Challenge

The Stennis Space Center was seeking a qualified mechanical contractor to install stainless steel piping that required x-ray certified welds. The process called for flushing and a purification service to ensure all piping was clean and to standard before the testing process commenced. The installation had to be performed in the small space of the jet engine test stand, which measured 12′ in diameter and 55′ in length. The Stennis Space Center needed a trusted partner to perform this specialized work. S.M. Lawrence, a Comfort Systems USA (CSUSA) company, was ready to help.

Solution

The S.M. Lawrence Team:

• Completed the work on schedule with no safety incidents
• To meet schedule and tolerance requirements, all piping was prefabricated onsite. The project called for 10,000 feet of piping total.
• Had minimal issues with x-ray certified welds. Out of hundreds of welds that had to x-rayed, only a handful had to be modified, pleasing the Stennis Center with the outcome.

A Closer Look

S.M. Lawrence was awarded this $2,600,000 project in April 2012 after receiving an invitation to competitively bid. Continental Construction teamed up with S.M. Lawrence to begin work on the jet engine test stand located at America’s premier rocket engine test complex in Hancock County, Mississippi.

The scope of work provided by S.M. Lawrence on this project included plumbing, heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), and process piping to support a phase two jet engine test stand.

As concluded by Martin Flinders, Facilities Engineering Manager, “During the current $50M project and during previous installations that I have been involved with it has always been a pleasure to see S.M. Lawrence on the job site. Their attention to detail and quality of their workmanship is second to none both with carbon steel installations and stainless steel. They are currently laying in fuel/air and oil systems on our test site, x-ray results have been exemplary and the customer liaison has been accurate and at a very high level. I would not hesitate to recommend their services and I look forward to working with them again in the future.”