Project Profile:

Project:		AECOM Absorption Chiller Study
Owner:		Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Project Type:		Feasibility Study
Cost Savings:		$70,000 annually
Fuel Savings:		35,000 gallons annually
Electric Savings:		500,000 kWhrs annually

Project Description:
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine is one of the nation's most prestigious institutions for medical eduction, basic research and clinical investigation.  With more than 2,000 full-time faculty and 1,000 MD and PhD students, the College of Medicine is one of the major medical schools in the country.  Known for its high level of scientific achievement, last year the College received over $120 million in peer review grants from the National Institute of Health.

Because the 35 year old absorption chiller at Albert Einstein College of Medicine was unable to maintain load at peak conditions, Dome-Tech was brought in to conduct an Absorption Chiller Survey and to provide recommendations for replacing or optimizing the equipment.

Using their own non-intrusive test equipment, Dome-Tech measured the capacity and efficiency of the chiller.  Testing revealed that the chiller was operating at 69% of capacity.  Because the machine was so old, replacement seemed an obvious choice, however, its location in a sub basement made the replacement costs prohibitively high.

Dome-Tech recommended that the unit be salvaged and provided detailed recommendations for a thorough overhaul involving the cleaning of the absorber spray trees, cleaning of heat exchangers and retubing of the generator and heat exchangers.

Implementation of the work scope resulted in a 26% increase in capacity from 69% to 86%.  The unit is now about to meet the building's load even during peak load conditions.