Klamath Falls geothermal district heating systems
- Brian Brown Engineering, Ft. Klamath, OR (United States)
The city of Klamath Falls, Oregon, geothermal district heating system was constructed in 1981 to initially serve 14 government buildings with planned expansion to serve additional buildings along the route. After a difficult start-up period, the system has provided reliable service since 1991. For more information on the system development, see Lienau, et al., (1989 and 1991). The district heating system was designed for a thermal capacity of 20 million Btu/hr (5.9 MWt). At peak heating, the original buildings on the system utilized only about 20 percent of the system thermal capacity, and revenue from heating those buildings was inadequate to sustain system operation. This led the city to begin a marketing effort in 1992 to add more customers to the system. Since 1992, the customer base has increased substantially, with the district heating system serving several additional buildings and extensive areas of sidewalk snowmelt. In the winter of 1998 to 1999 the district heating system served the highest load ever, with peak loads estimated at 50 to 60 percent of the original design capacity. The system showed some strain under the load, with operational difficulties related to capacity, controls and equipment failures. System upgrade and maintenance work is scheduled for the summer of 1999 to improve system capacity, control, and reliability.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG07-90ID13040
- OSTI ID:
- 338607
- Journal Information:
- Geo-Heat Center Quarterly Bulletin, Vol. 20, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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