Energy, Utilities, and Environment Flashcards by Michael Klapmeyer

Involves actions that influence how much energy is consumed or when the energy is consumed. The goal is to reduce energy consumed during peak periods or to
move it to off-peak periods.

Demand Side Energy Management (DSM)

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Refers to activities on the utility’s side of the meter (or outside the building) and how energy is delivered to the facility. Installation of an energy generating source on campus is an example.

Supply Side Energy Management (SSM)

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Goes beyond a traditional stormwater drainage system to include elements of water quality control and environmental enhancement. The goal of is to consider runoff as a resource while providing protection to people, property, and existing water resources (including surface water and groundwater) and related natural environments (both terrestrial and aquatic).

Stormwater Management (SWM)

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Comprised of a single location where steam, chilled water, electricity, or another utility is generated and distributed to multiple buildings.

Central Plant System

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The simultaneous production of two forms of useful energy, usually thermal energy and electrical or mechanical energy. In a typical utility plant cycle, steam expended in the electric generation process simply is cooled and condensed by use of a cooling tower or water-cooled condenser. In cogeneration, steam expended in the electric generation process is also used for heating and cooling.

Cogeneration

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A system that has the heating and cooling generation equipment in each building and usually serves the building it is in and no others.

Distributed Plant System

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College and university systems generally consist of (1) a switching station for receiving the electricity into the university system, (2) switching substations (which include transformers), (3) high-voltage conductor
circuits, (4) electric power generation, and
(5) system protection.

Electrical Distribution Systems

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Uses chilled water or ice instead of electricity to shift electric consumption to cheaper, off-peak hours.

Thermal Energy Storage (TES)

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Provides a network of sensors and actuators used to control energy consumption (e.g. temperatures and air volumes) in a building or campus from a digital controller located in almost every room served by the HVAC system.

Central Monitoring Systems and Direct Digital Control (CMCS/DDC)

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Conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy (and vice versa) using an electric motor or generator.

Electromechanical Energy

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business that develops, designs, installs, and may finance energy conservation and efficiency projects.

Energy Service Company (ESCO)

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Generates electrical power by converting solar radiation (sunlight) into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect.

Photovoltaic (PV) Cells

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Examples include wood chips, municipal solid waste, pelletized mixed biomass (which can be a combination of paper, wood, corn stover, switch grass, etc.)

Biomass

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Allows both voice and traditional internet data traffic to be supported over a single physical cable plant designed to carry internet data traffic.

Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

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Water used in the sink, shower, and laundry water that can be collected, filtered, and reused for toilet flushing and irrigation.

Grey water

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Also known as treated water (such as in the case of treated wastewater). While not typically suitable for reuse as potable water, it can be stored and used for fire fighting.

Reclaimed water

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Heat from the earth. May be steam from the earth or utilization of the earth as a direct heat sink/source.

Geothermal

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Converts the kinetic energy in the wind to mechanical energy to drive an electric generator.

Wind Turbines

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An inspection, survey, and analysis of equipment in order to determine how efficiently each item is performing in order to reduce the amount of energy consumed.

Energy audit

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Generates chilled water that is pumped through underground piping to campus buildings. The chilled water circulates through a building’s air handling units, where it absorbs heat from the building, then returns to the Power Plant where it is cooled again and returned to campus.

Chillers

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Increases equipment efficiency by transferring what would have been wasted energy. Transfers heat from the flue gases to the boiler feedwater. Flue gases are then passed through a heat exchanger as they leave the steam-generating section of the boiler. Can exhaust heat (for cooling).

Economizer

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Chillers that use compressors (i.e., they are electrical or motor driven).

Centrifugal Chillers

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Chillers that use steam or a directed source of heat energy with an absorber, generator, pump or recuperative heat exchanger.

Absorption Chillers

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Provides cooling water for the generators, steam condensers, chillers, and other plant equipment. The heat that is produced by this equipment is discharged into the atmosphere.

Cooling Towers

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The most common cycle where electricity is generated in the first process and the rejected heat becomes an energy source for a subsequent process (such as heating and cooling a campus).

Topping Cogeneration Cycle

The first process produces rejected heat that is used to generate electricity in the subsequent process/cycle. Usually involves a waste heat recovery boiler that produces steam to drive a turbine generator.

Bottoming Cogeneration Cycle

A combination of both a topping and a bottoming cycle. In this case, electricity is produced on both ends of the cycle.

Combined Cogeneration Cycle

Contains water that partially fills a boiler barrel with a small volume left above to accommodate the steam (steam space). Has a low rate of steam production, but high steam storage capacity. Burns mostly solid fuels, but are readily adaptable to those of the liquid or gas variety.

Fire Tube Boilers

Contains tubes filled with water that are arranged inside a furnace in a number of possible configurations. Generally gives high steam production rates, but less storage capacity. Can be designed to exploit any heat source.

Water Tube Boilers

Establishes broad institutional goals to efficiently meet utility service requirements, addresses sustainability strategies, and provides a dynamic foundation for continuous reassessment.

Utilities Master Plan

The measured load as it varies throughout a day, a week, a month, or a year.

Load Profile

Senses when people enter or leave a room, allowing the room terminal to automatically start up or shut down ventilation, heating, and cooling systems.

Occupancy Sensors

Tubing system used for protection and routing of electrical wiring that reduces the risk of electrical shorts which could lead to fires, equipment failures, and other problems.

Wiring Conduit

Provides a comfortable working and learning environment as well as a mechanism for substantially lowering institutional costs. To achieve these outcomes, the program must be integrated, flexible, results oriented and engage all stakeholders.

Energy Management and Conservation (EMC) Program

Made up of hydrogen and carbon. Primary issues include cost, storage requirements, availability, criticality of fuel supplies, environmental requirements, and the development of good purchasing contracts that address each of these areas.

Hydrocarbon Fuel

Regulations prevent the potential contamination of drinking water supplies, soil, and other resources from the release or threatened release of petroleum products.

Underground Storage Tanks

Includes the following waste products: wood, coke, and coal.

Solid Fuel

A direct-purchase gas contract that includes price, purchasing options, time of contract, and quantity.

Invitation For Bids (IFB)

Consists of combining oxygen with carbon and hydrogen (oxidation) to release heat, carbon dioxide, and water. If there is a lack of oxygen, some of the carbon will not be completely oxidized, and carbon monoxide will be formed (incomplete combustion).

Combustion

The specific amount of air required to complete combustion. In actual combustion, excess air is required, because the mixing of fuel and air is never perfect.

Theoretical Air

Primary method of removing sulfur from the boiler exit gases.

Scrubber

Removes oxygen and dissolves gases from the water supplied to the boiler (feedwater).

Feedwater Heater

Receives high-pressure, high-temperature steam from the boiler and converts the thermal energy to mechanical (shaft) energy, which can then drive a generator, chiller, fan, etc.

Steam Turbine

Heat exchangers that transfer heat from the turbine exhaust directly to the atmosphere or to a cooling water stream, from which it is released to the atmosphere.

Condenser

Rotary compressor used in the (HVAC) industry including scroll, single blade, (rotating vane), and screw types. These compressors are generally used in smaller applications.

Rotary Screw Type Chiller

During periods of cool weather, savings can be realized by using the cooling tower condenser water to cool, rather than operate chilling equipment.

Free Cooling

When system demand for chilled water exceeds the available or economical capacity of the chilling equipment. Involves shutting off equipment or using an energy management system that has control over all chilled water system components to decrease loads.

Load Shedding

Creates the differential pressure necessary to circulate water through the chilled and condenser water distribution system. Can be adjusted to match required system flows without over pressurizing the system, which improves the overall operating efficiencies.

Variable Speed Drives/Pumps

A necessity for all cooling coils in chillers. Two-way control valves rather than three-way valves should be installed in large campus district cooling systems.

Control Valves

Digital Controller program that calculates exactly when an air handling unit is to start to satisfy requirements for indoor space temperature at the time of building occupancy using space temperatures, outside air temperature, history of recovery time, using time, and occupancy schedules for air handling units.

Optimum Start-Stop Program

Pumped up from dozens to hundreds of feet below the ground surface.

Ground Water

Consists of lakes and rivers primarily.

Surface Water

Water safe enough to be consumed by humans or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm.

Potable Water

Converts fuel energy into electricity by a chemical process without combustion.

Fuel Cells

Available capacity when peak demand (normal capacity) is exceeded. Occurs when buildings and new loads are added to the system, requiring expansion of the plant eventually.

Reserve Capacity

Devices that convert one energy form (such as heat from fuels or the motion of water or wind) into mechanical energy. Examples include steam turbines, combustion turbines, and water turbines.

Prime Movers

The sum capacity of all chiller plant equipment installed minus the capacity of the largest piece of equipment that is non-operational.

Firm Capacity

Requirements for each building include many factors such as occupancy load, size of building, construction materials, and usage. Typically, requirements for campus facilities vary from 1,500 to 3,500 GPM with 20 PSI residual pressure.

Fire Flow

When non-potable water is introduced into the potable water system. It can cause contaminated water to mix with the water supply (usually through a back flow event) and potentially cause dangerous conditions.

Cross-Connection

Includes the use of vacuum breakers, double check valve assemblies, reduced pressure backflow assemblies, and air gaps.

Back Flow Prevention Devices

Caused by back pressure (when a non-potable source is connected to the potable water supply and the non-potable source operates at a higher pressure) or back siphonage (a low or negative pressure in the water distribution system) events.

Back Flow Event

A measure of water clarity and how much the material suspended in water decreases the passage of light through the water. Suspended materials include soil particles (clay, silt, and sand), algae, plankton, microbes, and other substances.

Turbidity Testing

Non-enforceable public health goals, below which there is no known or expected risk to health. Most of the primary drinking water contaminants have an established MCL and a lower MCLG.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goals (MCLG)

Old pipes are upsized with larger, higher capacity pipes, which upon insertion, literally burst, or break apart the smaller pipe.

Pipe Bursting

Developed for residential sewage generation. To use this method, the sewage flows should be converted to population equivalents by using a typical unit sewage generation rate for residential sewage.

Harmon Peaking Factor

Water entering the collection system from a variety of connection points including service connections and groundwater through cracks in the pipes, maintenance holes, and defective joints.

Infiltration

Direct connections where surface water enters the collection system. Can result from foundation drains, roof water leaders, and cross connections to the storm water system.

Inflows

Type of sewer system that collects both sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff. Historically, these sewer systems were common simply because building one system to convey the two types of flows was cheaper than building two separate systems.

Combined Sewer

Controlling runoff by utilizing infiltration basins or galleries, exfiltration trenches, pervious technologies (permeable paving, perforated pipe, catch basin and curb-and-gutter systems), vegetated filter strips, and roadside ditches etc.

Conveyance Controls

Comprehensive land planning and engineering design approach with a goal of maintaining and enhancing the pre-development hydrologic regime of urban and developing watersheds.

Low Impact Development (LID)

Excavation of a trench and sometimes two trenches—one for the sanitary and the other for the storm sewer. A cost effective method, but it could prove disruptive to high-traffic areas or areas with significant landscaping features.

Open Cut Sewer Installation

Surface excavation is confined to relatively small entry and exit pits. Characterized by minimal surface disruption during a shorter construction period. Less social disruption and better for areas with a high groundwater table or poor soil.

Trenchless Sewer Installation

Quantifies the amount of rainfall-induced infiltration and inflow that can be reduced and the cost of such reduction on a source-by-source basis.

Sewer System Evaluation Survey (SSES)

One of the most practical and common methods of inspecting a pipe system for defects.

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)

Traditional core infrastructure systems that are being migrated onto the converged networks. Converged networks include building automation, access control, intrusion, and fire alarms, etc.

Stovepipe Network

Includes hubs and switches. This layer is also called the desktop layer because it focuses on connecting client nodes, such as workstations to the network.

Network Access Layer

Includes LAN-based routers and layer 3 switches. This layer ensures that packets are properly routed between subnets and VLANs in your institution.

Network Distribution Layer

Considered the backbone of the network. Devices that form the core layer are usually connected to each other.

Network Core Layer

Popular type of cable that consists of two unshielded wires twisted around each other. With existing technologies, the maximum length is 100 meters and speeds exceeding Gigabit Ethernet are not possible with this cable type.

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Wiring/Cable

Contains only access and core network layers. The primary benefit is reduced cost, because a distribution layer is not required for each building. Institutions that do not have a large number of buildings or users may benefit from this reduced structure.

Collapsed Backbone Network

Circuit-interrupting devices that can make, break, or modify the connection in an electrical network, typically only under normal circuit conditions.

Switches

Overcurrent protective devices that interrupt the circuit under fault (abnormal) conditions and usually are employed in combination with switches.

Fuses

Switching devices that can make, carry, and interrupt the circuit under normal conditions and under special fault (abnormal) conditions.

Circuit Breakers

Generates energy at any suitable voltage, changing it to a much higher voltage for transmission over long distances, and then delivering it to a college or university system at still another voltage.

Transformers

Device that shuts off an electric circuit when it detects that current is flowing along an unintended path, possibly through water or through a person. It is used to reduce the risk of electric shock.

Ground Fault Interrupters

Useful measure that helps even out energy comparisons across climatic zones.

British Thermal Unit (BTU)

Involves placing electrical generation as close to the user as practical, rather than generating at or near the coal mine, windy plain, or waterfall/dam, and relying on vast infrastructure to move the electricity to users.

Distributed Generation