Our Sustainable Campus - A little insulation goes a long way

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By Brandon Watson
Thursday, March 20, 2008
In October, Physical Plant saw the Power Plant as being on the cusp of some great sustainability programs.
Much of the excitement was centred around the installation of new, high-efficiency chillers, tower upgrades, and pumping systems that would help reduce our energy consumption during the warmer months.
 
This spring, George Qubty, Physical Plant Manager of Environment and Energy, will be focusing on improvements that will do the very same in the colder months. He is leading a project that should increase steam distribution efficiency by upgrading the pipe line insulation.
 
Steam distribution on campus is based on recovery. Boilers provide high-pressure steam, which pulses throughout Western's underground distribution network. The 350° F steam reaches each building in its loop and is most commonly used to provide space heating to the offices, classrooms, and laboratories.
 
The recovery aspect of the system is the condensate return line. This line carries the condensed steam vapour back to the Power Plant. The water is then reintroduced to the boilers and sent out again as steam.
 
To improve the distribution efficiency, Physical Plant commissioned an energy consulting group to conduct an audit. The primary recommendation was to improve insulation on both the steam and condensate pipe lines.
 
By doing so, the report suggests the Power Plant would significantly reduce its fuel consumption to the tune of about $70,000 each and every year. Even more impressive is the fact that the payback on the project could be realized in as little as 1.8 years.
 
Quite simply, a better-insulated line would mean the boilers would operate at less frequent intervals. An improvement in the condensate line, for example, returns hotter water and requires less heating to become steam.
 
That being the case, why weren't the pipes insulated in the first place?
 
Qubty explains; “It's not that the lines aren't insulated - they are for the most part - but they were done at a time when standards were lower and the efficient materials we have today didn't exist."
 
Furthermore, when the lines are repaired, the insulation must be pulled back to expose the pipe. It may become damaged, wet and unusable. Attempts to reapply the material are generally not pursued, because the integrity of the insulation has been compromised.
 
Qubty expects the project will wrap up well before next winter and with the majority of the work being conducted underground, it should cause little disruption.
 
“It is amazing the kind of effect a seemingly simple insulation project can have when applied to a system of such magnitude," he says. “It is literally a quiet, underground improvement that may go unrecognized, but will provide great returns for years to come."       

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