The project involved the replacement of a 90,000 lb/hr high pressure steam boiler (Boiler #3) at the central steam plant at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). Due to age, the existing 50 year-old boiler had been leaking for last couple years and was deemed that it is unrepairable. REG was retained in late 2023 to design and plan for the replacement boiler.

For this project REG acted as the prime consultant and organized the efforts of the other consultants as well as assisting SAIT in the procurement of a construction manager and mechanical contractor as well as the boiler itself.  The scope of work involved confirming other elements involved such as the make up air into the boiler plant, natural gas capacity and integration into the existing controls systems.

Because #3 is the largest boiler of the three comprising the heating plant for the campus replacing it has been a challenge given the duration of the project, ordering the boiler and all the intricacies related to this.  One of the main challenges involved the incorporation of a temporary boiler to supplement the remaining boilers to ensure that the heating plant could meet the loads over the extended duration of the replacement work.

One of the lessons learned was that extra due diligence on our part and working with the plant operators uncovered some other issues that needed to be resolved and overcome in order to ensure the new boiler operated as part of the entire plant.