Full Proposal
Revised Submission:
January 17, 2017
Full Proposal
Original Submission:
December 9, 2016
Cascading Chilled Water Design
The main portion of the proposed mechanical depth will focus on cascading chilled water system design. This involves analyzing the current design of the chilled water supply and return to the aquarium life support system (LSS) heat exchangers that manage the cooling and heating loads of the tanks and redesigning the system to supply chilled water in series instead of in a standard parallel configuration. The comprehensive analysis will include:
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Assessing individual tank set points and loading conditions
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Redesign of the piping layout to supply cold tank heat exchangers first and using the leaving water to supply warm water tank heat exchangers downstream (cascading effect)
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Redesign/reselection of LSS heat exchangers based on new chilled water supply temperatures
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Re-selection of chiller based on new loading conditions and return water temperature
Combined Heat and Power Assessment
The second potion of the mechanical depth analyzes the implementation of a combined heat and power (CHP) system. A CHP analysis goes hand-in-hand with the cascading chilled water design by taking advantage of the unique characteristics of an aquarium facility. A cogeneration system is fitting for the aquarium due to the existing need for four standby generators in the building to serve emergency and critical loads of both the guest and animal life safety systems in the event of power failure. A CHP system alsos require the conversion of existing chillers to absorption chillers. Given that new chillers will most likely need to be selected for the cascading chilled water design, absorption chillers can be selected to fit the needs of the CHP system analysis during the first part of the analysis.
Project Proposal
As part of the main mechanical depth, the application of a combined heat and power system requires a full assessment of the building electrical profile as well as a redesign of the building electrical service. Currently, the standby generators are designed to manage a portion of the building electrical loads, those required for emergency guest safety and critical animal life safety. Depending on the load profiles, the new CHP design will either serve only those emergency and critical loads or serve those loads as well as other building electrical loads. A full electrical system design analysis will be done to understand the impact of the CHP system.
A portion of Technical Report 3 assessed the Sea Lion Gallery and the Southeast Aquarium with respect to the LEED Rating Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) credits. It was found that the current design of the Sea Lion Gallery significantly under-performs with respect to the “Daylight” and “Quality Views” categories. While many of the main spaces within the scope of the renovation are interior spaces, those spaces that do have exterior walls lack windows to provide natural light and views to the outdoors. Many of the interior areas, especially the two story show and stage area, have applicable space on the roof to add skylights. The lighting breadth will focus on providing natural light and the benefits of daylighting on both the guests and animals as well as energy savings that can be provided by reducing the need for electric light.