McKenney’s replaced a deaerator and vacuum pump to help increase energy efficiency at a USDA facility in Athens, Georgia.

THE CHALLENGE

Because it was required for various agency processes, the steam delivery system could not be shut down. The new deaerator needed to be operational before the existing unit could be removed. The penthouse where the vacuum pump was located had very limited access, and no system interruptions were allowed.

THE SOLUTION

McKenney’s turnkey solution for this energy conservation measure (ECM) included designing, installing, starting up, commissioning and removing the old equipment. To avoid system downtime, the new deaerator was installed next to the old one with short, off-hour shutdown to allow final piping tie-ins to the existing system. In addition, McKenney’s overcame access issues to the penthouse and worked off-hours to install the new vacuum pump without interrupting operations.

THE RESULTS

With no disruptions to the USDA’s business, the new ECM met the energy requirements for the project. Finally, all old equipment was safely removed from the site once the new systems were operational.