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5 percent of its coal supply with biomass in
the form of wood chips, saving more than
7,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions in
a single year. The plant replaced another
portion of the coal supply with tires, using
up to 350,000 passenger tires from waste
tire dump sites each year. Beyond the power
plant, MU campus facilities energy management has reduced energy use with a
variety of conservation measures.
Krohne Showcases New
Flow Meter Version
Krohne Inc. showcased a new dual
version of its Optiswirl 4070 variable-area
flow meter at the 2008 IDEA Conference
June 29-July 2 in Orlando. Designed with
two separate measurement valves and
converters, the Optiswirl 4070 C is ideal in
pipeline applications that require the simultaneous measurement of two different
substances. An all-in-one solution, this flow
meter provides precise measurements of
Optiswirl 4070C
standard volumetric and mass flow of conductive and nonconductive liquids, gases and
vapors, even in applications that are prone
to pressure and temperature fluctuations.
The Optiswirl 4070 C features a non-wearing, fully welded stainless steel structure that is highly resistant to corrosion, high
pressures and high temperatures, plus an
intelligent signal processing system that
allows for stable flow readings while eliminating external perturbations. Suited for a
variety of industries, the Optiswirl 4070 C
can be used in numerous applications
including vapor and saturated steam measurements, steam boiler monitoring, and
compressor control or compressed-air
systems monitoring.
For more information, visit www.Krohne.
com/northamerica.
St. Paul System
Celebrates 25 Years
District Energy St. Paul hosted a 25th
anniversary celebration June 11 for board
members, employees, customers, vendors
and community leaders at the Science
Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul. The events
included a brief program, recognition of
25-year board members and employees,
and the presentation of the first Creative
Leadership Award to William M. Mahlum,
who has provided legal counsel and consulting services to District Energy since the
company was founded in 1979.
Launched as a demonstration hot water
district heating system in 1983, District Energy
was St. Paul’s response to the energy crises of
the mid- and late-1970s. The venture was a
public-private partnership among the city of
St. Paul, state of Minnesota, U.S. Department of Energy and the downtown business
community, all of whom wanted to prove
the viability of a hot water district heating
system in a state with cold winters.
In 1993, 10 years after the successful
startup of the system, District Energy began
offering district cooling service to downtown
building owners. Ten years later, in 2003,
District Energy became a green energy service provider following construction of an
affiliated combined heat and power plant
fueled by urban waste wood. Producing
about 65 MW of thermal energy for District
Energy and 25 MW of electricity for Xcel
Energy, it is the largest wood-fired CHP plant
serving a district energy system in the nation.
Two additional anniversary events preceded the June 11 celebration. On May 8,
District Energy was the presenting sponsor
of the 14th Annual Millard Fillmore Dinner
hosted by the Saint Paul Riverfront Corp.
One of the event’s highlights was presentation of the first Community Visionary Award
to former Mayor George Latimer, who intro-
duced the hot water district heating technology to St. Paul building owners and carried
the project through to successful completion.
On May 9, District Energy donated 25
live evergreen trees to the city of St. Paul’s
new Trees Saint Paul program for planting
at the newly expanded Jimmy Lee Recreation
Center. District Energy’s 25th anniversary
gift to the city reflects its commitment to
using a renewable resource – clean, urban
wood waste – to heat and cool downtown
St. Paul buildings.
UI Recovers From Flooding
The University of Iowa (UI) in Iowa City
has begun to return to normal as it prepares
for the upcoming school year in the wake
of the severe weather and flooding that
besieged the area this past spring. Nineteen
campus buildings and UI’s steam and chilled-water tunnels sustained flooding when the
Iowa River swelled over its banks.
On June 18, the Iowa City Press-Citizen
reported that summer classes had resumed
in alternative meeting locations, contingency
plans were being made for new student
orientations and that the fall semester would
start as scheduled. With floodwaters submerging 3,000 parking spots, nonessential
university employees were being encouraged
to work from home or arrange flexible
work schedules.
Don Guckert, associate vice president
of UI facilities management, said that an
influx of employees to campus under those
conditions could jeopardize the university
energy supply. He noted that significant
progress had already been made, with pumps
drying out UI utility tunnels.
In July, the Press-Citizen reported that
the university suspects water penetrated
the tunnels from the Iowa River through
manholes around the Iowa Memorial Union.
Ferman Milster, associate director of utilities
and energy management, indicated that the
university plans to update the system so
water cannot pass from the tunnels to
buildings again. “We are looking to isolate
the tunnels from the buildings and power
plant,” Milster said. He hopes this can be
completed by next spring.
