Fast Recovery
Due to Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, Baylor College of Medicine suffered a significant loss of research data when their below-grade central chiller plant flooded with more than five feet of water. Trane technicians were quickly on site to help in the central plant recovery efforts.
Challenge
To avoid a recurrence of the 2001 damage, Baylor applied for a FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) grant in order to build a stand-by chiller plant.However, with limited space at the college, the project initially did not appear to be feasible.
Solution
Baylor asked Hunton Trane, Trane’s representative in the Houston region, for a solution. Hunton Trane engineers proposed building the new standby plant using a Trane/TAS Modular Chiller Plant located over the existing truck dock and parking area. Hunton Trane provided preliminary engineering and construction costs to submit to FEMA.
Results
Baylor secured the FEMA grant and the project was put out for bids. Hunton Trane was selected from among the respondents and worked with Burns, Delatte & McCoy,Inc., consulting engineers. TAS built the packaged chiller plant in six weeks after receiving the Trane chillers. Hunton Trane Services then installed the packaged plant over a single weekend, with chilled water flowing within six weeks. At 5000 tons of cooling capacity, the project is the largest Trane/TAS packaged central chiller plant ever built for comfort cooling. The new plant includes new chillers plus condenser water pumps, electric switchgear and a Trane Tracer Summit™ chiller plant control system. The new Trane chillers are up to 15 percent more efficient than the existing chillers, while solving Baylor’s capacity, space, efficiency and construction cost issues. Baylor now has a standby chiller plant ready to go in the event of another serious tropical storm or hurricane.Rock Morille, Senior Director of Facilities Services at Baylor College of Medicine, said,"The Trane/TAS modular central plant was the perfect solution for our application. We had limited space, a confined area for construction and we wanted the most efficient plant possible." From integrated comfort systems to systems management and climate controls, Trane ensures that your building environment is right so you can run your business better.
About Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the only private medical school in the Greater Southwest, was founded in 1900 and is today an internationally respected medical and research institution. The College consistently ranks among the top of the country’s 125 medical schools. Located in the Texas Medical Center, a 700-acre complex housing 42 member institutions, BCM has affiliations with seven teaching hospitals, each with a national and international reputation for medical excellence.
