Local 89 members help Princeton make strides toward net zero

Members of HFIAW Local 89, Trenton and Atlantic City, N.J., are helping one of the nation's top universities take a huge step toward achieving its goal of carbon neutrality by its 300th anniversary. 

Princeton University is in the midst of a 10-year, $10 billion construction push, and Joe Torretta, Local 89 Business Agent/JATC Administrator, said construction will hit its peak this summer, with more than 2,000 construction workers on campus, including 50 to 60 Insulators. 89 princeton

Torretta called the university, the Local's top client, and noted that at any given time, there are five to 10 members working somewhere on the Princeton campus. 

Currently, there are 40 members onsite, including 12 travelers from Local 14 Philadelphia. 

"They keep us busy, and for the next two to three years, they will keep us very busy," he said. 

One of Princeton's larger upcoming projects is replacing the over 150-year-old campus-wide "district steam" system. 

To replace the aging system, university leaders turned to geothermal technology to provide climate control for buildings and help the environment. 

The university embarked on a campus-wide steam-to-hot water conversion project in 2021 to modernize the steam heating system and significantly improve its efficiency. This is part of a broader goal to achieve carbon net-zero status by 2046 when the university will celebrate its 300th birthday. 

According to Princeton's website, the conversion is part of an overall effort that includes thermal storage, geo-exchange and solar photovoltaic power generation. New buildings are being designed for hot water heating, and existing buildings will be converted from steam to hot water. It is the start of the plan to convert the entire campus to hot water heating. 

Princeton's steam distribution system serves 180 buildings, some dating back to the 1700s. University officials estimate the current system loses 20 percent of the energy created to the ground, which is colder than the steam in the pipes.

The new hot water heating system will save significant energy thanks to a lower operating temperature of 140 degrees, far less than the steam system, which sends 450-degree steam into the buildings. 

A geo-exchange system will gather heat through nearly 1,000 geo-exchange bores on campus and store it within the rock beneath the surface. The bores were dug to a depth of 850 feet and contained a closed-loop system of piping that recirculates water through the ground. 

The University's new heat recovery chillers will capture the heat created as a byproduct of cooling the air in the buildings instead of releasing the heat as a waste product through cooling towers. 

Controls for these systems will be housed within two new facilities: Thermally Integrated Geo-Exchange Resource (TIGER) and central utility building (CUB).

TIGER and CUB will be connected to buildings throughout campus by underground pipes. The mascot for Princeton's athletic teams is a tiger. 

Business Agent Torretta said Local 89 members are working outside in trenches to insulate the underground pipes that connect the buildings. Members also completed mechanical insulation work in TIGER and CUB. 

Located on the site of a former soccer field, 10 members working for Norris Insulation outfitted CUB's piping in color-coded PVC jacketing to help identify the piping for each specific system. 

CUB proved to be more commercial than industrial. as the work required expert finishing skills. CUB is a glass building, and the public can drive by and see the finished piping from the road. 

Torretta described the work as CUB as art, as the colorful PVC is on full display. 

 

All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability or validity of any information on this blog, any responses or comments posted on this blog or any information found on any link on this site. International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied workers will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers reserves the right, without notice, to edit, delete or refrain from posting any blog responses or comments or portions thereof that International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers deems to be offensive, derogatory, abusive or threatening in any way. This policy disclaimer is subject to change at any time.