The purpose of the UPS is to provide a back-up power supply if the critical components of a life support system fail, thus providing assurance that even during a power black-out, these systems keep running. The Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) in the form of back up batteries was also demonstrated. Salt separation services demonstrating operation of the new reverse osmosis plants to create drinkable water
Through the process of water purification, the salt and other impurities are removed from the sea water using a semi-permeable membrane. The reverse osmosis plant that generates drinkable water from seawater was also tested. The BAS and Ramboll Team were also able to see the testing of the boilers, the mist suppression pumps and the fire alarm system, lighting and the building management system. Our Estates team got real value out of operating the kit for themselves, and suppliers were on site to demonstrate operation and answer any queries we had. The life support systems we tested will enable us to transition to a different way of working, where rooms have a multi-purpose function depending on the time of year and there are varying occupancies throughout the seasons. The plant room and energy centre provide the critical life support systems that will allow us to operate the Discovery Building and the wider station. GAB had mocked up the Discovery plant room and the team spent the time running through all the new systems to learn and challenge the operation and maintenance regimes.
The two weeks focussed on factory acceptance tests for all equipment and were a great success. Members of the BAS, BAM and Ramboll Teams stood in the mocked-up Discovery Plantroom Testing the plant room and energy centre Last month, colleagues from across the AIMP partnership travelled to Inverness and Glasgow to subcontractors G A Barnie (GAB) and DTGen where the Discovery Building equipment was being put through its paces, ahead of being shipped to Antarctica for construction. Dave Brand (Project Manager for Rothera Modernisation), Thomas Roberts (Mechanical Project Engineer) and Matt Meaden (Electrical and Power Generation Engineer) discuss why it’s important to construct elements of the new building in the UK before heading to Antarctica and how the new equipment will limit the impact on Antarctica’s pristine environment. Construction started on the building in 2019 and the team from our Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Programme (AIMP) recently mocked up the plant room in Glasgow, or engine of the building, to triple check every piece of equipment, before shipping to Antarctica later this year. The new science and operations facility at Rothera Research Station, the Discovery Building, has a unique design to meet the challenges of living and working in Antarctica, along with helping British Antarctic Survey achieve its target of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040.