Cluster of skyscrapers, New York, NY 4a08574a original

The New York City steam systems include Con Edison's Steam Operations, and other smaller systems that provide steam to New York University and Columbia University. Many individual buildings in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

have their own steam systems.

Con Edison's Steam Operations

Con Edison's Steam Operations is a

district heating District heating (also known as heat networks or teleheating) is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating ...

system which carries steam from generating stations under the streets to heat and cool buildings and businesses in Manhattan. Some

businesses and facilities also use steam for cleaning and disinfection. The New York Steam Company began providing service in

lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

on March 3, 1882. Today,

Consolidated Edison Consolidated Edison, Inc., commonly known as Con Edison (stylized as conEdison) or ConEd, is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues as of 2017, and over $62 b ...

operates the largest commercial steam system in the world (larger than the next nine combined). The organization within Con Edison responsible for the system's operation, known as Steam Operations, provides steam service to over 1,700 commercial and residential customers in Manhattan from

Battery Park The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City facing New York Harbor. It is bounded by Battery Place on the north, State Street on the east, New York Harbor to ...

to 96th Street uptown on the west side, and 89th Street on the east side of Manhattan. Roughly of steam flow through the system every year.

Uses

Steam provides heat and cooling to many buildings in New York. The steam system also provides humidity to art museums, steam cleaning for restaurants to clean dishes, and other uses.

Environmental effects

Approximately 30% of the ConEd steam system's installed capacity and 50% of the annual steam generated comes from

cogeneration Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elec ...

. Cogeneration and Heat Recovery Steam Generation (HRSG) significantly increase the fuel efficiency of cogenerated electricity and thereby reduce the emission of pollutants, such as NOx, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and particulate matter, as well as the city's

carbon footprint A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, place or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Greenhouse gases, including the carbon-containing gases carb ...

. Con Edison is promoting the use of steam for cooling in the summer months, something that can be accomplished with the installation of

absorption chiller An absorption refrigerator is a refrigerator that uses a heat source (e.g., solar energy, a fossil-fueled flame, waste heat from factories, or district heating systems) to provide the energy needed to drive the cooling process. The system uses tw ...

s. Such

trigeneration Cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) is the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time. Cogeneration is a more efficient use of fuel or heat, because otherwise- wasted heat from elect ...

systems reduce peak electrical loads and save construction costs associated with expanding electrical infrastructure. Clouds of condensation are vented from

manhole A manhole (utility hole, maintenance hole, or sewer hole) is an opening to a confined space such as a shaft, utility vault, or large vessel. Manholes are often used as an access point for an underground public utility, allowing inspection, ...

s in Manhattan through orange and white "chimneys". This can be caused by external water being boiled by contact with the steam pipes or by leaks in the steam system itself. At least twelve steam pipe explosions have occurred in New York City since 1987. The most recent major incident was the 2018 steam pipe explosion which occurred in the Flatiron District and forced the evacuation of 49 buildings. The explosion released concrete, asphalt, "

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere ...

-containing material" and mud into the air. The asbestos cleared out of the air to safe-level. A previous incident was the

2007 New York City steam explosion On July 18, 2007, an explosion in Manhattan, New York City, sent a geyser of hot steam up from beneath a busy intersection, with a 40-story-high shower of mud and flying debris raining down on the crowded streets of Midtown Manhattan. It was ca ...

, and another on June 28, 1996, at a plant on East 75th Street.

Plants

East 74th Street 74th Street is an east–west street carrying pedestrian traffic and eastbound automotive/bicycle traffic in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs through the Upper East Side neighborhood (in ZIP code 10021, where it is known as East ...

Station (at FDR Drive) *60th Street Station (at York Ave.) * 59th Street Station (at 11th Ave.) *East River Station (14th St. and FDR) (

) *BNYCP Plant (

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

Cogeneration Partners) (

) *Ravenswood "A" House Steam Station (Queens)

References

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External links