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Keeping Duke Cool

A chilled water system controls temperature and humidity in buildings across campus

When temperatures in the Triangle soar outside, Duke's chilled water system makes sure things stay cool inside.

The system constantly pumps 38.5-degree water through 15 miles of pipes across campus to control temperatures and humidity in Duke buildings.

Two main chiller plants supply up to 42,000 tons of cooling capacity, which is the equivalent of keeping about 14,000 two-story homes cool. Additional "satellite" chillers offer another 5,000 tons of capacity.