Boiler Energy Conservation Performance Studies in a Commercial Facility: Setting the Stage for Cogeneration and Distributed Generation

Authors

  • Emmanuel C. Nsofor Department of Mechanical Engineering & Energy Processes, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901
  • Veera Vijay Johnson Controls, Inc., Bothell, WA 98021

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13052/dgaej2156-3306.2545

Keywords:

Commercial building heating, boiler replacement, BIN method, CHP data

Abstract

Growing attention is now being paid to energy conservation that
was once considered insignificant for energy resource development. An
energy efficiency study on the heating system for a commercial facility
was performed using the BIN method that can be adopted by energy
management practitioners. Such data-based method calculates the load
and energy savings for the recommended boiler replacement. Energy
consumption data, measurements and flowcharts developed were used
to study the operating costs and energy savings for the facility. The
study shows that the method can be used to decide if a boiler or heater
replacement is worthwhile. Moreover, this study sets the stage for
further energy management and reliability investment in the form of
cogeneration of heat and power (CHP) or distributed generation (DG).
It was determined in this study that using the prescribed strategy will
result in significant energy savings for the investments made. Finally,
basic data needed for cogeneration analysis resulted from the study.

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Author Biographies

Emmanuel C. Nsofor, Department of Mechanical Engineering & Energy Processes, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901

Emmanuel C. Nsofor Ph.D. is an associate professor of Mechani-
cal Engineering at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He has
experience in design, manufacture, operation and maintenance of HVAC
equipment with York Division of Borg-Warner Corporation, London,
England. He has also worked on a Department of Energy (DOE) funded
research carrying out experimental investigations and mathematical
modeling on the characterization of a thermal energy storage system.
His research area includes heat transfer, energy Storage, and HVAC. He
is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engi-
neers (ASHRAE) and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
(AIAA)

Veera Vijay, Johnson Controls, Inc., Bothell, WA 98021

Veera Vijay is a Certified Energy Manager (C.E.M.) and a Project
Development Engineer with Johnson Controls, Inc., Bothell, Washington.
The company designs, manufactures, installs, services, operates and
maintains mechanical and electrical systems that control energy use,
HVAC, lighting, security and fire management for buildings. He has
related experience working with some other energy management and
HVAC companies. He holds a BS and MS degrees in mechanical engi-
neering with specialization in energy management. He has conducted
energy management studies for several industrial establishments.

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Published

2010-10-19

How to Cite

Nsofor, E. C. ., & Vijay, V. . (2010). Boiler Energy Conservation Performance Studies in a Commercial Facility: Setting the Stage for Cogeneration and Distributed Generation. Distributed Generation &Amp; Alternative Energy Journal, 25(4), 64–79. https://doi.org/10.13052/dgaej2156-3306.2545

Issue

2010: Vol 25 Iss 4

Section

Articles