Bob Jones found an innovative answer by designing a unique co-generation plant that now provides electric power at about half what the local utility charges.

Home to more than 5,000 students, utility costs were one of the university's major expenses. Bob Jones heats and lights more than 40 classroom buildings, dorms, a hospital, dining hall, chapels, sports facilities and apartment buildings. In addition, the university paid the local utility, Duke Power Co., a stiff fee during peak demand periods.

Service from the utility wasn't always reliable. When lightning knocked out power in a different part of town, Bob Jones would be hit by the black-out, too. Moreover, an old back-up generator the university relied upon to produce power at peak demand was threatening to fail, ending a safeguard the school had against peak electricity charges.

The critical question became how to meet the university's power requirements economically. As a Christian university, we're always looking for ways to control costs so more students can afford to attend, says university spokesman Mike Hadley.

Chief Engineer, R C. Alderson found the answer in a co-generation power plant that would supply the university with electricity at a cost of about three cents per kilowatt hour as compared to the five or six cents charged by Duke Power.

It was felt that the plant could minimize the university's primary reliance on the utility for most of the school's electricity, and even enable Bob Jones to sell power to Duke Power under special circumstances. The system was also designed to supplement the school's main boilers.

Alderson determined the plant construction costs could be minimized using rebuilt diesel engines that had been sitting idle in a Rural Electrification Administration plant in Cochise, Arizona. He also knew the plant wouldn't be cost effective if the diesels were going to be used only to turn generators.

To make the big diesels pay for themselves, Bob Jones needed to capture the engines' waste heat. That meant the school needed heat exchangers, valves, suction diffusers and pumps - and the expertise of a top fluid handling equipment manufacturer. Bell & Gossett and the Fluid Handling Division of ITT Industries were enlisted to help.

Detailed computers analyses of the HVAC system and various components were critical to ensure that the system would work effectively. Working closely with the school's engineers, Bell & Gossett's regional representative, James M. Pleasants Company, analyzed and specified all the key HVAC system components using Bell & Gossett's ESP-Plusô equipment selection software program.

We knew we could rely on Bell & Gossett because we're familiar with their equipment, and we've worked with them before, Alderson said.

Bell & Gossett fluid handling equipment was being used in several Bob Jones buildings already. One Bell & Gossett vertical spit case pump has been in service for heating and air conditioning for 40 years.

We had confidence in Bell & Gossett, Alderson says. They're reliable and they stand behind what they sell. We knew they would do a good job for us when it came to specifying and equipping the plant.

Construction planning for the co-generation plant began in December, 1986. The plant opened in 1988. Designed by the school's engineering staff, and built in part with university labor augmented by local contractors, the co-generation facility has significantly reduced electricity costs by $1,200 to $1,500 a day. At a saving of $438,000 to $537,000 a year, that represents a much needed reduction in operating costs.

The three 100,000 pound, 1,650 horsepower diesel engines, refurbished to Cooper specifications, each produce 1,250 kilowatts of electric power at 327 rpm. In total, they supply 90% - 95% of the university's power.

Hot exhaust is piped through a heat recovery unit where water is converted to steam at 100 psig for heating dorms and other building, and for cooking in the dining room.

Heat also is recovered using a Bell & Gossett GPX-258B191 plate and frame domestic water heat exchanger from the water in the diesel jackets, and from QOC 1012-25 diesel oil coolers, to produce domestic hot water.

A Bell & Gossett DM-MA715-20-20 pressure booster system with four Domestic type DB pumps is installed on the university's closed loop heating and hot water systems. Hot water is distributed through more than a mile of insulated pipe to various campus locations. In all, Bell & Gossett's pumps of various sizes, five suction diffusers and 11 Triple Duty Valves are keeping the system running as planned.

Making use of the waste heat as well as the generating power of the diesels means the university recovers about 75 cents worth of energy from every dollar it spends on diesel fuel. If the heat weren't recovered, less than 35 cents worth of energy would be recovered from each dollar spent on fuel.

Each diesel engine's exhaust heat produces 2,000 pounds of steam an hour, and the three diesels together can produce 140,000 gallons of hot water per day - more than enough to easily meet the university's needs.

And, how does Bob Jones University feel about the performance of the Bell & Gossett equipment?

No complaints, says Alderson. I knew before we started that they would be very good about repairs - that if we had problems they would respond quickly.