Pulse Combustion Boilers Application/Case Study HVAC-2

1 Pulse Combustion Boilers Application/Case Study HVAC-2 . one of a series of applications for fulton products Subject: fulton Pulse Combustion Boilers Reduce Fuel Bills Approximately 50% at fulton boiler Works, Inc. Truax Field If you see an F16 fighter soaring over equipment. The recently remodeled "As part of the Federal Government, the peaceful farm land of central buildings share a clean, contemporary we have goals to reduce total energy Wisconsin, chances are it's based at architectural style reminiscent of a use per square foot on a yearly basis the Truax Field Air National Guard modern college campus. The base by 20% by the year 2000, and by 30%. facility in the state capitol of Madison. operates year round, with hours by 2005.

2 Adjacent to the Dane County Regional ranging from 6:00 to 5:00 , airport, the base has a long history of plus Unit Training Assembly one Truax Field Air National meeting the military, humanitarian weekend per month. Guard Headquarters building and civic needs of the state. 500, heated by two PHW1000. Federal government Serving first as an Army Air mandates reduction in Corps base in 1943, Truax energy usage Field became home to the Involved in an ongoing project to Air National Guard at its remodel and upgrade existing formation in 1948. buildings, Facility Manager, SMS. Charles Ross, and Production It continued as an active duty Air Controller, TSG Hoyt Halverson, Force base through 1968, when it was turned to Pulse Combustion boiler turned over entirely to the Air technology for their hot water heating National Guard.

3 Today's Truax Field needs. A congressional mandate from has 25 buildings on 155 acres, and the National Energy Policy for houses the 115th Fighter Wing, Federal Facilities in part prompted including F16 flying forces, their decision. Halverson maintenance people and explains. When I say total energy use, I mean a 12% reduction in gas usage in FY-93 footage of the building, and then take electrical and gas. So, increasing the over the average usage prior to the that result divided by the actual heating efficiency of the heating plant is not remodeling year. In summer of 1993 degree days. This gives us a number just driven by cost savings, but also the PHW750, a 750,000 BTU unit, that we can compare year to year. by this requirement.

4 " replaced a low pressure steam system That's how we track consumption.". that had been in use for many years. But why Pulse technology? With a The results were impressive. Building To further assess real savings, the burner that takes air from the boiler 1000's average natural gas consump- Truax team looked not only at the room, an outside air damper must be tion was cut by 49% over the average BTUs per Square Foot per Heating opened to let air in when the boiler is prior to remodeling and by 42% over Degree Day, but also the year-end operating. This becomes a problem the consumption of FY-93 post figures. "Doing this," according to when cold winter air invades the remodeling. Ross explained, "We Halverson, "takes care of monthly boiler room, making it necessary to don't look at savings from a dollar & variations due to building use, wind heat that area as well.

5 With a sealed cents perspective like a lot of outside [which is not reflected in degree Combustion system, associated with a corporations do, because in our opin- days], and other variables. Looking at Pulse Combustion boiler , it is not ion it's not a true indicator. Heating the year-end figure helps us a lot.". necessary to bring the air needed for seasons place considerably different Based on those assessments, the initial the flame to survive through a heated loads on systems - the cost of natural performance of the fulton boiler in space. Instead, it comes in through gas fluctuating has significant impact one building alone was enough to considerably smaller PVC intakes, - so that's why we use total BTUs prove the value of the Pulse boiler travels into the Combustion chamber used that year, divided by the square concept for the entire base.

6 And exits out as exhaust in a similarly small stack. The temperature in the boiler room can stay constant, elimi- BUILDING 1000. 225,000. ANNUAL BTU PER SQ. FT. HEATING DAYS. nating the danger of frozen pipes and other problems related to the cold. AVERAGES BEFORE fulton AVERAGES AFTER fulton . Halverson added, "Another direct 200,000. Pulse boiler INSTALLATION Pulse boiler INSTALLATION. advantage of this in certain of our applications is that, because of the 175,000. Fultons, we have gotten rid of three large masonry smoke stacks which 150,000. SAVINGS. are inefficient because they maintain a draft. We also got rid of them before OF OVER. they would have needed significant masonry repairs.". 125,000. 50%. 100,000. The first Pulse boiler installed cut fuel bill in half 75,000.

7 The first of twenty-one fulton Pulse Combustion Boilers now in use on the 50,000. base was installed in building 1000, a vehicle maintenance facility. Building 25,000. 1000 was remodeled in FY-92. The 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997. remodeling project included supplying Building 1,000's average natural gas consumption was cut by 49% over the the building with outside makeup air, average with fulton 's PHW. insulating the building, and adding 750 Pulse boiler . infrared gas tub heaters to the vehicle maintenance bays. The remodeling project resulted in Twenty more fulton Pulse Base Supply (building 510) replaced atmospheric Boilers with six fulton PHW500 Pulse boiler units. Boilers installed since 1993. In the years following that first installation, another 20 fulton Pulse Boilers were installed in nine more buildings in the complex, replacing existing Atmospheric and Power Burner units.

8 Administrative offices, a clinic and a dining area primarily used during Guard Drill weekends are housed in Building 500, where two PHW1000 Boilers replaced six Atmospheric natural draft Boilers . Base Supply in Building 510 is a com- bination of about 1/4 office suites with the remainder used as ware- house space with very high ceilings. Here, six smaller PHW500 fulton Boilers also replaced six considerably larger and less efficient atmospheric units. "What we found interesting with these buildings" according to Ross "was that in the first year we also saw a 20% drop in the BTUs/ by bringing in water that is too cold.". SqFt/HDD which was also lower The return water temperature factor than any of the preceding 10 years.

9 " was cited as one of the key advantages Much of the installation work was of the Truax installations. Halverson done by in-house staff, with Madison added, "We don't have to worry about consulting engineers Mead and Hunt return water temperature. In fact, we providing heat load analysis, contract- program for the lowest return water ing by All-Mechanical of Milton, and temperature we can, to heat the Wenniger Mechanical Contractors of building. What we've done in most of New Berlin Wisconsin. Allan Schmidt, our buildings is to actually control on with Heat & Power Products of return water temperature. On a 40. Madison, fulton 's Authorized degree day outside, we may be Representative, worked closely with running a return water temperature the Truax team as more fulton units of 110 degrees.

10 [By comparison] a lot were added. of Boilers say you must maintain a 140 degree return water temperature.". With Pulse Boilers , the colder the return water is, the more Multiple units eliminate com- efficient the boiler will be plete down time boiler parts interchangeable Said Schmidt, "Installation is made easier because you don't need a Costs benefits in training, mainte- fire-rated enclosure, you don't need a nance and parts were also realized as mixing valve, you don't need a a result of the simpler Pulse Combustion primary/secondary pump system, system. Replacement parts are readily and the colder the return water is, the available through Heat and Power more efficient the boiler will be. A Products, but due to the recent conventional boiler can be "shocked" installations, parts availability has not been an issue.