ASHRAE Journal May 2015

Sponsor of the May Digital Edition ASHRAE Journal

MAY 2015

ASHRAE JOURNAL THE MAGAZINE OF HVAC&R TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS

ASHRAE.ORG

Science for Sustainability

Beacon for Urban Waters Automation Dashboards | UFAD Controls | Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Fire Mitigation

Inside | The Path to a Net Zero-Ready School

®

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CONTENTS VOL. 57, NO. 5, MAY 2015

STANDING COLUMNS 38

46 ENGINEER’S NOTEBOOK

Control of Underfloor Air-Distribution Systems By Daniel H. Nall, P.E. 54 BUILDING SCIENCES 54

Vitruvius Does Veneers

72

By Joseph W. Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng.

FEATURES

16

Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Fire Mitigation

80 DATA CENTERS

The Digital Revolution, Part 3 By Donald L. Beaty, P.E.; David Quirk, P.E.

By Stephen K. Melink, P.E.

28

Criteria for Building Automation Dashboards

90 REFRIGERATION

Watt’s the Big Occasion? By Andy Pearson, Ph.D., C.Eng.

By Frank Shadpour, P.E.; Joseph Kilcoyne, P.E.

62

Hydronics 101 By Jeff Boldt, P.E.; Julia Keen, Ph.D., P.E.

2015 ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARDS

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A Beacon for Urban Waters By Matthew Longsine, P.E.

72

Net Zero-Ready School By Brian Haugk, P.E.; Brian Cannon, P.E.

ASHRAE® Journal (ISSN 0001-2491) MISSION STATEMENT | ASHRAE Journal reviews current HVAC&R technology of broad interest through publication of application-oriented articles. ASHRAE Journal’s editorial content ranges from back-to-basics features to reviews of emerging technologies, covering the entire spectrum of professional interest from design and construction practices to commissioning and the service life of HVAC&R environmental systems. PUBLISHED MONTHLY | Copyright 2015 by ASHRAE, 1791 Tullie Circle N.E., Atlanta, GA 30329. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, Georgia, and additional mailing offices. LETTERS/MANUSCRIPTS | Letters to the editor and manuscripts for publication should be sent to: Fred Turner, Editor, ASHRAE Journal, [email protected]. SUBSCRIPTIONS | $8 per single copy (includes postage and handling on mail orders). Subscriptions for members $6 per year, included with annual dues, not deductible. Nonmember $79 (includes postage in USA); $79 (includes postage for Canadian); $149 international (includes air mail). Expiration dates vary for both member and nonmember subscriptions. Payment (U.S. funds) required with all orders. CHANGE OF ADDRESS | Requests must be received at subscription office eight weeks before effective date. Send both old and new addresses for the change. ASHRAE members may submit address changes at www.ashrae.org/ address. POSTMASTER | Send form 3579 to: ASHRAE Journal, 1791 Tullie Circle N.E., Atlanta, GA 30329. Canadian Agreement Number 40037127. ONLINE at ASHRAE.org | Feature articles are available online. Members can access articles at no cost. Nonmembers may purchase articles at www.ashrae.org/bookstore. MICROFILM | This publication is microfilmed by National Archive Publishing Company. For information on cost and issues available, contact NAPC at 800-420-NAPC or www.napubco.com. PUBLICATION DISCLAIMER | ASHRAE has compiled this publication with care, but ASHRAE has not investigated and ASHRAE expressly disclaims any duty to investigate any product, service, process, procedure, design or the like which may be described herein. The appearance of any technical data, editorial material or advertisement in this publication does not constitute endorsement, warranty or guarantee by ASHRAE of any product, service, process, procedure, design or the like. ASHRAE does not warrant that the information in this publication is free of errors and ASHRAE does not necessarily agree with any statement or opinion in this publication. The entire risk of the use of any information in this publication and its supplement is assumed by the user.

DEPARTMENTS 4 6 14 92 96 98 102 104

Commentary Industry News Meetings and Shows InfoCenter Special Products Products Classified Advertising Advertisers Index

ABOUT THE COVER At the Tacoma Center for Urban Waters in Washington, cedar and douglas fir snags along the waterfront provide staging, feeding and nesting habitat for birds and small animals. The LEED Platinum laboratory won a first place 2015 ASHRAE Technology Award. The article begins on Page 38.

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COMMENTARY 1791 Tullie Circle NE Atlanta, GA 30329-2305 Phone: 404-636-8400 Fax: 404-321-5478 | www.ashrae.org PUBLISHER W. Stephen Comstock

New Editor, But You’re in Charge

EDITORIAL Editor Jay Scott [email protected] Managing Editor Sarah Foster [email protected] Associate Editor Rebecca Matyasovski [email protected] Associate Editor Christopher Weems [email protected] Associate Editor Jeri Alger [email protected] Assistant Editor Tani Palefski [email protected]

You may have noticed a new name on the masthead of this issue. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Jay Scott, the new editor of ASHRAE Journal, three e-newsletters and High Performing Buildings magazine. I’m replacing Fred Turner, who retired in January after nearly 20 years of service with ASHRAE. As the new editor, I join the ASHRAE team as a publishing veteran with over 30 years of experience, both in the print and online worlds. Do I have expertise as an engineer? No. That’s the beauty of ASHRAE; I don’t have to. You, the ASHRAE community, lead the organization at every level. The volunteers who contribute to our publications and the reviewers who confirm every technical detail are the subject matter experts. You, the readers, provide your own expertise with your thoughtful comments and suggestions.

PUBLISHING SERVICES Publishing Services Manager David Soltis Production Jayne Jackson Tracy Becker ADVERTISING Associate Publisher, ASHRAE Media Advertising Greg Martin [email protected] Advertising Production Coordinator Vanessa Johnson [email protected] CIRCULATION Circulation Specialist David Soltis [email protected] ASHRAE OFFICERS President Thomas H. Phoenix, P.E. President-Elect T. David Underwood, P.Eng. Treasurer Timothy G. Wentz, P.E. Vice Presidents Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng. Charles E. Gulledge III Bjarne W. Olesen, Ph.D. James K. Vallort Secretary & Executive Vice President Jeff H. Littleton POLICY GROUP 2014 – 15 Chair Publications Committee Michael R. Brambley, Ph.D. Washington Office [email protected]

from you and meeting people at the Annual Conference in Atlanta. IN THIS ISSUE, our cover story focuses on the challenges in building the Tacoma Center for Urban Waters laboratory in Tacoma, Wash. The threestory laboratory, built to maintain the cleanliness of the bodies of water throughout Puget Sound, was completed through a collaborative design and construction process. Laboratories traditionally use large amounts of energy. The center, however, was designed with efficiency and sustainability in mind from the start.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS this month: • A look at Valley View Middle School in Snohomish, Wash., a new three-story, 168,000 ft2 (15 600 m2) facility that replaced a much smaller building. The new school uses less energy than the previous school that was half the size. • Engineer’s Notebook explores THE EDITORIAL TEAM is here to effective control strategies to solve comfacilitate content that will educate, mon complaints with UFAD systems. inform and advance the goals we all • An article in the Fundamentals at strive for: serving the built environWork series explains the basics related ment, creating value and recognizing the accomplishments of others. We’re to configuration, layout, and major here to make sure you have a transpar- system components of hot water and chilled water systems as an introducent editorial process that you drive while advancing technical information tion to hydronics for those new to the design industry. and debate. • And the Building Sciences column As the new editor, I hope to hear from revisits the question: What should the you when you have a suggestion, or a complaint. I especially encourage let- air space or air gap be behind a cladters to the editor because they prompt ding and what should the venting geometry be behind a cladding? informed discussion of engineering Enjoy the issue. issues. You can reach me at jayscott@ Jay Scott, Editor ashrae.org. I look forward to hearing ASHRAE Journal reviews current HVAC&R technology of broad interest through publication of applications-oriented articles. Content ranges from back-to-basics features to reviews of emerging technologies.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Basanth Kumar stands next to Armstrong’s Fluid Management system comprising of Design Envelope pumps with sensor-less technology. It is designed as a plug-and-play HVAC pumping solution for commercial, institutional and industrial buildings.

India’s Strength Pushes ACREX to Sixth Spot BANGALORE, India—The mood on the show floor at ACREX, the Indian trade fair for air conditioning and refrigeration, held here in February, did nothing to dispel reports that India’s economy is quickly ending its three-year slump. Industrial expansion, new building construction, the need to limit energy consumption, and emphasis on air quality are the drivers. All were in evidence at ACREX. The International Monetary Fund in its latest World Economic Outlook report predicts India’s annual economic growth rate will be between 6.3% and 6.5% over the next two years, surpassing China’s. With the global economic growth projected at around 3.5%, it is little wonder manufacturers are targeting India. 6

Analysts say building space in India will jump from 86 billion ft­2 in 2005 to a mind-boggling 450 billion ft­2 by 2030. Nearly 70% of the buildings in India that will exist by 2030 have yet to be built. To keep pace, India’s energy production must grow 6.5% per year, an unsustainable number. For that reason India ranks in the top three countries for green buildings with over 2.5 billion ft2 of green building footprint according to the Indian Green Building Council. Engineers say it just makes good business sense to build green in India where the incremental cost is only 3% to 5% for a commercial green building and 1% for a residence. With India’s energy costs and availability of low-cost green building products, the additional cost gets paid

A S H R A E J O U R N A L   a s h r a e . o r g   M AY 2 0 1 5

CLIMAVENETA displayed back within three to four its line of centrifugal chillyears. ers with inverter driven “The market potential for compressors featuring maggreen building products netic levitation technology. and technologies is $100 The range includes water billion,” said Nirmal Ram, cooled and air cooled units. a consulting engineer in The company also displayed Bangalore. “In India, many its high precision air condinew products are being tioning units, high density introduced to meet the solutions for data centers, demand for green. Our and VFD screw compressor country is now one of the chillers. leading exporters of green Anil Dev, chief techbuilding materials and technologies.” Ram is a past nical officer with CLIMAVENETA, said he has president of ISHRAE, the noticed a growing awareassociation of engineers ness in India for energythat organizes ACREX. By the time ACREX ended, efficient and sustainable products. “Indian more than 28,000 consumers are visitors attended becoming extremely the three-day fair aware of green February 26 to 28, building,” Dev said. viewing the 400 According to Dev, exhibitors from 25 CLIMAVENETA’s aircountries. Among Dev cooled screw chiller them were industry is its number one product leaders like Carrier-UTC, in India. “We have been Hitachi, Blue Star, Daikin, very successful in the IT LG, Bosch, Siemens, Voltas, sector. One of the reasons Climaveneta, Mitsubishi, ebm-papst and Trane India. is that we have been able to Visitors came from Canada, achieve the highest uptime for our products. Uptime China, Czech Republic, commitments are very France, Germany, Hong important in the IT sector.” Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, LG Electronics showed Netherlands, South Korea, its full line of products, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, including the Multi-V IV. Ukraine, UAE, United Mounted with a high effiKingdom and the U.S. ciency inverter compressor, Among the exhibition highlights was the dedicated the Multi-V IV yields a 4.79 COP, among the highest Refrigeration & Cold Chain energy efficiency ratings Pavilion, which reflects the for air conditioners sold in industry’s “sunrise” status India. It raises energy effiin the country. With a compound annual growth rate of ciency by about 20% from around 26%, the Indian cold existing models. The “Ocean Black Fin” heat exchanger chain industry is expected in the unit is dual-layered to reach nearly $10 billion and double-sided with a by 2017.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

It’s Mosquitos Away Technology at LG’s ACREX stand. Some 28,000 visitors attended the ACREX fair held in Bangalore.

black coating to shield it from salt, sand and other elements brought in by strong sea winds along India’s coast. Water drops are prevented from forming because of external environmental changes, a real performance advantage in the humid conditions that prevail along India’s coast. The coating also protects the unit against the effects of industrial pollution. “We have a big sea line, and visitors want to know more about our products that can resist such things,” said Sohrab Zafferulla, area head of LG’s System AirConditioning Division. “We’re excited about our new HVAC solutions, which will provide unprecedented benefits to our existing partners and prospects seeking high-efficiency commercial solutions. LG is on track to lead the Indian HVAC market with our locally relevant business strategy, highly energy efficient products as well as its tradition of quality www.info.hotims.com/54428-60 8

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engineering and reliable customer service throughout the entire country,” said Mahendra Agarwal, Vice President-System AirConditioners, LG India. Another product attracting attention at the LG stand was the Inverter V air conditioner with Mosquito Away technology. The unit emits ultrasonic waves, preventing mosquitos from detecting humans and protecting occupants from mosquitoborne diseases. The technology works whenever the unit is on, not just when the AC is running. The new Variable Tonnage Technology used in LG’s Inverter V air conditioners adjusts the cooling by automatically controlling the compressor speed. Cooling capacity is automatically increased to give faster cooling until the desired temperature is reached and reduces the tonnage after to provide savings, sometimes by as much as 66%.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Armstrong displayed its “configure to order” solutions for fluid flow and heat transfer applications. The company’s Design Envelope IVS pumps reduce pumping costs through variable speed, demand-based operation—consuming only the energy required based on current system demand. The pumps use a combination of optimized impeller size and speed control for energy efficient operation within a given performance envelope. The performance envelopes are mapped for the best pump efficiency at 50% of the design flow rate, where variable flow systems operate most often. This ensures a building’s hydronic pumping system

consumes as little energy possible and meets the installation needs required in ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 of a 70% energy savings at 50% peak load. Armstrong also displayed its chilled water line of Integrated Plant Packages. The IPP-CHW solution is an integrated factory built system, optimized for quick installation. The IPP-CHW incorporates split coupled pumps, oil-free frictionless compressors, and an ultraefficient chilled water plant control system. Besides the need to limit energy growth, India faces another challenge. How to improve air quality? And solutions for that were on display at ACREX.

Gwalior, and Raipur—round Of the world’s top 20 citout the top four, with ies with the world’s worst Karachi, Pakistan, the fifth air, 13 are in India, accordworst. None of China’s cities ing to an analysis by the came in the top 20. Beijing World Health Organization was 77th. (WHO). Despite air quality Business for indoor air in Chinese cities receivparticle counters is growing more media attention, ing, according to Keerthi many of India’s cities are actually worse when annual Satya, regional sales manager of TSI averages of fine airInstruments—India. borne particulates While TSI offers are considered. particle counters Particulate pollution for cleanroom is especially dangerapplications for ous because parsemiconductor and ticulates are permaMaheshwari pharmaceutical nently lodged within industries, it also offers the lining of the lungs. dust monitoring instruSurveying 1,600 cities in 91 ments. “What is the kind countries, the WHO found that New Delhi’s air was the of air we are breathing indoors, whether it be our worst in the world. Three offices or our residences?” other Indian cities—Patna,

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INDUSTRY NEWS

said Satya. TSI dust monitors can be used for commercial and institutional applications, including hospitals. “It is good practice for the health-care segment to monitor indoor air quality because of patients with compromised immune systems.” Caryaire exhibited its air purification solution for the residential and the school room markets, winning a product innovation award. According to the company, new building codes being considered in India for new residential buildings include fresh air requirements along with air purification. “We’re now talking about not only energy conservation but also maintaining minimum indoor air quality standards. Awareness is growing daily,” said Sachin Maheshwari, director at Caryaire. “We have stopped calling our new product an air purifier. We are calling it a life-conditioner or health-conditioner. It’s all about saving your life.” The company’s residential units displayed at ACREX have been reconfigured for existing and new housing from the commercial and industrial products. Chemical filtration is offered to remove the VOCs and NOX from carbon and sulfur in the air. “We are quite positive the next five years

Walt Vernon and Dick Moeller presented ASHRAE’s Designing High Performing Healthcare Facilities course. The healthcare industry in India is said to be growing at an annual rate of 15% due to a booming population with unmet medical needs and medical tourism. Other ASHRAE courses covered developments in controls technology, data center energy efficiency, and laboratory design.

are going to be a golden phase for India,” said Maheshwari. “2004 through 2009 was a big boom phase for India. We see the next jump year taking place next year through 2019 or 2020.” The next ACREX will take place Feb. 25 to 27, 2016, in Mumbai.

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Bacteria Shine Light on Air Quality Monitoring

the bacteria’s genome as the microbial repair response, scientists have created bacteria that glow in response BEER SHEVA, Israel— Researchers have developed to chemicals that are toxic to cells. Marks hopes that by a simple and inexpensive incorporating bacteria device that uses with different chemibioluminescent baccal sensitivities, he may teria to monitor air eventually be able to idenquality and alert to tify which specific toxins potentially unsafe are in the air with conditions. If bacthe device as well. teria encounter hazThe research is pubardous substances in the environment, Air quality device lished in the journal Analytical Chemistry. they launch a system to repair damaged DNA Data Center to and maintain other funcHeat Swedish Town tions, says Robert S. Marks FALUN, Sweden—A team of Israel’s Ben-Gurion of Swedish entrepreneurs University of the Negev. By adding the genes that make is partnering with a local luciferase—a glow-inducing energy company to build protein—to the same part of a data center that will

SWECO ARCHITECTS AB/ NORDISK KOMBINATION ARKITEKTER AB

INDUSTRY NEWS

Carbon negative data center in Sweden.

run entirely on a mix of solar, wind, and hydro power, along with waste wood chips and sawdust, rather than fossil fuels. The “EcoDataCenter” is also designed to convert the heat generated by its servers into energy for homes in Falun, a city of around 37,000 in central Sweden. The facility will be linked to the town’s district heating system to deliver hot water to warm homes during winter. In the summer, it will supply district cooling, running

air-conditioning systems that would otherwise use electricity.

DOE, NIBS Developing Training Guidelines WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has partnered with the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) to develop new guidance designed to enhance and streamline commercial building workforce training and certification programs. The voluntary Better Buildings Workforce Guidelines provide a national framework for certification agencies across the country to roll out consistent programs.

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MEETINGS AND SHOWS

FULL CALENDAR: WWW.ASHRAE.ORG/CALENDAR

MAY AHRI Spring Meeting, May 5 – 7, Crystal City, Va. Contact Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute at 703-524-8800, [email protected], or www.ahrinet.org. EE Global 2015, May 12 – 13, Washington, D.C. Contact Becca Rohrer at Alliance to Save Energy at 202-530-2206, [email protected], or www. eeglobalforum.org. AIA Convention 2015, May 14 – 16, Atlanta. Contact the American Institute of Architects at 800242-3837, [email protected], or www.aia.org/ convention. AIHce 2015, May 30 – June 4, Salt Lake City. Contact Lindsay Padilla at the American Industrial Hygiene Association at 703-846-0754, [email protected], or www.aihce2015.org.

JUNE ASHRAE Annual Conference, June 27 – July 1, Atlanta. Contact ASHRAE at 800-527-4723 or [email protected]. Solar 2015, July 28–30, State College, Pa. Contact 303443-3130, [email protected], or http://solar2015.ases.org.

AUGUST NAFA Annual Convention, Aug. 27 – 29. Key West, Fla. Contact the National Air Filtration Association at 757-313-7400, [email protected], or www. nafahq.org.

SEPTEMBER

I2SL Annual Conference, Sept. 21 – 23, San Diego. Contact the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories, at 703-841-5484 [email protected], or www.i2sl.org/conference. SMACNA Annual Convention, Sept. 27 – 30, Colorado Springs, Colo. Contact the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ Association at 703-8032980, [email protected], or www.smacna.org. RETA Conference, Sept. 29 – Oct. 2, Milwaukee. Contact the Refrigeration Engineers and Technicians Association at 831-455-8783, [email protected], or www.reta.com. World Energy Engineering Congress, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, Orlando, Fla. Contact the Association of Energy Engineers at 770-447-5083, info@aeecenter. org, or www.energycongress.com. 2015 ASHRAE Energy Modeling Conference: Tools for Designing High Performance Buildings, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, Atlanta. Contact ASHRAE at 800-527-4723, [email protected], or www.ashrae.org/emc2015.

OCTOBER IFMA’s World Workplace, Oct. 7 – 9, Denver. Contact the International Facility Management Association at 713-623-4362, [email protected], or www. ifma.org. AMCA Annual Meeting, Oct. 15 – 18, Ojai, Calif. Contact the Air Movement and Control Association International at 847-394-0150 or www.amca.org. AHR Expo-Mexico, Oct. 20 – 22, Guadalajara, Mexico. Contact the International Exposition Company at 203-221-9232, [email protected], or www.ahrexpomexico.com.

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NOVEMBER AHRI Annual Meeting, Nov. 15 – 17, Bonita Springs, Fla. Contact Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute at 703-524-8800, ahri@ahrinet. org, or www.ahrinet.org. Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, Nov. 18 – 20, Washington, D.C. Contact organizers at 866-815-9824, [email protected], or www.greenbuildexpo.com.

2016 JANUARY Building Innovation 2016, Jan. 11 – 15, Washington, D.C. Contact the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) at 202-289-7800, [email protected], or www.nibs.org/conference2016. ASHRAE Winter Conference, Jan. 23 – 27, Orlando, Fla. Contact ASHRAE at 800-527-4723 or meetings@ ashrae.org.

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CTBUH 2015, Oct. 26 – 30, New York. Contact the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat at 312567-3487, [email protected], or www.ctbuh2015.com.

International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exhibition (AHR Expo), Jan. 25 – 27, Orlando, Fla. Cosponsored by ASHRAE and AHRI. Contact the International Exposition Company at 203-221-9232.

CALLS FOR PAPERS ASHRAE JOURNAL ASHRAE Journal seeks applications articles of 3,000 or fewer words. Submissions are subject to peer reviews and cannot have been published previously. Submit abstracts before sending articles to [email protected]. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT ASHRAE’s Science and Technology for the Built Environment seeks papers on original, completed research not previously published. Papers must discuss how the research contributes to technology. Papers should be about 6,000 words. Abstracts and papers should be submitted on Manuscript Central at www.ashrae.org/manuscriptcentral. Contact Reinhard Radermacher, Ph.D., Editor, at [email protected]. ASHRAE CONFERENCE PAPERS For the 2016 Annual Conference in St. Louis, technical papers are due September 14, 2015. For more information, contact 678-539-1137 or [email protected].

JUNE ASHRAE Annual Conference, June 25 – 29, St. Louis. Contact ASHRAE at 800-527-4723 or [email protected].

JULY

Contact the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Airconditioning and Heating (AIRAH) at 613 8623 3000 or http://tinyurl.com/HVACFuture.

2016 Purdue Compressor/Refrigeration and Air Conditioning and High Performance Buildings Conferences and Short Courses, July 11 – 14, West Lafayette, Ind. Contact Kim Stockment at 765-4946078, [email protected], or http://tinyurl. com/Purdue2016.

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

XIV Conbrava, Sept. 22 – 25, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Endorsed by ASHRAE. Contact organizers at (11) 3361 7266 ext. 207, [email protected], or http:// abrava.com.br.

ASPE Convention and Exposition, Oct. 27 – Nov. 4, Phoenix. Contact the American Society of Plumbing Engineers at 847-296-0002, [email protected], or www.aspe.org.

OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA MAY 2015 International Conference on Energy and Environment in Ships, May 22 – 24, Athens, Greece. Contact ASHRAE at 800-527-4723, meetings@ ashrae.org, or www.ashrae.org/Ships2015.

JULY ISHVAC-COBEE 2015, July 12 – 15, Tianjin, China. Endorsed by ASHRAE. Contact organizers at [email protected] or http://www.cobee.org.

AUGUST IIR International Congress of Refrigeration, Aug. 16 – 22, Yokohama, Japan. Endorsed by ASHRAE. Contact 81 3 3219 3541, [email protected], or www.icr2015.org. The Future of HVAC 2015 Conference, Aug. 18 – 19, Melbourne, Australia. Endorsed by ASHRAE.

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Mostra Convegno Expocomfort Asia, Sept. 2 – 4, Singapore. Contact Reed Expositions Singapore at 65 6780 4671, fax 65 6588 3832, mce-asia@ reedexpo.com.sg or www.mcexpocomfort-asia. com.

OCTOBER 8th International Cold Climate HVAC Conference, Oct. 20 – 23, Dalian, China. Endorsed by ASHRAE. Contact organizers at 86 411 84709612, [email protected], or www.coldclimate2015.org. 11th International Conference on Industrial Ventilation, Oct. 26 – 28, Shanghai. Endorsed by ASHRAE. Contact 86 21 65984243, ventilation2015@ tongji.edu.cn, or www.ventilation2015.org.

NOVEMBER 13th Asia Pacific Conference on the Built Environment, Nov. 19 – 20, Hong Kong. Endorsed by ASHRAE. Contact organizers at apcbe2015@gmail. com or www.ashrae-hkc.org/APC2015.html. Mostra Convegno Expocomfort Saudi, Nov. 30 — Dec. 2, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Contact Reed Exhibitions at 39 02 4351701, fax 39 02 3314348, [email protected] or www.mcexpocomfort-saudi. com.

$2,000 $1,500

Heat Pump

Oil

$1,000 $500

Gas

Estimated Annual Costs*

$2,500

$0

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TM

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TECHNICAL FEATURE PHOTO 1 Grease exhaust fans with backdraft dampers locked in open position.

Maintenance personnel got tired of dealing with dampers found stuck in the closed position.

PHOTO 2 Stretched, cracked and almost broken belt. This is common for restaurant

exhaust fans. Despite calls for proper maintenance by codes, this is often ignored.

Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Fire Mitigation BY STEPHEN K. MELINK, P.E., MEMBER ASHRAE

Food-service establishments are notoriously prone to kitchen fires that emanate from high-energy cooking appliances and often spread to the hood and duct system and sometimes beyond. This is why insurance companies classify such establishments in a higher-risk category than most other commercial buildings. And, this is why a properly designed kitchen ventilation and fire suppression system for cooking equipment is required by code.1 According to the U.S. Fire Administration, cooking was the leading cause of commercial building fires in years 2007–11, averaging over 25,000 such fires per year. The second leading cause averaged less than 10,000 fires per year. In addition, the dollar loss for cooking-related fires averaged almost $50 million per year during this five-year period. And, although deaths and injuries are not shown for specific causes, there were 3,005 deaths and 17,500 injuries due to all fires in just 2011.2 Therefore, it is relevant to ask how engineers can mitigate these costs and risks going forward. Do we Stephen K. Melink, P.E., is president of Melink Corp. in Milford, Ohio. 16

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continue to design the way we always have and accept the above statistics as outside of our control? Or do we seek opportunities to improve fire safety in areas within our control? So often the emphasis gets placed on specifying the right commercial kitchen hoods and fire suppression system.3 Yes, if a fire ever occurs, having a listed hood and fire suppression system is important. We want the fire properly contained at the source and immediately extinguished. However, the previous statistics suggest more is necessary. The purpose of this article is to suggest that additional emphasis should be placed on fire mitigation strategies.

TECHNICAL FEATURE

Fire suppression, by definition, is FIGURE 1 Higher- and lower-risk designs of grease ducts. about extinguishing a fire after it has already started. Fire mitigation, Higher Risk Design on the other hand, is about reducLarge High S.P. Exhaust Fan Belt-Driven (Weak Link) ing risks so that a fire is less likely to occur in the first place or less likely Roof Line to spread and cause subsequent Between Roof & Ceiling: the Less “Stuff” Clean-Out 90° Turn the Better Because Out of Sight, Out of damage/injuries. Clean-Out Mind Often Prevails in the O&M World. 90° Turn Looking at the entire heat/grease 90° Turn Clean-Out 90° Turn 90° Turn 90° Turn Clean-Out system from the cooking equipment Clean-Out Damper Damper Damper to the exhaust fan, the area with the least published research and most design variability from application to application is the grease Typical Grease Duct Design with Single Exhaust Fan. Long duct runs, multiple 90-degree turns and dampers add duct. While listed grease ducts are significant resistance to airflow—increasing fan energy during most all operating conditions. Also, more expensive to install, maintain and clean. Liability is also a concern with more surfaces and obstructions for grease to collect. Thus, clean-outs. also available, they are usually only Finally, one fan failure (belt/motor) can bring down the entire kitchen. specified where reduced clearances to combustibles dictate their use.4 Lower Risk Design Otherwise, the more common practice is to custom design the grease Smaller Low S.P. Exhaust Fans ducts in accordance with codes.5 But Direct Drive (Less Maintenance) this is typically done out of habit or Roof Line to reduce construction costs—and Short & Straight Ducts (No Obstructions) not necessarily as a conscious effort to improve fire safety. Where there is custom design, there is custom installation. And where there is custom installation, Improved Grease Duct Design with Dedicated Exhaust Fans. Short duct runs, without 90-degree turns and dampers, there is a higher probability of field reduce resistance to airflow—minimizing fan energy. Also, very simple to install, maintain and clean. Liability is minimized by creating a direct path for heat/smoke/grease to easily move up and out of the building. Finally, multiple fans provide safe errors by the mechanical contracredundancy in case of any problems. tor. This often includes using the wrong sheet metal and leaving holes in weld seams. There is also a tendency for engineers to The engineer is uniquely positioned to ensure the rely on codes as their sole basis of design and not fully entire system is designed for optimal fire safety—as well recognize improvement opportunities. as energy efficiency—for the life of the building. And As many engineers already know, since commercial though listed hoods for food-service applications are kitchen ventilation (CKV) systems are a type of HVAC widely available, there is more to designing than just system, it would behoove our profession to educate specifying listed equipment. architects on the need to move CKV out of the foodNevertheless, the focus of this article is the portion service section of the plans and specifications, and into of the CKV system above the ceiling and how it can be the mechanical section. The hoods are located in the designed to improve fire safety. As such, following are kitchen, but so are other HVAC components such as six design practices to consider in order of priority for grilles, registers, and diffusers. More importantly, the your future projects. food-service consultant usually has little or no knowl1. Design short, straight, and vertical grease ducts edge of the “V” in CKV or HVAC, and should not be spec- whenever possible—and design horizontal ducts only ifying hoods, controls, and other features to which they if necessary. Grease, like oil, is a highly flammable submay not understand the consequences of their choices. stance. If you’ve ever seen a grease fire along with its M AY 2 0 1 5

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PHOTO 3 Direct-Drive Exhaust Fan. No belt can fail and cause heat/smoke issues.

Also no belt drive losses and belt maintenance required.

thick black smoke, you understand the serious nature of your work. Therefore, don’t mess around. Design the grease ducts so that they provide the shortest path for the heat and smoke to travel outside the building as possible. Long ducts provide more surface area for this grease to collect and eventually serve as a potential fuel source for a fire. And horizontal ducts provide a surface for heavy grease particles to fall out of the airstream and collect at a higher rate than vertical surfaces.5 In fact, grease often “pools” in horizontal grease ducts, and this is a major reason why clean-outs need to be installed. Yes, these ducts are required to be sloped to facilitate draining, but such drainage does not always occur due to inadvertent low spots in the duct, the high viscosity of grease, and/or entrainment caused by the operating exhaust fan. And yes, conventional practice is to blame the hood and duct cleaner if this happens, but smart design should dictate that you eliminate the potential for grease collection in the first place. Moreover, a horizontal duct usually involves at least two 90-degree turns, and this additional resistance requires more fan energy to move the design airflow. When you can design for both fire safety and energy efficiency, all the better. Though clean-outs are required for gaining access6 they introduce another potential weak link in the system. Not only can grease leak at these clean-outs due to an improper seal—and drip onto the hood and ceiling, the covers are sometimes forgotten and left to allow the exhaust air to short-cycle and cause impaired hood performance. Moreover, if there is not a mezzanine with proper access and lighting, leaving it up to duct cleaners 18

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PHOTO 4 Exhaust Fan with Grease on Roof. Indicates how extensively grease can

contaminate duct and fan system. Therefore best to keep them short, straight and vertical.

to find a way to navigate a ceiling full of electric conduit, water lines, and cabling in the dark is a recipe for problems. Certainly, many existing buildings that are retrofitted with commercial kitchens do not have the same design flexibility as new construction. And even some new construction has constraints on where the hoods, ducts, and fans can be located. But to the degree designers have influence on a project, we should speak to the architect and owner with fire safety in mind, first and foremost. Who knows, perhaps the discussion will open up new possibilities. Perhaps the kitchen can extend to the side of the main building on the first floor with the ducts and fans immediately above it. Or perhaps the kitchen can be moved to the top floor with better views and where the ducts and fans can be positioned immediately above it. Building owners do not want to incur undue risks and liabilities, and so we need to speak up. 2. Eliminate obstructions such as dampers, filters, coils, and 90-degree turns in grease ducts whenever possible. Remember, the purpose of a kitchen ventilation system is to remove potentially dangerous heat and smoke from the building as efficiently as possible. And so designing obstructions in the duct only make this more difficult.7 Yes, dampers, filters, coils, and 90-degree turns are a fact of life for most HVAC systems—but grease ducts are a different animal. Most HVAC systems are not prone to collecting a highly combustible substance and moving high-temperature air through them. And, most HVAC systems are not as prone to catching fire. So design the grease ducts as aerodynamically as practical.

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Think of your gas grille on the patio of your home. Would you ever consider moving it into your kitchen and installing a hood with modulating dampers, a bag filter, heat exchanger, and four 90-degree turns before it exits your second-floor roof? If not, why would you do this for a hotel, hospital, or college with hundreds of times more property value and occupant lives at stake? And while you may be maintenance savvy as an engineer what about the restaurant owner or his low-cost helper? Energy efficiency is increasingly important in today’s world, but it should never come at the expense of fire safety. Another reason not to design long grease ducts with multiple turns is the hood fire suppression system will be less effective if the inside of the duct catches fire. A single nozzle aimed into the grease duct will cover less surface area if the duct is not short and straight. 3. Specify listed grease ducts. Factory-built systems are designed with a double-wall construction and are therefore stronger and more durable than single-wall grease ducts. In addition, they are less apt to be installed

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with holes/gaps in the seams and allow grease leaks to occur because the assembly and welding mostly takes place in a controlled environment. Experience shows that trying to weld a liquid-tight vessel above the ceiling where it is dark and easy to miss holes/gaps is largely dependent on the quality of the welder. And since the low-bid mechanical contractor usually gets the job, the owner usually gets what he paid for. Finally, factorybuilt systems are manufactured with stainless steel, which has a higher temperature rating than black iron sheet metal. This is important if/when a fire ever does occur because if the grease duct fails, the fire will be able to spread that much more quickly. Stainless steel buys more time. But if a listed grease duct cannot be specified and used for whatever reason, then serious consideration should be given to how the field-fabricated and welded grease duct will be protected above and beyond the minimal threshold of code compliance. For example, even if the required clearance to combustibles is met, the grease duct should ideally be wrapped with insulation or enclosed so that a fire inside the duct cannot easily spread outside the immediate surrounding area. Again, fire mitigation is about preventing a fire from spreading and becoming an out-of-control fire. 4. Design redundancy in the kitchen ventilation system by including more than one exhaust fan where there are multiple hoods. As already stated, the purpose of a kitchen ventilation system is to remove heat and smoke—and so when this vitally important function stops because a single belt or motor fails, this is as much a reflection of poor design as poor product quality and/or maintenance. Some functions are so mission-critical that unless the associated system components are 99.99% reliable in design, construction, operation, and maintenance, redundancy is a best-practice. That is why IT companies have servers located across the country. They cannot afford to lose customer data if one natural disaster or terrorist attack occurs. That is why airlines have at least two engines on planes flying across the ocean. There are too many lives at stake if a plane has just one engine and it fails in mid-flight. Yet, kitchen exhaust fans are almost as mission-critical in applications like hotels, hospitals, schools, and high-rises occupied by hundreds of people. What do you do if a hotel banquet kitchen is preparing food for

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hundreds of people on a Saturday night and there is only one exhaust fan serving the kitchen—and then the motor burns out? From a safety standpoint, you should turn off the cooking equipment and apologize to your customers because a new motor will not be able to be installed very quickly. But in reality, the pressure to continue cooking could prevail as the

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staff would not necessarily be thinking about the possible risks. And if a fire does start and overtake the hood and duct due to a fan failure and the resulting heat buildup, then who is to blame? It would be easy to dismiss our culpability as mechanical designers and blame it on the motor manufacturer, maintenance staff, kitchen cooks, or the fire suppression system. (Based on the statistics mentioned earlier, we should not assume fire suppression systems will necessarily put out all fires). But in this litigious society in which we live, lawyers will not necessarily see it that way. If a second duct and fan had been designed into the overall kitchen ventilation system, it is possible any smoke-related damage and injuries/deaths could have been avoided. This would not have prevented the initial fire inside the hood with a motor failure, but it could have provided sufficient ventilation through the other hoods to keep smoke from reaching other parts of the building and getting into the eyes and lungs of kitchen staff as they might try to put out the fire or escape and call the fire department. 5. Eliminate the weak link when possible by specifying listed direct-drive exhaust fans. The fan belt is the infamous weak link of most every kitchen ventilation system out there. It’s a relatively cheap part that is prone to stretching, cracking, and eventually breaking—and causing untold lost business revenue, employee wages, customer loyalty, and building damage and human injury/lives for the reasons mentioned earlier. And it often breaks at the most inopportune time when demand for food and thus ventilation is at its highest

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and the availability for repair service is at its lowest. Again, think Saturday night. Conventional on/off motor starters add to the problem because they provide nearly instantaneous acceleration at start-up, which means these weak links are severely stressed—and stretched—every day when the hoods are turned on in the morning. And so before the belt actually breaks, it will gradually become loose within the pulley grooves and slip, resulting in slower and slower fan speeds over time. The solution is to specify direct-drive exhaust fans and variable-frequency drives (VFDs) when possible to eliminate this problem. Conventional practice is to point the finger at maintenance for not regularly replacing these belts, but why not think proactively and design more reliable systems? Fan manufacturers have made major strides in recognizing this need and opportunity by expanding their fan lines to include direct-drive (up to approximately 3,000 cfm [1416 L/s], currently) over the last five to 10 years, and so it is up to the mechanical designer to take advantage of

this when possible. Don’t let a $10 part fail and cause a potential fire because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” And don’t let the VFD become the next weakest link by allowing a low-quality drive to be used. Specify a top-tier brand with a national and preferably global reputation for quality. 6. Specify a listed demand control kitchen ventilation (DCKV) system. This allows the customer to gain more utility from the VFDs than just setting a fixed speed on direct-drive fans. It also allows the customer to gain more utility from minimally intelligent autostart systems now required by code. In fact, most codes now require an electrical or thermal interlock between the cooking equipment and hood fans to address the possibility that cooks may forget to turn the system on in the morning or off at night.6,8 With little or no extra cost, the CKV system can be designed with DCKV capability and thereby modulate the exhaust and make-up fan speeds based on temperature and/or smoke to save energy.

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Fire-prevention features of a well-engineered DCKV system include an audible alarm if the exhaust air temperature rises within 100°F (38°C) of the activation temperature of the fire suppression system. Similar to new cars with sensors that tell you when you are getting too close to another object, new hoods should be specified to “beep” and tell you if the exhaust air temperatures are getting dangerously high. Another possibility is an automatic gas/electric shut-off capability if the exhaust air temperature continues to rise within, say, 50°F (10°C) of the activation temperature. Why wait until the fire suppression system is activated to shut-off the fuel source? In this day and age, intelligent hoods should monitor, communicate, and control to prevent a potential disaster from occurring. Specify accordingly.

Summary In conclusion, no food-service establishment is fireproof, but we can help design them to be more fire safe. More specifically, design grease ducts so that they are short, straight, and vertical whenever possible. Design

them without obstructions so that the heat and smoke can exit the building in the most efficient manner possible. And, specify UL-listed grease ducts to provide an extra barrier between the potential fire source and combustibles. Furthermore, design the CKV system with more than one exhaust fan so that there is a level of redundancy in ventilation in case one fan goes down. To minimize this possibility, eliminate the belt by specifying direct drive fans where applicable. Lastly, specify a DCKV system so that the fans not only automatically start upon the detection of heat—but so that temperature alarms can signal if/when the exhaust temperature rises above normal and/or safe levels. These design practices are especially important in buildings occupied by hundreds of people. And it is even more important for systems that may receive little preventive maintenance. Anything designed above the ceiling is not only out of sight—but very often out of mind until it fails. Yes, there are some things outside of our control as the mechanical designer when it comes to fire mitigation. But there are also things within our control. The purpose of this article was to highlight the latter and advocate for a bias towards safety. The engineer should never abdicate his professional responsibilities to the owner, architect, manufacturer, contractor, or food-service consultant because “that’s the way it’s always been done.” Sleeping well at night might depend on it someday.

Notes

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1. NFPA. National Fire Protection Association Standard 96-2014, Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations. Also the Uniform Mechanical Code, UMC 2012 borrows most NFPA 96 requirements related to fire suppression for commercial cooking. Moreover, the International Mechanical Code, IMC 2012 Chapter 5 covers this area. 2. U.S. Fire Administration. 2011. “Restaurant Building Fires.” Topical Fire Report Series. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 3. Griffin, B., M. Morgan. 2014. “60 years of commercial kitchen fire suppression.” ASHRAE Journal, June. 4. UL. UL Standard 1978, Grease Ducts. Covers factory-built grease ducts and grease duct assemblies that are intended to be installed at reduced clearances. 5. Gerstler, W.D. 2002. “New Rules for Kitchen Exhaust.” ASHRAE Journal, November. 6. IAPMO. 2012. Uniform Mechanical Code and ICC. 2012. International Mechanical Code. 7. Duda, S.W. 2014. “Fire & Smoke Damper Application Requirements.” ASHRAE Journal, July. This states under Other Rules: Do not put any dampers in Type 1 grease exhaust systems. 8. California Energy Commission. Title 24, Building Energy Efficiency Standards and ASHRAE Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.

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Criteria for Building Automation Dashboards BY FRANK SHADPOUR, P.E., HFDP, FELLOW ASHRAE; JOSEPH KILCOYNE, P.E., MEMBER ASHRAE

Can you imagine driving a car without a dashboard? The thought seems inconceivable today, yet in 1914, the Ford Model T series was introduced to the world without a dashboard. In the early days of the automobile industry, system reliability and functionality were the primary concern. Speed, fuel economy, and alarms were secondary priorities, if considered at all. As time progressed, so did the needs of the average driver. Cars manufactured today often come standard with dashboards that provide real-time monitoring of fuel economy, and serve as the main interface for auxiliary services such as GPS directions, phone calls, and car audio. Building operations share similar principles with the operation of a motor vehicle: both run on “fuel,” both require continuous maintenance for proper operation and longevity, and both can be optimized to operate at greater efficiencies. However, while the automobile dashboard has become a universal industry standard, the majority of buildings still operate without the convenience and effectiveness of this valuable feature. It is time for the building industry to catch up. This article proposes a rational basis for evaluating the performance criteria of building automation dashboards.

What is a Dashboard? The term “dashboard” originally applied to a barrier of wood or leather fixed at the front of a horse-drawn

carriage or sleigh to protect the driver from mud or other debris “dashed up” by the horses’ hooves. The term has gained popularity in the computing industry since the Hewlett-Packard Company released Dashboard for Windows in 1992. While the specific definition of the term varies by market, a commonly accepted definition includes “a visual display of the most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives; consolidated and arranged on a single screen so the information can be monitored at a glance.”1 For most observers, the term energy dashboard brings to mind images of sleek lobby displays for LEEDcertified buildings that tout “green facts” or total facility emission reductions in terms of “trees planted” or “cars

Frank Shadpour, P.E., and Joseph Kilcoyne, P.E., are principals at SC Engineers in San Diego, Calif. Shadpour is a member of TC 1.4, control theory and application. 28

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taken off of the road.” While these items are certainly eye-catching and intuitive to the casual observer, they only scratch the surface of the potential of building dashboards. Today’s dashboard users have the ability to acquire real-time customized data from sources never available before and to make informed decisions to continuously optimize building operations.

Need for Classification All dashboards are not created equal. The term “dashboard” today continues to be flaunted when marketing any screen-based display with flashy graphics and energy related charts. But what do you get when you decide to purchase a dashboard? Prospective dashboard users should know: • Is the dashboard strictly related to facility energy use or does it also provide insight into building automation systems? • Can the dashboard be individually customized for my facility’s HVAC technician, as well as the building manager, and CEO? There are currently no universal dashboard classification standards that establish performance criteria for rational evaluation of the requirements for energy or building automation dashboards. A uniform reference for comparing services and functionality is necessary and would be an invaluable tool when choosing between dashboard software packages. Unfortunately, this tool does not exist today. Three essential elements to consider when selecting dashboard software include: • Intuitive Graphics. Are the graphics clear and intuitive so that they are easily understood without resorting to supplemental instructions? • Analytical Tools. Do the dashboard analytical tools have the capability to integrate multiple live and historic data sources to provide real-time decision-making information? • Ease of Customization. Can the dashboard be easily customized to adapt to the program requirements of maintenance, operations, and financial building personnel? This article presents a rational method for categorizing building automation dashboards to indicate required features at each level so that owners, operators, designers, and contractors can discuss their needs in the same terms. The proposed classification is established with

The Industry Speaks An original survey performed by the authors of more than 100 HVAC professionals including facility managers, engineers, and control technicians was conducted to gauge industry interest in dashboards for this article. Participants were asked to list the dashboard features that interest them the most. The following list indicates the most popular features in prioritized order: • Real-time energy costs; • Fault detection and diagnostics; • Integrated facility control; • Weather data; • Integrated lighting control; • Renewable energy system monitoring; • Trend analysis; • Remote access; • Manual override notification; and • Fire alarm system monitoring. The same survey revealed that 73% of participants indicated that the ability to customize a dashboard was “very important” to them, and 58% indicated that they would prefer a custom third party dashboard interface to their existing HVAC control graphics.

levels similar to the ASHRAE categorization of the building energy audit process.2 The proposed method of classification includes four dashboard levels. Each level contains the functionality and toolsets provided in all lower levels.

Level 0: Static Data Dashboards We start at Level 0 with dashboards that use static data sets only. These dashboards are typically created by engineers to illustrate the relationship among several potential conditions during the facility planning process. Level 0 dashboards can be thought of as “interactive reports.” Instead of presenting a printed report with fixed assumptions for projected rates and tariffs, the Level 0 dashboards allow the user to see how changes in rates or efficiencies will affect their key performance indicators. The intent of the Level 0 dashboard is to provide an intuitive graphical interface that allows the user to quickly manipulate large data sets and calculate a key variable such as payback period, projected budget, or comparative life-cycle costs. M AY 2 0 1 5

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The proposed categories begin with Level 0 rather than Level 1 because the Level 0 is not accessing or displaying any real-time live data even though it may have the look and features of a live data dashboard. Data sources commonly used in Level 0 include building energy simulation results, historic interval meter data, and other large static data sets from which valuable insight can be derived. Level 0 dashboards are most frequently used for master planning purposes when comparative “what-if” analyses of building life cycle and projected construction costs allow an owner to make better informed capital planning decisions. Figure 1 is a sample of a Level 0 dashboard that shows an interactive campus master energy plan.3 Comprehensive cost and energy savings calculations are drawn upon to provide a dynamic analysis of energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities. Projected inflation rates and financing rates can be adjusted to show how they impact the bottom line.

FIGURE 1 Level 0 dashboards allow manipulation of static data sets. The relationship among multiple variables and options can be demonstrated in an intuitive display.

Level 1: Live Display Dashboards The most commonly perceived version of an energy dashboard is provided at Level 1 where live data sources are displayed. The Level 1 dashboard will typically display realFIGURE 2 Level 1 dashboards typically display facility energy performance data streamed from energy meters and the building automation system. time energy data, building characteristics, LEED performance, and “green tips.” These building energy use down to sub-metered systems or dashboards can exist as physical display kiosks located equipment. Figure 2 shows a sample live data energywithin the building or as virtual displays to be accessed efficiency dashboard. over the internet. The goal of the Level 1 dashboard is to Level 1 dashboards are intended for monitoring and create occupant awareness through the display of actual display purposes only. Additional analysis is often not building performance, demonstration of real-time sustainable design features, tips on how to be efficient, and available or limited to a few “out of the box” tools such as utility rate or bill analysis engines. other educational features. Level 1 dashboard display data is typically derived from sources such as energy meters, building automa- Level 2: Integrated Control and Analytics Dashboards Level 2 dashboards introduce three additional capation systems, trend data, and LEED scorecards. The bilities: analytics, web services, and integrated controls. Level 1 dashboard can display the energy use intensities of multiple buildings at an enterprise level or Analytics compare a single building’s current monthly energy Perhaps the biggest buzzword in the building automause to the previous year. The level of detail for the data tion industry today is analytics. Promises of advanced provided in a Level 1 dashboard can range from whole 30

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analytics seem to be part of the marketing materials for every building intelligence software proposal. But what are analytics? The term analytics applies to software that provides usable information resulting from systematic analysis of data and statistics. Essentially, analytics are number crunching software packages working behind-the-scenes to generate the dashboard key performance indicators. While Level 1 dashboards may contain a few simple analytic functions, the Level 2 dashboard enables the programmer and user to produce customized analytical tools to focus on specific elements relevant to individual users. For instance, if an HVAC technician is interested in seeing if a central chilled water plant is operating more efficiently after implementing a new chiller staging sequence, the analytical function could be set up as follows: • Use trend data from the building automation system to average chiller plant power usage per ton hour delivered. • Leverage historical weather databases to normalize the data per cooling degree day. Once the analytic is produced, it is available to continue tracking the central plant performance or to be applied to other central plants in additional buildings.

Web Services3 Web services establish standardized methods for integrating analytical applications over an internet protocol network. They allow exchange of data and communication between electronic devices. The web services are software systems designed to support machine-tomachine interaction over various networks. Often, web services use eXtensible Markup Language, or XML. XML provides a practical method to package data so that it can be transferred between various internet applications. It is basically a data file protocol to simplify the process to package, tag, store, and find data. Building automation systems may use simple object access protocol (SOAP) to access XML and HTML files from various web services to obtain the data necessary to support the analytic programs. As the price of energy rises, web services, XML and SOAP will likely play a significant role in reducing energy consumption cost by providing the information required to make operating decisions in a timely manner. 32

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Integrated Controls The widespread use of open communications control protocols such as BACnet in today’s smart building systems has opened the marketplace to integration companies who offer a single source solution to integrated supervisory control of field level equipment controllers from different manufacturers. With this advent of third-party software platforms that can replace a DDC hardware manufacturer’s front end graphics, building operators now have a choice to leave their standard graphics behind and produce customized building automation dashboards. By adding the capability to send commands to digital control systems, Level 2 integrated building automation dashboards can become the primary graphical user interface for building monitoring and operation. Level 2 building automation dashboards offer the added advantage of being able to overlay energy usage, trend plots, and other key performance indicators on top of standard HVAC equipment graphics enabling users to diagnose equipment operation at a glance. Additionally, building automation dashboards which integrate other smart building systems such as lighting control, fire alarm, and CCTV offer the capability to display multiple building systems on the same graphic floor plan as shown in Figure 3. With Level 2 dashboards, supervisory control sequences which span several building systems become possible. By assigning certain HVAC systems and lighting circuits to each building occupant’s key card, access by a single occupant during off hours can trigger the building automation dashboard to only enable those systems required to light and condition the spaces occupied by that tenant.

Level 3: Ongoing Commissioning Dashboards Level 3 dashboards bring a third level of analysis to the dashboard. It provides an instrument that continuously mines the “big data” generated by smart building systems to optimize each system. The recent rapid increases in building automation server power and storage capacities have led to a trend to store more and more historic data. It is not uncommon today for facilities to trend every point in their BAS at 15 minute intervals for an entire year. Sorting through this data to look for patterns simply isn’t possible with conventional means. This trend has led to the emergence of a market for automated fault detection and diagnostics, or FDD. FDD

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consists of overlaying software platforms which analyze historic databases with a goal to identify faults and determine their root causes. FDD can also document actions taken to correct those faults and monitor the resulting energy and cost savings. Enabled with FDD software, a Level 3 dashboard can automatically alert a user of system failures and deviations, identify the root cause of an issue, calculate deviations between actual and optimal performance, and prioritize remedies by importance and potential operating cost savings. In an FDD application, a set of rules is created by which all network data points are run through to continuously check for defiFIGURE 3 Level 2 dashboards can offer a single customized graphical user interface to monitor and cient system operation or deviation from a control multiple facility disciplines. Overlaying energy performance data and trend analytics on operational interfaces gives operators the data required to run their facilities more efficiently. particular sequence of operation. Most FDD platforms available today come with a set of standard rules to identify common HVAC system deficien• Simultaneous heating and cooling; cies such as: • Short cycling of equipment;

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• Degraded heating or cooling functions; • Suboptimal economizer operation; • Non-functioning sensors; • Setpoints overridden; and • Equipment not operating with schedules. Custom rules can be developed with a Level 3 dashboard to address specific project requirements and conform to unique sequences of operations. An FDD program can be programmed to not only identify specific faults but document their duration, evaluate their cause, and determine the economic operating costs associated with each fault. The FIGURE 4 Level 3 dashboards can provide automated fault detection and diagnostics (FDD) software to goal of these efforts is what induscontinuously identify and display conditions resulting in sub-optimal energy performance or thermal comfort conditions. try insiders call “actionable intelligence” to provide notifications of conditions, which can be addressed to immediately improve performance. Figure 4 shows a dashboards continues to expand, there is an increassample FDD dashboard graphic. ing need to provide a rational basis to classify standard The fault detection and diagnostics market is still in and advanced dashboard features. Rational building its infancy. Most of the available platforms come from automation dashboard classifications are necessary to third party applications offered in a software-as-a-ser- allow an “apples to apples” comparison when choosing vice (SaaS) model in which the software is licensed on a between platforms. subscription basis and centrally hosted. This article presents four levels of dashboards ranging Many forward thinking owners are preparing for the from interactive analysis of static data to ongoing conemergence of the mainstream market of FDD “apps” tinuous analysis of live streams of building automation by standardizing the protocols for labeling and storing “big data” sets. Armed with a better notion of the overall data. By organizing their historian databases in an open range of available dashboard toolsets and the required relational database-management-system (DBMS) such amount of effort to accomplish each Level, facility ownas standard query language (SQL) and providing a coners and operators can select an application which best sistent point naming or tagging standard across their suits their needs. networks, they can significantly reduce the effort and For the industry to see the full inherent value and cost to map their point databases to any combination possibilities in energy and building automation dashof ongoing commissioning and FDD applications they boards, we must first provide the language and strucchose. The ultimate goal is a system configuration where ture to characterize them. This effort is long overdue. multiple applications from several manufacturers are References accessing a facility’s DBMS server simultaneously and 1. Few, S. 2007. “Dashboard confusion revisited.” Visual Business providing vendor-specific reports to accomplish indiIntelligence Newsletter March. vidual facility objectives.

Conclusion As the market for energy and building automation 36

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2. ASHRAE. 2011. Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits, Second Edition. 3. Shadpour, F. 2012. The Fundamentals of HVAC Direct Digital Control: Practical Applications and Design, Third Edition.

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2015 ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARD CASE STUDIES

The 51,000 ft2 lab facility functions as a shared research facility for the City of Tacoma, the University of Washington and Puget Sound Partnership. The facility was proposed to maintain the cleanliness of the waterway & help restore, protect and maintain other water bodies throughout the Puget Sound.

FIRST PLACE COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, OTHER INSTITUTIONAL, NEW

A Beacon BEN BENSCHNEIDER

For Urban Waters BY MATTHEW LONGSINE, P.E., ASSOCIATE MEMBER ASHRAE

BUILDING AT A GLANCE

Tacoma Center For Urban Waters Location: Tacoma, Wash. Owner: National Development Council, HEDC Public-Private Partnerships for the City of Tacoma Principal Use: Research Includes: City of Tacoma office space Employees/Occupants: 104 Gross Square Footage: 51,000 Conditioned Space Square Footage: 40,000 Substantial Completion/Occupancy: March 2010 Occupancy: Approximately 85%

The Tacoma Center for Urban Waters is a three-story lab building that was envisioned by the City of Tacoma, Wash., to be a beacon on the water; an icon that can be seen from the downtown core; and an example of using building and site sustainable strategies that can set the direction for future projects in the city. The 51,000 ft2 (4738 m2) building functions as a shared research facility for the City of Tacoma, University of Washington, and Puget Sound Partnership. During the mid-1990s, the City of Tacoma, Wash., in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) undertook a major cleanup effort of the Theo Foss Waterway, located just east of the city’s bustling downtown. Matthew Longsine, P.E., is senior associate, Building Mechanical Systems at WSP, Seattle.

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ABOVE Typical lab space. Note the light fixBEN BENSCHNEIDER

tures placed over the work station, the green piping chase to service the lab benches, and the north facing access to daylight and views.

LEFT Mechanical penthouse showing chilled

water pumps with water-to-water heat pump.

It took nearly 12 years to undo decades of pollution and sewage dumped directly into the waterway. At the completion of this undertaking, a new facility was proposed to maintain the cleanliness of the waterway and help restore, protect and maintain other water bodies throughout the Puget Sound. This mix of scientists, engineers and policymakers helps implement best practices in serving the environment. The lab focuses on receiving and analyzing water samples from the waterways of Tacoma and surrounding areas, and 9,000 ft2 (836 m2) of the building is dedicated to laboratory testing and research. This project was completed using an integrated, collaborative effort throughout design and construction with ambitious sustainable goals, and is now certified as a LEED v2.2 Platinum laboratory. The following design features were all critical to the successful implementation of this project: • Ground loop geoexchange heating and cooling; • Heat recovery; • Energy efficient lighting; • Daylighting; • Natural ventilation; • Radiant floors; • Low-e glass and exterior operable shading; • VAV low-flow fume hoods; • Low-flow plumbing fixtures & rainwater harvesting; • Green roof; and • Energy efficient HVAC components.

Mechanical Systems The building’s central plant consists of a 200 ton (703 kW) ground source water-to-water heat pump that combines with a geoexchange loop with 84 bore holes at an

average of 280 ft (85 m) deep each. The water-to-water heat pump can simultaneously produce hot and chilled water that is pumped throughout the building. As a cost saving measure, the ground loop was sized for 100% of the heating load and only 75% of the cooling load. Therefore, a 70 ton (246 kW) fluid cooler was provided for peak cooling operation. After observing the building’s operation, the fluid cooler only operates two or three times a year. Given the mixed occupancy of lab and office space, the building has been divided into two separate spaces that are conditioned by two separate system types. For the lab, a 60 ton (211 kW) variable air volume (VAV) air-handling unit (AHU) delivers 18,500 cfm (8731 L/s) of air to the space while two 21,000 cfm (9911 L/s) VAV lab exhaust fans have been provided that connect to the fume hoods, snorkels, bio-safety cabinets and general exhaust. A runaround loop was provided so the warm air from the exhaust system is transferred via water and serves as a preheat coil for the air handling unit. For the office space, a 40 ton (140 kW) 100% outside air AHU delivers 9,300 cfm (4389 L/s) to the space. This unit also has been provided with a heat recovery enthalpy wheel, so that all return air, including the toilet exhaust, passes through the enthalpy wheel, which serves as preheat for the supply air (or precooling in summer). The majority of the office floor plate is open, with few enclosed offices or conference rooms. This, combined with a narrow floor plate of 25 ft (7.6 m) wide, serves as an ideal environment for a passive ventilation and cooling solution. Operable windows are provided in combination with room indicator lights that let the occupants know when the most ideal outdoor air conditions are to open the windows. For times when the windows are shut, the M AY 2 0 1 5

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floor can be activated through a radiant floor system that has been sized for both the heating and cooling loads of the office. With the natural ventilation/radiant system, the air-handling unit size was reduced by nearly 80%, which opened up ceilings and spaces.

Energy Efficiency Traditionally, laboratories use large amounts of energy for their operations. Tacoma Center for Urban Waters was designed with efficiency and sustainability in mind from the initial phases of the project and was targeted during design to use 32.8% less energy than ASHRAE/ IESNA Standard 90.1-2004 and 36.6% less cost savings. We conducted energy and thermal simulations in the early design stages to determine the most effective strategies. According to the AIA 2030 Commitment Reporting Tool Design Year 2010, the average lab building energy use intensity (EUI) is 370. From our modeling simulations, we are able to determine a baseline EUI of 122 with a design EUI of 82. After one year’s occupancy, we discovered that the Tacoma Center for Urban Waters Project performs slightly higher than which it was designed, and has an actual EUI of 85. The project’s exemplary EUI reduction of 77% meets the 2030 Challenge.

Indoor Air Quality & Thermal Comfort In accordance with ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2004, each lab has been provided with an air monitoring system that measures the varying quantities of supply and exhaust in the room and adjusts to ensure that these spaces are always negatively pressurized from the rest of 40

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the building, so chemical odors cannot migrate into surrounding spaces affecting the occupants. Three of the labs require an environment where the room must be positively pressurized. In these instances, an override button is provided at the lab’s exit to reverse the pressurization in the event of a spill. In addition to the labs, janitor’s closets and copy rooms are negatively pressurized as well. Air-handling units serving these spaces provide 100% outside air with no recirculation of air back to the building. High occupancy density non-lab spaces, consisting of conference and meeting rooms and rooms with occupancies greater than 25 people per 1,000 ft2 (93 m2) are equipped with CO2 sensors to help track indoor environmental quality. The building is located in an industrial area of Tacoma, Wash., that is not conducive to a natural ventilation solution. Given the site’s close proximity to water combined with the prevailing winds, early site studies were conducted to ensure odors or contaminants from nearby properties would not affect the air quality inside the building. The contractor also implemented measures to maintain high indoor air quality during construction including temporary filters on equipment that were replaced prior to occupancy and a building flush out, earning EQc3 in the LEED NC v2.2 rating system. ASHRAE Standard 55-2004 is based on the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) comfort model, which incorporates heat transfer models to relate the personal activity levels, clothing and environmental conditions, enabling us to calculate a value on a thermal sensation scale.

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TABLE 1 Total building annual utility consumption. ENERGY CONSUMPTION 2013 

ELECTRICITY (KWH)

NATURAL GAS (THERMS)

January

121,000

195

February

114,000

216

March

96,000

165

April

97,000

225

May

103,000

190

June

105,000

206

July

113,000

176

August

117,000

168

September

104,000

192

October

95,000

184

November

94,000

192

December

116,000

205

TOTAL ANNUAL

1,275,000

2,314

TABLE 2 Energy use intensity (EUI) summary. ENERGY CONSUMPTION (KBTU/FT 2·YR)

Baseline Design

122

Modeled Design

82

Actual Use

85

The scale ranges from –3 (cold) to +3 (hot). A PMV of –0.5 to +0.5 meets Standard 55-2004. Standard 55-2004 does not specify minimum humidity levels. The output from the ASHRAE comfort model indicates that the indoor design conditions meet the Standard 55-2004 with a rating of –0.31 in the summer and a –0.10 in the winter.

Innovation The most innovative part of the project is the use of the geoexchange system. At depths below 12 ft (3.6 m), the earth is typically at a relatively constant temperature compared with the surrounding air (approximately 55°F [12.7°C] in the Puget Sound region). When feasible, this makes it an ideal medium to either reject

heat from the building in the cooling cycle or draw energy Center for Urban Waters from the earth for heating the building. As mentioned Sustainable Strategies previously, 84 wells were provided as part of this system 2 1 with an average depth of 280 ft (85 m). The original design 3 called for 76 wells with depths of 300 ft (91 m). 11 Early on in the drilling of the wells, it was found that given 10 1 Green Roof the site’s proximity to the waterway, approximately 50 ft (15 2 Summer Sun 3 Winter Sun m) on the west and 150 ft (46 m) on the south, the wells on 4 4 Water Storage Tanks the north side of the site began to cave in on themselves at 5 Irrigation from Storage 7 Tanks approximately 240 to 260 ft (73 to 79 m) as the soil became 5 6 Rain Garden unstable. This was not an issue for the test well, which was 7 Natural Ventilation drilled during the design phase of the project. It was later 8 Ground Source 9 Heat and Cool 7 6 found the test well was drilled on the north side of the proj9 Radiant Floor ect’s site, where the soil was more stable and the originally 10 Excess Clean Water 8 From Labs planned 300 ft (91 m) well depth could easily be achieved. 11 Flush Toilets from To overcome the shortfall in capacity that would have Storage Tanks resulted from a reduced average borehole depth, eight FIGURE 1 Overview of the sustainable features that have been provided at the more wells were drilled on site to enable the well field to Center for Urban Waters. meet the building’s heating and cooling loads. Baseline Potable Water Consumption Water Conservation & Reclaim Precipitation 425,600 Non-Conserving Fixtures Baseline Gal./Yr. Integrated design was a 498,500 Gal./Yr. 738,600 53,000 Irrigation –223,900 Conserving Fixtures common theme through260,000 Runoff System –61,000 Toilet Flushing from Storage Tanks –53,000 Irrigation from Storage Tanks 738,600 Gal./Yr. out the design process. 400,700 Gal./Yr. The mechanical engineer (46% Savings) Storm Waste Water worked closely with the Runoff Reject Domestic Toilets & Urinals Irrigation Toilet Supply architect and the rest of Rainwater Collection 100,000 Gal./Yr. Water Storage Tanks the design team to find Runoff (41,000 Gal./Ea.) synergies between buildWaste Water Water to 447,700 Gal./Yr. Labs ing envelope and the Storm Water Runoff mechanical systems to 398,500 Gal./Yr. Reverse Osmosis reduce system loads. Water Treatment System One of those synergies Domestic Water Main Runoff Reject was to provide a dynamic Irrigation 130,000 Gal./Yr. Storm Main 53,000 Gal./Yr. Potable Water exterior shading system. Waste Main 400,700 Gal./Yr. A sun tracking device FIGURE 2 Highlights of the building’s water use and reuse. located on the roof of the building monitors the away from the windows access to natural light that they sun’s position and brightness levels throughout the day. wouldn’t have in a standard office design. Depending on the brightness level, a signal is sent to A second synergy found between the lab planner and exterior blinds located on the south façade of the buildengineer was on the function of the fume hoods located ing that can raise, lower, open and close. If the building occupants want more or less light, regardless of the out- in the labs. Historically, a typical design face velocity used for fume hood design is 100 fpm (0.508 m/s). This door conditions, an override switch is provided giving practice had been rarely challenged until recent years, the user control of their environment. In addition to but studies have shown that a hood can be just as effecthe external shading, light shelves have been provided tive in containing their environment at face velocities as above the blinds to help introduce reflected sunlight deep into the building’s space, giving occupants situated low as 60 fpm (0.305 m/s), depending on what and how M AY 2 0 1 5

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Credit: Perkins + Will

2015 ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARD CASE STUDIES

2015 ASHRAE TECHNOLOGY AWARD CASE STUDIES

Dry Bulb Relative Humidity Humidity Ratio Wet Bulb Dew Point Humidity

25 20 15 10

30

67.2°F 100.0% 19.3 lbw/klbda 73.5°F 75.6°F 21.1 Btu/lb

25 20 15 10 5

5

50

55

60

65

70 75 80 85 Dry-Bulb Temperature (°F)

90

95

0

Humidity Ratio (lbw/klbda)

30

66.4°F 100.0% 19.3 lbw/klbda 73.2°F 75.6°F 21.1 Btu/lb

Humidity Ratio (lbw/klbda)

Dry Bulb Relative Humidity Humidity Ratio Wet Bulb Dew Point Humidity

0 50

55

60

65 70 75 80 Dry-Bulb Temperature (°F)

85

90

95

FIGURE 3 Summer indoor setpoint (left); winter indoor setpoint (right).

the fume hood is being used and provided the overall room air distribution is properly specified. After deliberation with owner stakeholders, as a compromise, 75 fpm (0.381 m/s) was ultimately chosen for the design face velocity on all fume hoods.

An exceptional calculation to ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004 was performed, which yielded an additional 3 to 4% energy savings for the building through the reduction in face velocity at the hoods. This savings also earned an additional LEED point under Credit EA 1. Another innovative component of the project is the use of rainwater harvesting and reuse for non-potable water applications. Two 36,000 gallon (136 275 L) water storage tanks sit outside the building and collect rain water and deionized lab water to be used for toilet flushing and irrigation. Combined with low flow plumbing fixtures, this project sees a 46% reduction in water use relative to the LEED baseline. To help building occupants and visitor’s better understand the impact of these tanks, an LED display located on the outside of each tank shows how much water is stored throughout the year.

Operation and Maintenance

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For the first year of operation, the building did not perform as well as expected. Given the then limited experience with centralized ground loop heat pump systems in the Northwest, fine-tuning the equipment to operate at its full potential took longer than expected by all parties involved. The building engineer was engaged throughout the process and understood how the mechanical systems were supposed to operate and understood the benefits that could be achieved and therefore was committed to seeing the commissioning process through. Nearly one year after occupancy, the building was fully commissioned, and now is performing as expected. Thus far, the building management team appreciates the many

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sustainable features for this project. An interactive building energy dashboard is displayed in the lobby of the building, giving the occupants the chance to see how much energy and water is used on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Comparisons to previous time frames can also be displayed to show how well the building performs over time.

Cost Effectiveness With any lab facility, cost for mechanical equipment is at a premium. The total construction cost for this project was $18.3 million ($359/ft2 [$3864/m2)], with $4.1 million ($80/ft2 [$861 m2]) dedicated to the HVAC and plumbing costs, which was on budget. Energy modeling for the project was simulated for LEED Certification compliance to demonstrate that the building performs 36.6% (energy cost) better than a baseline building defined using the Performance Rating Method in ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004, reducing significantly long-term operational costs. In addition, the geoexchange ground loop will last the life of the building without requiring replacement, or any anticipated maintenance.

Environmental Impact The multiple sustainable strategies involved with the Tacoma Center for Urban Waters project helped it achieve 57 points out of a possible 69 under LEED-NC v2.2 resulting in a Platinum certification. A significant reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions was achieved. Using the fuel emissions factor set forth by ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1 (Natural Gas 0.51 lbs carbon/kWh, electricity 1.67 lbs carbon/ kWh), Tacoma Center for Urban Waters reduces CO2 emissions from a baseline 3.66 million lbs carbon/kWh to an actual use of 2.48 million lbs carbon/kWh. The result is a 32.2% reduction in CO2 emissions.

Conclusion Overall, the City of Tacoma is pleased with the performance of the facility and will continuously monitor the building’s performance through the LEED EB program. Occupant satisfaction remains a top priority with many of the building’s comfort controls given to the end user. The Tacoma Center for Urban Waters continues to be an excellent example of integrative design.

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COLUMN ENGINEER’S NOTEBOOK Daniel H. Nall

Control of Underfloor Air-Distribution Systems BY DANIEL H. NALL, P.E., BEMP, HBDP, FAIA, FELLOW/LIFE MEMBER ASHRAE

Underfloor air-distribution (UFAD) systems have been designed and built in the United States for more than 20 years with various degrees of success. The system remains controversial, with both advocates and detractors, but has experienced significant penetration in some markets. The most common complaint with these systems, however, is that spaces are chronically over-cooled.1 Many critical factors have been identified for avoiding this pitfall, but the implementation of effective control strategies is arguably the most important step. Underfloor air-distribution system typically refers to an HVAC system that delivers conditioning air from an air-handling unit through an access floor plenum to multiple floor-located diffusers or terminals that modulate airflow to individual zones to maintain comfort. Underfloor air is not a universal solution for all office buildings. It is well-suited to open plan, single tenant or owner-occupied buildings. In those buildings, the overall cost of the system, including available economies in systems furniture and cable distribution and certain tax advantages, is competitive with conventional overhead air-distribution systems. For occupancies that require many closed rooms, however, or where construction costs are divided between landlord and tenant, UFAD may be less attractive. Selection of the system should follow a comprehensive review of the usage, goals and configuration of an occupancy and extensive discussion with the occupants and owner of the project. Differences between this system and a conventional single duct overhead delivery VAV system include: • Air distribution is primarily through an open plenum under an access floor, rather than through closed ductwork above the ceiling. • Air delivery from the floor-mounted diffusers is intended to be semi-displacement rather than full mixing and, therefore, the design supply air temperature to the space is much higher (~62°F vs. ~55°F [17°C vs. 13°C]) and diffuser face velocity is significantly lower than with overhead systems. 46

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• Because floor registers are immediately accessible to occupants, manually adjustable diffusers are often used in interior workstations instead of thermostatically operated diffusers or terminals. • Air temperature distribution in the space is usually markedly different with a UFAD system than with an overhead mixing system, showing significant stratification. Many of the parts of an UFAD system are conventional and familiar, although some require some special modifications for UFAD. Primary air-handling units are similar to those of overhead systems, although, in humid climates, air-handling units supplying directly to the plenum will require a coil bypass so that return air may be redirected around the cooling coil to raise the supply air temperature to the space while maintaining the required apparatus dew-point temperature. All humid outside ventilation air is directed across the coil to ensure that the supply airstream has an adequately low dew-point temperature to control space humidity. Many UFAD systems provide supply air for both interior and perimeter zones from the same source through the same supply plenum. Provision of a separate supply plenum or a separate, often hydronic, cooling source for perimeter zones usually is often ruled out because of operational or first cost considerations. Serving both the perimeter zones and interior zones from the same underfloor supply plenum requires a control sequence Daniel H. Nall, P.E., FAIA, is vice president at Syska Hennessy Group, New York.

COLUMN ENGINEER’S NOTEBOOK

Sprinkler Branch Line

Recessed Light Fixture

Recessed Sprinkler Head

Warm Return Air

Return Air Ceiling Return Plenum Light Fixture

Thermal Plume Perimeter Heating/ Cooling Updraft Supply Multi-Slot Perimeter Floor Diffuser

Stratification Boundary Level Variable Speed Fan with Hydronic Heating Coil

Swirling Supply Air

Multi-Service Floor Box with Power/Tele/Data

Floor Mounted Swirl Diffuser

Flexible Conduit Whip

Supply Air Floor Plenum Power Junction Box Run at Floor Slab

Supply Cooling Air Power Conduit Run at Floor Slab

High Performance Glass Façade

FIGURE 1 Configuration of the underfloor air-distribution system.

that enables comfort control for both types of zones simultaneously. Supply air temperature degradation due to heat transfer across the access floor into the supply air and across the floor slab from the return air plenum below is a significant issue with UFAD systems. Many strategies have been developed to deal with this issue, but they are beyond the scope of this article. A well-designed underfloor plenum system using all of the known strategies to avoid thermal degradation should have a temperature rise across the plenum ranging from 2°F (1°C) to no more than 6°F (3.4°C). These strategies include location of supply air insertion points for the plenum to avoid lengthy or circuitous pathways to the most remote outlets and controlling insertion velocity to minimize the generation of large scale vortices under the floor. The fundamental hypothesis of UFAD systems is that loads in the open plan area served by the system will vary uniformly over time. Control schemes can be applied to the entire distribution system to handle the load variation that does occur in this space. Individual manual control can be applied to the floor diffusers to “trim” air delivery to individual workstations or to handle an extraordinary load “event.” Frequent manipulation of the floor diffusers is not considered to be a necessary component for maintaining comfort. A necessary corollary of this hypothesis

is that comfort control for spaces not part of the general open plan can occur independently of the control stratagems imposed on the overall air-distribution system. These spaces might include closed offices, conference rooms and perimeter spaces. This corollary has significant implications for the design of the system to avoid conflict between comfort control in these separate spaces. Figure 1 shows typical UFAD system with both interior and perimeter zones served by the same floor supply plenum.

System Control for Maximized Comfort Historically, UFAD systems have been designed and installed with various arrangements and control strategies with varying levels of success compared to conventional overhead systems.2 Many times the project’s physical form will guide the equipment locations and strategies, but in all cases, engineers should ensure that the systems are arranged to maximize occupant comfort and realize the other benefits possible with UFAD systems. Prior to committing to any control strategy, it is critical that the design team focus on creating system arrangements that minimize thermal decay and air leakage, promote air stratification and facilitate independent control of different space types served by the air-distribution system. Block loads in the interior zones of office spaces are not constant. Even in an open plan area with uniform work station M AY 2 0 1 5

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Airflow

Fan Speed

density, the block load may demonstrate a varia130°F Maximum Fan Speed tion across the day. Following a warm night or Discharge Air weekend, the cooling load will experience a Design Airflow Design Fan Speed Temperature peak during “morning cool-down” as the system Setpoint Airflow overcomes high temperatures that result from the overnight deactivation of the HVAC system. In cooler weather, early morning cooling loads 30% Design 30% Design may be almost non-existent as the heat gain Fan Speed Airflow Fan Speed from lights, equipment and people must warm Lowest Possible up the thermal mass of the space before the heat Fan Speed (~15% Maximum gain shows up as cooling load. A fundamental Minimum Fan Speed) Airflow (Due 60°F requirement for maintaining comfort is accomTo Pressurized modation of these basic load profiles, while mainPlenum) Heat Loop Output Deadband Cooling Loop Output taining flexibility to meet loads in other spaces. FIGURE 2 Fan operation and airflow for perimeter fan terminals.7 Generally recognized schemes for tracking the block load profile of the open plan interior zone cooling demand increases, the floor pressure falls to are to reset the positive pressure setpoint of the supply plenum with respect to the space and reset of the sup- reduce airflow to interior spaces to reducing overcooling. ply air temperature in the floor plenum.3 Each of these alterThese reset protocols require several temperature natives has implications for comfort control in the non-open sensors mounted in the open office area.3 The author’s plan spaces. Reset of the plenum pressure setpoint requires experience is that mounting these sensors approximately 6 ft (1.8 m) above the finished floor is an effective that airflow to the zones that are not interior open-plan be strategy. Several sensors, spaced around the open plan independent of plenum pressure or that the air outlets in area, are used, and they can be averaged to determine those spaces are sized for design airflow at a pressure lower than the maximum setpoint. Reset of supply air temperature whether or not reset is necessary. The setpoint temperature for these sensors, approximately at head height, implies that the air outlets be sized to meet design cooling should be a few degrees warmer than the ideal comfort loads with a higher supply air temperature than the minimum setpoint. Reset of supply air temperature also implies temperature for seated chest height. These sensors that the dew-point of the supply air is relatively independent should be identified on the documents as temperature of the supply air dry bulb temperature in order to maintain sensors, as opposed to control thermostats, so as not to space humidity control in humid climates. Supply temperaevoke Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requireture downward reset should also be limited to a minimum of ments for location. 60°F (15.6°C) to avoid thermal asymmetry discomfort (cold Using differential pressure reset as a control stratagem is feet, warm head) for space occupants. dependent upon two factors. The first of these is that the Figure 2 is a control scheme that has been found successful pressure sensors used have the sensitivity and accuracy for several different projects: to measure very low pressures. Inadequate sensors will • Reset supply plenum static pressure setpoint based not be able to deliver sufficiently fine control to modulate on interior space temperature. The logic resets the pres- capacity in response to load variation. The sensor range sure setpoint to maximum design pressure (e.g., 0.1 in. should be as low as possible to capture the maximum w.g. [25 Pa]) when the interior spaces are warm down to design pressure. Sensors with accuracy as low as ±0.5% of 0.01 in. w.g. [2.5 Pa] when they are cold. full scale are readily available at reasonable cost. • Reset supply air temperature to satisfy the perimThe second requirement is somewhat more subtle eter zone that requires the coldest air. The best reset and it is that the pressure drop across the floor from strategy is trim and respond, which easily allows the the plenum to the space be sufficiently high to allow an user to ignore some non-critical zones from the logic.4 adequate control range for re-setting the plenum presThe two strategies together can help prevent overcoolsure differential. Airflow through the floor from the pleing: as supply air temperature falls when perimeter zone num to the space is composed of both leakage through

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the floor and flow through the various diffusers and terminal units that control airflow to the space. Excessive leakage through the floor or deployment of too many floor diffusers can result in lower than anticipated pressure drop through the floor at design airflow. If design airflow is achieved at a much lower pressure differential across the floor than 0.05 in. w.g. (12.5 Pa), then the control range for floor pressure reset may be too small to achieve the required flow modulation to accommodate a varying load profile for the interior zones. In general, leakage from the supply plenum is classified as Type I, Leakage to Unoccupied Spaces (including outdoors, core and return air plenum), and Type II, Leakage to Occupied Spaces. While Type I leakage may represent energy waste, either fan energy for moving air directly from the supply plenum to the return plenum, or both fan and cooling energy by moving air out of the conditioned area, Type II leakage presents a more subtle controllability problem that may lead to overall occupant dissatisfaction with the building. Avoidance of this problem requires several different steps. The first is a robust performance specification for air leakage through the floor, accompanied by requirements for verification that the specified measures have been implemented. Recent testing data has indicated that leakage levels, at a pressure differential of 0.05 to 0.06 in. w.g., (12.5 Pa to 15 Pa) of less than 5% for Type I, and less than 7.5% for Type II, may be achieved.5 Performance specification and testing requirements will enable the owner to require remediation should the floor system fail to comply. The second step is an accurate load calculation to determine the maximum amount of supply airflow that will be required to condition the area served by the underfloor plenum. The third step is to allocate the number of passive floor diffusers such that design flow will only be achieved when plenum pressure is at or above the target pressure differential. Sizing of air terminals and determination of the number and location of passive diffusers should recognize that Type II leakage will contribute a significant amount of uncontrolled conditioning air to the space. The author has often limited passive diffusers to workspace locations, completely eliminating them from transient areas such as passageways and congregation areas, in order to maintain an adequate pressure drop from the plenum to the space. If building commissioning reveals that airflow is achieved at a lower pressure differential than desired, then some of the floor diffusers may be closed off. 50

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Use of plenum pressure reset as a means of tracking the block load of the interior space means that other types of zones must be able to track their individual loads independently of plenum pressurization. For enclosed private offices or small conference rooms this may mean the use of thermostatically controlled floor diffusers that are sized to deliver design airflow at lower than design pressure. Thermostatic controls can restrict flow through the diffuser during periods of lower part loads in the space or of higher pressurization of the supply plenum. Areas with more intense cooling loads such as large interior conference rooms and perimeter zones require thermostatically controlled fan forced air supply to those zones. Variable speed fan terminals convey air from the plenum to the space independently of plenum pressurization, fully isolating perimeter zone temperature control from load tracking in the interior zone. Ideally, the heating mechanism for the perimeter zones is completely separated from the underfloor air system, for example, under-window convectors, but rarely is this solution architecturally acceptable. As a result, the fan terminals usually incorporate hydronic coils or electric resistance coils to provide heat to the perimeter zones. The fan terminal control scheme in Figure 2 recommended to be compliant with ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 restrictions on reheat of previously cooled air.6 Large conference room variable speed fan terminals follow a similar control scheme except that the fan does not shut off in the deadband in order to fully comply with ASHRAE Standard 62.1. CO2 sensors can be used to dynamically reset the minimum airflow setpoint. Because CO2 emission from occupants can cause CO2 to rise faster than occupant heat gain causes space temperature to rise, reheat coils may be required to maintain the room within the required temperature range. If reduction of supply plenum differential pressure proves inadequate to avoid overcooling the interior zones of the space, the second stage of capacity control for the interior zones is raising the supply air temperature setpoint. Unfortunately, upward reset of supply air necessarily impacts system cooling capacity for the perimeter zones. This strategy should be avoided except during periods when perimeter or conference room loads are very unlikely to be at design levels, such as during nighttime partial occupancy. In most cases, occupied periods with the lowest internal zone cooling loads, possibly required supply air temperature reset, are the same periods that will likely have lower conference room and perimeter zone loads.

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Conclusion Many projects have demonstrated that UFAD systems are an appropriate and successful HVAC system selection for some office building applications. Successful design of UFAD systems requires reconciling passive comfort control in the interior open-plan zones with active comfort control in perimeter and enclosed zones. The most common comfort complaint in UFAD systems is overcooling in the open plan interior areas. Successful temperature control in these areas requires control schemes that allow the system to track interior zone load profiles without inordinately curtailing system capacity at the perimeter zones. Achievement of this goal can be accomplished through the following control measures: • Use plenum pressure control as the primary means of tracking interior zone cooling loads. • Use sensors that are sufficiently sensitive and accurate, precisely to control plenum pressurization. • Ensure that supply air temperature reset does not compromise required cooling capacity at exterior zones, private offices or conference rooms.

• Use capacity modulation methods in perimeter and enclosed spaces that are relatively independent of supply plenum pressure. These goals can be achieved with either a common or a separate cooling source for perimeter and exterior zones. Success will be determined by rigorous recognition of how the control sequences interact to maintain comfort in both types of zones.

References 1. Lee, E.S., et al. 2013. “A Post-Occupancy Monitored Evaluation of the Dimmable Lighting, Automated Shading, and Underfloor Air Distribution System in The New York Times Building.” Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, pp. 49–50. 2. Woods, J. 2004. “What real-world experience says about the UFAD alternative.” ASHRAE Journal 46(2). 3. Megerson, J.E., et al. 2013. UFAD Guide: Design, Construction and Operation of Underfloor Air Distribution Systems. Atlanta: ASHRAE. 4. Hydeman, M., et al. 2014. “Final Report: ASHRAE RP-1455 Advanced Control Sequences for HVAC Systems, Phase I.” 5. Anticknap, S., M. Opalka 2011. “Testing for leaks in underfloor plenums.” ASHRAE Journal 53(12). 6. ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, p 52. 7. Lee, K. H., et. 2011. “Lessons Learned In Modeling Underfloor Air Distribution Systems.” Center for the Built Environment.

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COLUMN BUILDING SCIENCES Joseph W. Lstiburek

Drilling into Cavities

Vitruvius Does Veneers BY JOSEPH W. LSTIBUREK, PH.D., P.ENG., FELLOW ASHRAE

Vitruvius had it right 2,000 years ago: “…if a wall is in a state of dampness all over, construct a second thin wall a little way from it…at a distance suited to the circumstances…with vents to the open air…when the wall is brought up to the top, leave air holes there. For if the moisture has no means of getting out by vents at the bottom and at the top, it will not fail to spread all over the new wall.”* In Vitruvius’s discussion on methods of building walls he points out: “this we may learn from several monuments… in the course of time, the mortar has lost its strength… and so the monuments are tumbling down and going to pieces, with their joints loosened by the settling of the material that bound them together…. He who wishes to avoid such a disaster should leave a cavity behind the facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick or lava in courses, and then bind them to the fronts by means of iron clamps and lead.”† Kind of humbling, eh? And so where are we two millennia later? Arguing about “a distance suited to the circumstances.” What should the air space or air gap be behind a cladding and what should the venting geometry be behind a cladding? We looked at this earlier (“Mind the Gap, Eh?,” ASHRAE Journal, January 2010, and “Hockey Pucks & Hydrostatic Pressure,” ASHRAE Journal, January 2012). Apparently we need to look at it again so that we can all stop arguing.

It is instructive to look at the evolution of walls from a water management perspective. We pretty much started with mass walls a couple of thousand years ago. A typical old mass wall consisted of several wythes of brick (Figure 1). Rainwater would hit a mass wall, much of the water would drain off the face. Some would be absorbed and some would enter the wall via cracks and gaps in the mortar. How much would enter? Ah, good question. With brick, less than 1% of the rainwater incident on the wall would get past the first layer of brick. Then, less than 1% of the 1% would get past the second layer— then less than 1% of the 1% of the 1% would get past the third layer—you get the idea.‡ The first big improvement in mass walls to handle rain was to stucco them. And, over a couple of centuries this stucco rainwater control approach caught on. The Greeks did it. The Romans did it. Lots of cultures took credit for the idea. Then, we got Vitruvius and the cavity wall.§ This was revolutionary. An air space or gap behind the first wythe to allow drainage of penetrating rainwater was

* Marcus Vitruvius Pollio wrote in the time of Augustus (63 B.C. – 14 A.D.) and it is believed that he wrote this around 15 B.C.1 † Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, De Architectura, Book II, Chapter VII, Methods of Building Walls, 15 B.C. ‡ This is my take on this based on being an old guy who has been around. We know today, based on measurements, that less than 1% of rainwater gets past a single layer of brick: a brick veneer wall. And today’s brick veneer walls are pretty crappy workmanship compared to bricks laid 100 or 200 or more years ago. § Vitruvius did not invent the cavity wall. He just was the first to write about it. We don’t know who invented it. This happens all the time. Someone who had nothing to do with the original idea writes about it, gets it published in a peer-reviewed journal, everyone else references the paper, and the original creator gets nada credit.

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a phenomenal concept Multi-Wythe Veneer Outer Inner Masonry Veneer Mass Wall (Figure 1). The air space or Wall Wall “Backup” Wall gap also acted as a capilFrame Wall lary break and allowed (Steel Stud or airflow to redistribute Wood Stud) the penetrating absorbed Cavity Insulation water and subsequently vent it out of the assembly. Sheathing (Gypsum Board, Drainage, ventilation and Plywood or OSB) a capillary break all in one. Water Control Layer Amazing. FIGURE 1 Cavity Wall Evolution. Cavity walls over time evolved into two equal load bearing layers tied together structurally. The gap Cavity walls over time was typically limited to 2 to 3 in. (51 to 76 mm) based on the structural limitations of the ties. Over time the outer wythe of brick became a non-load-bearing “veneer” coupled with a masonry “backup” wall that was structurally more “robust.” When steel and evolved into two equal concrete frame buildings were introduced, the “backup” walls no longer needed to be load bearing. The masonry “backup” walls load bearing layers tied got less and less “robust” and over time were completely replaced with frame walls constructed with steel studs. For much of the together structurally. The evolution described above, the water control approach was the air gap. Water control layers were an alien concept and did not get introduced until the last half of the last century. With cavity wall construction, we did not see them until after the 1960s. gap was typically limited to 2 to 3 in. (51 to 76 mm) based on the structural limitations Rain has always been a big thing of the ties. Two wythes of brick tied once you get over the structure and together this way tended to be pretty fire thing. First, make sure buildlimiting structurally, and structural ings don’t fall down. Second, make engineers are known to not like sure they don’t burn. Then, keep being limited. It did not take much the rain out of the inside. Pretty time for things to change. The outer fundamental. The gap was the rain PHOTO 1 Mortar Droppings. The gap was the rain wythe of brick became a non-loadcontrol thing in the original cavity control thing in the original cavity walls. And, the key to the gap was to keep the mortar out of the gap. bearing “veneer” coupled with a walls. And, the key to the gap was to The bigger the gap, the easier it was to keep the masonry “backup” wall that was keep the mortar out of the gap (Photo mortar out of it. A 2 in. (51 mm) gap worked great. structurally more “robust” (Figure 1). 1). The bigger the gap, the easier it And then, things got even more was to keep the mortar out of it. A details. This is how I was taught to interesting structurally. We got steel 2 in. (51 mm) gap worked great. It do it. Everyone in my generation was and concrete frame buildings where had other benefits. Most folks don’t taught to do it this way. Everything the “backup” walls no longer needed remember this—the 1960s had a lot is flashed to the exterior face of the to be load bearing. The masonry to do with it#—but you could lay up both the inner and outer walls from outer wall. If you have no water “backup” walls got less and less the inside. You did not need to scafcontrol layer on the outside face of “robust” and over time were comfold the building. Think of the cost the inner wall you absolutely have pletely replaced with frame walls to flash everything to the outside. constructed with steel studs (Figure 1). savings of not having to scaffold the building. When both the inner and Remember this for later. If you have For much of the evolution laid outer walls were done this way from no water control layer on the outside out in Figure 1, the water control the inside, the 2 in. (51 mm) gap was face of the inner wall you absolutely approach was the air gap. Water have to have a 2 in. (51 mm) air control layers were an alien concept essential for mortar dropping conspace. Remember this for later. and did not get introduced until the trol and hence rain control. Check out Figure 2 and 3 from The big, big, really big thing last half of the last century. With cavCanadian Building Digest 21. These (aside from the structural thing) ity wall construction, we did not see represent the “classic” cavity wall that occurred with the introduction them until after the 1960s. # The saying goes if you can remember the 1960s you did not live them.

Joseph W. Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng., is a principal of Building Science Corporation in Westford, Mass. Visit www.buildingscience.com. M AY 2 0 1 5

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of steel frame “backup” Spandrel Beam Outer Wall Inner Wall Outer Wall walls was the use of build2 in. Air Space Metal Tie ing paper as a rain con2 in. Air Space Flashing to Form trol layer. This meant a Weep Hole Brick Cavity Gutter couple of things: you did Shelf Angle; Galvanized Inner Wall Mortar Joint Steel, Bolted to Beam not need as big an air gap Weep Hole (Mortar Metal Tie and you no longer needed Omitted) to flash everything to the Foundation Wall outside face of the outer FIGURE 2 (LEFT) Classic Cavity Wall. From Canadian Building Digest 21.2 This is how I was taught to do it. Everyone in my generation was layer. There were huge, taught to do it this way. Everything is flashed to the exterior face of the outer wall. FIGURE 3 (RIGHT) Classic Cavity Wall. From Canadian huge, huge implications Building Digest 21.2 If you have no water control layer on the outside face of the inner wall, you absolutely have to flash everything to the with this. Things could get outside. If you have no water control layer on the outside face of the inner wall, you absolutely have to have a 2 in. (55 mm) air space. easier and less expensive to construct. You would think that mortar droppings. This drainage folks would embrace this? Ha!|| mat can be as small as 1/4 in. (6 It was not practical to install buildmm). This drainage mat also acts as ing paper over a masonry “backup” a capillary break. wall. You can’t staple it, you can’t nail Even more magic happens if I it. What are you going to do? Glue it? replace the drainage mat with a What did we have available at first? We draining insulation. I got my first PHOTO 2 Mastic Water Control Layer. It was not practical to install building paper over a masonry used mastics (Photo 2)—basically below real education in draining insula“backup” wall. You can’t staple it, you can’t nail it. grade waterproofing—and then “peel tions in the late 1970s doing exterior What did we have available at first? We used mastics—basically below grade waterproofing—and then and stick” membranes were develfoundation insulation using fiber“peel and stick” membranes were developed. Today, ** oped. Today, we have fluid-applied glass roofing insulation (Photo 3). we have fluid-applied and spray-applied water conand spray-applied water control layers Today, rock wool (“stone wool”) is trol layers to go over masonry backup walls. to go over masonry “backup” walls. commonly used as a draining insuSo what does a water control layer lation below grade on the exterior of mortar droppings. When you add a on a masonry “backup” wall allow foundations (Photo 4). If you can use drainage mat that maintains a continuous drainage space, you don’t need us to do? I have already mentioned rock wool/stone wool below grade an additional air cavity beyond what the smaller air gap and the flashing you certainly can use it above grade thing. So what happens if you now (Photo 5). What about other draining is provided by the drainage mat. A good dimension for the drainage mat also control hydrostatic pressure? insulations? You can use extruded is 1/4 in. (6 mm) or greater. When you Magic happens. We talked about polystyrene (XPS) and expanded some of this magic before (“Hockey polystyrene (EPS) (Photos 6, 7 and 8). replace the drainage mat with drainPucks & Hydrostatic Pressure,” Figure 4 lays out the evolution of water ing insulation, you do not need any additional air cavity. It is good to have ASHRAE Journal, January 2012). We control with water control layers on a draining insulation that drains on need to go there again. masonry backup walls. With only a both the front and back surfaces of the I do not have to care about mortar water control layer on the masonry insulation layer. droppings in a cavity if I install a backup wall, you need an air cavity So, guess what? With draining drainage mat over the water control that is drained. A good dimension for insulations you do not need an air layer. The drainage mat maintains the air cavity is 1 in. (25 mm). And, gap—except when you do. Huh? a drainage space regardless of the you have to keep the cavity free from II Who hated steel frame “backup” walls? The brick and masonry folks. Duh! They were losing out big time. They only got to keep the outer wall—the veneer. They lost the masonry backup wall. They were

ticked. And they did everything to make life miserable for anyone who dared to construct frame walls with veneers. One of the major miseries they inflicted on everyone was the continued insistence on a 2 in. (51 mm) gap. Think of why? To install a water control layer on the exterior of a masonry backup wall requires you to construct the backup wall first. Then you install the water control layer over this masonry backup wall. And then finally you construct the veneer. You can’t construct both walls at the same time from the inside. You now need scaffolding. This was a huge impact on costs. So the brick and masonry folks continued to insist on a 2 in. (51 mm) gap even though you did not need one if you had a water control layer, and the brick and masonry folks continued to insist on flashing everything to the exterior even though you did not need to if you had a water control layer. They continue to cling to this 2 in. (51 mm) gap to this day; they are bitter clingers. ** We should have called them “stick and peels” because the early ones tended to peel off until we figured out that we needed to prime the masonry surfaces first. 56

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PHOTO 3 (LEFT) Below Grade Draining Insulation. Fiberglass. I got my first real education in draining insulations in the late 1970s doing exterior foundation insulation using fiber-

glass roofing insulation. Yes, that is Professor John Timusk on a job site in Brampton, Ontario, in 1979, trimming the exterior basement draining insulation.

PHOTO 4 (CENTER) Below Grade Draining Insulation. Rock wool/stone wool. Today, rock wool (“stone wool”) is commonly used as a draining insulation below grade on the exterior of foundations. PHOTO 5 (RIGHT) Above Grade Draining Insulation. Rock wool/stone wool. If you can use rock wool/stone wool below grade, you certainly can use it above

grade on the exterior of a water control layer.

PHOTO 6 (LEFT) Above Grade Draining Insulation. Extruded polystyrene (XPS). The stone veneer is installed with no gap against the exterior face of the draining XPS. The grooves are covered with a filter fabric to keep mortar out of the grooves. PHOTO 7 (CENTER) Drainage Grooves and Filter Fabric. Grooves are covered with a filter fabric to keep mortar out of the grooves. It is good to have a draining insulation that drains on both the front and back surfaces of the insulation layer. So double-sided “groovy” is a pretty cool thing. PHOTO 8 (RIGHT) Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Draining Insulation. This comes to us from our friends in New Zealand. Apparently, the physics are similar south of the equator.

Pay attention here. Veneer Veneer Masonry Wall Veneer Masonry Wall Masonry Wall This part is important. I have just gone through a pretty convincing argument to eliminate the air gap if I use a drainage mat or draining insulaWater Control Water Control Layer Water Control Layer tion. One part I have not Layer discussed. Freeze-thaw damage to veneer claddings. In places where it Drainage Insulation Air Cavity (Drained) Drainage Mat is cold and where it rains FIGURE 4 Evolution of Water Control. Water control layers are now standard for masonry backup walls. With only a water control (think IECC Climate Zone layer on a masonry backup wall, you need an air cavity that is drained. A good dimension for this air cavity is 1 in. (51 mm). 5 and higher and modAnd, you have to keep the cavity free from mortar droppings. When you add a drainage mat that maintains a continuous drainage space, you don’t need an additional air cavity beyond what is provided by the drainage mat. A good dimension for the drainerate or higher rainfall age mat is 1/4 in. (6 mm) or greater. When you replace the drainage mat with draining insulation, you do not need any addiover 20 in. (508 mm) per tional air cavity. It is good to have a draining insulation that drains on both the front and back surfaces of the insulation layer. year) you need to keep the water off brick and help the brick dry when it gets insulation in places where it is cold and wet (as defined wet. In highly insulated wall assemblies, helping the above). How big an air gap? Not 2 in. (51 mm) for sure. My brick dry can only be done by back ventilating the experience tells me 3/8 in. (9.5 mm) with vent openings brick. top and bottom. If you don’t want to go with my experience So we need a vented air gap behind even a draining argument, check out Straube and Smegal.3 58

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Is there any other reason Veneer Veneer Veneer for an air gap, now that I have said we don’t need Frame Wall Frame Wall Frame Wall (Steel Stud or (Steel Stud or (Steel Stud or one—besides the freezeWood Stud) Wood Stud) Wood Stud) thaw thing? Actually, a Cavity Insulation Cavity Insulation Cavity Insulation really, really important one. Sheathing A reason that folks who do Sheathing (Gypsum Sheathing (Gypsum (Gypsum Board, Board, Plywood or Board, Plywood or AutoCAD and never get Plywood or OSB) OSB) OSB) out into the real world and Water Control Layer Water Control Layer Water Control Layer look at real buildings going Draining Insulation up never understand. In Draining Draining Mat Insulation AutoCAD World everything Air Cavity (Vented) is straight and right-angled FIGURE 5 Frame Wall Water Control. For a frame wall “backup” wall you can use a drainage mat or a draining insulation with no additional air cavity. Except in IECC Climate Zone 5 and higher and moderate or higher rainfall over 20 in. (508 mm) per year. and planes are flat and Then go with a minimum 3/8 in. (9.5 mm) air cavity with vent openings top and bottom. everything fits. Ha! Double ha! The air gap behind Fully Adhered claddings has a huge role to Flashing Flashing Extending to Extending Into Sealant play in construction tolerthe Exterior Face of Opening the Veneer ances. The backup wall is never completely flat. But Frame Wall Frame Wall the exterior has to be comWeep pletely flat because folks Cavity Insulation Cavity Insulation Weep can see it. Sheathing Sheathing (Plywood or OSB) (Plywood or OSB) We need gaps to reconcile Veneer Veneer Water Control Layer Water Control Layer the alignment of the steel framing and concrete and the brick veneer. Small gaps Water Control Layer work for small buildings. Flashing You need big gaps for big Extending Sheathing Sheathing Across buildings—3/8 in. (9.5 mm) (Plywood or OSB) (Plywood or OSB) Cavity Into Water Control Layer works for a one-story house Steel Angle Fully Adhered (Fully Adhered or Liquid Flashing Tape but would never work for a Applied) Weep six-story commercial buildOpening ing with 14 ft (4 m) floor to Steel Angle Steel Angle Sealant ceiling heights. What if we use a frame FIGURE 6 (TOP) Flashing at Sills. With a water control layer over a sheathing, the sill flashing does not have to extend to the exterior face of the brick veneer as shown on the left. FIGURE 7 (BOTTOM) Flashing at Heads. With a water control layer over a wall as the “backup” wall sheathing the head flashing does not have to extend into the steel angle as shown on the left. rather than masonry? Check out Figure 5. You can use a drainage mat or a draining insulation with References 1. Pollio, Marcus Vitruvius. 1914. “De Architectura.” The Ten no additional air cavity. Except in IECC Climate Zone 5 Books on Architecture, Book VII, Chapter IV, On Stucco Work in and higher and moderate or higher rainfall over 20 in. Damp Places. Translated by Morris Hicky Morgan. Cambridge, (508 mm) per year. Then go with a minimum 3/8 in. Mass: Harvard University Press. 2. Ritchie, T. 1961. Cavity Walls, Canadian Building Digest – 21, (9.5 mm) air cavity with vent openings top and bottom. One last thing. With a water control layer in the assem- National Research Council of Canada. 3. Straube, J., J. Smegal. 2007. “The Role of Small Gaps Behind bly, you do not need to flash to the exterior. Check out Wall Claddings on Drainage and Drying.” 11th Canadian Conference Figures 6 and 7. Easier. Works. Enjoy. on Building Science and Technology. 60

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TECHNICAL FEATURE | Fundamentals at Work

Hydronics 101 BY JEFF BOLDT, P.E., HBDP, MEMBER ASHRAE; JULIA KEEN, PH.D., P.E., HBDP, BEAP, MEMBER ASHRAE

Authors’ note: This article focuses solely on the basics related to configuration, layout, and major system components of hot water and chilled water systems as an introduction to hydronics for those new to the design industry.

The first documented hydronic cooling systems were connected to the Roman aqueducts, in which water was routed through brick walls of homes of the affluent. Hydronic heating became prevalent in buildings as the source of hot water expanded. The first commercial hot water boilers became available in the 1700s. Gravity hot water or steam heating systems were the norm in buildings until the mid-1900s. The operation and design of these systems were greatly advanced with the introduction of water pumps early in the 20th century. Post-World War II, hydronic systems experienced significant competition with the development of forced air systems. Today, hydronic heating and cooling coils are frequently used in conjunction with forced air systems. More recently there has been a resurgence of hydronic applications at the zone level as a result of the increased emphasis on energy conservation.

Definition of Hydronics This article uses the definitions of hydronics, open system, and closed system from ASHRAE Terminology on ASHRAE.org, which defines hydronics as “science of heating and cooling with water.” Open systems are open

to the atmosphere in at least one location. Systems that employ cooling towers as their heat rejection method are one of the most common examples of open hydronic systems. Closed systems, on the other hand, are not open to the atmosphere, except possibly at an expansion/compression tank.

Advantages of Hydronic Systems Hydronic systems have several advantages: • They require little space when compared to air systems. A 3 in. diameter pipe is needed to convey 1,000,000 Btu/h of heating or cooling energy when a 70 in. × 46 in. duct would be necessary to accomplish the same task with air. (Assume a ∆T = 20°F and friction loss of 0.08 in./100 ft length for air and 4 ft/100 ft length for pipe.

Jeff Boldt, P.E., is a principal and director of engineering at KJWW Engineering in Monona, Wis. He is a member of standards committees 90.1, 189.1 and 215. Julia Keen, Ph.D., P.E., is an associate professor at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan. She is past chair of TC 6.1, Hydronic and Steam Equipment and Systems. 62

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100 gpm = 1,000,000 Btu/h/[500(20°F)] and 46,000 cfm = 1,000,000 Btu/h/[1.086(20°F)].) • Energy loss due to pipe leakage is almost nonexistent. • Transport energy is very low. For example, transporting 1,000,000 Btu/h of cooling in a ducted air system may require 100 hp of fans, whereas a typical hydronic system would require about a 2 hp pump. 1,000,000 Btu/h/(20°F × 1.086) = 46,000 cfm × 90.1 limit + allowances @ 60 to 120 bhp. 1,000,000 Btu/h/(20°F × 500)= 100 gpm × 50 ft of head × 0.0002525/70% pump efficiency = 1.8 bhp. • Noise complaints are less common than in air systems, as long as established pipe sizing principles are followed.

How Many Pipes? Closed hydronic systems commonly are referenced based on the number of pipes within the system: one-, two-, three-, and four-pipe. One-pipe systems have one supply pipe and return from each coil connected back into that same pipe. The advantage of one-pipe systems is reduced piping cost. The disadvantage is a loss of exergy because of blending of temperatures in the supply main. One-pipe systems are rare, but sometimes seen in geothermal heat pump systems or individual floors of buildings with heating water systems. A two-pipe system is depicted in Figure 1. It has one supply pipe and one return pipe. This type of system can heat, or it can cool, but it cannot do both simultaneously because it is using the same distribution piping but opening and closing valves to isolate the heat source (i.e., boiler) or heat sink (i.e., chiller). This is the main disadvantage of a two-pipe changeover system. A building must be fully in cooling or fully in heating, which is unlikely to make all occupants comfortable, especially during moderate climatic conditions. Deciding when to change from heating to cooling can be a major issue with two-pipe systems. Three-pipe systems have a separate supply pipe for hot water and chilled water but a common return pipe for both. This system allows for simultaneous heating and cooling with reduced length of installed piping but at the sacrifice of energy. Therefore, three-pipe systems are not permitted by modern energy codes. The energy consumption of three-pipe systems is very high because the mixing of chilled and heated return water creates

Safety Relief Valve or Relief Valve

Pressure Reducing Valve

Cooling Tower

Water Meter Expansion Tank M

AS

Chiller

Air Separator

Three-Way Valve (Rare)

Pump

Heat Transfer

NO NC

To Floors Below Two-Way Valve (Normal) FIGURE 1 Chilled water closed system with cooling tower open system. Feed water

components are not shown for the cooling tower (condenser) loop.

a much greater temperature differential at the heat source or sink, requiring more work. Four-pipe systems as depicted in Figure 2 have separate supply and return pipes for hot water and chilled water. Four-pipe systems can provide heating to some coils while simultaneously routing cooling to other coils. This makes them very versatile and provides for much greater occupant comfort, but the first cost of the piping is higher than that for the other piping system arrangements.

Direct vs. Reverse Return In addition to the number of pipes used in a system, the piping configuration must also be considered. There are two configurations: direct and reverse return. Direct return systems use less piping and are depicted in Figure 1. Reverse return systems require more return piping, but simplify the balancing of systems, because the pipe length to each coil is approximately the same (Figure 3). A single piping system can combine direct and reverse M AY 2 0 1 5

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TECHNICAL FEATURE | FUNDAMENTALS AT WORK

Chiller

Boiler

Boiler

FIGURE 2 Four-pipe systems have a separate supply and return pipe for hot water

and chilled water.

return. Combining the configurations is commonly done to reduce the first cost of the system while reaping most of the benefits of a reverse return system. In a large multi-story building, direct return may be used to minimize the large piping (such as the main supply and return risers), but to make balancing easier reverse return may be used to serve small coils located on each floor. (A complete analysis of direct and reverse return can be found in Reference 1.)

Hydronic Components Both hot water and chilled water systems have common components that serve similar purposes. The components that are common include: piping, pumps, air separators, expansion tanks, fill accessories, valves, and accessories. The following section will discuss each of these components and the purpose they serve in the system. This will be followed by a discussion of the differences between hot water and chilled water system component layouts. Piping and pump selection, sizing, and layout are critical to the proper design of a hydronic system. The piping will have a direct impact on pump selection because it will influence the pump head and energy required to move the water through the system. There are many different factors to consider when designing and laying out the piping as well as when selecting the pump to apply to a hydronic system. Piping design must consider the pipe material, flow rate, water velocity, fittings, and friction loss. The flow rate depends on the load and temperature differential selected for the pumped fluid. The pump type (inline, base mounted, etc.), pump arrangement (primary, primary-secondary, etc.), and pump controls must all be decided and will have a significant impact on the energy consumed over the life of the building. 64

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FIGURE 3 Two-pipe reverse return systems require more return piping, but sim-

plify the balancing of systems.

(These topics require far more discussion and detail than can be contained in this article; therefore it is encouraged that the ASHRAE Handbook, Chapters 13, 44 and 47, be consulted when beginning design.) Air separators remove entrained air from hydronic systems. If this is not done, corrosion rates may be high and noise may become prevalent when air is lodged in equipment near occupied areas. Air separators should be located where air is least soluble in water—this depends on two factors the hottest water temperature and the lowest system pressure. Curves are available to describe the exact relationship between pressure, temperature, and solubility. (See 2012 ASHRAE Handbook— HVAC Systems and Equipment, Chapter 13, Figure 3.) Centrifugal separators are very common, but competing designs are making inroads. Expansion tanks control the system pressure and absorb the expansion/contraction of water as the temperature changes. Today, most expansion tanks include a bladder or diaphragm, allowing the water to be totally separated from atmospheric air, minimizing the introduction of oxygen that contributes to corrosion. Expansion tanks are sized based on the total volume of the system, maximum temperature variation, and maximum and minimum pressures that are acceptable at the tank location. Fill accessories include water meters, pressure reducing valves, backflow preventers, and safety relief valves (SRVs), and pressure relief valves (modulating relief valves, as opposed to “popping” safety valves). Water meters measure the amount of makeup water. Tracking the amount of makeup water is important because it reveals how many gallons of fresh water, including fresh oxygen, were added to the system. Makeup water is needed regularly to keep the piping full in

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closed systems because water is drained in the blowing down of strainers, draining of coils in the winter, improperly operating automatic air vents, and system leaks. Minimizing makeup water maximizes system life because it limits the introduction of oxygen to the system. Pressure reducing valves are included to reduce the water pressure entering the system from the building potable water system, which is often higher than that of the hydronic system. Plumbing codes require backflow preventers to prevent backflow of chemicals, biological growth, etc., from hydronic systems to potable water systems. The pressure reducing valve is normally selected to maintain 5 psig (34 kPa) of positive pressure at the lowest pressure portion of the system (normally the return side of the system on the top floor). A rule of thumb is 5 psig plus 5 psig (34 kPa plus 34 kPa) per floor of building height. A small SRV is often located downstream of the pressure reducing valve. The purpose of the SRV is to relieve excess pressure from the system when outside the desired conditions. This very small SRV located at the system fill location is added to avoid operation of the much larger SRVs at each major boiler or heat source. Valves are used to control water flow. Many different valve types are used in hydronic piping applications. The decision as to the type of valve depends on its size and use. Ball valves are probably the most common form of on-off or modulating two-way valve used today. Advances in elastomer technology have made ball valves economical and reliable. Butterfly valves dominate the market in applications larger than 2.5 in. (64 mm) because ball valves become more expensive in large sizes. Once common, gate and globe valves have had much reduced market share in recent decades because ball (smaller size) and butterfly (larger size) valves are less expensive. Three-way valves are another valve type commonly used in the past. These have become less popular as technology has allowed system water flow to be variable, rather than constant, which results in reduced energy use (encouraged by energy codes). Three-way valves are sometimes necessary in systems that use equipment that requires a minimum water flow rate. Check valves are installed to prevent reverse water flow. Multi-function or triple-duty valves are ubiquitous on pump discharge piping. They provide the functions of a 66

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balancing valve, shutoff valve, and check valve at a low cost and in a compact configuration. The disadvantage of the triple-duty valve relates to its balancing function. In variable speed pump applications often used today, the balancing function is not desired at the pump and can waste significant pumping energy if discharge valves are throttled. In addition to not needing all the functions, the pressure drop for a triple-duty valve is higher than for most combinations of check valve, flow measuring device, and shutoff valve. Therefore, in some applications it may be more appropriate to use a separate check valve, shutoff valve, and flow measuring device in lieu of a triple-duty valve. Besides the many necessary pieces of a hydronic system for operation and control, there are a number of accessories that are typically installed to more easily monitor the system and troubleshoot when there is a problem. Pressure gauges often wear out far sooner than expected. All manufacturers recommend closing the shutoff valves when readings are not being taken to reduce wear on the movement mechanism, which is usually a bourdon tube with a rack and pinion assembly. However, most operators leave the valves open continuously. Therefore, snubbers are recommended on all gauges. Snubbers dampen pressure changes so that gauges read a steady average pressure instead of bouncing wildly. Where gauges aren’t needed continuously but occasional readings of pressure or temperature are needed, test plugs or pressure/temperature plugs are installed. These plugs allow for instruments to be installed as needed without having to interrupt the system operation. It is helpful to locate a plug near all DDC pressure or temperature sensors to aid in calibration.

Hydronic Heating System Layout and Components Many common components exist between chilled water and hot water systems, but the position of the components within the piping system is different. Figure 4 depicts the normal location for boilers in hydronic systems. Boilers are commonly the heat source in a heating hot water system. The two classifications of boilers used in commercial hydronic systems are fire-tube and water tube. (A discussion comparing the different boiler types and their application is too extensive to be included in this article, and it is recommended that the information be obtained from the ASHRAE Handbook, Chapter 32.)

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Most hydronic components are rated for at least 125 psi (862 kPa) of differential pressure between the interior pressure and the exterior (atmospheric) pressure. Cast iron flanges and fittings are generally rated at 125 psi (862 kPa). Steel flanges and fittings are rated at 150 psi (1034 kPa). Often, the boiler is the lowest pressure-rated item in the system, with 15 psi (103 kPa) steam/30 psi (207 kPa) water matching the ASME definition of a low-pressure system. Because of this, the boiler is generally placed immediately upstream of the expansion tank, which controls system pressure and is the point where pressure remains relatively constant. It is also directly upstream of the air separator because the water leaving the boiler is the hottest water in the system and, therefore, can hold the lowest concentration of entrained air. Water pressure also affects air separation. Therefore, when the boiler is in a basement, it may be preferable to have the air separator at the top floor.

M AS Boiler

NO NC

To Floors Below FIGURE 4 Hydronic system with a boiler in the typical location.

Hydronic Cooling System Layout and Components The obvious difference between a hydronic heating and cooling system is the production of hot or chilled

water. In lieu of a boiler, in a hydronic cooling system a chiller is used. There are many types of chillers;

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reciprocating, scroll, helical rotary, centrifugal, and variations that recover heat from one process to transfer to another. (A discussion comparing the different chiller types and their application is too extensive to be included in this article, and it is recommended that the information be obtained from the ASHRAE Handbook, Chapters 42 and 43.) There are some differences between the system layout of heating and cooling hydronic systems. Cooling hydronic systems have expansion tanks, but they can be much smaller than in heating systems because of the much lower temperature difference between the maximum and minimum fluid temperatures. Theoretically, the fill water is warmer than the normal chilled water temperature, resulting in makeup water being added to the system to fill the piping when the chilled water is brought down to operational temperature. Some designers delete air separators in cooling hydronic systems, although this is not recommended. Heating systems, on the other hand, need much larger expansion tanks and air separation is a more critical

design concern because air more easily separates from heated water (watch bubbles form when you heat a pan filled with water).

Summary Hydronic systems are a staple of our industry. They provide large amounts of heat transfer with low first costs and energy costs for transporting energy. This article provides only a basic overview and introduction to hydronic system design, layout, and components. For more information, on the topic of hydronic systems, the ASHRAE Handbook is an excellent reference. We plan to cover many other hydronic topics: condensing boilers, valve-coil-heat transfer, pressure independent control valves, etc., in future articles.

References 1. Taylor, S., J. Stein. “Balancing variable flow hydronic systems.” ASHRAE Journal 8. 2. 2012 ASHRAE Handbook—HVAC Systems and Equipment, Chapters 32, 36, 43, and 44.

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FIRST PLACE EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES, NEW

A ground source water-towater heat pump (WWHP) allowed the design team to use displacement ventilation, which requires very tight discharge air temperature control, to maintain occupant comfort only achievable with a WWHP system.

Net Zero

Ready School

BY BRIAN HAUGK, P.E., MEMBER ASHRAE; BRIAN CANNON, P.E., ASSOCIATE MEMBER ASHRAE

BUILDING AT A GLANCE

Valley View Middle School Location: Snohomish, Washington Owner: Snohomish School District Architect: Dykeman Engineer: Hargis Principal Use: Public middle school, grades 7&8 Includes: Geothermal heating, 90% heat recovery, displacement ventilation, natural cooling, radiant heating, rainwater harvesting, and advanced lighting and controls

Valley View Middle School in Snohomish, Wash., is a new three-story, 168,000 ft2 (15 600 m2) facility that replaced a much smaller and outdated building. Mirroring the district’s commitment to resource conservation, the design team used the Living Building Challenge as a guide for defining its sustainable approach. The team strategized on harnessing the greatest contributors to resource conservation: renewable energy sources to be implemented; capturing and reusing emitted energy to offset draw from the grid; reducing consumption through system selection; and supporting behavioral changes inspired through monitoring and reporting.

Employees/Occupants: 100 staff/ 950 students Gross Square Footage: 168,000 Conditioned Space Square Footage: 148,938 Substantial Completion/Occupancy: Sept. 2012

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ABOVE View of the classroom wing with day-

light harvesting and rooftop-water collection system in bottom left-hand corner.

LEFT Aerial of site (August 2012) with overlay

of pre-existing buildings. The old buildings used 1,325,514 kWh/yr combined while the new building only uses 1,239,965 kWh/yr.

The school, owned by the Snohomish School District, houses 950 students and uses less energy than the previous 1981 school that was half the size.

Design Collaboration

library and lecture hall. Applying the functional goals, the professional team developed options for meeting the performance and programmatic objectives. Building placement played an important role in influencing the design approach and upholding the conservation goals.

The project was the first for the district to consider the Living Building Challenge for a net zero-ready school. At Energy Efficiency The school capitalizes on three strategic approaches the time, schools built prior to Valley View were too new to have adequate data to provide a benchmark for previ- to maximize system efficiency and reduce the overall building energy consumption: ous sustainable initiatives. It also presented an oppor• Reduce: infusing higher efficient systems that align tunity to further define and measure its sustainable with performance objectives; approach goals, objectives and performance. • Reuse: redirecting typically wasted energy/resourcThe district’s sustainable management goals balance es back into the building’s operations; and and encompass facilities, operations and health of the • Renew: introducing new sources to the site without building’s occupants. Their approach incorporates using durable materials and integrating building components requiring further demands on mass utilities. Table 1 outlines the energy conservation approach in and systems to withstand the wear and tear, targeting relationship to the school’s triple bottom line. Note that a 50-year plus life cycle, reducing maintenance and over the last year the school operated at 26 EUI. operations costs, reducing the use of resources and energy consumption beyond code and state requireInnovation ments, and providing excellent indoor air quality and The geographical location presented opportunities comfort. They also wanted to create a space embraced by for technical innovations for this type of facility. Sited the community. A committee was engaged to represent a cross-sector of community FIGURE 1 Valley View Middle School: Site and building characteristics. and school district stakeholders. Street presence, maximized views, Performance Art Library & Auxiliary classroom orientation for optimum Center, Band & Administration Gym Gym Choir Rooms Offices Classrooms Commons daylighting, promotion of commuRoof 75,000 Gal. Water-to-Water Geothermal Water nity use after-hours, functionality, Cistern Field Heat Pump Storage visibility and security were articulated design criteria by this group. Community-accessible spaces were configured within the campus to accommodate outdoor athletic fields, two gyms, commons area, M AY 2 0 1 5

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in western Washington, this building is predominantly in a heating environment. Year after year of continuous heating operation will slowly lower the temperature of the ground degrading the capacity to absorb heat from the ground, impacting the efficiency of the water-to-water heat pump (WWHP). As part of the design, cooling loads were used to offset this inherent load imbalance, the 24/7 cooling spaces (main electrical, distributed transformer rooms and MDF and IDF telecom spaces) are all served by the central plant system to effectively recharge the ground loop. Immediate impacts of this approach will not be seen as the temperature change of a well field is subtle, providing long-term energy savings. The ground loop return water temperatures are being monitored.

TABLE 1 Energy conservation approach in relationship to the school’s triple bottom line.

Thermal Dynamics of Water The WWHP/displacement ventilation (DV) system combination affords greater control in maintaining occupant comfort. This project was one of the first to use this product in conjunction with displacement ventilation in the region. The ground source heat pump system was sized for 100% of the central plant heating and cooling capacity. Integrating the WWHP was critical to the DV approach, as it requires very tight discharge air temperature (DAT) control to maintain occupant comfort. During design, water-to-air heat pumps on the market were unable to achieve the DAT control required.

Reducing Energy, Improving IAQ The classroom DV system uses a custom “toe kick” space supply grille under the casework as opposed to conventional grilles provided by major manufacturers. CFD model simulations and actual installed systems have vetted this custom approach that improves the 74

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integration in a typical classroom layout. Hydronic heating water convectors were used at the exterior under the windows. The library integrated benches at the windows with DV as well as internal wall style conventional DV grilles. The DV system in the administrative spaces used wall DV manufacturer style grilles with radiant floor at the perimeter.

Customizing and Integrating Low-Traffic Spaces An opportunity was identified to use energy efficiency in toilet rooms and copier rooms. General exhaust fans serving these spaces are interlocked with lighting control systems occupancy sensors to control the exhaust fans operation. Systems that provide exhaust for multiple spaces include motorized dampers that isolate the unoccupied spaces and have either

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FIGURE 2 EUI chart and timeline.

400

2012 – 13 School Year

kWh (In Thousands)

350 300

Standard 90.1 Model (Energy Baseline = 57 EUI)

250 200

VVMS Actual Energy Use

152 100 50

2013 – 14 School Year

Projected Design (Energy Model= 26 EUI) Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

School Opens School is operational while construction is ongoing. Contractors work swing-shift hours to finish the library, main gym and performance arts center through January 2013.

Mar

Apr

May

Jun Jul

Aug

Commissioning Fully Functional With construction winding down around the campus the additional energy usage begins to drop. Cx begins January 2013 with functional performance starting March 2013 and completed July 2013.

VFDs or ECM motors to control fan speed for the variable exhaust volumes. This approach also optimized the quantity of air going through the heat recovery system.

Simplifying the Complex

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Value of M&V Realized Refinement of the central WWHP, dimming controls and motorized shades. Energy savings produces immediate budget relief through net bill savings.

Mar

Apr

May Jun

Jul Aug

Design Intent Actualized The facilities energy performance is now within 5% (+/–). This comes despite the additional usage of the school due to reallocation of district meeting and community activities moved to this location to take full advantage of the new facilities lower operating costs.

Total Cost of Ownership Total cost of ownership was a driving factor in the sustainable discussions. The district was savvy to understand that while sustainable systems are possibly more expensive upfront, they can reduce a building’s lifetime operating costs significantly. First costs for construction on the ground source WWHP, DV, VAV reheat, radiant floor heating and 90% effective energy recovery unit systems were the greatest value to the owner. Energy usage and costs show the district would end up spending less money on annual utility and maintenance costs compared to the baseline alternative and ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1. The design is more cost effective in total yearly costs, as well as a Washington State required 30-year life-cycle cost analysis when compared to other systems. Total cost of ownership was reviewed to ensure that the sum of the lowest maintenance and energy costs combined would be realized.

Indoor Air Quality and Thermal Comfort

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Upholding the district’s final goal for occupant comfort, the DV system was adopted. The DV system is a proven approach to enhance energy performance through an extended economizer range and reduced fan energy while improving indoor air quality. The design firm designed and is tracking the performance of these systems in more than 40 k–12 schools constructed since 2006. Air is supplied down low, conserving energy by only heating or cooling the air near the occupants. The introduction of

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TABLE 2 Environmental components and their contributions.

Environmental, Social and Behavioral Impact Responsive to constituents’ adoption of sustainability, public institutions are using facilities as an opportunity to express their conservation philosophy and commitment. Environmental design elements utilizing integrated strategies included reduced energy demand via envelope design, solar technology, geothermal technology, rainwater harvesting and integrated value messaging. The school fulfilled the community’s criteria, as well as becoming a source of operational efficiency for the district. The district uses Valley View to host a majority of the off-hour functions as energy and maintenance dollars are approximately half of the district’s other comparable pre-1990s facilities. Table 2 outlines the environmental components and their contribution to the sustainable development. An EMS-based energy dashboard system with touch screen monitors at multiple locations allows staff and students to learn about the sustainable features of the building. The system is also web-based, allowing faculty to use the system as a teaching tool. To further spark students’ interest, the EMS metering design of the lighting, plug and HVAC systems allowed for competitive zones to be created in six classroom pods. This allows students to interact with the building systems to see what kind of impact they have on the overall energy usage. The dashboard was also integrated with the support of the staff to allow for the integration of lunch menus, sports scores, way-finding, school events, etc. 78

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FIGURE 3 Metering for the campus energy usage by category over the course of a

week in October of 2013 to support Cx process. 2,500

Electricity Consumption (kWh)

fresh air and removal of pollutants at the ceiling level is at a minimum, 50% better than a comparable overhead air-distribution system. Specifically, a district where the design firm has completed six schools to date with DV, has also shown 3% to 6% improvement in attendance that can be attributed to a healthier building due to improved ventilation. DV also exceeds the noise criteria dictated by the Washington State health department. From a sound level code value of NC-35, the teaching environment is improved to a NC level less than 20.

2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0

Sun

Mon

Tue

Central Water-to-Water Heat Pump Plug Loads Computer Loads

Wed

Thu

Fri

HVAC Lighting Kitchen Equipment

Sat

Telecom

Committed to energy conservation and the sustainability of the site, the interaction of competitive zones and interpretive signage throughout the school are being used as a teaching tool to educate occupants on the sustainable design elements and new technologies integrated into the building and site. These teaching components will continue throughout the life cycle of the building to inform and guide generations of children and staff that pass through its doors, providing them with a better understanding of their environment well beyond the team’s M&V involvement.

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Part Three, Digital Health-Care Planning

The Digital Revolution BY DONALD L. BEATY, P.E., FELLOW ASHRAE; DAVID QUIRK, P.E., MEMBER ASHRAE

The explosion of online health-care data is not an accident, but rather has been driven by both regulatory forces and the increased availability of technology platforms to support it. Most of us can now access a significant portion of our health-care information online. Portals exist that allow us to receive and store data from hospitals, our primary care physician, our specialists, our pharmacy, and even data that we’ve uploaded ourselves, such as home monitoring of weight, blood pressure and blood sugar. Once the data is placed in these portals, it is not only stored, but can be trended for ready use and interpretation for our next doctor’s visit, or made quickly available to doctors in emergency situations. This column provides an understanding of the legislation that has driven this digital health revolution, with some glimpses into the future. For data center design engineers, this is significant in terms of the approaches to design facilities with the ability to scale for these loads in health-care data center applications.

Health-Care Regulations There have been several major legislative initiatives at the federal level over the past three decades, starting with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), and continuing with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH), and the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA). Of these, the two with the biggest impact on digital records and privacy are HIPAA and HITECH. The first major legislative act to impact digital (and other) personal health-care records was the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, commonly known as HIPAA. A primary goal of this legislation was to help people keep their health insurance as they transferred from one job to another regardless of pre-existing conditions. It also, however, introduced the concept of protected health information (PHI), which is generally defined as any information concerning health status, provision of health care, and associated payment information that can 80

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be linked to an individual. Upon request by an individual, this information must be provided within 30 days. PHI can also be released to law enforcement officials under subpoena or court order, and can be released to other entities to facilitate treatment, payment, or other health-care operations, though only the minimum amount of necessary information can be shared. HIPAA also requires doctors and pharmacies to ask you how best to communicate with you (cell vs. home vs. work phone number) to ensure confidentiality. The privacy provisions of HIPAA took effect in 2003. Though in the original legislation PHI was protected indefinitely, with revisions made in 2013, our PHI is now only protected 50 years after our death. This has significant impacts to digital storage requirements. The second major legislative act to impact digital health records was the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, or HITECH. HITECH, as its name implies, was enacted partly as a stimulus package for the recession that occurred after the housing market collapse that started in 2006. It also, however, incentivized the use of electronic health records (EHRs). In addition to creating and storing records electronically, hospitals and doctors also needed to demonstrate “meaningful use” of these records to qualify for stimulus funding. Meaningful use can take on many forms, and broad categories include improved care coordination, better engagement of patients and their families, and improving public health. Donald L. Beaty, P.E., is president and David Quirk, P.E., is vice president of DLB Associates Consulting Engineers, in Eatontown, N.J. Beaty is publications chair and Quirk is the chair of ASHRAE TC 9.9.

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A fairly simple example of meaningful use would be the use of a computerized system to check for drug-drug and drug-allergy interactions with medication and prescription orders. As of 2015, medical facilities that do not have EHR implemented are actually penalized in terms of Medicare payments. Several provisions of HIPAA and HITECH impact data operations for health-care providers and associated organizations, such as the healthinsurance industry. These requirements can be grouped into storage, access, encryption, backup and recoverability, and periodic testing of data recovery. While detailed discussion of each of these requirements is beyond the scope of this article, the net result of all these requirements is a significant increase in the quantity of records kept, and increased regulation on how it is stored, backed up, and used. There are requirements relating both to physical access and electronic access to the computer systems and records containing PHI. An interesting statistic is that of privacy violations reported during the first 10 years of HIPAA, only about 6% were data compromises by hackers. Data breaches involving more than 500 people are required to be reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as to the news media.

Big Data Research vs. Patient Privacy One potential conflict in using Electronic Health Records is to what extent private data can be used for public purposes, such as medical studies. In some ways, the increased privacy of medical records has made research more challenging. www.info.hotims.com/54428-34 82

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For instance, recruitment of subjects for medical trials has, in some instances, been made much more difficult by regulations covering confidentiality of medical conditions. In some cases, follow-up surveys of patients has also dropped, partly because the informed consent forms associated with the surveys are required to be so lengthy. Big data research of medical records has become an increasingly important and profitable topic. Patient privacy regulations are serving as a throttle to the explosive growth of big data medical research.

Growth Drivers of Digital Records While the impetus for much of today’s EHR infrastructure is

regulatory, the free market has stepped in in many other ways, and is driving a lot of the industry growth. At least one internet service provider, for instance, has adopted a passwordprotected storage and trending platform that allows individuals to place all information related to their health in a single location. This potentially provides great value to the individual, but essentially doubles the amount of storage needed for EHR since it is stored both by the individual’s health-care providers, and also by the individuals themselves. Some medical records, such as MRI results, can be quite large (on the order of 100 MB each). Available data for input into an individual’s storage system can, of

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course, also include much more than doctor and lab records. An individual can also record home-based data, such as weight, blood pressure, and exercise activity, so that these can be readily accessed by health-care professionals between visits. Perhaps these home health records will even be trended with other home and/or ambient environmental data, such as humidity and air quality levels, to allow health-care providers to better understand and tailor the individual’s home environment for optimal health. This topic will be addressed in more detail in a future column article. The movement away from providing episodic care has been enabled by smartphones. The ability to monitor various items such blood pressure, blood sugar shows promise to help improve the health of those with chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, etc.  As sensor technology for smartphones grows, the application of active patient management for healthier lives will improve.  Using this technology and approach has helped keep people out of hospitals and improved individual lifestyles. While it’s helped decrease the flow of people to hospitals, it has increased the flow of digital data storage. Smart technology and algorithms are helping reduce the risk of complications and errors in care delivery.  The ability for computerized pharmacy systems to look at the entire drug regimen of patients, and flag potential complications or dosing errors, has helped improve complex drug therapy and has reduced interactions and side effects.  Similarly lab systems are contacting responsible

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parties immediately using smartphones or other devices immediately when abnormal lab test results occur, thus speeding interventions and reducing workload and errors. These are just a select few examples of the growth drivers of digital records.

Data Center Solutions for Digital Health Care The decision, on the part of a health-care provider, of where to store and manage their data, is complex. It needs to consider all of the regulatory requirements as well as other attributes specific to their organization. There are a range of data center solutions including (as discussed in Nov. 2012 column, “Cooling as a Service”): • Cloud Computing; • Retail colocation; • Wholesale colocation; and • Build your own data center. There is a full range of regulatory, as well as, hardware and software considerations for digital health records

retention. Due to uncertainty in the growth rate for EHR, data center solutions need to be very scalable. Future growth trends are largely unknown. They can be impacted by: • Future regulation changes; • Data privacy trends; • Trend toward consolidation of health-care providers; • Tele-health trends; and • Big data analytics. If remote data storage and management is used, there is a need to make sure that these facilities have the hard and soft protection environments that are required by HIPAA and HITECH.

Closing Comments The regulatory environment has incentivized a transformation in digital record keeping in an industry that currently accounts for about 17% of our gross domestic product. This has provided meaningful improvements

Learn the Fundamentals of HVAC Control Systems ASHRAE’s Fundamentals of HVAC Control Systems provides an introduction to the specification, design, manufacture, installation, operation and maintenance of HVAC control systems. This book is a practical guide for building owners and operators, mechanical engineers and contractors, facility engineers and mangers, and others who need to deepen their understanding of HVAC control systems and develop applicable skills. You’ll learn: • Control theory, the basics of electricity and the influence of input and output characteristics on control possibilities and performance • How to use written specifications, schedules, and control diagrams to identify what to install, how to install, and how it is expected to operate • DDC (direct digital controls) system components, interoperability of controllers, network and data protocols • Replacement, modification and maintenance of pneumatic and electric controls $130 (ASHRAE Member: $111)

This book can function as a stand-alone reference, or may accompany cooresponding eLearning courses. www.info.hotims.com/54428-100

Visit the ASHRAE Bookstore to purchase your copy today I-P version: www.ashrae.org/iphvaccs SI version: www.ashrae.org/sihvaccs

8 6Fund ofAHVAC S H RControl A E J OSystems U R N half-page.indd A L a s h r a e1. o r g

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in the way health-care records are stored and used, but also challenges from a privacy perspective. Health-care research, by way of big data analytics, represents another frontier of significant advancements in medical science. Privacy regulations are currently throttling the expansive application of this big data research, but may change with future regulation changes. Regulations have played a big part in digital healthcare’s big data boom. The explosion of online healthcare data is not an accident, but rather has been driven by these regulatory forces. Data center designers, owners, and operators need to fully understand the regulations associated with the use of EHR before making decisions on the location and management of digital records. As seen, a combination of regulatory actions and technology enablers have created an enormous growth in health-care data center needs. Designers need to plan accordingly for the future scaling needs of health-care data centers. To do otherwise is an “accident” waiting to happen.

WEB RESOURCES HIPAA is the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The Office for Civil Rights enforces the HIPAA Privacy Rule, which protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information; the HIPAA Security Rule, which sets national standards for the security of electronic protected health information; the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, which requires covered entities and business associates to provide notification following a breach of unsecured protected health information; and the confidentiality provisions of the Patient Safety Rule, which protect identifiable information being used to analyze patient safety events and improve patient safety. www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act was signed into law in 2009, to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology.  Subtitle D of the HITECH Act addresses the privacy and security concerns associated with the electronic transmission of health information, in part, through several provisions that strengthen the civil and criminal enforcement of the HIPAA rules. www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/ administrative/enforcementrule/hitechenforcementifr.html The Affordable Care Act expands Medicaid coverage to millions of low-income Americans. www.hhs.gov/healthcare

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© 2015 Xylem Inc. Bell & Gossett is a trademark of Xylem Inc. or one of its subsidiaries.

COLUMN REFRIGERATION APPLICATIONS Andy Pearson

Watt’s the Big Occasion? BY ANDY PEARSON, PH.D., C.ENG., MEMBER ASHRAE

James Watt, the Scotsman in the trio of famous names from April’s column, was the oldest of the three, being born in 1736, over 80 years before Joule and Kelvin. He also lived the longest and arguably had more impact on the industrialization of society than any other. His life is a mixture of contradictions, and he is frequently misunderstood and misrepresented. Like James Joule, Watt had no formal university education but relied on personal contact with the leading academics of his day to formulate and develop his ideas.

PHOTO: BAROQUE FLUTE BY BOAZ BERNEY, AFTER AN ORIGINAL BY THOMAS LOT, 1740.

Watt trained as an instrument maker, specializing in Sir Humphrey Davy, a colleague in many of these chemimaking laboratory instruments for Glasgow University cal experiments, said “he was equally distinguished as a and the shipping trade. His workshop was set up within natural philosopher and a chemist, and his inventions the precincts of the university after Watt completed his demonstrate his profound knowledge of those sciences,” craftsman’s apprenticeship in one year rather than the and that Watt had “that peculiar characteristic of genius, usual seven years. Commissions included laboratory the union of them for practical application.” However, Watt instruments and navigational aids such as quadrants, himself confessed that he was not a businessman, writparallel rules, barometers and telescopes as well as ing, “I would rather face a loaded cannon than settle an musical instruments including wooden flutes, fifes and account.” This is where Matthew Boulton played his part, pipe organs. This led to a post of astronomical instrumanaging the business side of Boulton & Watt, leaving his ment maker for the university where he worked with partner free from the financial worries that had filled his Joseph Black and John Anderson. early career and allowing him to mix How to fund the R&D budget for next year. One of his repair jobs for the univerwith the finest scientific minds in sity was reconditioning a model of a Britain and Europe. Watt more than Newcomen steam engine, but even after held his own in such elevated comrepair he found it would barely work pany despite his humble origins. because the efficiency was so low. Watt’s A footnote to Watt’s early career “big idea” came to him in an instant was found in the contents of his while strolling on Glasgow Green in Birmingham workshop gifted to May 1765. It took four years to get this idea—the separate London’s Science Museum over 100 years after his death. condenser—designed, tested and patented. Watt partnered Among the wide range of woodworking tools were several with Matthew Boulton who ran a factory in Birmingham, specialist pieces required for the manufacture and repair England, and their compact steam engines delivered up to of flutes, dating back to his early years in Glasgow. These five times more power than the previous design. tools include a manufacturer’s stamp bearing the legend Although Watt is often credited with inventing the “T LOT,” clearly intended to give the impression the instrusteam engine and many of its accessories, this is clearly ment was made by leading French manufacturer, Thomas not so. He took an existing poor design and transformed Lot, the “Stradivari of flutes.” This adds an intriguing twist it into a practical and beneficial reality. However, it is to young Watt’s financial predicament. Fortunately, his also wrong to see him merely as a mechanic using his association with Joseph Black’s chemistry department and skill with machines and tools to effect improvements. its needs for ingenious instrument repair kept him out of Despite his lack of higher education, he absorbed knowl- prison and enabled him to take that fateful, inspirational edge from a wide range of fields and was instrumental in stroll on Glasgow Green exactly 250 years ago. the development of many chemical advances in bleachAndy Pearson, Ph.D., C.Eng., is group engineering director at Star Refrigeration in Glasgow, UK. ing, dyeing and the separation of gases. 90

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INFO CENTER SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

THYBAR’S FILTER CURBS OFFER FINAL FILTRATION FOR A PACKAGED UNIT!

Add additional filter capacity for your rooftop unit with a Thybar Filter Curb. Curbs ship fully assembled and feature all welded construction, factory insulated walls, integral filter rack and access door for servicing filters. Both custom and standard designs are available and ship within our standard production cycle. Options include; built-in roof pitch, special heights and pressure treated wood nailer. Licensed P.E. on staff. Thybar Corporation 913 S. Kay St., Addison, IL 60101. 800-666-CURB. Fax: 630-543-5309. www.thybar.com. E-mail: [email protected]

www.info.hotims.com/54428-62

www.info.hotims.com/54428-63

SOLID CHEMISTRY WATER TREATMENT JUST GOT SMARTER

RELIABLE CONTROLS

Maximize your water efficiency with Smart Shield®, the patented water treatment system that can be factory mounted onto your EVAPCO closed-circuit cooling tower. Plus, its solid chemistry reduces packaging, shipping, and handling, and eliminates the potential for spills. Smart Shield is just one of EVAPCO’S many groundbreaking solutions that make everyday life simpler, more comfortable, and more reliable for people everywhere. Visit evapco.com to learn more.

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TOPOG-E

DISTECH CONTROLS

www.info.hotims.com/54428-66

www.info.hotims.com/54428-67

TJERNLUND

BACNET® MS/TP TO SNMP GATEWAY

Connect SNMP devices to BACnet MS/TP or IP using the Babel Buster BB2-7030-02 from Control Solutions, Inc. of Minnesota. BB2-7030-02 uses SNMP Get to query MIB OIDs and provide data as BACnet objects. BB2-7030-02 is also a BACnet client able to query other BACnet MS/TP devices and provide data as SNMP OIDs. The BB2-7030 is UL 916 Listed. Control Solutions, Inc. 380 Oak Grove Pkwy, Suite 100 • PO Box 10789 St. Paul, MN 55110 [email protected] • 800-872-8613 www.csimn.com

www.info.hotims.com/54428-68

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POTTORFF OFFERS ECV-645-MD MIAMI-DADE CERTIFIED, WIND-DRIVEN RAIN LOUVER

SOUTHLAND

Pottorff has announced the addition of the ECV-645-MD Miami-Dade certified, 6” deep, vertical blade louver. It is AMCA rated for Air Performance and Wind-Driven Rain, approved by the Florida Building Code, and tested in accordance with AMCA 540 (impact resistance) and AMCA 550 (high velocity wind-driven rain). The ECV645-MD offers a Best-in-Class optional anchorless installation utilizing specially-designed flanged clips and retaining angles allowing for easy attachment to any substrate, thus saving the contractor valuable time during the installation. POTTORFF www.pottorff.com 817.509.2300

www.info.hotims.com/54428-70

www.info.hotims.com/54428-71

“EARLY WARNING”

UNILUX: THE SKILLED ENGINEER’S CHOICE

Environmental System IR-SNIF-MCD Multiple-Channel Refrigerant Loss Monitors One Monitor For Multiple Refrigerants Designed for industrial comfort air and refrigeration applications with audible, visual and BAS alarm configurations, SenTech’s IR-SNIF 1,2,3 (Single Zone) and MCD (Multizone) models are cost-effective, self-contained, active-air-draw sampling systems offering highly reliable infraredbased performance capable of monitoring and responding to 22 refrigerants at concentrations as low as 10 and 1 PPM. Meets ASHRAE 15.

Unilux is the solution. For over thirty years, Unilux is the skilled engineer’s choice. High efficiency, small footprint, low emission, ultra rugged construction and the industry’s best factory support are just a few of the traits that our customers consistently complement us about. Water, Steam and HTHW designs for commercial comfort to industrial process. Custom applications and factory involved design build. Factory packaged or field erected by factory crews.... Trust Unilux.

Unilux Advanced Manufacturing, LLC Check our Web site: www.SenTechCorp.com Call or write for additional information. Toll-free 888-248-1988 • Direct 317-596-1988 Fax 317-596-1989

30 Commerce Park Dr Schenectady, NY 12309 Ph. 518.344.7490 Fx. 518.344.7495 [email protected] www.uniluxam.com

www.info.hotims.com/54428-72

www.info.hotims.com/54428-73

SenTech Corporation

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MUNTERS OASIS OPTIMUM DCIE

Munters Oasis™ Optimum DCIE data center cooling system is a modular design that achieves PUEs less than 1.1. Fresh air is drawn across wetted polymer heat exchanger tubes, while filtered ambient air flows over the tubes’ surface. The evaporative process efficiently cools hot aisle air flowing through the tubes. This reduces risk from outdoor air pollutants to provide a clean, stable IT environment. The system is scalable by increments of 200kW* and the modules can simply be added on as a data center grows. Email: [email protected] or call 800-843-5360. Web: www.munters.us

www.info.hotims.com/54428-74

DAIKIN

www.info.hotims.com/54428-54 www.info.hotims.com/54428-75 ClimateMaster’s TSL Ducted Vertical Stack Series is the first and only vertical stack product for ducted applications on the market today. The TSL vertical stack is designed for a variety of building applications. This new design provides a simple and cost efficient approach to installing stacked units, while allowing for individual tenant metering. Through its vertical, space-saving design, the TSL Series can save both time and money during installation.

www.climatemaster.com

www.info.hotims.com/54428-76

www.info.hotims.com/54428-78 www.info.hotims.com/54428-76

www.info.hotims.com/54428-77

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SPECIAL PRODUCTS DATA CENTERS

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To receive FREE info on the products in this section, visit the Web address listed below each item or go to

The Babel Buster BB2-7010-02 gateway from Control Solutions, St. Paul, Minn., enables users to connect SNMP devices to BACnet IP. It can query MIB OIDs and provide data as BACnet objects.  www.info.hotims.com/54428-203

www.ashrae.org/freeinfo. A

BACnet® Gateway

Chillers

Oklahoma City-based ClimaCool offers a line of modular packaged air- and water-cooled mission-critical chillers with incremental capacities ranging from 15 to 85 tons (53 kW to 299 kW), configurable to 1,000 tons (3500 kW) per bank. Their modular design provides system expandability and redundancy.  www.info.hotims.com/54428-201

Steam Generator The SuperSteam clean steam unfired steam generator from Diversified Heat Transfer, Towaco, N.J., provides steam for clean applications including data center humidification, sterilization, and pharmaceutical applications. www.info.hotims.com/54428-202

A

Remote Building Management System Diamond Controls Solution from Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating, Suwanee, Ga., enables building managers to control multiple mechanical systems, including non-HVAC equipment, through a single interface. The product includes design, installation and integration services from the company’s Professional Services Group. www.info.hotims.com/54428-204

Evaporative Cooler/Humidifier optiMist from Carel USA, Manheim, Pa., is an evaporative cooler and humidifier for efficient management of direct evaporative cooling, indirect evaporative cooling and adiabatic humidification.  www.info.hotims.com/54428-205

Chiller By ClimaCool

B

BACnet® Gateway By Control Solutions Mixed-Flow Fan The model VMBL mixed-flow fan from Carnes, Verona, Wis., is designed to deliver low energy consumption and long life. It features heavy-duty construction. www.info.hotims.com/54428-206

Smoke Control Calculations Just Got Easier. Handbook of Smoke Control Engineering, now with AtriumCalc

ASHRAE’s comprehensive smoke control resource now includes AtriumCalc, a Microsoft® Excel® application that lets engineers perform complicated smoke control calculations in minutes. $129 ($109 ASHRAE Member) www.ashrae.org/smokecontrol www.info.hotims.com/54428-44 96

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PRODUCTS PRODUCT SHOWPLACE

Damper

To receive FREE info on the products in this section, visit the Web address listed below each item or go to

www.ashrae.org/freeinfo. A

Industrial Evaporative Condensers

SPX Cooling Technologies and SGS Refrigeration, Overland Park, Kan., have collaborated to develop the Marley Cube industrial evaporative condensers. The series includes a range of forced-draft and induced-draft models. www.info.hotims.com/54428-151 B

Building Automation System

Tracer Concierge from Trane, Piscataway, N.J., is a packaged system of building HVAC and lighting controls. It is designed to be a simple, turnkey system that is preconfigured and preprogrammed for each of a project’s standard floor plans. The system consists of a factory-programmed Tracer SC system controller, wireless communications interfaces between devices, a touchscreen user display, and an optional power meter. www.info.hotims.com/54428-152 C

Continental Fan, Buffalo, N.Y., offers the IRIS damper for supply and exhaust tracking control, individual comfort control, and airflow regulation. Its design allows for airflow to be measured and controlled at a single station to save time and money in initial installation and commissioning. www.info.hotims.com/54428-156

Makeup Air Units Minneapolis-based Valent introduces the DGR direct-fired and IGR indirect-fired lines of heat-only makeup air units for commercial or industrial facilities where high outdoor air volumes are needed but cooling and humidity control are not required. www.info.hotims.com/54428-157

Redundant Drives ACH550 Redundant Drives from ABB, New Berlin, Wis., consist of a pair of ABB ACH550 drives integrated into a NEMA-rated enclosure. The redundant drives feature singlepoint control connections, which eliminate the need to duplicate control wiring to primary and secondary systems. www.info.hotims.com/54428-158

The M50A modular packaged air-conditioning system from Coolerado, Denver, features the company’s indirect evaporation system, which provides greater efficiency compared to conventional AC units and does not use chemical refrigerants. The system is designed to add no moisture to conditioned air. www.info.hotims.com/54428-159

Geothermal Heat Pump

GEA Refrigeration Technologies, Bochum, Germany, offers the GEA Bock HG46 CO2 T semi-hermetic, six-cylinder compressor for transcritical CO2 applications with operating pressures of up to 130 bar (13 000 kPa). It features a large displacement of 21.8 m³/h to 30.2 m³/h (770 ft3/h to 1,070 ft3/h). www.info.hotims.com/54428-154

WaterFurnace, Fort Wayne, Ind., introduces the 5 Series 504W11 hydronic geothermal heat pump, which features the company’s OptiHeat vapor injection technology. While most hydronic geothermal systems generate 130°F (54°C) water, OptiHeat creates exiting water temperatures up to 150°F (66°C) via an additional heat exchanger that diverts excess heat and reinjects it into the system. www.info.hotims.com/54428-160

Harmonic Filters

HVLS Fans

Schaffner EMC, Edison, N.J., introduces the ECOSine 60 Hz line of passive harmonic filters to protect motors in a variety of applications. Tuned to a specific harmonic order, these filters remove harmful harmonics before they can damage protected load. www.info.hotims.com/54428-155

MacroAir, San Bernadino, Calif., offers the Airvolution-D (AVD) line of HVLS fans. The four models in the line feature a direct-drive motor with a gearless design to deliver improved airflow capacity in a smaller, lighter, and less noisy motor. www.info.hotims.com/54428-161

Semi-Hermetic Compresssor

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Building Automation System By Trane

Packaged AC

Zone Valves

Belimo Americas, Danbury, Conn., announces the ZoneTight line of zone valves for pressure-dependent and pressure-independent zoning applications in tight spaces. The valves feature a “zero-leakage” ball valve design that minimizes energy losses, is resistant to clogging, and consumes up to 95% less energy than conventional zone valves. www.info.hotims.com/54428-153

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Zone Valve By Belimo Americas Rooftop Fans Tjernlund Products, White Bear Lake, Minn., offers the RT-Series rooftop fans. The fans are available with an optional Constant Operating Pressure Control (COP2), which includes a VFD and transducer to deliver precise draft or exhaust by modulating fan speed to maintain a constant negative pressure within a vent or exhaust system as draft or exhaust loads change. www.info.hotims.com/54428-162

Fume Hood Exhaust Blowers HEMCO, Independence, Mo., offers a line of fume hood exhaust blowers designed to exhaust corrosive fumes, humid or polluted air, gases and odors. The blowers are available in coated steel or PVC, in standard or explosion proof models, all with a smooth interior surface that reduces static pressure loss and chemical waste buildup. www.info.hotims.com/54428-163

www.info.hotims.com/54428-7

kBIM Template and Library Standardized Tools to Reduce Autodesk® Revit® Implementation Costs kBIM Template and Library for Autodesk Revit is a package of standardized Revit tools designed to provide large-firm capabilities to smaller firms and improve drawing development efficiency. kBIM Template and Library includes a Revit template, customized Revit library, and supporting help documentation, all designed to enhance the building information modeling (BIM) process for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and technology disciplines.

www.info.hotims.com/54428-XX

Provides large-firm capabilities to smaller firms • Custom view templates • Standard and customizable device symbols • Equipment and fixture schedules and families • Custom schedules and tags • Standard pipe systems and filters • Design checks as visibility and graphical settings • Custom drawing annotation styles and device tags • Equipment clearance representation • Device annotation offset for drawing clarity

Find demos, examples, and purchasing information at www.ashrae.org/kbim.

www.info.hotims.com/54428-94

Autodesk and Revit are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and other countries.

CLASSIFIEDS

RATE SCHEDULE:

OPENINGS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Classifieds are accepted in the categories of Job Opportunities, Rentals, Business Opportunities, and Software.

HVAC ENGINEERS All levels. JR Walters Resources, Inc., specializing in the placement of technical professionals in the E & A field. Openings nationwide. Address: P. O. Box 617, St. Joseph, MI 49085-0617. Phone 269-925-3940. E-mail: [email protected]. Visit our web site at www. jrwalters.com.

ADIBATIC AIR INLET COOLING

Closing date: Copy must be received by the classified department by the 3rd of the month preceding date of issue. To place an ad in ASHRAE Journal Classifieds contact: Vanessa Johnson 1791 Tullie Circle NE Atlanta, GA 30329 Phone 678-539-1166 Fax 678-539-2166 E-mail: [email protected]

FOR RENT

INSTRUCTOR IN HVAC AND ALTERNATIVE RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES: The Department of Mechanical and Energy Technologies at SUNY Canton seeks candidates for a tenure track faculty position beginning in the fall semester 2015. The successful candidate will teach courses in the following areas: HVAC - domestic and commercial systems & design, load calculations, equipment selection & building automation; Alternative & Renewable Energy Systems – fuel cells, solar energy, photovoltaic, solar hot water, passive solar & biofuels. QUALIFICATIONS: Relevant teaching experience preferred, applied industrial experience will be given emphasis in the selection process. The successful candidate should have a desire to mentor and advise students to ensure their academic success. The ability to present material in a clear and understandable manner is a must. This position requires a Master’s degree in engineering or engineering technology and a P.E. License or PhD in a related field. Persons interested in the above position should apply online at https://employment. canton.edu/ Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Prior to a final offer of employment, the selected candidate will be required to submit to a background check including, but not limited to, employment verification, educational and other credential verification, and criminal background check. CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS: Review begins immediately and will continue until the position is filled. SUNY Canton, a unit of the State University of New York, is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. SUNY Canton is building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty and staff and strongly encourages applications from minority and women candidates.

To place an ad contact: Vanessa Johnson– Advertising Production & Operations Coordinator 1791 Tullie Circle NE Atlanta, GA 30329 Phone: 678-539-1166 Email: [email protected] 102

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Improving the performance of Air Cooled Chillers, Dry Coolers and Condensers and Refrigeration Plants. EcoMESH is a unique mesh and water spray system that improves performance, reduces energy consumption, eliminates high ambient problems, is virtually maintenance free and can payback in one cooling season.

Standard Installation

EcoMESH Addition

Water Spray

that season.

Cooler Air Intake

EcoMESH Benefits •Reduced Running Cost •Reduced Maintenance •Easy Retrofit •Improved Reliability •Increased Capacity •Self Cleaning Filter •Shading Benefit •No Water Treatment •Longer Compressor Life

Before • • • • • •

•

•

•

EcoMESH Adia batic Sys tems Ltd.

www.ecomesh.eu

THERMAL ENERGY (1) STORAGE

Phase Change Materials between 8ºC(47ºF) and 89ºC(192ºF) release thermal energy during the phase change which releases large amounts of energy) in the form of latent heat. It bridges the gap between energy availability and energy use and load shifting Improving the performance of Air Cooled Chillers, Dry Coolers and capability. Condensers and Refrigeration Plants. EcoMESH is a unique mesh and water spray system that improves performance, reduces energy consumption, eliminates high ambient problems, is virtually maintenance free and can payback in one cooling season.

ADIBATIC AIR INLET COOLING

+8ºC (47ºF)

Standard Installation

EcoMESH Addition

Water Spray

Cooler Air Intake

EcoMESH Benefits BENEFITS

•Reduced Running Cost • EASY RETROFIT •Reduced Maintenance •LOW RUNNING COST •Easy Retrofit • REDUCED MACHINERY •Improved Reliability • INCREASED CAPACITY •Increased Capacity •Self Cleaning Filter •Shading Benefit •No Water Treatment •Longer Compressor Life

•GREEN SOLUTION • REDUCED MAINTENANCE • FLEXIBLE SYSTEM •STAND-BY CAPACITY

Overduring day

that season.

Before • • •• •

PCM Products

www.pcmproducts.net

(1)

•

• • • •

•

•

EcoMESH Adia batic Sys tems Ltd.

www.ecomesh.eu

ASHRAE THERMALJournal ENERGY STORAGE (4) Classified Ads Classified ads are Phase Change Materials between +8~20ºC(47~68ºF) can be simply charged using a free cooler over-night without the use of a chiller and later the stored FREE energy can be used to handle the day-time sensible building loads.

ALWAYS

productive. M AY 2 0 1 5

+13ºC (55ºF)

The Foremost Medium for Reaching Engineering Professionals FREE COOLING BENEFITS

• LOWER INSTALLATION COST

•REDUCED MAINTENANCE

• SIGNIFICANT ENERY SAVING

• FLEXIBLE SYSTEM

• GREEN SOLUTION

•STAND-BY CAPACITY

utilising (PCM)

• • • •

SOFTWARE

Everything Your Reps Need… ...to increase sales

For All HVAC Products Selection Pricing / Configuration Submittals Parts Customer Support

mep

The power of BIM for MEP design •Calculations directly from the BIM model •Automatic generation of all the case study results •Automatic generation of the final set of drawings (plan views, vertical diagrams, axonometric diagrams, Piping/Ducting Networks in 2D and 3D and others) •Complete documentation of results (detailed calculation sheets, Technical Reports, Bill of Materials and many more) •IFC import/export to ensure collaboration with other BIM applications.

FineHVAC - HVAC Design

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HVAC Loads (Ashrae 2013), Chilled and Hot Water piping, Airduct Sizing, Psychrometric Analysis (includes also design for Merchant and Naval Surface Ships - Ashrae ch. 13.1 & 13.3).

www.bcatech.com 407407-659659-0653

FineFIRE - Fire Fighting Design

NFPA 13 fully calculated systems for tree, gridded or looped systems (includes also EN 12845, BS 9251, FM, CEA 4001 & AS 2118 regulations)

FineSANI - Plumbing Design

Water supply and Sewerage design

FineELEC - Electrical Design FineGAS - Gas Network Design FineLIFT - Elevator Design

[email protected], www.4mbim.com, www.4msa.com

ASHRAE Journal Classified Ads The Foremost Medium for Reaching Engineering Professionals

To place an ad contact: Vanessa Johnson Advertising Production & Operations Coordinator 1791 Tullie Circle NE Atlanta, GA 30329 Phone: 678-539-1166 Fax: 678-539-2166 Email: [email protected] M AY 2 0 1 5

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ADVERTISING SALES

Advertisers Index/Reader Service Information

ASHRAE JOURNAL

Two fast and easy ways to get additional information on products & services in this issue:

1. Visit the Web address below the advertiser’s name for the ad in this issue. 2. Go to www.ashrae.org/freeinfo to search for products by category or company name. Plus, link directly to advertisers’ Web sites or request information by e-mail, fax or mail. *Regional

Company

Web Address

Page

Company

Page

Web Address

Company

Web Address

Page

AAON, Inc .........................................................19 info.hotims.com/54428-1

Data Aire, Inc ...................................................45 info.hotims.com/54428-19

Parker Boiler Co. .............................................96 info.hotims.com/54428-44

AAON, Inc .........................................................95 info.hotims.com/54428-75

Distech Controls ..............................................93 info.hotims.com/54428-67

Petra Engineering ...........................................57 info.hotims.com/54428-45

Accurex .............................................................21 info.hotims.com/54428-2

Ebtron, Inc ...............................................3rd Cvr info.hotims.com/54428-20

Pottorff ..............................................................94 info.hotims.com/54428-70

Aerionics, Inc./Macurco.................................88 info.hotims.com/54428-3

Emerson Network Power ...............................67 info.hotims.com/54428-22

Raypak, Inc .......................................................65 info.hotims.com/54428-46

AHR Expo Orlando 2016 .................................51 info.hotims.com/54428-4

Evapco Inc ........................................................92 info.hotims.com/54428-64

Reliable Controls ...............................................2 info.hotims.com/54428-47

A-J Mfg. Co. .....................................................68 info.hotims.com/54428-5

Fujitsu General America.................................77 info.hotims.com/54428-23

Reliable Controls .............................................92 info.hotims.com/54428-65

ASHRAE HVAC Control Systems ...................86 info.hotims.com/54428-100

Goodway Technologies ...................................82 info.hotims.com/54428-24

Renewaire, LLC ................................................33 info.hotims.com/54428-48

ASHRAE kBIM .................................... 100 – 101 info.hotims.com/54428-94

Greenheck Fan Corp .......................................27 info.hotims.com/54428-25

Rinnai America Group.....................................49 info.hotims.com/54428-49

*ASHRAE PCBEA.............................................97 info.hotims.com/54428-93

Greentrol Automation .....................................53 info.hotims.com/54428-21

Rotor Source, Inc. ...........................................20 info.hotims.com/54428-50

ASHRAE Smoke Control .................................96 info.hotims.com/54428-91

Harsco Industrial, Patterson-Kelley.............61 info.hotims.com/54428-26

Rotronic Instrument Corp ..............................12 info.hotims.com/54428-51

ASHRAE Std. 90.1-13 UM ..............................95 info.hotims.com/54428-78 Aurora Pump/Pentair ......................................70 info.hotims.com/54428-6 Bard Manufacturing Co..................................99 info.hotims.com/54428-7 Bluebeam Software ........................................83 info.hotims.com/54428-8 Bosch Thermotechnology Corp.....................59 info.hotims.com/54428-9 CaptiveAire .......................................................79 info.hotims.com/54428-10 CaptiveAire .......................................................25 info.hotims.com/54428-11 Carlo Gavazzi Inc.............................................44 info.hotims.com/54428-12 Carrier Corp......................................................31 info.hotims.com/54428-13 Carrier Corp......................................................85 info.hotims.com/54428-14 ClimaCool Corp ................................................92 info.hotims.com/54428-63

Heat Pipe Technology Inc ..............................52 info.hotims.com/54428-27 Hurst Boiler & Welding Co. Inc.....................22 info.hotims.com/54428-28 LTG Incorporated .............................................84 info.hotims.com/54428-29 MacroAir Technologies.....................................7 info.hotims.com/54428-30 Mestek/KN Series ...........................................13 info.hotims.com/54428-31 Mestek/RBI Water Heaters...........................37 info.hotims.com/54428-32 Mestek/Xcelon ................................................75 info.hotims.com/54428-33 Metraflex ..........................................................82 info.hotims.com/54428-34 Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA Inc...15 info.hotims.com/54428-35 *Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada, Inc ......97 info.hotims.com/54428-36 Movin Cool/DENSO Products and Services43 info.hotims.com/54428-37

Selkirk ...............................................................24 info.hotims.com/54428-52 Sentech Corp ...................................................94 info.hotims.com/54428-72 Shortridge Instruments .................................42 info.hotims.com/54428-53 Southland Industries ......................................94 info.hotims.com/54428-71 Specific Systems.............................................95 info.hotims.com/54428-79 Spectronics Corp...............................................9 info.hotims.com/54428-54 Taco....................................................................87 info.hotims.com/54428-55 Taco....................................................................35 info.hotims.com/54428-56 Thybar Corp ......................................................92 info.hotims.com/54428-62 Titus...................................................................11 info.hotims.com/54428-57 Tjernlund Products, Inc..................................93 info.hotims.com/54428-68

MTU Onsite Energy .......... Insert Btwn 40 – 41

Topog-E Gasket Co. .........................................93 info.hotims.com/54428-66

Climatemaster .................................................81 info.hotims.com/54428-16

Multistack, LLC ...............................................34 info.hotims.com/54428-39

Trane ....................................................................5 info.hotims.com/54428-58

Climatemaster .................................................95 info.hotims.com/54428-77

Munters Corp ...................................................95 info.hotims.com/54428-74

Unilux Advanced Mfg, LLC.............................94 info.hotims.com/54428-73

Component Hardware .....................................69 info.hotims.com/54428-17

Munters Corp ..........................................4th Cvr info.hotims.com/54428-40

Unilux Advanced Mfg, LLC.............................86 info.hotims.com/54428-59

Control Solutions Inc ......................................93 info.hotims.com/54428-69

Munters Corp ...................................................23 info.hotims.com/54428-41

Vaisala Inc. .........................................................8 info.hotims.com/54428-60

Daikin North America LLC .............................95 info.hotims.com/54428-76

Onicon, Inc .......................................................71 info.hotims.com/54428-42

Xylem, Inc .........................................................89 info.hotims.com/54428-90

Daikin North America LLC ............... 2nd Cvr-1 info.hotims.com/54428-18

Ontrol A.S..........................................................26 info.hotims.com/54428-43

Yaskawa America Inc .....................................91 info.hotims.com/54428-61

ClimaCool Corp. ...............................................76 info.hotims.com/54428-15

104

ASHRAE JOURNAL

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1791 Tullie Circle NE | Atlanta, GA 30329 (404) 636-8400 | Fax: (678) 539-2174 www.ashrae.org Greg Martin | [email protected] Associate Publisher, ASHRAE Media Advertising Vanessa Johnson | [email protected] Advertising Production Coordinator NORTHEAST Nelson & Miller Associates – Denis O’Malley 5 Hillandale Ave., Suite 101 Stamford, CT 06902 (203) 356-9694 | Fax (203) 356-9695 [email protected] SOUTHEAST Millennium Media, Inc. – 590 Hickory Flat Road Alpharetta, GA 30004 Doug Fix (770) 740-2078 | Fax (678) 405-3327 Lori Gernand (281) 855-0470 | Fax (281) 855-4219 [email protected]; [email protected] EASTERN CANADA Nelson & Miller Associates – Denis O’Malley 5 Hillandale Ave., Suite 101 Stamford, CT 06902 (203) 356-9694 | Fax (203) 356-9695 [email protected] OHIO VALLEY LaRich & Associates – Tom Lasch 512 East Washington St. Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 [email protected] (440) 247-1060 | Fax (440) 247-1068 MIDWEST Kingwill Company – Baird Kingwill; Jim Kingwill 664 Milwaukee Avenue, Suite 201 Prospect Heights, IL 60070 (847) 537-9196 | Fax (847) 537-6519 [email protected]; [email protected] SOUTHWEST Lindenberger & Associates, Inc. – Gary Lindenberger; Lori Gernand 7007 Winding Walk Drive, Suite 100 Houston, TX 77095 (281) 855-0470 | Fax (281) 855-4219 [email protected]; [email protected] WEST LaRich & Associates – Nick LaRich, Tom Lasch 512 East Washington St. Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 [email protected] [email protected] (440) 247-1060 | Fax (440) 247-1068 KOREA YJP & Valued Media Co., Ltd – YongJin Park Kwang-il Building #905, Dadong-gil 5 Jung-gu, Seoul 100-170, Korea +82-2 3789-6888 | Fax: +82-2 3789-8988 [email protected] CHINA, HONG KONG & TAIWAN China Business Media – Sean Xiao 6-310 Xinchao No.162 Liaoyuan Road Fuzhou, Fujian, China 86 186 5099 7133 [email protected] INTERNATIONAL Steve Comstock (404) 636-8400 | [email protected] RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING AND REPRINTS ASHRAE – Greg Martin (678) 539-1174 | [email protected]

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