Duke University – Marine Laboratory Campus Chilled Water Upgrade

Duke University’s year-round Marine Laboratory Campus in Beaufort, N.C., is home to research, teaching, and student life facilities for the Nicholas School of the Environment. Precis was tasked with a chilled water upgrade for the campus. The project included the installation of a new air-cooled chiller to provide energy efficiency and support an existing geothermal heat pump system that was having difficulty maintaining temperature setpoints during warmer months.

The new chiller features enhanced corrosion protection to compensate for the corrosive coastal environment. It operates in a variable-primary arrangement for efficiency during warmer months; the geothermal system continues to provide service during cooler months. A direct bury piping network was used to back-feed existing campus buildings with chilled water. The project improved efficiency, supported a struggling but otherwise effective system, and brought chilled water to more buildings on campus.