In the case of lab equipment such as sterilizers and lab glassware washers, water is frequently super-heated and recirculated within the chamber to achieve cleanliness and sterilization which appears consistent with the requirements of this prerequisite that heat rejection and cooling process loads have no once-through cooling with potable water for any equipment or appliances that reject heat.
It is also often true for this type of equipment that before the water used to achieve sterilization can be discharged to drain lines, that it must be injected with cooler water to ensure the super-heated water doesn’t damage the drainage pipes. Is that cooler water that is added to protect downstream plumbing considered once-through cooling water?
Dave Hubka
Practice Leader - SustainabilityEUA
LEEDuser Expert
525 thumbs up
October 6, 2023 - 12:07 pm
step-by-step guidance of the reference guide notes that the requirements apply to sterilizers.
"if discharge water temperature is regulated, consider recovering and reusing the system's waste heat for low-temperature heating".
So my guess is that the 'cooler water' added to protect pipes are considered once through cooling water by LEED.