Heat recovery takes a fresh turn

The new plant now under construction for the Harvard Medical Complex is described. Eight medical and two educational institutions will be using it. Its benefits will be: reduced cost of utilities, reduced fuel consumption, minimized environmental impact, future development. By recovering a sizable fraction of the 7000-9000 Btu normally lost in generating every kWh of electricity, an overall heat rate of 5200 Btu/kWh - about half that of most central-station generating plants - is achieved. This means a capital investment of only 205/kW installed - compared with 500 or more for conventional plants now under way. Compared to the alternative of purchasing steam and electricity from a private utility. SO//2 discharge is reduced by 410 tons/yr and particulates by 38 tons/yr; recycle of steam condensate conserves 200,000 gal/yr of water, plus another 100,000 gal/yr normally required for dilution before disposal. Scope of the project is defined by the following utility requirements: electricity 51. 9 MW, steam 994,000 lb/hr, refrigeration 20,000 tons, cooling 42,840-gpm flow, refuse incineration 40 tons/day, oil storage 1,150,000 gal.