In 2019, a high-water event at one of the world's largest water pumping stations, the W. G. Huxtable Pumping Station in southeastern Arkansas, damaged two 50-year-old gearboxes that led to an operation failure that threatened 1.2 million acres of farmland in a mostly rural county in the Mississippi Delta.
The plant operator, the Memphis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), awarded the contract to repair and rebuild the two gearboxes to Atlanta Gear Works (AGW).
The potential impact of the failed pumps was so significant that despite the entire country shutting down because of COVID-19, AGW began planning the repair immediately on March 20, with an estimated year to complete.
Management at the plant estimated the time needed to get them up and running again to be a year, but like many large projects, the problems turned out to be more complicated than initially thought. To make use of their extensive infrastructure and resources, AGW took the gearboxes back to the shop in Dawsonville.
In Dawsonville, the AGW team discovered that though the gearboxes were identical, the repairs would be not just complicated but also different for each one, including manufacturing new gears. To prevent future wear and tear, additional work at Huxtable included vibration tests and adjustments on a total of 10 gearboxes.
Despite the unexpected complexity of the repairs, AGW completed the job two months ahead of schedule, on Jan. 15, 2021.
"We are proud to have been selected for a project of this scope and significance," said AGW President Jack Conway. "It is why we hire the best people and stay ready to serve 24/7."
Atlanta Gear Works is a total-solution industrial gearbox design, engineer, manufacture and repair company.
For more information contact:
Atlanta Gear Works
433 Hightower Parkway
Dawsonville, GA 30534
www.atlantagear.com