Premier Co-op New Feed Mill

Premier Co-op contacted PDC Electrical Contractors in October of 2016 to assist in design and electrical installation for a new feed mill they were planning to build in Westby, WI.

DC started the design process based upon a previous project that we had done with Premier Co-op in Mineral Point, WI. We needed to work with the control system contractor to incorporate the control system into the electrical design. We also needed to work with the building contractor to establish areas for the electrical equipment.  

Ground breaking started in the late winter of 2017. We started electrical installation with the service in early summer of 2017. Due to the busy work environment, the steel erection took longer than anticipated, pushing the electrical work into the late summer months. No additional electrical work could be done until all of the structural steel and the overhead bin structure were completed and the building was enclosed.

Once the building was enclosed, we started installing the lighting systems throughout the plant and the switch gear and motor control centers in the electrical room. When the bin structure was complete and before they could install the legs we had to coordinate time to install the main cable tray through the main process floor. Conduits from the cable tray to the top of the   upper ingredient bin structure for all of the motors and controls that would be at the upper elevations.

We continued working on the inside of the mill hooking up equipment as it was being set. We worked from the the top of the ingredient bin structure again. During the fall of 2017 we lifted all of the tools, equipment and able to stay on top for most of the day. Several weeks were needed to complete work on top of the bin deck.

Once the motors and field devices were set, climbing up and down was a challenge to complete the work at such high elevation. Good communication was needed for the crews on the top and bottom to pull wire and terminate motors and control devices.

We installed wiring for 129 motors ranging from 1 to 300 horsepower. 304 control points from 20 feet below grade to 170 feet above grade and everywhere in between. There was 1 main PLC cabinet and 5 field mounted remote controls panels. All of the control panels were connected via Ethernet to the main processor in the electrical room. We had installed wiring to nine distributors, which in turn fed 108 spouts at the top of the leg structures to distribute the ingredients to 68 different bins. Sixty-eight high level wired on the bins. Also three scales were wired for weighing product. A safety system that monitored the four individually wired safety devices, such as speed switches, bearing temperature switches, and product flow switches. Approximately 20,000 feet of raceway   was installed, and 152,000 feet of wire and cable was pulled for power and control.  

A total of 9,000 man hours were needed to get the building and process system ready. After testing of the 304 field devices the final commissioning took place without any startup issues or wiring mistakes. All systems checked out flawlessly. This allowed them to have the system tested and ready for production.  

Although a fairly routine project for PDC, our greatest challenge was supplying adequate man power during demanding schedules from our other projects. The project was completed by the due date due to the abilities of our talented and dedicated electricians.