Engineered Systems - October 2008 - (Page 20)

CaseInPoint Pipes and performance protected at Philly condo high-rise High-rise concrete structures offer excellent thermal efﬁciency but present a number of challenges during construction, particularly with respect to moisture intrusion. Because these structures tend to be extra tight, it is important that construction crews protect any permeable materials from moisture or rain during the construction process. If, for instance, insulation gets wet and is then installed before it dries, that moisture could lead to mold problems that may go undetected for months or even years. Moisture intrusion was a concern for the owner of the 43-story Murano condominiums in center city Philadelphia. As each level of a poured concrete building was added, there were times when the building was not closed in at the top, leaving the interior exposed to rain. This situation can cause major delays in construction since workers cannot work with permeable materials under these conditions. That was part of the reason that foam glass insulation was originally speciﬁed for the Murano project. Foam glass resists moisture and is an effective insulation in terms of stopping heat gain or heat loss. However, handling the product is hazardous and requires special protective clothing, which increases overall installation costs. “Foam glass literally takes the teeth off of a handsaw. It will also wipe off your ﬁngerprints, so you can’t handle it without gloves,” said Art Sweeney, manager of Tempered Insulation. “The labor would have been astronomical, since it requires so much equipment like respirators, gloves, eye protection, and special tools.” Tempered Insulation opted to value engineer the project using AP Armaﬂex instead of the foam glass. The decision not only saved the client money, but also helped keep construction on schedule. AP Armaﬂex SS (SelfSeal) pipe insulation was used throughout the high-end condominium. This included insulation for all the domestic water piping in the walls and between the ﬂoors, which amounted to 60,000 ft of ½-in. self-adhering Armaﬂex product sold through Insulation Materials Corporation in Aston, PA. Armaﬂex was also used to insulate the heating water, chilled water, and condensate drain piping for the nearly 500 fancoil units from International Environmental Corporation installed to heat and cool the individual condos. These stacked, four-pipe fancoils are supplied with chilled water from two Trane Series R air cooled screw chillers from which are mounted on the roof and have low ambient control and dual point connections. The fancoils are supplied with hot water from multiple steam-to-water heat exchangers. Trigen, a community energy provider in Philadelpia supplies 200 lb, high-pressure steam to the building.The steam comes in from under the street and travels to multiple heat exchanger to convert steam heat into hydronic heat. A PROACTIVE APPROACH TOWARD MOLD PREVENTION Closed-cell AP Armaﬂex is not only ﬁber-free, but its smooth, nonparticulating surface is designed to be extremely easy to clean. It is also the only insulation made with Microban® antimicrobial product protection. It can be cleaned and sanitized like any hard surface material, potentially saving facilities thousands of dollars in mold remediation. Sweeney had an interest in using the AP Armaﬂex with the Microban additive since Armacell ﬁrst started incorporating it into the Armaﬂex product in 2006. Increasing concern over mold in buildInput 197 at www.esmagazine.com/instantproductinfo 20 En gi neer ed S y stem s October 2008 9/22/08 1:14:26 PM ESM10084Spirax.indd 1 http://www.spiraxsarco.com http://www.spiraxsarco.com http://www.esmagazine.com/instantproductinfo

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Engineered Systems - October 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Letters Back2Basics HVAC Challenge Case in Point Commissioning Building Automation HydroTech HVACR Designer Tips Special Insert: Engineer's Technical Library Fall 2008 Living Wild! Chilled Beams in Chicago Phoenix Convention Center: On The Rise Cold-Climate HVAC Challenges Humidification Strategies For Data Centers & Network Rooms Special Advertising Supplement: Tabb Talk Computers & Software Issues & Events Products Literature & Catalogs Glossary Classifieds Advertiser Index Tomorrow’s Environment

Engineered Systems - October 2008

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