MARQUETTE - Northern Michigan University's campus has grown slowly but surely every few years, with each new building placing an additional load on the campus' 40-year-old steam plant.

As a result of the old age of its components and the need for added capacity, the Ripley Heating Plant is undergoing its first major upgrade. Just after the winter semester was complete last month, contractor Gundlach Champion and the building trades began the job of ripping out two of the original boilers. A third boiler will stay in service.

Two new 70,000-lb. natural-gas/oil-fired boilers will increase the capacity of the plant by 19 percent to 210,000 lbs. of steam per hour.

"The new boilers will be somewhat more efficient, but the real advantage will be getting new equipment in there," said Robert Ryan, an NMU engineer overseeing the project. "After 40 years, things were beginning to wear out."

The $7.4 million project also involves upgrading "ancient" electrical service and switch gear, Ryan said. New switch-gear will be installed on a portion of the plant that was built for a never-realized fourth boiler.

As part of the design process for the upgrade, NMU said it is also reviewing the possibility of burning alternate fuel sources, such as wood or coal. If this option proves feasible the third 70,000-lb. boiler could be replaced with a unit capable of burning multiple solid fuels. Items being considered as part of the study are start-up costs, fuel supply, storage and utility savings.

The Ripley plant creates steam to both heat and cool buildings on the NMU campus. Electrical power is provided to the campus by Marquette Board of Light and Power. Ryan said there has been one electrical outage to the campus so far, and future outages are planned for 15 minutes or less as the new electrical equipment is tied in.

The new boilers and related electrical equipment should be online in mid-October.

"Right now, we're right on schedule," Ryan said. "We have good people working, we haven't had any problems."

SIGNALING A CRANE atop boiler tubes that are ready to be torn out is tradesman Mike Marra. Photo by Jerry Bielicki