Plant brings power to the people

Keeping a campus like Caltech running calls for electricity, and lots of it. We require a plentiful and reliable source of alternating current to run our computers, light our workspace, and keep us comfortable. Our energy needs are a potential weakness, as demonstrated during the power crisis of 2001. One of the tough lessons that Caltech learned at that time is that the campus would be better off if it produced at least as much power as it consumes.

One of several ambitious projects designed to cut Caltech’s reliance on outside sources of energy will replace aging turbines with new, more powerful ones. Since November, workers have been busily gutting Central Plant of its old cogeneration system, the large jet aircraft engine that provided the campus with its electrical power.

Once completed, the new and improved Central Plant will generate approximately 80 percent of the power that the Institute needs. But the job is complex.

“It is very difficult because our business is continuous: you have to provide utilities to the campus at all times,” says Reza Ohadi, the director of campus operations. “To stay in business and do the retrofit is very tough. Thank God, we have a good team.”

This 130-person team is a collection of mechanics, engineers, electricians, system analysts, and all manner of tradespeople. Relying on their labor and expertise has provided Ohadi with the means of avoiding the greater costs associated with major construction projects like this one.

“To perform as cost-effectively as possible, we are not using a general contractor; we are the general contractor,” he says. “We are doing much of the ‘cogen’ installation ourselves. We hire the expertise and use subcontractors as needed.”

Looking back on the progress that has been made, and considering the quality of work that his men are performing, Ohadi predicts success. “I think this project is going to be unique and the work will be of outstanding quality.”

Considering the size of the operation, its $10 million dollar budget is quite lean. But because they are doing much of the work in-house, Central Plant is saving between $5 and $10 million.

The retrofit consists of removing a steam turbine and a natural gas turbine, massive hulks that produced 4.5 megawatts of power. The system worked perfectly, but it filled only about 40 percent of the Institute’s hourly electricity needs. The remainder of the Institute’s power was purchased from the city of Pasadena, an expensive yet necessary arrangement.

In July, when the project is completed, production will shoot way up. The new turbines will be capable of generating between 10 and 12 megawatts. Bearing in mind that the campus requires up to 15 megawatts of power at the height of the summer, the plant’s energy output will be closer to the target.

Over time, several factors have raised Caltech’s power requirements. The main one is growth.

Although the campus is small when compared to such behemoths as UCLA and MIT, it has grown tremendously. Since 1967, when it was bounded on the north by San Pasqual Avenue, the campus has increased in maintainable square feet an astonishing 140 percent.

With this growth came very technically complex and energy-intensive laboratories and supporting facilities, including a new student residence, libraries, and a gymnasium. Of course, they all need power to operate.

Bounded by city streets, further campus expansion would seem to be inhibited. But according to Ohadi, the campus has seen steady growth in power use of about 3 percent per year over the last decade. He believes that the campus will probably continue that trend.

“The buildings on campus will continue to grow and change, and we have to be able to supply all of those buildings with all the things we need to run a university,” says Jesse McBurney-Rebol, a utility mechanic at Central Plant. “The big push right now, though, has been electricity. It’s the most important thing that we’re focusing on.”

Another major project in the planning stages will take advantage of the way that the price of electricity varies during a 24-hour period. Power is more expensive during peak daytime hours, and is cheaper at night. By constructing a thermal-energy storage facility south of California Boulevard, Caltech will be able to take advantage of off-peak hours to run its chillers and produce large quantities of chilled water, which will be stored under the north athletic field. During the day, the chillers will be turned off, and the chilled water will be routed throughout campus, providing relief from high daytime temperatures. The cost of construction is estimated at about $6 million.

“We anticipate a payback in five years,” Ohadi said of this second venture. “That’s when we’ll make the money back, and after that it’ll be free.” Similarly, he projects that the cogeneration project will reach the payback point in about three years. These are happy words for the Institute, which recently floated a $70 million bond, some of which will help finance energy projects.

Among the existing and future projects is the installation of a microturbine at the Administrative Technology Center that will provide power to Caltech buildings north of Del Mar Boulevard. Others include the upgrading of campus lighting, the installation of variable frequency drives on fans and motors, and the repairing and upgrading of obsolete air-handling systems.
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