Energy Savings at UO LISB

BHE's David Knighton recently had an article published in the Oregon APEM (Association of Professional Energy Managers) Fall 2011 Newsletter. The article describes a unique energy reclaim system that captures waste heat from the University of Oregon campus steam tunnel system using air-water-heat pumps. The captured heat will be used to supplement heating in the HVAC system serving the new Lewis Integrative Science Building. The resulting energy savings will lower natural gas demand from the steam boiler plant and make a notable contribution in the application of LEED Platinum certification for the building.

"The University of Oregon's Lewis Integrative Science Building (LISB), due to be completed in 2012, could be the first LEED-NC v3 laboratory to be awarded LEED Platinum in Oregon and possibly the country. Energy recovery is one of the keys to achieving a LEED Platinum rating. As mechanical engineers for the project, Balzhiser and Hubbard Engineers were tasked with maximizing energy efficiency."

Click here to read the rest of the article, beginning on page 3 of the Oregon APEM Fall 2011 Newsletter.

Rendering courtesy THA / HDR Architecture

David was also interviewed for an article on the University of Oregon Lokey Labs that was published in the February 2008 issue of Laboratory Equipment magazine. This Integrative Science Phase 1 project consisted of an underground facility housing a broad range of scientists engaged in collaborative nanotechnology research with extremely low vibration and interference requirements. The article describes design challenges and positive results from the Strobic Air mixed-flow fans selected for the project to limit noise and vibration.

"Some of the most carefully planned laboratory experiments have been waylaid by unwanted vibration from unexpected sources. At the new, two-building Integrative Science Complex (ISC) Phase 1 - Lorry I. Lokey Laboratories (ISC 1) at the University of Oregon, where nanotechnology research is being pursued with high-performance scanning electron microscopes (SEM), vibration is viewed as a form of contamination to be minimized if not eliminated. For that reason, the choice of a laboratory workstation exhaust system for the new facility, as well as its placement, represented a critical step in ensuring the ultimate success of the facility."

Click here to read the rest of the article.