Вы находитесь на странице: 1из 84

Easy Call. Big Payoff.

Save Energy. Save Money.


Motor-driven equipment accounts for 63% of your
plants electricity consumption every minute of
every day. Your choices are to let your electricity
bills continue to grow or call in Baldors Installed
Base Evaluation Team to identify improvements
you can start making today.

targeting inefficient motors and mechanical drives


as well as identifying systems where adjustable
speed drives could be added to save even more
energy. This report will provide recommendations for
immediate action along with long term strategies
all positively affecting your bottom line.

The Baldor IBE Team uses advanced data


collection equipment and software to work with
your plant maintenance personnel to take an
accurate account of your motors, drives and
mechanical power transmission products, both in
operation and from spares inventory. The IBE Team
will produce a comprehensive report and plan,

If youre ready to do something about your growing


electricity consumption, email the Baldor IBE
specialists at IBETeam@Baldor.com or call
(864) 281-2100 to receive case studies with realworld savings. Its an easy call with a big payoff.
baldor.com
input #1 at www.csemag.com/information

See us at Automation & Power World March 2-5, 2015


New.abb.com/apw

2015 Baldor Electric Company

What you spec


is what you get.

When your water-cooled chiller from Trane or virtually


any other manufacturer is myTest certied, you can
be condent that its operation was veried in an industryleading facility under the operating parameters you selected.
Theres nothing like the feeling of condence!
See how the Trane myTest program
is setting the new standard for chiller
testing. Visit Trane.com/myTest.
2014 Trane
Trane is a brand of Ingersoll Rand, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efcient environments.
Ingersoll Rands family of brands includes Club Car, Ingersoll Rand, Thermo King and Trane.

input #2 at www.csemag.com/information

Circuit breaker.
Power broker.

SACE Emax 2 saves energy while it protects circuits.


ABBs revolutionary Emax 2 is more than a circuit breaker; its a true power
manager. So while it safeguards equipment it also conserves energy, reduces
carbon footprint, and saves moneywithout the need for additional monitoring
equipment. Available in four space-saving sizes, Emax 2 is easy to install,
maintain, and integrate into switchgear and smart grids. Its not just
a breakerits a breakthrough!
Visit abb.com/emax2 or talk to an ABB representative for more information.
And start protecting equipment, the environment, and the bottom line with Emax 2.
input #3 at www.csemag.com/information

2014 ABB. All rights reserved.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

FEATURES
44 | Seismic design of
fire suppression piping
systems

ON THE COVER: This shows a 20 hp totally enclosed, air over


permanent magnet ac motor directly coupled to the fan
instead of using a typical belt drive or gearbox; the view is
from inside a cooling tower. This particular tower is a two-cell
cooling tower with 3,000 gpm total capacity. The photo is
looking up at a low-speed high-volume fan at the top of the
tower. Courtesy: McGuire Engineers

COVER STORY
34 | VFD, motor strategies
for energy efficiency
A variable frequency drive (VFD) often is specified to
reduce operational cost for pumps, fans, compressors, or
any similar equipment with variable load profiles that may
be found in a typical building. Heres how to specify a VFD
to meet load conditions while achieving efficiency.
JOHN YOON, PE, LEED AP

DEPARTMENTS
09 | Viewpoint
Stay ahead of the curve

11 | Research

55 | Digital
Edition Exclusives
 Lighting controls:

Fire protection engineers should


use the guidance of NFPA 13
when designing fire suppression piping in nonresidential
buildings.
JOSEPH H. TALBERT, PE, ARM

56 | Intelligent lighting control


and energy performance
By designing intelligent lighting systems, lighting designers and engineers can achieve energy performance in a
variety of building types.
ROBERT J. GARRA JR., PE, CDT

64 | Designing lab
ventilation systems
Engineers should consider the
codes and standards, safety, risk
mitigation, and potential energy
savings when designing laboratory ventilation systems.
JON EISENBERG, PE and JEFFREY
HUANG, PE, LEED AP

13 | Career Smart

Best practices begins


with strategy
 Where do ideas come
from?

Women, minorities in
engineering

71 | Advertiser Index

ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES

Electrical, power trends

14 | MEP Roundtable
Driving data center design

72 | Future of
Engineering

23 | Codes & Standards

Connecting buildings via


the Internet of Things

How ASHRAE 90.1 contributes to integrated design

Use the icons to identify topics of interest.


AUTOMATION & CONTROLS

HVAC

COMMUNICATIONS

LIGHTING

ELECTRICAL

PLUMBING

FIRE, SECURITY & LIFE SAFETY

CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER (ISSN 0892-5046, Vol. 52, No. 1, GST #123397457) is published 11x per year, monthly except in February, by CFE Media, LLC, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite
#250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Jim Langhenry, Group Publisher /Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER copyright 2015 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved. CONSULTINGSPECIFYING ENGINEER is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used under license. Periodicals postage paid at Oak Brook, IL 60523 and additional mailing offices. Circulation records are maintained at CFE Media, LLC, 1111
W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. E-mail: customerservice@cfemedia.com. Postmaster: send address changes to CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250,
Oak Brook, IL 60523. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40685520. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Email: customerservice@
cfemedia.com. Rates for nonqualified subscriptions, including all issues: USA, $150/yr; Canada/Mexico, $180/yr (includes 7% GST, GST#123397457); International air delivery $325/yr. Except for special issues where price
changes are indicated, single copies are available for $30.00 US and $35.00 foreign. Please address all subscription mail to CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Printed
in the USA. CFE Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material contained herein, regardless of whether such errors result from
negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.
www.csemag.com

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

Nominate a professional to the 2015


40 Under 40 program

online now csemag.com


When engineering systems in data centers and mission
critical facilities, what is the most difficult issue you face?
Codes and standards

omation
Automation
and controls

Electrical and power


po

15%

4%

21%

18%

Read this on
your tablet

21%
21%

Fire and
life safety
HVAC

En
Energy
efficie
efficiency,
sustainab
sustainability

Read the Q&A about data centers and mission critical facilities on page 14. To view more poll results, visit www.csemag.com/poll/cse.

Web exclusives
Visit www.csemag.com/archives to read articles found only online.
 Top 10 business trends to watch in 2015
 Details on how ASHRAE 90.1 affects the plumbing engineer
 Condensing boilers and emissions regulations
 Redundant VFDs and fan arrays in critical operations
 Fire risk from solid fuel commercial cooking
 Mitigating data center harmonics
 Transforming battery technology
 FMI: Nonresidential construction index slowly rises
 Proper installation ensures performance standards are met: Part 2

Apps for Engineers: HVAC calculations


Download these and many other Apps at: www.csemag.com/appsforengineers

Effinity93 payback calculator


Effinity93 calculates the cost and energy savings associated with installing the Effinity93
Condensing Unit Heater. It is ideal for engineers responsible for specifying HVAC equipment. Users can compare products with differing efficiencies and determine the annual
cost savings, return on investment, and environmental advantages.

HVAC toolkit
This app is a suite/compilation of several of the individual applications offered by Carmel
Software plus bonus software (eight total, including: HVAC Quick Load, HVAC Duct Sizer,
HVAC Psychrometric Plus, Steam Tables, HVAC Pipe Sizer - Liquid, HVAC Pipe Sizer Steam, HVAC Pipe Sizer - Gas Low, and HVAC Pipe Sizer - Gas High).

Greenheck toolbox
This calculator will help engineers determine the flow rate of a duct when its performance
needs to be altered. Simply input basic specs (i.e. rpm, cfm, static pressure, and horsepower), and the desired performance you want and this app will compute the remaining
values to achieve the goal.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine is dedicated


to encouraging and recognizing the
most talented young individuals in the
engineering community supporting the
building industry. We want to shape the
future of young engineers, and will do so
by recognizing and encouraging them
through mentoring articles in the magazine, young engineer networking events,
and the 40 Under 40 program. Nominate
a young professional by Jan. 30, 2015.
Learn more:
www.csemag.com/40under40

The tablet and digital


editions of this publication are greatly
enhanced and have
unique content for digital subscribers. They also
include interactive tools
such as videos, Web
links, and other items. Update your subscription, and receive the digital edition in
your e-mail in-box:
www.csemag.com/subscribe.

Upcoming
webcasts
Register for educational webcasts at
www.csemag.com/webcast:
 Feb. 26: HVAC: Alternative heating/
cooling systems
Consulting-Specifying Engineer is on
Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter,
and SlideShare. Follow ConsultingSpecifying Engineer, join the discussions, and receive news and advice
from your peers.
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/CSEmag
Google+:
http://google.com/+csemag
LinkedIn:
http://tinyurl.com/CSElinkedin
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/AmaraRozgus
www.twitter.com/CSEmag
SlideShare:
www.csemag.com
www.slideshare.net/ConsultingSpecifyingEngineer

Were not just opening


doors to the best performing
buildings in the world.

Were opening minds.

As the leader in HVAC product development, manufacturing,


and distribution, Johnson Controls is making radical moves
with innovative technologies. Our updated Metasys building
automation system enables smarter, better performing
environments, while our new Hitachi and York VRF solutions
deliver flexible comfort and efficiency. See for yourself how we
open the doors to the best performing buildings in the world.

Booth #5023 | johnsoncontrols.com/ahr


input #4 at www.csemag.com/information

James Puritch
Vice President, R&D

Headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, in a modern and environmentally constructed LEED


Platinum-Certified facility, we design and develop internet-connected building controls for a wide
range of green buildings, including schools, hospitals, universities, recreational and commercial
facilities. To learn more about our solutions for sustainability, and opportunities in the green
buildings industry, please visit our website or sign-up for a facility tour at:
www.reliablecontrols.com/corporate/facility/tour.php
input #5 at www.csemag.com/information

Under

Forty

You drive your accomplishments and dictate your career success, and those achievements
deserve to be recognized. Stand among the past 280 Consulting-Specifying Engineer
40 Under 40 winners who have made their accomplishments known.
To qualify to be a 40 Under 40 winner, nominees must work in the building community, be 40 years
of age or younger (as of May 1, 2015), and be nominated by a supervisor, academic advisor, peer,
mentor, public relations professional, project leader, or other person directly involved in their
career progress.
40 UNDER 40 PROGRAM AWARDEES WILL:
Be highlighted in major media arenas as a Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40 winner
Be offered networking opportunities with other 40 Under 40 awardees, enlarging
their professional circle
Increase the exposure of the company by highlighting projects the young engineer has worked on
Improve the companys recruitment efforts by showcasing young employees
Receive a handsome plaque to show off their accolades.

NOMINATIONS DUE JANUARY 30, 2015 | SUPPORTING MATERIALS DUE FEBRUARY 13, 2015
SPONSORED BY:

Nominate a colleague who is 40 years of age or younger by going to:


www.csemag.com/40under40

Viega system solutions


A legacy of excellence since 1899
Meeting and exceeding
industry standards with
every installation
Versatile, time-tested materials
Viega ProPressapproved for use
in the largest range of applications
Viega MegaPressthe only press
fitting for black iron, water and
gas applications
Viega PEX Pressthe first press
fitting for PEX
Innovative solutions
Viega SmartLoopthe industrys
first internal recirculation system
Viega ProRadiantthe most
installer-friendly radiant systems
on the market
Viega ManaBlocrevolutionary
parallel water distribution system
for increased energy savings

www.viega.us
1-800-976-9819

The global leader


in plumbing, heating
and pipe joining systems

Copper

Stainless
Steel

Viega
ProPress

Viega
ProPress

Viega
MegaPress

Viega
PEX Press

Viega
PEX Press

Sealing
Elements:
EPDM
HNBR

Sealing
Elements:
EPDM
FKM

Sealing
Elements:
EPDM
HNBR

Sealing
Elements:
N/A

Sealing
Elements:
N/A

Applications:
150*

Applications:
225*

Applications:
35*

*Consult Viega Technical Support for more infomation on approved applications: 800-976-9819.

Applications:
POTABLE
WATER AND
HYDRONICS

Applications:
POTABLE
WATER AND
HYDRONICS

Zero Lead
Compliant:
YES

Zero Lead
Compliant:
YES

Zero Lead
Compliant:
YES

Zero Lead
Compliant:
YES

Carbon
Steel

Zero Lead
Compliant:
NO

Zero Lead
Bronze

Multiple materials, many solutions


One provider
Approved for more than 400 different applications
Three sealing elements: EPDM, HNBR and FKM
Customized to suit nearly any project
1,700+ fittings in copper, stainless,* carbon steel,
copper nickel, high-performance polymer and
Zero Lead bronze
Complete solutions to keep projects on schedule
Save energy and reduce waste
Easy installation with personalized design services

Since we invented the original copper press fitting,


Viega ProPress, innovation with reliability has always
been the heart of what drives us. Viega is a partner
you can trust.

For more information on Viega systems,


visit www.viega.us or call toll free

1-800-976-9819

The global leader


in plumbing, heating
and pipe joining systems

Polymer

Editors Viewpoint
1111 W. 22nd St. Suite 250, Oak Brook, IL 60523
630-571-4070 Fax 630-214-4504

CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL
AMARA ROZGUS, Editor in Chief/Content Manager
630-571-4070 x2211, ARozgus@CFEMedia.com
AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Director of Research
630-571-4070 x2209, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com
MICHAEL SMITH, Creative Director
630-779-8910, MSmith@CFEmedia.com

Amara Rozgus,
Editor in Chief

ERIC R. EISSLER, Production Coordinator


630-571-4070 x2224, EEissler@CFEMedia.com

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD


ANIL AHUJA, PE, LEED AP, RCDD,
President, CCJM Engineers, Chicago
PETER ALSPACH, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Associate Principal, Mechanical Engineer, Arup, Seattle
J. PATRICK BANSE, PE, LEED AP,
Senior Mechanical Engineer,
Smith Seckman Reid Inc., Houston
JERRY BAUERS, PE,
National Program Executive,
Outcome Construction Services LLC, Kansas City, Mo.
MICHAEL CHOW, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Principal, Metro CD Engineering LLC, Powell, Ohio
JASON GERKE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, C X A,
Mechanical Engineer, GRAEF, Milwaukee
JOSHUA D. GREENE, PE
Vice President, RJA Group Inc., Chicago
RAYMOND GRILL, PE, FSFPE,
Principal, Arup, Washington, D.C.
DANNA JENSEN, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Associate Principal, ccrd partners, Dallas
WILLIAM KOFFEL, PE, FSFPE
President, Koffel Associates Inc., Columbia, Md.
WILLIAM KOSIK, PE, CEM, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP,
Principal Data Center Energy Technologist,
HP Technology Services, Chicago
KENNETH KUTSMEDA, PE, LEED AP,
Engineering Design Principal, Jacobs Engineering Group,
Philadelphia
KEITH LANE, PE, RCDD, LC, LEED AP,
President, Lane Coburn & Assocs., Seattle
JULIANNE LAUE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP
Senior MEP Engineer, Center for Sustainable Energy, Mortenson
Construction, Minneapolis
KENNETH L. LOVORN, PE,
President, Lovorn Engineering Assocs., Pittsburgh
DAVID LOWREY
Chief Fire Marshal, Boulder (Colo.) Fire Rescue
MICHAEL MAR, PE, LEED AP,
Senior Associate, Environmental Systems Design Inc., Chicago
BRIAN MARTIN, PE,
Electrical Engineer, CH2M Hill, Portland, Ore.
DWAYNE G. MILLER, PE, RCDD, AEE CPQ
Chief Executive Officer, JBA Consulting Engineers, Hong Kong
SYED PEERAN, PE, Ph.D.,
Senior Engineer, CDM Smith Inc., Cambridge, Mass.
BRIAN A. RENER, PE, LEED AP,
Associate,
SmithGroupJJR, Chicago
RANDY SCHRECENGOST, PE, CEM,
Austin Operations Group Manager and
Senior Mechanical Engineer,
Stanley Consultants, Austin, Texas
GERALD VERSLUYS, PE, LEED AP,
Principal, Senior Electrical Engineer,
TLC Engineering for Architecture, Jacksonville, Fla.
MIKE WALTERS, PE, LEED AP,
Principal, Confluenc, Madison, Wis.

Stay ahead of the curve

or the most part, everyone knows


the recipe to run a successful
business. Have a high-quality
yet affordable product. Hire talented
people that will make you look good.
Create partnerships with like-minded
businesses that will help you succeed.
Be a leader in the industry. Make sure
customers are happy, encouraging them
to return. Stay on top of the latest technology and trends. Market the firm to
show off all of these attributes.
Who has time for all of that,
though? Several engineers Ive spoken to over the past few months are
spread too thinthey have too much
work and not enough talented people
to handle the job. They are struggling
to keep on top of projects already in
process, let alone develop new business for the future. They have job
openings that are tough to fill with the
right talent. They dont have time to
attend conferences or in-person education sessions because theyre already
traveling too much for client meetings.
They havent kept up with the latest
trends in engineering technology or
developments to help them streamline
current processes. In short, theyre
treading water.
There isnt a silver bullet for the
engineer to take in all this information to help ensure the business stays
strong. Sure, publications like this one
help. Reviewing research and understanding trends can help ensure the
engineering team is staying on top of

www.csemag.com

the industry. Education sessionslike


webcasts and lunch-and-learns with
equipment vendorscan shed light
on technology trends. Keeping professional networks up-to-date ensures
regular interaction with both clients
and partners.
To help develop your business furtherwhether youre a five-person
engineering firm or a multibilliondollar behemothweve gathered three
things to help you do your job a little
better in 2015:
1. Future of Engineering: This new
column, found at the back of the print
publication, will focus on one item
each month that you should be aware
of. Sometimes it will be technology
(like it is this month); other times it will
be about legislation or codes and standards. This forward-looking column
will discuss a concept that engineers
should be familiar with. Thought leaders are invited to submit.
2. Career Smart: Though this section isnt new, the team of columnists
has reviewed research and determined
what business development topics you
need most. Read past columns at
www.csemag.com/careersmart.
3. Research: Our research team gathers data on specific engineering disciplines and on general topics of interest
to this audience. Regular reports (see
page 11 and www.csemag.com/research)
will help you stay on top of recent trends
in particular portions of the industry.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

input #6 at www.csemag.com/information

Total annual dollar amount


of HVAC, BAS products
$500,001 to
$750,000

Don't know

9%

17%

24%
10%

research

< $500,000

> $5.0 million

13%
16%

11%

$3.1 to
$5.0 million

$750,001
to $1.0 million
$1.1 to $3.0 million

Nine out of 10 fire and life

safety engineers rank product quality, manufacturers reputation, and


previous experience with manufacturer as very important factors for
selecting one fire and life safety system over another. Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer 2014 Fire
and Life Safety Study

47%

of annual MEP design


revenue in the electrical and power
industry is spent on new construction, 35% on retrofit/renovation
projects, and 6% on commissioning/retro-commissioning. Source:
Consulting-Specifying Engineer 2014
Electrical and Power Study

$7.3 million:

Average annual MEP/FP design


revenue earned by firms specifying lighting and lighting control
products for new and existing buildings. Source: Consulting-Specifying
Engineer 2014 Lighting and Lighting
Controls Study

2014 ELECTRICAL AND POWER STUDY:

Seven key findings for the


electrical, power industries

espondents to the ConsultingSpecifying Engineer 2014


Electrical and Power Study
identified seven important high-level
findings impacting the electrical and
power industries today:
1. Systems specified: More than
80% of engineers responsible for
decisions related to the design of electrical and/or power systems specify
electrical distribution equipment, circuit breakers, fuses, cables, and wires.
2. Design factors: 98% of engineers rank product quality at the top
of their list when selecting one electrical or power system over another.
3. Specifications: 60% of engineering firms are consistently using open
electrical or power system specifications in which engineering approval
and/or explicit brand use is required.
4. Building structures: Six in 10
engineers specify, design, or make
product selections for office buildings
and industrial or manufacturing
facilities/warehouses.

5. Electrical, power revenue:


64% of engineering firms specifying
electrical or power systems for new or
existing buildings are generating $5
million or less through these projects
on an annual basis.
6. Selection involvement: Seven
out of 10 engineers are responsible
for recommending the brand of electrical or power systems for specification, and another 69% spend their
time researching and evaluating
options.
7. Top challenges: More than 80%
of engineers agree that an inadequate
budget is a common challenge for
electrical or power systems design,
while 47% are also challenged with
frequent codes and standards updates.
In April 2014, Consulting-Specifying
Engineer surveyed audience members
related to the design of electrical and
power products and services within their
firms for the 2014 Electrical and Power
Study. View the full study at
www.csemag.com/2014ElectricalPower.

Top 5 electrical, power products specified


90% 87%

91%

85%

88%

82%

88%

80%

More research
Quarterly, Consulting-Specifying
Engineer surveys its audience on
four topics: fire and life safety, electrical and power, lighting and lighting controls, and HVAC and building
automation systems. All of the
reports are available online at
www.csemag.com/research.

84%

79%
2013
2014

Electrical
distribution

Circuit breakers,
fuses, etc.

Cable, wire,
etc.

Emergency,
standby power

Transformers

Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer, CFE Media


www.csemag.com/research FOR MORE RESEARCH INFORMATION

www.csemag.com

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

11

Critical Power
Monitoring for
Mission Critical
Success.
Introducing the new STARLINE
Critical Power Monitor (CPM).

You want the best for your data center.


When it comes to power distribution,
STARLINE gives you the best in efficiency,
reliability, and customization. Now the
STARLINE CPM offers an enhanced
monitoring package that will allow you to
monitor, integrate and display more data
center power information easily and reliably.
The STARLINE CPM also features:
Revenue grade metering functionality
Monitors multi-circuit configurations
End feed and branch circuit models
Display and non-display versions available
Wired Ethernet and serial communications
are standard, optional 802.11n Wi-Fi
connectivity
Ability to use both Modbus and SNMP
protocols simultaneously
Telnet and Modbus TCP/IP are also
standard protocols
To learn more about how our
CPM can help your data
center or other mission critical
installation, please visit
www.StarlinePower.com.

input #7 at www.csemag.com/information

Career Smart
JOHN SUZUKIDA, PE
Lanex Consulting, Minneapolis

Women, minorities in engineering


Both women and minorities face similar challenges in the
engineering workplace.

ets consider the parallels between


being a woman in engineering and
being an ethnic minority. As a minority male, I dont presume to completely
understand the challenges women face as
engineers, much as a nonminority woman
cant fully understand what a male minority faces. But drawing parallels between
the two may help some female engineers
work through tough situations.
Good or bad, people are more likely
to remember you. It is a reality: Youre
more easily remembered when you
overwhelm people with competence.
Theres no need to project impatience
or an attitude; just come to grips with
the fact that you are a minority and
some people are not used to working
with you. It may take them some time
to adjust. Once they do, make pure
competence their memory of you.
Initial encounters are not always
focused on you or your abilities. There
are times when you realize that what
youre saying is not really being heard.
In my case, people might be thinking,
Where did he learn to speak such good
English? In a womans case, they may
be thinking, I wonder how she chose to
be an engineer? The latter is speculation, the former has actually been verbalized, which is interesting, considering I
was born in the U.S. and speak only one
language.
Those who are working with female
engineers may have to overcome the novelty that a woman is speaking on technical topics. Once they get past that, most
adjust, so women shouldnt be too senwww.csemag.com

sitive to others initial reactions. Rather,


give them a little time, and the situation
generally will work out well. The fact
that youre a women or a minority can be
taken out of the equation as long as you
focus on the facts and solve problems.
Dont wear your gender or ethnicity on
your sleeve or make it an issueeven if
it is one at the start.

Those who are working


with female engineers
may have to overcome
the novelty that a woman
is speaking on technical topics. Once they get
past that, most adjust, so
women shouldnt be too
sensitive to others initial
reactions.
Dont let yourself be overlooked.
This phenomenon is one most people face
when theyre young or new to a career,
regardless of gender or other status. More
experienced veterans may talk over you
or ignore you. Over time, most people
develop confidence to deal with that, but
sometimes women or minorities may feel
that the process is prolonged because a
veteran doesnt know how to accommodate their input.
One way to help with that is to pick a
key point to ensure you are clearly heard.
Push through in a calm and insistent manner by making eye contact and holding

your groundyou have a right to state


your case. As you speak, make sure you
dont fall into the trap of talking too much
when you have the floor. Be aware of the
impact of your words and make sure you
are on target. Dont think of this opportunity as if it was your only time to talk.
Take the long view. When youre
dealing with people who have not been
exposed to diverse work situations, you
might hear language that is not politically correct. The best solution is to roll
with it to the extent that you can tolerate.
Only you can determine how far is too
far. However, pointing it out any controversy publicly could just make the other
person uncomfortable and avoid communicating with you in the future. Before
reacting, check your filters to determine
if the comments are truly gender-related
and offensive. Sometimes, what comes
across as blunt or insensitive is often
benign in nature, so rely on your largesse
in overlooking a poorly worded comment
and giving someone a chance to get used
to relating to you. That person will soon
see you as youfor what you can bring
to the table.
John Suzukida was Tranes senior VP
of global marketing and strategy prior
to founding Lanex Consulting in 2002,
which focuses on strategic planning and
product-to-solutions business model transitions. He has a BSME and distinguished
alumnus award from the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Read more career advice at
www.csemag.com/careersmart.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

13

MEP Roundtable
Andrew Baxter, PE
Principal/
MEP Engineering Director
Page
Austin, Texas

Brandon Kingsley,
PE, CxA, CEM
Project Manager
Primary Integration
Solutions Inc.
Charlotte, N.C.

Keith Lane, PE, RCDD, NTS,


RTPM, LC, LEED AP BD+C
President/Chief Engineer
Lane Coburn &
Associates LLC
Seattle

Dwayne Miller,
PE, RCDD
CEO
JBA Consulting Engineers
Hong Kong

14

Driving data center design


In the information age, data centers can be the beating heart of not
just a building, but an entire global corporation. Engineers with experience working on data centers offer advice on their complex design
and getting all the various aspects to compute.
CSE: Please describe a recent data
center project youve worked onshare
details about the project, including
building location, size, owners project
requirements (OPR), etc.
Andrew Baxter: Page recently designed a
Tier III data center for a confidential Fortune
100 company located in the Chicago metropolitan area. This is one of the most efficient data centers in the transportation sector, supporting the clients commitment to the
environment. It was built to withstand severe
weather conditions without compromising
the integrity or security of its cooling system,
which is anticipated to achieve an annual
average power usage effectiveness (PUE) of
1.09. The new data center has been designed
to achieve energy savings of approximately
50% above the required efficiency standards
with state-of-the-art economizer systems for
cooling critical electrical rooms and air-handling units, an energy recovery make-up air
handling unit for ventilation, high-efficiency
condensing boilers for heating, and highly
efficient LED lighting. It is based on N+2
1000 kW units, and Phase 1 was designed
to be a 4 MW information technology (IT)
fit-up with a 12 MW total facility load at
full build-out. Phase 1 of the 308,000-sq-ft
project includes 25,000 sq ft of white space
in an 180,000-sq-ft building. This initial
phase includes the companys backup emergency operations center (EOC) in which it
will control its entire worldwide operations
in the event that the main operations center
is ever down. The EOC contains conference
rooms and 50 workstations for various user
groups, which are focused on a video wall

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

and a control room overlook for supervision.


It is anticipated that approximately 85% of
the facility will be free cooled.
Brandon Kingsley: Primary Integration is
currently involved in commissioning a 128
MW cloud data center that is being deployed
in four sites. The intent of the OPR is to design
more reliability into the IT network and equipment and less into the mechanical, electrical,
plumbing (MEP), and fire protection systems.
The design consists of multiple buildings,
which have hot aisle containment but no raised
floors and no mechanical cooling. Cold aisle
allowable operating temperatures can be as
high as 90 F. Instead of designing the mechanical systems based on the IT equipment, the
IT equipment was designed and selected in
conjunction with the mechanical systems to
operate within the mechanical system parameters. The biggest commissioning challenge has
been staffing and scheduling to test the sheer
quantity of mechanical and electrical equipment on each site, including 160 air handlers
and 21 generators; however, because of the
inherent simplicity of the mechanical and electrical system designs, we are not dealing with
large central chiller plants that have complex
control sequences.
Keith Lane: Lane Coburn & Associates has
worked closely with Silent-Aire for more
than 5 years enhancing the design of modular
data center deployments around the country.
There are numerous challenges and numerous benefits to the design, construction, and
deployment of modular data centers. Modular data centers are designed and built as a
complete system. The entire mechanical and
electrical system is built around the clients IT
infrastructure needs and requirements. Moduwww.csemag.com

lar off-site construction, as opposed to


the conventional brick-and-mortar data
center, delivers speed, performance, and
cost containment. Building off-site in a
controlled, safe, and environmentally
friendly space may quite often allow
for much quicker deployment. In addition to the time savings in building the
mechanical, electrical, and structural
components, all components and systems are tested in the factory before
shipping to the site. This saves time and
money during the final integrated systems testing (IST) before handover to
the client in the field.
Dwayne Miller: Our most recent data
center projects have been enterprise
data centers for international integrated
resorts. The properties are both in excess
of 4 million sq ft. Both data centers tie
into property infrastructure; hence the
cooling, normal power, and generator
back-up power are served from centralized systems. Owner requirements
included on-site disaster recovery
capabilities, which are addressed with
primary and secondary data centers for
each property. The centralized generator
backup system is composed of multiple
parallel engines, and the data center
loads are second only to life safety systems with respect to the load priority.
In addition, from a cooling standpoint,
the data center is tied in to a large centralized chilled water system and is the
highest priority load for the system. A
combination of centralized and localized
infrastructure is deployed to ensure continuity of services.
CSE: What are the newest trends
in data centers in mixed-use buildings?
Kingsley: This really depends on
the rack density, required reliability,
and available utilities. For example, a
research-based data center at a college
or university may have a high rack denwww.csemag.com

Figure 1: Data center projects are among the most complex projects an engineer can
tackle. Because of the crucial and often sensitive information stored therein, power
reliability is one important aspect. Courtesy: JBA Consulting Engineers

sity and high-reliability requirement.


As a result, MEP designers tend to use
a high-density cooling solution such as
an in-row cooling. An independent cooling system may also be used rather than
relying on the central chiller plant, which
may be shut down in winter. Increasingly, we are seeing heat recovery systems
being used in mixed-use buildings to
recover waste heat from the data center
and use it for the building heating system. This may make the most economic
sense as an energy savings strategy in a
building with a large white space data
center and office space that represents a
fraction of the overall cost.
Lane: Flexibility and modularity are
the key features clients require in the
market today. It is critical to design
flexibility to modify the design for
future phases and to ensure the infrastructure is in place to provide for
changes. Modularity is critical to ensure
incremental components can be added
as density and/or redundancy increases
are required.
Baxter: The biggest trend is probably
moving the data centers completely out
of these types of buildings and having
purpose built facilities. Heat recovery
would be a newer trend, especially in
regions where extended heating periods
allow the heat generated by the data center to be used for building heating.

CSE: What are some challenges


you have faced in coordinating
structural systems with mechanical,
electrical, plumbing, or fire protection systems?
Lane: Data centers are very unique
facilities. The sheer amount of power and
critical nature of the loads being served
require significant expertise. Uninterruptable power supplies, large standby generators, fuel supplies, large conductors,
medium-voltage services, large transformers, various voltages, harmonic distortion,
metering, PUE, and energy efficiency all
must be considered in the design of data
center facilities. Because of the unique
nature of the electrical load profile, the
heating of underground electrical duct
banks must be evaluated. This involves
3-D modeling of the underground feeders
as well as a comprehensive failure mode
analysis and Neher-McGrath heating calculations. The initial cost of building a
data center is tremendous. The long-term
costs associated with running a data center
include the electrical and water services,
which are very significant and must be
considered during the design process.
The electrical and mechanical engineers
must work collaboratively to ensure the
most reliable and cost-effective systems
are designed and implemented. Enough
design time must be built into the sched-

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

15

MEP Roundtable
ule to ensure value engineering ideas are
fully vetted. Additionally, comprehensive
commissioning of the data center should
be provided by a third party to ensure all
components of the MEP system work
independently and as a system prior to
actually serving critical loads.
Baxter: Coordinating all systems
togethernot just the MEP and structuralcan be quite a challenge for these
types of facilities. The structure can
be very deep to carry the higher than
normal weight densities a data center
can impart to a structure, especially in
multi-level facilities. This, along with
the large number of cable trays, electrical raceways, mechanical systems, etc.,
can create significant space management challenges. Add in specific project
requirements such as seismic restraint,
excess wind loading capabilities, or
electromagnetic pulse (EMP) shielding,
and final coordination becomes critical.

Kingsley: Coordination with structural


systems is especially challenging in existing
buildings. When a data center is added in an
existing facility, the MEP systems have to
be designed around fixed existing structural
systems. The available floor-to-floor height
may dictate the types of systems that can be
installed, such as in-row cooling instead of
a more conventional system using raised
floors and ceiling return plenums. As commissioning agents, part of our job is to
make sure that all of the MEP equipment
is accessible and maintainable. Without
good coordination among all systems, we
may find that a cable tray, for example, is
inaccessible. The increasing use of BIM in
system design, engineering, and construction is improving coordination and reducing
these types of problems.
CSE: How do you see the design
approach for data centers changing
in the next 2 to 5 years?

input #8 at www.csemag.com/information

Miller: Its my personal belief that proliferation and support of an Uptime Institute
Tier III or Tier IV infrastructure environment, particularly for enterprise data centers, is not sustainable. In other words, the
level of complexity, redundancy, energy
consumption, first cost of infrastructure,
and ongoing maintenance expenses are all
going to make software-driven alternatives
more attractive. I would suggest a more
rational approach is to have a strategy
wherein my data is housed and manipulated in 2, 3, or 4 geographically diverse
locations. Each location is supported by
reasonable infrastructure (Tier I or Tier
II) with virtualization software providing seamless transfer between the sites in
the event of an incident in one location. I
believe this will also be the direction colocation sites will eventually take. In simple
terms, a self-healing mesh within a mesh.
Kingsley: We are seeing more modular and
scalable designs to provide for flexibility and

input #9 at www.csemag.com/information

MEP Roundtable
phased build-out of data centers over time.
Increasingly, these modular designs include
a chiller plant for each phase, which are integrated to operate as a single chiller plant when
the full build-out is completed. As commissioning agents, we always commission all
previous phases, not only the current phase,
to ensure that all phases are properly operating as an integrated system. I also think that a
design approach using the strategy of higher
reliability in the IT network and less in the
MEP systems will become more common as
owners find that they can save money by writing code rather than installing additional generators, air handlers, and electrical gear. There
is also discussion of integrating the IT servers
with the building automation system (BAS) to
enable the servers to control the mechanical
systems. This could be an effective strategy in
cloud data centers, which can operate at the
servers upper limits from the start. Each
server can provide input for the operation
of the HVAC system, rather than relying

Figure 2: Engineering firms like Page


are engaged to handle data centers for a
wide range of clientsFortune 500 corporations, municipalities, universities,
and other entities. This is the University
of Texas at Austin Data Center Consolidation Project. Courtesy: Thomas McConnell, photographer, Page

Easiest Way to Conduct Required Maintenance on Your Permanent Generator

TripleSwitch

3-Way Manual Transfer Switch


125A - 2000A up to 600VAC
Type 3R Enclosure
UL/cUL 1008 Listed up to 800A

Make

Load Bank Testing


More

Convenient & Economical


ESL's TripleSwitch is designed to service critical
operations facilities that have an automatic
transfer switch and dedicated generator. The
TripleSwitch uses three interlocked circuit
breakers to isolate standby generator circuits
during load bank testing. This unique design also
provides a quick, safe method to connect to a
portable generator for redundant backup

CSE: How have cloud computing, apps, cyber security, and other
trends changed the way in which
you design a data center?

Wat
c
Loa h Simp
d
l
eslp Bank ify Ge
ne
Te
wr.c
om/T sting rator
V
rip
leSw ideo:
itch
Vid
eo

800.922.4188 - 951.739.7020 - eslpwr.com - info@eslpwr.com

input #10 at www.csemag.com/information

on a few BAS sensors throughout the data


center. The reliability of the communication between the servers and the BAS will
need to be designed for fail-safe operation.
This will likely require the installation of
BAS sensors for fail-safe operation if the
communication between the servers and
the BAS goes down.
Baxter: Because of the high demand
for IT infrastructure, speed to market is
definitely pushing the design approaches used. To this end we are seeing an
increase in the amount of design-build
and integrated delivery approaches used
in order to shorten the time from when
the project design kicks off to when the
doors open on the new facility. To this
end, prefabricated systems (i.e., skids)
for central electrical and mechanical systems are being used more as well.
Lane: We are seeing varying levels of
redundancy in modern data centers. Ten
to 15 years ago, we would see enormous
data centers built to the same redundancy level and the same power density
throughout the entire facility. Today we
are seeing single data centers and Tier II
data centers with minimum redundancy
for portions of the critical loads as well
as Tier IV for other portions of loads. The
redundancy level depends on the specific
function of the computing task. Very critical loads will be built with full 2N topology (or greater), while less critical loads
will be built with N or N+1 topology.
These loads could be in the same room.
Additionally, we are building more data
centers in a modular fashiononly building the power density required today,
but providing for future expansion. This
includes provisions for additional uninterruptible power supply (UPS) modules,
standby generators, chillers, and pumps.

Baxter: Networking systems are


becoming even more important and more
significant components of the data center.
SWITCH

TM

The Moment Walls


Have Been Waiting For.

From the people who invented modern air conditioning comes a complete new line of
Ductless products. Visit us at this years AHR Expo, booth 1910, and discover all that
Carrier Ductless and VRF have to offer.

AHR EXPO, BOOTH 1910

Carrier Corporation 12/2014. A unit of United Technologies Corporation. Stock symbol UTX.

input #11 at www.csemag.com/information

MEP Roundtable

Figure 3: In addition to corporate projects,


firms like JBA Consulting Engineers frequently tackle municipal data centers (such
as Las Vegas City Hall, shown here) to protect the citys valuable information and processes. Courtesy: JBA Consulting Engineers

Kingsley: Due to the large capacity


of cloud data centers, energy efficiency
is extremely important. To achieve this,
data centers are being designed to operate at the upper limits of the industry
standards and beyond. Increasingly,
MEP systems are being designed to
the nameplate operating data of the IT
equipment instead of industry standards.
For example, ASHRAE TC 9.9 recommends a maximum cold aisle temperature of around 80 F; however, if the
nameplate of a server indicates that it
can operate at up to 90 F, the MEP may
be designed to a cold aisle temperature
of 85 F to save cooling energy. Insofar
as this can result in a simplified MEP
design, commissioning becomes even
more important as there is less of a ridethrough cushion in the event of a loss
of cooling. If the MEP systems do not
perform as intended, temperature control
of the data center can be lost in seconds,
not minutes.
CSE: Discuss the trends of convergence and automation within
building technology, including
controls of all systems within one
network.
Lane: The convergence of all building
technology to the data center has created

20

significant stress for those managing the


IT environment. The CIO now owns
data associated with the entire facility
operation. Systems such as lighting controls, security, surveillance, audiovisual,
temperature controls, telephony, etc., are
now all managed by IT departments.
In the past many of the systems were
decentralized and deployed as discrete
stand-alone systems. With so much
of the facility systems and associated
business operations relying on the data
center, the critical nature of the power
distribution and cooling is obvious. If
the data center loses power or fails due
to cooling or other infrastructure issues,
business operations cease. The CIO and
the IT staff have to become much more
educated about the critical infrastructure
and the associated operation.
Kingsley: We have not seen this in
action yet because it appears that there
is still a lot of work to be done by the
manufacturers to perfect this type of
system or network. We are still seeing separate systems for BAS, EPMS,
security, etc. Occasionally, the BAS
and EPMS will be the same system. A
single building backbone network for
all of the systems is not uncommon.
BACnet seems to be the industry standard for mechanical systems. While
integration of BACnet devices is still
not perfect, it has greatly improved as
manufacturers work out the bugs and
design their controllers to ASHRAEs
latest BACnet standard. That said,
hardwire control of critical equipment
is still a must for data centers because
a network is not 100% reliable. .
Baxter: We are definitely seeing a
trend to bring more and more of the
building automation and monitoring
systems into one network. We are seeing this even more on the enterprise
level where the owner has control over
the network management. That is also
one of the biggest challenges, though,
for new builds as that network needs
to be up and running very early, and
owners and IT groups are not always
ready for that kind of advancement of
schedule.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

CSE: What unique fire suppression or life safety systems have


you specified or designed in a data
center?
Kingsley: Actually, we are noticing
a trend back to traditional wet and preaction systems and fewer clean agent
systems. For example, certain government agencies require wet systems
because they have had trouble maintaining pre-action systems. Other owners require double-interlock pre-action
systems because they do not want water
sitting above the data center but do not
want to incur the cost of a clean agent
system. They may have found that they
can bring their servers back up after
they dry out without a lot of failures,
or they are willing to replace those that
have failed, especially if they represent a
small fraction of the total. Early warning
smoke detection systems are becoming
the norm.
Baxter: We are using more double
interlocked pre-action systems for the
fire protection of the critical systems
and areas. We are also using dry nitrogen systems as the purge and pressure maintenance system for these dry
sprinkler systems, thus eliminating the
need for galvanized pipe and reducing
the potential for internal pipe corrosion. The use of clean agent systems is
declining significantly, and we are now
seeing them used only in very specific
critical asset protection type installations such as tape or document storage
areas. Because most jurisdictions dont
recognize the clean agent system for life
safety purposes, the sprinkler systems
are still required and thus the clean agent
becomes somewhat redundant and is a
cost many owners no longer want to
have.
Visit www.csemag.com/archives to
read more about:
 Cabling and wiring
 Co-location facilities
 Fire and life safety systems
 HVAC systems
 Neher-McGrath considerations
 Power usage effectiveness (PUE)
 Sustainable buildings.

www.csemag.com

SEE TRUE INTELLIGENCE AT WORK


Visit AHR Expo Booth 4810

Trane is putting 102 years of expertise on display at the worlds largest HVAC show.

input #12 at www.csemag.com/information

Building Commissioning
Association is dedicated to
creating and supporting the
highest standards for the
commissioning profession } } }
Through professional
development programs,
nationally-recognized
certications, tools and market
outreach the BCA has earned its
leadership role in accelerating
best practices and promoting
cross-industry collaboration.

Advocacy
Training
Tools & Resources
Certications
Networking

JOIN TODAY!
877.666.2292 } }

www.bcxa.org } }
input #13 at www.csemag.com/information

Codes & Standards


How ASHRAE Standard 90.1
contributes to integrated design
ASHRAE Standard 90.1 is under continuous maintenance. This article
focuses on the recent evolution of this standard, the impact on energy
and performance, the design process, and how human interaction can
improve energy efficiency.
BY RODNEY V. OATHOUT, PE, CEM, LEED AP, DLR Group, Overland Park, Kansas; and
RUAIR BARNWELL, BEAP, HBDP, QCXP, DLR Group, Chicago

ASHRAE STANDARD 90.1: Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential
Buildings has been the benchmark for defining
energy-efficiency and simulation procedures in
the built environment since its inception in 1975.
It is a fluid document, designed to define the
minimum level of energy efficiency while being
mindful of the limits of technology and value
proposition of lifecycle cost.
As of the 2001 version, this standard is published in its entirety every 3 years. The period
between publishing cycles allows for review,
comment, and approval of new content. It is also
common for addenda to be issued between the
formal updates. The evolution from the 2010 to
the 2013 edition helps engineers and designers
understand how an integrated design process
provides the most efficient means of planning
for, and applying, the principles held within.
ASHRAE Standard 90.1 provides the minimum
benchmark for energy-efficient design practices
for building envelope, HVAC systems, water heating systems, power, and lighting. This standard
also provides one of the most recognized procedures for energy simulations of facilities.
Although Standard 90.1 is respected by many
jurisdictions, it is not necessarily recognized as
a code for all jurisdictions in the United States.
Therefore, the requirements of Standard 90.1
can be followed by the design professional, but
enforcement by the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) is generally limited to the applicable building or energy conservation code.
www.csemag.com

Figure 1: The new Library and Student Resource Center at the


Los Angeles Community College Districts Harbor College is
designed to achieve U.S. Green Building Council LEED Platinum
certification. Its signature design element is a bold southern
facade with exterior louvers that reduce solar heat gain. All
graphics courtesy: DLR Group

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

23

Codes & Standards


This standard does influence many
other building codes. Building envelope
(sometimes called building enclosure)
is a good example of how this works.
In the 2007 version, the requirement for
continuous insulation started to appear
in many building types for most climate
zones. These requirements appear in the
2009 version of the International Energy
Conservation Code (IECC). These codes
began to be adopted in 2010, and projects started hitting the streets in 2011.
There are numerous examples of other
technical features and model building
codes. Many jurisdictions recognize
ASHRAE 90.1 as an acceptable compliance path for energy performance.

Table 1: Summary of changes in heat pump efficiencies


ASHRAE Standard 90.1
edition

Minimum efficiency
(cooling EER)

Minimum efficiency
(heating COP)

2010

16.2

3.6

2013

18.0

3.7

Table 1: This provides a summary of the data taken from various versions of ASHRAE
90.1. Data from ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010 and 2013.

estimated that the ASHRAE Table 2: Summary of changes


90.1- 2013 energy efficiency in allowable power density
standard contains 8.5% source
ASHRAE Standard 90.1
Allowable power
energy savings and 7.6% site
edition
density (W/sq ft)
energy savings compared to
the 2010 version.
2007
1.2
The changes in the 2013
2010
0.99
version that affect building
envelope
modify
the
requireChanges to note
2013
0.87
The significant changes in the 2013 ments for opaque elements and
version include: building envelope, fenestrations. These include Table 2: There continues to be a systematic
HVAC, energy simulation procedures, a simplification of skylight decrease in the allowable power density used by
and lighting. As the design professional requirements, requirement of lighting, according to ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Table
might expect, the modifications generally double pane glazing in most 9.5.1. Data from ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007, 2010,
impose stricter requirements on design climate zones, and the addi- and 2013.
elements. This standard also gives more tional requirement of a minidetails and requirements for computer mum visible transmission (VT)/solar version. Fan efficiency requirements
room environments. Major changes in the heat gain coefficient (SHGC) ratio. The have been added to the standard for
2013 version include more clarifications point of this ratio is to balance daylight- the first time. There also are increasand provisions for optimizing natural ing capabilities with heat gain through ing coverage and strategies for systems
required to be controlled by building
daylighting and artificial lighting control. fenestrations.
The HVAC equipment performance automation systems (BAS). An examThe Dept. of Energy, in an announcement
in the Federal Register on Sept. 26, 2014, requirements are stricter in the 2013 ple of the impact of these changes can
be found in the stricter performance
requirements for heat pumps. ASHRAE
Standard 90.1 Table 6.8.1-2 shows performance improvements required for
ground-source, water to air heat pumps
(see Table 1).
The requirements for building simulation procedures continue to evolve in
the 2013 version. Significant changes
in simulation procedures include: new
data tables for applying glazing areas;
envelope infiltration calculations; modifications to calculation procedures for
assembly areas; heat rejection equipment, such as cooling towers; more
provisions for dealing with computer
room environments; and additional
information to improve the simulation
Figure 2: The Elk Grove Center in Elk Grove, Calif., is a satellite campus of the
of natural daylighting to predict energy
Cosumnes River College. The design combines exterior screens and a light shelf to
conservation opportunities.
optimize views to outside, solar gain, and natural daylight.
24

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

www.csemag.com

Lighting

One of the most notable changes to


the lighting chapter of the 2013 version
is the addition of control requirements
for each of the space types. There also
continues to be a systematic decrease
in the allowable power density used by
lighting. The data in ASHRAE Standard
90.1 Table 9.5.1 reveals that the allowable power density for a school/university
has decreased by 32% since the 2007 version of this standard. Table 2 provides a
summary of the data taken from various
versions of ASHRAE 90.1.
The theme of natural daylighting
and artificial lighting control is woven
through most of the significant changes
in Standard 90.1-2013. Many of the provisions of this standard tend to primarily
affect one discipline and create a ripple
through other disciplines on the way to
optimizing the total energy efficiency of
a facility. For instance, changes in chiller
efficiency largely impact the work of the
mechanical engineer, but a more efficient
chiller also affects the design prepared
by the electrical engineer. Similarly,
allowable power densities largely impact
the work of the electrical engineer, but
also affect the cooling design prepared by
the mechanical engineer. These examples
create a cause-and-effect relationship
between designers and contractors.
Solutions that optimize natural daylighting and artificial lighting control
require a multidisciplinary approach.
The most efficient approach still requires
some iteration to formulate a solution.
The team of designer, contractor, and
owner must collaborate during this process. The role of the designer, architect,
and engineer is to assess energy efficiency and balance performance, aesthetics,
and functionality of the lighting system.
The contractors role is to evaluate cost
and constructability. The owners role
is to determine if the solution is useful
and meets the needs of the end user. An
integrated design process when all stakeholders are involved from the beginning
provides a platform for shared education, understanding of requirements and
desires, and fluid testing of options until
www.csemag.com

Figure 3: Fayetteville (Ark.) High School earned U.S. Green Building Council LEED for Schools
Silver Certification applying design techniques prescribed in ASHRAE Standard 90.1.

the design solution is optimized. When


these parties operate in a vacuum, the
final result is often frustration, uncoordinated design, and energy performance
that does not meet expectations.

the prescriptive approach to compliance.


The difference is that the words used to
describe the performance approach allow
for trade-off, compromise, and flexibility.
This is the foundation of an integrated
design process.

Documentation

ASHRAE 90.1 can be used in two


ways, prescriptive or performance, to
document compliance.
The prescriptive method is largely
an effort in applying the information
provided in the tables and graphs of the
main body of the document. Because its
often deemed the easiest approach for
the design phase of a project, the prescriptive method is the most common
path for achieving compliance with
ASHRAE Standard 90.1.
The performance approach to this standard applies rules to the desired uniqueness that provides some flexibility based
on the climate of the project location. The
performance approach generally requires
the use of a computer-simulation tool to
evaluate the impact of design strategies
for the major building features that form
the path of overall compliance. It also can
be argued that building designs derived
strictly through implementation of the
prescriptive approach may not result in the
most cost-efficient solutions on bid day.
The performance approach to the 2013
version provides even more rules and
implementation procedures than previous versions. This is easily seen during
a quick review of the current edition
of the standard. The pages defining the
rules of engagement for the performance
approach are much thicker than those for

The future

ASHRAE will publish the next version of Standard 90.1 in 2016. Between
now and then, there will be addendums
to clarify important content and address
comments from users. The natural duration before Standard 90.1 is applied to
actual design situation seems to be
about 4 years. It takes that long for
the data in 90.1 to find its way into the
building codes, for the building codes
to be adopted, and for general acceptance of the material throughout the
design community.
In 2020, the matrix for the Architecture 2030 Challenge will be a building
energy performance target 80% better
than the 2003 benchmark for consumption. ASHRAE Standard 90.1 has shown
leadership in energy efficiency by defining the minimum criteria and processes
for the built environment to be judged.
ASHRAE Standard 189.1: Standard for
the Design of High-Performance Green
Buildings takes building design to the
next level for projects that are on the path
to achieve the goals of Architecture 2030.
Facilities that achieve lofty energy performance as prescribed by Architecture
2030 typically include passive features
and provisions that rely on the natural
environment in the strategy for energy
reduction.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

25

Codes & Standards


The notion of human impact should be
considered in any conversation regarding energy efficiency in the built environment. This topic is not directly related to
ASHRAE Standard 90.1, but is one of the
characteristics that elevate good building performance to great building performance. The requirements of this standard continue to advocate for automatic
measures to minimize the need for human
intervention. These automatic measures
contribute to the high-performing buildings being constructed today.
Ensuring proper use and performance
of lighting controls is an example of the
importance of human impact on energy
performance. An integrated design process is a useful platform to interject the
human impact into the design. Involving
the engineering and analysis team early in
the design process can have many advantages, including sharing the requirements
of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 with other
design team members and users who
may not be familiar with the standard.
When everyone understands the design
requirements and the users expectations,
good design can be elevated into a highperformance building.
Traditionally, the design teams role on
a project ends when the building is built
and all of the post-construction documentation is turned over to the owner. The

emphasis on high-performance buildings


is allowing design teams to become more
engaged in post-occupancy activities
such as user training, energy benchmarking, and operational feedback.
As hard as we try to simplify things,
systems in modern-day buildings are
complicated, especially for users with
little or no training in architecture or
engineering. Systems that are not understood by facility managers or users are
often altered by occupants to the detriment of occupant comfort. This leads
to frustration by facility managers and
occupants, and results in poor energy
performance.
The next big thing that design professionals can do to positively impact
building energy performance is train
both facility managers and occupants
about how the systems work. This training is not on how to replace an air filter
or perform other routine maintenance.
Rather, it should train users on the ramifications of blocking the glazing intended for daylighting with cardboard; train
them how to temporarily adjust the light
level for a special program; and train
them to be successful in the space that
was designed for them.
The ASHRAE Standard 90.1 offers
designers the tools and compliance criteria to create energy-efficient facilities.

Figure 4: The new Business Building on the Lisle, Ill., campus of Benedictine University is one of the first buildings permitted in Illinois under the new IECC 2012/
ASHRAE 90.1-2010 code.

26

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

The application of this standard through


an integrated design process should result
in a facility that provides excellent value
to the owner. All too often this value is
not realized. While the reasons for this
vary, the real problem is that a facility
may operate incorrectly for years before
the causes can be determined and remedied. An owners design and energy
analysis team can play a key role in the
optimizing the performance of the facilities they designed through post-occupancy services like energy benchmarking and operational feedback studies.
A simple comparison of actual utility
data to performance expectation using
energy consumption data is the first step
in determining if there are real issues.
Operational feedback studies use energy
datautility and submeters, user surveys
and system observationsas the means
to understand how energy is consumed
and how efficiency can be improved.
ASHRAE Standard 90.1 is a fluid
document that continues to evolve in
response to changes in our industry and
the desire for continuous optimization of
energy performance. The application of
this standard or subsequent building codes
that are influenced by this standard, offer
value to building owners through lifecycle
cost objectives that are embedded into the
information. ASHRAE Standard 90.1 and
other industry trends such as integrated
design, human impact on performance,
and post-occupancy evaluations provide
the foundation for energy optimization in
the built environment.
Rodney V. Oathout is regional engineering leader and principal at DLR Groups
Overland Park, Kansas, office. He is a
champion for integrated design, energy
efficiency, and human engagement in
high-performance buildings. Ruair
Barnwell leads DLR Groups building
optimization team from Chicago. He is
responsible for growing this market and
contributing his expertise in high-performance building design to benefit clients
in the firms core market sectors. He is a
2013 Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40
Under 40 award winner.
www.csemag.com

How Dole lowered emissions


to nearly unheard-of levels.
Completely integrated boiler solutions can generate results for you, too.
Dole Packaged Foods in Atwater, California, met stringent air quality standards of less
than 5 ppm NOx emissions by installing our 700 HP CBEX Elite with fully condensing
economizer, while minimizing future maintenance costs. Read about this case study and
others at cleaverbrooks.com/Dole or call 1-800-250-5883 to locate your local rep.

Visit Booth #1523 at the AHR Show in Chicago

input #14 at www.csemag.com/information

2014 Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.

he voice of the engineering community


speaks loud and clear in the following pages
featuring corporate profiles of those
companies participating in this
innaugural Executive Voice program
presented by Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine.
Our thanks to the following participants:

BITZER
Dynamic Air Quality Solutions
Navien America Inc.
Staco Energy Products Co.
Unison Comfort Technologies

ADVERTISEMENT

BITZER US, Inc. is a subsidiary of


Germany based BITZER SE, the
worlds largest independent manufacturer of A/C and Refrigeration
compressors with sales companies
and production sites for reciprocating,
screw, and scroll compressors as well
as pressure vessels all over the globe.
Headquartered outside Atlanta and
with three manufacturing plants in the
U.S., BITZER US is well positioned
in 2015 to continue its extraordinary
growth in an industry that demands
quiet, high efficiency products and
green solutions.

BITZER US, Inc. Headquarters in


Flowery Branch, GA.

Peter Narreau, president of


BITZER US, Inc, states BITZER has
met the challenge of providing the
market both high efficiency
compressors in addition to those
that use natural refrigerants.
BITZERs OEM customer base in
the U.S. includes manufacturers of
liquid and air-cooled A/C chillers,
modular and process chillers,
commercial rooftop units,
supermarket mechanical rooms
(racks), condensing units, ultra-low
temp units, commercial and

industrial refrigerated warehouse


systems, marine systems, etc.
The BITZER brand has always been
synonymous with high quality and
reliability, but our OEM customers
now promote BITZER for its technological superiority and overall value.
By optimizing its compressor
efficiency based on the application,
BITZER is able to outperform the
one-size fits all model that is
standard in our industry. We have
designed Screw and Scroll
compressors that are optimized
based on whether they are applied to
air-cooled condenser (SCT > 110F)
systems or water cooled (SCT <
110F) systems. The resulting IPLV
of systems using these optimized
models is significantly enhanced.
Both compressor types can
accommodate a VSD if desired.

Peter
Narreau

President,
BITZER US, Inc.

BITZERs new CRII capacity


control for its semi-hermetic
ECOLINE compressors can unload
down to 10%, and its Varispeed
model, which includes an integrated
VSD, can operate from 25 87Hz.
Ensuring best in-class performance
in Screw Compressors, BITZER
has launched a line of Screw
Compressors with integrated VSDs.
Even these are optimized based on
the application.

BITZER is able to outperform the one-size fits all


model that is standard in our industry.
To further increase IPLVs, BITZER
has a patent pending on an
Advanced Header Technology
(BAHT) that enables OEMs to mix
numerous combinations of Scroll
Compressor sizes and frames to
achieve optimum performance in
their systems. For example, an OEM
can now combine a 15-ton scroll
(GSD6 frame size) with a 25-ton scroll
(GSD8 frame) and can add a VSD on
the smaller model to achieve the
highest efficiency while precisely
matching the cooling load.

As the green movement evolved in


Europe in the 90s, BITZER became
a pioneer in the manufacture of
compressors using natural refrigerants like CO2 and ammonia. Today,
BITZER provides both subcritical and
transcritical CO2 compressors to the
industry as well as complete
Ammonia Compressor Packages.
Please visit www.bitzerus.com or
email us marketing@bitzerus.com

ADVERTISEMENT

ts no secret that the lowest hanging


fruit for energy-saving initiatives
has been lighting. Hundreds of
millions of tons of CO2 emissions
have been saved. In fact, at this point,
we see high-efficiency lighting baked
into most new construction projects.
Many of the larger retrofit projects
have been done, as well. This leaves
designers and owners looking for
other places to find savings.

Energy represents over 90% of the cost


of filtration. The big cost is not in the
cost of the filter itself, but rather the
cost of the energy to push air through
it. With conventional passive filters,
increasing filter efficiency increases
the static resistance to airflow, and the
energy use.
Today there are Ozone-free air cleaning technologies, like polarized-media

Dynamic Manufacturing Facility in Carleton Place, Ontario

Fortunately, filtration and indoor air


quality both offer huge opportunities
for energy efficiency. As with lighting,
these are areas where designers often
defaulted to the methods they used
in the past.
Commercial buildings consume 40%
of all energy in the United States.
Over half of that is used to condition
and clean the air. And over half of that
is fan energy. Clearly, thats some low
hanging fruit.
People today expect their indoor air
to be free of contaminants. This has
led to higher efficiency filters and in
some cases more outdoor air for
ventilation. Until recently, both of
these approaches would normally
increase energy use.

electronic air cleaners, that operate


with a much lower static pressure
resistance than conventional
high-efficiency filters. They also
enjoy a much greater dust-holding
capacity, and a service life measured
in YEARS instead of months, which
gives these air cleaners about 1/3 of
the life cycle cost (including energy)
of conventional passive filters, while
improving overall air quality.
With ventilation, air cleaning can
help implement the IAQ Procedure
of ASHRAE Standard 62 to yield
improved air quality and lower
energy costs. Over the years, the
ban on smoking indoors and the
use of low-emitting building
materials have improved indoor air
quality significantly.

Duke
Wiser
President,
Dynamic
Air Quality
Solutions

In fact, in most metropolitan areas,


the air outside contains more
contaminants than the air indoors.
Using todays Ozone-free
polarized-media electronic air
cleaners to remove odors and
ultrafine particles, rather than
bringing in potentially
contaminated air, makes both
common and financial sense.

There is
still low hanging
fruit for
energy efficiency.
The savings are there. Theres still
plenty of low hanging fruit for
improved energy efficiency.

info@DynamicAQS.com
(800) 578-7873
www.DynamicAQS.com

ADVERTISEMENT

ith the launching of five new


products, its fair to say that the
past year has been a busy one for
Staco Energy Products Co. and its
President Jeff Hoffman. Stacos new
products include:
Unistar V, a 1-, 2-, and 3-kVA rack
universal mount single-phase,
online double-conversion UPS
Unistar VP, a 6-kVA rack/universal
mount and a 6- and 10-kVA
tower single-phase, online double
conversion UPS
UniStar SCLI924, a 350 W to
21-kW online double-conversion
single-phase UL 924 central
lighting inverter

Several projects that are already


underway to support the UPS planned
growth include:
Upgrade to 10 to 40kVA packaging
Mobile Apps to communicate
with UPS
Security protection option
Jeff Hoffman says his company has
taken note of requests for UPS systems
with higher operating efficiencies.
Staco Energy Products has also made
big plans for 2015, which include
expanding to higher power ranges
and modular UPS.

FirstLine PL 924, a 9- to 36-kW


online double-conversion
three-phase UL 924 central
lighting inverter

In 2015, Staco plans to continue their


major efforts in engineering to get
other products launched to complete
their UPS product portfolio and to
position themselves to be in a stronger
competitive position.

President
Staco Energy
Products Co.

Meeting industrial grade specs

FirstLine P 924, a 58.5- to


225-kW online double-conversion
three phase UL 924 central
lighting inverter

We have had substantial


growth over the last two years,
averaging thirteen percent, says
Jeff Hoffman, President of Staco
Energy Products Co, And we have
positioned ourselves to keep that
pace going in 2015.

Jeff
Hoffman

Just some of Stacos broad range of


electrical products

The companys end users are in the


mid-range to large IT sector and
various other market segments,
such as oil & gas, healthcare, and
manufacturing. Stacos UPS units are
user-friendly, adds Hoffman. The
unit can be completely controlled and
monitored right at the control panel
on the unit or remotely from a desk.
Maintenance is standard and includes
an annual preventative maintenance
check, primarily focusing on the
condition of the batteries.

Staco Energy Products also


manufactures power factor correction
units to help facilities avoid penalties
from utilities. We look at it from the
standpoint of complete savings for
the data center from all aspects,
from the power factor
correction and a more efficient UPS to minimize the
utility costs the customer is
paying, says Hoffman.
For more than seventy years,
customers worldwide have
relied on Staco as their
dependable source for
standard and tailored solutions to a
wide range of electrical power
problems. Headquartered in
Miamisburg, Ohio, Staco Energy
Products is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Components
Corporation of America, located
in Dallas, Texas.

sales@stacoenergy.com 937-253-1191
www.stacoenergy.com

ADVERTISEMENT

nison Comfort Technologies was


established in 2010 as the parent
organization of Innovent, Valent
and Precision Coils. Our market
legacy began in 1981; today we
design, manufacture and provide air
handling equipment, value-added
packaged rooftop units, energy
recovery options, dehumidification
units, make-up air products, and
heating/cooling coils to help enhance
indoor air quality and comfort,
maximize energy efficiency and
minimize operational costs.

This new Unison plant recently opened in


Sacramento, CA.

Unison includes three businesses


which contribute to indoor environmental comfort by manufacturing
distinctive products that ventilate,
dehumidify, filter, heat or cool air.
Innovent, Valent and Precision Coils
continuously strive to deliver products
that reduce energy consumption and
building operational costs.
Innovent Air Handling Equipment
is a custom manufacturer of commercial/industrial air handling systems,
energy recovery units, desiccant
dehumidification products, and pool
dehumidification units. Every product
we manufacture is engineered

specifically to meet the unique needs


and requirements of the building in
which it is installed. Youll find
Innovent products in a wide range of
facilities including educational,
health care, industrial, government,
hospitality, recreational, research and
retail buildings.
Valent Air Management Systems
manufactures high-percentage
outdoor air packaged rooftop units
that address the needs of building
owners, specifying engineers, and
installing contractors.
Valent units serve in
dedicated outdoor air,
comfort and process
applications in facilities
ranging from educational
buildings and lodging
facilities to laboratories,
industrial operations and
commercial properties.

Jay Althof
President,
Unison Comfort
Technologies

Memphis, TN. We are a division of


The Greenheck Group, a privatelyheld, worldwide leader in air
movement and control systems and
architectural products. The Unison
management team includes respected
leaders and experts with decades of
experience in the HVAC industry.
Unison partners with representatives
who are carefully selected for their
ability to support system designers
and building professionals.
Through a winning combination
of energy-efficient products and

The Unison HVAC unit brands,


Innovent and Valent, provide the solutions
that system designers demand.
Precision Coils specializes in
manufacturing competitively priced,
precision-engineered HVAC heating
and cooling coils. In addition to
supplying coils to OEM (Original
Equipment Manufacturers),
Precision Coils offers a full range of
HVAC replacement coils.
Unison Comfort Technologies is
headquartered in Minneapolis, MN,
with additional manufacturing
plants near Sacramento, CA and

experienced people dedicated to


satisfying customers, Unison has
enjoyed rapid growth since its
inception and now has annual
revenue in excess of $125 million.

Innovent Sales: 612.877.4800


Valent Sales: 612.877.4850
www.unsioncomfort.com

ADVERTISEMENT

s Koreas largest boiler


manufacturer, exporting to
more than 30 countries worldwide, KD Navien, has developed
its industry leading reputation
in the United States and Canada
as a tankless water heater and
combi-boiler company. With deep
experience in the manufacturing
of boilers and the largest single
boiler manufacturing facility in
the world, the company recently
has expanded its product line
with the NHB (Navien Heating
Boiler) series.
Korea is the 2nd largest
market for boilers in the
world behind only the
United Kingdom
Its a little known fact that Korea
is the 2nd largest market for
boilers in the world behind only

the United Kingdom, said CEO


Harrison Kim. In fact there are
almost three times as many
boilers sold in Korea as in all of
North America.

Worlds largest boiler production facility

An engineering and technology


driven company, Navien has
invested quite heavily in R&D
over the past 36 years,
resulting in a host of technologically advanced products. We
are proud to be offering this
advanced level of heating
technology and expertise.

Ideal for residential and light


commercial use, from the
manufacturer that reinvented the
way that people think about
tankless water heating, the
NHB builds on Naviens recent
successful product lines.
The new Navien Heating Boiler
is available in 4 sizes: NHB-55,
NHB-80, NHB 110 and NHB-150
with turn-down-ratios respectively of 7:1, 10:1, 11:1, and 15:1.
The noteworthy 15:1 TDR in
the NHB-150 is achieved with
Naviens advanced burner system.
One key component to that
efficiency is the newly developed
dual Venturi gas delivery system.
Our NHB heating boiler is much
more than just another highefficiency condensing wall hung
boiler, said CEO Kim.

201501cse_execVoice_HLFnavien.indd 1

Harrison Kim
CEO, Navien, Inc.

It carries the Energy


Star Most Efficient
Rating and with a huge
number of smart control
features, offers the
installer an opportunity
to achieve a true highefficiency installation.

The Leader in Condensing Te hno og

navien.com

12/16/2014 3:18:12 PM

Improve your HVAC and BAS business with CSE Research


Turning research into insights to make better business decisions

In 2014, Consulting-Specifying Engineer surveyed its audience


members responsible for decisions related to the design of HVAC
and/or building automation systems (BAS) products and services
within their firms.
According to the data in this report, half of HVAC
and building automation products specified by
engineering firms for new and existing buildings
are valued at more than $1 million, compared to
59% in 2013 and 47% in 2012.
Download the new Consulting-Specifying Engineer
2014 HVAC and Building Automation Systems
Research today!

www.csemag.com/2014HVACBAS
cse201509_research_HVAC_Hlf.indd 1

1/9/2015 3:52:30 PM

VFD, motor strategies


for energy efficiency
A variable frequency drive (VFD) often is specified to reduce operational
cost for pumps, fans, compressors, or any similar equipment with variable
load profiles that may be found in a typical building. Heres how to specify
a VFD to meet load conditions while achieving efficiency.
BY JOHN YOON, PE, LEED AP, McGuire Engineers Inc., Chicago

Learning
objectives
 Review the evolution of
efficiency standards and how
they relate to the specification of VFDs and motors.
 Understand how a standard
induction motor uses (and
wastes) electricity.
 Introduce some emerging
standards and technologies
related to VFDs and motors.
 Examine common pitfalls in
specifying motors and VFDs.

34

otors get no respect.


Although theyre present in many of the systems that we design
and they often drive the
overall energy usage profile of a building,
they usually end up as an afterthought.
Traditionally, mechanical, electrical,
plumbing (MEP), and fire protection
designs for buildings have been focused
on system level considerations of health/
safety, functionality, and initial capital
cost. However, the adoption of more
stringent energy codes and standards has
put greater emphasis on energy efficiency
in our designs.
While this emphasis on energy efficiency may seem like a relatively recent
development, it is the direct evolution of
federal legislation that was passed almost
40 years ago in response to the 1973-74 oil
crisis. The key is to recognize that this is
all part of an ongoing progression and that
efficiency requirements will only become
more stringent. So while many building
owners will be more than satisfied with
minimal code-compliant designs, as proactive engineers and designers, there is a
need to understand how the components
in the systems we design use power and
how they can be optimized without compromising those traditional design values.
In some cases, there may be technologi-

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

cal dead ends in the individual system


components that may require emphasis on
different solutions for energy efficiency.
Motors are everywhere

In most design methodologies, you look


for the bang for the buckhigh-impact,
low-cost solutions first. The question
is, what uses the most electricity in our
designs? Although we may not think of
motors specifically when considering the
energy use of any particular building system, the electrical usage associated with
motors is hidden in most commercial
building energy use categories.
From a broader perspective, electric
motor driven systems represent more
than a third of the total electricity demand
for the United States and between 43%
and 46% globally per statistics from the
International Energy Agency. Total motor
energy usage for the industrial sector outstrips commercial usage by roughly 3:1.
Of total power used by motors worldwide,
approximately 68% is used by mediumsized motors from 1 to 500 hp, which covers the vast majority of motors used in
building systems.
A business concept known as disruptive innovation describes an innovation
that redefines or replaces a market by
offering improved simplicity, functionality, and affordability. They typically
www.csemag.com

are not breakthrough innovationsin


fact, they existed in niche markets prior
to widespread acceptance. This concept
could be applied to the emergence of
variable frequency drives (VFDs) and
permanent magnetic ac (PMAC) motors
for use in building systems. VFDs have
been used for a significant amount of time
in situations where controllability was as
much a driving factor as energy savings,
such as in variable air volume (VAV)
air handling systems. However, energy
codes, such as ASHRAE Standard 90.1:
Energy Standard for Buildings Except
Low-Rise Residential Buildings and the
International Energy Conservation Code
(IECC), have redefined design priorities
by emphasizing energy-saving aspects of
their use. This emphasis only becomes
more pronounced with improvements to
the baseline energy model in each code
revision cycle. The commercial baseline
model in ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2010
(IECC-2012) represents a 30% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1-2004 (IECC2006). The 2013/2015 code update is
expected to produce an additional 8.7%
energy cost improvement.
The federal government has acted as
the primary catalyst for this emphasis on
energy. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA-1975), with subsequent major amendments by the Energy
Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct-1992) and the
Energy Independence and Security Act of
2007 (EISA-2007), has given the Dept. of
Energy wide-ranging power in mandating
energy efficiency standards. While federally mandating energy efficiency may
sound intrusive on the surface, the process
of adopting new standards does have a
reasonable set of formal evaluation criteria, many of which are readily applicable
to engineering design. The seven criteria
based on EPCA legislation are:
1. Economic impact on manufacturers and consumers: Will
implementing the standard cause
unusual hardship for manufacturers or consumers? Is the initial
first cost of implementation affordable?
www.csemag.com

Figure 1: One emerging application for permanent magnet ac (PMAC) motors is in cooling
towers. This picture shows a 20-hp totally enclosed, air over (TEAO) PMAC motor directly
coupled to the fan instead of using a typical belt drive or gearbox; the view is from inside
a cooling tower. This particular tower is a two-cell cooling tower with 3,000 gpm total
capacity. The photo is looking up at a low-speed high-volume fan at the top of the tower.
Elimination of the gearbox dramatically improves the efficiency and reduces maintenance
requirements. All graphics courtesy: McGuire Engineers

2. Lifetime operating cost savings


compared to increased cost for
the product: What is the payback
period? What is the lifecycle cost
analysis?

5. Impact of any lessening of competition: Is this simply adopting


typical best in class products or
something proprietary that could
cause a monopoly?

3. Energy savings resulting from


implementation: Quantify the
magnitude of energy savings if
implemented; a national-level consideration.

6. Need for national energy conservation: Again, a national-level


consideration. Will the standard
provide improvements to the security and reliability of the nations
energy system?

4. Lessening of utility or performance of products: Given the


function, is this a misapplication
of the technology? Am I attempting to tow a trailer with a Ferrari?

7. Other factors that the Secretary


of Energy considers relevant:
General considerations include environmental and employment impact
to the country. Will emergence of

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

35

VFDs, motors for energy efficiency


new technology foster job growth?
What is the value of emissions
reduction?
Economically, any proposed standard
that can demonstrate payback in 3 years
is fair game for federal adoption under the
authority of the EPCA legislation.
While the development process for
motor efficiency standards can seem glacial at times, still we are often caught off
guard by the changes that show up in the
energy codes. For example, while minimum motor efficiency requirements are
just beginning to appear in IECC 2015,
they are the result of legislation passed
nearly 8 years ago. If we were to examine
the progression from legislation to final
adoption, it may seem needlessly convoluted. Nevertheless, remember that the
effectiveness of the end product hinges
on the creation of a universally accepted
standard. Standards require robust, repeatable test procedures to be effective. You

Figure 2: This shows 10 hp secondary hot water circulation pumps for an


8,000 MBH boiler plant installation. VFDs
are mounted to stands just outside the
pictures field of view to the right of the
pumps.

36

cant quantify energy savings when you


cant measure something consistently.
For example, the motor efficiency
tables in IECC 2015 are the indirect result
of the EISA-2007 legislation. This legislation drove the expansion of the motor
industrys minimum efficiency levels that
are reflected in the NEMA MG 1-2011
motor standard for manufacturers. This
manufacturers standard parallels changes
in 2012 to the federal mandated test standards defined in 10 CFR Part 431. These
standards, which are just beginning to
show up in IECC-2015, wont be adopted
by most states until 2016.
VFD efficiency requirements

While motor efficiency requirements


are fairly well documented within IECC2015, VFD efficiency requirements still
remain conspicuously absent. Use of
VFDs, while inferred as a potential compliance path in the IECC, still are not
specifically mandated as the sole means
for code compliance. Note that the code
describes only the basic functionality
(mechanical or electrical variable speed
drive) and not a particular technology
defined by specific industry standard
to achieve that functionality. The specific omission of a VFD requirement is
somewhat odd when you consider that in
the typical variable speed applications,
VFDs dominate. Systems where VFDs
are more or less the de facto means of
code compliance include VAV fan systems in complex multi-zone systems,
variable speed control for fan motors
greater than 7.5 hp, and achieving stringent integrated part load value (IPLV)
values for chillers. When trying to satisfy
the codes variable speed drive requirements, there are alternative to VFDs
such as 2-speed motors, gearbox-motor
combinations, and adjustable inlet guide
vanes, but these are exceedingly rare
in new construction due to their lower
efficiency and greater complexity. The
omission of a VFD-only requirement in
the energy code could be partially attributed to the fact that until recently, there
have not been industrywide accepted
test standards for inverter duty motors

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

and VFDs. However, in Europe the


International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) published testing standards
for determining the efficiency of VFD
controlled induction motors (IEC 600342-3) in 2013. Additional standards that
will define efficiency classes of variable
speed ac motors will be published in
2015; another standard that will define
the energy efficiency of adjustable speed
electric power drive systems will be
published in 2016. The last standard is
probably the most important of the three
to building design because it addresses
combined motor-VFD system efficiency
rather than just the efficiency of individual components. With this standard,
it eventually may be possible to objectively evaluate any given manufacturers
motor in combination with another manufacturers VFD.
So, how could a new set of seemingly
obscure European testing standards possibly impact an engineer half a world
away in the United States? Again, the
development of new testing standards
telegraphs the potential for future code
changes. Development of these European
VFD efficiency testing standards doesnt
guarantee that parallel standards will be
developed and adopted in the United
States. However, with todays manufacturers emphasizing standardized products for global markets, there are already
strong efforts to harmonize regional test
standards. For example, IEEE Standard
112: Standard Test Procedures for Polyphase Induction Motors and Generators,
last updated in 2004 prior to the release
of the 2006 version of NEMA MG 1, is
currently in the workgroup session phase
for new revisions. Among the revisions
being considered is inclusion of certain
IEC 60034 test procedures. It would seem
that development of these standards is
only a glimpse of things to come.
Value of energy efficiency

In most applications, operating cost


dramatically outweighs the cost of the
motor itself during its useful service life.
Unfortunately, in typical building systems
we typically size motors to accommowww.csemag.com

date the worst-case loads, which generally represent a very small percentage of
total operating hours. If that motor were
to run at full speed, regardless of the load,
an incredible amount of power would be
wasted. However, through the affinity
laws, we know that power varies in relationship to speed by the following formula
for centrifugal loads:
hp2 = hp1 (rpm2/rpm1)3
Based on this formula, if a load can be
accommodated by a slower speed, you
can dramatically reduce the power that
the motor needs to produce.
To illustrate this relationship, lets apply
this concept to a simplified load profile
using a 7.5 hp, 1800 rpm motor (see Table
1). If the average speed required by our
theoretical load was of 75% of full load
speed, the average power required would
be 3.16 hp. Using equipment costs from
an online electrical distributor specializing in induction motors and VFDs, and
defining a few variables including electrical cost per kWh and hours of operation,
we can get a rough comparison of the cost
of the equipment compared to the energy
cost and the return on investment.
These variables are generic, and your
mileage may vary depending on the
exact operational characteristics of your
load and cost of electricity in your area.
Because the affinity laws tell us that motor

horsepower has a nonlinear relationship


with speed, it is misleading to state that
a calculation based on the average speed
of your load profile will accurately reflect
the overall energy usage (unless the load
spends the vast majority of its time at
that average speed). However, the point
of this example is to illustrate that energy
costs are usually the determining factor
when variable speed motor operation is
anticipated.
ac induction motor efficiency

Multi-phase ac induction motors have


traditionally dominated the electric motor
industry. The industry has improved overall motor efficiency in each subsequent
NEMA-MG 1 motor standard revision.
To make sense of motor efficiency, one
must understand what efficiency losses
are attributed to. Motor losses can be
assigned to four major categories:
1. Electrical losses: I2R conduction
losses in the stator and rotor that
increase dramatically with increased
current. Can be improved by reducing the resistance of the stator windings and rotor squirrel cage.
2. Magnetic losses: Hysteresis/eddy
current in the steel laminations.
Can be improved by improving the
metallurgy of the steel.

3. Mechanical losses: Friction in


bearing system, parasitic loads like
cooling fans in totally enclosed
fan-cooled (TEFC) motors, etc.
4. Stray load losses: Flux leakage/
irregularities in the rotor/stator air
gap. Can be improved by improved
precision in manufacturing
Of these losses, I2R losses dramatically
outweigh the other categories. I2R losses
manifest themselves as increased heat, so
by addressing these, other losses such as
cooling fan motor losses in TEFC designs
can be indirectly affected.
All induction motors have a base speed
(synchronous speed) that is directly proportional to the quantity of magnetic poles
in the motors design (generally between
2 and 8) and the frequency of the electrical source (60 Hz in North America):

ac motor synchronous
speeds (60 Hz)
Poles

Speed (rpm)

3600

1800

1200

900

However, the speed of the rotor always


slightly lags the speed of the rotating magnetic field in the statorits always trying

Table 1: Four-year cost of ownership comparison

Initial
cost

First year cost of


electricity: 100%
speed at $0.10/
kWh, 12 hr/day,
5 days/week, 52
weeks/yr)

7.5 hp NEMA Premium


induction motor, 1800
rpm induction motor,
91.7% efficiency
operating at rated
speed

$763

$1904

7.5 hp inverter duty


motor and VFD (87%
combined system
efficiency) operating
at 75% average rated
speed

$1800

First year cost


of electricity:
75% average
speed (motor
at 42% power)

Electricity
cost,
additional
3 years at
100% speed

Electricity cost,
additional 3
years at 75%
speed

$5711

$843

Total cost of
ownership

$8378

$2528

$5171

Table 1: In this particular example, the return on investment (ROI) would be less than a year.

www.csemag.com

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

37

VFDs, motors for energy efficiency


to catch up. That difference between the
synchronous speed and that actual speed
of the rotor is known as slip. Reductions
in the resistance of the stator and rotor
reduce I2R losses but also result in less
slip. Unfortunately, slip is directly related
to the amount of torque that a motor of a
given design can produce. As such, high
inertia loads with greater starting torque
requirements generally necessitate NEMA
motor designs with lower efficiency. (See
Table 2 for NEMA design designations.)
Stator designs with lower I2R losses also
typically have higher locked rotor current.
The overall efficiency improvements
to this point in time have been limited
to optimizations and not revolutionary changes in existing induction motor
designs. The greatest recent jump in
industry motor efficiency is attributed to
EISA-2007 mandating NEMA Premium
motor standards for all general-purpose,

1- to 200-hp, 3-phase motors rated to 600


V. While even greater efficiencies are possible, the improvements up to this point
have been incremental and, if anything,
will only start to level off without dramatic changes in the basic motor design.
For example, the difference in efficiency
between EPAct compliant and NEMA Premium motors is generally only 1% to 3%
(see Table 3). These diminishing returns
would suggest that if major increases in
system efficiency are desired, other motor
technologies should be entertained, or
more importantly, other elements of the
system such as control by VFDs should
be more greatly emphasized.
How do you improve efficiency
in VFDs?

Thats a trick question. But going back


to an earlier discussion of standards in
this article, you cant consistently quan-

tify efficiency if theres no industrywide


standard to measure it. Losses in VFDs
are generally attributed to conduction
(electrical current flowing through the
device) and switching losses (the power
lost by switching the transistors on/off
during operation of the VFDs input rectifier and output inverter sections). Theoretically, VFD manufacturers can address
efficiency by optimizing these aspects of
the VFDs design. In general, most manufacturers will quote mid-90% efficiency
for their newer VFD designs.
While VFD designs continue to
evolvethe introduction of sixth-generation insulated-gate bipolar transistor
(IGBT), which can offer roughly 20% relative reduction in overall switching losses
compared to earlier IBGT designsits
difficult for specifying engineers to quantify exactly how these designs affect our
overall system efficiency. Direct manu-

Common pitfalls in specifying motors and VFDs

s specifying engineers, we have little control over the applicable efficiency standards and codes that we are mandated to follow.
However, we are still entrusted with designing
appropriately sized and functional systems. While
not an exhaustive list, these are several common
motor/variable frequency drive (VFD) issues that
can severely affect the functionality of the systems that you specify.

1. A typical motor is rated for a 1.15 service


factor. However, many manufacturers state in the
fine print for some of their motors that the service
factor has to be reduced to 1.0 when the motor is
used in conjunction with a VFD. This will kill any
overload capabilities that the motor may have and
increase the risk of damage when operating under
adverse operating conditions (i.e., high ambient
operating temperatures). The insulation class of the
motor is often a general indication of its overload
capability. Class H (125 C rise, heavy duty) insulation is preferred over Class B (80 C rise, general
purpose) and Class F (105 C, industrial use).

2.

Installing motors in high-altitude locations


(typically 3,300 ft above sea level or higher) can
also reduce service factor from 1.15 to 1.0 due to
reduced cooling air. If you need a specific service

38

factor, spell out the operating conditions under


which that service factor should apply.

3.

Know what speed range is required by


your load. Most general-duty induction motors
can only accommodate a 10:1 turndown ratio
without overheating their winding insulation. Basic
inverter duty rated motors are generally rated for
20:1 turndown when combined with scalar (V/Hz)
VFD control methodologies. For many load types,
this turndown ratio is more than reasonable. For
example, with a fan rated for 10,000 cfm on a
design day, does it really make sense to try to
control that same fan below 500 cfm? If your load
really requires it, depending on the manufacturer,
motors rated for use with vector VFD drives can
often accommodate 1000:1 or 2000:1 turndown
ratios. If you need super-high turndown ratios with
high levels of low-speed torque, this will mean
using a VFD with vector control. The evolution of
VFD design has allowed relatively low-cost VFDs
that are capable of both scalar V/Hz and open-loop
(sensorless) vector control.

4.

Specify closed-loop vector control only if you


absolutely, positively know you need it. If you know
you need it, you probably already know everything in
this article. Closed-loop affords additional precision

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

in speed control compared to open-loop (0.01%


versus 0.1%), but requires adding a physical device
on the motor to detect rotor shaft rotation (usually an optical shaft encoder or hall effect sensor).
However, the shaft encoder can easily add $1000
or more to the cost of a motor and additional wiring.
Most common building loads will never need this
additional level of precision in control.

5.

The sweet spot for peak induction motor


efficiency is about 75% load. Efficiency gently
rolls off with progressively lower loads. However,
below about 20% load, most motors have a dramatic falloff in efficiency due to inconsistent air
gap magnetic flux. If you anticipate a significant
percentage of your operating hours below that load
level, you may want to consider designs that allow
you to spread your load among multiple smaller
motors. The basic concept is that motors can be
staged on only when needed to meet the load
requirements. This methodology is taking hold in
numerous designs, such as multiple compressor
chillers and fanwall air handlers.

6.

Not all inverter duty rated motors are


created equal. The high carrier frequency characteristic of VFDs using pulse-width modulation
(PWM) with fast switching insulated-gate bipolar

www.csemag.com

facturer-to-manufacturer comparisons are


academic without a true testing standard.
Although a VFD manufacturers quoted
efficiency can allow for a ballpark efficiency estimate of motor-VFD system,
numerous variables can impact actual
system efficiency. Examples include variables such as the carrier frequency at which
a motor is operated or the NEMA design
type of the motor being used. Ultimately,
until the appropriate standards are developed, increasing system efficiency is best
addressed by focusing on the fundamentals:

Table 2: NEMA motor design type


Pro

Con

Use

Design A

Low-slip, highefficiency; breakdown


torque at 80% to 90%
speed.

Very low starting


torque, significantly
lower than breakdown
torque. Locked rotor
current not defined by
the standard.

Inverter duty where


across-the-line start is
not needed.

Design B

Low-slip, highefficiency; similar


torque-speed
characteristics to
Design A motors.

Low starting torque.

Common generalpurpose; inverter duty


where across-the-line
start is uncommon.

Design C

High starting torque,


breakdown torque of
80% to 90%; breakdown
torque only slightly less
than starting torque.

Reduced efficiency.

Across-the-line start or
load with high initial
required torque (i.e.,
positive displacement
loads).

Design D

Very high starting


torque.

High-slip, low-efficiency.

High inertia loads


requiring very high
torque at low speed.

Design E

Very low-slip and very


high-efficiency.

Extremely low starting


torque and high locked
rotor current.

Loads with relatively


low starting torque
requirements.

 Understand the speed and torque


characteristics of the load
 Understand overall load profile/duty
cycle
 Specify right-sized equipment that
can reliably meet those project
parameters

transistor (IGBT) inverters can cause a reflected


wave phenomenon resulting in excessive voltage spikes and circulating currents in the stator windings. These will eventually break down
stator winding insulation through overheating
and destroy bearing races through electrical
discharge machining (EDM). NEMA MG 1 Part
30 provides performance standards for generalpurpose motors when used with VFDs, but that
does not mean that they are inverter duty rated.
MG 1 Part 30 limits peak voltage to 1000 V and
dV/dt rise times to 2 msec. A typical VFD using
an IBGT inverter on a 480 V distribution can easily exceed these thresholds. When inverter duty
motor is required, specify that it should meet the
MG 1 Part 31 specifications. Part 31 inverter duty
motors have an improved insulation system that
can withstand 1600 V peak voltage and a 1 msec
rise time along with improved bearing lubrication
for higher temperature operation. Optional shaft
ground rings can also help mitigate EDM bearing damage by providing a low-impedance path
between the stator and rotor.

7.

Beware of high VFD output carrier frequencies. High VFD carrier frequencies provide improved
PWM output waveform resolution/shaping, which
generally results in improved dynamic response

www.csemag.com

Table 2: High inertia loads with greater starting torque requirements generally necessitate NEMA motor designs with lower efficiency.

and low-speed torque control. However, higher


carrier frequencies also exacerbate the reflected
wave phenomenon. In one manufacturers study,
an increase in carrier frequency from 3 to 12 kHz
reduced insulation life from 100,000 to 25,000
hours. Consult with the manufacturer to determine
the minimum acceptable carrier frequency given
the control requirements.

8.

Whether you have constant torque (positive


displacement pumps/compressors) or a variable
torque load (fans, centrifugal pumps, etc.) can
dramatically affect motor selection. Variable torque
loads have a speed-torque relationship that varies with the square of the speed and are much
friendlier to motors than constant torque/positive
displacement loads. Depending on the specific
model of motor and the VFD control methodology,
the manufacturer allowed turndown ratio may be
dramatically worse with constant torque loads. It
may be a 2:1 compared to a 20:1 turndown ratio,
which can severely limit the operational speed
range for a constant torque load.

9.

VFDs can be used not only to slow down


a motor, but also to drive it beyond its rated
speed (overspeed) by increasing the VFD output
frequency above 60 Hz. Some HVAC equipment

manufacturers overspeed a motor to allow for


fan and motor combinations that really shouldnt
have been allowed in the first place. While I have
seen a letter from a motor manufacturer that
grudgingly stated that it was probably OK to a
certain extent with a particular piece of equipment, recognize that consistent overspeeding of
a motor will reduce its useful service life. As the
design engineer, you will need to evaluate the
load profile with the amount of time expected at
the high end of the speed range and determine
if there is a cost benefit that offsets the potential
reduced reliability. Also note that available motor
torque can fall off quickly beyond 60 Hz because
you cannot maintain a consistent V/Hz ratio.
This is because your drive output voltage cannot
exceed your fixed input voltage.

10.

Multiple motors may be connected to


a single VFD. However, there are some downsides. The chance for motor-drive impedance
mismatch is greater, thus increasing the chance
of the reflected wave phenomenon. All of the
motor must be the same size to maintain consistent speed control, and each motor must still be
specified with its own overload and short circuit
protection per NFPA 70: National Electrical Code
(NEC) Article 430.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

39

VFDs, motors for energy efficiency


n Control it so it performs only the
amount of work needed and no
more.
The energy savings associated with
properly addressing these load management concepts overshadow the few percentage points of efficiency that may exist
between different manufacturers VFDs.
However, its inevitable that VFD standards will eventually be developed similar
to those currently in place for induction
motors.
Reinventing the wheel with
PMAC motors

While new efficiency standards have


pushed the development of ever more
efficient induction motors, there have
been diminishing returns with the release
of every new standard. While additional
efficiency improvements are still possible,
at some point it may not be economically
justifiable per the EPCA 3-year payback

criteria without some type of significant technological innovation. Induction


motors may be approaching an evolutionary dead-end in this regard. However, it
is possible that other similar technologies
could supersede induction motors, similar
to how VFDs acted as a disruptive innovation in the HVAC industry.
One of the more recent developments
in motors are permanent magnetic alternating current (PMAC) motors. PMAC
motors are also called synchronous ac or
brushless dc motors. These motors, while
not necessarily new, were not used in the
HVAC industry until very recently. PMAC
motors were traditionally used only where
precise low speed and torque control were
required, thus functionally overlapping
with the induction motors using vector
control VFDs. Their higher cost compared to a typical induction motor/VFD
combination has limited the penetration of
PMAC motors into the building systems
market. However, the functional benefits

Table 3: 1800 rpm (4-pole) TEFC motor efficiency


Motor size (hp)

Pre-EPAct

EPAct-1992

NEMA Premium (MG


1-2006)

1.0

76.7

82.5

85.5

1.5

79.1

84.0

86.5

2.0

80.8

84.0

86.5

3.0

81.4

87.5

89.5

5.0

83.3

87.5

89.5

7.5

85.5

89.5

91.7

10.0

85.7

89.5

91.7

15.0

86.6

91.0

92.4

20.0

88.5

91.0

93.0

25.0

89.3

92.4

93.6
93.6

30.0

89.6

92.4

40.0

90.2

93.0

94.1

50.0

91.3

93.0

94.5

60.0

91.8

93.6

95.0

75.0

91.7

94.1

95.4

100.0

92.3

94.5

95.4

125.0

92.2

94.5

95.4

150.0

93.0

95.0

95.8

200.0

93.5

95.0

96.2

Table 3: Based on this data from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, MotorMaster software,
and NEMA 60 Hz database (2010), other motor technologies should be entertained
or other elements of the system, such as control by VFDs, should be more greatly
emphasized.

40

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

of PMAC motors have led at least one


cooling tower manufacturer to use them
for large-diameter, draw-through cooling
tower fans in its premium cooling tower
model. The manufacturer exploited the
low-speed performance characteristics of
PMAC motors and eliminated problematic fan belt drive/reduction gearboxes
typical in such designs. This not only simplifies the mechanical design of the tower,
the elimination of the mechanical speed
reduction mechanism also dramatically
improves the overall efficiency of the
design. This type of application, where the
operational speed of the load is dramatically less than the standard base speed of
an induction motor (1800 rpm, 3600 rpm,
etc.) and belt drives or mechanical gearboxes end up being required, exemplifies
where this type of motor shines.
In smaller sizes (10 hp and smaller),
the efficiency improvements inherent in
the PMAC design offset its increased cost
compared to induction motors. The overall
efficiency improvement can be 2% higher
than a NEMA Premium induction motor.
However, PMAC motor efficiency really
shines at slower speeds where the difference in overall efficiency can be greater
than 20%. In combination with the 1000:1
or 2000:1 speed turndown ratios typical
for PMAC motors used in vector control
methodologies, it makes them an excellent
choice for applications where regular lowspeed operation is unavoidable.
The basic operational concepts are the
same for induction motors and PMAC
motors. A rotating magnetic field in the
stator interacts with the rotor, and the
speed of the rotor is dictated by the quantity of poles and frequency of the electrical
source applied to the stator. In fact, the stator for a PMAC motor is virtually identical to that for an induction motor. The key
difference lies in the rotor. Instead of the
squirrel cage and the stacked steel laminations in an ac induction motors rotor, the
PMAC rotor substitutes strong rare-earth
magnets affixed to the steel laminations.
This substitution creates a permanent
magnetic field of consistent strength in
the rotor instead of the induced magnetic field characteristic of an induction
www.csemag.com

Navien innovation.
Now available in a boiler.
Introducing the Navien
NHB condensing boilers
As the leader in condensing technology, Navien has
already reinvented the water heating industry with the
award-winning NPE tankless water heaters and the
NCB combi-boilers. The new NHB boiler series is the
next in line of innovations from Navien. All NHB boilers
have Naviens advanced burner system, an AFUE of
95% and turn down ratios up to 15:1. Now available in
four sizes: NHB-55, NHB-80, NHB-110 and NHB-150.
Reinvent your thinking about boilers at
BoilersMadeSmart.com or Navien.com.
input #15 at www.csemag.com/information

T H E

L E A D E R

I N

C O N D E N S I N G

T E C H N O L O G Y

VFDs, motors for energy efficiency

Figure 3: Harmonic current mitigation is typically accomplished with line reactors


or 12-pulse rectifiers. This is the internal view of a 12-pulse rectifier with the 30-deg
phase shift transformer typical of this type of design clearly visible in the lower lefthand corner. Note the cooling fans in the side of the enclosure with generous room to
allow for proper heat dissipation.

motor. This is a doubled-edge sword in


that the strength of the rotors magnetic
field remains constant regardless of the
speed of the motor. Going back to the earlier discussion of the types of losses in an
induction motor, I2R losses are the greatest. While there are still I2R losses associated with the stator windings for a PMAC
motor, the stators rotating magnetic field
interacts directly with magnets in the rotor
so there are negligible I2R (heat) losses
associated with the induced current in the
rotor. More or less eliminating the I 2R
rotor losses by use of permanent magnets
dramatically reduces the overall losses.
However, magnets can also make it very
hard to start the motor and, once moving,
act as a generator that causes back electromotive force (EMF), which we will
discuss later.
Controlling a PMAC motor can be
tricky. The magnets in the rotor will readily align in one position and resist it in others. So while the rotor is creating torque
aligning with a particular stator winding,
the other windings will not contribute the
42

same magnitude of useful torque. In fact,


depending on the location of the rotor rotation angle in relationship to a particular
winding, the torque contributed by that
winding can become negative and fight the
forward rotation of the motor. The solution
is to momentarily turn off that winding
when the relative rotor position will create negative torque. Also, when the motor
is started, as the rotating electromagnetic
field in the stator builds, it may be insufficient to overcome the permanent magnets
attraction to the stators steel structure
without jerking. As such, a PMAC motor
requires a VFD to control the input current
to the motor stator windings. By extension, this means that a PMAC motor is
not self-staringit is impossible to start
it with a standard across-the-line starter.
One important consideration with PMAC
motors is that because of the presence of the
permanent magnets in the rotor, the motor
will act as an electrical generator. As the
rotor turns faster, the voltage generated will
increase and oppose the external voltage
being applied to the stator. This concept is

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

Figure 4: This photo shows a fanwall


air handler with 6 hp totally enclosed, air
over (TEAO) fan motors in a 6x12 array
rated for 50,000 cfm. In this particular
application, each fan was provided with
a dedicated VFD. However, in this type
of application it is common for multiple
small fan motors to be connected to a
single VFD.

known as back EMF, and it can be both a


blessing and a curse. Because the back EMF
is proportional to speed, if you can somehow measure it, it can give you an indication of rotor speed without the need for a
shaft encoder. If you know rotor speed, you
should be able to precisely govern motor
speed and torque (i.e., sensorless vector
control). However, with faster speeds, the
voltage that is generated will continue to
increase and limit the maximum theoretical speed of the motor. Another caution is
that as a motor spins down without input
power, the voltage generated will energize
the motor terminal and potentially cause a
shock hazard.
John Yoon is the senior staff electrical
engineer for McGuire Engineers. He has
20 years of experience in the design of
electrical distribution systems. His project experience covers a broad spectrum,
including high-rise building infrastructure renewal programs, tenant build-outs,
mission critical data centers, GMP laboratories, and industrial facilities.
www.csemag.com

input #16 at www.csemag.com/information

Seismic design

of fire suppression piping systems


Fire protection engineers should use the guidance of NFPA 13 when
designing fire suppression piping in nonresidential buildings.
BY JOSEPH H. TALBERT, PE, ARM, Aon Fire Protection Engineering, Lincolnshire, Ill.

Learning
objectives
 Learn about NFPA 13 and
other relevant codes, which
discuss seismic design of fire
suppression systems.
 Understand the combination of flexibility and rigidity
to protect the fire suppression
piping.
 Learn about the calculation
procedure using the zone
of influence concept to
determine the location and
strength of lateral, longitudinal, and four-way sway
braces for fire suppression
system piping.

44

he subject of seismic design


of fire suppression systems
has been incorporated in
NFPA Standard 13: Standard
for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems since 1947. The design
guidance contained in NFPA 13 for seismic bracing of sprinkler piping has also
been adopted by NFPA 14: Standard for
the Installation of Standpipe and Hose;
NFPA 15: Standard for the Installation
of Water Spray Fixed Fire Protection
Systems; NFPA 20: Standard for the
Installation of Stationary Pumps for Fire
Protection; and NFPA 2001: Standard
for the Installation of Clean Agent Fire
Suppression Systems.
The design guidance has evolved since
the earlier versions of the standard. The
most notable updates were made based
on lessons learned in the San Fernando,
Calif., earthquake in 1971; the Loma
Prieta, Calif., earthquake in 1989, and the
Northridge, Calif., earthquake in 1994. A
study performed by the Pacific Fire Rating Bureau (PFRB) of 973 sprinklered
buildings involved in the San Fernando
earthquake led the PFRB to conclude that
if a sprinklered building fared well, so
did the sprinkler system.
The knowledge gained from previous seismic events has led to continuous modifications to the NFPA 13 design
guidance for sprinkler systems. These
modifications have been aimed at avoiding significant damage to sprinkler systems and permitting sprinkler systems

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

to remain functional following an earthquake. The seismic design provisions


contained in the 2010 edition of NFPA
13 have been coordinated with the provisions of the National Earthquake Hazard
Reduction Program (NEHRP) and SEI/
ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads for
Buildings and Other Structures.
NFPA 13 Chapter 9.3, Protection of
Piping Against Damage Where Subject
to Earthquakes, sets out the requirements
for seismic bracing and restraints of
sprinkler systems. It is important to note
that although this chapter gives guidance
for how a system should be designed, it
does not specify the geographic locations
where seismic design must be incorporated into a sprinkler system design. This is
done by other documents, typically local
building codes.
In the past, only sprinkler systems
located in areas that were perceived to be
subject to high frequencies of damaging
earthquakes (typically in California) were
designed to resist damage due to seismic
events. However, the International Building Code (IBC) has now published maps
that give guidance regarding the maximum
predicted peak ground acceleration due to
earthquakes. In addition, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) publishes maps of the
United States that show the areas with a
2% probability of exceedance of the peak
ground acceleration in a 50-year period
(see Figure 1). Such a map indicates that
there are areas in the central and eastern
United States in which the peak ground
www.csemag.com

Figure 1: The map shows the


2% probability that the peak
ground acceleration predicted
to occur due to earthquakes
in the area shown will exceed
the peak ground acceleration
indicated during a 50-year
period. Note that the area in
the vicinity of southeastern
Missouri and western Tennessee and an area in South
Carolina have predicted peak
ground accelerations of 0.8
g, which are similar to that
predicted in the vicinity of
San Francisco. Courtesy: U.S.
Geological Survey

acceleration expected is similar to areas


in California, which are considered to be
high earthquake hazard areas.
Design guidance

NFPA 13-2013 edition sets forth


design guidance. Section 9.3.1.2 allows
the use of alternative methods of providing earthquake protection of sprinkler
systems based on a seismic analysis certified by a registered professional engineer such that system performance will
be at least equal to that of the building
structure under expected seismic forces.

To provide the necessary combination


of flexibility and rigidity to protect the
piping, NFPA 13 stipulates the following
design guidance:

 Install seismic separation assemblies


where the sprinkler system crosses
building seismic separation joints at
ground level and above.

 Provide clearance where needed.

 Install sway braces designed with


sufficient strength to withstand the
anticipated forces caused by the
horizontal movement.

 Install longitudinal and lateral


sway bracing at prescribed intervals on the piping system to provide support against horizontal
movement caused by ground
movement.

To provide the necessary combination of flexibility


and rigidity to protect the piping, NFPA 13
stipulates design a variety of guidance.
Appendix A Section A.9.3.1 states the
goal of the design guidance in NFPA 13:
Sprinkler systems are protected against
earthquake damage by means of the following: (1) Stresses that would develop in the
piping due to differential building movement
are minimized through the use of flexible
joints or clearances. (2) Bracing is used to
keep the piping fairly rigid when supported
from a building component expected to
move as a unit, such as a ceiling.
www.csemag.com

 Install flexible couplings at certain


locations to allow for movement
where it is expected to occur.
 Install four-way (combined longitudinal
and lateral) bracing at the top of risers
serving sprinkler systems. This requirement does not apply to riser nipples,
which supply branch lines or sprigs up
from branch lines to serve individual
sprinklers at a higher elevation.

 Restrain branch lines against vertical movement. It should be noted


that restraint is considered to be
required to resist a lesser degree of
loads than bracing. Restraint of
branch lines against vertical movement is a relatively recent addition
to the standard, and was added after
the performance of sprinkler systems
in the Loma Prieta and Northridge,
Calif., earthquakes was evaluated.
 Install restraints on C-type clamps so
that they will not slip off a building
structural member due to horizontal
movement.
Clearance

Where passing through platforms,


foundations, walls, or floors, sprinkler
pipe from 1- to 3.5-in. in diameter is
required to have clearances provided by

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

45

Fire suppression piping design


holes that are 2 in. greater in diameter
than the pipes. Where passing through
platforms, foundations, walls, or floors,
sprinkler pipe from 4 in. and larger in
diameter is required to have clearances
provided by holes that are 4 in. greater
in diameter than the pipes.
This minimum clearance will also be
required where pipe sleeves are used
where the piping passes through these
structures.
Clearance is not required for piping
passing through frangible construction
such as gypsum board walls or ceilings if those walls or ceilings are not
required to have a fire resistance rating.
The rationale for the lack of clearance in
this case is that the frangible construction does not have sufficient strength to
interfere with the movement of the pipe,
and although the frangible construction
will be damaged, the piping will not. If
the frangible construction is part of a fire
resistant barrier, then the damage to the
fire barrier cannot be accepted because
it would compromise the fire protection
scheme for the building and clearance
must be provided. This is a common
issue where sprinklers from a piping

system above a ceiling penetrate a gypsum board ceiling to provide sprinkler


coverage below the ceiling.
Longitudinal and lateral sway bracing

The purpose of longitudinal sway


bracing is to counteract forces that are
parallel to the direction of piping; lateral sway bracing counteracts forces that
are perpendicular to the direction of the
piping. The sway bracing is intended to
prevent excessive movement of the system piping.
With some exceptions, bracing is
required at:
 The top of the system riser
 System feed mains and cross mains,
regardless of size
 On branch lines 2.5 in. in diameter
and larger (lateral bracing only).
Per NFPA 13, longitudinal sway braces
are required to be located on feed mains
and cross mains, spaced at a maximum
of 80 ft on center. They may be required
to be spaced closer together depending
on the sway bracing calculations.
Per NFPA 13, the

Figure 2: The graphic shows a simplified automatic sprinkler


system piping system for illustration purposes. Courtesy: Aon
Fire Protection Engineering

46

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

distance between the last brace and the


end of the pipe is not allowed to exceed
40 ft.
Per NFPA 13, lateral sway braces are
required to be located on feed mains,
cross mains, and branch lines 2.5 in.
in diameter or larger, spaced at a maximum of 40 ft on center. The last lateral
brace is required to be within 6 ft of the
end of the pipe.
Zone of influence load calculation

The design of sway bracing is typically performed using a technique


referred to as the zone of influence. This is the portion of the system that the brace is intended to protect against movement. This zone
of influence is the piping served by
the brace to the point at which the
next brace will take over resistance
to movement. In practice, the zone of
influence of each of the two braces
will generally extend to the midpoint
between the braces.
Figure 2 shows a simplified sprinkler
system piping configuration. Figure 3
shows a typical location of lateral, longitudinal, and four-way braces that meet
the requirements of NFPA 13. Figure 4
shows a simplified example of the zone
of influence concept.

Figure 3: This shows possible locations of lateral, longitudinal, and four-way braces. Courtesy: Aon Fire Protection
Engineering

www.csemag.com

The load that sway bracing must counteract in a braces zone of influence is
the total weight of pipe in the zone filled
with water multiplied by 1.15 to account
for valves and fittings on the pipe multiplied by the seismic coefficient.
The load that must be counteracted
by the brace is calculated by adding the
weight of all piping filled with water,
which may be taken from tables such as
Table A.9.3.5.9 in NFPA 13 (2013 edition). The total weight of all segments
of pipe filled with water added together
and multiplied by 1.15 is the load in the
zone of influence.
The horizontal force (Fpw) acting on
the brace is calculated by multiplying the seismic coefficient (C p) by the
weight (W p) calculated following the
equation below.
Fpw = CpWp
The coefficient of acceleration (Cp)
used in the calculation procedure is
assumed to be C p = 0.5 unless specified to be a lower value by the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) or a lower
or higher value is derived from the
ground motion parameter (SS) at the
site. This ground motion parameter has
been developed by the USGS based on
research of previous earthquake events
and modeling techniques. The values of
SS are available on the USGS website.
This website offers a tool that enables
the user to select a site on an interactive

Figure 4: The figure shows the zone of influence to be considered in the design
of the lateral, longitudinal, and four-way braces. Courtesy: Aon Fire Protection
Engineering

map and the tool will indicate the SS


factor that is applicable to that site. For
example, Aon Fire Protection Engineerings office has an SS factor of 0.125 g.
Based on Table 9.3.5.9.3 in NFPA 13, a
ground motion parameter value of 0.33
or less has a Cp coefficient of 0.35.
Using the example in Figure 4, the
horizontal load that is required to be
counteracted by lateral brace 2 would
be calculated as shown in Table 1.
Based on this example, the bracing
assembly is required to counteract a
horizontal load of 1,032 lbs.

Based on Table 9.3.5.5.2(a) from NFPA


13, the maximum load (Fpw), which is
allowed in the zone of influence for a 6-in.
schedule 10 steel pipe with lateral bracing
spaced 40 ft on center, is 1,900 lbs. The
sprinkler system load calculated above is
within this limit; therefore, the design of
the brace meets this requirement. If the
maximum load exceeded the limit, additional braces would be required to reduce
the zone of influence to a smaller size.
Each brace is sized by using a similar
calculation procedure to verify that it is
properly sized.

Table 1: Sample sprinkler system load calculation


Sprinkler system load calculation [Fpw = CpWp (Cp is 0.35 per NFPA 13, Table 9.3.5.9.3)]
Diameter (in.)

Type

Length (ft)

Total (ft)

Weight per ft

Cp

Total weight (lbs)

Schedule 40

40+40+40+40+
40+40+40+40

320

5.13

0.35

575

Schedule 10

5+10+10+10+5

40

23.03

0.35

322.5

Subtotal

897.5

Multiply by 1.15 to reflect fittings and valves

1,032

Total

1,032

Table 1: This sample sprinkler system load calculation has been developed by Aon Fire Protection Engineering to demonstrate
the zone of influence concept for determining the force required to be resisted by the lateral brace 2 in Figure 4. Courtesy: Aon
Fire Protection Engineering

www.csemag.com

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

47

Fire suppression piping design


Design of the brace assembly

The brace assembly consists of the


sway brace, the brace fittings (which
attach the brace to the pipe and to the
structural member), and the fastener.
The entire assembly must be designed
to resist the load anticipated, and the
strength of the assembly is no greater
than the strength of the weakest portion of the assembly. For example, if the
brace can resist a maximum load of 900
lbs, the brace attachments can resist a
maximum load of 1,000 lbs, and the fastener can resist a maximum load of 800
lbs, the assembly can resist a maximum
load of only 800 lbs. In addition, the ability of the brace to resist horizontal load

is dependent on the angle at which the


brace is installed, because the assembly
is resisting the horizontal load.
Tables 9.3.5.11.8(a), (b) and (c) contained in NFPA 13 give values for the
loads that braces can withstand based
upon their type, their size, their length
to radius of gyration (l/r) ratio, and the
brace angle. As an example, per Table
9.3.5.8.7 (b), a 1.25-in. schedule 40 pipe
up to 9 ft long installed at an angle of 30
to 44 deg from the vertical could be used
as a sway brace for a maximum horizontal load of up to 1,254 lbs.
Manufacturers of braces should
be consulted to verify that the brace
attachments have sufficient strength for

the maximum load that will be encountered.


Where sway bracing assemblies are
used, the assemblies are required to be
listed by a nationally recognized testing
laboratory for a maximum load rating.
Figure 9.3.5.12.1 in NFPA 13 lists the
maximum loads for various types of fasteners to structures. The figure indicates
that a 0.5-in. diameter unfinished steel
bolt installed perpendicular to a steel
mounting surface with the brace installed
at an angle of 30 to 44 deg from the vertical can be used for a maximum load of
1,600 lbs.
C-type clamps, including the beam
and large flange clamps, with or without

Figure 5: The shows the pipes above the fire pump at a Navy Bachelor Enlisted Quarters project in Coronado, San Diego. The project contains: 4-in. sprinkler system riser with four-way brace attached to the wall, flowmeter pipe with longitudinal and lateral braces attached to
the wall, and city bypass pipe with longitudinal and lateral braces attached to the wall. Courtesy: Aon Fire Protection Engineering

48

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

www.csemag.com

The best line of bypass/isolation switches


offers a choice in bypass operation

Most bypass switch manufacturers offer switches


with no-load-break bypass operation.
Only Russelectric, however, offers a full line
of switches in a choice of no-load-break bypass
operation (for bypass without load interruption)
or load-break bypass operation (for fast, foolproof
bypassing regardless of the condition or
position of the ATS).
Dont let a switch manufacturer make your choice
of bypass operation for you... Insist on Russelectric.
input #17 at www.csemag.com/information

Made in USA

www.russelectric.com
1-800-225-5250
An Employee-Owned Company
An Equal Oppor tunity Employer

Fire suppression piping design


restraining clamps, are not permitted to
be used to attach braces to the building
structure. Powder-driven fasteners are not
permitted to be used to attach braces to the
building structure unless they have been
specifically listed for service in resisting
lateral loads in areas subject to earthquakes.

Restraint of branch lines and hangers

Branch lines are required to be


restrained to resist vertical movement.
This can be achieved by a listed sway
brace assembly; a wrap-around U-hook;
No. 12 440-lb wire installed at least 45
deg from the vertical plane and anchored

Innovative Flow and


Energy Measurement

NEW from ONICON

System-40 BTU Measurement System


The System-40 BTU Measurement System provides highly
accurate and reliable thermal energy measurement in
heating and cooling systems.
Its compact, no-moving-parts
design and low cost make it
ideal for sub-metering heating
and cooling costs in
condominiums, retail shops
and mixed-use facilities. The System-40
also includes a BACnet MS/TP interface and

- 2 sizes
available

3 auxiliary pulse inputs that simplify network


connectivity for utility metering in the tenant space.

Features include:
No-moving-parts design, ultrasonic flow sensor
with excellent accuracy and turndown
Precision matched platinum RTDs for accurate
temperature measurement
Native BACnet MS/TP
EN1434 compliant
input #18 at www.csemag.com/information

Contact ONICON or your local representative


for more details.
www.onicon.com sales@onicon.com USA Tel +1 (727) 447-6140

on both sides of the pipe; a hanger not


less than 45 deg from vertical installed
within 6 in. of the vertical hanger
arranged for restraint against upward
movement; or other approved means.
The spacing of these restraints varies
based on the pipe size, the seismic coefficient (Cp), and the type of pipe. For the
example indicated above, based on NFPA
13 Table 9.3.6.4(a), the 2-in. steel branch
lines have a maximum spacing of 53 ft
between restraints.
According to NFPA 13 Section 9.3.6.5,
where the branch lines are supported by

Where seismic
protection is provided,
C-type clamps are
required to be equipped
with a restraining strap.
rods less than 6 in. in length from the top
of the pipe to the point of attachment to
the building structure, additional restraint
is not required for these branch lines.
Sprigs up to supply sprinklers that are
4 ft or longer are required to be restrained
against lateral movement.
Where seismic protection is provided, C-type clamps are required to be
equipped with a restraining strap or the
strap is required to be through-bolted or
secured by a self-tapping screw. This is
to ensure that the C-type clamp does not
slip off the beam due to horizontal movement of the pipe.
Future codes and requirements

In previous years, the design of fire


suppression systems to counteract seismic forces has been primarily confined to
areas that have had serious earthquakes
in the past, notably in California. However, the building codes have evolved to
recognize that there are many areas in
the United States outside of California
that may also be subject to damaging
earthquakes. Because of this evolution,
design professionals who specify fire
suppression systems in areas that have
not traditionally been considered to be

input #19 at www.csemag.com/information

GO THE DISTANCE

Piping design
subject to earthquakes may now have to be aware of the seismic
design requirements contained in NFPA 13. It is common for
specifying engineers to specify that a sprinkler system meet
the requirements of NFPA 13 and then to review the submitted
drawings. The drawings that are submitted may be required to
provide sway bracing to resist seismic loads. It may then be
the responsibility of the specifying engineer to ensure that the
submitted plans meet the requirements of NFPA 13, including
the design of sway bracing to resist seismic loads.
The design of sprinkler system piping in an area where
seismic activity is such that a local building code or the AHJ
requires that the system be designed to resist horizontal movement due to an earthquake can be achieved by following the
design guidance contained in NFPA 13. This guidance includes:
n Clearance where needed to ensure that the piping is not
damaged by building movement
n Longitudinal and lateral sway bracing at prescribed intervals on the piping system to provide support against horizontal movement

ING
TRODUC

IN

AVOID HIGH
PRESSURE.
GO WITH HIGH
PERFORMANCE.

n Flexible couplings to allow for movement where it is


expected to occur

Kidde ADS

ADS
ADVANCED DELIVERY

Clean Agent Fire Suppression


System with 3M Novec
1230 Fluid
Extra Nitrogen Gives You More Coverage with
Reduced Installation Costs. This results in the best
coverage, 426x 426 and highest nozzle
placement, 18 6.
Centrally-Located Cylinder Banks. Cylinders can be
stored more than 200 feet from the protected space.
This gives you the flexibility to protect multiple hazards
from a single cylinder bank location.
Smallest Pipe Diameter. If space is not a restriction,
placement in or near the hazard area allows the smallest
possible pipe diameter, thereby lowering your piping costs.
input #20 at www.csemag.com/information

n Four-way (combined longitudinal and lateral) bracing at


the top of risers
n Seismic separation assemblies where the sprinkler system
crosses building seismic separation joints at ground level
and above
n Sway braces designed with sufficient strength to withstand
the anticipated forces caused by horizontal movement
n Branch lines restrained against vertical movement
n Hangers designed with restraints to ensure that the hangers
do not slip off the building structural member to which
they are attached.
Design guidance is contained in NFPA 13 Chapter 9.3. The
design guidance is subject to change as improved design methods
are developed. NFPA 13 is currently in the public comment period
for revisions to the standard that will be voted upon by the association for incorporation into the 2016 edition of the standard. There
are a number of proposals currently under consideration that may
affect the design of sway bracing if they are adopted.
Joseph H. Talbert, PE, ARM, is a project manager at Aon Fire
Protection Engineering. His expertise includes fire suppression
system design, fire alarm and fire detection system design,
building and fire code consulting, and risk management.

www.kiddefiresystems.com
3M and Novec are trademarks of 3M.

52

Consulting-Specifying Engineer

NEW!

Vektor -MH
Vektor -H

High Plume

Vektor -CD

Vektor -HS
Vektor -MS

High Plume Variable Geometry Nozzle

High Plume
Dilution

Vektor -MD
with ERS Unit

growing family

Lab air exhaust systems for every application.


VEKTOR SYSTEMS
FEATURES
High-plume dispersal
AMCA certications
for Air, Sound and Air
or Induced Flow Fan
Air and Sound
Self-contained design
BENEFITS
Safety and comfort
inside and outside
the facility
Quiet operation and
energy efciency
Easy installation and
maintenance
APPLICATIONS

2014 Greenheck

High schools and


universities
Hospitals
Pharmaceutical/Biotech
Research facilities

input #21 at www.csemag.com/information

Greenheck Vektor self-enclosed, high-plume and high-plume dilution


rooftop laboratory exhaust systems remove fumes and expel them
away from roof, neighborhood and building make-up air systems.
There are Vektor systems for virtually any need small high school
labs, universities, hospitals and high-volume R&D facilities. Models
are available to handle volumes from 24,000 to 120,000 cfm, constant
volume and variable volume, or demand-based exhaust high plume
dilution, and energy recovery. The new Vektor-MS fills a costperformance niche, with variable-volume operation (up to 38,500 cfm,
8 in. wg), allowing larger building turndowns for greater energy savings
(up to 50% savings). All Vektor system components are manufactured
and tested by Greenheck, ensuring the highest quality and reliability.

Learn more from your Greenheck representative


or at greenheck.com
Fans & Ventilators | Centrifugal & Vane Axial Fans | Energy Recovery Ventilators
Packaged Ventilation Systems | Make-up Air Units | Kitchen Ventilation Systems
Dampers | Louvers | Lab Exhaust Systems | Coils

715.359.6171
greenheck.com

Vektor-H
Vektor-MS
Vektor-MH

Vektor-HS

Vektor-MD
Vektor-CD

DESIGN A THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT ACHIEVES


A PUE AS LOW AS 1.05 WITHOUT WATER OR OUTSIDE AIR

THATS THE

CRITICAL DIFFERENCE.

Liebert DSE Thermal Management system is up to


70% more efficient than alternative technologies
The Liebert DSE uses pumped refrigerant technology to minimize
mechanical cooling. As outdoor temperatures fall, the system
automatically turns off compressors, and pumps refrigerant for
highly efcient and reliable cooling. There is no need for water or
outside air and their required cost and maintenance. In addition,
self-optimizing controls, variable load matching and simple,
modular installation make the Liebert DSE one of the most efcient
and reliable thermal management systems in the world. Emerson
Network Powers Thermal Management solutions help make your
data center as dynamic as your business.

Learn more about the Liebert DSEs innovative design


in our special video at
EmersonNetworkPower.com/LiebertDSEvideo
input #22 at www.csemag.com/information

Emerson. Consider it Solved., Emerson Network Power and the Emerson Network Power logo are trademarks and service marks of Emerson Electric Co. 2015 Emerson Electric Co. All rights reserved.

Digital Edition
Exclusive Content
Visit www.csemag.com/digitaledition for exclusive content
and for technical features from past issues.
LIGHTING CONTROLS:

DE-1

Best practices begins


with a strategy
ASHRAE Standard 90.1 requires lighting professionals to
include power allowances, daylighting controls, functional
testing, and submittals in their lighting designs. This discussion includes an overview of lighting control options along
with best practices for lighting designers and electrical engineers in working with their clients.
ERIC KAMIN, PE

DE-5

Where do ideas come from?


Ask some basic questions to generate new ideas.
GRAHAM ALLAN, DSc

Go to www.csemag.com/digitaledition today

www.csemag.com

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

55

Lighting controls:

Best practices begins


with a strategy
ASHRAE Standard 90.1 requires lighting professionals to include power
allowances, daylighting controls, functional testing, and submittals in their
lighting designs. This discussion includes an overview of lighting control
options along with best practices for lighting designers and electrical engineers in working with their clients.
BY ERIC KAMIN, PE, DLR Group, Omaha, Neb.

Learning
objectives
 Learn how to create a lighting control strategy through
client inquiry.
 Identify best practices for
lighting designers to work
with clients in making smart
lighting decisions.
 Identify how human factors
impact lighting outcomes and
energy strategies.

DE-1

ighting controls, coupled with


lamp technology, have evolved
toward more automated design
and away from reliance on
human intervention with the
goal of saving energy. This automated
approach contributes to a net zero or near
net zero building design by adjusting the
artificial lighting output to ensure the
room is not overlit.
A critical part of successful energysaving lighting control design is occupant
educationmaking sure the occupants
understand how their lights are controlled
and how they can best use the designed
system. This also may include recommendations for users to schedule regular
adjustments to the light output over the life
of the lamp, allowing for less use when
new lights are more intense, and increasing light output as lamps lose intensity
toward the end of life, thus saving energy
and money.
Best lighting control practices begin
with determining a lighting control
strategy. Almost all states have adopted
an energy code, with the primary code
used being equivalent to ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 or International Energy

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

Conservation Code (IECC) 2009. Many


more states are moving toward adoption of ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2013
or IECC 2012.
Although there are specific codes and
standards, many options fit within those
guidelines. The following five questions
can assist in the decision-making process
for clients and engineers:

1. How will the facility be used? The


type of facility and how it will be used will
determine a general direction for the lighting controls. For example, a 24/7 mission
critical facility such as a hospital, correctional facility, or data center will have different functional requirements and goals
than a general office building or an educational facility. So, levels of importance
for lighting controls will vary between the
type of facility as well as the individual
spaces within each facility. For example,
a large cafeteria space requires different
controls than a corridor or classroom.
2. What are the clients energy
goals? The facility owners energy goals
and municipal code directives will mandate specific lighting control requirements
www.csemag.com

Figure 1: In public gathering areas of Alfonza W. Davis Middle School, Omaha, Neb., daylighting not only dramatically impacts the
need for lamp solutions, but also offers expansive views for student enjoyment. All graphics courtesy: DLR Group

that, in turn, will inform potential decisions


with respect to a lighting control strategy,
whether it is a new facility or an existing
facility. Such considerations may include
meeting a net zero challenge, a Watt/sq
ft requirement, facility owner standard or
preference, energy rebates requirements,
and cost of installation and maintenance.

3. What type of user will operate


the facility? The level of complexity of
a system, as well as the sophistication
level of the users, can determine if a central lighting control system is affordable
and preferred, or if individual spaces
will be controlled independent of one
another. If an end user does not have a
tech-savvy facility management team,
it might be in its best interests to keep
the system as simple as possible with
individual room controls, such as standalone occupancy sensors and manual
switches for daylight controls.
4. What are the safety and emergency requirements? Lighting controls
that consider maintaining safety during
power outages while saving energy is
www.csemag.com

Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, Lincoln, Neb.


CHALLENGE: Design of a light-filled, 110-bed,
250,000-sq-ft rehabilitation hospital, which
requires and is dependent on direct access to
natural light to nurture a healing environment.
SOLUTIONS:
 The lighting power density was 0.78 W/sq ft,
compared to the code maximum of 1.2, which
is a 35% improvement.
 The lighting controls were designed around
ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007.
 Patient rooms: Individual room controller
with combination of 0 to 10 V dimming and
switched lighting loads. Manual daylight zone
control.

Figure 2: Indirect lighting in this


space at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Neb., also
reduced glare of direct lighting,
giving the space a softer light with
heavy reliance on daylighting.

 Corridors: Bi-level switching throughout


all corridors. Lighting to 50% is always on,
although controlled by a relay if future adjustment of the control scheme is desired, with manual control of the additional 50% output
at the nurses stations.

 Rehabilitation gymnasiums: Relay control for automatic-off control of lighting after hours,
and low-voltage switches with the room broken up into multiple zones to allow for some
lights to remain off if the entire gym is not in use.
 Occupancy sensors, in a manual on and auto off configuration, were used in offices, work
rooms, storage rooms, restrooms, etc.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

DE-2

Lighting controls best practices


another consideration. In these instances,
an emergency relay device is required to
turn on controlled lighting during an outage
to comply with codes and standards. This
inherently incorporates emergency egress
lighting into the lighting control scheme.
With corridor lighting controlled by a relay
panel, low-voltage switches can be locked
out when the building is occupied, which
prevents required egress lighting from
being shut off inadvertently. If the facility
is used after-hours, the switch could function normally, allowing corridor lighting to
be manually turned on and off as needed.

5. Are safety and budget issues in


balance? Sometimes, the drive to save
energy eliminates night-lighting strategies
to illuminate the interior of buildings for
security purposes. Night-lighting is often
used to deter vandalism or breaking into
and entering a building. Occupancy sensors can aid in this aspect by turning lights
on when someone is moving through the
building, inherently incorporating nightlighting into the lighting control scheme.
Minimum controls for
ASHRAE 90.1-2010

Minimum compliant lighting controls


consist of a combination of manual, time
clock, or occupancy sensing devices:

n All interior spaces require manual


control to allow occupants the ability to
turn the lights off as conditions allow.
Most spaces also must provide stepped
control in the space to allow for multiple
lighting levels. An individual control
device can control a maximum of 2,500
sq ft, or if the space is larger than 10,000
sq ft, the area it can control increases to
10,000 sq ft.
n Most interior spaces in buildings
greater than 5000 sq ft also require a
means for turning the lights off automatically when the space is unoccupied. Automatic off controls can be accomplished in
several ways. For example, a time clock
turns lights off at the end of the normal
day. Occupancy sensors turn lights off
once the space is unoccupied, with a maximum delay of 30 minutes.
n Occupancy sensors should be used in
a manual on/automatic off configuration,
when possible, which is now an ASHRAE
Standard 90.1-2010 code minimum
requirement. The more people are used to
turning lights on with a switch, the more
likely they are to turn lights off when they
leave a room. Too often, when an occupancy sensor is used as a means to automatically turn lights on, occupants do not
consider turning lights off when they leave
the room because the occupancy sensor

will accomplish that task for them, thus


leaving the lights on in an empty room for
the time setting of the occupancy sensor.
n Either manual or automatic daylight
harvesting controls are required (according to ASHRAE 90.1-2007 and IECC
2009), depending on the size and arrangement of the individual daylighting zone
(sidelight or skylight).
n Exterior lighting controls must prevent lighting from being on during daylight hours. Exterior faade and landscape
fixtures must be shut off at a certain time
during the night, and all other non-emergency or non-security exterior lighting
must be reduced by a minimum of 30%
between midnight and 6 a.m. or outside
of business operating hours.
Best practices

Several strategies, with little additional


cost, can be explored to increase savings
over minimum compliant controls:
n Consider multi-level lighting, with
switches in strategic locations. For example, in a classroom, a single switch could
be located near the entry door, which
would turn on the lights to an acceptable
level for use during normal times and/or
when daylight contribution is prevalent.
This level could be 33% or 66% if using
a traditional design of 3-lamp troffers.

Riverside High School, Carson, Iowa


Challenge: Recoup a portion of construction cost through utility
incentive rebates. Design should accommodate the changing occupancy
loads through the day.
SolutionS:
n The lighting power density was 0.98 W/sq ft, compared to the code
maximum of 1.2, which is a 20% improvement.
n The lighting controls were designed around ASHRAE 90.1-2007.
n The building was designed with vertical windows high up in walls
of the breakout spaces, corridors, and commons areas to deliver
daylighting into the central parts of the building to minimize artificial lighting.
n Classrooms include both occupancy sensor controls and bilevel switching in all fixtures, with separate control for front of
classroom versus general classroom lighting, and a manual-on,
automatic-off lighting control scheme.

DE-3

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

n Central corridors and general occupancy rooms/areas are controlled


via a series of networked programmable relay panels in various
electrical rooms located throughout the facility. Programming
includes a programmed time off function with override to on at entry
points to the building. Daylight dimming controls with occupancy
sensor override were used for the cafeteria area, which also serves
as a commons area.
n Lighting controls in the gym, fitness, music, and other larger occupancy rooms are based on bi-level manual lighting reduction and
overall occupancy sensor override control.
n The design team worked with an outside energy consulting firm as part
of a local electrical utility incentives program to estimate the payback
based on various energy measures and incentives.
n Exterior site lighting consists of LED pole fixtures in the parking lot
with integral dual drivers capable of reducing 50% lighting output
for each fixture. Mounted fixtures are designed to turn on at dusk
and off at dawn.

www.csemag.com

Alfonza W. Davis Middle School, Omaha, Neb.


CHALLENGE: Ensure maximum natural daylighting into a threelevel, 185,000-sq-ft, grade 6-8 middle school on an extremely
sloped site.
SOLUTIONS:
 The lighting power density was 0.92 W/sq ft, compared to
the code maximum of 1.2, which is a 24% improvement.
 The lighting controls meet IECC 2009.
 Classrooms include both occupancy sensor controls and
bi-level switching in all fixtures, with separate control for
front of classroom versus general classroom lighting, and
manual-on, automatic-off lighting control scheme.
 Corridors are controlled by relays with automatic-off via
time of day.
 Occupancy sensors, in an automatic-on and automatic-off
configuration, are used in offices, work rooms, storage
rooms, restrooms, etc.
 Automatic daylight harvesting and bi-level switching controls were installed in the large cafeteria space and media
center.
 Gymnasium: Relay control for automatic-off, low-voltage
switches with the room broken up into multiple zones to
allow for some lights to remain off if the entire gym is not
in use. Bi-level switching allows for multiple uniform light
levels that can be selected according to task.

Additional switches could be placed


near the teachers desk for those times
when more artificial light is required.
The natural action for many people when
entering a space is to turn all switches
on at the bank of switches near the door,
but the additional location requires the
occupant to make a conscious decision
to increase the amount of artificial light
in the space.
 Attempt to reduce the amount of
general illumination within a space and
include task-based lighting as much as
possible. In an office environment, carefully consider the task lighting at the desk
and select fixtures that are flexible to
accommodate varying ages of occupants
with differing lighting needs.
When appropriate, these strategies can
provide additional savings:
 Consider automatically dimmed fixtures for daylight zones and areas beyond
(load shedding). These could be addressed
individually or in groups. Either way,
when lighting output is reduced automatically by properly commissioned lighting controls, maximum savings can be
achieved because human intervention is
not required.
www.csemag.com

Figure 3: The variety of lighting and daylighting options at Alfonza


W. Davis Middle School, Omaha, Neb., work together to create the
most cost-effective use of lights for a high-performance outcome.

 For spaces with audio-video systems, which could be as simple as a single projector and screen all the way to a
sophisticated boardroom, use motorized
shades as necessary to darken the room
when the projector is used and to raise
the shades when not in use. Occupants
tend to avoid manually raising and lowering the shades, and instead leave them
down, thus limiting the effectiveness of
daylight contribution to the non-audiovideo lighting control schemes.
The human factor

Since the widespread adoption of ever


more stringent energy codes, as well as
movement toward meeting the Architecture 2030 challenge of net zero or near
net zero buildings, the ultimate goal is to
minimize artificial lighting and human
intervention of controls. However, recognizing there will be instances where
both artificial lighting and human intervention are needed, the intent should be
automation and task-based intervention
when appropriate.
Providing owner training on what
control schemes were provided, how
occupants can adjust the lighting lev-

els in their space, and how to maximize


energy savings is of critical importance.
Under ideal conditions, all spaces would
contain ample natural daylight and automatic dimming controls to improve and
reduce the lighting energy use in a facility. However, not all building owners can
afford these control strategies. Additionally, educating building owners about
the payback of more efficient lighting
systems is difficult in some regions of
the country due to low electricity rates,
which greatly lengthens their return
on investment. However, an integrated
design team can design systems that
maximize energy savings by having a
coordinated effort between architectural,
mechanical, lighting, and lighting control design.
Eric Kamin is a principal leader in DLR
Groups electrical engineering practice.
He is skilled in developing specifications
for primary and secondary power distribution, standby power systems, voice and
data cabling systems, security systems,
interior and exterior lighting design, and
sports lighting design.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

DE-4

2 More Minutes

Where do ideas come from?


Ask some basic questions to generate new ideas.

ll consulting and specifying


stands for Who What Why Where
engineers know that the soluWhen and How and is a very powertion to every problem starts
ful tool. By posing and answering these
with an idea. So how can these great
questions, the cereal box will become
starting ideas be generated? Obvia totally new and different entity. Who
ously, some process must manufacture
named the cereal in the box? What
them in the mind. But from what? For
else could be on the box? Why is the
each person the brain is a storehouse
shape of the cereal so often flakes?
of lifetime experiences, both good and
Where is the cereal going marketwise?
bad. By drawing upon and rearrangWhen will the design be changed? How
ing such, new concepts emerge. This
can the box, or the cereal within, be
is why it is impossible to find a totally
improved?
noncreative person; each mind is
Asking these six questions means
already packed with previous observathat the box is now being looked at
tions that can be used.
from six different viewpoints. When
GRAHAM ALLAN, DSC
However, not all of these stored
each perspective is considered sepaUNIVERSITY OF
items are readily accessible. Clearly,
rately, a host of new ideas will emerge
WASHINGTON,
some engineers are able to retrieve
from interaction with the collection of
SEATTLE
new combinations more fluently than
past personal experiences stored in the
others and are therefore regarded as
mind. For example, could the box be
being more creative. Nonetheless, even those engineers
used as an educational tool? For kids or adults? For lanroutinely viewed as being less creative must have a
guages, music, science, or mathematics?
large storage of bits and pieces of stuff accumulated
It is not practical to spend the whole day analyzing the
over the years.
creativity locked up in every object encountered. But it
By recognizing this, all of us can become more creis vital to realize that by simple routine observations,
ative by making an effort to enhance our access to the
creativity and idea production are being practiced. It is
treasure trove already within our minds. This is surprislike learning the piano. It takes daily practice to enhance
ingly easy to accomplish by the mental effort of imagfluency. The appreciation of the accomplishments of othining that you are a fish swimming in a sea of creativers is also helpful.
ity, all the time. As you swim along, you continuously
Every engineer is aware of the use of a key to start a
encounter items that can trigger your creativity.
vehicle. Most also have experienced the occasional irriOf course, there may be nothing apparently new in
tating situation where that key has somehow been missuch encounters, but now you will no longer ignore
laid. Currently, General Motors is involved with a series
them. For example, at the breakfast table, you normally
of fatal automobile accidents caused by the interaction
do not exhibit overt creativity. There may be a box of
of keys and defective ignition switches. GM might well
cereal on the table, which you probably ignore. Nonethe- have used the W5H approach in looking at ignition keys.
less, the existence of the box is the physical manifestaWhy have ignition keys? Who likes them? After all,
tion of many previous acts of creativity. By recognizing
ignition keys were invented more than half a century
this fact, some of the mental connections in the brain
ago and must have been misplaced millions of times.
will be reinforced and expanded.
What could replace them? Nowadays, with the advent
Using the mnemonic W5H for questions will help actiof wireless technology, some new cars can be started
with a push-button activated by a transmitting device
vate this process in the creative part of the mind. W5H

DE-5

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

www.csemag.com

in the drivers pocket. No key


It only takes a minute or so in Washington, D.C., or even
involved. When and Where did
a good joke you heard. Every
each night to write a note on engineering meeting or presenthat idea originate? Notwithstanding the obsolescence of
tation needs a good laugh.
the creativity you observed
the classic low-cost key, the
When youve recorded creexpensive transmitter can still
ativity
notes for a year, youll
during the day.
be mislaid. How could a smarthave at least 300 entries in
phone perform the wireless
the diary. If only 1% have any
function so that a transmitter key is no longer required?
potential long-range value, there will be two or three
Unfortunately, ideas can vanish as fast as they come.
ideas to merit serious professional attention in the folTo avoid this very real problem, the employment of a
lowing year.
creativity diary is strongly recommended. It can be an
old-fashioned paper notebook or a modern electronic
file. But it must be updated every day. It only takes a
Graham Allan is a professor in the chemical engineering
minute or so each night to write a note on the creativdepartment and in the college of the environment of the
ity you observed during the day. This is a wonderfully
University of Washington in Seattle. He has written more
effective way to stimulate your own creativity. The
than 300 technical articles and book chapters, has been
creative ideas noted can be about anything: an idea for
awarded about 70 patents, and consults for both industry
a new TV series, a new name for the NFL team located
and federal authorities.

Supporting Engineers In-Person, Offering


High-Value Content In-Print and Online
Webcasts: Need some continuing education? Look no further than
www.csemag.com/webcast. Topics covering every verticalcritical power,
lighting, fire and life safety, HVAC, codes and standards, data centers
give engineers a great opportunity to learn about the latest industry
practice while getting FREE CEU credits.
eNewsletters: The wide array of eNewsletters gives engineers

a way to stay on top of the latest news in a convenient and easy-to-read


electronic format. Sign up for Fire & Life Safety; Electrical Solutions;
HVAC; Pure Power; Product and Media Showcase; Codes & Standards;
Newswatch: Hospitals; and Newswatch: Data Centers.

www.csemag.com: CSEmag.com is a highly rated industry website with industry news updated
throughout the day, a top-notch search engine that segments results by category, and thousands of
archived articles.
Subscribe today at

www.csemag.com/subscribe

Intelligent lighting control


and energy performance
By designing intelligent lighting systems, lighting designers and engineers
can achieve energy performance in a variety of building types.
BY ROBERT J. GARRA JR., PE, CDT, CannonDesign, Grand Island, N.Y.

Learning
objectives
 Understand the codes and
standards that dictate lighting
design.
 Learn the steps to design
and implement a smart lighting system.
 Realize the importance
of control system commissioning.

56

ighting is typically one of the


largest energy loads in any
building, and historically it
has been the hardest to control.
People turn lights on and forget to turn them off. But technology has
become more effective at combating this
human weakness.
The first revision of the simple on-off
switch on the wall was the replacement
of the switch with a dial or slider incandescent dimming switch, which saved
electricity by allowing the user to select
intermediate levels of illumination. Then,
in the thick of the energy crisis of the late
1970s, the first occupancy sensors hit the
market. No longer were humans the sole
determinant of whether the lights were
on or offnow the machines also had a
say. Stand-alone occupancy sensors and
timer switches were connected to lighting fixtures, acting as a big brother
and turning the lights off if no occupancy
was sensed for a certain length of time,
or when the time on the timer switch ran
out. This innovation represented a tremendous improvement over the manual
switch, bringing massive reductions in
lighting loads.
Next came network-based lighting controls, which controlled lighting zones by
layering a time schedule over stand-alone
controls and manual switches, turning off
all the lights in the building at a certain
time, overriding the switches and the
stand-alone controls.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

The latest iteration, the advanced lighting


control system, leverages the power of digitization and granularity. When properly implemented, these systems are user-friendly and
easy to maintain, they provide the ability to
effectively manage all of a buildings lighting from a single centralized location, and
they streamline physical maintenance and
operation. Software-based lighting control
also allows sharing of data not only between
components of the lighting control system,
but also with mechanical, fire safety, and
security systems. This integration of smart
systems enables effective management of all
the buildings energy consumers to realize
energy reduction and cost savings.
Despite the benefits, many engineers
dont really understand advanced lighting control systems. This may be because
the comprehensive nature of the system
can seem complex and overwhelming,
and engineers often just havent taken the
time to learn about it. The term advanced
lighting control system may sound complicated, but what it really means is that
you are merely layering communication
interfaces over common hardware that
engineers have traditionally used and
are already quite familiar withballasts,
lamps, occupancy sensors, and other control devicesor you are using a special
type of this equipment. Often designers
dont realize that familiarizing themselves
with advanced lighting control systems
can save them time and energy in the
long run. The hardware is pretty much
www.csemag.com

Six strategies give university a lighting edge

he energy performance of Baltimore-based Coppin State Universitys Science and Technology Center, which is pending U.S. Green
Building Council LEED Gold certification, is 20% below the baseline for
an equivalent code-compliant lab building. One major factor in achieving
this superior performance is the buildings highly sophisticated lighting
control system, using both time scheduling and occupancy control, plus
four additional strategies: daylight harvesting, task tuning, personal
control, and load shedding. Combined, these six strategies significantly
reduce the buildings electricity consumption and maximize efficiency.
In most spaces, occupancy sensors signal the central lighting control
system to switch lights off 30 minutes after a space is vacated. Unlike
a typical occupancy sensor scheme, the system does not turn lights
ononly off. Occupants manually activate lighting in each lighting zone

via a low-voltage switch. In the lab spaces, control is granulated to each


lab module with adjustable light levels based on task or occupancy. This
option allows faculty and students the most ideal light level for tasks
without impacting others sharing the same area. To maximize daylight
harvesting, the system automatically dims lighting when daylight is
available, disallowing user override. To prevent overlighting, the system
sets maximum lighting levels for particular tasks and uses in specific
rooms. In individual workspaces, users are able to tailor lighting to
their personal preferences, even in open offices. The system also helps
modulate building-wide electrical loads by reducing light levels in certain
areas at times of peak demand.
This project was designed to exceed the energy code requirements of
ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007.

Figure 1: The energy performance


of Coppin State Universitys Science and Technology Center is 20%
below the baseline for an equivalent
code-compliant lab building. One
major factor in achieving this superior performance is the buildings
highly sophisticated lighting control
system, using both time scheduling
and occupancy control, plus four
additional strategies: daylight harvesting, task tuning, personal control, and load shedding. Combined,
these six strategies significantly reduce the buildings electricity consumption and maximize efficiency. This project was
designed to exceed the energy code requirements of ASRHRAE Standard 90.1-2007. All graphics courtesy: CannonDesign
Figure 2: To maximize daylight harvesting at Coppin State Universitys
Science and Technology Center, the system automatically dims lighting
when daylight is available, disallowing user override. To prevent overlighting, the system sets maximum lighting levels for particular tasks
and uses in specific rooms. In individual workspaces, users are able to
tailor lighting to their personal preferences, even in open offices. The
system also helps modulate building-wide electrical loads by turning
off lights in certain areas at times of peak demand.

the same as it has been; the real change


and advancement is the software systems.
Updates to codes and standards

Energy codes such as ASHRAE Standard


90.1, International Energy Conservation
Code (IECC), and California Title 24 are
becoming more stringent, and advanced
lighting controls simply make it much
easier to comply. With each new version,
energy codes are trending toward the ultimate goal of net-zero energy consumption.
Each of the codes is updated every 3 years,
and the biggest changes are that the thresholds for triggering compliance are revised
to encompass more projects.
www.csemag.com

As an example, lets look at


ASHRAE 90.1-2007 versus
2010 for some highlights:
 Threshold for compliance
- 2007: Any new or retrofit projects
encompassing 50% or greater alteration of the connected lighting load
- 2010: Any new or retrofit projects
encompassing 10% or greater alteration of the connected lighting load
 Automatic shutoff of lighting
- 2007: Required in buildings greater
than 5,000 sq ft
- 2010: Required in all spaces

 Light level reduction


- 2007: Not a requirement
- 2010: Lighting must be wired to
allow for a power reduction of 30%
to 70%, in addition to turning off
the lighting by either dimming or
switching
 Daylight zones
- 2007: Not a requirement
- 2010: Daylighting control must be

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

57

Lighting controls
automatic based on natural light
contribution, and must be installed
in spaces with windows and skylights

mentation methods. The first is the use


of digital addressable lighting interface (DALI) equipment. The address
required for the system programming
control is embedded in the ballast and
control devices. The second is the use of
addressable input/output modules that are
layered over standard ballast and control devices. DALI-based systems seem
to be proprietary in nature becauseyou
are restricted to specific equipment.
Some DALI-based system manufacturers require their devices be implemented

Advantages of advanced lighting


control systems

Advanced lighting control systems offer


significant cost savings over conventional
lighting controls. They provide additional
n Exterior lighting
granularity of control to ensure that all
- 2007: Lighting must be off during
spaces, and even all luminaires, can be
the day
optimized around energy savings and visu- 2010: Lighting must be off during
al performance. The control, and the finely
the day, and lighting must be off or
detailed control and optimized energy savat a reduced level at night
ings, can be achieved by implementing six
basic lighting control strategies:
n Plug load control
1. Time/astronomical scheduling:
- 2007: Not a requirement
Lighting in a defined area turns on
- 2010: 50% of receptacles
or
off, or dims, based on a predeAdvanced lighting control
termined, customizable schedule.
in private offices, open
systems allow you to employ
2. Occupancy/vacancy conoffices, and computer classtrol: Lighting is turned on or off
rooms must be automatiall six of these strategies
based on detected occupancy.
cally shut off.
With vacancy control, users must
simultaneously. Without an
manually turn lights on, but lights
Instead of looking at lightadvanced lighting control system, are automatically turned off when
ing control from a building level,
is vacant.
many engineers still try to address
you are limited to the use of time a space
3. Daylight harvesting: Eleceach energy code requirement inditric light levels are automatividually, installing multiple types of
scheduling, occupancy/vacancy
cally adjusted to account for the
systems (e.g., relay control, archicontrol, and daylight harvesting.
amount of natural sunlight in a
tectural dimming systems, wall box
space. Appropriate light levels are
dimming) in a single building without any central control. While this approach for proper operation. On the other hand, maintained for functional purposes, and
may satisfy the projects basic functional and layered systems allow any device com- total illumination is evenly maintained
throughout the space.
energy code requirements, trying to fit a set bination.
4. Task tuning: Maximum light levels
of piecemeal systems together is really the
But what really sets these systems
harder way to go about things.
apart is the software interface. Sev- are set for a particular use or task in a speEnergy code requirements, rising ener- eral manufacturers now use a graph- cific room to prevent overlighting.
gy costs, the importance of historical and ical user interface (GUI) that allows
5. Personal control: Individuals can
up-to-the-minute building data collection the user to point and click to make tailor the lighting in their workspace to
and analysis, research on the effective- programming changes to the sys- their personal preferences, via a GUI on
ness of controls, emerging technologies tem. Software also provides unprec- their computer.
like easy-to-control LEDs, and demand for edented energy management power,
6. Load shedding (or demand
green buildings have driven manufac- by enabling centralized management response): Lighting control can contribturers to develop systems that engineers (with remote access); easy integra- ute to a building-wide effort to reduce
can implement to meet these requirements. ti o n a n d d at a s h ar in g w i t h o t h er demand. Lighting is turned off or dimmed
The thinking now is to make lighting con- building systems such as building in predetermined areas at times of peak
trols as seamless as HVAC controlpro- automation systems (BAS), secu- demand.
vide the user comfort, but only use what rity systems, or fire alarm systems;
you absolutely need. With the addition of and automatically generated mainAdvanced lighting control systems
the plug load control requirement, lighting tenance alerts, device and system allow you to employ all six of these stratecontrol systems are quickly moving into commissioning reports, and device gies simultaneously. Without an advanced
the realm of energy management.
usage reports. Armed with all of this lighting control system, you are limited
data and computing power, building to the use of time scheduling, occupancy/
operators are empowered as never vacancy control, and daylight harvesting.
System implementation
There are essentially two types of before to optimize energy consump- It is also important to note that you cant
harness the full potential of daylight haradvanced lighting control system imple- tion in their facilities.
58

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

www.csemag.com

Flexibility. Now in
a smaller package.

The SIMPLEX 4007ES from Tyco SimplexGrinnell combines big panel


features with a small panel footprint perfect for small- to mid-sized
buildings. Seamless integration with TrueAlert ES addressable notification
appliances, a flexible wiring infrastructure and compatibility with legacy
conventional deviceseven ones from other brandsgives you much
more design freedom. Your clients will enjoy remote diagnostics, ample
secure data storage to make compliance reports a snap, and easier
maintenance. One look at the SIMPLEX 4007ES and youll understand
why, when it comes to fire and life safety, smaller can be better.

Find out more about the SIMPLEX 4007ES.


Visit us at www.TycoSimplexGrinnell.com.
input #23 at www.csemag.com/information

Lighting controls
vesting with conventional controls. Conventional controls require one daylight
sensor to control a group of lights, typically on one circuit or switch leg, which
means that large groups of luminaires are
controlled in the same manner. Centralized
software control is required to implement
task tuning, personal control, and load
shedding (demand response).
In addition to maximizing lighting efficiency, these systems increase occupant
satisfaction and possibly even productivity. When occupants have control over
their space, they tend to be happier and
more productive. Easy-to-use control system software helps make required adjustments to keep up with dynamic changes.
Best practices for design
implementation

Energy codes (ASHRAE 90.1, IECC,


Title 24) basically define guidelines of
best practices for the design implementation of an advanced lighting control system
within the requirements. For example, for
automatic daylighting control, ASHRAE
90.1 states that electric lighting shall be
reduced with at least one control step that
is between 50% and 70% of design lighting power and another control step that
is no greater than 35% of power design.
The following examples spell out best
practices for implementing current energy
code requirements.

General requirements:
n Start with a simple user-triggered
lighting strategy. In each area of the
building, occupants turn lights on via
a low-voltage switch, and off by the
same low-voltage switch. Electricity
savings are maximized if users turn the
lights on manually when they enter and
remember to turn them off when they
exit. If the user forgets to turn the lights
off, automatic sensor coverage picks up
the slack, signaling the central lighting
control system to switch the lighting off
in an area that is unoccupied or vacant,
per energy code requirements. Vacancy
sensors are generally considered more
efficient than, and therefore preferable
to, occupancy sensors, because they
60

only turn lighting off, not onusers


have to turn lights on manually. In a
private office with large windows letting in ample daylight, for example, the
vacancy sensor ensures that the lights
will only be turned on when occupants
truly want or need them.
n In addition to this simple lighting switching strategy, the advanced
lighting control system automatically
dims the lighting in areas that have

Energy codes basically


define guidelines of
best practices for the
design implementation
of an advanced lighting
control system within the
requirements.
adequate daylight penetration. As daylight levels change, the dimming levels
of individual luminaires are adjusted
so that the total illumination is evenly
maintained throughout the space at the
required level.
n The advanced lighting control system controls emergency egress lighting. In the past, lighting on emergency
circuits was often on 24/7 as a safety
measure, burning through the night
long after occupants of a building had
left. Advances in control devices now
allow emergency lighting circuits to be
controlled by time schedules or by automatic sensors, and by equipping these
devices with a UL 924 emergency transfer device that can override the digital
lighting control system if normal power
is lost, the system is able to turn on all
lights connected to the emergency circuit and maintain egress levels for occupant safety without wasting energy when
no one is around.
n The advanced lighting control system is digitally connected to the BAS
to use the detection signal of occupancy
sensors at all hours to adjust mechanical setpoints. If multiple lighting control
zones are provided in a single mechani-

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

cal system zone, the lighting control


system can accumulate the occupancy
zones within the mechanical zone to
help refine the efficiency of the HVAC
system.
Specific space requirements:
n Interior private offices or rooms:
Occupants turn lights on and off by
pressing a low-voltage wall switch. A
ceiling-mounted occupancy sensor operating in vacancy mode turns the room
lighting off if occupants forget to turn
it off when they leave. Personal control
of these luminaires is made available on
occupants computers.
n Perimeter offices or rooms with adequate daylight: Occupants turn lights on
and off by pressing a low-voltage wall
switch. This switch turns the lights on
to a level allowed by a photosensor that
monitors the amount of daylight hitting the exterior of the window glass.
A ceiling-mounted occupancy sensor
operating in vacancy mode turns off the
room lighting if occupants forget to turn
it off when they leave. Personal control
of these luminaires is made available on
occupants computers.
n Corridors and lobby: These are the
only building areas with two modes of
operation: during business hours and
after business hours. In the corridors,
an array of occupancy sensors turn lighting on and off according to occupancy
and the current response mode, dictated by the advanced lighting control
systems time clock. Perimeter areas
are also equipped with photosensors to
adjust the amount of electric light based
on the amount of daylight in the space.
Luminaires in these areas are adjusted
to lower level output when a load shed
signal is sent.
n During business hours: Upon
detecting occupancy in a corridor, the
advanced lighting control system turns
lights on and keeps them on until the system enters after business hours mode,
after which point it only turns lights on
when the building has occupancy, preventing the corridors from lighting up
on holidays, snow days, and other lowwww.csemag.com

Advanced lighting controls on California campus

he Academic Core Buildings project at Ohlone College, Fremont, Calif.,


creates state-of-the art learning spaces and transforms the campus
environment by revitalizing the campus main street, opening scenic
views, and improving wayfinding and accessibility. An advanced lighting
control system is implemented to help the campus achieve its aggressive
energy conservation goals. The lighting control system complements the
2-MW photovoltaic (PV) array already installed on campus and the central
utility plants earth-coupled bidirectional cascade chiller system with
heat-recovery chillers to generate chilled water and heating hot water. The
earth-coupled system allows heat energy to be stored in the ground for later
use. Waste heat is used to heat a large outdoor swimming pool.

The lighting control system design implements multiple strategies for


optimized energy savings: Efficient daylight harvesting takes advantage
of the abundant natural light from the exterior faade design. Automatic
control, both vacancy and occupancy sensing, is used in most spaces.
Time-based control scheduling is found in most common spaces, with
additional setpoints to adjust the light level output when a load shed signal
is sent. Task tuning is available in all classrooms, conference rooms, and
shared spaces. Personal control is showcased in all office areas for user
control and comfort.
This project was designed to exceed the energy code requirements of
the California Title 24.
Figure 3: An advanced lighting control system is implemented at Ohlone Community College Districts Academic Core
Building to help the campus achieve its aggressive energy
conservation goals. The lighting control system complements the 2-MW photovoltaic (PV) array already installed
on campus and the central utility plants earth-coupled
bidirectional cascade chiller system with heat-recovery
chillers to generate chilled water and heating hot water. The
earth-coupled system allows heat energy to be stored in the
ground for later use. Waste heat is used to heat a large outdoor swimming pool. This project was designed to exceed
the energy code requirements of the California Title 24.

Figure 4: Ohlones lighting control system


design implements multiple strategies for
optimized energy savings: Efficient daylight
harvesting takes advantage of the abundant natural light from the exterior faade
design. Automatic control, both vacancy and
occupancy sensing, is used in most spaces.
Time-based control scheduling is found in
most common spaces, with additional setpoints to adjust the light level output when a
load shed signal is sent. Task tuning is available in all classrooms, conference rooms,
and shared spaces. Personal control is
showcased in all office areas for user control
and comfort.

occupancy days. Lighting remains on in


the corridor throughout the business day
once triggered, preventing short on-off
cycling of corridor lighting as occupants
move from space to space. At the end
of during business hours, the system
transfers to the after business hours
lighting control mode.
 After business hours: Occupancy
sensors control corridor lighting via
auto-on and auto-off functions. After 15
minutes of nondetection, lighting automatically turns off. Minimum cycling of
lighting is expected during these lowwww.csemag.com

occupancy hours. Maximum light levels


are set during this time period, as it is
anticipated that the full light level will
not be needed.
 Restrooms and stair towers: Lighting in these rooms is determined 24/7 by
occupancy sensors. After 15 minutes of
nondetection, the lighting automatically
turns off. Luminaires in these areas are
adjusted to lower level output when a
load shed signal is sent.
 Utility and storage rooms: Occupants turn lights on and off by pressing a

low-voltage switch on the wall. A 2-hour


timeout sequence starts when the switch is
activated. A blink warn occurs when five
minutes remain in the 2-hour countdown.
If the user wants to remain in the room, the
switch can be activated again, and another 2-hour timeout sequence commences.
Luminaires in these areas are adjusted to
lower level output when a load shed signal
is sent. It is worth noting that NFPA 70:
National Electrical Code (NEC) Article
100.26 (D), requires a manual switch/
override for electrical rooms.

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

61

Lighting controls
n Conference rooms: Occupants turn
the lights on and off by either pressing a
low-voltage wall switch or utilizing a preset scene dimming control station. Ceiling-mounted occupancy sensors operating in vacancy mode turn the lighting off
if occupants leave without turning off the
lights. Maximum light levels are set for
this space for certain tasks.
Commissioning lighting controls

Both ASHRAE 90.1 and IECC require


commissioning of all control hardware
and software to ensure that these elements
perform as intended. The commissioning
agent ascertains that the controls locations, adjustment, aiming, calibration, and
programming all align with construction
documents, field conditions, and manufacturer instructions.
Commissioning of advanced lighting
controls generally needs to be done outside of a spaces normal work hours. The
commissioning agent performs a number

of procedures to test automatic sensors,


photosensor and daylighting controls, time
switches, and programmable schedule
controls. Sensors are inspected to ensure
that they are correctly placed and that their
sensitivity and time-out adjustments deliver performance. Programmable schedule
controls and time switches are checked to
make sure they are set to turn the lights
off as intended. Photosensor controls
are inspected to ensure that their placement and sensitivity adjustments achieve
the desired reduction in electric lighting
based on available daylight. Commissioning of a daylight harvesting system often is
required to occur at night so the true output
of the electric system can be factored into
the photosensor programming without any
daylight contributions.
The advanced lighting control system
itself is also commissioned. The manufacturer of the system builds in testing procedures for individual components such
as onboard fixture controllers to allow

them to be checked when they are being


installed. The system also takes stock
of all components that are connected to
it, allowing the commissioning agent to
detect any unconnected or orphaned
components. The commissioning agent
also checks zoning, or the grouping of
lights, and the systems programming,
including control profiles, schedules, and
load shedding sequences.
Engineers and designers can aid the
commissioning process by requesting
the following items in the design specifications as part of the system submittal:
programming intent narrative, a detailed
bill of material, contractor checklist, and
start-up request form.
Common concerns

One concern often voiced about


advanced lighting control systems is
that they are expensive. To operate an
advanced lighting control system at the
extreme of optimization, each light fix-

NEW AP ARMAFLEX
BLACK LAPSEAL INSULATION

Fast & Easy


Wider release tab,
quick installation

Unique
Lap seal closure,
greater seam
security

NEW

New Sizes
3/8 to 6 ID
3/8 to 2 Wall

The easy-to-install,
fiber-free, closed cell
pipe insulation with
a unique lap seal
for greater seam
security and increased
protection against
condensation, mold
and energy loss.
New angled cut and low
profile lap seal deliver
a superior bond that
installs quicker than
ever before.

INSTALL IT. TRUST IT.


2015 Armacell LLC. Made in USA.

www.armacell.us | 800.866.5638 | info.us@armacell.com


input #24 at www.csemag.com/information

ture would be able to be individually


controlled, and therefore equipped with a
dimming ballast, or driver. Such a system
would indeed be very expensive.
But a few things have helped that type
of system become competitive. First, LED
technology is increasingly affordable, and it
is being used more frequently. One advantage of LED lighting is that it is inherently
dimmable: If you pair the LEDs dimmable
driver with a compatible control, additional
components are not required to tune the
light. The 20% to 30% adder for a controllable fluorescent ballast has disappeared,
opening up the possibilities of light modularity as the norm instead of a novelty.
Second, as engineers have learned how
to leverage advanced lighting controls
to manage energy usage, they have realized that significant savings in the system
first cost could be achieved by thoughtfully grouping control of light fixtures into
zoned areas, and not relying on individual
light fixture control, which is rarely really

Relays, Denite Purpose Contactors, Scroll Compressor Soft


Starts and other products for HVAC OEMs

necessary in typical building designs.


Third, most advanced control systems
use distributed low-voltage components
instead of more traditional pipe and wire
control strategies, so costs associated with
a less rigorous installation method can
often be reduced if a savvy contractor is
brought on to implement the design.
Another common concern is that
advanced lighting control systems are
difficult to manage. But this is generally
a matter of perception. When you are
dealing with a building that has more
than 1,000 light fixtures, the thought of
individually controlling each of them
can seem overwhelming. But, as noted
above, individual control isnt necessary,
and careful planning can create a system
that goes a long way to help facilities
managers truly understand more about
how their buildings really operate. Management of the entire building is done
through web-based software. Anyone
comfortable with using software on a

Robert J. Garra Jr. is vice president at


CannonDesign. An engineering leader
who understands clients and their goals,
Garra applies his project leadership and
industry knowledge across the firms market segments, while providing strategic
direction to the engineering group. He
effectively manages integrated projects
by encouraging multidisciplinary, highperformance design teams among CannonDesign, contractors, and clients. He
is a Consulting-Specifying Engineer 2013
40 Under 40 award winner.

The innovative SBWEB BACnet Controller reduces labor


and wiring costs

A wide variety of device level input and output devices for


switches, lighting, etc

For over 80 years, CARLO GAVAZZI has manufactured


and marketed high quality automation components and
systems. Gain a competitive edge by reducing your wiring and labor costs with our industry proven Dupline
2-wire bus system, which communicates directly to any
BACnet controller via our innovative SBWEB Controller.

PC will find this kind of system very


straightforward to manage properly.
Rising energy costs and more regulation
through energy codes are making energy
management a top priority for building
owners and managers. The points noted
above give designers and engineers additional tools to both meet and exceed the
expectations of current and future energy
code regulations.

CARLO GAVAZZI also offers a wide range of products


for HVAC OEMs, such as denite purpose contactors,
scroll compressor soft starts, electromechanical and solid
state relays, etc.
Please contact us today, as we look forward to hearing
about your application.

GavazziOnline.com 847.465.6100 Info@CarloGavazzi.com


input #25 at www.csemag.com/information

Designing
lab ventilation systems

Engineers should consider the codes and standards, safety, risk mitigation,
and potential energy savings when designing laboratory ventilation systems.
BY JON EISENBERG, PE, Arup, Boston; and JEFFREY HUANG, PE, LEED AP, Arup, New York City

Learning
objectives
 Know the codes and standards that dictate the design
of laboratory ventilation
systems.
 Discuss the changes in the
2015 International Mechanical Code (IMC) section on
hazardous exhaust systems
(section 510).
 Understand the potential
effects of the code changes
on energy use.

64

aboratory ventilation systems


often are designed to meet the
requirements for hazardous
exhaust systems. To find a balance between the goals of safety,
risk mitigation, and energy savings, designers can take several approaches. Here are a
few options to help engineers achieve these
goals, which may seem somewhat opposed
but can provide some overlapping opportunities for innovative design.
The overarching goal of section 510
of the 2015 International Mechanical
Code (IMC) is to provide a safe working environment, with secondary goals to
increase the durability and reliability of
the exhaust systems conveying hazardous
materials. The design mandate is to maintain the concentration of contaminants
in the exhaust airflow below 25% of its
lower flammability limit (LFL). Dilution,
the addition of noncontaminated air into
the exhaust airstream, is the main method
by which this is achieved. For chemical
production facilities, an additional layer
of protection is mandated through the
inclusion of fire protection within the
ductwork system.
A hazardous exhaust system is required
when the 25% LFL or the 1% median
lethal concentration (LC50) will be
exceeded in the absence of any mechanical intervention, commonly assumed to be
an active exhaust system. With the changing needs of research, it is cumbersome to
continuously monitor chemical quantities

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

to determine when LFL or LC50 levels


are exceeded, thus many research institutions generally provide hazardous exhaust
systems as defined in the code.
Prior to the 2015 version of the IMC,
hazardous exhaust from different control zones was required to be conveyed
separately through independent ducts.
Separate duct risers within shafts were
not permitted to share common shafts;
therefore, shaft separations through firerated construction were required for each
control zone. The 2015 IMC contains a
change to section 510.5 that permits hazardous exhaust ducts to be combined or
manifolded inside a rated shaft by exception. The result of the code change is a
savings in shaft space, a reduction in the
number of fire separations, and potential
energy savings and system redundancy.
Manifolding laboratory exhaust has
been the subject of debate for at least the
past 10 years with a long-standing precedent within NFPA 45: Standard on Fire
Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals. The main argument is the desire to
add additional laboratory exhaust air from
separate control areas to enhance the dilution effect within the exhaust ductwork.
This presumes that the other control areas
have a lower concentration of hazardous
exhaust, which is often true in a research
environment with intermittent generation
of airborne hazards.
Fewer fans also have the potential to
simplify energy recovery through system
www.csemag.com

Figure 1: The new chemistry laboratory at the Princeton (N.J.) University Frick Laboratory is designed to support twice as much
research as the facility it replaced while imposing minimal energy demands on campus systems. Conserving energy was therefore a high priority. Courtesy: Warren Jagger Photography

consolidation. Instead of a large number


of energy recovery devices in individual
control zone exhaust systems, a fewer
number of energy recovery devices can
be used.
Dampers in hazardous
exhaust ductwork

Fire and smoke dampers are prohibited


in hazardous exhaust systems to eliminate
the flow restriction when these devices
close. Both the IMC and NFPA 45 have
accepted the use of steel subduct extensions in lieu of fire dampers for duct
penetrations through fire-resistance rated
shaft enclosures, as long as there is continuous upward flow to the exhaust outlet
outside. The vertical upturn coupled with
the negative duct pressure minimizes the
migration of potential combustion products into ducts connected to the riser at
other floors. This provision also recognizes that the inclusion of such active protecwww.csemag.com

tion devices has the potential to obstruct


airflow if it malfunctions, jeopardizing
the requirement to continually exhaust
the space. The use of fire dampers also
would put those people who inspect and
maintain the system at a greater risk of
exposure to the contaminants.
The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association
(SMACNA) recommends that the subduct be no more than 25% of the riser duct
cross-sectional area as a rule of thumb.
Generally, the riser duct size should be
increased to maintain the desired vapor/
gas transport velocity in the free annular
zone between the subduct and the riser
duct to minimize deposition.
The commentary given in NFPA 45
indicates that the continuous upward flow
of exhaust under normal operating conditions is not meant to require the use of
a generator. With the use of the subduct
extension, the IMC requires continuous

airflow upward to the outside, though it


is silent on the use of a generator.
Exhaust fan performance, selection

The combination of airflows into fewer


shafts allows the connection of multiple
control areas into fewer duct risers. In
combination with variable airflow systems within the labs, using variable air
volume (VAV) fume hoods or other similar methods, a greater amount of turndown in a manifolded fan system can be
achieved compared to the single control
zone exhaust model. The minimum air
change rates of the other connected control areas still allow for a high level of
dilution to take full advantage of operational diversity and setback.
While manifolded exhaust provides
energy and space-saving benefits, the
IMC still prohibits manifolding of incompatible materials, such as perchloric acid
and unfiltered radioisotope hoods or

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

65

Lab ventilation
biological safety cabinets, or other such
situations where a mixture of exhaust airstreams will produce contaminants that
exceed the levels stipulated above. Manifolding may not be appropriate where
long horizontal distribution is required,
particularly for low rise buildings.
To manifold the ductwork, the IMC
requires that redundant fans be provided to allow full exhaust airflow should
planned or unplanned maintenance
necessitate an individual fan shutdown.
For systems connecting more than two
control areas, this allows a reduction in
the number of fans even with the redundancy requirement. By extension, there
is potentially less cost and less maintenance, and exposure to hazardous
exhaust is reduced for the inspection
and maintenance personnel.
Manifolded exhausts can also reduce
the friction loss. An 8,000 cfm duct with
a velocity of 1000 fpm generates a friction loss of 0.032 in. wc/100 ft. In comparison, a single duct with 24,000 cfm
at the same velocity generates a friction
loss of 0.016 in. wc/100 ft, half that of
the individual exhaust ducts.
A fewer number of larger fans can
increase fan efficiency and reduce
energy consumption. Consider Table 1,
which reports three backward inclined
belt-driven utility fan selections: one fan
to handle the entire manifolded exhaust
system, three fans to handle three different control areas, and three fans assuming a modest 5% increase in static pressure representing the area savings of a
common shaft compared to individual
shaft partitions. Based on these selections, there is a 13% power reduction
at full load between using a single fan

Figure 2: The Washington State University (WSU) building in Pullman, Wash.,


is a state-of-the-art research facility,
located within the Research and Education Complex. The building provides
properly equipped and environmentally
controlled, state-of-the-art biomedical research and support space for the
health science teaching and research
programs. Operationally, the building
contains highly efficient mechanical systems designed to perform almost 40%
better than similar research buildings.
Courtesy: Arup

compared to three individual fans at the


same static pressure, and 17% reduction assuming the economy of space for
a single shaft.
While the 2015 International Building
Code (IBC) requires redundant fans for
hazardous exhaust, it permits the designer the flexibility to choose whether to
run the fans in a duty-standby or leadlag condition. The fan affinity laws in
Equation 1 indicate that motor power
is proportional to the cube of flow rate,
allowing the accrual of energy saving for
fans running in parallel. The single fan
at half the flow rate is 1.9 hp (see Equation 2). To achieve the full exhaust flow,
the two fans running in parallel need 3.8
hp, 25% of the theoretical full power of
the single fan motor. While actual fan
selection and performance may erode the
savings, the energy reduction potential
is substantial.
Equation 1: Fan affinity law
Power1 / Power2 =
(Flowrate1 / Flowrate2)3
Equation 2: Example calculation
15.19 hp / Power2 =
(24,000 cfm / 12,000 cfm)3,
Power2 = 1.90 hp
Energy recovery

The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and ASHRAE Standard 90.1: Energy Standard for Buildings
Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings
generally requires energy recovery for
air handling systems delivering outside
air greater than 70% of the design airflow
rate. Exhaust air energy recovery can take
many forms, commonly:

Table 1: Sample fan selections


Airflow rate
(cfm)

Static pressure
(in. WG)

Motor
horsepower (hp)

Brake horsepower
(bhp)

Total system brake


horsepower (bhp)

One fan

24,000

20

15.19

15.19

Three fans

8,000

7.5

5.86

17.58

Three fans

8,000

3.15

7.5

6.11

18.33

Table 1: This shows three different fan selections, indicating system brake horsepower differences. Results will vary depending
on the specific system and fan selections. Courtesy: Arup

66

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

www.csemag.com

n Direct air exchange with or without


desiccants such as rotary enthalpy
wheels (up to 85% effectiveness)
n Air-to-air plate heat exchanger (up
to 65% effectiveness)
n Refrigerant heat pipe (up to 65%
effectiveness)
n Runaround loop (up to 65% effectiveness).
However, previous versions of the IMC
prohibited the use of energy recovery
for hazardous exhaust systems in section 514.2. Recognizing the potential for
energy savings due to heat recovery even
when VAV exhaust systems are employed,
the 2015 IMC includes an exception that
no longer prohibits heat recovery, provided the equipment is coil-type heat
exchanger, which provides a completely
closed loop and separation of supply and
exhaust air. The use of membrane-type
equipment such as enthalpy wheels comes
with a chance of cross-contamination into
the supply air side.
While there is a range of energy
recovery methods, the intent to require
only coil-based solutions is to minimize
contamination between the supply and
exhaust airstreams. Energy recovery
wheels have some small amount of bypass
between the airstreams. While many plate
heat exchangers have very durable construction, there is leakage that correlates
to a pressure differential imparted on the
plates between the airstreams. Like plate
heat exchangers, refrigerant heat pipes
require adjacency of the two airstreams,
limiting the configuration of the ductwork
or air handling unit. Even when installed
in an air handling unit (AHU), there is also
casing leakage between the two airstreams
given a differential pressure between the
casing wall that separates the two.
The system that offers the greatest
degree of separation between the airstreams is a runaround coil system, which
pumps a fluid between a coil in the outside and exhaust airstreams to transfer the
heat between them. When the air upstream
www.csemag.com

Figure 3: Conventional high efficiency (low-flow) hoods for teaching and autosash closing research hoods were part of an integrated design at Princeton (N.J.) University Frick
Laboratory to reduce hazardous exhaust airflow from the laboratory spaces. Exhaust air
heat recovery and turndown during unoccupied periods were two other key energy saving
features of the air management system. Courtesy: Warren Jagger Photography

of the coil can drop below freezing, glycol


must be added to the fluid, reducing the
heat transfer coefficient and increasing
viscosity and pumping energy, both of
which reduce the overall effectiveness of
heat recovery.
Controlling humidity

Control of relative humidity (RH) in


labs, while contributing to environmental stability in which research and experimentation is conducted, also leads to
increased energy consumption. Increasing
space humidity is a recognized method
of ignition control, especially in climates
such as the northeastern United States
(winter) and southern California (easterly
winds). NFPA 77: Recommended Practice
on Static Electricity suggests a controlled
RH range of 30% to 60% as a means to
limit static discharge. This is useful, for
example, in hazard control for flammable
liquid handling, which is common in labs.
Active laboratory humidification is
sometimes designed without a particular
end-user need and included building-wide
to provide flexibility in allowing humidity-sensitive research to be executed
anywhere in the building. An alternative
planning approach allows certain portions
of the building to be humidified. This can
be achieved by relegating an AHU with
humidification to a specific wing or floor
of the building. Alternatively, in-duct

humidification can target specific zones


or rooms.
A discussion with the end-users can
also help to limit the humidification setpoint. The target is often 50% RH, but
specific lab processes may allow for a
depression in the setpoint. For example,
low-sensitivity electronics work may only
require up to 30% RH to control electrostatic discharge when coupled with appropriate flooring materials and grounding
protocols. The lower the exhaust air RH,
the fewer the incidents of condensation
generation through heat recovery. Lower
space humidity also reduces the chance
for condensation generation on cold surfaces (e.g., glazing mullions in extremely
cold climates).
Humidification to produce indoor
humidity levels at 50% RH compared
to 30% RH occurs 50% more often in
New York City for 100% outside air systems. Reduction in the area and setpoint
required for humidification will decrease
the energy required to generate steam, and
reduce the infrastructure cost of steam and
steam condensate generation and distribution piping.
For extremely cold climates, condensate may be generated in the exhaust
airstream, which is especially true for
actively humidified labs. Depending on
the makeup of the exhaust, the condensate may need to be neutralized prior to

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

67

Lab ventilation
draining to the sanitary system, or otherwise captured and properly disposed. The
presence of condensate on coils, within
ductwork, or on AHU casings, coupled
with corrosive chemicals in the exhaust
airstream, can increase material deterioration, requiring more frequent maintenance

or replacement of components. Compatibility of the airstream materials with


corrosive chemicals in the airstream is an
important aspect of the design process.
Humidification poses an increase in
energy costs and maintenance, including controlled startup and shutdown at

the start and end of the humidification


season, boiler chemical maintenance,
steam trap inspections, and the potential added expense of providing reverse
osmosis water for clean steam generation. In addition to the associated piping or local generators, some of the first
costs for humidification can include the
pressure reducing valve station with all
the attendant controls and safety devices,
specially trained and qualified staff for

There is an ongoing
challenge for designers
to balance safety
and low energy for
which there are several
conditions and design
approaches to consider
in every lab project.
higher pressure steam, piping expansion,
and anchoring.
There is an ongoing challenge for
designers to balance safety and low
energy for which there are several conditions and design approaches to consider
in every laboratory project. The 2015
IMC provides new and innovative language on manifolding, fan redundancy,
and heat recovery for hazardous exhaust.
Each of these three provisions may be
used to achieve energy savings, which can
be substantial if they are implemented in
concert. Reduction or elimination of space
relative humidity requirements also will
save energy and infrastructure cost. NFPA
77 offers humidification as a method of
ignition control, which must be considered carefully to define a setpoint that
recognizes safety and energy use.
Jon Eisenberg is an associate principal in
Arups Boston office, and is an expert in
industrial and laboratory fire protection
and hazard analysis. Jeffrey Huang is an
associate in Arups New York office, and
applies the latest low-energy approaches
to the design of laboratories for both commercial and university clients.
input #26 at www.csemag.com/information

MEDIA SHOWCASE FOR ENGINEERS


Your place for new products, literature, Apps, Videos, Case Studies and White Papers.

stay

informed

MOTOR
PLUGS
QUICKLY CONNECT
& DISCONNECT POWER
OFF
Button

Stay current
with technology
and trends in
electrical, mechanical,
lighting, and
fire/life safety.

Safety Shutter
(on receptacle)

Rated up to 200A, 60hp


4 Connector + Switch in 1 device
4 Maximizes Arc Flash Protection
4 Simplifies Design & Startup

To subscribe, visit

www.csemag.com/subscribe
Input #100 at www.csemag.com/information
cse_stayInformed_6th.indd 1

meltric.com
800.433.7642
Input #101 at www.csemag.com/information

Input #102 at www.csemag.com/information

2/24/2014 10:18:04 AM

Want to receive your


Consulting-Specifying Engineer
magazine as a

u
ATEX & CSA rated

digital publication?

Update your subscription,


and get our digital edition,
on a more interactive and
user-friendly platform,
in your email in-box.

Earn continuing
education credits
by attending
our 1-hour-long
webcasts.
Register and view
today at

www.csemag.com/
webcast

Input #103 at www.csemag.com/information

Input #104 at www.csemag.com/information

cse2014_digitlEditn_6th.indd 1

www.csemag.com

Plugs & Receptacles

Meltric contact technology maximizes


durability and performance.
u
Advanced safety features protect

workers from live parts.


u
Unique configuration flexibility helps

Update now at:

www.csemag.com

Hazardous Location

cse201311_onDemWebcast_6th.indd
1
2/24/2014 11:37:44
AM

improve operational efficiency.

Ratings: 20 to 600A, up to 1000V


Specs: 1 to 37 contacts,
Metal or poly casings

800.433.7642
meltric.com
Input #105 at www.csemag.com/information

11/13/2013 2:24:10 PM
Consulting-Specifying
Consulting-Specifying
Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY
Engineer MONTH 2015

69

Product & Literature Digest

Why Should You


Filter Your Water?

Scale formation reduces the heat transfer rate and


increases the water pressure drop through the heat
exchanger and pipes. In fact, one study has shown
that .002" fouling will increase pumping needs by 20%.

The Best Engineered Water Filtering


Solution Always Costs Less
2 67 2 S . L a C i e n e g a B l v d . L o s A n g e l e s , C A 9 0 0 3 4 U S A
( 8 0 0 ) 3 3 6 - 194 2 ( 310 ) 8 3 9 - 2 8 2 8 F a x : ( 310 ) 8 3 9 - 6 87 8
w w w. t e k l e e n . c o m
info@tekleen.com

100+ Mitsubishi Electric HVAC Revit


Objects Available in Autodesk Seek
There are 100+ Mitsubishi Electric HVAC Revit objects
available in Autodesk Seek which facilitate easy
integration into your buildings. Autodesk Seek will
enable you to quickly discover, preview and download building information modeling files, models,
drawings and product specifications for your active
design sessions.
For more information, log on to seek.autodesk.com

Input #100 at www.csemag.com/information

Input #101 at www.csemag.com/information

3.5" wide x 4.5" highis personal.


Engineering

So is the way
you
Pantone
382cuse information.
CFE Media delivers a world of knowledge to you. Personally.
To do your job better
each day, you need a
trusted source of
information: CFE Media
Content For Engineers.
CFE Media is home to
three of the most trusted
names in the business:

70

provides the latest knowledge


on commercial and
institutional facility construction
and management.

delivers a wide array of


strategies and solutions to
help control system designers
create a more efficient process.

delivers plant-floor knowledge


and expertise to help
manufacturers operate smarter,
safer and more efficiently.

Visit www.csemag.com

Visit www.controleng.com

Visit www.plantengineering.com

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015


201311_cfeGeneral_hlfHZ.indd 1

www.csemag.com
1/3/2014 10:16:30 AM

Advertiser Index

1111 W. 22nd St., Suite 250, Oak Brook, IL 60523


630-571-4070 Fax 630-214-4504

PUBLICATION SERVICES
Jim Langhenry,
Co-Founder and Publisher, CFE Media
630-571-4070 x2203; JLanghenry@CFEMedia.com
Steve Rourke, Co-Founder, CFE Media
630-571-4070 x2204, SRourke@CFEMedia.com
Trudy Kelly, Executive Assistant
630-571-4070 x2205, TKelly@CFEMedia.com

Request more information about products and advertisers in this issue by using the
http://csemag.com/information link and reader service number located near each item.
If youre reading the digital edition, the link will be live. You may also check the circle
adjacent the page reference to indicate which companies you are interested in, then
FAX this back to Consulting-Specifying Engineer at 630-214-4504 for FREE information.
When you contact a company directly, please let them know you read about them in
Consulting-Specifying Engineer.
Reader
Service #

Elena Moeller-Younger, Marketing Manager


773-815-3795, EMYounger@CFEMedia.com

Company

Kristen Nimmo, Marketing Manager


630-571-4070 x2215; KNimmo@CFEMedia.com

ABB Inc............................................. 2 ......................3 ........................................................ www.abb.com/emax2 ............................

Brian Gross, Marketing Consultant


630-571-4070 x2217, BGross@CFEMedia.com
Michael Smith, Creative Director
630-779-8910, MSmith@CFEMedia.com
Paul Brouch, Director of Operations
630-571-4070 x2208, PBrouch@CFEMedia.com
Rick Ellis, Audience Management Director
303-246-1250, REllis@CFEMedia.com
Michael Rotz, Print Production Manager
717-766-0211 x4207, Fax 717-506-7238
mike.rotz@frycomm.com
Maria Bartell, List Rental Account Director
Infogroup Targeting Solutions
847-378-2275, maria.bartell@infogroup.com
Claude Marada, List Rental Manager
402-836-6274, claude.marada@infogroup.com
Letters to the Editor
Please e-mail your letters to
ARozgus@CFEMedia.com
Letters should include name, company, and address,
and may be edited for space and clarity.
Information
For a Media Kit or Editorial Calendar,
e-mail Trudy Kelly at: TKelly@CFEMedia.com.

Page

Phone #

Web site

Send Info

AQUIS .............................................. 68 ....................26 ..............888-494-1191................. www.aquissolutions.com .......................


Armacell........................................... 62 ....................24 ..............800-866-5638................. www.armacell.us.....................................
Baldor Electric Company ................ C-2...................1 ................479-646-4711................. www.baldor.com .....................................
Building Commissioning
Association ...................................... 22 ....................13 ..............877-666-2292................. www.bcxa.org .........................................
Carlo Gavazzi, Inc ........................... 63 ....................25 ..............847-465-6100................. www.GavazziOnline.com .......................
Carrier Corporation ........................ 19 ....................11 ...................................................... www.carrier.com .....................................
CleaverBrooks ................................. 27 ....................14 ..............800-250-5883................. www.cleaverbrooks.com/Dole...............
Climate Master, Inc ......................... 17 ....................9 ................800-299-9747................. www.climatemaster.com ........................
CSE 40 Under Forty......................... 8 .........................................630-571-4070................. www.csemag.com/40under40 ...............
CSE HVAC and BAS Research ........ 33 .......................................630-571-4070................. www.csemag.com/2014HVACBAS .........
EMERSON Network Power ............ 54 ....................22 ...................................................... EmersonNetworkPower.com/LiebertDSEvideo ...
EnerSys ............................................ C-4...................28 ..............610-208-1991................. www.enersys.com ...................................
ESL Power Systems......................... 18 ....................10 ..............800-922-4188................. www.eslpwr.com.....................................
Greenheck Fan Corp ....................... 53 ....................21 ..............715-359-6171................. www.greenheck.com ..............................
Hochiki America Corp..................... 51 ....................19 ..............714-522-2246................. www.hochiki.com ...................................
Johnson Controls ............................ 5 ......................4 ........................................................ www.johnsoncontrols.com/ahr .............
Kidde Fire Systems ......................... 52 ....................20 ...................................................... www.kiddefiresystems.com ...................
Mitsubishi Electric
Cooling & Heating .......................... 43 ....................16 ..............800-433-4822................. www.mitsubishipro.com ........................

REPRINTS

Navien, Inc....................................... 41 ....................15 ..............800-519-8794................. www.BoilersMadeSmart.com ................

For custom reprints or electronic usage, contact:


Nick Iademarco, Wrights Media
877-652-5295 x102, niademarco@wrightsmedia.com

Noark Electric .................................. 16 ....................8 ................626-330-7007................. www.NoarkUSA.com ..............................

PUBLICATION SALES
Midwest
Matt Waddell
MWaddell@CFEMedia.com
1111 W. 22nd St. Suite 250
312-961-6840
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Fax 630-214-4504
AL
Patrick Lynch
PLynch@CFEMedia.com
1111 W. 22nd St., Suite 250 630-571-4070 x2210
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Fax 630-214-4504
West, TX, OK
Tom Corcoran
TCorcoran@CFEMedia.com
1111 W. 22nd St., Suite 250
215-275-6420
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Fax 484-631-0598
Northeast
Richard A. Groth Jr. RGroth@CFEMedia.com
12 Pine Street
774-277-7266
Franklin, MA 02038
Fax 508-590-0432
International
Stuart Smith
SSM Global Media Ltd.

stuart.smith@ssm.co.uk
+44 208 464 5577
Fax +44 208 464 5588

Onicon Incorporated ...................... 50 ....................18 ..............727-447-6140................. www.onicon.com ....................................


Reliable Controls............................. 6, 7 ..................5 ................250-475-2036................. www.reliablecontrols.com/corporate/facility/tour.php ....
Russelectric Inc. ............................... 49 ....................17 ..............800-225-5250................. www.russelectric.com .............................
SimplexGrinnell ............................. 59 ....................23 ..............800-746-7539................. www.simplexgrinnell.com .....................
STACO ENERGY PRODUCTS CO. .... 10 ....................6 ................866-261-1191................. WWW.STACOENERGY.COM ....................
Starline ............................................ 12 ....................7 ................800-245-6378................. www.StarlinePower.com ........................
Trane ............................................... 1, 21 ................2, 12 ..........651-407-4189................. wwwTrane.com/myTest ..........................
Viega LLC ......................................... 8A-8B .................................800-976-9819................. www.viega.us ..........................................
Yaskawa America, Inc .................... C-3...................27 ..............800-927-5292................. www.yaskawa.com .................................

Need More Info? FAX this page to: 630-214-4504


or mail to Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite 250, Oak Brook, IL 60523

Name

Title

Company

Address

City

State

Phone

Fax

Zip

e-mail

Consulting-Specifying Engineer does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors
or omissions in the Advertiser contacts regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident, or any other cause whatsoever.
www.csemag.com

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

71

Future of Engineering

Connecting buildings
via the Internet of Things

he Internet of Things (IoT) is not


aspirational technology. Its here.
Its not a question of if, but of
how much and how fast. And what
it means to consulting engineers day to
day. The answer could be: A lot.
The reason is that IoT is taking by
storm many of the technologies engineers include when designing, specifying, and building projects: building and
industrial automation systems, backup
power, lighting, asset management,
and testing and measurement.
The industrial version of IoT (IIoT)
makes a good business case for consulting engineering clients. It also is good
business for engineering firms to be their
clients IIoT go-to source of expertise.
Specifying, designing, and building IIoT capabilities require skillsets
already offered by engineering firms:
deep understanding of facility spaces
and the knowledge to connect legacy
systems with new technology. That
makes IIoT a low-hanging fruit. The
opportunities to enable clients to
achieve higher efficiencies and reliability by better managing, controlling,
maintaining, diagnosing issues, and
optimizing their facilities are ripe.
The overall business case for consulting engineers lies in the compelling
insights produced when big data are analyzed quickly. Such insights empower
clients to know whats happening 24/7.
The ability to analyze, diagnose, and
act quickly, from both an operator and
a machine perspective, improves asset
management. Operational efficiency,
reliability, and predictive maintenance
all benefit. Risk drops and costs fall.
Critical power management systems are
a case in point.

72

Specifying, designing, and building IIoT


capabilities into critical
power management
systems need to accommodate such requirements as power demand,
integration, lifecycle
value, and security considerations.
Improving efficiency and reliability,
for example, can be
accomplished with
Figure 1: A critical power management system encompasses
more data points and
faster response times. a variety of power-related equipment and is separate from
other building systems. Courtesy: ASCO Power Technologies
The volume of data
generated could be
network topology protocols that elimioverwhelming, if not for cost-effective,
nate repetitive wrapping and unwraphigh-speed processing.
ping of data.
For critical systems, such as backup
Engineering considerations for IIoT
power, data is streamed in real time
clusters include compatibility across
at speeds measured in milliseconds.
a wide range of products by multiple
Its monitored, stored, and if it signals
manufacturers, robustness, network
out-of-parameter operating conditions,
protocols and standards, speed, remote
displayed graphically and perhaps
access and control, and security. The
annunciated.
key is to partner with an organization
Even with high-speed processing, the
that has accomplished much of the leggrowing volume and variety of data gathwork in developing a cohesive solution
ered for analysis would be nearly imposthat accommodates much, if not all, of
sible to effectively manage as a whole.
the devices in a cluster.
The solution is cluster management.
When presented as a business case,
For IIoT, cluster management is a
IIoT is an opportunity for consulting
group of sensing devices on related
and specifying engineers to take the lead
equipment. A prime example is the
in helping clients operate their facilicoexistence of devices for building
management systems, supervisory con- ties more efficiently over the long term,
while reducing operating costs.
trol and data acquisition, data center
infrastructure management, and critical power management systems. The
Bhavesh Patel
devices have local intelligence and
Vice president, global marketing,
compatible, two-way communication
ASCO Power Technologies,
Florham Park, N.J.
pathways, and, ideally, streamlined

Consulting-Specifying Engineer JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015

www.csemag.com

INTRODUCING THE WORLDS FIRST COMMERCIALLY-ACCEPTABLE HVAC MATRIX DRIVE

EXPECT LESS

LESS HARMONICS

LESS ENERGY DEMAND


LESS FOOTPRINT
The Worlds First Commercially-Acceptable HVAC Matrix Drive.
Yaskawa introduces the Z1000U HVAC Matrix Drive - an integrated,
low harmonic, regenerative drive designed to greatly enhance your
power quality and system efficiency.

70% less wiring than traditional harmonic reduction techniques


Reduced carbon emissions
Improved power factor
Up to 65% smaller packaged size

Dramatically reduce harmonics, energy demand and footprint


with the new Z1000U HVAC Matrix Drive.

Get personal with Yaskawa.

YA S K A W A A M E R I C A , I N C .
DRIVES & MOTION DIVISION
1 - 8 0 0 - YA S K A W A | YA S K A W A . C O M
input #27 at www.csemag.com/information

2015 Yaskawa America Inc.

For more info:


http://Ez.com/yai717

Contact our Team at


building_automation@yaskawa.com

UPS SOLUTIONS FOR A WORLD THAT NEVER SLEEPS


As the global leader in stored energy solutions, EnerSys
provides a comprehensive range of batteries for Uninterruptible
Power Supply (UPS) applications.
From flooded and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries, to Thin
Plate Pure Lead (TPPL) solutions, youll find chemistries and the
products you need to meet your unique UPS needs.
Plus, with large manufacturing plants across Asia, Europe and
North and South America, you benefit from strong global sales
and support, supply reliability and world-leading technology.

The industrys most complete


portfolio of UPS batteries.

For more information, visit www.enersys.com.


input #28 at www.csemag.com/information

2013 EnerSys. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of EnerSys and its affiliates unless otherwise noted.
Subject to revision without prior notice. E.&O.E.

Вам также может понравиться