J1 Steam Project

When Facilities Management Inspector, Planner, and Estimator Dan Goodwin began exploring electric steam generation at Animal Resource Service J1 in 2019, technical, electrical, operational, and financial challenges kept the idea from moving forward. Seven years later, changing facility needs and sustained collaboration have created a new path, one whose potential benefits extend beyond a single building.

The proposed project would install two 30-kilowatt electric steam generators to serve J1’s existing autoclave, a pressure vessel that uses steam to sterilize equipment and materials. J1 supports important School of Veterinary Medicine research programs and biosafety level 3 operations, making dependable steam essential.

J1 currently relies on three larger gas-fired boilers installed in 2022. As the facility’s steam demand has changed, maintaining that system for the autoclave’s remaining load has become less practical. The proposed generators would produce steam locally and be sized specifically for the equipment they serve.

“For me, the motivation is really about matching the equipment to the actual need,” Goodwin said. “If we can provide the department with the steam they need using a simpler system while reducing the amount of equipment Building Maintenance Services has to maintain, that’s a better long-term solution.”

Although the generators are compact enough to fit within the available space, providing the electrical infrastructure needed to support them has been one of the project's largest challenges. The Electrical Shop of Building Maintenance Services (BMS) has played a key role in evaluating the existing electrical system and developing a practical approach for supplying the substantial power required by the new equipment. Their involvement has been critical in moving the project from concept toward implementation.

Once operational, the generators would be covered by the department’s autoclave maintenance contract rather than maintained by BMS. The change is expected to save BMS several thousand dollars annually and redirect staff time toward other critical campus needs.

The project would also support campus sustainability goals. Dedicated electric equipment would eliminate natural gas as the steam source for this application. Right-sizing the system is also expected to reduce water used in steam production, boiler operation, and water treatment—all while supporting the facility’s research mission.

Perhaps the project’s most distinctive benefit is what could happen to the three existing boilers. Installed only four years ago, they retain significant useful life. FM could assess whether they are compatible with critical campus locations where boilers more than 25 years old have reached or exceeded their useful life. Relocating them could address several deferred maintenance needs without purchasing three new boilers.

“We’re looking at our equipment as campus assets rather than assets belonging to one individual building,” Goodwin said. “We aren’t just solving the immediate problem in front of us. We’re looking several steps ahead and asking how today’s project can help solve tomorrow’s problems too.”

Reaching this point has required coordination among Building Maintenance Services, the Energy and Engineering Office, Animal Resource Service, the School of Veterinary Medicine, Design and Construction Management, vendors, and other partners. Together, they have worked through equipment options, costs, funding, maintenance responsibilities, and operational requirements.

The coordination has also prompted a broader look at J1, revealing separate opportunities involving the autoclave and BSL-3 research space. While outside this project’s scope, they show how collaboration can uncover new ways to support a facility’s mission.

The next steps are to finalize funding, install and test the system, and evaluate where the existing boilers could provide the greatest value.

For Goodwin, the project’s evolution is as meaningful as its technical solution.

“Sometimes the value of a project isn’t just the final piece of equipment that gets installed,” he said. “It’s getting the right people together, working through the problem and discovering other opportunities along the way.”