Engineered Systems articles from May 2003

Engineered Systems archives from May 2003

As the thermostat turns: tales of office intrigue from the front. (Editor's Note).
May 1, 2003... By Robert Beverly You might recall that in last month's episode, the concept of the nonfunctioning "fake thermostat" raised its head. I asked readers to report any personal experiences with this phenomenon. Several of you did, and a...

Calendar of events.
May 1, 2003... June 2003 For more events and details, visit ESOnline at www.esmagazine.com. June 2-6 "HVAC for Industrial Facilities" University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI. For info, visit http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu. June 27-July 1...

Clearly ambiguous notes. (Letters to the Editor).
May 1, 2003... Further to Howard McKew's response to Edward Adajian (letters, Jan 2003): Mr. McKew is on target to advise (as did Adajian) against using the phrase "by others" as a drawing note. But this phrase is discouraged, not so much because it fails to...

High-performance school design. (Letters to the Editor).
May 1, 2003... The article, "A New Text for California Schools," by Chad B. Dorgan, Don Little, and Charles E. Dorgan, that appeared in the March 2003 issue of Engineered Systems, states that "California's Division of the State Architect (DSA) has instituted...

Electricity billing basics. (Letters to the Editor).
May 1, 2003... This letter refers to Timothy Coyle's "Current Affairs" column, "Follow the Money" that appeared in the February issue (page 32). Your article may help to set facilities managers straight on the basics of electric utility billing. There is...

Following the money. (Letters to the Editor).
May 1, 2003... I read Tim Coyle's "Current Affairs" column in the February 2003 issue of Engineered Systems (page 32). I was really pleased to see the last section on motor starting. I am presently the energy manager in an industrial facility, but I spent...

Airflow for the modern restaurant. (Letters to the Editor).
May 1, 2003... Regarding Dennis Matula's article on "Air Balance Fundamentals for the Modern Restaurant," which appeared in the January 2003 issue (page 58). I beg to differ with the following: His design is governed by the manufacturer's typical...

Building the O&M manual. (Letters to the Editor).
May 1, 2003... This letter refers to Howard McKew's "Tomorrow's Engineer" column titled, "Manual Labor" that appeared in the February issue of Engineered Systems (page 94). I have been a very active member of this industry for over 30 years. For over 20...

The only worrisome thing about this offer is that our competitors aren't making it too.
May 1, 2003... And you're the one who should be worrying. You see, Lindab is the only company in the duct business with a no-hidden-caveats guarantee that our system will outperform Leakage Class 3 for ten years. Or we'll give you a replacement system for...

Back to basics.
May 1, 2003... Test 166: Operating room application with occupied/unoccupied space and pressure control, advanced Energy system-Design Test. 1 OCCUPIED-UNOCCUPIED-OFF CONTROL, IN THE "OFF" POSITION: Central AHU is off. (not part of this test), steam...

Custom valves make retrofit another "great idea" for historical library. (Case in Point).
May 1, 2003... There is a line that banners The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Benefit of Humanity's website that reads: "... where the world's great ideas intersect." It is a fitting description for the recently renovated building, originally built to...

Dehumidifying air conditioners maintain a precise climate for HGTV. (Case in Point).
May 1, 2003... With the tremendous heat load produced by mission-critical broadcast operations servers and associated high-tech equipment at the corporate headquarters of Scripps Networks (Knoxville, TN) mechanical engineer Greg Farmer needed a reliable means...

From Edinburgh to Hong Kong: creating sustainability from rapid change becomes a hot topic around the globe. What should we say? (Building Automation).
May 1, 2003... I am very excited that my abstract titled, "The Greening of Buildings with Automation," has been accepted for presentation at the CIBSE/ASHRAE Conference to be held September 24-25 in Edinburgh, Scotland...

A host of benefits: hotels have as much to gain as anyone from commissioning, and some already know it. (Commissioning).
May 1, 2003... As a frequent guest myself, the things that matter most to me when I stay at a hotel are: indoor environmental quality, security, and cleanliness. I imagine the things that matter most to the hotel owner/operator are: pleasing the guest...

Preparedfor takeoff: variable refrigerant flow is ready to enter our orbit. (Sustainable & Attainable).
May 1, 2003... In many ways, the hospitality segment of the facilities market reminds me of the space program because of its seminal relationship to other market segments. I would not go so far as to say that ventilating a casino is equivalent to manned space...

Weather report.
May 1, 2003... March 2003 WHAT EXACTLY IS A "VLI," AND HOW SHOULD IT BE USED? I have recently received a number of inquiries regarding VLI (ventilation load index) data and how it should be applied. In short, the VLI represents the energy required...

Contractor spotlight: Chase Technical Services. (TABB Talk).
May 1, 2003... Michael Chase, Field Opertions Director Michael Chase graduated from the Ecole de Metiers and Vanier College with a Building Systems Technology degree and established himself as an independent contractor in 1972. For the next thirty-one...

TABB shines at ASHRAE's big show. (TABB Talk).
May 1, 2003... ASHRAE's exposition, the AHR Expo, is an annual highlight. In January, amidst Chicago's cold weather, one exhibitor--the Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing Bureau (TABB)--provided attendees and the press with "hot stuff" to think about. ...

Current and future: engineering needs for TABB. (TABB Talk).
May 1, 2003... As accountability increases for performance of buildings and their systems, the need increases for valid and reliable testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) of HVAC and whole building systems. Building owners and managers, designers,...

Who delivers HVAC expertise? (TABB Talk).
May 1, 2003... Information flows rapidly and in huge volumes these days. The sheet metal contracting industry needed a way to get its message to all kinds of professionals and potential users of its services. That message included a key notion: We do more...

First annual TABB conference: a big winner in Vegas; "together we do it better" approach applauded by attendees at Las Vegas conference. (TABB Talk).
May 1, 2003... The first annual Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) Conference proved to be an enjoyable and informative event for professionals concerned with the testing, adjusting and balancing of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC)...

TABB specifications--now available on CD-ROM or Online at www.tabbcertified.org. (TABB Talk).
May 1, 2003... The Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) is pleased to announce that specifications for testing, adjusting and balancing of HVAC/R systems are available to architects and engineers. The ten-page specification is available on CD-ROM...

Why TABB is hot. (TABB Talk).
May 1, 2003... You might have heard in the past about the Testing, Adjusting, and Balance Bureau (TABB); or we might be new to you. In any case, you'll be curious as to why such an organization sponsored this 16-page insert into the May 2003 issue of...

New Mexico independent balancing contractor joins the elite. (TABB Talk).
May 1, 2003... The Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) has announced its first certification of a New Mexico contractor. Alan F. Weitzel and Energy Balance, Inc. were formally certified at an event at Local Union 49 of the Sheet Metal Workers'...

TABB: what's in it for you? (TABB Talk).
May 1, 2003... You're busy. TABB is obviously shorthand for something. You need such shortcuts! But what does TABB really stand for--and what can it do for you? Let's make an assumption: You want the HVAC systems you design, build, and operate to meet...

Ventilation without representation? (One Person's Opinion).
May 1, 2003... Is there a need for a separate ASHRAE ventilation standard for hospitality facilities? Hospitality is one of the largest and fastest growing industry sectors in the North American marketplace, providing a vast market for HVAC products and...

IAQ investment: the safe bet.
May 1, 2003... The very nature of the hospitality industry -- from lodging to casinos to restaurants and bars -- makes it ripe for chronic IAQ problems. On the upside, this same sector has the most to gain from retrofits and upgrades. If spending the "extra"...

Ascending to BAS luxury.
May 1, 2003... The first phase of Squaw Valley's new resort is called First Ascent, and it's a tall order: controls for a retail and residential space plus a parking garage; efficient monitoring of complex usage, especially in the condominiums; and sensors...

About atriums.
May 1, 2003... Large atriums are often stunning and dramatic architectural features, invariably presenting unique design challenges for the HVAC engineer. These issues include limiting infiltration in cold climates, controlling temperature stratification,...

Seeing through the fog.
May 1, 2003... When it comes to getting into a restaurant, moisture enjoys a wide menu of options. Improper HVAC design and bad O&M habits can accelerate the process, delivering IAQ problems on a silver platter. Here, the author focuses on signs of trouble,...

Getting what you specify -- controlling the decision process.
May 1, 2003... The first of three parts, this article looks at the phases of the design process, components of contract documents, and techniques for product and system selection. Subsequent articles later this year will continue the process, with tips for...

Diamond film may enable critical new sensors for bioterror. (Issues and Events).
May 1, 2003... In this time of the chronic threat of terrorism and war with an adversary who may be armed with biological weapons, high on the wish list of security agencies and battlefield commanders is a quick and easy way to detect the presence of...

IAQ 2004 to examine impact of IAQ standards on healing environment. (Issues and Events).
May 1, 2003... The critical role that IAQ performance standards provide in support of health care facilities will be examined at the IAQ 2004 conference sponsored by ASHRAE and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE). The conference, IAQ...

January construction advances 2%. (Issues and Events).
May 1, 2003... The value of new construction starts in January increased 2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $504.4 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. Modest gains relative to December were...

AK Coatings, Inc. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... AK Coatings, Inc.'s AgION [TM] - a silver on-based compound that suppresses the growth of bacteria, molds, mildew, fungi, and other microbes -- will be coated on steel that will be used in the production of Carrier Corporation's top AHU line.

Yokogawa Corporation of America. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... Yokogawa Corporation of America recently announced that it has acquired all of the outstanding shares of stock of Measurementation, Inc. from its affiliated holding company, Yokogawa USA, Inc.

Johnson Controls Government Systems LLC. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... Johnson Controls Government Systems LLC has been awarded the contract for the third phase of a comprehensive energy and facility system upgrade program at the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command at Twentynine Palms, CA.

Echelon Corporation. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... Echelon Corporation recently announced that it has joined forces with 16 other companies and organizations in a campaign to explain the realities and benefits of open systems based on the LonWorks(R) platform.

Varidigm Corporation. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... has completed its financing to fund production and sales of its variable-speed motor controls and modulating combustion controls, and to meet corporate working-capital requirements.

Dectron Internationale Inc. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... Dectron Internationale Inc. announced the acquisition of Tranzmetal, Inc., a Montreal-based, ISO 9002-certified sheet metal design, fabrication, and painting facility.

Bradford White Corporation. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... recently announced that it has purchased Aero Environmental Ltd.

Electrical Motor Repair Co. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... Electrical Motor Repair Co. and E.S.R. Corporation recently joined Emerson Motor Technologies' distributor force.

Jordan Acquisition Group, LLC. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... American Auto-Matrix has been purchased by Jordan Acquisition Group, LLC.

AC Technology. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... AC Technology has opened a combined service center, evaluation, and repair facility in Toronto, ON, Canada.

Leviton Manufacturing Company. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... Leviton Manufacturing Company announced it has acquired OnQ Technologies, Inc. The latter will be joined with former's existing structured wiring division, to create Leviton OnQ.

S.A. Armstrong Limited. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... S.A. Armstrong Limited was recently recognized as one of the 50 companies that have implemented "world-class best business practices" in Canada.

Heatcraft Refrigeration Products. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... Heatcraft Refrigeration Products has upgraded the Larkin line of industrial refrigeration products to include new models, features, and design improvements.

McQuay. (Industry News).
May 1, 2003... McQuay will offer training classes at its facilities in Staunton, VA and Toronto, as well as customized, on-site training classes during 2003. For more information visit www.mcquay.com/training.

Mueller Associates, Inc. (Engineering Beat).
May 1, 2003... Mueller Associates, Inc. announced that Robert A. Marino, P.E. has been named senior vice president; Kenneth H. Rock, P.E. has been promoted to vice president, chief electrical engineer; John W. Morris, P.E. has been promoted to vice president,...

The Stellar Group. (Engineering Beat).
May 1, 2003... Ramon Flores has joined The Stellar Group as a senior electrical engineer for the distribution division.

Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. (Engineering Beat).
May 1, 2003... Akram Siddiqi, a licensed engineer in Michigan and Ontario, has joined Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. as a senior electrical engineer from the Washington Group (previously Morrison Knudsen), where he served as senior electrical engineer.

Edwards & Zuck Consulting Engineers. (Engineering Beat).
May 1, 2003... Edwards & Zuck Consulting Engineers recently hired John M. Vazquez as a new principal.

Consolidated Engineering Services, Inc. (Engineering Beat).
May 1, 2003... Consolidated Engineering Services, Inc. recently appointed of Paul W. Estes to the position of national business development manager.

Murphy Company Mechanical Contractors and Engineers. (Engineering Beat).
May 1, 2003... Murphy Company Mechanical Contractors and Engineers has named Dave Hardin, P.E., chief operating officer. Senior vice presidents Larry Kruse and Mark Bengard have also been given additional responsibilities.

Davis Energy Group. (Engineering Beat).
May 1, 2003... Rumsey Engineers and Davis Energy Group recently announced a strategic alliance that brings their shared technology and project development expertise to commercial HVAC customers and other clientele.

Johnson Controls, Inc. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... Jeff Sprau has been named director of airport solutions for the controls group of Johnson Controls, Inc.

SKFservice. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... Donald A. Poland, Jr. has been named president of the SKFservice division, North America.

Imbert Corp. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... Dectron Internationale recently named Imbert Corp. as its "Rep of the Year" for 2002.

GE Interlogix. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... GE Interlogix recently announced the promotion of Tory Smith from technical support staff to Western regional sales support engineer.

Rheem Air Conditioning Division. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... William (Bill) A. Lux has been appointed to vice president international of Rheem Air Conditioning Division.

A.O. Smith Water Products Company. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... A.O. Smith Water Products Company has named Robert Michel as manager of its water heater manufacturing plant in McBee, Sc.

Aprilaire. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... Aprilaire recently announced that Jim Doll has joined the company as vice president of engineering.

Selkirk L.L.C. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... Selkirk L.L.C. has promoted Dannell Matus to national accounts manager.

Teletrol Systems Inc. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... Teletrol Systems Inc. recently announced that Ernest Conrad has joined the company as a director of channel sales.

Tom Barrow Co. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... Ductsox recently named Tom Barrow Co. as its 2002 "Rep Firm of the Year."

Munters Corporation. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... Moisture Control Services, a division of Munters Corporation, recently named Jeff DeYoung as industrial sales manager.

Maxitrol Company. (Places and Faces).
May 1, 2003... Maxitrol Company recently announced the appointment of Kenneth D. Fox as director of business development.

NFPA. (Association Agenda).
May 1, 2003... NFPA announced that building professionals across the United States soon will be able to achieve certification to apply and enforce the NFPA 5000[TM], Building Construction and Safety Code[TM]. For more information visit...

ARI. (Association Agenda).
May 1, 2003... ARI Standard 470-2002, "Desuperheater/Water Heaters," and ARI Standard 480-2001, "Remote Type Refrigerant-Cooled Liquid Coolers," have been revised and are available for free download at www.ari.org.

SmithGroup Inc. (Association Agenda).
May 1, 2003... ASHRAE selected Cynthia Cogil, P.E., employed by SmithGroup Inc., as its top "New Face of Engineering."

New Standard Institute. (Association Agenda).
May 1, 2003... New Standard Institute will hold its Maintenance Planning and Scheduling seminar in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Toronto over the next few months. For more information visit www.newstandardinstitute.com/mps&cfm?634.

The National Institute of Building Sciences. (Association Agenda).
May 1, 2003... The National Institute of Building Sciences recently bestowed Lloyd H. Siegel, FAIA, of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with the 2002 President's Award, and Rear Admiral Michael R. Johnson, CEC, commander of the Naval Facilities...

The International Alliance for Interoperability. (Association Agenda).
May 1, 2003... The International Alliance for Interoperability plans to provide attendees of its annual meeting -- to be held May 14 in Alexandria, VA -- with information about the importance of interoperability at a specially arranged "Industry Day" to be...

The american society of civil engineer. (Association Agenda).
May 1, 2003... The american society of civil engineers' Foundation for Professional Practice appointed William P. Henry, P.E. as president and Walter T. Marlowe as executive director.

Digital bulletin board. (Computers & Software).
May 1, 2003... Ideal BB is a bulletin board program designed for Windows(r) servers, It serves as a practical tool for HVAC engineers and mechanical contractors developing detailed projects requiring offsite collaboration. It centralizes information by...

UV product selection/design. (Computers & Software).
May 1, 2003... V-Smart[TM] is designed to help in UV fixture selection, provide instruction on the proper spacing of rows within the HVAC system, and generate a color graph of the amount of UV energy hitting the coil surface. --Ultra Violet Devices, Inc....

Network integration. (Computers & Software).
May 1, 2003... Network Integrator 3 allows system integrators to create, commission, and maintain open, interoperable, multivendor facility automation systems. The program allows peer-to-peer LonWorks[R] networks while being an economical leave-behind tool...

World wide web.
May 1, 2003... The North American Technician Excellence Program provides extensive information about its comprehensive nationwide testing and certification program for HVAC technicians at www.natex.org. Lochinvar Corporation's newly redesigned...

Rolf Jensen & Associates. (Bits & Bytes).
May 1, 2003... Rolf Jensen & Associates has introduced Pathfinder 2.0, a static and dynamic egress analysis engineering tool for the fire protection industry.

Autodesk's AutoCAD[R]. (Bits & Bytes).
May 1, 2003... Autodesk's AutoCAD[R] 2004 offers new and enhanced features that allow for the quicker creation of design data, facilitate easier sharing of design data, and make managing software more efficient according to the company.

LoadSpring Solutions, Inc. (Bits & Bytes).
May 1, 2003... LoadSpring Solutions, Inc. recently announced that it has chosen Brava ProjectWeb, Informative Graphics Corporation's Web-based project data and file management program, to provide document and drawing view, markup, and annotation functionality...

Novar controls. (Bits & Bytes).
May 1, 2003... Novar Controls has released IQ3xcite, a new building services controller platform designed to communicate via Ethernet.

The AC&R safety coalition. (Bits & Bytes).
May 1, 2003... The AC&R Safety Coalition has released a new interactive CD-ROM that provides field service personnel with the necessary training and knowledge to safely service systems containing R-410A and R-407C.

ABB. (Bits & Bytes).
May 1, 2003... ABB has released a new intelligent Ethernet module that allows users to receive an email alert from their motor drive system.