Coverage of System
Emergency electric power for the Walnut Station Facility is supplied by an emergency power unit.
Description of Walnut Emergency Power Plant
The emergency power plant at the Walnut Station facility consists of a 500 KW electric generating unit powered by a Diesel engine that meets AQMD standards.
The power plant contains a 2,000-gallon diesel fuel tank to supply the engine (the below ground tank contains diesel fuel, but is not connected to the power plant.)
The fuel is being transferred to the power plant tank as needed by gravity. The power plant is capable of continuously producing 8000 Amperes of current @480 Volts, which is twice the amount of the entire facility’s normal rate of power consumption.
The power plant is equipped with a transfer switching system which automatically activates the unit during a loss-of-power event. There will be an approximate twenty (20) second power interruption before the power plant fully restores power. The power plant is automatically shut-off when electrical service is restored to the normal supply lines. There are no manual controls that station personnel can use to activate the generating unit in the event of a failure to automatically stat. if a failure to start event occurs, the Facility Services Bureau must be notified to respond.
The control panel to the power plant is located downstairs, behind the doors located at the southeast corner of the briefing room. The control panel contains an emergency shut-off, which is clearly marked. If the power plant has to be shut down via the emergency button for any reason, Facility Services Bureau must be notified to respond.
Additional Auxiliary Power Supplies
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) are installed on the station’s radio system, microwave system, 9-1-1 PSAP telephone lines and station computer system servers. Consequently, these systems should continue to operate during and after a loss-of-power event. However, the UPS protecting the computer system server has a power supply capacity of approximately two (2) hours.
Since the servers are not connected to the emergency electric power system, they can be expected to become inoperative after two (2) hours. If the power interruption is expected to last longer than two hours, the station Data Systems Manager or Data Systems Bureau should be notified.
The station’s Mobile Command Post contains a portable gasoline powered electric generator unit and can provide emergency power by extension cord for flood lights, etc. Under no circumstances is another “Command Post” vehicle allowed to obtain power from our generator or damage will occur. Additional portable generators can be requested through E.O.B. if needed.