Thermal Storage Finds Cool Results In Midwestern Cities
Trigen designed, built, and operates a uniquely optimized chiller plant. The plant incorporates 17,000 tons of chiller capacity (using new, gas turbine-driven ammonia screw chillers, steam absorption chillers, and existing electrical centrifugal chillers). Other elements include 123,000 ton-hrs of thermal energy storage that employs the SoCool (Naperville, IL) thermal stratification fluid technology, and 338 million Btuh of boiler capacity as gas turbine heat recovery steam generators and as gas-fired boilers.
The final component was 3.3 MW of electric power generation via Trigen’s patented “trigeneration” machine, which simultaneously produces electricity, cooling, and heat from a single fuel source.
Initial service began to the existing North and East Halls on schedule in 1994. Service expanded to include the new South Hall as planned in 1997. Under an amendment to the MPEA contract, the central plant also began providing service in the spring of 1998 to the 32-story, 800-room Hyatt Regency Hotel at McCormick Place. Services include the provision of chilled water for air conditioning, and hot water at multiple temperatures for space heating, domestic hot water, food service, and laundry service.