BACKGROUND
Pool System
A pool system is composed of 3 basic elements:
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Pump
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Filter
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Heater
In order to keep a pool clean and hygienic, the pool water must be circulated. This is done by taking in the pool water from the main drain at the bottom of swimming pool by using a pump. From the pump, the water travels through the piping system to the main filter where smaller particles are retained.
Once the pool water is filtered through, the water passes through a water heater or a boiler. It is at this stage where natural gas, propane, or electricity is utilized to heat the water. The water is then transported back to the pool where the cycle continues.
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Figure 1: Simplified Pool System
Current System at Sinsheimer
The SLO Swim Center has one olympic-sized pool for recreational use and the other a therapeutic pool. The larger pool utilizes a three 1,000,000 BTU/hr or 293.02 kW gas-fired boilers and the smaller therapeutic pool uses one 450,000 BTU/hr or 131.88 kW gas-fired boiler. The pool system for the large pool uses a cogeneration system whereby the exhaust gas heat from each boiler is used for heating as well which minimizes gas usage. According to the City of San Luis Obispo's facilities maintenance page, this system allows each boiler an efficiency around 90%.