Heat plant project boosts base energy economy

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kelly White
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  As base residents woke to the comfort of heat in their housing unit Wednesday - the first morning since fall temperatures took hold in the area - base civil engineers marked the occasion as another milestone in base energy efficiency efforts.

"Turning on the heat to residents in the North Area meant firing up the second of three new boilers in our North Area plant," said Master Sgt. Rector Hartley, 35th Civil Engineer Squadron infrastructure supervisor. "This is part of a $5.2 million heat efficiency upgrade that replaces four analog-controlled boilers from the 1980s with three digitally-controlled units."

The boilers use fuel to heat water and convert it into steam that is, sequentially, used to provide heat and hot water in housing and industrial areas.

What makes this project significant is that in the past fiscal year, fuel oil consumed by Misawa's boiler plants made up 75 percent of the energy consumed among all facilities on base, explained Shantel Smith, 35 CES resource efficiency manager.

Another significant advantage is the fact that every penny the base community saves through this initiative is one it can spend elsewhere, she added.

This project is one of 18 here that will ultimately result in Misawa reducing facility energy intensity three percent per year, with a 30-percent reduction by the end of fiscal year 2015, Ms. Smith said.

The heat plant renovation is one of two reduction goals being pursued at Misawa, in effort to meet the requirements of Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, energy and Transportation Management. The order also calls for increased use of renewable energy, designing and operating sustainable buildings, and more efficiently managing federal vehicle fleets - all of which are also developing here.

In addition to achieving its reduction goals through the new boilers alone, 35 CES added a triad of other boiler features to maximize fuel savings, Ms. Smith said.

"Flue gas economizers use heat in the exhaust gas to pre-heat boiler makeup water," she said. "Left-over heat from fuel combustion goes through a heat exchanger that 'warms up' the boiler water before it enters the boiler - meaning less energy used in turning the water into steam in the boiler.

"Our advanced air-fuel mixture control/feed system optimizes the combustion process to get the best mixture of fuel and oxygen," she explained. "Optimum oxygen levels ensure complete combustion of the fuel, whereas excess oxygen reduces boiler efficiency by absorbing heat that could be used in steam production."

"Condensate pre-filters reduce the number of times we have to empty our boiler of dirty water - a process that causes us to lose all the energy used to heat the water inside the boiler each time we do it," she said.

Overall, these boiler upgrades have improved their efficiency by 10 percent, Ms. Smith added.

While energy savings are being achieved on Misawa thanks to the dedicated efforts of 35 CES, even greater impact can be achieved by each person on Misawa doing their part.

"Now that the heat is on, people living and working on base should keep windows closed and lower thermostats when they leave for the day," said Sergeant Hartley.
"We have a $20.5 million fuel bill just for our heating. The smallest effort - being a good steward -- will help reduce that cost."