Project: 26 Lewis Street, New York, NY
Owner: East River Housing Corp.
Engineer: G. Goldman Associates, NYC
Const. Mgr.: Climate Change & Environmental Svcs.
Contractor: Dynamic Mechanical Corp.
Applied Technologies of NY, Inc. (ATI) recently completed one of the largest Low NOx applications in a NY City Housing project. ATI was successful in delivering an 1800 HP Superior Seminole 3-pass scotch marine high pressure steam boiler fired by a Power Flame CMAX model LNICM13-GO-30. In addition, two CMAX LNICM12-GO-30 burners were supplied to retrofit two existing Titusville 40,000 lb./hr. water tube boilers.
Climate Change & Environmental Services (CCES) managed the construction management and environmental permitting for the boiler modernization project serving a large apartment complex in NYC. The project has reduced emissions and saved substantial energy costs.
East River Housing (ERH) Corporation operates a boiler house providing heat and hot water to a number of apartment buildings with over 2,700 units and a shopping center. The plant had been consuming over 2 million gallons of No. 6 fuel oil annually. ERH decided the time was right to modernize the boilers and switch fuel to natural gas.
ERH replaced one aging 50,000 lb./hr. boiler with the new Superior Seminole 1800 HP Scotch Marine boiler. In addition they retrofitted two existing Titusville 40,000 lb./hr. water tube boilers with new Power Flame CMAX low NOx burners with flue gas recirculation.
ERH worked closely with Con Edison, the local utility, to bring a natural gas line into the boiler house for the fuel conversion. No. 2 diesel oil is being used as a backup fuel during natural gas interruptions, necessitating the installation of a new tank farm. The No. 6 fuel oil tank farm was excavated and removed.
The plant has been in operation with natural gas for one full year. A careful assessment was made of the cost savings and environmental benefits. Given natural gas being piped to the facility, removal of No. 6 oil tanks, and use of a modern No. 2 oil tank farm, ERH virtually eliminated the risk of a messy oil spill in the densely populated area. In addition, emissions of pollutants critical in an urban area all markedly dropped including; NOx (85%), particulate matter (75%), greenhouse gases (equivalent of removing 4,600 cars from the road), and SO2 (99%).
These reductions helped change the permitting status of ERH from major to minor, saving them significant amounts in fees and removing several regulatory requirements.
The thermal efficiency (fuel to steam efficiency) of the plant improved by 18%. In the 12 months of natural gas service (June 2012 through May 2013), ERH directly saved over $2.2 million (56%) in fuel costs compared to the previous 12-month period, despite this being a measurably colder winter than the year prior.
Avoided cost savings were also calculated (added fuel costs ERH would have had to incur with the previous system). The avoided cost savings for the 12-month period was conservatively estimated to be about $4.8 million. The project payback, initially anticipated to be about 4 years, will be under 2.5 years based on direct cost savings.