The need for long term development planing in district cooling

Conference · Tue Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1996

OSTI ID:459053

Damecour, R

The current deregulation and increasing competition in the electrical industry has sparked a renewed interest in district cooling. As a result several US electric utilities have started to look at their existing market and determine the feasibility of developing new district cooling businesses. Often the district cooling businesses are started with the intention of servicing a limited number of buildings from a single production plant. The key item that is often overlooked is that district cooling businesses are not static and in fact continue to grow over time. Historical information shows that mature district cooling systems have grown anywhere from 5 to 10 times their original size over time. This is why it is crucial to early on examine the potential markets for district cooling in a community and produce a long term development plan. Key factors in the long term development plan are: (1) Determining where the highest concentrations of cooling load are. (2) Locating the customers who have the greatest likelihood of taking the cooling service. (3) Locating cooling plant sites to service potential load that utilizes available space well and services the targeted customer base. (4) Developing operating strategies that optimize the use of the lowest cost cooling production plants. (5) Developing a pumping strategy that supports the overall operating strategy. (6) Performing pressure drop calculations to locate trouble spots and revise pipe sizes or plant locations. This paper will discuss some typical long term development plans that Kattner/FVB has produced for different clients, and the key ingredients that are necessary for the successful implementation of a district cooling system. The original long term development plans that were produced will be examined and the various changes to those plans over time will be discussed.

• OSTI ID: 459053
• Report Number(s): CONF-961082--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
DESIGN
DISTRICT COOLING
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
PLANNING