Challenge
In early August, a leading public university in Maryland faced a major facilities crisis. A mechanical explosion in the campus central plant triggered the sprinkler system, compromising the plant’s cooling capacity. With outdoor temperatures soaring and the fall semester approaching, the university had lost nearly half its chilled water output—putting comfort, research environments, and operational continuity at risk.
Due to the emergency nature of the situation and ACI’s established vendor relationship, the university turned to us to design and execute a temporary cooling solution that could restore building conditions quickly and reliably.
Solution
ACI proposed a rapid-response plan to relieve the load on the impaired central plant by carving out two of the largest buildings from the system and providing them with temporary cooling. This would allow the remaining plant capacity to serve the rest of campus more effectively.
Our team deployed five temporary chillers totaling 1,830 tons of cooling, sourced from multiple locations including Texas, Maryland, and Tennessee. Scope highlights included:
- Three 500-ton chillers (factory-new from Texas)
- One 230-ton and one 100-ton chiller (rental fleet from Mid-Atlantic)
- 240’ of 12″ schedule 40 welded pipe, 300’ of 6″ hose, and 7,200’ of power cables
- Additional install of 80’ of 6″ welded piping, 80’ of 6″ hose, and 800’ of power cables for Building 7800
More than 4,000 inches of welding and extensive power infrastructure were completed in under five days. ACI’s union-trained fitters, welders, apprentices, and project managers worked around the clock, supported by subcontractors and logistics personnel to deliver the solution at extraordinary speed.
Results
Within five days of notice to proceed, chilled water was restored to both buildings, enabling the central plant to stabilize operations and support the wider campus. The installation met all performance and safety requirements, and the university experienced no further disruption to academic or research functions.
This project showcased ACI’s deep expertise in emergency mechanical response, complex field coordination, and union craftsmanship. We are proud of the 29 ACI team members who made this rapid deployment possible.
Shoutout to the Team:
Fitter/Welders:
Clint Zundel, Michael Sneden, Pirce Bates, Clay Farrell, Donivan Terrell, Kurt Stanford, Berick Jones, Korey Hamlet, Shane Harris
Apprentices:
Colby Ireland, Austin Lathroum, Ashton Siegal, Gavin Luckett, Danel Capela, Josh Oliver, Ben Crosby, Kyle Bowie, Nathan Heilig
Sunday Relief Crew:
Bryce Lehan, Justin Grimm, Dominic Crisp
Support/Drivers/Delivery:
Tony Hammond, Tom Hill, Rich Jones
Project Leaders:
Charlie Gragg (Sales), Jeff Oliver (Superintendent), Andrew Liler (Foreman), Ricky Kuhn (PM), Donnie Stickels (Startup Tech)
Subs:
Miller Electric, LA Insulation, Herc Rentals, Extreme Crane
You made the impossible happen—fast, safe, and mission-ready. Projects like this are exactly why customers call ACI when failure isn’t an option.
