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West Virginia University Energy Institute

High Bay Research Lab

Collaboration and Innovation at Our High Bay Research Facility.

The High Bay Research Laboratory in the NRCCE building provides adaptable and easily reconfigurable space for one or more projects. The facility supports multi-scale research and is ideal for demonstrations of early-stage technologies. Collaboration is fostered by the unique building features with laboratory, storage, and meeting spaces within the building.

The 4,000 square-foot high bay wing of the NRCCE building features a ceiling height of 34 feet at the main level. The facility is outfitted with a 10-ton bridge crane and a loading dock that allows trucks access into the building. The facility also includes a control room and additional specialized space for storing gas cylinders and non-flammable chemicals.

WVU faculty and industry partners have a variety of options for retaining space when available. Space will be provided on an “as is” basis. Space users must demonstrate the capability of providing funds for alteration, equipment and materials requirements, start-up costs, and decommissioning costs.

High Bay Features

  • 120,600 cubic feet
  • 24/7 secured access
  • Loading dock with extendable ramp
  • Storage space
  • 10-ton bridge crane
High Bay Research Lab

The High Bay Research Lab is located at the west end of the NRCCE building on the Evansdale campus of West Virginia University. Our loading dock and roll-up door provide excellent access to the lab.

People talking on a lab floor

Main floor high bay space housed a pilot plant to recycle produced water from a Marcellus shale gas well in a collaborative research project between the West Virginia Water Research Institute and start-up company, FilterSure.

Amenities

Once granted 24/7 secured access to the space to conduct experimentation and research, you also have easy access to amenities including:

NRCCE Building

  • Conference rooms and internet conferencing, as available

WVU Libraries

  • Evansdale Library
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Depository Library (sole patent and trademark resource center in West Virginia)

Evansdale Crossing

  • Media Innovation Center, a great venue for meetings
  • LaunchLab, one of several WVU entrepreneurship and innovation centers
  • Women’s Business Center
  • Barnes and Noble book store
  • Restaurants

All share the same campus with WVU’s Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, College of Creative Arts and College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences.

Map of NRCCE

Specifications — Main Floor

Gross Available Space (102,600 cubic feet)

  • Area: 2,850 sq ft
  • Floor: 50 ft x 57 ft
  • Height: 36 ft floor to ceiling

Net Usable Space

  • Area: ~1,340 sq ft
  • Floor: 25 ft x 14 ft expanding to 33.5 ft x 29.5 ft; refer to floor plan
  • Height: 30 ft floor to crane hook; ~3 ft can be gained by relocating the crane

Other Features

  • Floor loading capacity: 250 lbs./ sq. ft
  • 10-ton overhead bridge crane on traversing beams
  • Four (4) floor anchors
  • Roll-up door, 14 ft wide x 15 ft high, accessing the loading dock
  • Concrete loading dock with ramp
  • Standard door access at the loading dock
  • Internal access via building hallway through doublewide doors
  • Three roof hatches available for exhaust plumes
  • Two wall-mounted emergency exhaust fans with in-ceiling, motor-operated roof louvers
  • Safety shower and eye wash station
  • Chemicals are stored with their Safety Data Sheets in dedicated cabinets. Gas cylinders are stored in nearby G11 when not in use. The handling, storage and use of all compressed gases in cylinders is done in accordance with OSHA regulations.
  • Chemicals are stored with their Safety Data Sheets in dedicated cabinets. Gas cylinders are stored in nearby G11 when not in use. The handling, storage and use of all compressed gases in cylinders is done in accordance with OSHA regulations.
  • Environmental control room for data collection and control devices with window for viewing operations

Utilities Available

  • City water, city sewerage
  • Air @ 100-175 psig
  • Steam @ 50 psig
  • Natural Gas: none, currently. A standard, .25 psig line passes through the space and a 50 psig Dominion Hope line sits just outside the building with a “High Pressure Gas” line in the space that could be connected to service.
  • Power: two 480/277 panels total 625 amps; three 208/120 panels total 425 amps; can be customized for particular experiments. A GenSet generator provides building Life Safety Only support for emergency outages.
  • Lighting: 16 4-ft, four-bulb T5 fixtures

Network

  • WVU Network: three cores, each comprised of dual Nexus 7010 switches connected w/10GB fiber backbone
  • Campus buildings are connected via two 10GB Layer 3 fiber links
  • VLAN information and security Access Control Lists
  • 10GB internal backbone from the distribution layer to the access layer. Wi-Fi can be installed
  • Two separate ISPs each offer 10 Gb/s bandwidth with geographic redundancy ensuring one location will always be available
  • 10 Gb/s connection to Internet2 and a 10GB internal Science DMZ

Other Features

  • Floor loading capacity: 250 lbs. /sq. ft.
  • 10-ton overhead bridge crane on traversing beams
  • Four floor anchors
  • Roll-up door, 14 ft. wide x 15 ft. high, accessing the loading dock
  • Concrete loading dock with ramp
  • Standard door access at the loading dock
  • Internal access via building hallway through double-wide doors
  • Three roof hatches available for exhaust plumes
  • Safety shower and eye wash station
  • Chemicals are stored with their Safety Data Sheets in dedicated cabinets. Gas cylinders are stored in nearby G11 when not in use. The handling, storage, and use of all compressed gases in cylinders is done in accordance with OSHA regulations.
  • Environmental control room for data collection and control devices with window for viewing operations.
Bridge Crane

10-ton bridge crane traverses two steel beams that run the entire length and width of the ceiling

Girl typing at computer in front of window

Window into main space from control room/office.

Man standing in front of roll-up door on dock

Loading dock and roll-up door.

Specifications — Mezzanine

The Mezzanine is 18 ft above the main, ground floor laboratory space, accessed by a steel staircase internally or via an 8-ft door that exits to the side of the building.

Gross Available Space (18,000 cubic feet)

  • Area: 1,000 sq ft
  • Floor: 50 ft x 20 ft
  • Height: 18 ft floor to ceiling

Net Usable Space

  • Area: ~740 sq ft
  • Floor: refer to floor plan. 11 ft floor to crane's hook
  • Height: ~3 ft can be gained by relocating the crane
Lab workers looking up at the camera

High bay mezzanine where coal-to-liquids experiments were conducted by WVU researchers in collaboration with the Lu ‘An Group.

Woman walking up stairs in mezzanine floor
View of mezzanine area

Additional Information High Bay Regulations

The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing and overseeing the

Contact Cristina Dumitrescu, building manager, for more information.