Construction requires parking lot closures

By Elise Sakievich, Scroll

On June 9, BYU-Idaho received approval for a construction project that will require the closure
of the Manwaring Center east parking lot and sidewalk until early September.
On June 10, demolition began.
Rulon Nielsen, facilities planning and construction director, said this project is a replacement of
the steam and condensate lines buried under the sidewalk between the Joseph Fielding Smith and
the Spencer W. Kimball Student and Administrative Services Buildings. The electrical duct bank
and data lines in that area will also be replaced and upgraded.
The campus buildings are heated by steam generated in the Central Energy Facility south of the
I-Center, Nielsen said. Steam is distributed by a network of buried steel pipe that takes the
steam to the buildings and returns the cooler steam to the boilers for recirculation (condensate).

Wayne Clark, managing director of University Operations, said the line between the Smith
Building and the Kimball Building is the oldest steam line on campus that hasnt been replaced
over the years.
We have gone through campus over the past one, two years and upgraded the steam systems and
replaced the condensate line, he said.
Clark said every physical aspect of campus has a life cycle attached to it. Campus goes through
inspection to find out which projects are most prevalent.
Some projects that need to be done are being pushed back because they are operational and the
school can save money by continuing to use them, Clark said.
Clark said condensate lines normally have a life of about 30 years. The line being replaced is 20
years old.
We have been planning this project a little over two years, he said.
Nielsen said they discovered a leak in the condensate line through the building meters. They
found that they were losing condensate after the steam was distributed through campus.
We were able to function comfortably after turning that line off to stop the leaking, Nielsen
said.
He said the critical need for a new line wasnt there. They had to address critical needs first, but
after the planning was complete and approval was received, they began the project to help the
system operate more efficiently.
We heat water up in our boilers and send steam out at nearly 400 degrees because it loses
temperature as it travels to campus which creates hot water for heating purposes, Clark said.
Condensate is when steam turns back to water, Clark said. He used the example of a pot of
boiling water on the stove.
We treat the steam that goes to campus with chemicals, so it doesnt scale the inside of the
pipes, Clark said.
Clark said the condensate lines return the chemicals to the plant so they can be recycled and used
as steam again, continuously traveling to campus as steam and back as condensate.
The steam and condensate lines are protected by an insulated envelope, Clark said. This keeps
the heat in and allows the pipes to get the most heat to campus.
If water gets through to the steam line, its so hot that the water just boils off, Clark said. But
on the condensate line, which is cooler, if water hits it, it starts to rust.

Clark said this is what caused the leak.

We will correct it by going back in with a stainless-steel condensate line which is pretty much
rust-resistant, he said.
Clark said a duct bank for high voltage lies next to the steam and condensate lines underground.
There are eight to 10 pipes in a concrete envelope that run networks from building to building.
In one pipe we have three wires carrying 12,500 volts of power, he said. In the next pipe we
have fiber optics.
He said when the envelope for steam and condensate began to leak, it caused a fracture in the
concrete. Now they cant manage the fiber optic cable.
This explains the power outages that have happened, Clark said. Well be replacing both
systems the high-voltage duct bank, data and the steam condensate return system. A simple
upgrade so we can maintain service across campus.
Nielsen said there wont be a noticeable difference within the buildings on campus, but that the
school will have a much better data system and a smaller possibility of losing network
connection.
Its a big project, Clark said. It disrupts student parking, employee parking, visitor parking,
access into MC for deliveries but we are working to keep that access open. The biggest
disruption is foot traffic. People have to walk different routes now and its frustrating. But in
order to keep the campus moving and upgraded and functioning, these projects have to happen.
Nielsen said on the first day of demolition a student drove his motorcycle into a fenced area and
couldnt get out. Student and faculty were seen walking through the gate into a potentially
dangerous area.
Itll be an inconvenience and a challenge, he said. But the fences are put up for safety. They
have big equipment. Big equipment kills, and killing is pretty much irreversible until the
resurrection.
The project will be noisy and dirty with substantial excavation, Nielsen said.
Nielsen said this is not a one-time project; there will be other places that need replacements
every few years.
Our goal is to keep campus up and operational as much as possible, and eliminate downtime in
every case, Clark said.
He said he enjoys meeting the needs of the campus and helping it grow.