Emergency Fuel Shut Off Replacement

Environmental, health, safety and scheduling challenges couldn’t stop the IME team on the Emergency Fuel Shut Off (EFSO) Replacement Project at Denver International Airport (DEN). After 24 months, they completed the work knowing it would be one of the defining projects of their careers.

A new EFSO system was critical to the infrastructure and the future of the airport due to an aging system that required regular manual adjustments and corrections. IME knew this project would have its challenges – Much of the work would be done in underground vaults, which were confined spaces and classified as Class 1 Division 1 Hazardous Locations due to the storage of jet fuel and explosive gasses. In addition, replacing the EFSO at an operational airport meant scheduling and communication had to be on point.

IME’s preconstruction team developed a plan to minimize actual work time in the confined vaults. They took 3D images, which gave sight to the old system, conduit and wiring without physically being in the vault. These images also allowed the team to get the specs necessary to build before construction started. Without stepping into a potentially dangerous work environment, IME developed a strategy for the project.

IME installed a new EFSO system while keeping the legacy system up and running. This allowed DEN to continue operations without interruption. Only after rigorous testing, the new system seamlessly took over as the old one shut down, ensuring not only the safety of the airport personnel and construction crews on site, but the general public who require the use of DEN every day. With IME’s careful planning, determined crew and attention to safety, the project was finished with 0 safety incidents. And, by finishing the project on time, IME helped to future-proof concourse expansions already in progress.