Allmand Bros. recently provided four Allmand Maxi-Heat industrial heaters to assist Kayton Electric, a division of Integrated Electrical Services, in completing the first extra high-voltage substation project in its company history. Both companies are based in the small rural community of Holdrege, Neb.
IES, a national electrical and communications service provider, turned to Allmand when freezing rain formed and covered the Lakefield, Minn., wind farm’s transformer. IES crews needed a solution to remove the layer of ice that quickly developed so the substation could be energized and begin delivering energy from the Lakefield Wind Farm to the grid.
A national rental equipment company delivered four Allmand Maxi-Heat industrial heaters to the job. The heaters were used as massive blow driers to melt the ice off the transformer.
Curtis Kayton, IES project manager, was onsite and witnessed firsthand the heaters’ performance. “Those heaters performed remarkably well, Kayton said. “It wasn’t long after they were started that a large puddle formed under the transformer.” The Maxi-Heat heaters were positioned to blow warm air on the transformer throughout the night. The next the morning the ice was all but gone.
“As I looked at the end result I thought to myself, here are two Holdrege [Neb.] companies serving a significant industry and both are here to solve a crisis. This is cool!” Kayton added.
Allmand Bros. introduced its line of Maxi-Heat industrial heaters in 1991. With more than 1 million BTUs, the Maxi-Heat is designed for applications and industries ranging from equipment pre-heating to thawing oil wellheads.
The Lakefield Wind Farm is a 207-MW farm located in Jackson County, Minn., and one of two renewable energy projects IES is currently involved with. The other project is a Transmission Line under construction for the Taloga Wind Farm near Taloga, Okla.
IES is a national provider of electrical and communications contracting solutions for the commercial, industrial and residential markets.
Allmand Bros. Inc., established in 1938, is a manufacturer of portable light towers, compact tractor loader backhoes, Port-A-Lite light stands, solar arrow boards and jobsite heaters.
