FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Boiler Upgrades and Decentralizing Steam Systems Save Water and Energy at Naval Air Station Oceana Photo Credit NAS Oceana Project Location at NAS Oceana.

Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana Dam by these changes, including bachelor Neck Annex is located in Virginia Beach, housing, hangers, the galley, office Steam Distribution on Virginia and was expanded in the 1950s to buildings, the chapel, and maintenance NAS Oceana be a Master Jet Base to serve as the home facilities. When NAS Oceana removed the to the tactical air units. NAS Oceana’s 14 buildings from the central steam primary mission is to train and deploy This ESPC also included installing heating system, 20,000 linear feet of the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet Strike Fighter ground source heat pumps in three steam and condensate piping was squadrons. NAS Oceana is 10,500 acres, buildings, adding digital control systems demolished. This represented 27% including obstruction clearances and flight to increase heating, ventilation and air of the steam distribution system on NAS Oceana. easements, making it one of the largest air conditioning (HVAC) efficiency, stations in the world. efficient lighting retrofits, and other water conservation measures. These other water The site has used steam from a central conservation measures include over 5,000 well fields were installed to maximize steam plant to provide process and com- water efficient domestic fixtures, includ- energy and water savings across NAS fort heating needs since 1989. To meet ing faucets, showerheads, and toilets Oceana. these needs, the central plant consumed being installed in 36 buildings across approximately 1,178,300 million British the base. This project installed 4,000 tons of GSHP thermal units (MBtu) annually and about systems and chillers. One hanger received 113,200 thousand gallons (Kgal) per year NAS Oceana decided to decentralize a GSHP system, but did not receive a of water. NAS Oceana determined these the heating and cooling system based traditional well field because the hanger heating needs could be met more effi- on the calculated potential energy and is surrounded by aircraft rated concrete. ciently by replacing the central plant with water savings of the localized boilers and A steam-hot water heat exchanger and a a combination of distributed boilers and ground source heat pumps. The original cooling tower were installed to provide ground source heat pumps (GSHP). central steam plant was built in 1952, heating and cooling for the heat pumps, and the original boilers were replaced in making it a “hybrid GSHP”. Project Summary 1989. The central steam plant and associ- ated distribution piping was demolished Instead of using drilled wells onsite, the NAS Oceana, Naval Engineering in 2010. The new system incorporated GSHPs use the treated effluent from the Facilities Command Mid-Atlantic and digital controls, allowing Navy person- nearby sanitation district as the heating Trane Corporation were contracting nel to maximize the efficiency of an and cooling condenser water loop. partners on an energy savings perfor- individual building’s heating system by A total of 89 new GSHPs, 211 existing mance contract (ESPC) that replaced the optimizing temperature set back, schedul- GSHPs and 4,000 tons of water-cooled inefficient, aging, above-ground steam ing, and economizer controls. chillers are serviced by this 10-mile pipes and boiler plant with a combination distribution loop. See the Additional Best of distributed boilers and GSHP coupled When the central plant was taken off line, Management Practices at NAS Ocean to a condenser water loop. A total of 42 40 localized natural gas boilers and highlight box for more information. buildings on NAS Oceana were impacted 15 new ground source heat pumps and FEDERAL ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Cost and Savings Centralized System Decentralized System Summary Annual Consumption Annual Consumption

Replacing the inefficient central steam Energy 1,178,288 MBtu 68,400 MBtu system with a combination of distributed boilers and GSHPs and the additional Water 113,164 Kgal 93,590 Kgal water conservation measures has saved Additional environmental benefits Federal Energy Management, which Additional Best included significant reduction in air recognizes Federal agencies for their sup- Management Practices emission of pollutants. This reduction port, leadership and efforts in promoting has allowed NAS Oceana to change their and improving Federal energy manage- at NAS Oceana operating permit to a permit with lower ment. Other awards that this project has The ground source heat pumps allowable emissions. The following table received include the 2008 Outstanding condenser water loop is cooled with shows the reduction in air pollutants Engineering Achievement Award from effluent from nearby Hampton Roads the Engineers Club of Hampton Roads, Sanitation District, Atlantic Treatment Because of this project’s impressive a major contributor to the Department of Plant. 14 million gallons of treated savings, NAS Oceana earned the 2009 effluent is used a day as a heat sink the Navy’s 2009 Platts Award for “Green Presidential Award for Leadership in for the new and replaced chillers and Energy Initiatives of the Year”, and the heat pumps at NAS Oceana Dam 2011 Green Innovation Award from Neck Annex. Percent Virginia Sustainable Building Network Pollutant Reduction in the Best Green Commercial Project – Volatile Organic 41.4 % Large category. Compounds NAS Oceana Dam Neck Annex 19,574 Kgal of water annually. This project has Nitrogen Oxides 78.4% For More Information also saved 1,109,888 MBtu in energy by About Naval Air Station Oceana Sulfur Dioxide 97.6% reducing energy loss from steam leaks Dam Neck Annex: and inefficient heat systems. The total Particulate Matter less 77.6% www.military.com/base-guide/ cost savings from implementing all of the than 10 microns in size naval-air-station-oceana-dam-neck-annex measures in this ESPC has been about Lead 99.9% Contact: Andrew Porter, PE, andrew. $3 million in fiscal year 2011. [email protected] Carbon Oxide 86.7% NAS Oceana Dam Neck Annex spent $33 million on the project. The combined Particulate Matter less 85.1% ESPC project payback is expected to be than 2.5 micron in size within 17 years. Ammonia 93.0% Photo Credit NAS Oceana NAS Credit Photo Project Team accepting 2009 Presidential Energy Award.

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DOE/PNNL-SA-84502 • December 2011

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