The objective of this course is to provide a general knowledge of district cooling plants. While district hot water or steam plants may share some similarities, the focus of this lesson will be on district cooling plants. Answers to the following questions will be addressed in this lesson:
• What is a district cooling plant?
• What are the pros and cons of district cooling plants versus distributed cooling?
• What combination of cooling loads are preferable?
• What design considerations should be made regarding chillers, pumping
arrangements, metering, and thermal storage?
• Who has rights to underground easements for installing piping under streets?
• Who should own the asset?
• Who should maintain the asset?
• What is the recommended fee structure for customers, if applicable?
• Who should maintain the end devices such as air handling units?
Elena Ress, P.E. received a B.S. and an M.E. in chemical engineering from the University of South Florida, both summa cum laude. She received her professional engineering license in mechanical engineering. She has spent more than 20 years in the design, design/build, and performance contracting industries.
