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University of Kentucky Integrates New Cleaning Technology

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/24/25

The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently installed a new cleaning system designed to improve cooling efficiency on campus, according to a news release. The Facilities Management’s Utilities and Energy Management Unit installed new chiller tubes into two of the chillers at the university’s Central Utility Plant. The technology deploys small rubber balls into the condenser’s water flow every 20 minutes, the news release reports, reducing the manual labor required to keep them functioning.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency, the installation of this technology represents the latest step toward optimizing energy use on campus,” said Mary Vosevich, the university’s vice president for facilities and chief facilities officer. “By streamlining maintenance processes with this technology, we’re not only saving valuable resources but also reinforcing UK’s role as a innovate leader in facilities management.”

According to the news release, the university uses district cooling, which produces chilled water at a network of central plants and sends it miles away through underground pipes to university buildings. Scale and dirt can accumulate on the inner walls of the tubes, decreasing energy efficiency over the course of a season. The current cleaning process requires shutting the system down and sending a brush through about a thousand tubes.

The new system automatically injects small rubber balls into the water flow to scrub away the scale or dirt without manual labor or deactivating the system.

“Having a system that can keep the tubes clean year-round helps us fix the long-standing challenge of losing efficiency through the year as contaminants build up in the tubes,” said Carter Whitton, the Facilities Management team’s utilities systems manager. “Achieving those improvements will be a tremendous energy saver and have a substantial sustainability impact.”

According to the news release, the Helios Tube Cleaning System is expected to save the university tens of thousands of dollars per year.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

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