Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008 - (Page 47)

Cooling people, not buildings By thinking a little differently, we can cool people more efficiently, saving both money and energy. BY JOHN SUZUKIDA, PE, president of Lanex Consulting LLC, Shoreview, Minn. ntering the manufacturing plant in Penang, Malaysia, we breathed a sigh of relief from the oppressive conditions outside to bask in the cool, dry air in the lobby. After a greeting, we walked toward a conference room for our meeting. Our host opened the door and we immediately felt the heat and humidity in the room, which was a surprise because the lobby had been so comfortable. Of immediate concern was whether the conference room was air conditioned. It was tempting to suggest that we meet in the lobby instead. That concern vanished as soon as our host turned on the lights. He also turned on the air conditioner and, much to our relief, cool air immediately began to flow. In minutes, temperature was no longer an issue and the high heat and humidity faded to a distant memory while the meeting continued and we were absorbed in our discussion. In Malaysia, the weather is fairly consistent year-round—hot and humid. Located just a few degrees north of the equator at almost the opposite side of the planet from my home in Minnesota, it takes about a day of travel to get there. Walking through the manufacturing plant in Penang was intriguing in itself considering the many cultures that made up E the workforce. But it was how the air conditioning worked that really left an impression—it must be the effect of a working lifetime in the HVAC business. The experience started opening my mind to accepting different ways to create comfort in our buildings. Having more efficient system options will be important in the face of our growing and urgent need to reduce energy use in buildings. What are we cooling? Reflecting on that experience later, and at the time, traveling outside the United States, a couple of things stood out: • People were being cooled, not necessarily the buildings • A beginning of an understanding toward why alternatives to central chilled water systems evolved outside the United States. Space savers Not sure how these systems operate? It’s like a chiller system that circulates refrigerant instead of water to ducted or non-ducted fan-coil units. The compressor and condenser are located outside the building and the evaporator and expansion valve are inside. In a majority of the systems, the heat pump mode is used because it is a natural system, moving the heat around the building where it is needed and removing it where it is not. Because refrigerant piping is used instead of ductwork or water pipes, the amount of space required to move the same amount of energy is significantly reduced, as illustrated in the diagram. Practically speaking, it requires much less space to run refrigerant pipes in comparison to water pipes or ductwork. Retrofitting air conditioning in buildings with thick walls is not practical with ductwork but is relatively easy with refrigerant pipes. Application possibilities abound. Source: McQuay International Consulting-Specifying Engineer • MARCH 2008 47

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008 Contents Viewpoint Letters News M/E Roundtable Grade A HVAC When UPS and Gensets Have Issues Ignite Opportunities To Mentor Fire Protection Engineers Cooling People, Not Buildings Codes & Standards Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertiser Index Green Space Pure Power Supplement Edison Institute Honors Recovery Efforts Canada Launches Clean Energy Software Climate Change Drives Increased Investment Critical Power for R&D Heating Calculations for Electrical Duct Bank Submetering for Energy Profiling New Products

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008

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