Page 191 - Sustainable On-Site CHP Systems Design, Construction, and Operations

164 De s i g n

and should include field investigation to establish existing conditions and to confirm
location of the proposed CHP facilities. The deliverables (specific products produced by
the engineer and delivered to the owner-operator) for the programming phase forms a
“basis-of-design” document typically consisting of

• A detailed description of the project
• A basic site plan with property lines
• A basic plant layout showing major equipment
• A schematic system heat flow diagram showing fuel supply, combustion air,
flue exhaust, heat recovery, and thermal use
• A basic equipment schedules for major equipment
• A list of applicable codes and standards
• A discussion of maximum allowable emission levels and the proposed emissions
reduction equipment
• A proposed drawing list
• A list of proposed specifications
• A concept-level budget construction cost estimate
Planning approval should be obtained from authorities that have jurisdiction over
the project prior to conducting the full design effort. The specific authorities having juris-
diction over a project vary from project to project and location to location. Some examples
are local building code officials, and regional, federal, and state compliance agencies.
These include any required permits and plan checks by various agencies especially the
air quality management district (AQMD) which has jurisdiction. Special care must be
given to gain project approval from any planning, zoning, or building department which
could prevent the CHP plant from being constructed. Sometimes, zoning or building
planning department approval requires holding public hearings or special studies with
regard to environmental impact, wetlands, historic site surveys, or endangered species.
The planning department may impose special studies or project requirements to address
concerns or meet ordinances related to sound, emissions, and aesthetics or other issues.

Code/Regulations Review
As part of the programming effort (although sometimes code review is performed as
part of the schematic design effort), the architect (if new building facilities are involved)
and engineering team should conduct a thorough code and standards review to
1. List all applicable codes that the design and construction must follow (this list
is often required by permitting agencies to be included on the construction
drawing title pages).
2. Highlight key requirements from those codes and standards that must be
considered in the design effort. For example, perhaps the CHP concept requires
storing anhydrous ammonia for NO emission control, and, therefore, code
x
required setbacks from property lines must be highlighted for incorporation
into the proposed plant layout; if these code requirements are not incorporated
into the design, costly redesign efforts, or worse, will be required.