The Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) in Manchester, NH provides an array of health services to veterans. The VAMC worked with a design team to design and plan a complete replacement of its heating and power generation equipment with state-of –the-art, energy efficient equipment.

RSG partnered with van Zelm, Heywood, & Shadford, Inc., (Vanzelm Engineers) a leading MEP engineering firm, to provide air quality and noise consulting services to inform the design and secure the permits for the new equipment, including diesel emergency generators, dual-fuel boilers (natural gas and fuel oil), and a natural gas-fired cogeneration system (electric generator coupled with heat recovery steam boiler). The cogeneration system, equipped with a three way catalyst for emissions control, can provide most of the heat and power for campus buildings.

RSG conducted air quality modeling and noise propagation modeling to provide design information such as stack height, degree of emissions control in the catalyst, and noise barrier dimensions. In particular, RSG conducted air quality modeling using the EPA-approved AERMOD model and the CADNA-A noise propagation model. RSG also obtained the air pollution control construction permit application to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NH DES).