Class Project ReportSustainable Air Quality, EECE 449/549, Spring 2009

Washington University, St. Louis, MO The Energy Analysis and Carbon Footprint of the Danforth University Center

Instructors: Professor Rudolf B. Husar, Erin M. Robinson

For more details see the class wiki

Students:Maiko Arashiro, Alex Clark, Neil Feinberg Mark Henson, Kerry Herr, Evan Kangas,

Janna Lambson, Michael McDonald, Katie Poeltl, Cameron Smith, Kharel Thompson

Class Project: Energy Analysis and Carbon Footprint of the Danforth University Center

Specific Objectives:

1. Analyze energy usage in the DUC

2. Apportion the energy use to activities in the DUC

3. Determine carbon footprint of the DUC

4. Renewable energy analysis for electricity

DUC Space Usage

• Offices• Meeting Rooms• Kitchen• Dining and Social Areas

The LEED Report indicates the space breakdown as:

DUC

Raw Data Analysis—Time Series Charts and Daily Averages, March 11 – April 29, 2009

Raw Data Analysis—Diurnal Charts Show Four Energy Streams

Electricity Distribution Diagram - Dynamic

Measured DATA

Estimated Values

AHU-1 Supply Fan Daily Pattern

Energy Usage

Air Flow Rate

DUC HVAC – AHU-1 Energy Recovery Wheel, Btu

Exhaust

Heat Recovery

DUC

VAV Box

Air Intake

Hot Water Coil

Hot Water

Hot and Chill Water

VAV BoxVAV Box

Chilled Water Coil

Cool and Hot Water

• Data from March 12-April 15 2009Chilled Water Usage vs. Outside Temperature

y = 0.0009x + 0.2778

y = 0.0342x - 1.3894

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Outside Temperature (Degrees Fahrenheit)

Hot/

Chille

d W

ate

r U

sage (

MB

tu)

Hot Water Usage vs. Outside Temperature

y = -0.0264x + 2.0962

R2 = 0.7258

y = -0.0131x + 1.4513

R2 = 0.4541

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Outside Temperature (Degrees Fahrenheit)

Hot

Wate

r U

sage (

MM

Btu

)

Cool and Hot Water Yearly Extrapolation

Estimated yearly cold water usage: 6121 MMBtu

Estimated yearly hot water usage: 7039 MMBtu

Estimated Monthly Cold/Hot Water Usage

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2

Janu

ary

Febr

uary

Mar

chApr

ilMay

June Ju

ly

Augus

t

Sept

embe

r

Oct

ober

Novem

ber

Decem

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Month

Ave

rag

e C

old

/Ho

t W

ate

r U

sa

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(M

MB

tu)

Cold water

Hot water

Total

•Estimated annual costs: –Cool water: $18,464–Hot water: $61,584

•Estimated annual CO2 emissions:

–Cool water: 310 metric tons–Hot water: 436 metric tons

Energy coming into the DUC

• This energy is the amount metered at the DUC in MMBTUs

“MEASURED” VERSUS ACTUAL ENERGY USAGE

CONVERSION BASIS: 1 kW/ton Refrigeration80% Boiler Efficiency

DUC Carbon Footprint

Coal Power Analysis

• Consideration of powering the DUC entirely on coal power (close to reality):– No square feet of area need to be set aside by school– Costs roughly $8.50/hr or $0.045/kWhr (operation, maintenance, and distributed capital costs)– Over time period of our data (March 12 – Present) this option would have cost about $7,500 or $9,500 when factoring in the “social

cost” of carbon.• Pros:

– Cheap, cheap, cheap– Doesn’t need area set aside for it, the power company already handled that

• Cons:– Over the same time period above, the DUC would have 50 metric tons of carbon emissions associated with this electricity

generation.– Burning of coal also releases significant amounts of sulfur, which can lead to acid rain.

Renewable Energy Source Analysis

Renewable Energy Source Analysis

Breakdown of Office Electricity Usage by Activity

• Used power densities in LEED certification to find electricity usage of equipment and lighting

• Other usage inferred from percentages given by EIA

Graph of Electricity Consumption of Offices Compared to Total DUC Electricity Consumption

Breakdown of Office Energy Usage

Breakdown of Meeting Room Electricity Usage by Activity

• Used power densities in LEED certification to find electricity used for lighting

• Other usage inferred from percentages given by EIA

• There is a baseline of electricity consumption from cooling and ventilation

Graph of Electricity Consumption of Offices Compared to Total DUC Electricity Consumption

Breakdown of Meeting Room Energy Usage

Energy Breakdown in DUC Kitchen: Weekday• According to national data, Energy use in restaurants and industrial kitchens can be divided into 5 categories, and energy is consumed in those areas in these proportions:

• We used real time DUC data on Natural gas usage to calculate overall DUC kitchen energy usage

Energy Breakdown in DUC Kitchen: Weekend

• Energy usage is much lower on the weekends than during the week.• Peaks still occur at traditional meal times, but they aren’t as high.

Energy Breakdown by Space

Carbon Apportionment by Activity