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Projects Updates for place: Abbott Power Plant

  1. F&S shared info about DDC system with Berkeley student

    Associated Project(s): 
    Utilities Master Plan for Energy Production and Distribution

    For a general overview of our energy systems at the University of Illinois, please see the online overview at http://www.fs.illinois.edu/docs/default-source/Resources/brochures/utilities-energy-3-14.pdf?sfvrsn=0.

    1. Does your school have sort of campus-wide energy management system (EMS)? Or does each building have its own energy monitoring system?

    Each building has its own metering station where chilled water, condensate, and electricity are measured and recorded. The chilled water and condensate usages are recorded into the building automation system and transferred over BACnet I/P to our campus data historian system and the electric meters have an Ethernet I/P connection that is directly fed to the data historian.

    1.  Does the EMS at your school have the ability to turn the HVAC systems on/off (this feature is often called Direct Digital Control) ? 

    We have a mixture of control system types and vintages on campus. There are older pneumatic controls systems still on campus that we are gradually converting over to DDC systems. Back in 1984 is when the campus starting installing its first digital control system. This system’s primary function was for monitoring temperatures, status of various types of equipment, and start/stop and speed adjustment of HVAC.  About 20 years ago is when DDC systems were being installed for full control of system and not just for start/stop purposes. I would approximate that our campus has about 60% DDC and 40% pneumatic control.

    The HVAC systems that do have DDC control typically have some sort of occupancy schedule where the unit either shuts down or a setback mode is used for after hours. We also utilize occupancy sensors on variable air volume(VAV) air handlers for classrooms and offices. This allows us during normal hours where the unit would be running to achieve additional saving by closing off air dampers( or air flow) to specific spaces that do not have occupants.  

    We have an Energy Management Control Center (EMCC) that is staff during normal working hours to monitor our DDC systems. They monitor the alarms, handle hot/cold calls and make sure the campus HVAC systems are running at their optimal level. We use two primary DDC systems for our building controls, Siemens and Schneider Electric’s TAC system and the Delta V system is used in our production plants. All three systems are monitored in the EMCC.

    Requested information:

    Hi my name is Sho Kawano.

    I'm a student at the University of California, Berkeley currently doing research on sustainable operations, specifically energy use.

    I thought this would be the right place to contact regarding energy management at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

    1. Does your school have sort of campus-wide energy management system(EMS)? Or does each building have its own energy monitoring system?
    2. Does the EMS at your school have the ability to turn the HVAC systems on/off (this feature is often called Direct Digital Control) ? 

    If you can answer these questions for me, I'd greatly appreciate your help

    Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

    Sincerely,
    Sho Kawano 

    University of California, Berkeley | May 2017

    B.A. Statistics

  3. Efficiency measures at Abbott Power Plant

    Associated Project(s): 
    Utilities Master Plan for Energy Production and Distribution

    In general, the overall efficiency of a typical power plant is approximately 35%, and the efficiency of a typical cogeneration plant is typically 80-85%.  The efficiency is in general a measure of the energy input (fuel), vs. the energy output (electricity, and in the case of a cogeneration plant steam and electricity).

    We have done a lot of things to improve the plant efficiency, but at this point in time we don’t have good data available that can measure and quantify those improvements.  Some of the items that we have undertaken include:  changing out the lighting to higher efficient flourescents and/or LEDs, changing out the Centac Centrifugal Air Compressors to more efficient VFD driven rotary air compressors, changing the air compressor cooling from city water to the plant service water system, and repairing and replacing direct contact heaters.

    Mike Larson

    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    Director of Utilities Production

  4. Illinois Business Consulting report - economic analysis

    Associated Project(s): 
    Biomass co-firing pilot at Abbott Power Plant

    The central question posed to Illinois Business Consulting (IBC) is as follows: what would be the economic impact of replacing 10% of the university’s coal intake with wood chips?  After extensive research, analysis, and calculation it is the opinion of IBC that the cogeneration of energy with coal and wood chips is not economically feasible.  The initiative has been deemed not economically feasible because wood chips are more expensive on the basis of energy content, transportation costs will increase due to biomass, and infrastructure modification expenses necessary for the operational changes are significant.

    Attached Files: 

  5. Illinois Business Consulting report - carbon impact

    Associated Project(s): 
    Biomass co-firing pilot at Abbott Power Plant

    In 2012, F&S hired Illinois Business Consulting to evaluate the following question for Abbott Power Plant: "Can the overall carbon footprint be decreased by using 10% of biomass in place of 10% of coal?"  The report and executive summary are attached here.

    Attached Files: 

  6. 14 Weeks Without Coal Burning

    Associated Project(s): 
    Stop Burning Coal at Abbott Power Plant

    Beginning on June 1, 2012 the University quit burning coal as the campus energy needs declined with the beginning of summer. The University had gone without coal for 20 weeks in the summer of 2011. Abbott Power Plant began burning coal again on September 5, 2012 after 14 weeks without burning.

  9. Beyond Coal student group joint celebration at Abbott Power Plant

    Associated Project(s): 
    Stop Burning Coal at Abbott Power Plant

    F&S and the Beyond Coal student group portion of Students for Environmental ConcernS (SECS) held a joint celebration at Abbott Power Plant to recognize the efforts that have been made to reduce coal usage for campus.  There was a discussion about the additional projects F&S is pursuing and the financial decision makers for campus.

  10. Abbott Power granted permit

    Associated Project(s): 
    Biomass co-firing pilot at Abbott Power Plant

    Abbott Power Plant was granted an IEPA permit to co-fire biomass with coal until June 30, 2013.  F&S intends to do some test burns this spring with wood chips.  Wood chips have a good track record in stoker boilers, and we are fairly confident we can demonstrate a successful trial.  In addition, wood chips appear to be one of the most cost effective sources of biomass available at this time.

  11. The F&S Energy and Production Distribution Master Plan Kicked Off

    Associated Project(s): 
    Stop Burning Coal at Abbott Power Plant

    The F&S Energy and Production Distribution Master Plan was kicked off in January.  This plan is the first step to achieving the goal of not burning coal at Abbott Power Plant by 2017. The plan will be developed over the course of calendar year 2012 and will include specific projects and cost estimates for implementing the plan in five-year increments. 

  13. Gregory Hall

    Associated Project(s): 
    ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit

    As part of the ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit, 426 T-12 fixtures in Gregory Hall were replaced with the more energy-effiecient T-8 fixtures. This switch will incur an Annual kWh Savings of 68,862 hours. The simple payback for this project is -4.1 years. There are 777 T-12 fixtures in Gregory Hall remaining to be switched.

  14. David Kinley Hall

    Associated Project(s): 
    ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit

    As part of the ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit, 858 T-12 fixtures in the David Kinley Hall were replaced with the more energy-efficient T-8 fixtures. This switch will incur an Annual kWh Savings of 84,223 hours. The simple payback for this project is -5.36 years. There are 54 fixtures that remain to be done in David Kinley Hall.

  15. Morrill Hall

    Associated Project(s): 
    ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit

    As part of the ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit, 195 T-12 fixtures in Morrill Hall were replaced with the more energy-efficient T-8 fixtures. This switch will incur an Annual kWh Savings of 25,781 hours. The simple payback for this project is -4.45 years. There are 2,594 T-12 fixtures in Morrill Hall that remain to be switched.

  16. Lincoln Hall

    Associated Project(s): 
    ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit

    As part of the ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit, 1,728 T-12 fixtures in Lincoln Hall were replaced with more energy-efficient T-8 fixtures. This switch will incur an Annual kWh Savings of 99,886 hours. The simple payback for this project is -8.03 years.

  17. Vet Med Basic Sciences Building

    Associated Project(s): 
    ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit

    As part of the ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit, 4,248 T-12 fixtures in the Vet Med Basic Sciences Building were replaced with more energy-efficient T-8 fixtures. This switch will incur an Annual kWh Savings of 796,429 hours. The simple payback for this project is 0.11 years.

  18. Vet Med Large Animal Clinic

    Associated Project(s): 
    ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit

    As part of the ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit, 1,990 T-12 fixtures in the Vet Med Large Animal Clinic were replaced with more energy-efficient T-8 fixtures. This switch will incur an Annual kWh Savings of 320,117 hours. The simple payback for this project is 0.23 years.

  19. Vet Med Small Animal Clinic

    Associated Project(s): 
    ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit

    As part of the ICECF 2009 Lighting Retrofit, 1,928 T-12 fixtures in the Vet Med Small Animal Clinic were replaced with more energy-efficient T-8 fixtures. This switch will incur an Annual kWh Savings of 67,145 hours. The simple payback for this project is 0.83 years.

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