After completing a project to add cogeneration capabilities and additional chilled water capacity to USU’s campus energy plant, The RMH Group was tasked with designing a new thermal (chilled water) storage system. The new thermal storage system is comprised of a new 2.17-million gallon underground chilled water storage tank and supporting equipment. USU produces chilled water during hours of off-peak electrical demand (summer nights) and to use the chilled water during hours of peak electrical demand (summer days).
RMH’s design included addition of three 100 hp, 2,000 gpm pumps in USU’s underground utility nodes to pump chilled water from the central utility plant to the storage tank. A programmable logic control (PLC) system within the node provides monitoring capabilities and variable frequency drive (VFD) pump/valve control.

Awards

Design-Build Institute of America, National Design-Build Award Competition, Merit Award, 2005