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University replaces chilled water pipes to meet increased cooling needs

Green covered fences protect construction areas around campus. Miami is replacing the chilled water pipes that run beneath the campus.
Green covered fences protect construction areas around campus. Miami is replacing the chilled water pipes that run beneath the campus.

Lauren Ceronie, Campus Editor

Green covered fences protect construction areas around campus. Miami is replacing the chilled water pipes that run beneath the campus. (JULIA ENGELBRECHT | The Miami Student)

In the middle of winter, Miami University is already preparing for the dog days of summer by improving air conditioning capabilities.

Students trudging around campus on the first day back from break may have noticed fences covered in green tarps obscuring parts of Miami University's campus.

Those green fences are protecting areas where workers are replacing the chilled water pipes that run through campus.

Miami is increasing the size of the chilled water pipes that provide air conditioning to buildings on campus, according to Doug Hammerle, Senior Project Engineer and project manager for the central campus chilled water project.

"There will be increased cooling loads from the Armstrong Student Center so the cooling will need more capacity," Hammerle said. "This improvement will meet its needs along with future needs."

The chilled water pipes carry 44 degree water and run through the university's underground tunnel system, connecting most major buildings on campus, according to Hammerle.

The project also includes putting a new 1,730 ton chiller in Miami's south chiller plant. The overall project will cost $2.3 million and should be completed in July, according to Hammerle. However, students can expect to see the green fences disappear in mid-March along the tunnel route.


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