Summary
During a major expansion of its North Campus, Cornell University needed a smarter hot water solution for new residence halls and a dining facility. Tired of maintaining bulky, traditional heat exchangers with long lead times for replacement parts, Cornell turned to Cooney’s compact, Thermo-Pack heat exchangers. The result? Efficient hot water delivery, lower maintenance demands, and improved energy recovery—all packaged in a footprint-friendly design.
The Challenge
Cornell’s North Campus Residential Expansion (NCRE) added 2,000 new beds and required reliable hot water solutions that could be installed in limited mechanical spaces.
Traditional shell-and-tube heat exchangers posed multiple problems:
- Large physical footprint
- 6–12 week lead times for replacement tube bundles
- Labor-intensive, time-consuming maintenance
- Risk of dorms going without hot water in the event of a failure
“To us, having a plug-and-play kind of heat exchanger is a big deal,” said Frank Perry, Thermal Distribution and Hydroplant Manager at Cornell. “If something goes wrong, you need to be able to swap it out quickly—not shut down a dorm while you wait months for parts.”
The Solution
Cornell selected the Cooney Thermo-Pack™ for its compact design and semi-custom capabilities. Unlike off-the-shelf catalog models, Thermo-Packs could be tailored within a modular framework to meet Cornell’s specific site needs—including size restrictions, piping layout, and component selection.
Key benefits included:
- Smaller footprint for tight spaces
- Semi-customizable piping and materials
- Quick-change maintenance with flanged connections
- Improved condensate sub-cooling for higher heat recovery
- Plug-and-play installation
“What made the Thermo-Pack a good fit was mostly the size,” said Perry. “Eventually we want to convert building steam laterals to hot water, and these skids let us install in a vault with the controls in the building. That’s huge for our long-term strategy.”
Frank also praised the smooth control operation and enhanced condensate sub-cooling during factory testing:
“We’re getting more heat—and that’s a big factor in any kind of hot water conversion. Plus, Cooney worked with us to make the skid exactly what we needed.”