Increasing Steam Load of the University of Michigan Central Power Plant

Abstract

For 100 years, the University of Michigan Central Power Plant has provided utilities that have powered the world-class research and education this university is known for. Its main purpose is to generate steam for heating, cooling and sanitation; and electricity for lighting and power. These utilities are distributed over a network of tunnels throughout Central Campus and the hospital complex. The Central Power Plant, or CPP, relies on the steam it creates for the campuses to spin generators which produce electricity; it cannot make this electricity if there is no steam demand. Recently, this has been looking more like a reality than a possibility: over the past 20 years, campus buildings have been replacing their steam-driven absorption chillers for air conditioning with electric-driven ones which are more energy-efficient. While this increases the electric demand for the CPP, this is counteracted by the drop in steam demand during the summer months. The year-round steam demand is no longer constant between the winter and summer seasons. To boost steam demand in the summer, the CPP has asked us to brainstorm and research different concepts and report the top three with an economic analysis of each.