2024 Electrical Testing Day

University of Oregon Annual Electrical Testing Day 

August 7, 2024

Purpose:
The University of Oregon maintains a highly sophisticated and redundant electrical power generation and distribution system.  To ensure critical components work properly, CPFM staff need to test equipment annually.  The most important procedure we test is ability to smoothly transition into “island mode.”  Island moding requires simultaneously severing the connection to the grid and generating power on-site without any measurable disruption, especially to highly sensitive research equipment on campus.  We also need to completely shut off power to specific buildings in order to test and replace breakers and other important equipment.  These proactive tests help prevent unplanned power disruptions and provide important safety training for utilities and building electricians.  

Utilities and Energy staff spend months planning these annual shut-downs in order to reduce downtime and related inconveniences to our campus users. Please see the 2024 Shut-Down schedule below. 

If you have questions, complaints, or suggestions for improvement please send them to Steve Mital, Director of Utilities and Energy at smital@uoregon.edu.  We will respond.

Support:

If you experience an unexpected technology outage on Aug. 7, check the IT Service Status website. If the outage isn’t mentioned there and can’t easily be explained by the testing, please report the outage to Information Services through the UO Service Portal. 

For all other issues, please contact CPFM Work Control Center at 541-346-2319 or workcontrolcenter@uoregon.edu.

Island Mode Testing

Potential impacts to campus users:  Lights may flicker, IT equipment may require rebooting. 
Lead: Rick Tabor - Associate Director, Utilities and Energy 
rtabor@uoregon.edu

Testing Schedule:

0800 – Start island mode
0815 – Exit island mode
0830 – Start island mode
O845 – Exit island mode

0900 – Start island mode
0915 – Exit island mode
0930 – Start island mode
0945 – Exit island mode

1000 – Start island mode
1015 – Exit island mode
1030 - Start island mode
1045 – Exit island mode

1100 – Start island mode
1115 – Exit island mode
1130 – Start island mode
1145 – Exit island mode

1200 – Start island mode
12:15 - Exit island mode
1230 - Start island mode
1245 - Exit island mode

1:00 - Start island mode
1:15 - Exit island mode
1:30 - Start island mode
1:45 - Exit island mode

2:00 - Start island mode
2:15 - Exit island mode
2:30 – Start island mode
2:45 - Exit island mode

3:00 All clear message sent via Work Control

Any testing of this nature involves risks, but the university is working to mitigate potential problems with detailed preparation and redundancy efforts.

Locations not included in the Island Mode testing:  

510 Oak Street
515 E. Broadway
942 Olive
1600 Millrace
1700 Millrace
1715 Franklin
1900 Millrace
Alder Building (818 E.15th)
Baker Downtown Center (975 High St.)
EC Cares Buildings (1500 W. 12th Ave plus modules)
Fleet Services Building (Glenwood) (3233 Franklin Blvd.)
KWAX (75 Centennial Loop)
McMorran House (2315 McMorran Drive)
PeaceHealth North (677 12th Ave.)
Rainier (1244 Walnut St.)
Romania Warehouse (2020 Franklin Blvd.)
South A Warehouse (1199 South A St., Spfld.)
Thompson University Center (720 E. 13th Ave.)
Transportation Services (1401 Walnut St.)
Tree Tops (2237 Spring Blvd.)
UOPD East Station (2141 E. 15th Ave.)

Building Level Testing

Impacts to Campus Users: Buildings listed below will be without power for 60-90 minutes 
Lead: Rob Berg - Electrical Supervisor, Facilities Services
rberg@uoregon.edu

Testing Schedule: 

8:00-9:30 am                   CPFM Compound (Bldg 130, 136, Lockshop, Wilkinson House, Quonsets)
10:00-11:30 am               Many Nations Longhouse - Full power outage
12:30-1:30 pm                Deschutes Hall - Full power outage
1:30-3:00 pm                   Ford Alumni Center - Standby fire/life safety will stay on

Work to be performed:

Breaker testing and repair
Electrical system repairs
Transfer switch test and repairs
Arc flash hazard study data gathering
Programmable Logic updates
Replace inoperative equipment
Re-torque main lugs

 

The information below has been provided by Information Services:

Technology impacts 

To help ensure most UO-based technology services remain operational during the testing, Information Services and Campus Planning and Facilities Management will be placing the UO data centers on a secondary power source. 

Cloud-based services, such as UO’s Microsoft applications, should remain available throughout the testing. However, people should expect minor disruptions to the UO network. Also, sensitive electronics may be unavailable where faculty and staff have done preventative shutdowns. 

Information Services staff plan to keep the IT Service Status website up to date with notices about any unexpected outages. 

Network 

When a building’s power is off, its wired and wireless networks stop working. During the power testing:  

  • Expect: Intermittent network outages.  
  • Possible: Localized lingering network outages may occur if network devices fail. If so, Information Services staff will post notices on the IT Service Status website.  Recovery will begin after Campus Planning and Facilities Management has completed all testing. Restoration could take a day or longer.  

Devices 

To protect sensitive electronic devices, Information Services recommends turning them off and unplugging them before testing begins. Such devices can be damaged by the power surge when power is turned back on. Surge protectors, while helpful, don’t guarantee that devices will be preserved. 

Preparations may be handled by the User Support Services team in Information Services, by departmental IT staff or by other departmental staff, depending on existing patterns of support.  

  • Faculty and staff should shut down and unplug research equipment, multifunction copiers, digital display panels and other sensitive electronics in their areas.  
  • In most cases, local staff should shut down and unplug departmental audiovisual equipment, such as in departmentally controlled classrooms and conference rooms. 
  • Information Services staff will shut down audiovisual equipment in general pool and joint-controlled classrooms scheduled by the Office of the Registrar.  

Recovery  

  • After receiving the message announcing the end of testing, employees will receive an email announcing the testing has concluded. At that point, employees can turn on sensitive electronic devices and departmental audiovisual equipment. 
  • Information Services staff will turn on audiovisual equipment in general pool and joint-controlled classrooms, prioritizing spaces with active classes. That process could take several days. To request faster service restoration for specific classrooms, people can submit a ticket at classroom technology support. 

Anyone with questions about technology impacts and preparations should contact the User Support Services team that supports their unit or their department’s IT staff, as applicable. 

If you experience an unexpected technology outage on Aug. 7, check the IT Service Status website. If the outage isn’t mentioned there and can’t easily be explained by the testing, please report the outage to Information Services through the UO Service Portal. 

All other concerns about the power testing should be directed to the Work Control Center in Campus Planning and Facilities Management at workcontrolcenter@uoregon.edu or 541-346-2319.