1also inside A Time for Change Loading Up on Efficiency Permitting Prerequisites

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E M E R G E N C Y R E S P O N S E O P E R AT I O N S

BEYOND THE SCOPE

Manage the Challenge Potential environmental, health and safety issues that arise from a pipeline spill are almost too numerous to count and too catastrophic to imagine.

That’s why it’s best to prepare for the worst.

Featured in this issue’s cover story is a comprehensive emergency preparedness and response tool (EPRT) — one designed to help our clients and others track, manage and otherwise coordinate their critical and diverse needs during a crisis situation. Our professionals worked with TransCanada to develop what one executive describes as a “superior technology,” capable of tracking developments in real time. Leveraging technology to solve our clients’ greatest needs is a cornerstone of the Burns & McDonnell approach across all of our business groups. It is critical that we continue to find new ways to innovate and apply technology to everyday problems.

This project is an example of what our clients and communities have come to expect from us: improved safety for everyone involved.

Steve NalefskiVice President

2015

BURNS & McDONNELL

CONTENTS

2016 No. 1 3

Steve Santovasi is the department manager for

geospatial services at Burns & McDonnell. Connect with him on LinkedIn or call

directly at 203-294-2361.

Q : How can companies save time and money on projects by flying missions with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones?

STARTUP

so efficient and cost-effective, our firm is steadily building a fleet of UAVs that are being dispatched on projects for clients across the company.

Technical Q&A: Getting Business Done with Drones

A: With UAVs, we’re able to capture high-resolution images and sweeping video, but that’s not all. UAVs use remote sensors that focus on specific parts of the light spectrum to collect valuable data that can identify vegetation health, wetland areas, surface temperatures and more. That information can efficiently produce detailed design, construction and planning aids — from 3-D modeling and thermal imagery to wildlife and cultural monitoring.

At Burns & McDonnell, we’ve used data collected by UAVs to help design and inspect gas, oil and electric plants, substations, electric transmission lines, gas pipelines, landfills and more. This allowed personnel to capture high-quality data without risking their safety.

In addition to providing safe, cost-effective solutions for tasks on many projects, UAVs also reduce the need for environmental permits that can require a major effort and stall projects. Using UAVs, we’ve collected data over wetland areas without setting foot on them, saving a substantial amount of time and money.

Burns & McDonnell has a specialized internal team trained to handle the company’s UAV work. Without this in-house team, this work would most likely have to be subcontracted at a much higher cost. Because the technology is

How It Works

Tough project terrain? We’ve got a drone for that.

Steve Santovasi is more than an information management professional and geospatial services manager at Burns & McDonnell. He’s a pilot of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones), and oversees the company’s UAV program. When it comes to knowing when, where and what the best of UAV technology is on a project, he has the answer — and why.

“About 85 percent of all the data in the world can be tied to a specific location on the planet,” he says. “My team manages where that place is and what data gets assigned to it.”

UAVs fall under that category.

Burns & McDonnell’s growing fleet is composed of different UAV types that are assigned based on what data is needed.

When seeking data from a large area, a corridor or plant site, the firm uses a fixed-wing drone. On the other hand, when looking into a specific place, such as a tower or nest, the team uses a quadcopter that has rotating blades and can hover.

A benefit of the drone technology is the ability to tailor each flying mission to the exact needs of a project by switching out cameras operated by software in a computer set up for each flight mission. The computer tells the aircraft how high and what direction to go, and where to take photographs. The software captures camera direction and coordinates and logs each flight for use in the future.

The company recently sent a team to

North Carolina to inspect two solar farms. Given the

mission, the selected UAV had thermal imaging capabilities to determine the functionality of thousands of panels.

“Using UAVs is more than a trend,” Santovasi says. “Eventually this is going to be a solid cornerstone of most engineering companies.”

For more information, contact Steve Santovasi at 203-294-2361.

Download our UAVs white paper at burnsmcd.com/UAVwork.

BURNS & McDONNELL 4

IN-HOUSE NEWS

News in Brief

ACEC Honors Work in Support of Clients Across The Country

In-House News

Fortune Smiles on Burns & McDonnell for a Sixth Time

Great customer service begins with dedicated, talented employees. Being one of the nation’s best companies to work for isn’t the only thing that attracts talent, but it sure helps.

Fortune magazine has ranked Burns & McDonnell as one of its 100 Best Companies to Work For® an impressive fifth consecutive year and sixth time overall. The company’s No. 16 ranking for 2016 represents the results of a corporate culture audit and employee survey results. Great Places to Work® evaluates hundreds of applications on the basis of credibility, camaraderie, respect, fairness and pride.

“Those dimensions of what makes a company a great place to work are also key characteristics of employee ownership,” says Greg Graves, chairman and CEO. “Being a 100 percent employee-owned company empowers us all to act as owners — from how we work with clients to how we do our expenses.

Burns & McDonnell worked with clients on projects that earned awards this year from American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), honoring engineering excellence. Among them:

DANIEL K. INOUYE FIGHTER SQUADRON OPERATIONS/AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE FACILITYJoint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HawaiiThe design for a 77,000-square-foot facility for the beddown of F-22 fighter jets received an ACEC National Honor Award. With a focus on flexible design, innovative space usage and extensive sustainability features, the facility was the first Air National Guard project to earn LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

OTTUMWA TIER 1 RETROFITOttumwa, IowaAir quality control and efficiency improvements — a joint venture with Babcock & Wilcox Construction Co. at Ottumwa Generating Station for Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy — won a regional Grand Prize Award.

Among projects earning Honor Awards from ACEC chapters:

MACON READINESS CENTER Macon, Georgia Planning, design and construction of a 56,000-square-foot center for the Georgia Army National Guard, including headquarters for the 48th Brigade Combat Team.

“We find that accountability to ourselves and each other amplifies everything we do, from our creativity to a project to our commitments to our clients. To us, these are defining elements of being a best place to work.”

This gratifying recognition comes as the company has continued to perform well amid a challenging market for the oil and gas industry, which affects numerous clients. But the company’s strategy of diversifying its business sector exposure and fostering an environment appreciated by employee-owners helped as headcount and sales reached record heights in 2015.

Status quo is not in the vocabulary when it comes to creating an attractive workplace. In 2016, the company will see the opening of its world headquarters expansion and several new amenities there, including the MacKids Learning Academy and an on-site pharmacy.

“We are excited to debut some of our most anticipated on-site benefits yet,” says Melissa Wood, chief administrative officer. “Each year, we make it a priority to identify new and meaningful benefits that contribute to the health, happiness and fulfillment of our employee-owners.”

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN,MATERIALS RECOVERY FACILITY Glencoe, Minnesota Planning and development of a retrofit to quadruple McLeod County’s recycling processing capacity.

CRESCENT BOULEVARD Glen Ellyn, Illinois Redesign a major road corridor to slow traffic, ease congestion, improve safety and encourage pedestrian travel adjacent to a high school.

LOWELL BOULEVARD WATERLINE REHABILITATION Westminster, Colorado Study and design for trenchless rehabilitation of 3,500 feet of critical waterline.

2016 No. 1 5

PROFILE

At the beginning of 2017, the chief executive officer role at Burns & McDonnell will transition from one determined leader to another.

After 13 years as chief executive officer of Burns & McDonnell, Greg Graves is retiring, turning over his seat to longtime friend, Ray Kowalik.

Having worked closely together during Kowalik’s 29 years at Burns & McDonnell, the two have developed a trusting relationship, sharing the same philosophical views as to how the company should be run. But that’s not all they share. They’ll be the first to recognize employee-owners on noteworthy achievements, having dedicated much time to nurturing a strong employee ownership culture, and both are outspoken advocates of community involvement.

With “a little hustle and a ton of good fortune,” as Graves describes his experience, he landed in his current role as the firm’s sixth CEO, second in tenure only to a member of the co-founding

McDonnell family. In less than a year, he’ll pass his responsibilities on to his protégé, Kowalik, who will continue to lead with as much tenacity as his predecessor.

GREG GRAVES: MOVING ONSince the early age of 12, Graves knew he wanted to be an engineer. Dreaming big is what got him to where he is today.

Starting fresh out of college, he signed on with Burns & McDonnell as an ambitious mechanical engineer who spent many days climbing smokestacks, a story he tells new employee-owners to this day. His knack for professional achievement led the Energy Group, under his direction, to significant growth. Backed by a dedicated support system at home, which he credits for most of his success, he took that same persistence, dedication and, one of his favorite words — perspective — to lead the entire company to record-breaking heights.

“When I took the job of CEO, I made it my responsibility to use this role to make a real difference for our employee-owners and the city that’s been home to our world headquarters for more than a century,” Graves says.

If you’re curious about what has been accomplished during Graves’ tenure, here are just a few examples of the to-dos that he crossed off his long, ambitious list. The number of employee-owners has tripled to more than 5,300; total revenue has quintupled; and the Burns & McDonnell Foundation has provided charitable organizations with more than $50 million, much of it financing STEM education. His efforts have put Burns & McDonnell on Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For, along with top workplace honors in more than 20 other publications across the country.

A TIME FOR A CHANGE

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Though awards and recognitions are appreciated, Graves’ main focus has always been on creating and maintaining long-lasting relationships with clients, charities and, of course, fellow employee-owners during his decade-plus at the helm.

Known for recapping the week on a personal note through his Friday News emails and championing culture-friendly initiatives such as flexible working hours, he’s leaving a lasting legacy. One of his last major accomplishments includes the $139 million expansion of the Burns & McDonnell world headquarters with an iconic four-story structure designed and built by fellow employee-owners. The 310,000-square-foot addition, which opened in March 2016, features materials sourced from local companies, state-of-the-art technology, a juice bar, pharmacy and a STEM-based child care center.

“I have to say, I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished,” he says.

RAY KOWALIK: STEPPING UPKowalik is no stranger to hard work either. He grew up in Blue Springs, Missouri, and developed an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age.

Even as a kid, he was business-minded. He padded his bank account by raising chickens and selling eggs, mowing lawns, working at a Christmas tree farm, and sacking groceries, among other ventures. “I have an entrepreneurial perspective and spirit,” he says. “As the son of an immigrant family, I had to find a way to get money to have fun.”

That drive, determination and, of course, creativity followed him into his adult career. Young and eager, he began as a structural engineer at Burns & McDonnell. Following in Graves’ footsteps, his journey took him through the Energy Group

at a time that was an ideal match for his skills as a project manager. He led the advancement of engineer-procure-construct (EPC) capabilities as the firm was establishing itself as a leader in design-build construction.

His devotion to clients — specifically in the fields of air quality, new generation projects and regulatory compliance — garnered recognition for his group as an industry leader and achiever on projects like Kansas City Power & Light’s (KCP&L) Iatan 2 generation station and Westar’s first-of-a-kind Jeffrey Energy Center’s wastewater treatment facility. Because of the innovative energy plan, Power magazine gave Iatan 2 its highest honor, naming it Plant of the Year. Westar’s unique wastewater treatment facility received The Edison Award in 2014 for innovation in the electric industry.

Humbled and honored to be selected as the next CEO, Kowalik is ready for the future. Armed with a strong family network, his commitment to “Create Amazing” extends beyond the duties of the job. Like Graves, he dedicates his free time to representing the firm on local committees and charitable projects.

“Ray exudes leadership, is a fierce promoter of our employee-owned culture and is a master at embracing complex challenges and developing strategies to create innovative solutions,” Graves says. “I had the opportunity to give Ray his first promotion to project manager not long after he joined the firm. He was immediately the one everyone wanted to lead their team to make a real difference. Now, I know Ray’s leadership and entrepreneurial approach will create new and exciting advancements for our firm, clients and communities.”

I’m a big believer in bringing in new perspectives to an organization.— Greg Graves

PROFILE

CEO TRANSITIONThrough the company’s storied 118-year history, Burns & McDonnell has only known a handful of CEOs, but each took it upon himself to shatter national statistics and prove that a comfortable stay — and a love for the job — can create a lasting impression.

GREG GRAVES1980: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, South Dakota School of Mines 1980: Joined the firm

1993: MBA, Rockhurst University (formerly Rockhurst College)1993: Became vice president/marketing director of Energy Group1997: Took over as general manager of Energy2001: Promoted to president of Energy2003: Joined Board of Directors2004: Became CEO2009: Became chairman

RAY KOWALIK1985: Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, University of Missouri1987: Joined the firm1999: Master’s

degree in civil engineering, University of Missouri 2001: Became associate vice president of Energy2004: Took over as vice president and general manager of Energy2007: Promoted to president of Energy2009: Joined Board of Directors2015: Promoted to executive vice president and president of the firm’s 11 business groups2017: Becomes CEO

It’s a duty and a responsibility,

and I look forward to the challenge.— Ray Kowalik

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2016 No. 1 7

PROFILE

After six years as vice president of the Energy Group, Rick Halil followed longtime colleague Ray Kowalik as the group’s general manager.

Like many before him, Halil has spent his entire career in the Energy Group. Upon joining in 1989 as a mechanical engineer, his first job consisted of designing power plant retrofit projects. When the independent power market picked up, he assisted clients with power plant development, which led to the creation of the group’s Development Engineering Department.

Throughout his 27-year career, he not only has served in various roles on multidisciplinary project teams designing and constructing power generation, but also on renewable energy, nuclear, environmental and plant betterment projects. For the previous 10 years, he provided strategic leadership of the group’s engineering and project management teams, which are responsible for executing projects around the world.

“Obscure regulatory decisions and ever-changing technology create a constantly evolving marketplace,” says Greg Graves, chairman and CEO. “I know Rick is up to the challenge. He is one of the brightest and most intense people I know.”

TAKECHARGE

INFLUENTIAL LEADERS

From Environmental to Construction/Design-Build,

Burns & McDonnell welcomes new leadership to several of

its business groups.

Rick Halil, Energy

BURNS & McDONNELL 8

PROFILE

The Construction/Design-Build (CDB) Group is now under the leadership of Randy Griffin, replacing retiring 22-year veteran Don Greenwood.

As group president and general manager of CDB, as well as a member of the board of directors, Greenwood founded the group when he joined the firm in 1994. Thanks to his commitment and dedication, the CDB arm now engages more than 600 employee-owners, several of whom are assigned as field staff to large projects throughout North America.

Griffin, who was hired by Greenwood in 2001, started as director of procurement. With 30 years of construction industry experience, he was promoted to oversee construction operations, implementing practices and strategies to address issues — both in the field and in-house — across all industry sectors. He’s also one of the company’s biggest health and safety advocates.

“I’ve watched Randy selflessly mentor and guide many employee-owners, which has resulted in remarkable leadership development for Burns & Mac,” Graves says. “Randy is notorious for saying, ‘I’ll put my team up against anyone in the industry.’ I have no doubt our CDB team will continue to thrive because of his dedication to enhancing our capabilities.”

Steve Nalefski is filling the role of vice president and general manager of the Environmental Group.

Nalefski replaces Steve Linnemann, who had been general manager of the Chicago regional office for eight years before being promoted to lead the Environmental Group. He retired at the end of 2015.

Nalefski, who has 30 years of experience in environmental management consulting, specializes in remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater. He also has assisted clients in development and implementation of global compliance programs and environmental management systems.

A registered geologist in several states, Nalefski has led project teams on cleanup programs worldwide, most notably in the petroleum and chemical industries. Though new to Burns & McDonnell, he understands the employee ownership culture as well as the entrepreneurial spirit that thrives in each business group and regional office. According to Graves, his authenticity will stand out in his new leadership role.

“Steve has amazing credentials for this role, with many years of success spanning the entire spectrum of services in the environmental market,” Graves says. “Though it is unusual for Burns & McDonnell to recruit from outside for senior leadership positions, he completely gets our employee ownership culture and is the perfect fit to take our Environmental Group to new levels of success.”

In the Atlanta regional office, Oko Buckle took over as the new general manager. He replaced Arnold Olender, who retired after 14 years developing the Atlanta office. During Olender’s tenure, the Atlanta office grew from a single to a multidisciplinary organization and expanded its services; Burns & McDonnell now offers a wide range of engineering design, construction and consulting services for aviation, aerospace, utility, energy and military, and works with many local, state and federal government clients.

Buckle, who served as regional manager of electrical transmission and distribution (T&D) engineering services for clients throughout the Southeast, picked up where the retiring Olender left off. An energetic substation engineer who joined the company in 2006, Buckle moved to Atlanta to oversee the growth of the T&D Group, which has blossomed over the last nine years under his supervision. Last May, he and Olender led the expansion of Burns & McDonnell in Florida by opening up an office in Orlando.

“Oko’s energetic personality is infectious and part of what makes him a great leader,” Graves says. “He has great passion for life, his family … and Burns & McDonnell. Oko is a great example of the entrepreneurial nature of Burns & McDonnell. He was a substation engineer who seized the opportunity to move to Atlanta and grow the T&D practice. Now, he is one of our newest principals and the leader of the Atlanta office.”

Steve Nalefski, EnvironmentalRandy Griffin, Construction/Design-Build Oko Buckle, Atlanta

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E M E R G E N C Y R E S P O N S E O P E R AT I O N S

FROM THE COVER

2016 No. 1 9

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E M E R G E N C Y R E S P O N S E O P E R AT I O N S

FROM THE COVER

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2016 No. 1 11

TransCanada, which generates enough electricity to power 11 million homes, delivers about 20 percent of the natural gas consumed by North Americans and nearly 20 percent of the oil exported from Canada into the United States. With investments in proactive integrity and maintenance programs topping $1 billion a year, the company is committed to the safe operation of its energy assets and protecting the environment and the public.

“While we have always been committed to safety, we knew it was time to advance our operations with a superior technology,” says Robert Baumgartner, manager of oil, pipeline and environmental services at TransCanada. “That’s why we partnered with Burns & McDonnell to create a leading emergency preparedness and response tool (EPRT) that tracks developments in real time.”

!

Global pipeline company TransCanada is

leading the charge for safe and efficient

emergency response operations across

North America. The company is going

a step further with a newly customized

tool developed by Burns & McDonnell.

BURNS & McDONNELL 12

FROM THE COVER

TOOLS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS IN AN EMERGENCY

The EPRT is a customized version of OneTouchPM®, a web-based application developed by Burns & McDonnell that pulls data from any source system and geospatially stores it in a single, user-friendly, three-dimensional world. This makes it possible to easily and securely deliver critical data anytime, anywhere, says Mark Knaack, a principal and Environmental regional practice manager at Burns & McDonnell.

The firm first used OneTouchPM for a spill response in 2010 and has since advanced the technology.

“Our teams collected data and provided updates from the spill scene that proved successful in helping that company bridge gaps in communication and manage the logistics of massive resources at the site,” Knaack says.

TransCanada responded to the tool’s success by investing in its own customized version, one that is fully integrated with the company’s existing data formats and geographic information system (GIS).

The tool streamlines collaboration between responders by managing resources, tracking logistics and minimizing physical paperwork in real time during emergencies.

TransCanada tested the new tool last fall during Operation Riverboat, an exercise that simulated an oil spill resulting from a third-party pipeline strike near water in Yankton, South Dakota.

“I’m confident in our pipeline systems and their operability,” Baumgartner says. “But in the event of an incident, I know our new EPRT has everything we need for a true emergency response.”

ON SCREEN, ON SCENE: An EPRT allows Tapsi Puri (opposite page) and other authorized stakeholders to track, coordinate and facilitate emergency response. During Operation Riverboat (above, clockwise from left), crews monitored clean water, conducted a tailgate safety briefing,

deployed an action boom, and stationed a vacuum truck along the Missouri River.

2016 No. 1 13

FROM THE COVER

OPERATION RIVERBOAT: PUTTING TECHNOLOGY TO THE TEST

At the start of the exercise, TransCanada’s team established an emergency operations center in Calgary, Ontario, and an incident command center at a public park in Yankton where emergency responders converged.

Crews deployed booms to contain and prevent the spill from reaching the main channel of the Missouri River. But high winds had caused the virtual crude to move beyond the booms and into the creek, heading straight for the river. From the incident command center in Yankton, emergency personnel assessed the spill using time-stamped photographs, field observations and other data sent through mobile tablets from responders in the field to an electronic bulletin board linked to TransCanada’s computer system.

The bulletin board, which fits on a single screen, is like a website of all the data needed during an emergency, such as contacts, organizational charts and

regulatory documents. The bulletin board also organizes facts for use by incident commanders in their decision-making.

During the drill, the highly sophisticated EPRT pinpointed locations where responders collected data and used geometric reference points to show the overall coverage area on the geospatial dashboard, OneTouchPM. A ticker on the bulletin board provided progress updates and other information, bolstering communication among teams in multiple locations and with the public and media.

“It’s a pretty powerful thing,” says Warren Brown, a staff geologist at Burns & McDonnell who participated in the drill. “With the time-stamped photos and documents, TransCanada is able to easily share any of this information with the public and give photographic evidence of how quickly and thoroughly they are responding to an incident.”

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FROM THE COVER

THE FUTURE OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE OPERATIONS

TransCanada’s EPRT is a game changer for how it and other companies can manage, streamline and improve their emergency response operations.

“We’ve empowered TransCanada to manage themselves during an emergency rather than the company having to rely on contractors to lead their teams and follow their protocol,” says Tapsi Puri, a Burns & McDonnell project manager who helped design the tool.

The tool also manages the company’s assets, including documents, and can handle multiple incidents at one time.

“Filing documents is a task in itself,” Puri says. “Instead of relying on managing content outside of the EPRT solution, we integrated an elegant and a flexible content management system inside the bulletin board. TransCanada stores the documents and ICS Forms in that system and can customize the folder structure and permissions on an incident-by-incident basis.”

The entire response to an incident is recorded on the EPRT, allowing TransCanada’s team to review the response, identify areas for improvement and address those areas in planned drills. Though officials hope they never have to use it for a real emergency, TransCanada is thrilled with the new tool and has agreed to allow Burns & McDonnell to customize it for other companies — even competitors.

Unlike other systems, the EPRT supports multiple incidents and displays field data geospatially in real time. The system ties preparedness data to specific locations as well.

“This improved preparedness and planning leads to better safety for everyone involved,” Bumgartner says.

For more information, contact Mark Knaack, 832-389-5799.

This improved preparedness and planning leads to better safety for

everyone involved.

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LESSONS LEARNED: OneTouchPM’s role in management of an actual pipeline rupture in 2010 (far left) preceded TransCanada’s investment in an update (left) that has been tested in the field (above) and is now available for wider use.

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2016 No. 1

A leader in academic

medicine, the University of Texas

at Austin is raising its standards by building the

first medical school in nearly 50 years from the ground up at

a top-tier U.S. research university — and it was in need of the right

infrastructure for flawless operation.

In November 2012, the community voted on and approved a bond for a new medical district at the southeastern corner of campus, the site of the Dell Medical School, set to welcome students in June 2016. Forward-thinking in its approach to medical education, care and research in collaborative work spaces, the school now is served by one of the most efficient heating and cooling systems in the country.

To meet demands of a growing university, the team of Flintco and Burns & McDonnell was called in to design and build a new chilling station that would take its energy efficiency and heating/cooling distribution to the next level, an important aspect in efficiently running a level 1 trauma center.

In addition to the new Chilling Station No. 7 (CS7), Phase I also includes the $295 million, 500,000-square-foot Dell Seton Medical Center teaching hospital,

FEATURE PROJECT

The University of Texas at Austin’s

all-new medical school is ‘rethinking

everything,’ a new slogan that describes

its revolutionary approach not only

to health care delivery but also to

energy distribution on campus.

WHAT IS A CHILLING STATION?

“The whole point of a chilling station is to make water cold, but we’re doing it on a very large scale — about 30,000 gallons per minute,” says Jeff Easton of Burns & McDonnell.

LOADING

EFFICIENCYUP ON

BURNS & McDONNELL 16

the new level 1 trauma center serving the community’s underprivileged population — scheduled to open early 2017 — as well as other education and research buildings. The first phase accounts for 1.1 million additional square feet, which is approximately $800 million of new construction within two city blocks.

With the addition of the medical district, the cause of such a big load increase, the overall system will have gained substantial efficiencies due to the high performance of the CS7, says Jeff Easton, an engineer and certified energy manager at Burns & McDonnell. In numeric terms, this means 4,500 tons of cooling and 54 MMBtu of heating hot water.

Located on the outskirts of campus, the 15,000-ton CS7 houses the primary heating plant, heat pump chiller and three 85 percent-efficient water-tube boilers, while a new 5.5 million-gallon thermal energy storage tank sits right outside. Other upgrades include direct access to the steam-fired heating plant that was strategically embedded within the medical district for backup. To alleviate pressure-balancing issues between multiple plants in various chilling stations, CS7 will be controlled on a flow setpoint and was intentionally designed with more capacity steps: six 2,500-ton units, which ultimately will make it the most efficient plant on campus.

“Chilling Station No. 7 simulations anticipate a total plant annual efficiency of 0.55 kW/ton, which will further improve on the university’s exceptionally high energy performance,” Easton says. “Considering that the performance estimate includes the heat pump chiller input energy, CS7 will also contribute an estimated 75,000 MMBtu of ‘free’ heating. It is projected to be the university’s most efficient plant.”

Working in conjunction with the university’s existing chilling stations, CS7 is anticipated to be up and running by June 2016.

CHECK THE TANK The thermal energy storage (TES) tank, the second tank in the campus system, will provide an estimated 52,000 ton-hours of storage and allow nearly 10,000 tons of chilled water-producing equipment to shut down during peak hours of the day and recharge at night during off-peak hours, which saves money and energy. The main advantage of the TES tank capacity is to gain better control of the university’s demand-side load, which helps optimize its combined heat and power (CHP) system and microgrid, Easton says. The savings are a byproduct of that important capability.

The tank provides flexible chilled-water capacity that can be deployed to cover any equipment outages. With both tanks, the university can wield, shift, offset and control up to 10 MW of electric load, a powerful tool for any large campus.

LET IT (EFFICIENTLY) FLOW Another substantial energy-efficient decision was the addition of the heat pump chiller, which will simultaneously provide hot and chilled water to the new district.

With a universal perspective, Burns & McDonnell engineers proactively coordinated with the building designers to make sure all appropriate heat exchangers were installed to match the pump’s capabilities. The heat pump chiller is intended to run year-round to maximize its return on investment, with a rated Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 6.0 and an annual savings goal of $177,000. As the campus grows, more heat pumps will be added for optimal efficiency. During the colder months when higher temps are needed, water-tube boilers are ready to heat water up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

“The heat pump chiller and boilers are arranged in a series configuration within a robust variable primary-variable secondary pumping scheme that provides stable flow delivery to the campus while allowing

for pump energy savings and operational flexibility within the plant,” Easton says.

With water at a premium — both in price and available quantity — four independent water sources are piped to the new chilling station, which also has its own recovery system. The first source will provide recovered water from campus, which would ultimately be discarded anyway; the second is reclaimed water from the city; and the third and fourth deployments are domestic water from the city and university that will only be used as backups to the first two sources.

After numerous studies, the university developed a water treatment plan and started using reclaimed water in May 2013. By using 80 million gallons of reclaimed water, the goal is to save nearly $300,000 annually.

BOOST SECURITY A programmable logic controller (PLC) system was designed to operate automatically with zero permanent staff on-site. High-tech cameras with zooming capabilities will act as security for the grounds and also allow operations staff to view pipe gauges and visually check for potential leaks.

Building on its existing control network, three more PLCs will be added for the CS7 and one more for the hot water plant. Since the campus is tied into the dedicated campus control network, the university’s system will be more robust than most. All will be remotely operable from Chilling Station No. 6.

For more information, contact Jeff Easton, 817-908-3009.

Chilling Station No. 7 simulations anticipate a total plant annual efficiency of 0.55 kW/ton, which will further improve on the university’s exceptionally high energy performance.

FEATURE PROJECT

CHILLING STATION NO. 7• Startup year: 2016

• Number of buildings served: 150+ (campuswide)

• Square footage served: 17 million (campuswide)

• Distribution network length: more than 9 miles (campuswide)

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P E R M I T T I N G P R E R E Q U I S I T E S

Air emissions need to be factored into manufacturing facility construction projects.

Mention air permitting or air quality standards, and the first image to come to mind might be a large power plant. It’s important to know that those same standards and requirements can have implications for manufacturers and industrial facilities.

Well before launching any construction effort that could potentially change or introduce additional emissions — whether an expansion project or a new facility on a greenfield location — manufacturers need to examine air permitting requirements.

“If your project is going to be emitting or increasing emissions of criteria pollutants once the facility is operating, you may need a construction permit, depending on the amount of emissions, before you can construct those air emission sources,” says Mary Hauner-Davis, manager of the Air and Noise Department at Burns & McDonnell.

Compliance could require designing more pollution controls, designing to minimize additional emissions, or facing more stringent permitting requirements and potentially needing to purchase emission credits. If the facility already has an operating permit, it might need modification. Whether it has one or not, it may need one of several levels of air construction permits, depending on the

current and anticipated levels of emissions.

BASICS ON THE BASISAir permitting requirements are based in the Clean Air Act (CAA) and its amendments. The legislation established the criteria pollutant emissions that are regulated.

Download our presentation on need-to-know air permitting basics at burnsmcd.com/AirPermitting.

The CAA required the Environmental Protection Agency to set and periodically adjust the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Levels for each criteria pollutant are established to protect the health of sensitive populations.

Location matters. Regions are designated either attainment or nonattainment for each pollutant. Being in a nonattainment area means dealing with lower thresholds and more stringent requirements.

“For a lot of manufacturing plants, even some of the bigger ones, their emissions are low volume because they don’t have a lot of combustion sources,” Hauner-Davis says. “Many of those are considered minor emission sources. But just because they’re minor doesn’t mean they don’t need an air permit.”

KNOW BEFORE YOU BUILDPotential emission sources could be volatile air emissions from paint or solvents or the byproducts of combustion, such as the emissions from a new natural gas-burning boiler. If the project will result in particulate emissions, such as from sawing, grinding or a powder being used in production, the odds are that an air construction permit will be required.

Before the new or modified source is added, it is necessary to calculate the potential to emit from the project and determine whether it crosses regulatory thresholds. Having an accurate accounting of existing emissions, combined with calculations of potential new emissions, is critical to knowing what permits are needed.

“In the past, the EPA has focused on power plants and refineries,” Hauner-Davis says. “Now they are paying more attention to the air emissions at smaller industries, too.”

The project schedule should take the air permitting process into account. For most air construction permits, construction on emission sources cannot begin until an air permit is received. If an air construction permit is necessary, that process can take from several months to more than a year for a major permit.

“It’s really important for your project schedule to make sure you’ve looked at your emissions upfront and know what level of permit you’re going to need, so you know how long it’s going to take,” Hauner-Davis says.

Her advice? Being informed about where the facility stands and what actions need to be taken are the essential first steps.

“If you have an air permit,” she says, “do you know what’s in it, and is it up to date? If you’re an existing facility, that’s the first action you should take.”

For more information, contact Mary Hauner-Davis, 816-822-4252

2016 No. 1 17

NEED TO KNOW

C R I T E R I A P O L L U TA N T S :• Particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5)

• Ozone/volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

• Nitrogen oxides (NOx)

• Sulfur dioxide (SO2)

• Carbon monoxide (CO)

• Lead

• Greenhouse gases

BURNS & McDONNELL 18

ONCE AGAIN, BURNS & McDONNELL EMPLOYEE-OWNERS HAVE

SHOWN THAT PUTTING SAFETY FIRST SETS THE COMPANY APART.

SAFETY CORNER

LOOKING OUT FOR SAFETY IS EVERYONE’S JOB

Working with an unwavering dedication to safety and safety awareness, Burns & McDonnell professionals and contractors continue to build strength in numbers.

The latest is 0.17. That’s the firm’s total recordable incident rate (TRIR) for 2015, ranking Burns & McDonnell within the top quartile of the Construction Industry Institute’s (CII) safety performance standards, representing the best of the best in contractors across the country.

Additionally, the company consistently ranks among the top 1 percent of all contractors nationwide in TRIR, Days Away, Restrictions and Transfers (DART), and Experience Modification Rate (EMR), according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Lockton Cos.

For Jamie Butler, a vice president and director of safety and health at Burns & McDonnell, the numbers confirm what he sees

every day: a clear commitment to keeping clients and employee-owners safe.

“I believe that true safety excellence isn’t about the statistics but about the people,” Butler says. “People are what drives safety performance; they are our differentiator. As you can see, our people have a lot to be proud of.”

Throughout the year, Burns & McDonnell employee-owners and subcontractors completed 17 million work hours, up from 13 million in 2014.

“We’re dedicated to performing our individual jobs with the utmost respect to maintaining the stringent safety standards of both OSHA and Burns & McDonnell,” Butler says. “Whether our teams are engineering the next high-efficiency power plant or planning the newest construction project, our employee-owners work to complete their assignments not only on time and within budget constraints but also safely.”

For more information, contact Jamie Butler, 816-823-7081.

Combined Cycle ConversionEmpire Energy • New configuration of existing natural gas fired turbines

• 500,000+ work hours

National Logistics Support CenterNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration• 225,000 square feet of office and reconditioning space

• 50,000+ work hours

World Headquarters Expansion (shown above)Burns & McDonnell • 700,000 square feet of expansion, including surface and garage parking

• 300,000+ work hours

SAFE WORK Among larger projects completed in 2015 with zero OSHA recordable incidents: