Layered automation helps chart college's course

Engineered Systems, Feb, 2003 by Joanna R. Turpin

Western Michigan University needed a new steam and chilled water plant. However, what it wanted included flexibility regarding fuel sources, safe remote capabilities for the boiler and chiller controls, and room for future expansion. It also wanted someone else to manage the numerous web of vendors involved in such a project. Here's the story of an initial wishlist that evolved into a tailored long-term plan.

Western Michigan University (WMU), is a large research university with a 550-acre main campus in Kalamazoo, MI and eight regional centers and sites around the state. WMU was founded in 1903 and currently has an enrollment of more than 27,700 students.

As can be expected, WMU is always building onto and upgrading its facilities in order to retain its status as one of the nation's top 100 public universities. The most recent project undertaken at WMU involves the new construction of the Energy Resource Center (ERG), which will serve two new WMU facilities.

The ERC will provide steam and chilled water to the new 330,000-sq-ft College of Engineering and the 50,000-sq-ft Paper Pilot Plant. Both facilities are part of WMU's new Parkview Campus, a 20-acre site that is located about four miles away from the main campus. The Paper Pilot Plant opened in October 2002, while the main College of Engineering building is scheduled to open in September 2003.

WMU relied on Armstrong Service Inc. (ASI) to accomplish the turnkey project and to act as the single source for all phases of the project, including engineering, procurement, project management, commissioning, training, and follow-up engineering.

BUILT TO SERVE

Originally, WMU planned on the development being an own-and-operate project. ASI was part of a competitive analysis to choose a company that would build and operate a steam, electric, and cooling plant under a 30-year contract with WMU. ASI won the analysis and was chosen to build and operate the plant, with construction beginning in 2000. Later in construction, due to financial reasons, WMU chose a more traditional model of operation while retaining ASI to design and build the boiler/chiller plant, which is called the ERC.

"We were looking to get out of the energy-producing business," said Ray Kezenius, senior project engineer at WMU. "We were hoping to have ASI do a turnkey operation where they would be the utility and do the construction, and we would just buy energy and chilled water from them. In midstream we had to change our approach, but we worked it out so ASI would act as a general contractor to design and build the ERG, but we would pay for it."

ASI's project developer for WMU was Bruce Billedeaux. As project developer, Billedeaux provided preliminary engineering and financial forecasting for optimization projects, while working as a team member with the business developer to provide solutions for WMU. "It just so happens that on the WMU project, I was also the project manager, which meant I was responsible for construction and commissioning of the project," said Billedeaux. Basically he oversaw every aspect of the project.

The end result is the ERG, which is an unstaffed 10,000-sq-ft free-standing building that houses both the chiller and boiler plants. The boiler plant consists of two 400-hp watertube boilers and one 350-hp firetube boiler rated for 150-psi steam. The boilers are capable of burning multiple fuels to provide redundancy and economic stability, and the condensate system uses gravity return and steam-powered pumps.

"ASI came up with some unique ideas on fuel flexibility. We've got natural gas, as well as No. 4 fuel oil backup, so we have flexibility to switch to different fuels, if need be," said Kezenius. "The boilers have been up and running, and so far things are going well. We have been providing steam to the College of Engineering construction site, where we have some of our air handlers that are being used to provide temporary heat."

At press time, work was just being completed on the chiller plant. The ERG has three 700-ton chillers with primary and secondary pumping systems. Two of the chillers are variable speed and one is a high-efficiency constant speed. The chilled water system is entirely variable speed and dynamically adjusted for energy savings.

During construction, it was determined that the College of Engineering would not be able to use the free cooling configuration that was in the initial design; therefore, a condenser water storage sump was added to the ERG to allow for winter operation of the chilled water system.

ASI took growth into account when designing the ERG, and space has been provided for an additional chiller if needed in the future. A yard adjacent to the ERG has also been enclosed so there's room to evolve into a bigger facility in the future. "We also ran additional chilled water lines in anticipation of future expansion of the College of Engineering. The main line is in place, so it will just be a matter of tying in to the ERG. We tried to plan for future growth and cover all our bases," said Kezenius.