Modular operating centers and methods of building same for use in electric power generating plants and other industrial and commercial plants, processes and systems

Abstract

Modular operating centers for use in electric power generating plants and other industrial and commercial plants, processes and systems are constructed by using a novel prefabricated modular technique. This technique includes loading a plurality of transportable room-size building modules with control system equipment at a factory site. Typically, the control system equipment includes sophisticated and complex electrical and electronics data processing and control equipment. The control system equipment is installed and bolted down in the different building modules and the equipment in each module is inter-wired at the factory site. Temporary inter-module connections are established between the control system equipment in different ones of the building modules and such equipment, as a whole, is then thoroughly tested and adjusted under simulated use conditions. Thereafter, the loaded and tested building modules are separated and separately transported to the industrial or commercial installation site. At the installation site, the building modules are joined together to form an integral weatherproof building structure and the inter-module control system equipment connections are re-established to provide a tested and substantially ready-to-go control center for the plant, process or system in question. A novel feature of this technique is that structural building modules are used as the shipping containers for transporting complex electrical and electronics equipment to the final installation site.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of building an operating center for a plant designed to produce goods or services, the steps of said method comprising: loading each of a plurality of transportable room-size building modules with predetermined electrical control system equipment units at a factory site, such building modules constituting structural parts of a unitary operating center building and such control system equipment units constituting parts of a system for use in monitoring and/or controlling the operation of the production plant;   establishing at the factory site predetermined intramodule connections among the control equipment units within each building module;   establishing at the factory site predetermined intermodule connections among the control system equipment units in different ones of the building modules;   establishing at the factory site predetermined connections to the control system equipment units for ultimate attachment from one or more of the modules to the production plant at predetermined plant points;   employing a plurality of conductors to establish the intramodule connections;   employing a plurality of cables having a plurality of conductors to establish the intermodule and plant connections through cable connection points;   testing the control system equipment at the factory site, such testing including the combined testing of the control system equipment interconnected by the intermodule cable connections;   preparing the loaded building modules for transportation to the plant installation site including disconnecting the intermodule and any test connections at the cable connection points;   transporting the modules to the plant site;   and installing the modules and establishing the cable connections from the modules to the plant points and reestablishing the intermodules cable connection.  .[.2. A method of building an operating center in accordance with claim 1 and further including:   forming each building module as a transportable, room-size, three-dimensional, rectangular, metal frame structure;   and securing permanent closure means to and closing the roof and floor and some but not all sides of the frame structure, any side not so closed being one that will abut another module in forming a complete operating center building..]. .[.3. A method of building an operating center in accordance with claim 2 wherein the preparing of the loaded building modules for transportation to the installation site includes the securing of temporary closure means to the sides of the building modules not closed by permanent closure means thereby enabling the building module to be its own shipping container for the housed control equipment..]. .[.4. A method of building an operating center for a production plant as set forth in claim 1 and further including:   housing the control equipment units in cabinets and securing the cabinets to a floor of the operating center in cabinet rows which cross through the interfacing sides of adjacent building modules..]. .[.5. A method of building an operating center for a production plant as set forth in claim 4 and further including:   providing walkways between the cabinet rows and providing intramodule connections between cabinets in different rows through cables housed in cables trays which are supported to extend over and between adjacent   
     
     
        cabinet rows..]. 6. A method of building an operating center as set forth in claim 4 and further including: disposing a connector panel in at least one cabinet row near the module side interface to provide intermodule 
     
     
        cable connection points. 7. A method of building an operating center for a production plant as set forth in claim 1 and further including: housing the control equipment units in cabinets and arranging the cabinets in rows with digital units, analog units and operator control units   
     
     
        arranged in respective groupings. 8. A method of building an operating center as set forth in claim 7 and further including: generally organizing the cabinet units so that each of most of the units contains equipment associated with a major plant component placed under control or monitor 
     
     
        operation. 9. A method of building an operating center in accordance with claim 1 and further including: employing an electronic simulator to simulate the plant operation;   applying output test signals from the simulator to the equipment units;   
     
     
       and applying signals from the equipment units to the simulator. 10. A method of building an operating center in accordance with claim 9 and further including: applying test signals from the control equipment units to the simulator through the module plant cable connections.  .[.11. A method of building an operating center for a production plant as set forth in claim 1 and further including:   providing each building module with vertical sidewall beams prior to assembly with each other and removing predetermined ones of said beams from the interfacing sides of assembled modules..]. .[.12. A method of building an operating center in accordance with claim 1 wherein each loaded building module is separately transported to the installation site by lifting same onto a truck trailer and hauling the loaded trailer to the installation site by a tractor type truck unit..]. .[.13. A method of building an operating center in accordance with claim 1 wherein the installing of the loaded building modules at the installation site includes joining the building modules together to form an integral   
     
     
        weatherproofed building structure..]. 14. A method of building an electrical operating center as set forth in claim 1 wherein the plant is an electrical power generating plant which employs steam to drive at least one prime mover and the plant cables provide for operating center connections to the plant equipment including   
     
     
        prime mover equipment and steam generation equipment. 15. A method of building an operating center for an electric power plant as set forth in claim 14 wherein the power plant is a combined cycle plant having at least 
     
     
        one gas turbine and one steam turbine and a steam generator. 16. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 14 wherein the electrical control system equipment includes programmable digital computer equipment for monitoring and/or controlling the operation of the plant power generating equipment.  .[.17. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 14 and further including:   forming each building module as a transportable, room-size, three dimensional, rectangular, metal frame structure;   and securing permanent closure means to and closing the roof and floor and some but not all sides of the frame structure, any side not so closed being one that will abut another module in forming a complete operating center building..]. .[.18. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 14 and further including:   securing of temporary closure means to the sides of the building modules not closed by permanent closure means thereby enabling the building module to be its own shipping container for the housed control equipment..].   
     
     
        .[.  .  A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 14 and further including: housing the control equipment units in cabinets and securing the cabinets to a floor of the operating center in cabinet rows which cross through the interfacing sides of adjacent building modules..]. .[.20. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 19 and further including:   providing walkways between the cabinet rows and providing intramodule connections between cabinets in different rows through cables housed in cable trays which are supported to extend over and between adjacent   
     
     
        cabinet rows..]. 21. A method of building of electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 19 and further including: disposing a connector panel in at least one cabinet row near the module   
     
     
        side interface to provide intermodule cable connection points. 22. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plane in accordance with claim 14 and further including: housing the control equipment units in cabinets and arranging the cabinets in rows with digital units, analog units and operator control units   
     
     
        arranged in respective groupings. 23. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 22 and further including: generally organizing the cabinet units so that each of most of the units contains equipment associated with a major plant component placed under   
     
     
        control or monitor operation. 24. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 14 and further including: employing an electronic simulator to simulate the plant operation;   applying output test signals from the simulator to the equipment units;   
     
     
       and applying signals from the equipment units to the simulator. 25. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 24 and further including: applying test signals from the control equipment units to the simulator through the module plant cable connections.  .[.26. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 24 and further including:   securing of temporary closure means to the sides of the building modules not closed by permanent closure means thereby enabling the building module to be its own shipping container for the housed control equipment;   housing the control equipment units in cabinets and securing the cabinets to a floor of the operating center in cabinet rows which cross through the interfacing sides of adjacent building modules..].  .[.27. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 24 and further including:   providing walkways between the cabinet rows and providing intramodule connections between cabinets in different rows through cables housed in cable trays which are supported to extend over and between adjacent cabinet rows..]. .[.28. A method of building an electrical operating center for a power plant in accordance with claim 24 and further including:   joining the building modules together to form an integral weatherproofed building structure at the power plant site, and connecting power plant cables from the module plant connecting points to the plant equipment   
     
     
        including the plant prime mover and steam generation equipment..]. 29. A method of building an operating center for an electric power plant as set forth in claim 24 wherein the power plant is a combined cycle plant having 
     
     
        at least one gas turbine and one steam turbine and a steam generator. 30. Apparatus for a prefabricated operating center for an industrial plant, process or system comprising: a plurality of transportable room-size building modules each including a three-dimensional, rectangular metal frame structure and being adapted to be transported to and jointed together at an industrial installation site to form a unitary operating center building;   electrical control system equipment items for use in monitoring and/or controlling the operation of a plant designed to produce goods or services, some of which control system equipment items are installed in one of the building modules and other of which control system equipment items are installed in another of the building modules before shipment to the installation site;   a plurality of conductors for establishing predetermined connections between equipment items in the same module;   a plurality of cables having plural conductors for establishing predetermined connections between equipment items in different modules and between equipment items and the plant equipment; and   connection means for connecting and disconnecting intermodule and module-plant cable connections to enable factory site testing of the control equipment items while cable connections are established and to enable separation of the modules for shipment to the plant site,   and means for applying plant simulation test signals to the control system items at the factory site, said test means being detached from said modules prior to module shipment.  .[.31. Apparatus for an operating center as set forth in claim 30 wherein permanent closure means is secured to and closes the roof and floor and some but not all sides of the frame structure, any side not so closed being one that will abut another module in forming the complete operating center building, and temporary closure means secured to the open module sides when the modules are separated for   
     
     
        shipment..]. 32. Apparatus for an operating center as set forth in claim 25 wherein the control equipment units are housed in cabinets secured to the module flooring and arranged in rows which cross through the interfacing sides of adjacent building modules.  .[.33. Apparatus for an operating center as set forth in claim 32 wherein walkways are provided between the cabinet rows and cable trays are supported over the cabinets to support cables carrying conductors for connections between equipment 
     
     
        items in different cabinet rows..]. 34. A prefabricated operating center as set forth in claim 30 wherein the plant is an electric power generating plant which employs steam to drive at least one prime mover and the plant cables provide for operating center connections to the plant equipment 
     
     
        including prime mover equipment and steam generation equipment. 35. An electric power generating plant comprising: electric generator equipment for producing electricity;   turbine equipment for driving the generator equipment;   at least one steam generator for producing motive steam for at least some of said turbine equipment;   a plurality of transportable room-size building modules installed at the plant site to form a unitary control center building;   control system equipment for monitoring and controlling the operation of at least the generator and turbine equipment, such control system equipment being installed within the building modules before shipment of the building modules to the plant site;   connector cables for connecting the control system equipment to the generator and turbine equipment;   connector cables for making predetermined connections between control system equipment items in different building modules;   and means for applying plant simulation test signals to the control system items at the factory site, said test means being detached from said   
     
     
        modules prior to module shipment. 36. Apparatus for a power plant as set forth in claim 35 wherein the plant is a combined cycle plant having at least one gas turbine and one steam turbine and steam generator equipment and the plant cables further provide predetermined connections from the control equipment items to the stem generator equipment.