Engineered Systems articles from June 2008

Engineered Systems archives from June 2008

To your credit: the only transaction required for our awards program is good work.(Editor's Note)
June 1, 2008... When was the last time you went a week without receiving an unsolicited credit card application? I can't remember, either. The marketing pitch often includes awards programs for points that can be tough to redeem, or interest rates that spike...

Noise attenuation: a light touch.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2008... Ed. note: The next two letters pertain to John S. Clark's article "Congregations In Comfort," which appeared in the January 2008 issue of Engineered Systems (page 72). I have been a consultant in acoustics and noise control for over 35...

Integration options.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2008... Regarding Kevin Dickens' article on water vs. air cooled chiller plants for data centers ("This Time, Water Cooled Was All Wet," April 2008, page 34), I believe there is a significant flaw in the analysis that skews the energy analysis towards...

Engineering in the warranty phase.(Back 2 Basics: Based on Cx-3 ATC/FPT software)
June 1, 2008... * The design engineer should continue to monitor the project during the warranty phase by requesting the HVAC service contractor (who is providing remote monitoring of space temperature, safeties, and alarms) to e-mail system trending data to...

Third-party Cx and TAB Engineering in the warranty phase.(Back 2 Basics: Based on Cx-3 ATC/FPT software)
June 1, 2008... * The commissioning team during the warranty phase is the same team who participated in the construction phase. In the warranty phase, there will be a requirement for observing the deferred seasonal FPT demonstration (e.g., heating system...

Polypropylene pressure piping system improves server reliability.(Case In Point)
June 1, 2008... * When Utah State University planned to upgrade its data center, improving the server cooling system was a top priority. USU engineers considered using welded steel but had concerns regarding condensation as well as the difficulty of installing...

Sustainable building authority walks the walk when promoting green products.(Case In Point)(Campus Center for Appropriate Technology)
June 1, 2008... * "Do what we say and what we do!" might well be the mantra for the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) at Humboldt State University (HSU) in Arcata, CA. When CCAT decided to remodel its live-in demonstration home and educational...

Heat pump-based HVAC and control system contributes to bright IdeA(s).(Case In Point)
June 1, 2008... * The new headquarters of Integrated Design Associates (IDeAs) Inc. is a testament to the company's commitment to helping architects design the best and most energy efficient buildings. The new IDeAs headquarters is the first commercial office...

A sweet solution: rental chillers help save one million dollars' worth of sugar beets.(Case In Point)
June 1, 2008... * Spring 2007 was warmer than usual in Minnesota's Red River Valley, putting millions of dollars of sugar beets at risk. So American Crystal Sugar Company (ACSC), an agricultural cooperative headquartered in Moorhead, MN, had to find a cool...

Hydronic system holds humidity at bay in Curacao office building.(Case In Point)
June 1, 2008... A new office building housing some 200 employees of KPMG, the global audit, tax, and advisory services firm, is up and running on the island of Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles, and it's being kept cool by an innovative HVAC system. In...

Green archival room design preserves both papyrus and the environment.(Case In Point)
June 1, 2008... Preserving the Western Hemisphere's largest papyrus collection--ancient writings on fragile papyrus reeds dating back to 1000 B.C. that the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, discovered during early 20th century archeological digs--in a...

Fast-track commissioning: feel the need for speed? Strong planning will let you keep pace on the homestretch.(Commissioning)(Column)
June 1, 2008... Last month, I wrote about the importance of and unique characteristics associated with commissioning D-B projects. This month, it is time to discuss fast-track projects. Introducing commissioning to fast-track projects is a special challenge,...

A larger slice of a growing pie: they're dishing out incentives, but do you have a recipe for successfully acquiring them?(Efficiency Incentives)
June 1, 2008... Utilities, governments, and other agencies have been providing incentives to encourage energy-efficiency improvements for almost 30 years. Not surprisingly, highs and lows in annual funding levels have been closely associated with important...

Is it raining in your boiler combustion chamber? A good boiler misapplied or improperly installed can precipitate some serious performance problems.(Hydro Tech)
June 1, 2008... Common installation mistakes occur when designers and installers fail to protect against low return water temperature to hot water boilers. This can occur in water source heat pump boiler installation, space hot water heating, pool water...

Big system on campus: here, building automation design and construction is hardly academic.(Building Automation)
June 1, 2008... In fact, at college or on other multi-university campuses, you find quite a few distinct challenges. Some of these challenges include: How many contractors/manufacturers are appropriate? With more than one manufacturer, how is interoperability...

Commercial and public buildings commissioning and project closeout checklist.(HVACR Designer Tips)
June 1, 2008... Equipment type: Rooftop units Equipment designation: RTU-1 Barcode designation: 11111 Area served: One-story office space Equipment location: Rooftop BASIS OF DESIGN * Review and confirm design intent has been met....

Notre Dame tackles the heat.(A/C installation in The University of Notre Dame)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Over the years, reporters covering football in South Bend became accustomed to two constants: strong teams and stifling heat. The journalists' area offered no viable A/C installation, sandwiched between VIPs above...

State of the arts.
June 1, 2008... At first glance, what you see is a fine job with a complex peforming arts center ventilation design. However, cast your eyes a little further around this California campus, and the story gets into fuel cells and sophisticated thermal energy...

Time for a transplant?(www.motorsmatter.org)(U.S. motor efficiencies)
June 1, 2008... Five health care institutions in New York are looking forward to healthy savings--approximately $320,000--over the next decade, having completed an electric motor audit and subsequent upgrades. This article explains how smart motor management...

Project delivery: what can IPD do for you?
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] They say that change is good. However, it certainly isn't good later in the design/construction process, where inadequate planning or teamwork up front can eventually cost a lot of time and money to rectify. The...

ASHRAE book focuses on data center case studies.(Issues & Events)
June 1, 2008... Data centers are becoming increasingly more difficult to adequately cool, due to increased datacom performance that results in increased heat dissipation. Even though performance has increased at a more rapid rate than power, the power required...

8th European Conference on industrial furnaces and boilers makes proceedings available.(Issues & Events)(Conference news)
June 1, 2008... The 8th European Conference on Industrial Furnaces and Boilers, which took place March 25-28, 2008 in Vilamoura--Algarve, Portugal, featured a long list of presentations focused on everything from "Combustion and Gasification of Solid Biomass...

Big fans of IAQ.(Issues & Events)
June 1, 2008... At AMCA International's spring meeting earlier this week, members discussed ways of bringing more attention to the IAQ benefits provided by member company products. As AMCA Sales & Marketing board members considered what messages the...

Frost & Sullivan: LEED[R] certification set to raise bar for North American building industry.(Issues & Events)(Industry overview)
June 1, 2008... Emphasis on LEED[R] certification and incorporation of energy efficiency measures increasingly characterize the function of the building sector in North America, reports Frost & Sullivan. The sector is witnessing a significant shift toward...

Carrier Corp.(Industry News)
June 1, 2008... Carrier Corp., a unit of United Technologies Corp., has introduced its new WeatherMaker[R] rooftop product line with Puron[R] refrigerant, which is designed to meet the increasing demand for more energy-efficient air conditioners with...

Rheem Manufacturing Company.(Industry News)
June 1, 2008... Rheem Manufacturing Company announced the extension of its sponsorship agreement with Richard Childress Racing[R] (RCR) for the 2008 and 2009 Sprint Cup[R] seasons--Rheem will continue as the major associate sponsor of RCR's No. 29 car driven...

Enertech Manufacturing.(Industry News)
June 1, 2008... Enertech Manufacturing, LLC broke ground on a 20,000-sq-ft expansion of their Mitchell, SD plant in order to meet demands of their products, consisting of GeoComfort[R], Paradise[R], and Hydron Module[R] branded geothermal heating and cooling...

Emerson.(Industry News)
June 1, 2008... Emerson, as part of the company's global alignment initiatives, announced has changed the name of its Copeland corporate entities in Europe to Emerson Climate Technologies, following similar name changes made by Emerson in its long-term...

Taco, Inc.(Industry News)
June 1, 2008... Taco, Inc. announced prices increases averaging 5.9% for its commercial products lines, effective May 27.

HCFCs will become scarce, EPA official predicts.(Issues & Events)
June 1, 2008... Speaking at AHRI's Media Roundtable, Cindy Newburg of the EPA's Office of Stratospheric Ozone Protection addressed the 2010 changeover from HCFCs to HFCs. Newberg explained that while consumers won't be required to stop using HCFCs or to...

Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR).(Engineering Beat)
June 1, 2008... Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. (SSR) promoted Mike Bernard, James "Bo" Butler, George Johnson, Steven "Rusty" Ross, and Jim Seckel to team leaders.

SSOE.(Engineering Beat)
June 1, 2008... SSOE announced the appointment of Matthew Kennedy, RA, ACHA, senior associate to the role of health care account executive.

Newcomb & Boyd.(Engineering Beat)
June 1, 2008... Newcomb & Boyd announced that Michelle T. Bunn has joined the firm as a mechanical engineer, Kristina H. Brooks has been named marketing manager, and mechanical engineers Lynda B. Herrig and Walker C. Jones have become LEED[R] APs.

The Albert Kahn.(Engineering Beat)
June 1, 2008... The Albert Kahn family of companies announced that Michael Durand, P.E., LEED[R] AP has been elevated to a principal of the firm.

LKPB Engineers, Inc. (LKPB).(Engineering Beat)
June 1, 2008... LKPB Engineers, Inc. (LKPB) has promoted mechanical engineer Michael Westemeier, P.E., to principal and partner.

Evergreen Engineering.(Engineering Beat)
June 1, 2008... Evergreen Engineering renewed its current lease and signed an expansion lease for an additional 5,700 sq ft of office space less than two years of relocating into an 8,617 sq ft office space at Technology Center One in Hillsboro, OR.

AHRI.(Association Agenda)(Website overview)
June 1, 2008... AHRI was expected to launched its new website, located at www.ahrinet.org, late last month.

The Green Mechanical Council.(Association Agenda)
June 1, 2008... The Green Mechanical Council announced that it has entered into a memorandum of cooperation with CABA, which calls for both organizations to mutually co-operate to educate contractors, field technicians, and industry leaders about creating and...

ASHRAE.(Association Agenda)
June 1, 2008... ASHRAE will hold the first exam for its new certification program, which is designed to provide the necessary training and tools for the design of high-performance buildings, June 25 at its 2008 annual meeting, June 21-25, in Salt Lake City.

The American Filtration & Separations Society.(Association Agenda)
June 1, 2008... The American Filtration & Separations Society will hold its fall conference on September 22-25, 2008, in Charlotte, NC.

AMCA International.(Association Agenda)
June 1, 2008... AMCA International announced that the board of standards review of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and ASHRAE have approved ANSI/AMCA STANDARD 210-07-ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 51-07, "Laboratory Methods of Testing Fans for Certified...

IRS issues guidance on commercial building tax deductions.(Issues & Events)
June 1, 2008... The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued Notice 2008-40 providing additional guidance on the Commercial Building Tax Deduction Program under Section 179D. The notice expands on Notice 2006-52 addressing 1) guidance on the pass-through on...

Heat pumps 'go with the flow' to boost output.(Issues & Events)
June 1, 2008... Air source heat pumps typically deliver 1 1/2 to three times more heating energy to a space than the electric energy they consume. This is possible because heat pumps move heat rather than convert it from a fuel (as combustion heating systems...

Maxitrol Company.(Places And Faces)
June 1, 2008... Maxitrol Company promoted Jeffrey DeWitt to vice president of engineering, a position in which his responsibilities will include management of production engineering, design/tooling operations, and the quality assurance department, along with...

Distech Controls.(Places And Faces)
June 1, 2008... Distech Controls announced the addition of Ed Gomez as regional sales manager for Latin America.

Victaulic Company.(Places And Faces)
June 1, 2008... Victaulic Company announced with great sadness the passing of John E. Perry, 61, vice president of fire protection and new business, who had been with the company since 1997.

TAC.(Places And Faces)
June 1, 2008... TAC appointed Jana Gerber director of marketing and business development and Jay Nardone to vice president of systems integration for the central U.S. market.

Emerson Climate Technologies.(Places And Faces)
June 1, 2008... Emerson Climate Technologies, a business of Emerson, announced the appointment of Alan Abramson to the position of president, Clive Samuels & Associates.

ABB.(Places And Faces)
June 1, 2008... ABB has made two appointments to its North American team: Greg Scheu, currently senior vice president of the company's Automation Products division in North America, will now head the company's Power Products division in North America; and Rick...

Burnham Hydronics.(Places And Faces)
June 1, 2008... Burnham Hydronics announced that the N.H. Yates & Company, Inc. is a new manufacturer's representative for the company's line of boilers and hydronic heating equipment.

Uponor North America.(Places And Faces)
June 1, 2008... Uponor North America announced that William Gray will join the company as general manager for Canada.

Pittsburgh Corning Corporation's.(Places And Faces)
June 1, 2008... Pittsburgh Corning Corporation's regional manager, R. Alan Neely, was selected to receive the Lincoln Bouillon Award (which recognizes a member who performs the most outstanding work in increasing the membership of the society during the course...

Grundfos.(Places And Faces)
June 1, 2008... Grundfos promoted Chris Zelenka to regional segment manager for commercial building services in North America.

Finite element modeling & analysis.(Computers & Software)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LapFEA 2008, a finite element modeling and analysis application, offers capabilities including a 3-D pre-processor, a 32-bit static and dynamic solver, a post-processor displaying color shaded contours of stresses...

Pump selection.(Computers & Software)
June 1, 2008... The company's CAD library, which is part of its ESP-PLUS[R] online pump selection program includes 3-D drawings and other features that allow engineers to download 2-D and 3-D files in several file formats, or directly insert these files into...

HVAC design.(Computers & Software)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Design Master HVAC 6 includes improvements in usability, ductwork, diffusers, schedules, and load calculations, and supports all forms of copy, cut, and paste via standard Windows[R] functions Features include a...

The Athena Institute.(BITS & BYTES)
June 1, 2008... The Athena Institute's Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool, the Athena[R] EcoCalculator for Assemblies, provides LCA results for more than 400 common building assemblies--including exterior walls, roofs, intermediate floors, interior walls,...

The American Institute of Architects (AIA).(BITS & BYTES)
June 1, 2008... The American Institute of Architects (AIA), Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), and National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) unveiled the United States National CAD Standard[R] (NCS) Version 4.0, the first update to the standard...

Autodesk, Inc.(BITS & BYTES)
June 1, 2008... Autodesk, Inc. has expaned its portfolio of software programs to support sustainable A/E/C markets with the acquisition of technology assets of two energy analysis software companies Green Building Studio and Carmel Software Corporation.

Proliphix.(BITS & BYTES)
June 1, 2008... Proliphix's Uniphy[TM] platform, UniVista[TM] IP network-based energy management software monitors and controls up to hundreds of network-enabled thermostats and intelligent thermal management devices in different geographical locations.

Bentley Systems, Incorporated.(BITS & BYTES)
June 1, 2008... Bentley Systems, Incorporated and the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced that they have collaborated on the development of "The Building Information Modeling (BIM) Guide Series 02 - Spatial Validation Program," which helps...

Intuitive Systems Corporation.(BITS & BYTES)
June 1, 2008... Intuitive Systems Corporation, an authorized Meridian Systems global reseller serving Florida and Latin America, announced the availability of a new Spanish language pack for Prolog[R] Manager and Prolog WebSite.

Contemporary Controls Systems, Inc.(BITS & BYTES)
June 1, 2008... Contemporary Controls Systems, Inc.'s "Tech Tips" on CD-ROM is aimed at engineers, and includes extensive information required to perform industrial Ethernet installation without frustration.

GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies.(WORLD WIDE WEB)
June 1, 2008... GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, launched a website (www.gesensing.com/market/education.htm) to educate visitors about the effects of ventilation in educational facilities.

Calculator Edge.(WORLD WIDE WEB)
June 1, 2008... Calculator Edge (www.calculatoredge.com) offers free online engineering calculators for engineers and students worldwide, featuring several types of calculators for solving complex equations in the electrical, mechanical, and many other fields....

Emerson Climate Technologies.(WORLD WIDE WEB)
June 1, 2008... Emerson Climate Technologies, a business of Emerson, has added RSS feed capabilities to its public website, www.emersonclimate.com, allowing users to stay connected to the latest company news.

Wrightsoft Corporation.(WORLD WIDE WEB)(Website overview)
June 1, 2008... Wrightsoft Corporation announced a new website at www.wrightsoft.com designed to be easier to use and provide updated information on their new Right-Suite[TM] Universal HVAC design and sales software package.

Industrial Scientific Corporation.(WORLD WIDE WEB)
June 1, 2008... Industrial Scientific Corporation announced the launch of its new corporate website (www.indsci.com) with more intuitive navigation and dynamic design to guide users through a complete gas detection online resource center.

CECO Energy.(WORLD WIDE WEB)
June 1, 2008... CECO Energy released a new downloadable presentation (www.cecoenviro.com) detailing the cost impact of wasted energy in industrial buildings and processes, and explains the solution steps to reduce the energy component of manufacturing costs.

The Environmental Energy Technologies Division.(WORLD WIDE WEB)
June 1, 2008... The Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provides extensive information on its research at its Commercial Buildings Research & Development page (http://buildings.lbl.gov/).

Mueller Steam Specialty.(WORLD WIDE WEB)
June 1, 2008... Mueller Steam Specialty announced the release of a revamped website (www.muellersteam.com) with improved navigation and search capabilities.

Variable refrigerant flow.(Products In Focus)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The company's VRV[R] III features a 460V, three-phase power supply; capacity to 20 tons; and connection capability up to 41 indoor units from one piping network. Other features include zoning capability with up 200%...

Flow Transmitters.(Products In Focus)
June 1, 2008... The company's Ultrasonic Flow Transmitters measure in most clean liquids and many liquids with entrained solids. Applications include monitoring flow rates of chilled or heated water as part of a green technology program. The unit is designed...

Boilers.(Products In Focus)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The company's Benchmark 3.0 Low NOx boiler now supports dual-fuel applications, increasing system design options. The condensing boiler has a15:1 turndown over an operating range of 200,000 to 3 million Btuh and...

Mixing panels.(Products In Focus)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The company's proPANEL[R] mixing panel is available in four models: proPANEL 90, a single-zone pump without mixing; proPANEL 90M, a single-zone pump with mixing; proPANEL 90Z, a dual zone pump without mixing; and...

Dewpoint Transmitters.(Products In Focus)
June 1, 2008... The DRYCAP[R] Dewpoint Transmitter DMT152 uses polymer sensor technology that combines the stability and durability of the company's existing thin-film polymer DRYCAP sensor with an expanded range down to -112 [degrees]F dewpoint. One other key...

Pipe systems.(Products In Focus)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The company's Climatherm[R] fusible polypropylene pipe system is suited for use in heating and cooling applications. Heat fusion bonds both sides of a joint into a single, homogenous material, without the use of...

One-story office building space HVAC system.(Application Checklist)
June 1, 2008... Published as part of "Back2Basics" and "HVACR Designer Tips" for April through June 2008. The following system analysis and analytical scorecard can be used to assess the use of a packaged rooftop unit for a central heating and A/C unit...

Glossary.(Engineered Systems)(Glossary)
June 1, 2008... Here are some common abbreviations and terms found in the pages of Engineered Systems. A A/C--air conditioning ach--air changes per hour AE--architectural and engineering; or architect and engineer AFD--adjustable-frequency drive...

It's important that you succeed: trainees should see the big picture behind the mentoring process.(Tomorrow's Environment)
June 1, 2008... From the time I got into this business 43 years ago this month, I have had the benefit of working with many helpful people who have contributed to my career. In turn, I have strived to do the same. Recently, while in a discussion about...