Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008 - (Page 50)

The purpose of the visit was to demonstrate a large, applied chilled-water system to a group not familiar with such systems. It was impressive to see a huge equipment room in the subbasement with an intricate set of large pipes, many sets of large pumps, and multiple air handlers on each floor with ductwork streaming out of them to a number of VAV boxes. On the obligatory tour of the roof to see the cooling towers, we were surprised to find a multitude of small condensing units quietly tucked in and around the cooling towers and the other roof equipment. Evidently, due to additional cooling loads that were added after the building was occupied, variable refrigerant volume units had been easily retrofitted to provide cooling. It was intriguing to see central and vari- Rows of individual variable refrigerant volume air-cooled condensers are shown on typical rooftop installation. Photo: John H. Suzukida able refrigerant volume systems working in harmony on the same building. But what was most intriguing about this was the perspective of first showing the large equipment room for the chillers, BETTER BUILDING security http://www.steelconduit.org …Is Just a Click Away. Learn how steel conduit protects not just your wiring and conductors, but your electronic equipment, lighting and alarm systems. Visit us at the web address above, then click on “Benefits.” space on each floor for the air handlers, and multiple large cooling towers on the roof to people who were not familiar with those systems. Then we saw, placed around the multiple cooling towers, a number of small, very quietly running air-cooled condensing units for a variable refrigerant volume system. It was quite a contrast in systems, size, and complexity. The point? It’s not that one particular system is better than any other, but that there are definitely applications that are suited toward certain system types or combinations of types. Our responsibility is to keep an open mind for the best solutions for particular buildings and how they’re used. It’s widely known that chilled water is one answer, but rooftop, self-contained, water-source heat pumps, split systems, aircooled, water-cooled, and variable refrigerant volume systems that have been in use for more than 25 years all over the world are all good options. Properly designed, they are options that can give the owner, the building, and its occupants a comfort solution that is ideal for their application. It’s eye-opening and mind-broadening to see a multitude of applications where chilled water is mixed with variable refrigerant volume systems, or where standalone variable refrigerant volume systems are installed in buildings that looked like applications where you would find “conventional systems.” As we further address energy conservation in our buildings to respond to the rising cost of energy and reduce their environmental impact, it is comforting to know we have options, which had their origins in countries where energy has been more expensive for a longer time than the United States. Cooling people, not buildings, may be the way we choose in the future and using variable refrigerant volume systems is one way to achieve that objective. Suzukida is president of Lanex Consulting LLC, Shoreview, Minn. He is a member of CSE’s editorial advisory board. 2000 Ponce de Leon, Suite 600, Coral Gables, Florida 33134, (305) 443-1603 • www.steeltubeinstitute.org Input #228 at csemag.com/quickResponse 50 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • MARCH 2008 http://www.steelconduit.org http://www.steelconduit.org http://www.steelconduit.org http://csemag.com/quickResponse

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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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