A plan to keep the plant chlorofluorocarbon free included purchasing items that do not contain or use CFCs and are therefore “ozone safe”. Another part of this plan is that a chiller was switched to a non-ozone depleting refrigerant and 12,000 pounds of CFCs (R-12) were retired.
Focuses on optimum utilization of equipment that uses chilled water, and controlling chill water supply and return temperatures.
Central Utilities is powered by clean renewable energy sourced from sun, wind, water, and waste.
Provides an energy savings by converting from steam heat to hot water heat, which utilizes the hot water by-product of Co-Gen.
Prior to 1998, heating and cooling the University required the emission of up to 335 tons per year of NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen). Then the University switched from coal to natural gas and the Central Plant team installed burners that would meet anticipated future emissions standards. This lowered the University's annual NOx emissions to 74 tons per year.
The University of Rochester’s cogeneration plant, built and commissioned in 2006, is defined as a combined heat and power (CHP) that
integrates the production of usable heat and power (electricity), in one single, highly efficient process. The University uses steam produced
in its boilers to drive steam turbine generators. The steam that is delivered to the steam turbine drives an electric generator to produce 60 hertz,
A.C. electric power. The steam exhausted from the turbine is then used to heat a hot water heating loop that delivers approximately 200 degree hot water
to campus buildings and the medical center for space heating and domestic hot water heating. This is an extremely efficient system.
Combined heat and power plans are significantly more efficient than a traditional utility power plant which generate electricity but reject the steam turbine exhaust to atmosphere, doing no useful work. With conventional power plants vast amounts of heat are simply wasted. In today’s coal and gas fired power stations, up to two thirds of the overall energy consumed is lost in this way. Combined heat and power plants can approach 75 to 80% thermal efficiency.
The University’s cogeneration plant has provided approximately 1/3 of the campus electric power needs annually, with over 50 million kilowatts produced in fiscal year 2014. The plant has two steam turbine generators, with nameplate ratings of 7 megawatts and 18 megawatts. Both steam turbine generators use steam generated in the central utility plant’s steam boilers, which burn natural gas.
Steam at either 900 psig or 165 psig is used depending on which steam turbine is in service. The hot water delivered to campus is pumped from the central plant to plate and frame heat exchangers located in each campus building. Supply hot water temperatures vary from 160 degrees F to 225 degrees F depending on outdoor temperatures. The cogen system can produce 180 million BTU per hour of hot water energy, and is backed up by three shell and tube, steam to hot heat exchangers for added reliability. The heating hot water pumps at the central plant utilize variable speed motor drives to pump just enough water using the lowest amount of electrical power.
The Central Utilities plant uses a low sulfur fuel oil (0.05%) which helps alleviate unpleasant odors as well as significantly cut sulfur dioxide emissions. Since converting to natural gas and low sulfur oil, annual emissions of sulfur dioxide has dropped from 1,600 tons per year to 1.25 tons per year for 2005.
Records the energy usage for electricity, chilled water, city water, steam and hot water as it is being used.