Projects

In response to increased cooling demand from the campus and aging equipment, UT-RGV contracted with Munoz Architects and Shah Smith and Associates to design enhancements to the existing central utility plant and campus chilled water piping.  The scope was as follows:

Replace an existing 1250 ton chiller (Chilled #2) with new 2000 ton (nominal) chiller.

Add two cells to the existing masonry cooling tower (including pumps, towers, basins, and structure).

Build a new air conditioned enclosure to contain new and existing VFDs that served pumps.

Revise the existing electrical service to include a new service transformer and refeed selected loads to improve reliability in the plant.

Install new set of chilled water lines to alleviate choke points in the existing hydraulic distribution and to increase loop differential pressure at critical areas on the campus.  Piping sizes and routing were based on updates to the campus hydraulic masterplan made as part of the project.

To reduce the overall project schedule and to optimize the life cycle cost for the chose chiller, SSA prepared specifications and bid documents to pre-purchase the chiller. A project NPLV formula was created based on the campus cooling load profiles and expected chiller operating conditions. The best value chiller was selected based on initial cost, five years of energy cost and manufacturers service costs.

Structural modifications were required to accommodate the larger chiller and piping changes, the cooling tower basin and frame, and modifications to the campus walkway that acts as a pipe carrier.