Boiler Installation and High-Pressure Steam Header in Hennepin, IL

The client needed the center of a new energy system installed and connected inside a constrained industrial environment. This was not a simple equipment set. The scope required a complete mechanical package that included the boiler, intake ductwork, steam and condensate piping, support skids, feed water pumps, chemical treatment systems, and a high-pressure header capable of distributing steam reliably across the facility.



Because the installation supported a major energy and carbon capture project, the work had to be sequenced around production priorities, access limitations, heavy equipment movement, and the realities of field installation in a busy plant environment. Every lift, fit-up, support location, and tie-in needed to be planned with limited room for adjustment once the work started.



For industrial facilities with similar constraints, DePue supports process piping installation, fabrication, and tie-ins for systems where downtime, field routing, operating conditions, and tie-in accuracy matter.

DePue Mechanical installed the boiler intake ductwork, steam piping, and condensate lines needed to make Boiler 5 part of the facility’s operating energy system. Our team also set supporting systems, including condensate polisher skids, water pumps, feed water pumps, and chemical treatment equipment.


Mechanical Installation Scope
- Boiler 5 installation support
- Boiler intake ductwork installation
- Steam piping installation
- Condensate piping installation
- Condensate polisher skid setting
- Feed water pump setting, including 30,000-pound pump placement
- Chemical treatment system installation
- Skid and boiler support coordination
- Heavy crane picks and precision placement
- High-pressure steam header fabrication and installation
- Expansion loop and cold spring coordination
- Field routing and tie-ins in tight spaces
- Coordination with plant teams, engineers, and other trades

A major part of the project was the fabrication and installation of an industrial-grade high-pressure steam header. The header was built with 20-inch Schedule 60 carbon steel pipe and designed to handle demanding steam service conditions inside the plant.



For this type of system, installation quality matters because the header is more than a large pipe run. It is a central distribution point that must support stable steam movement, thermal growth, pressure conditions, proper routing, and future reliability. DePue incorporated expansion loops and cold spring adjustments to help the system manage temperature-driven movement and maintain long-term performance.



The finished steam header was routed to serve the plant while accounting for access, support needs, existing constraints, and the physical limits of the installation area. This type of work requires the same planning discipline DePue applies across industrial piping systems, including steam, condensate, process utilities, pressure piping, equipment tie-ins, and shutdown-driven piping work.

The project required major components to be moved into place with limited space for staging or adjustment. DePue set condensate polisher skids and 30,000-pound feed water pumps using heavy crane work and controlled placement practices.



In a tight industrial environment, successful equipment setting depends on planning before the lift begins. The crew had to account for rigging, access, clearances, center of gravity, equipment orientation, foundation alignment, surrounding trades, and the sequence required to install each component without creating rework.



This is the part of a finished project that does not always show up in photos: the planning, the sequencing, the coordination, and the field decisions that make a complex mechanical installation come together correctly. DePue supports similar scopes through industrial equipment setting, rigging coordination, and structural steel fabrication.

The client needed the core of a new energy system brought online in tight quarters. The ask was a complete package that included the boiler, support skids, pumps, intake ductwork, steam piping, condensate piping, and a high-pressure steam header that could move steam where it needed to go with long-term reliability.

DePue installed the boiler intake ductwork, steam lines, and condensate lines so the unit could be prepared for full-capacity operation. We set the condensate polisher skids, water pumps, feed water pumps, and chemical treatment systems using heavy crane work and precise placement where space was limited.



Our team fabricated and installed the high-pressure steam header in industrial-grade carbon steel, routed it to serve the plant, and incorporated expansion loops and cold spring adjustments to help protect the system from temperature and pressure demands over time. Every lift and tie-in was planned around the constraints of the space.

The result is more than new equipment in place. It is a complete energy system installation built for efficiency, power, and long-term plant reliability. Boiler 5 is installed, the supporting systems are set, and the high-pressure steam header is positioned to move steam where the facility needs it.



No shortcuts. No guesswork. Just solid industrial mechanical work installed the way it needs to be installed.

This project connects directly to the mechanical, piping, code welding, and equipment setting work DePue performs for industrial facilities across Illinois.


Power Generation Services
Boiler Installation & ASME Code Welding Services
Industrial Piping Contractor in Illinois
Process Piping Contractor in Illinois
Equipment Setting & Structural Steel Fabrication
Skid Fabrication Contractor in Illinois
Mechanical Subcontractor for General Contractors in Illinois
Prime General Contracting for Industrial & Commercial Facilities
Mechanical Contracting for Chemical and Process Facilities

Biofuel, chemical, food, utility, and manufacturing facilities need mechanical contractors that understand plant constraints. A boiler installation or steam piping scope is rarely isolated from the rest of the facility. It may involve pumps, skids, structural supports, code welding, field routing, crane access, shutdown sequencing, pipe stress considerations, tie-ins, and coordination with other trades.



DePue Mechanical helps plant managers, facility engineers, maintenance managers, operations teams, and general contractors plan and execute industrial mechanical work around real field conditions. That includes projects where access is tight, downtime is expensive, and the finished system has to perform after the crew leaves.

DePue Mechanical supports industrial facilities, biofuel plants, food manufacturing facilities, chemical plants, utilities, and GC-led construction projects with boiler installation, steam piping, condensate piping, pressure piping, equipment setting, skid installation, code welding, and high-pressure header work.



If your project involves a boiler installation, steam system upgrade, high-pressure piping scope, plant utility expansion, shutdown tie-in, or mechanical package that needs field-proven execution, DePue can help review the scope and plan the work around real plant conditions.



Talk With DePue About Your Boiler or Steam Piping Project