Heating
GEOTHERMAL: The New Big Man on Campus
Geothermal is evolving from individual buildings to campuswide systems...
2012 AHR EXPO REPORT
The 2012 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), held Jan. 23-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago, was my 10th AHR Expo in 13 years and easily my busiest. Throwing prudence to the wind—and showing utter disregard for my feet—I packed as many booth appointments and press events into my schedule as I felt logistically possible, which ended up totaling 45. The result was two-and-a-half exhausting, but informative, days. Following are the highlights....
2012 AHR Expo Product Preview
HVAC Market Poised for Positive Change
HPAC Engineering spoke with a design engineer, a facility engineer, and a manufacturer and found a market poised for positive change in 2012 and beyond, one that will do so with technology ranging from building information modeling and 24-hour energy analysis replacing outdated technologies. ...
Cutting Stack Effect Down to Size
A condition that exists in a tall building when outside temperature is significantly lower than the temperature of the spaces in the building is called stack effect. Stack effect is the phenomenon in which a tall building acts as a chimney in cold weather, with the natural convection of air entering at the lower floors of the building, flowing through the building, and exiting from the upper floors. ...
Hydronic Equipment, Web-Based Controls Earn High Marks From Boarding School
What started as a simple swap-out of mechanical systems in two small dormitories in 2007 has turned into a multiphase, cross-campus crusade to change buildings from a 60-year-old central steam heat system to high-efficiency, single-structure hydronic equipment for The Williston Northampton School...
LEED Opportunities with District Energy
District energy facilities allow thermal and electric utilities to be generated efficiently and reliably. These systems also allow for the consolidation of maintenance and operations. These reasons alone have justified the significant capital investment required. Today, however, there is a new movement that is changing how these investments are viewed: the sustainable building movement....
Chilled-Beam Basics
An alternative to conventional variable-air-volume (VAV) systems, chilled beams circulate chilled water through tubing embedded in a metal ceiling fixture to wick away heat. The business end of a chilled beam is made of copper tubing bonded to aluminum fins. The beam is housed in a sheet-metal enclosure typically placed at ceiling level...
Preventing Legionnaires’ Disease in Cooling Towers
As a potential source of Legionella, cooling towers require special attention, but state-of-the-art protection is possible and affordable...
The Advantages of Higher Boiler Turndowns
This article will focus on boiler hydronic heating systems. There are many different types of hydronic systems; however, they all are made up of the same basic components, such as pumps, coils, control valves, and boilers. This article will discuss how boiler turndown can improve the interactions among many of these components to create a more stable and reliable heating system....
New Strip Mall in Rockford, Ill., Mines Energy From Subterranean Power Plant
In Rockford, Ill., the owners of a new 12-business strip mall approved a plan for a network of water-to-air geothermal systems piped to a large main serving as a "thoroughfare." Each system would be able to pull and deposit British-thermal-unit-rich fluids as needed. With a total capacity of 90 tons, the project called for an extensive geothermal-exchange field....
Office-Tower Hydronic Update
Melvin Cohen and Associates Inc. was chosen by the State of Illinois Capital Development Board to prepare design documents for bid and construction, and Primera Engineers in Chicago was chosen to provide commissioning for hydronic update on the Michael A. Bilandic Building....
Digital Analyzer Ensures Military Techs Are 'on the Same Sheet of Music'
Not long ago, Warren Brader brought his 25 years of experience in HVAC service and maintenance to a major military contractor. His responsibility: maintaining the HVAC equipment at military bases around the world....
WaterFurnace: Future of Geothermal Looks Bright
Although 2010 should prove to be a "mixed bag" for the overall economy, it will be a great year for the geothermal industry, WaterFurnace President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Huntington told more than 400 HVAC contractors and distributors during the company's Annual Sales Meeting in Phoenix....
Balancing Heat for Savings and Comfort
Heat balance is exactly what it sounds like: ensuring buildings maintain a steady and even temperature. In this column, I will outline steps you can take to heat-balance the multifamily-residential and commercial buildings with which you work....
Modernized Old-World Hotel Goes Green, Provides Comfort With Ductless HVAC
In 1929, construction of the 35,000-sq-ft Hotel Seville in Harrison, Ark., was completed. With a price tag, including furniture, of $170,000, a tremendous...
Brushless Direct-Current Premix Gas Blowers
Increased energy and environmental demands support the case for premix combustion systems. These systems deliver a measured air/gas fuel mixture in a...
New High School's Hybrid HVAC System Features Single-Pipe Hydronic System
Built in 1938, Waterloo High School in Waterloo, Ill., part of Waterloo Community Unit School District No. 5, had become seriously overcrowded. In 2006,...
Optimizing Boiler-System Efficiency
Boiler-system efficiency is one of the most documented and published topics for plant engineers and utility managers in commercial and industrial facilities....
Infectious-Diseases Doc Available From ASHRAE
As health and school officials deal with a second wave of the H1N1 virus (swine flu), new information on health consequences of exposure to airborne infectious diseases and implications for the design, installation, and operation of HVACR systems is available from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)....
Turnkey Capabilities Keep Guests Comfortable, Construction Going
During the summer of 2005, The General Theological Seminary began renovating three of its buildings in New York's historic Chelsea neighborhood to house...
Rethinking Central Utility Plants
Editor's note: This is Part 2 in a two-part series. Part 1 of this series discussed the inefficiencies of central heating and cooling systems. Although...
With Help of Water-Source Heat Pumps, Historic Minneapolis Building Reborn
Completed in 1928, Midtown Exchange in south Minneapolis served as a retail and distribution center for Sears, Roebuck and Co. until closing in 1994....
Ground-Source Heat Pumps: Keys to Design, Installation
Amid the current push to “go green” by building high-efficiency, environmentally sound, sustainable HVAC systems, heat pumps — particularly those that use the earth's geothermal energy to serve as a heat sink and source — are generating a lot of buzz. Ground-source heat-pump (GSHP) systems operate like every other HVAC system: They move energy from one place to another. Although that sounds simple, HVAC engineers and designers owe their livelihoods to the complexities. ...
Rethinking Central Utility Plants
Times have changed and so have the buildings in which we live, work, and teach. They have become more energy-efficient because of better facades and more sophisticated HVAC, electrical, and automation systems. But what about the central plants that produce the heating and cooling delivered to these buildings? How have they evolved over the years? Are they serving us in an efficient, sustainable manner? ...
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