Review and Improvements to the Mechanical Systems at USPS in Seattle and P&DC

FSi performed a major study and provided corrective design for the heating and cooling plant for this 563,000 square foot USPS mail Processing and Distribution Center.

This 563,000 square foot (11-acre) mail Processing and Distribution Center handles mail for about 2 million customers. Those 8 million pieces of mail per day are more than any other mail facility on the West Coast. FSi performed a major study and report on the heating and cooling plant which included development of current heating and cooling loads and comparing them to the installed capacity of the 360 HP boilers and 1310 tons of chillers. FSi made dozens of recommendations amounting to over $3.4 million estimated construction costs to improve energy-efficiency and to increase capacity/reliability in the facility plant. Also included in the recommendations was replacement of the R-11 refrigerant with R-123 and installation of code-compliant Refrigeration Machinery Room ventilation and monitoring.

FSi also studied the existing compressed air system to confirm the owner’s concerns about capacity and system longevity. In a 24-hour facility that uses compressed air for virtually all sorting and transportation processes, reliability of the system is given the highest priority. FSi confirmed the two existing 350 HP compressors were oversized and cycling on/off too frequently wasting energy, causing excessive wear and leading to premature failure. Following the study, FSi provided a replacement design that included three redundant 125 HP compressors, dryers and filters. During design and construction, FSi provided direction and assistance to help assure that the air system remained intact through use of temporary compressors and contractor coordination.