Thermal storage HVAC system retrofit provides economical air conditioning
- Wendel Engineers, P.C., Buffalo, NY (United States)
This article describes an EMS-controlled HVAC system that meets the ventilation and cooling needs of an 18,000-seat indoor ice hockey arena. The Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (affectionately referred to as the Aud) was built in 1937 under the Works Project Administration of the federal government. Its original configuration included a 12,000-seat arena with an ice skating rink. By the late 1980s, the city was unsuccessfully attempting to attract events and tenants to the auditorium, which lacked air conditioning and other modern amenities. Thus, it was decided to renovate the facility to make it marketable. The first phase of the renovation included installing an air-conditioning system in the arena and repairing the existing building systems that were inoperable because of deferred maintenance. After considering the existing conditions (such as size of the space, intermittent usage, construction restrictions, operating budgets and the limited operations staff), the engineering team designed an innovative HVAC system. The system's features include: a carbon dioxide monitoring device that controls the intake of outside air; an ice storage system that provides chilled water and shifts electrical demand to off-peak hours; and a design that uses the building mass as a heat sink. A new energy management system (EMS) determines building cooling needs based on the type of event, ambient conditions and projected audience size. Then, it selects the most economical method to obtain the desired arena temperature.
- OSTI ID:
- 6001040
- Journal Information:
- ASHRAE Journal (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers); (United States), Vol. 35:3; ISSN 0001-2491
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
25 ENERGY STORAGE
PUBLIC BUILDINGS
SPACE HVAC SYSTEMS
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT
RETROFITTING
COMPUTERIZED CONTROL SYSTEMS
ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
SKATING RINKS
VENTILATION
BUILDINGS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
EQUIPMENT
ON-LINE CONTROL SYSTEMS
ON-LINE SYSTEMS
320106* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Building Equipment- (1987-)
250600 - Energy Storage- Thermal