CHP VR

The Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Virtual Reality application is intended for facility managers, operators, engineers, or others interested in CHP for their buildings. The application includes a full-scale walking tour of a CHP facility at the University of Texas Medical Branch as well as example technology configurations for CHP applications such as engines, turbines, and chillers. The application offers a narration to provide guidance for how to navigate the app and explain the features in the CHP facility.

In the walking tour, users can move through University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston CHP Plant. The system was built as part of a resilience plan following a major flooding event in 2008 that knocked out the university’s steam boiler. There are two plants on this site, the East and West Plant. The tour focuses on the East Plant which includes two chillers, a gas combustion turbine, a condensing extraction steam turbine, a heat recovery steam boiler, a diesel generator, and chilled water thermal storage. Walk up to, around, and on top of the facility to get different views.

In the technology pairing room, users can select turbines, engines, or chillers to view them in the room at a size proportional to their size in real life. Walk up to, around, and on top of the engines, turbines, or chillers to explore them.

Credits: HARC, Render Logic, and the Department of Energy CHP Technical Assistance Partnership.