Date of Award
8-1-2015
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Nsofor, Emmanuel
Abstract
This study models the HVAC system of a power plant. It involved Computer simulations to study the energy demand by the HVAC system of the power plant as well as the energy demand of the system with modifications on the plant such as the building materials, use of energy efficient lighting, etc. Further studies on the energy demand of the system with the power plant located at different regions of the country were done to understand the effects of climate and locations. It is important to have an understanding of how a plant generating energy uses it for Heating, Ventilating and Air conditioning within the power plant building itself. This study has provided a better understanding of the energy use and how the HVAC system use in the offices and other areas located in the power plant building operates. The study included implementation of energy efficient measures in the choice of building materials for the building. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) EnergyPlus program was used to model the HVAC system of the power plant making use of the parameters and modified parameters of the power plant. The results of this study show that the energy demand of the HVAC system of a power plant is significantly affected by the choice of materials for the building. It was found that there is a reduction in the power demand of the HVAC system of the plant by about an average of about 21.7 % at the different the locations. It was also found that this resulted in the amount of energy saved per year of about 87,600 kWh. This gives an average cost savings per year of about $10,512.
Access
This thesis is Open Access and may be downloaded by anyone.