Harvard Blackstone Central Heating Plant

Harvard University contracted for the installation of a Solar Gas Turbine that was to be used to create steam for heat, as well as, eight mega watts of electricity for the facility.  Blouin was assigned the task of fabricating and installing the industrial exhaust and intake ductwork for the turbine.

The manufacturer has rigorous specifications with respect to the installation and operation of this turbine. The intake and exhaust systems serving the turbine are heavy iron construction, industrial welded systems.

The exhaust systems have very high heat requirements. As such there are stringent requirements for sandblasting and painting the turbine surfaces serving the intake ductwork in order to protect the turbine.

The building housing the machinery and exhaust was built around the turn of last century, so the rigging and installation of the pieces was very complex and involved. Extreme weight and protection of the duct finishes contributed to the rigging challenges.

Blouin has a full service welding department staffed with certified welders to handle the fabrication of the heavy plate duct with integral welded reinforcements. We sub-contracted to have the pieces sandblasted and coated to design specifications. Our flatbed tractor trailers were engaged to transport all of the pieces to media blast and paint, and then to indoor storage. 

We then sequenced the installation from our storage facility to schedule just in time delivery. The pieces were manifolded prior to shipment to optimize rigging and save time in the field. Using just in time delivery eliminated interferences with other trades.

The project required working in an older building, something our field staff are familiar with.  Our certified riggers were able to set up and hoist the large pieces right into place.  Safety is always at the forefront of everything we do, and our people were able to complete the project on time without incident.  High end, technical systems are our specialty.  Having done this type of work many times, we were able to employ many of our skills, tools, and equipment on this particular project, and the results more than exceeded customer expectations.