HBK’s design teams work with Clients to design new or upgrade existing services to customers based on their stated needs. These designs include vaults that house transformers, switchgear, and other equipment based on the required customer load. HBK can also provide the off-site civil and electrical design needed to route the cables from their existing locations to the new vaults. HBK works on a variety of Reliability Projects. These involve updating existing infrastructure so that it meets the most recent standards. This could involve Line Clearance locations, Osmose Pole Replacements, Aging Infrastructure Replacements (Potheads, etc.), and other Corrective Maintenance items that are identified in the field. HBK works in support of Storm Hardening and Grid Resiliency Programs. These programs are focused on making system infrastructure more robust to reduce outages caused by overload or storms. Overhead lines are commonly re-routed underground or replaced overhead with a more robust system such as aerial cable. HBK works to design distribution solutions for potential NERC concerns with transmission lines. These points of interest are determined to be potential concerns based on worst case scenario modeling. Modifying the existing distribution poles and lines is a more cost-effective option than the transmission lines. Often, a distribution pole can be reconfigured to lower the poles and wires, or it may need to be re-routed underground. HBK working closely with clients in public improvement projects for utility coordination and relocation designs.

Services include:

  • Feasibility Studies
  • Master Planning
  • Asset Management
  • NERC Resolutions:
  • Reliability Projects
  • Ampacity calculation
  • System load studies
  • Voltage drop calculations
  • Field walk downs
  • Electric equipment sizing
  • Distribution Automation (DA) 12kV and 34kV Reclosers:
  • Network Equipment Vaults Physical layout

 

  • Storm Hardening and Grid Resiliency
  • Summer/Winter Critical
  • Solar / Photovoltaic Designs
  • Back-up generator designs
  • Plan and Profile conduit ductbank designs
  • Manhole and Vault designs
  • Construction support
  • Cable sizing

Electrical Engineering 1

Electrical Engineering 2

Automatic Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Distribution Automation (DA) Radio Designs:

HBK works in support of DA and AMI Relay and Access Point Programs. These are Silver Springs Network (SSN) radios that create a mesh network to relay metering information back to the Client and are key components of the Smart Grid.

  • 3,565 Radios Pole top, bracket-arm, and padmount installations

New Business:

HBK works with New Business units in the Regions to design new or upgrade existing services to customers based on their stated needs. For example in the cities of Chicago or Philadelphia, these designs are vaults that house transformers and switchgear based on the required customer load.  HBK also provides the off-site civil and electrical design needed to route the cables and ductbanks from their existing locations to the new vaults.

  • 320 underground connections
  • 75 overhead or underground electrical designs for new customers

Equipment Vaults:

HBK works with New Business units to design new or upgrade existing services to customers based on their stated needs. These designs include vaults that house transformers, switchgear, and other equipment based on the required customer load. HBK can also provide the off-site civil and electrical design needed to route the cables from their existing locations to the new vaults.

  • 50 new or updated building vault designs

Distribution Automation (DA) 12kV and 34kV Reclosers:

HBK works to design both 12kV and 34kV DA Reclosers in the urban and suburban environments. These reclosers utilize Silver Spring’s mesh network for communication and are able to isolate smaller sections of lines that lose power. These devices reduce the number of customers without power.

  • 12kV - 438 switches
  • 34kV - 14 switches

Storm Hardening and Grid Resiliency:

HBK works in support of Storm Hardening and Grid Resiliency Programs. These programs are focused on making system infrastructure more robust to reduce outages caused by overload or storms. Overhead lines are commonly re-routed underground or replaced overhead with a more robust system such as aerial cable. 

  • Underground cable – 142,000’
  • Spacer cable – 237,000’
  • Open wire – 332,000’
  • Aerial cable – 5,900’

Summer/Winter Critical:

HBK works in support of the Summer and Winter Critical Programs. These programs are focused on shifting loads on feeders to reduce outages during peak usage months. New feeders might be added or load balanced between other feeders based on historic usage.

  • Underground cable – 66,415’
  • Overhead wire – 26,000’
  • Ductbank – 21,045’

 

 

NERC Resolutions:

HBK works to design distribution solutions for potential NERC concerns with transmission lines. These points of interest are determined to be potential concerns based on worst case scenario modeling. Modifying the existing distribution poles and lines is a more cost effective option than the transmission lines. Often, a distribution pole can be reconfigured to lower the poles and wires, or it may need to be re-routed underground.

  • HBK resolved 130 Distribution Points of Interest

Reliability Projects:

HBK works on a variety of Reliability Projects. These involve updating existing infrastructure so that it meets the most recent standards. This could involve Line Clearance locations, Osmose Pole Replacements, Aging Infrastructure Replacements (Potheads, etc.), and other Corrective Maintenance items that are identified in the field.

  • 552 Resolved line clearance locations
  • 69 underground conduit designs to aid in cable replacement
  • 52 Pothead switches removed and replaced with new switches; lead cable replaced as well
  • 900 poles addressed for 4kV to 12kV conversion
  • 267 TripSavers

Manhole Assessment Programs:

HBK works on manhole assessment programs for various clients. These programs involved HBK team members accompanying contractor electricians to each manhole to perform detailed assessments of all aspects of each structure, from cable and joint condition, thermography, environmental condition to structural condition. In addition HBK performed the on-site assessments and work coordination.

  • 40,000 manholes.

Underground Infrastructure Mapping Programs:

HBK works on manhole assessment programs for various clients. These programs involve HBK team members undertaking the mapping, locating, surveying, data management and updating of internal GIS systems for underground cable systems in conduit. The level of effort involved in this process includes the following.

  • Over 1,100 miles of underground distribution infrastructure
  • Over 200 miles of underground transmission infrastructure

Underground Transmission Projects:

HBK has provided Phase 1 routing studies, Phase 2 design and Phase 3 Construction Support for various underground transmission projects in locations ranging from urban to rural areas. We have performed designs for the following systems:

  • HPFF: 69kV, 138kV and 345kV for a total over 15 miles
  • XLPE: 69kV, 138kV, 161kV and 345kV for a total of over 48 miles
  • HVDC and High Temperature Super Conductor studies for system implementation in dense urban environments.
  • HBK additionally performed holiday repair program management and engineering for HPFF lines.