Alstom Stafford TX Factory

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Client | Alstom

Division | Construction

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In order to facilitate the testing of some newly manufactured Quad Boosters the client (Alstom) approached Neary to enquire on a very difficult 132kV cable installation that would be required to deliver test voltages to the new equipment.

Having looked at the route it was clear to see why their incumbent suppliers shied away from the proposal.

A set of terminations were to be situated on an outdoor mezzanine roof where the connections to existing bus bars could be made. The route then came down from the sealing end structure, proceeded along the roof floor, then rose sharply to form the required radius to pass through the existing glass facade of the building and plummet through 90 degrees down the inside wall of the factory.

The cables descended down through the factory to ground level where they then had to enter an underground service tunnel barely 4ft square whilst also maintaining another 90 degrees change in direction (this one both longitudinally and laterally!).

The cables had to be installed approximately 25m along the tunnel (confined space) emerging at the other end, then turning through another 90 degrees and rising back out of the tunnel to their termination position on an overhead gantry.

This route may have presented enough problems for the installation of a control cable but the cable finally delivered to the route weighed nearly 27kg per meter, was 100mm in diameter and was as they say, "stiff as a board".

The 132kV terminations for this project were also included in our contract. These were subcontracted to a specialist supplier.

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