SYSTEMS INSTALLED
Nine 2600-ton Trane Model CDHF Duplex CenTraVac™
chillers
EarthWise™ variable-primary chilled water system
delivering 38- to 40-degree chilled water
18 1300-ton cooling towers
26,000 feet of underground piping
Since commissioning the Metro Nashville DES has
received several awards:
- 2005 Public-Private Partnership Award
- 2005 Grand Award for Engineering Excellence
- 2003 IDEA (International District Energy Association)
Gold Award
- 2003 IDEA Silver Award
Trane provides chillers for one of the world’s largest
district cooling systems.
The Metro Nashville District Energy System (DES) has
provided heating and cooling to downtown Nashville
buildings for nearly 30 years using a trash-burning plant.
In recent years the plant became less reliable and did not
have the capacity to meet growing demand. Despite
efforts to maintain reliability and safety, and increase
capacity, the facility struggled to remain economically
and environmentally viable.
The Nashville Metro Council retained Constellation
Energy Projects & Services Group (CEPS) to design,
develop and operate a new state-of-the-art $46 million
district energy system. CEPS is a member of
Constellation Energy, a Fortune 200 company with
combined 2005 revenues of $17.1 billion. CEPS worked
to increase the interim efficiency of the old plant while
constructing the new, providing a smooth transition for
customers. The plan called for installation of nine
2600-ton Trane Duplex centrifugal chillers using Trane’s
EarthWise™ design concepts to maximize efficiency.
These chillers operate at some of the highest efficiency
levels available in the industry. The Trane EarthWise™
system uses lower temperature chilled water
and reduced condenser water flow rates to
deliver high efficiency from the entire chilled
water system. Lower temperature allows use
of smaller pumps and piping, reducing installed
costs and overall energy consumption.
The new DES facility began operating in
December, 2003- seven months ahead of
schedule - delivering reliable, efficient heating
and cooling to 41 downtown buildings.
According to CEPS, the new plant is expected
to save the City of Nashville about $66 million
in energy costs over the next decade.
John Schaeffer, CEPS Vice President of
Operations, said, "The DES provides an
opportunity for developers to use an alternate
approach to providing heating and cooling for
buildings that are being constructed within the
downtown district. Trane chillers were used
because of their high efficiency, reliable
design, ease of maintenance and ability to
deliver low leaving water temperature."
From integrated comfort systems to systems
management and climate controls, Trane
ensures your building environment is right so
you can run your business better.
The Metro Nashville District Energy System (DES) serves 41 downtown buildings, including the State
Capitol and 14 government buildings, Tennessee Titans football stadium, Gaylord Entertainment Center,
Nashville Predators hockey arena and many office buildings and hotels. Steam and chilled water are
pumped to the buildings through 26,000 feet of underground pipes. The plant provides 23,400 tons of
chilled water for cooling and 260,000 pounds of steam for heating. The largest pipe is 42 inches in
diameter. Up to 42,000 gallons of chilled water are pumped through the system each minute. Nearly 100
percent of the chilled water is recycled. Seventy percent of the water used for steam is recycled.