Transportation

HAI personnel provide an unbiased, technically based assessment of your fire protection, fire and gas detection, life safety, code compliance and process safety needs. Our company is not associated with any equipment or product vendors to preclude HAI from forming any pre-conceived conclusions. Rather, we analyze your specific needs, develop a set of recommendations tailored to you, and assist you in obtaining, installing, and testing the optimal solution for your situation.

Our focus on customer service combined with unparalleled technical capabilities ensures our clients the most appropriate and cost-effective solutions possible.

HAI advocates a cohesive design philosophy from concept to execution that results in feasible, practical, goal-oriented designs. Throughout all phases of a traditional design, we integrate the necessary elements to present a prescriptive design and integration of systems that are cost-effective to install and maintain.

For some facilities, prescriptive designs are not applicable. In those cases, our engineers develop performance-based designs, focusing on specific client criteria to ensure equivalent-code compliance. Prescriptive-based designs may be suitable for refueling sites, industrial and maintenance facilities, life safety, property protection, and environmental protection.

Transportation and Maintenance Facilities

HAI supports the many facets of operations for Transportation and Maintenance Facilities. Our engineers offer extensive project experience in:

Maintenance Facilities
Storage and Refueling Sites
Engineering Design, Consulting and Compliance Expertise with Alternative Fuels
   » Clean Diesel
   » CNG
   » Hydrogen
   » L/CNG
   » LNG
   » Propane
   » Reformulated Gasoline
Site and Design Concepts, Design Development, Detailed Design
Oversight Engineering for Storage and Refueling Facilities
Code and Regulatory Compliance Reviews
Analyses of Maintenance Garages, Storage and Refueling Sites for Development of Compliant and Safe Designs
   » Reviews of Designs: Upgrades, Modifications and New
   » Process Safety Analysis includes HAZOP, FMEA, and "What       If?" checklist
   » Process Safety Management
   » Funding Assistance
   » Variances (as necessary) for Approval
   » Periodic Third-party Audits
Construction Period Services

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Fire Protection Engineering

HAI advocates a cohesive design philosophy from concept to project execution that results in a feasible, practical, goal-oriented fire protection design. Our services cover the full range of facility and project life cycles, including:

Design Process

Design Concepts
Design Development
» Design drawings
» Technical specifications
Detailed designs, including calculations

Bid Preparation & Review Services

Bid package
Review of bids
Award

Construction Period Services

Field review of installed systems
Functional and acceptance testing

Code and Standards

As members of committees and regulatory bodies, HAI’s
engineers become involved with code issues long before they
reach committee.

We serve on key committees of interest to the rail, transit and automotive maintenance facilities and operations: NFPA 11, NFPA 30, NFPA 30A, NFPA 52/57, NFPA 72, and NFPA 88A. We also are involved in ICC developmental activities. This participation gives us unique insight into the codes and allows us to provide pragmatic and cost-effective assistance to our clients.

Our personnel are experienced in developing guidelines and standards, which have become corporate documents for many clients. Our clients thus develop guidelines that ensure a consistent interpretation and application of standards for all of their operating facilities. HAI personnel have prepared numerous corporate policies, procedures, and engineering guides for clients, or as employees of various transit, petroleum, and petrochemical companies.

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Engineering: Technical Design and Project Management

HAI has extensive experience developing and writing specifications and assisting clients in developing technical design criteria for all automotive (liquid, gaseous, and cryogenic) fuels, refueling stations and maintenance facilities. HAI is proficient in assisting our clients with getting it right the first time, understanding present-day needs, and forecasting.

HAI specializes in a total package concept, which includes:

Developing initial site design specifications
Site expansion contingencies
Emergency response plans
Disaster response and recovery plans (earthquake, power disruption)
Fuel code interrelationships
Engine advancements

Elements of HAI's Service

Achieving complete, documented compliance
Creating detailed safety procedures and maintenance programs
Coordinating team members for project completion
   » On time
   » Within budget
   » Built to specification

Transit Consulting: Building, Storage, Refueling and Maintenance Sites

Our Transit Consulting offers a full range of building and fire code consultation for construction developers, owners, and architects. These services ensure clients' compliance with the intent of applicable codes or design criteria, while meeting the challenges of aesthetics, function, and cost-effectiveness.

HAI engineers balance achieving this level of safety with incorporating clients' special design features. We do so through equivalency or performance-based analyses and designs.

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Computer Modeling

HAI personnel have experience with software and modeling, such as:

Release scenario models: includes mass release calculations, vapor generation models, pool spread models. (e.g., Cirrius)
Vapor dispersion models: includes simple Gaussian dispersion models to more complex heavy gas models (e.g., DEGADIS, HEGADIS)
Heat radiation models: for jet fires, spill fires, BLEVEs
Overpressure models from unconfined vapor cloud explosions: from simple TNT equivalency modeling to more complex models, such as the Baker-Strelow model
Fire Growth and Spread: for building fires, the FAST (Engineering Tools for Estimating Fire Growth and Smoke Transport) suite of models from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, including FDS and CFD.
Building Life Safety: for analyzing life safety features of various building configurations for office/business occupancies, the HAI-developed Computerized Fire Safety Evaluation System (CFSES).
Process Hazard Analysis: For documenting process hazard analysis studies, HAI uses PHAWorks©

If commercial models are unavailable, our scientists and engineers develop models in-house to resolve problems.

Refueling Site Engineering and Design Services for Alternative Fuels

Developing refueling site specifications for alternative fuels such as hydrogen, LNG, CNG, L/CNG, and propane is an exacting engineering process demanding the highest levels and quality of engineering, maintenance/operations and compliance.

HAI has an impressive and extensive background from years of dedicated work in the fields of cryogenic, natural gas, propane, diesel, and gasoline refueling. Many code requirements and industry practices have originated from HAI's original concepts/designs for natural gas (LNG, L/CNG, and CNG) projects.

Customers frequently contact HAI to review refueling station RFP technical specifications, and to serve as technical advisors to funding agencies.

Our technical consulting addresses the ongoing challenges of daily operational requirements of the fleet and refueling station. We not only cover technical issues, but also focus on reducing challenges and the time to implementation. Our technical and engineering expertise includes hands-on experience at all levels, such as collaborating with maintenance groups, shops, and mechanics.

We appreciate that troubleshooting performance of the engine and fuel system often requires knowledge of technical data about the refueling facility and the interface between site and vehicle systems.

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Elements of HAI's Service

Engineering design: refueling site performance-onboard fuel system compatibility
Fueling site engineering: equipment, location, permitting, safety compliance
Re-engineering sites suffering serious performance limitations
Re-engineering non-compliant sites: Building and Fire Code requirements; NFPA regulations
Addressing safety: gas and fire detection, fire protection, life safety issues
Resolving project issues in a timely and cost-effective manner
Providing site: Initial Process Safety Analysis (PSA), FMEA, HAZOP, or "What If?" checklist review
Auditing compliance with previously approved designs
Developing Core Safety Documentation for refueling and maintenance sites
Developing fuel purchase specifications
Providing classroom or Web-based training for alternative fuels design, operation, procedures, equipment inspection, and maintenance programs for AHJs, owner, CHP (California), and suppliers
Maintenance site reviews, design and compliance documentation
In California Only
   » Providing engineering documentation to apply for DOSH       variance of standards based on mitigating design and       operational measures.
   » Obtaining DOSH variance standards board compliance        approval
   » Obtaining DOSH refueling site letter of compliance

Surveys

As a disinterested third party, HAI personnel conduct independent surveys of facilities to assess the level of hazards, evaluate the adequacy of installed fire protection systems, gas detection, regulatory compliance, etc.

Typical surveys include (listed alphabetically):

Building and Equipment Spacing
Continued Compliance with Original Design Basis
Drainage
Electrical Area Classification Compliance
Emergency Response Plans
Emergency Shut-down Validation
Fire and Gas Detection
Fire Protection Equipment Locations
Fire Water System Supply and Distribution
Needed Fire Flows
Isolation Valves
Facility Fire Protection Requirements vs. Industry and National Standards
Pressure Relief Valve Design and Installation
Process Safety Management Audit
Regulatory Site Compliance
Worker Safety

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Process Safety Management and Training

Development of a site's Core Performance and Safety document is essential and contributes to long-term continuity and commitment to safety. Having an effective Process Safety Management program is an integral part of assuring safety and providing a loss-control strategy.

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