Specifications

University*of*Washington*Climate*Action*Plan*
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29!
4.1.1 Strategy:)Central*Utility*Plant*Efficiency*
Generating!steam!by!combusting!natural!gas!in!the!Seattle!campus’!central!util‐
ity! plant! is! the! University’s! largest! single! source! of! greenhouse! gas! emissions.!!
The!steam,!as!well!as!chilled!water,!is!delivered!to!the!various!buildings!on!cam‐
pus! through!a! distribution!network!including!more!than!ten!miles!of!steam!pipes!
in! underground! utility! tunnels.! ! Opportunities! for! reducing! emissions! from! the!
plant!can!be!divided!into!those!affecting!the!plant!itself!and!those!affecting!the!
distribution!infrastructure.!
At!the!plant,!some!efficiency!gain!might!be!achieved!with!no!equipment!invest‐
ment!at!all,!representing!our! preference!for!behavioral!change!over!new!tech‐
nology!–!in!this!case!the!behavior!change!is!one!of!administrative!practices.!!By!
revising!the!central!utility!plant!operating!procedures!to!favor!the!most!efficient!
boilers,! the! UW! can! minimize! the! practice! of! banking! “stand‐by! boilers”! for!
guaranteeing!reliable!service.!!
Turning!to!technology,!numerous!vintage,!high‐horsepower!electric!motors!that!
drive!pumps!used!for!circulating!cooling!water,!condensing!water!and!boiler!feed!
water! can! be! replaced! with! modern,! more! efficient! electric! motors.! ! Another!
more! capital‐intensive! improvement! would! be! to! recover! waste! heat! from! the!
flue!gas!system,!and!use!the!recovered!energy! to!heat!buildings!in!close!proxim‐
ity!to!the!plant.!
In!the!distribution!network,!heat!is!lost!as!steam!travels!through!the!pipes,!and!
improvement!to!the!thermal!insulation!surrounding!the!pipes!would!reduce!heat!
loss!and!the!demand!on!the!central!utility!plant.!!Some!energy!is!also!lost!to!oc‐
casional! steam! leaks;! implementing! a! preventive! maintenance! program! would!
reduce! the! frequency! of! the! leaks,! once! again! appealing! to! behavioral! ap‐
proaches.! ! In! the! chilled! water! distribution! system,! new! pressure‐independent!
control!(PIC)!valves!could!improve!hydraulic!pumping!efficiency.!
Proposed& Actions:& Accelerate! adoption! of! a! steam! leak! maintenance! program.!!
Accelerate!revisions!to!boiler!operating!procedures.!!Immediately!begin!design!of!
electric!motor!replacements!and!PIC!valves.! !Launch! engineering!study! of!ther‐
mal!piping!insulation!improvements!and!feasibility!study!of!flue!gas!heat!recov‐
ery.!
increase plant efficiency