Tag: Utilities & Energy Services

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Powering Up: Apprentice Certifications Show Employee Development

Welders have a lot to learn. There’s various techniques, each offering their own challenges, before even considering the plethora of materials one can weld. All in all, there might be 100 certifications in pipe welding mastery alone. Before you know it, a couple of apprentices at F&S will have learned a bunch of them! Utilities pipefitters apprentice Brandon Lovett received two United Association (UA) Pipe … Continue reading Powering Up: Apprentice Certifications Show Employee Development

Travis Tate
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Tours Open Again

The impact of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is widespread. Most operational aspects at F&S continued, but under much different guidelines and challenges than before. One that couldn’t continue: public tours. As a university resource provider, F&S offers facility tour opportunities, especially to students and children. Garage and Car Pool; Waste Transfer Station Nobody loves big trucks more than a bunch of little kids! … Continue reading Tours Open Again

Travis Tate
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Four and Looking for More

After winning four straight times in the International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, the U of I can still save more energy and money in the future, particularly if Paul Foote has his way. “I want every lab on campus to know about and participate in the Freezer Challenge,” said Foote, energy conservation specialist. “Small changes, like defrosting a freezer or adjusting its temperature, can have a … Continue reading Four and Looking for More

Travis Tate
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Big Plans Ahead

Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Daniel Burnham, legendary architect: Plan of Chicago, 1892 World’s Columbian … Continue reading Big Plans Ahead

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A Big Operation in the Cold

Cause and effect: What started with a water pressure failure led to a loss of electric power—but where? Then, when the location was found, Facilities & Services professionals were ankle-deep in new, cold challenges. During a mid-afternoon shift on a frigid Sunday, F&S Utilities & Energy Services (UES) professionals observed a loss of pressure in the Campus Chilled Water System. The system which typically operates … Continue reading A Big Operation in the Cold

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Saving Air Now for Energy Later

F&S’ power production on campus is really great due to the incredible array of production services on campus with the two solar farms, the off-campus wind power purchase agreement, and at Abbott Power Plant. The Abbott combined heat and power facility provides both electric and thermal energy across campus. It has existed for over 80 years, and has a long history of supporting research collaborations. … Continue reading Saving Air Now for Energy Later

Travis Tate
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Abbott Produces Power… and Data

In March 2021, Dr. Mohamed Attalla, executive director of F&S, presented a paper at the 15th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies (GHGT-15) on the vital role of Abbott Power Plant on campus, not just as an energy generation facility, but as a place that embraces current and future research collaborations. Dr. Attalla was a co-Principal Investigator for Enabling Technology Maturation in Carbon Capture: … Continue reading Abbott Produces Power… and Data

Travis Tate
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Findings at the Farm

A team of researchers will be measuring the impact of natural vegetation at the Solar Farm 2.0 grounds. Below the 31,122 bi-facial solar panels lie 54 acres perfect for pollinator-friendly plantings. But how exactly does one calculate the plants’ effectiveness? How about: count the bugs. Ben Campbell, an energy engineer at the University of Illinois Chicago, is part of a research effort that will do … Continue reading Findings at the Farm

Travis Tate
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Heat Rising at Campus Instructional Facility

Water matters at the new Campus Instructional Facility (CIF). Whether heating or cooling the new 4-story, 122,000-square-foot building at the corner of Main Street and Wright Street in Urbana, a water-glycol mix will hold the key to cutting operating costs and offering a living laboratory of geothermal energy capabilities. The concept is easy: the temperature underground is more consistent throughout the year than air temperature. … Continue reading Heat Rising at Campus Instructional Facility

Travis Tate
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Campus Connection

Cold winter nights, accumulated snow and ice, overwhelming heat, wind, and rainstorms can bother any pedestrian on the U of I campus. Soon, individuals on north campus will avoid the weather and move between the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Building and the Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory thanks to a new pedestrian bridge. This bridge allows easy passage three stories up, but it will also … Continue reading Campus Connection

Travis Tate