John,

The pictures and information of the utility tunnels are definitely educational for pipers that are used to the wide open spaces of refineries and process plants. We were fortunate that we did not need to go back too far into the tunnels - just needed to verify which way the piping was expected to move. The recently completed project replaced four boilers and auxilaries. The old boilers were 40-50 years old. Parts of the building date back almost 100 years with riveted structural beams, riveted vessels, and some TG units old enough to be in the Smithsonian museum. Some portions of the utility tunnels must be the same age.

The Florida schools do have some advantages when recruiting athletes for the nice warm climate there. The Buckeyes have a long tradition to help them keep competitive in big sports. I heard that the income from just four football games provides funding for all the athletic programs there.

Their university hospital receives steam from the powerhouse, and due to its importance factor, there were seismic design requirements added for the project. New piping has seismic restraints, while existing piping got grandfathered in. Did project piping for Univeristy of P********h require a similar consideration for seismic restraints ( not knowing the zone)? It would seem that the piping in utility tunnels would be sufficiently restrained for seismic type loads, without added struts or bracing.

Regards,
Richard Yee