ASHRAE Journal - October 2013 - 41

2013 ASHRAE T
TEcHnology AwARd cASE STudiES

Above Variable speed exhaust fan.
Left High Purity Standards produces chemical

spectrometric standards used by other chemistry labs around the globe to measure and
verify their chemicals.

High Purity Standards (HPS) uses chemical science
labs to produce chemical spectrometric standards.
These certified standards are used by other chemistry labs around the globe to measure and verify their
chemicals. It is a bit like manufacturing high precision scale weights that are used as standards of weight
measurement.
In addition to standards, HPS prepares custom chemical blends and difficult to prepare special mixtures.
Many lab hoods and technical machines such as spectrometers are required for this high precision business.
The company moved to a new larger 18,000 ft2 (1700
m2) building (14,180 ft2 [1300 m2] of temperature-controlled space) in April 2011. Previously, HPS was housed
in a smaller set of buildings that had minimally effective mechanical systems. These buildings totaled about
9,000 ft2 (836 m2) (approximately 8,000 ft2 [743 m2] of
temperature-controlled space).
The new building has multiple organic and inorganic
labs, a shipping department, and an administration
area. Today, the company employs more than 40 chemists, sales associates, and shipping specialists.
The basic description of the new HVAC system in the
labs is a variable volume hood exhaust system with a variable volume makeup air system. The makeup air air-handling unit has an ERV (not like the one discussed earlier)
and a chilled water cooling coil with modulating gas heat.
The exhaust and makeup air for each lab hood and each
space are controlled with venturi-style control valves.
These control valves are actuated by the sash-height
sensor at each lab hood. The entire HVAC system is controlled by a direct digital controls system. The pressure
control design consists of a balanced building with various positive and negative spaces. The labs achieve the
proper minimum turnover rates via a variable general
exhaust valve. Sash management strategies in the labs
are used to save energy and cost.

Energy Efficiency
The previous business location consisted of multiple
basic metal buildings with minimum code-required insulation. There were R-19 insulation batts on the lay-in ceiling grids (which is not allowed by code today), R-15 in the
walls, and a number of flaws in the envelope.
The mechanical systems used at the previous location
were split system heat pumps with local thermostats. All
of the lab hoods had a dedicated constant speed exhaust
fan with a switch on the hood. There was no machine for
makeup air. It was just drawn into the building through
the doors, cracks, and flaws in the envelope. As a result,
multiple stand-alone dehumidifiers had to be used in the
critical areas where high humidity would affect quality.
The new building was an existing metal building with
concrete walls. It had R-11 continuous insulation at the
roof. It was brought up to code by adding R-19 in the
attic (achieving R-30 total), and rigid insulation at the
exterior walls to provide a total of R-19. There were a
number of cracks and flaws in the envelope that were
meticulously patched and sealed. The walls between
the conditioned space and the unconditioned shipping

High Purity Standards mechanical room.
O ct O b e r 2 0 1 3

ashrae.org

ASHRAE JouRnAl

ASHRAE Journal - October 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - October 2013