Photo By Michael Maddox | A contractor makes adjustments to one of the boilers in the Central Utility Plant at...... read more read more
Construction of the Louisville VA Medical Center reached another milestone recently as boilers in the Central Utility Plant have been brought online – providing a multitude of benefits to the structures on the site and brings the project one step closer to operation.
There are three steam boilers in the Central Utility Plant, which provides critical utilities to the medical center. They will serve as the source of heat/steam energy for the medical center, CUP and laundry facility.
Charles Spencer, mechanical engineer on the Louisville VA Medical Center project, said the steam from boilers will be used in a variety of ways and systems throughout the medical center and supporting infrastructure.
“In a medical center, steam is needed 24/7. Steam heat will be used in the 49 Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning air handler units to heat outside air, plus the Laundry and CUP ventilation units. It will also provide steam humidification for the same AHUs to prevent low humidity in winter; same for computer room AC units,” he said. “They also play a part in domestic hot water as they heat it for temperature and humidity control, and 1,286 devices in rooms, and heating hot water for several hundred devices for temperature control of corridors, open areas and stairwells. They will also provide steam for instrument and medical waste sterilization, cooking in the kitchen and canteen, as well as steam in the laundry to make hot water and to inject directly into wash water for sterilization.”
Each 800-horsepower boiler is approximately 12 feet in diameter by 40 feet long that is rated at 27,000 pounds per hour, equal to 54 gallons per minute. By comparison, a typical garden hose will put out about five gallons of water per minute. One boiler is a back-up, and the others can be operated as required for hospital needs at the time.
Spencer said the design is called “fire tube,” meaning the burner, which is almost a small jet engine, blows flame through a series of tubes inside a tank full of water. This is how the water is heated to make steam. Having a system like “a small jet engine” on site demands the highest of safety measures and training for those who will be managing and maintaining the system.
“Boilers contain and control a huge amount of energy that is protected by multiple levels of simple mechanical and sophisticated electronic safety devices,” he said. “The VA requirements for boiler safety are stringent. VA requires extensive Boiler Safety Testing for the entire plant before they accept the plant for use. This is a phased process that tests every safety device, of which there are dozens.”
“A qualified boiler operator must be on duty 24/7 in the plant and automatic alarm, emergency shutdown and remote notification systems are always in place.”
Spencer added that operators go through a minimum of 100 of hours of training on the boilers, safety systems, boiler device controls, electronic monitoring and alarm systems, and all the support systems that take up most of the boiler room. They also must complete a minimum of 96 hours of training on the main Building Automation System and Engineering Control Center.
Future operators, some of whom will also come from the current VA medical center, are also scheduled to start shadowing current operators until turnover next year.
The Louisville VA Medical Center is a $940 million project that includes the construction of a new 910,115 square-foot medical center, parking structures, a 42,205 square-foot central utility plant, roadways, sidewalks, and other site improvements.
The new 104-bed, full-service hospital will provide world-class healthcare for more than 45,000 Veterans in Kentucky and Southern Indiana by integrating modern patient-centered care concepts to provide the best possible care for Veterans. In addition, to specifically address the needs of women Veterans, the new hospital will include a Women’s Health Clinic with four Patient Aligned Care Teams.
The project designed by URS-Smith Group Joint Venture is being constructed by Walsh-Turner Joint Venture II, Chicago, Illinois. Construction is anticipated to be complete in 2026.
| Date Taken: | 12.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.11.2025 08:08 |
| Story ID: | 553848 |
| Location: | LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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