Chilled Water Plant and Cooling Tower Improvements

Following the creation of a master utility plan that addressed building and load growth plans for Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s four-million-square-foot campus, Mueller Associates engineered the first phase of implementation, involving integration of a 4,800-ton condenser water system with an existing 14,400-ton system. Three new 1,600-ton chillers replaced three old 933-ton chillers, requiring an exacting approach—including a detailed hydraulic analysis—to create alternative piping schemes and carefully fit the piping into the existing space. The modeling and simulations were critical to this open-type hydraulic system.

The system maximizes reliability, operational flexibility, and serviceability, while minimizing construction costs, energy costs, and service disruption. The project was completed on a fast-track basis while plant operations continued, supported by strategic procurement planning and extensive prefabrication.