Albuquerque Metals Shredder
and Substation
Albuquerque Metals Shredder and Substation
Client: Ace Metals
Location: Albuquerque, NM
The Scope of Work upgrades the existing Shredder Building substation to a 10 MVA transformer within a very short time frame. The existing substation was owned and operated by Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) but was converted to primary metering where PNM meters the customer load at 46 kV and Albuquerque Metal Recycling takes service at 46 kV and is responsible for the electrical system from that point. The design included coordination with PNM regarding location of the new substation and complying with applicable PNM standards for a customer owned substation.
The new substation design included connection from the load side of PNM’s 46kV lattice mounted disconnect switch to a new customer owned lattice, disconnect switch, and fuses. From there, it was connected to a new 10MVA, 46kV to 13.8kV transformer, with secondary protection provided by a 15kV Vacuum Breaker. These items were specified for owner purchase and contractor installation by Lopez Engineering, Inc.
A medium voltage feeder from the substation serves two 13.8 kV to 575V transformers, which provide power to (2)2500 HP motors through a pair of 3200 amp AC to DC converters. It also serves a third transformer, 13.8kV to 480Y/277 Volt, 3 phase, 4 wire, for service to a 3000 amp switchboard. This switchboard feeds two motor control centers, lighting loads, and miscellaneous power panelboards. The (2) MCCs feed a combined total of 65 additional process motors. All building HVAC and lighting are fed from a 277/480V panel in the Shredder Building. All shredder equipment power and data connection requirements were coordinated with the equipment supplier.
Lopez Engineering, Inc. also provided a lighting, power, voice/data, and fire alarm system design for the shredder building.