Case Study: University of Minnesota achieves zero-downtime plant controls upgrade with Thermo Systems

University of Minnesota completes a zero-downtime plant controls upgrade with Thermo Systems

The University of Minnesota needed to upgrade the obsolete control systems at its Southeast Heating Plant, which were at the end of their life and had limited functionality. The challenge was to replace the systems, including the burner management and combustion controls, without impeding steam delivery to the campus during implementation. Thermo Systems was selected to provide a solution for this critical controls upgrade.

Thermo Systems implemented a detailed, phased migration plan to replace the obsolete equipment with new Allen Bradley ControlLogix PLCs, ensuring a seamless transition with zero downtime. By leveraging a team of experienced engineers, Thermo Systems delivered a turnkey installation that was invisible to the campus, successfully modernizing the plant's controls without any risk to steam capacity.

University of Minnesota