Letting off some steam: Clouds result of boiler tests

Brandon Addeo | News Editor
Brandon Addeo | News Editor

Liza Zulick | Staff Writer

On your walk to class in the morning, you might have noticed the sky full of smoke coming from the building next to the Gumberg Library. This “smoke” is not actually smoke at all. It is steam coming from the Duquesne Energy Center. “We are in the process of replacing the University’s 50-year-old boilers at the Energy Center,” said Mark Johnson, energy and utilities manager at Duquesne University.

Brandon Addeo | News Editor
Brandon Addeo | News Editor

The smoke is coming from a single vent at the corner of the building. Johnson said the venting process is needed to get the new equipment completely up and running. “The venting is required to create a steam load in order for the new boilers to be ran through full capacity levels and be tuned,” he said. However, the steam is not here to stay. It will only be present during the current testing period.