New Technology Demonstration Program, Kennedy Space Center, Hangar L Heat Pipe Project: Performance Evaluation Report

Abstract

In December of 1996, heat pipe heat exchangers were installed on three air handlers at Hangar L at the Cape Canaveral Air Station, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida. These retrofits were implemented with the intent to improve the dehumidification performance of the cooling systems, reduce the electric and steam energy required for reheating air, and reduce electric energy used by the chillers. Audits were conducted before and after the heat pipes were installed and a detailed monitoring system was set up to record hourly operating conditions of each of the three air-handling units. The audit information and monitored data were used to create a simulation model of the three air-handling systems and annual energy savings were predicted. Energy savings for air handling unit 1 (AHU-1) were found to be negligible. Heat pipe installation in AHU-1 may have been inappropriate because of the design of the original cooling coils. Annual savings for AHU-2 are small, primarily because the required reheat for the system was already small. AHU-3 was the best application for the heat pipes and showed savings of 70,000 kWh per year. Interior humidity conditions improved after installation of the heat pipes for AHU-2 and AHU-3.