Seismic Design and Qualification Methods
This article will discuss the basis of seismic-design requirements, define seismic variables, and discuss seismic qualification methods. ...
With Computational Fluid Dynamics, Data Center's Cooling Is Optimized
Computational-fluid-dynamics (CFD) software tools provide the ability to simulate the performance of data centers and predict the effects of air handlers, power-dissipation sources, raised floors, and other features on temperatures throughout a data center. Following is a case of CFD being used to simulate a typical data center and evaluate the effect of design changes on cooling performance and energy costs. ...
Freezing in the Sun
The air conditioning in a tanning salon had not worked correctly all summer. That was not good: Tanning customers want to look like they have spent all...
Custom Design Makes the Installation of 4,640 Fan-Coil Units Militaryesque
Completed in 1967 and maintained by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the 32-story, 1.5 million-sq-ft Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building...
Recovering Heat From Chilled-Water Systems
In a chilled-water system, heat that other-wise would be lost to the environment (Figure 1) can be captured and used for other purposes. Although this...
All in a Day's Work
I occasionally meet students who perform maintenance in less-developed countries. They often tell intriguing stories of resourceful local technicians...
Big Problem, Simple Solution
High relative humidity (RH) was causing a recurring problem in a large food-processing facility. The high-speed package-filling machines were jamming...
Indirect-Evaporative A/C Contributes to Landmark's Sustainability Efforts
Springs Preserve is a 180-acre historical and cultural attraction located three miles from the Las Vegas Strip. In May 2005, a two-year, $250 million...
Ultraefficient All-Variable-Speed Buildings
Editor's note: In March 2006,1 Ben Erpelding, PE, CEM, discussed the optimization of entire central plants through utilization of variable-frequency drives...
Redundancy Pays: Frictionless Chiller Helps University Reduce Utility Costs
With its copper-and-granite-covered, geodesic-shaped exterior and 85-ft atrium, the 231,000-sq-ft McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis is a campus gateway and showplace, serving as a visitor and conference center, as well as an office building. But despite its ultramodern architecture, the building relied on a single 550-ton chiller for cooling throughout its first six years of operation....
Systematic Chiller-Plant Upgrades Lead to Operating Savings for Hospital
Johnny Morris, director of engineering and maintenance for Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Va., said his organization is not afraid of...
The Case of the Wet Filters
With ever-increasing pressure to design for lower space temperatures and relative humidities, engineers are providing colder, drier supply-air streams...
Variable-Refrigerant-Flow Zoning Helps Make Doctor's Dream a Reality
For 32 years, Dr. Byron M. Holm, a family practitioner in Plymouth, Ind., and his wife, Mary, a registered physical therapist, dreamed of a health-care...
Maximizing Cooling-Tower Water Efficiency
With a nominal efficiency of 0.2 kw per ton, evaporative cooling towers are among the most energy-efficient and cost-effective technologies for rejecting waste heat from air conditioning and other heat-exchange processes to the atmosphere. In the process, however, they use significant volumes of water. This article will discuss practical water-conservation opportunities for cooling towers....
The Telltale Stain
After scoping out a new project, a client and I entered the "chichi" boutique next door. When he marketed the space the previous fall, he needed to have the space ready for any kind of tenant, so I had selected two HVAC units sized to allow flexibility. The tenant's contractor would design and install the ductwork to suit the tenant's needs as part of the tenant fitout. The new tenant now had been in business a while, and we stopped in to see how everything was going. ...
The Telltale Stain
After scoping out a new project, a client and I entered the boutique next door. When he marketed the space the previous fall, he needed to have the space...
Glowing Success
He was trying to keep the chiller from overheating, but the real problem was a condenser that kept shutting down. When electrical equipment shuts down, measuring current is a good place to start. However, the disconnect on the condenser did not have a "cheater," so I would have to shut down the unit to take measurements. ...
Green HVAC Designs for Data Centers
Because of their computer and HVAC equipment, data-processing centers are among the largest commercial users of electrical energy. While the energy consumed...
Outside-the-Box Thinking Produces Outside-the-Building Mech. Room
Soon after moving into a former Apollo moon-mission training facility in Warminster, Pa., Transcontinental Direct, the recently established U.S. subsidiary...
Glowing Success
A maintenance man was running sprinklers to keep remote air-cooled condensers cool. He was trying to keep the chiller from overheating, but the real problem...
Mid-Construction Refrigerant Change Helps Condo Earn LEED Certification
Located a few blocks from the White House, The Alta at Thomas Circle includes 126 residential units and two retail spaces. What sets it apart from other...
APC-MGE Testing, Training, Demonstration Facility Opens
APC-MGE, the critical-power and cooling-services business unit of Schneider Electric, held a grand-opening celebration for the Schneider Electric Technology...
APC-MGE Testing, Training, Demonstration Facility Opens
APC-MGE, the critical-power and cooling-services business unit of Schneider Electric, held a grand-opening celebration for the Schneider Electric Technology Center--a new testing, training, and data-center-solutions demonstration facility in O'Fallon, Mo.--Oct. 23....
Finding a Balance
During an early planning meeting for a new large automobile-assembly plant that was to be built in the southwestern part of the United States, the planning committee was informed that the plant would be air-conditioned via mechanical refrigeration. The committee also was informed that, with a new paint process, relative humidity (RH) in production booths would need to be maintained below 45 percent at all times. ...
Finding a Balance
During an early planning meeting for a new large automobile-assembly plant that was to be built in the southwestern part of the United States, the planning...
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