pete jokingly put it… It was the kind of job where you put your hands in your pockets, stand well back and let someone else do it.

“It’s always raining, it’s always a storm. And the last place you want to be is in a live switchboard while that’s happening.” Pete Dutton, Huon Aquaculture

Today it is a very different space:

• The high voltage (HV) switchgear has been relocated outside, with a new high voltage board feeding both transformers from the main incoming supply
• The low voltage (LV) board now sits in the old high voltage room, protected by type-tested, verified switchgear, with no exposed copper busbars
• A dedicated space next door houses the generator changeover, so the site can run on generators if the power goes out

The protection scheme was rethought as well. A single circuit breaker now protects both transformers, which allows the use of standardised, readily available equipment rather than a customised, more expensive route. That sped up the project and reduced the cost.

Power Quality To Help Address Ageing Electrical Infrastructure

The biggest question for sites like this is how to make changes without stopping production. At Huon Aquaculture, the solution was to fix the power quality first.

Through Power Quality Analysis, Enginuity Power Solutions identified poor power factor and harmonics that were reducing system performance. Having two transformers on site turned out to be a significant advantage. By addressing the power quality, each transformer could be adequately sized to carry the whole plant on its own. That meant the cutover could be staged. The site ran on one transformer while the other was worked on. Then, the process was reversed as the second transformer came back online, so production kept running throughout and now a smaller load is spread across the two HV transformers, helping reduce the stress on critical infrastructure.

Static Var Generators (SVG), which help correct power factor and improve power quality, were rolled out in a cascading approach, the only option really available when tying them into the existing infrastructure. A couple of units sit at the new plant and substation, with separate modules at a couple of locations on the top side of the plant.

The benefit rolls through the whole site. Power factor sits exactly where it needs to be, and power quality is improved.

The result? The site could run temporarily on one transformer while the works were completed. Nothing had to be shut down.

There was a commercial upside as well. Reducing demand on site, and the kVA demand on bills, brings a return on investment on top of the safety and reliability gains. As Tom Green notes, it is another example of the benefit of engaging in conversation from the start and then working with the client on a strategy to make efficiency gains while minimising disruption.

What This Could Mean for Addressing Ageing Electrical Infrastructure At Your Site?

While Huon Aquaculture’s facility has its own unique requirements, the electrical challenges it highlights are relevant to many industrial sites. Where is your site relying on people, manual steps or ageing equipment to keep critical operations running? Where might poor power quality be lying hidden and limiting your system, inflating your bills or causing compliance issues? And how could an upgrade be staged so production keeps moving?

At Enginuity Power Solutions, we believe the cleanest, greenest and safest energy is the energy we don’t use. That belief shapes how we approach every site and understand how the operation really works. Make it safe and reliable first, and then build in the efficiency and resilience that protect it for the long term.

A heartfelt thank you to Pete Dutton and the whole team at Huon Aquaculture for their trust and partnership over the years. We are proud of what we have built together, and look forward to continuing to contribute to the efficiency, resilience and ongoing success of their operations. 

If any part of this story sounds like your site, we would love to hear from you. It all starts with a conversation. Contact Enginuity Power Solutions today or call (03) 6709 8070.

Want to see more of our high voltage work? Read Creating Resilience Through High Voltage Asset Performance.