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SEPTEMBER 2015 | www.hpac.com
Minimizing Ammonia Charge
in Industrial Refrigeration
Systems, Part 2
What Owners Need to Know
About ... Tankless Water Heaters
News & Notes:
Plumbing-Piping Cost Study
Design Solutions:
Combined Heat and Power
•Proper Procedure for a Boiler-Room Assessment•Hot-Water- and Steam-Boiler Water Treatment•EPAʼs Ozone Decision
Digital Edition Copyright Notice
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Circle 152
SEPTEMBER 2015 HPAC ENGINEERING 3
SEPTEMBER 2015 • VOL. 87, NO. 9
INSIDE HPAC ENGINEERING
FEATURES: MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRIAL
18 Minimizing Ammonia Charge in Industrial
Refrigeration Systems, Part 2 of 2 Last month, Part 1 of this article provided an overview of two new and
emerging alternatives to conventional pumped-recirculated-liquid
systems with the potential to significantly reduce ammonia- (NH3-)
refrigerant charge: advanced direct-expansion (also known as dry
expansion or DX) systems utilizing electronic expansion valves and
carbon-dioxide (CO2)/NH
3 cascade systems. This month, the article
concludes with discussion of CO2/NH
3-with-pumped-volatile-brine
systems, a line of air- and water-cooled NH3 packaged chillers and a
line of air-cooled condensing units, and a line of self-contained
refrigeration systems.
By Terry L. Chapp, PE
SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES/HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE/COMMERCIAL OFFICE BUILDINGS/
GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS
26 What Owners Need to Know About ...
Tankless Water Heaters This article discusses cost, space, and safety benefits of tankless water
heaters.
By Kunal Shah
SPECIAL SECTION:
31 Boiler Systems EngineeringBSE1 Proper Procedure for a Boiler-Room Assessment
BSE6 Hot-Water- and Steam-Boiler Water Treatment
BSE12 News & Analysis: Industrial Boiler Operators Bracing for
Ozone Decision
BSE16 Product Spotlight
News & Notes ................................ 4
Design Solutions .......................... 10
New Products .............................. 16
Classifieds .................................. 47
Ad Index ...................................... 48
Adventures of Johnny Tundra, Cold-Weather Engineer: ‘Capitol Case’On the eve of public hearings at the state capitol,
Supervisor of Facilities Maintenance and Operations Hank
Hoovestahl is facing a grilling worse than that of any witness:
If he does not get the chiller serving the meeting rooms in
the recently remodeled building running by noon the next
day, Senate Majority Leader—and armchair engineer—
Lester Heapleach vows to, shall we say, remove him from office. Luckily for Hank, he has
the backing of his pal Johnny Tundra: http://bit.ly/JT_03.
Archived Webinar: ‘Improving HVAC Energy Efficiency Through Accurate
Humidity Measurement’HPAC Engineering’s Aug. 11 webinar with Vaisala is now available for viewing on
demand. Go to http://bit.ly/Vaisala_0815.
WEB WORTHY
Adventures of Johnny Tundra, Cold-Weather Engineer: ‘Capitol Case’
WEB WORTHY
PUBLISHING OFFICES:
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512-263-7280 • Fax: [email protected]
CLASSIFIEDS/ANCILLARYDAVID G. KENNEY
216-931-9725 • Fax: [email protected]
DAVID KIESELSTEINChief Executive Officer
ISSN 1527-4055HPAC Heating/Piping/Air Conditioning Engineering is published monthly by Penton Media Inc., 9800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212-2216. Peri-odicals Postage Paid at Kansas City, MO and at addi-tional mailing offices. Canadian Post Publications Mail agreement No. 40612608. Canada return address: IMEX Global Solutions, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.
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ART ICLE REPRINTS and E -PRINTS : I nc rease exposure by including article reprints and e-prints in your next promotional project. High-quality article reprints and e-prints are available by contacting Wright’s Media at 877-652-5295, e-mail: [email protected], Website: www.wrightsmedia.com.
4 HPAC ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2015
Clifton Eugene “Gene” Hurst,
founder of Hurst Boiler &
Welding Co., died July 22 at
the age of 79.
H u r s t a n d h i s
wife, Edna, started
the business in a
shop behind their
home in Thomas-
ville, Ga., in 1967.
Three years later,
they moved the com-
pany to its present
location in Coolidge,
Ga., where it manufactures a full
line of solid-waste, wood, gas, coal,
and oil-fired steam and hot-water
boilers and related equipment in a
courageous no matter the pressures
to do otherwise.”
Fencl was a lifelong inventor who
wrote or co-wrote 17 patents related
to ultraviolet air and surface treat-
ment. He also was an enthusiastic
educator and prolific writer, author-
ing more than a hundred articles
and papers on UV-C.
He served ASHRAE throughout
his career, including 10 years as a
Distinguished Lecturer and, later,
as a voting member of Technical
Committee 2.9, Ultraviolet Air and
Surface Treatment. Also, he co-
authored the association’s 2008,
2011, 2012, and 2015 Handbook
chapters on the application of UV-C
technology in HVACR systems.
Among other contributions, he
fathered the Two-Step Design
Guide, an engineering tool for
utilizing ASHRAE Standard 62-
1989.
In 2010, Fencl was named a
Lifetime Fellow by ASHRAE, a
distinction recognizing outstanding
contributions to industry research,
education, or engineering.
FROM THE FIELD NEWS & NOTES
Forrest B. Fencl, pioneer of the
modern application of ultra-
violet germicidal irradiation
(UV-C) in HVACR equipment, died
at his home in Huntington Beach,
Calif., Aug. 1 after a battle with
cancer. He was 72 years old.
F o l l o w i n g a
distinguished 25-
year career at Farr
Co. (now the Cam-
f i l Group) , Fencl
founded two com-
panies tha t pro-
vide surface and
airborne microbial
control and organic-
materials decontamination: Steril-
Aire, which he served as president
and chief executive officer (CEO)
from 1995 to 2002, and UV Re-
sources, which he served as CEO
from 2005 to 2015.
“Forrest was a tremendous
leader, great friend, and mentor to
me and so many others,” Dan Jones,
president and co-founder of UV
Resources, said. “He was a man of
exceptional character and integrity
who would do what was right and
UV-Treatment Pioneer Dies
Fencl
Hurst Boiler Founder Dies314,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility
on 17 acres.
Forty-eight years after its found-
ing, the company, the largest
employer in the Coolidge area,
with more than 350 employees at
full production capacity, remains
in the family. Currently, it is under
the direction of the Hurst children:
Tommy, Hayward, Teri, and Jeff.
“Anyone who knew him, in what-
ever capacity, would certainly agree
he was a kind, humble, and inspiring
individual who cared deeply for his
family and the people who worked
for him,” Jeff Hurst, Hurst Boiler’s
director of marketing, said of his
father.
Hurst
USGBC Names Incoming CEO
The U.S. Green Building
Council (USGBC) recently
announced Chief Operating
Officer (COO) Mahesh
Ramanujam will move into the
role of chief executive officer
(CEO) when current CEO Rick
Fedrizzi steps down at the end of
2016.
Ramanujam joined the USGBC
in 2009 as senior vice president,
technology, before being named
COO in September 2011. In
December 2012, he took on the
additional role of president of
the Green Building Certification
Institute, now Green Business
Certification Inc.
Little Red Schoolhouse
Q3 Schedule Announced
Xylem Inc.’s Bell & Gossett
brand recently announced the
2015 third-quarter schedule of
systems-design training seminars
for engineers, wholesalers, and
contractors in the plumbing and
hydronic heating and cooling
industries held at its Little Red
Schoolhouse learning center in
Morton Grove, Ill.: Design & Ap-
plication of Water Based HVAC
Systems, Sept. 28-30; Service
& Maintenance of Water Based
HVAC Systems, Oct. 5-7; Modern
Hydronic Heating Systems-Basic,
Oct. 12-14; Modern Hydronic
Heating Systems-Advanced, Oct.
19-21; Design & Application of
Water Based HVAC Systems,
Nov. 9-11; Large Chilled Water
System Design, Nov. 16-18; and
Steam System Design & Applica-
tion, Dec. 7-9.
Seminar reservations must be
made through a Bell & Gossett
representative. For more informa-
tion, go to www.bellgossett.com/
training-education.
IN BRIEF
Continued on Page 8
Unlock the perfect combination of benefts.Trane® Sintesis™ air-cooled chillers give you choices to meet your
performance criteria, acoustic requirements and sustainability objectives.
These chillers also offer you the choice of either R-134a or R-513A,
a next-generation low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant.
Sintesis chillers are part of the Ingersoll Rand EcoWise™ portfolio
of high-effciency products that can operate on next-generation,
low-GWP refrigerants.
For more information, contact your Trane account manager or visit Trane.com/Sintesis.
© 2015 Trane
Trane is a brand of Ingersoll Rand, a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and effcient environments.
Ingersoll Rand’s family of brands includes Club Car®, Ingersoll Rand®, Thermo King® and Trane®
Scan the code or visit
Trane.com/Sintesis
to learn more.
Reliability
Part-load
effciencies
Full-load
effciency
Quiet
operation
Superior
control
Robust
design
Low
life cycle cost
Refrigerant
choicesReliability efffciencies efffciency operationn conntrol design life cycle cost chhoices
Circle 153
6 HPAC ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2015
with cable ties (except in units).
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FROM THE FIELD NEWS & NOTES
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Materials
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Cold Expansion Fittings With PEX
Reinforcing Rings for Use With
Cross-linked Polyethylene (PEX)
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Uponor Studies Pipe Material, Labor Costs
FIGURES 1 and 2. Risers for PEX units (left) and CPVC, copper, and PP-R trunk and
branch units (right).
September 2015 HPAC EnginEEring 7
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ST
OP
F
OU
LIN
G
OF
C
ON
DE
NS
ER
C
OIL
S/
CO
OL
IN
G
TO
WE
RS
&
A
IR
H
AN
DL
ER
S
Labor
Labor was calculated using the
Mechanical Contractors Association
of America (MCAA) component-
method approach. According to
MCAA: “The component method
is based on the use of labor units
that represent all activities neces-
sary for the installation of one
component (such as a 90-degree
elbow or a tee). For piping, the
unit is in man-hours per foot, and
for components such as fittings,
the unit is represented by each.
A labor unit is expressed in terms
of man-hours to install a unit of
material (such as a foot of pipe), an
individual item (such as a fitting or
valve), or perform a specific task
(such as welding a joint).”
In developing the labor units,
MCAA reviewed many aspects of
installation, including:
• Receiving.
• Unloading.
• Stockpiling.
• Distribution.
• Handling and erection.
• Fitting and joining.
• Pressure testing.
Labor costs were calculated
using a rate of $75 per hour, based
on extensive research of labor
rates across the United States.
Study Results
Material and labor costs were
determined by building section:
• Main piping, which included all
pipe and fittings 2 in. and smaller
that were part of the horizontal
cold-water distribution system on
the garage level and the hot-water
system on the third level.
• Unit piping, which included all
pipe and fittings within units after
the riser branch. Unit costs included
hot- and cold-water isolation valves.
Fixture terminations were plugged
or capped for rough-in.
• Riser piping, which included
all vertical piping and fittings. For
cold-water risers, the piping started
in the parking garage and rose
roughly 30 ft to the fourth floor. For
hot-water risers, the piping started
in the third-floor ceiling space and
was distributed 10 ft up to the fourth
floor and 10 ft down to the second
floor. Riser costs included isolation
valves at the base.
Table 1 shows estimated labor
hours for the individual building
sections.
Table 2 shows the total project
cost.
Individual-Unit Comparison
Material and labor costs were
Circle 154
FrOm tHe FIeLD NeWS & NOteS
TABLE 1. Labor hours by building section.
TABLE 2. Total project cost (U.S. dollars) by building section.
8 HPAC ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2015
FROM THE FIELD NEWS & NOTES
ual riser is shown in Table 5. Table
6 shows the total costs of piping a
riser.
This report was prepared by
Daniel Worm, plumbing-product
specialist for Uponor. Worm has
more than 14 years of plumbing-
indus t ry exper ience , w i th an
emphas i s on app l i ca t ion and
design. He is a licensed building
contractor, a certified plumbing
designer, and a member of the
American Society of Plumbing
Engineers. He holds a degree in
architectural design and drafting.
He can be reached at daniel.worm
@uponor.com.
broken down at an individual-unit
level. Figures 3 and 4 show unit pip-
ing. Table 3 shows the labor hours
required to pipe a unit. Table 4
shows the total costs of piping a unit.
Individual-Riser Comparison
The labor required for an individ-
TABLE 3. Individual-unit labor hours.
TABLE 4. Total individual-unit cost.
TABLE 5. Individual-riser labor hours.
TABLE 6. Total individual-riser cost.
FIGURES 3 and 4. Individual-unit PEX design (left) and CPVC, copper, and PP-R trunk and
branch design (right).
ASHRAE/NEMA
Proposed ASHRAE/NEMA
Standard 201P, Facility Smart
Grid Information Model, will be
open for public review until
Oct. 6, 2015.
ASHRAE/NEMA Standard 201P
defines an object-oriented
information model to enable
appliances and control systems
in homes, buildings, and
industrial facilities to manage
electrical loads and generation
sources in response to communi-
cation with a smart electrical grid
and to communicate information
about those electrical loads to
utility and other electrical-service
providers.
To read the draft standard and
to submit comments, visit
www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.
CODES & STANDARDS
Fencl also had close working rela-
tionships with The National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health
and NASA.
“Forrest consulted with NASA
scientists and engineers on the
development of the first solid-state
UV-C decontamination system to
be operated on a manned space
vehicle,” Jim Good, a senior system
engineer with aerospace and engi-
neering contractor Teledyne Brown
Engineering, said. “This system has
been operating on board the Inter-
national Space Station since June of
2014, providing significant enhance-
ments to science operations and
protecting the crew from biohaz-
ards in biological samples. His most
recent collaboration was helping
develop an earth-based system to
revolutionize microbial inactivation
in large medical and office facilities.”
Before beginning his corporate
career, Fencl served as an electron-
ics technician in the U.S. Navy.
Continued from Page 4
T H E W O R L D ’ S L A R G E S T H V A C R M A R K E T P L A C E
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Circle 155
10 HPAC EnginEEring September 2015
FrOm tHe FIeLD DeSIGN SOLUtIONS
would be right for Ronald McDon-
ald House New York.
“All applications are different,
based on energy-use trends and
the physical structures themselves,”
Cafer explained. “We took a holistic
approach; energy models were
developed based on past use and
projected costs.”
The study was funded in part by
New York State Energy Research
a n d D e v e l o p m e n t A u t h o r i t y
(NYSERDA).
After two years of research and
data collection, on-site cogeneration
equipment was determined capable
of meeting the building’s heating,
cooling, and domestic-hot-water
(DHW) needs while supplying 95
percent of its power.
“Making the changes necessary
to convert to a CHP system would
have yielded a seven- or eight-year
payback,” Cafer said. “But the char-
ity wanted to make huge strides
toward sustainability, occupant
comfort, and cost avoidance, so the
decision was made to remove nearly
all old mechanical components and
start with a clean slate. This only
pushed the retrofit’s simple payback
out three more years, which is very
impressive.”
In New York City, adoption of
CHP technology is up nearly 400
percent over the last decade. Cafer
said Hurricane Sandy in 2012 stirred
great interest in cogeneration; while
much of the grid was down, several
buildings he and Beyer worked in
continued operating as usual, cour-
tesy of well-designed CHP systems.
“Cogen has always made sense,”
Cafer said. “But with cheap natural
gas, costly power, and an overtaxed
electric grid in NYC, it makes more
sense now than ever.”
Hardware
I n t e g r a t e d H V A C
Systems and Services
installed a natural-gas-
f i red CHP uni t f rom
IntelliGen Power Systems
on the roof. The pre-
packaged unit combines
a roughly 600-hp, 12-
cylinder reciprocating
engine with a 250-kW
generator to produce
power for the building.
Heat from the engine—up
to 1.5 million Btu under full load—is
rejected into a large plate-and-frame
heat exchanger, isolating the CHP-
unit loop from the building’s various
needs for heat.
Three loads draw from the heat
exchanger: DHW production, the
building’s two-pipe fan-coil unit in
heating mode, and three new 50-
ton absorption chillers from Yazaki
Energy Systems on the 12th floor.
“Absorption chil lers are the
nearest thing to a magic box,” Cafer
said. “You put hot water in and get
chilled water out.”
The chillers’ lithium-bromide
absorption technology lends itself
well to CHP applications.
During the shoulder seasons,
the CHP unit has the potential to
produce more thermal energy than
the facility needs. In the event of
Since 1974, Ronald McDonald
Houses have been serving
families of seriously ill or
injured children receiving treatment
far from home, providing lodging,
meals, and more at little or some-
times no cost. Today, there are 322
Ronald McDonald Houses in 57
countries, the largest being Ronald
McDonald House New York.
Located on Manhattan’s
Upper East Side, the 13-story,
70,000-sq-ft brick building
provides temporary hous-
ing to as many as 84 families.
Though its living spaces are
modern, the systems serving
them dated to the facility’s
opening in 1989.
“The boiler and chillers
were past their life cycle,” Ike
Beyer, owner of Integrated
HVAC Systems and Services
Inc., said. “As a non-profit
organization, the project’s
payback and sustainability were
equally important as the initial cost.”
Beyer worked with Chris Cafer,
associate and senior mechanical
engineer for Energy Concepts En-
gineering, to design and install new
systems at Ronald McDonald House
New York. Their firms’ decades of
experience would lead to a solution
surpassing facility managers’ expec-
tations of comfort and sustainability.
At every step of the renovation,
Mel Farrell, BSEE, chief engineer
for Ronald McDonald House New
York, was intimately involved.
“If” Before “How”
In 2011, long before any plans for
a retrofit were drawn up, Energy
Concepts Engineering began a
study to determine if combined heat
and power (CHP), or cogeneration,
Ronald McDonald House in NYC Wipes Mechanical Slate Clean, Installs CHPCondensing boilers provide double redundancy
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12 HPAC EnginEEring September 2015
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Circle 157
excess heat, a dry cooler on the roof
provides heat rejection.
“Being that the absorption chillers
are now the only source of cooled
water, both the heating and cooling
elements in the building are entirely
dependent on a source of hot water,”
Beyer said. “During maintenance of
the CHP unit or in the unlikely event
of failure, we needed complete re-
dundancy in the form of condensing
boilers. This is the case with almost
every cogen application.”
A pair of Laars NeoTherm con-
densing boilers provides double
redundancy. The 1.7-MMBtu larger
boiler more than matches the output
of the CHP unit; it alone is able to
condition the building, regardless
of the season. The 1-MMBtu smaller
boiler is in place for further peace
of mind. If the CHP unit is turned
off for any reason, the boilers fire
together , each modulat ing to
roughly 50 percent to meet design
load.
“The contribution of the boilers in
this situation is critical, even more
so than in a conventional heating
application,” Don Rathe, president
of manufacturers’ representative
Rathe Associates, said. “In addition
to carrying the heating and snow-
melt loads, the cooling system would
also go down if the boilers failed to
run.”
Integrated HVAC Systems and
Services replaced the building’s
DHW equipment with two 85-gal.
instantaneous, indirect-fired water
heaters. A new building automa-
tion system simplifies the otherwise
complex systems, while a snowmelt
zone outside keeps guests safe and
eliminates costly winter sidewalk
maintenance. Lighting throughout
the structure was updated with LED
fixtures, a joint project between
Integrated HVAC Systems and
Services and Innovative Energy
Solutions Group and partial ly
funded by NYSERDA.
Work began in December 2013.
Maintaining Operation
During the renovation, Beyer
said, “Patients and families still
needed a place to stay, and the need
to maintain a clean, quiet building ...
rose above all else.”
With all rooms full, Beyer, Cafer,
and Farrell faced the monumental
task of renovating three systems
without displacing occupants from
a single room or letting comfort
levels drop. Their second greatest
challenge was working within small
mechanical spaces.
“Because the project started in
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Circle 159
heating season, we began to de-
molish the old chillers on the 12th
floor while the existing boilers in the
basement remained online,” Beyer
said. “Meanwhile, the CHP unit, new
boilers, and chillers were all rigged
to the roof at one time.”
The CHP unit and absorption
chillers were installed in time for
cooling season, at which point the
old boilers were broken down and
hauled out. The downstairs boiler
room then became a pump room,
supplying almost all circulation for
the structure. All heat exchangers
and DHW production equipment
are located there as well.
“Farrell wanted the very best
equipment money could buy ;
efficiency and dependability were
his key concern,” Cafer said. “Ike
and I had to figure out how to make
it all fit.”
Control and Comfort
Over the summer, 2,200 sq ft of
sidewalks and approach in front
of the main entrance was removed
and repoured, but not before PEX
was tied down to provide a snow-
melt solution. For this portion of the
project, Rathe Associates donated
materials, while Integrated HVAC
Systems and Services donated labor.
In the lobby, visitors can interact
with a screen showing all of the
mechanical components and how
they interact to meet the building’s
energy needs. The screen also shows
energy use and production in real
time, courtesy of a full BACnet con-
trol system from Reliable Controls.
The new controls are necessary for
the final phase of the retrofit, which
is in the planning stages and slated
to begin later this year.
“We’re looking to replace the
existing two-pipe fan coils with a
four-pipe system,” Beyer said. “It’s
more than just an energy consider-
ation; it offers precise control for
optimal comfort. The kids staying
here are going through chemo and
radiation therapy. Some might feel
hot while others are shivering. A
four-pipe system will allow us to
provide heat to one room and air
conditioning to the next.”
“Every part of this project has
come together perfectly,” Farrell
said. “... This renovation means that
for many years to come, the NYC
facility is going to continue serv-
ing families in some of their darkest
hours.”
Information and photograph courtesy
of John Vastyan, president of Common
Ground, a trade-communications firm
based in Manheim, Pa.
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Circle 160
16 HPAC ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2015
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Circle 161
18 HPAC ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2015
categorized as hybrid systems, meaning they are used
to confine NH3 charge to the machine room and use a
secondary coolant in cold rooms.
This month, the article concludes with discussion
of another hybrid system—CO2/NH
3 with pumped
volatile brine (PVB)—and two examples of packaged—
meaning they eliminate interconnecting piping and
corresponding NH3 inventory with numerous smaller,
self-contained systems—systems:
• A line of air- and water-cooled NH3 packaged
chillers and a line of air-cooled condensing units.
• A line of self-contained refrigeration systems.
Hybrid Systems (continued)
CO2/NH
3 with PVB. A CO
2/NH
3-with-PVB system has
much in common with a CO2/NH
3 cascade system. In this
system, however, there is no primary CO2 compressor. It
is possible there may be a small CO2 compressor for hot-
gas defrost, but there are other options that allow for
defrost without the addition of a compressor. To many,
this can be described as a chiller system. Most chiller
systems, however, use water or some formulation of
glycol/water, and the cooling coil is not an evaporator,
National business-development manager for Danfoss Industrial Refrigeration, Terry L. Chapp, PE, has been involved in all
aspects of HVACR, with particular emphasis on heat exchangers, valves, and controls, over the last 35 years. He is a member
of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASHRAE, the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR), and
the Refrigerating Engineers and Technicians Association. He serves on the safety committee of IIAR and the refrigeration and
engineering committee of the Global Cold Chain Alliance.
L
By TERRY L. CHAPP, PE
Danfoss Industrial Refrigeration
Baltimore, Md.
Editor’s note: This article, Part 1 (http://bit.ly/
Chapp1_0815) of which was published in the August 2015
issue of HPAC Engineering, is adapted from the white
paper “Low Ammonia Charge Refrigeration Systems for
Cold Storage,” published by the International Association
of Refrigerated Warehouses and the International
Association for Cold Storage Construction. To read and
download the full paper, go to http://bit.ly/NH3_paper.
Last month, Part 1 of this article provided an overview
of two of five new and emerging alternatives to conven-
tional pumped-recirculated-liquid (PRL) systems with
the potential to significantly reduce ammonia- (NH3-)
refrigerant charges:
• Advanced direct-expansion (also known as dry
expansion or DX) systems utilizing electronic expansion
valves, categorized as central systems, meaning they
are used to minimize or eliminate unused NH3 charge.
• Carbon-dioxide (CO2)/NH
3 cascade systems,
A review of five alternatives to conventional pumped-recirculated-liquid systems
AMMONIA CHARGE IN
Part 2 of 2
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20 HPAC EnginEEring September 2015
but, rather, just a sensible-heat exchanger. This has
an enormous impact on not only the amount of heat-
transfer fluid required to meet the cooling load, but
on pump size, pumping power, piping size, and heat-
exchanger size. Compared with a traditional chiller
system, a CO2/NH
3-with-PVB system has higher energy
efficiency and, usually, a lower installed cost. Actual data
for industrial refrigeration systems is scarce; in simi-
lar systems for commercial refrigeration, the pumping
power required to circulate CO2 as a volatile secondary
refrigerant has been found to represent about 5 percent
of the power that would be required to circulate a non-
volatile secondary refrigerant, such as water or glycol.4
CO2 systems typically operate between 83 psi and
507 psi. What that means is the piping always is under
pressure, and the ability for water or air to be drawn
into the system is virtually non-existent.
Figure 3 shows a system in which liquid CO2 is cooled
to a temperature low enough to satisfy the cooling loads
in the freezers. The liquid is cooled to the required tem-
perature in the cascade heat exchanger and then stored
in the CO2 recirculator vessel. This same refrigerant
then is used to satisfy the cooling loads of the coolers.
The key component in meeting the cooler requirements
is the pulse-width modulating valve, which is used
simply as a metering device to supply enough refriger-
ant to meet the load requirements of the coolers. The
intention is not to evaporate all of the refrigerant, but,
rather, simply to satisfy the room temperature setting.
This approach was chosen for the hypothetical
facility in this study because of the high ratio of freezer
load to cooler load. Because there is no compressor
and no suction accumulator, no effort is made to ensure
liquid is not carried out of the evaporators. The main
driver is the temperature at which coolers typically
operate. If the cooler is set at, say, 55˚F, and the evapora-
tor has been designed for a 10˚F temperature difference,
the CO2 would be operating at nearly 600 psig. While
this is not an unmanageable number, it does push some
of the equipment (especially the pump) to its limit.
The special considerations for CO2/NH
3 with PVB
are nearly the same as those for CO2/NH
3 cascade (see
Part 1), except oil is not required for the system.
For blast freezing, the temperature of the NH3 avail-
able to condense CO2 liquid as low as -50˚F needs to be
on the order of -60˚F. For all practical purposes, this
requires a two-stage refrigeration system for the NH3.
At first glance, it might appear the charge will be quite
high because of the two compressors, an intercooler
(optional), and a heat exchanger large enough to satisfy
the entire load of the cold-storage facility. Keep in mind,
however, that there is minimal piping, no evaporators
(other than the cascade heat exchanger), a condenser,
and only a modestly sized receiver.
Although it is believed actual NH3 refrigerant charge
could be as low as 2.5 lb per ton of refrigeration (TR),
there is little data to support this. For the purposes
of this article, the system’s NH3 charge will be assumed
to be the same as that of the CO2/NH
3 cascade system, or
6 lb per TR.
One of the main features of CO2 is its high heat-
transfer coefficient, which leads to smaller temperature
differences in both evaporators and cascade heat
exchangers. Additionally, pumping power requirements
are low for CO2. The result is system efficiency close to
that of a PRL system.
The use of CO2 volatile brine is not new, but has had
limited deployment in cold-storage applications. For the
purposes of this article, the CO2/NH
3-with-PVB system
will be assumed to be only slightly more energy-
intensive than the baseline system. This assumption is
based on a generalized view of the “energy consumers”
in the system and how they would be expected to
compare to an equivalently sized baseline system. The
value that will be used in this article is 2.5 KW per TR.
The installed cost of the system likely will be very close
to or slightly higher than that of a CO2/NH
3 cascade
system. The NH3 refrigeration system will be larger and
more costly, but there are no CO2 compressors, unless
hot gas is the desired route for defrost. The cascade
heat exchanger will be larger for the CO2/NH
3-with-PVB
system, but there will be no need for an oil still. With
minimizing AmmoniA ChArge in induStriAl refrigerAtion SyStemS, pArt 2 of 2
FIGURE 3. CO2/NH
3 with PVB.
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22 HPAC EnginEEring September 2015
this in mind, a conservative estimate for the cost of the
system is $7,400 per TR.
Regarding maintenance cost, because all of the NH3
is confined to the machine room, oil sumps are very
manageable, and oil draining is limited to a significantly
reduced number of vessels. Because the volatile-brine
system has no requirements for oil, there is no oil-
draining requirement.
On the additional-cost side of the equation, filter
dryers must be monitored and maintained on a routine
basis. Also, a backup condensing unit is highly recom-
mended for periods of “standstill.” This system also must
be maintained routinely to ensure it is in good working
order when and if it is needed.
The overall conclusion regarding maintenance costs
is that any increase in cost over that of a conventional
PRL system will be minimal.
Packaged Systems
Air- and water-cooled NH3 packaged chiller and air-
cooled condensing unit. A UK manufacturer offers a
line of packaged systems offering a number of basic
advantages, including:
• No need for a machine room.
• Avoidance of a large-scale vessel for holding NH3
charge.
• Minimization of distribution piping throughout a
facility.
The chiller (Figure 4) exhibits a key feature of hybrid
systems in providing refrigeration to coolers and docks
itself. The overall impact is a dramatically reduced NH3
charge, with no NH3 present in the rooms being cooled
by the chiller. The downside is a negative impact on
system efficiency as a result of the extra heat exchanger
(the chiller) and the subsequent inefficiencies of pump-
ing glycol to sensible-heat exchangers instead of true
evaporators.
The chiller-system designs do, however, incorporate
a number of features providing advantages related to
installation cost and timing. Standard features aimed at
improving energy efficiency include:
• Floating head-pressure control.
• Floating suction-pressure control.
• Variable-frequency drives for condenser fans.
• High-efficiency screw compressors.
The chiller introduces the concept of critically charged
systems, systems in which the refrigerant always is
undergoing change (expansion, compression, heat
transfer)—that is, there is no excess refrigerant
residing in the system waiting for the moment when
more refrigerant is needed in some part of the process.
While this is not a new concept for smaller residential
and commercial air-conditioning and refrigeration
systems, it represents a significant deviation from the
typical PRL industrial refrigeration system.
The chiller utilizes NH3 as the primary refrigerant in
“chilling” a secondary heat-transfer fluid for medium-
temperature rooms in a cold-storage facility. The
secondary heat-transfer fluid usually is glycol. As seen
in Figure 4, the glycol is cooled with a plate exchanger
in the package and then distributed to docks and coolers
as required. The condensers may be air-cooled or water-
cooled. The manufacturer has developed seven models
of air-cooled units capable of providing 60 to 300 tons
of refrigeration. Advanced features incorporated into
the design include variable-speed fans for air-cooled
condensers, high-effectiveness condenser coils, a fully
automatic oil return, and a fully integrated program-
mable logic controller (PLC).
The condensing unit (Figure 4) utilizes only NH3
refrigerant. As with the chiller, refrigerant charge is
minimized as a result of the packaged approach, along
with a number of advanced design features, including
high-effectiveness evaporator and condenser coils, an
ultralow-charge, low-pressure receiver, and a highly
efficient defrost methodology. The defrost methodology
is worth noting in that the system acts like a heat pump:
During defrost, the evaporators act like condensers,
giving up heat to melt ice on them, and the condenser
acts like an evaporator, revaporizing defrost conden-
sate. (PRL with hot-gas defrost acts similarly to the “heat
pump” system described here, the key difference being
minimizing AmmoniA ChArge in induStriAl refrigerAtion SyStemS, pArt 2 of 2
FIGURE 4. Air- and water-cooled NH3 packaged chiller and air-
cooled condensing unit.
September 2015 HPAC EnginEEring 23
that, in general, PRL uses an addi-
tional and separate external piping
system to effect defrost, whereas
the condensing system described
here simply reverses the flow of
refrigerant in the same pipes during
defrost.) The manufacturer believes
the net result is a defrost cycle that
is faster and more energy-efficient
than a traditional hot-gas defrost
cycle. The key component is a four-
port valve within the condensing
unit. This is the only valve required
for the reverse-cycle defrost, which
makes for a greatly simplified
system with far fewer valves than a
traditional hot-gas defrost system.
The condensing unit uses a unique
low-pressure-receiver (LPR) design
enabling all control valves to be
located within the condensing unit.
This eliminates the need for valve
stations at the evaporators, greatly
reducing the number of potential
leak paths, improves efficiency,
and simplifies maintenance. An
additional feature helping to mini-
mize charge is the low overfeed
rate of the evaporators. The com-
bination of the LPR and advanced
aluminum evaporators has led to a
highly efficient system with minimal
refrigerant charge, no pump, and
no valves or mechanical joints in
refrigerated rooms.
Five air-cooled models ranging in
capacity from 25 TR to 71 TR when
rated at -10˚F are being offered. The
manufacturer anticipates the release
of higher-capacity units and units
capable of blast freezing in the near
future.
Figure 4 shows the installation
of two condensing units in a typical
cold-storage facility. Units can be
ground-mounted or roof-mounted.
The idea behind roof mounting is
to be close to the evaporators and,
thus, reduce the amount of charge
in the piping system. Structural and
seismic factors, however, must be
considered when mounting a fairly
heavy package—weights of the
units range from just over 100 lb
per square foot to 200 lb per square
foot—on a roof.
The refrigerant charge of these
units depends on the type of con-
denser, the location of the packaged
system in relation to the evaporator,
and the size of the package in rela-
tion to the actual load requirements.
With air-cooled condensers,
energy usage typically is:
• Condensing unit: 2.5 to 2.7 KW
per TR at -10°F.
• Chiller: 1.15 to 1.25 KW per TR
for a 45°F room.
Not shown in Figure 4 is the
manufacturer’s total inline freezing
Circle 164
minimizing AmmoniA ChArge in induStriAl refrigerAtion SyStemS, pArt 2 of 2
24 HPAC EnginEEring September 2015
and chilling solution, which utilizes an evaporative,
rather than air-cooled, condenser. This package is used
for blast freezing and has been demonstrated to be
highly energy-efficient; energy usage typically is 2.7 KW
per TR for -30°F blast freezing.
In the case of packaged systems, installed cost
typically varies inversely with system size. Smaller
(under 200 TR) systems usually show an installed-
cost savings of 10 percent to 20 percent compared with
a central system (PRL). Average-size (200 to 500 TR)
systems, because of the large percentage of load going
to the blast freezers, cost about the same as a central
plant. Large (over 500 TR) systems with typical coolers
and higher-temperature freezers require a premium of
about 10 percent compared with a central system.
The design of the chiller and condensing unit is such
that most components are housed inside of a robust
package and easily accessible for maintenance. They
have a history of being relatively trouble-free. Features
include:
• Automatic oil return.
• A PLC that monitors various key parameters in
the system and issues alerts warning of developing
problems.
• Two compressors, only one of which runs at a time
under most circumstances.
• Air-cooled condensers, which eliminate the need for
water treatment.
All other maintenance listed in the manufacturer’s
operating and maintenance manual is similar to that of
a PRL system.
Self-contained refrigeration system. Six years ago, a
self-contained refrigeration system utilizing a number
of proprietary technologies related to liquid feed to
evaporators and a unique liquid-feed control algorithm
was conceived. The first test cell went into operation
in 2012; since then, a number of beta sites have been
installed. In 2013, the first complete refrigeration-
system penthouse unit went into operation in place
of a flooded NH3 system that held approximately
500 lb of NH3 charge. The penthouse unit runs with
approximately 5 lb of NH3 charge. That charge can be
increased by 40 percent as a safety factor, which brings
the total charge to still only 7 lb (approximately 0.5 lb
per ton). This represents the lowest NH3 charge of all of
the systems under review in this article.
The penthouse-style system consists of one compres-
sor, one evaporator, and one liquid-feed valve system
and control system. The system can be applied to cool-
ers, docks, freezers, and blast freezers. As with all pack-
aged systems, multiple stand-alone systems of varying
capacity and temperature requirements will be installed
in a facility, depending on the refrigeration requirements.
There are different options for condensers: air-cooled,
water-cooled, central cooling tower, and advanced air-
cooled heat exchanger. All of the numbers in this article
are reflective of water-cooled condensers with a central
cooling tower.
Figure 5 shows a “generic” system. The system
operates very much like a DX system, except instead of
superheat at the outlet of the evaporator, vapor quality
(the ratio of vapor mass flow to total mass flow) is
measured at various points in the evaporator, and liquid
feed is adjusted accordingly.
With installation typically on the roof of buildings,
structural and seismic considerations must be taken into
account. Weight loading of each unit is estimated to be
40 to 60 lb per square foot.
The estimated power consumption of the system in
Figure 5 is 2.4 KW per TR.
The installed cost of the system can vary significantly
from one region of the country to another, based on
structural requirements, labor rates, weather condi-
tions, local codes, and more. Nevertheless, the self-
contained refrigeration system takes a great deal of
guesswork out of installation costs in that the only major
on-site installation variable is the roof penetration. With
that in mind, installation costs for a generic system are
minimizing AmmoniA ChArge in induStriAl refrigerAtion SyStemS, pArt 2 of 2
FIGURE 5. Self-contained refrigeration system.
September 2015 HPAC EnginEEring 25
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Circle 165
minimizing AmmoniA ChArge in induStriAl refrigerAtion SyStemS, pArt 2 of 2
an estimated $7,000 per TR.
Similar to the air- and water-
cooled NH3 packaged chiller and
air-cooled condensing unit, the
self-contained refrigeration system
requires less maintenance than any
type of central system.
Summary
This article reviewed five alter-
native industrial refrigeration sys-
tems capable of addressing growing
concern over high NH3 refrigerant
charges in cold-storage facilities.
What’s more, adoption of any of
these systems does not appear to
negatively impact to any significant
degree such high-priority variables
as energy, installed cost, and main-
tenance cost.
General conclusions that can be
drawn include:
• All of the systems highlighted
in this article offer significant
reductions in NH3 refr igerant
charge. The advanced DX system
offers an impressive improvement
in NH3-charge inventory, but pays
a penalty for its centralized NH3
distribution system. The two CO2/
NH3 systems offer even greater
improvements in NH3 refrigerant
charge, but introduce a challenging
(though good) second refrigerant.
The air- and water-cooled NH3 pack-
aged chiller, air-cooled condensing
unit, and self-contained refrig-
eration system offer the greatest
reductions in NH3 refr igerant
charge, but might not offer econo-
mies of scale in very large industrial
facilities.
• The energy consumption of each
of the reviewed systems appears to
correlate fairly closely with that of
a “soft” optimized PRL refrigeration
system. In each case, improvements
in bas ic energy-consumpt ion
values can be made. Most of these
improvements will require addi-
tional capital cost, and some may
require an increase in refrigerant
charge.
The reader is cautioned not to rely
too heavily on the values presented
here, as supporting data are mini-
mal, and numerous factors related
to facility construction (insulation,
doors, vestibules, etc.) can have a
significant influence. The point of
emphasis here is that, fundamen-
tally, the systems appear to have
very similar operating characteris-
tics from an energy perspective.
Reference
4) Pearson, S.F. (2012). Charge
minimization. Paper presented at
IIAR Conference, Milwaukee, WI.
26 HPAC ENGINEERING SEPTEMBER 2015
FTankless Design
Not all tankless water-heating solutions are alike. Fac-
tors to consider when selecting a water-heating solution
include heat exchanger and material of construction.
Some tankless heaters feature a durable, highly
efficient helical firetube heat exchanger that is imper-
vious to thermal stress, providing greater reliability
and extended life. All-stainless-steel construction
provides similar benefits. A water-heating solution that
has corrugated tubes will have a greater effective heat-
transfer surface area for thermal efficiencies as high as
99 percent. High turndowns of up to 30:1 complement
the thermal efficiencies to reduce cycling and eliminate
fuel waste, maximizing savings. Enhanced waterside
flow distribution maintains constant minimum velocities
across the heat exchanger; this keeps solids in suspen-
sion and greatly reduces scale dropout to maintain high-
efficiency performance and long life.
A key specification when evaluating tankless water
heaters is temperature control. A swing of 10°F to 15°F
is unacceptable in most applications. Fortunately, a new
generation of tankless units uses advanced algorithms
to achieve extremely tight temperature control of ±4°F.
This allows the tankless water heater to provide a higher
level of safety.
Today’s tankless water-heating systems also leverage
advanced communications technologies. These tools
constantly check a system and immediately send alerts
if there is a fault occurrence or decline in equipment
By KUNAL SHAHAERCO International Inc.Blauvelt, N.Y.
For the new generation of mechanical rooms, lower
operating costs, greater reliability, and environmental-
friendliness are the name of the game. This is leading
consulting-specifying engineers, architects, and facility
owners and managers to leave no stone unturned in
their search for the best possible return on investment
(ROI). Considering water-heating systems typically
are second only to HVAC systems in terms of energy
consumption, even small gains in efficiency and cuts in
operating expenses related to water heating can have a
large impact on a facility’s bottom line. For this reason,
tankless water-heating systems are gaining traction.
Tankless water-heating systems offer a number of
advantages over their tanked counterparts. For
example, stored water in a tanked water-heating system
must be maintained at 140°F to prevent Legionella
bacteria. Further, a tanked system requires a mixing
valve to prevent scalding from the 140°F stored water.
These are two factors that contribute to the higher
operating costs and lower efficiency of tanked systems
compared with tankless alternatives. Additionally,
facility space has never been at a higher premium,
and the more compact footprint of a tankless water
heater reduces the square footage of a mechanical
room.
Kunal Shah is a product solutions manager, water heaters, for AERCO International Inc., a Watts Water Technologies
company. He has a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Drexel University and a master-of-business-
administration degree from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
FBy KUNAL SHAHAERCO International Inc.Blauvelt, N.Y.
For the new generation of mechanical rooms, lower
FFor the new generation of mechanical rooms, lower For the new generation of mechanical rooms, lower
Foperating costs, greater reliability, and environmental-
Foperating costs, greater reliability, and environmental-operating costs, greater reliability, and environmental-
Ffriendliness are the name of the game. This is leading Ffriendliness are the name of the game. This is leading friendliness are the name of the game. This is leading FFFconsulting-specifying engineers, architects, and facility Fconsulting-specifying engineers, architects, and facility consulting-specifying engineers, architects, and facility Fowners and managers to leave no stone unturned in Fowners and managers to leave no stone unturned in owners and managers to leave no stone unturned in F
What Owners Need to Know About ...
Cost, space, and safety benefits of tankless solutions
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generating the hot and chilled water for building
comfort systems, but little attention has been given
to distributing that water efficiently. Many standard
designs and specifications still include technology that
is approaching fifty years old or leave separators out
altogether. Air and dirt in the system fluid inhibits
heat transfer, collects in the piping or equipment and
restricts flow, actually taking away from the return on
investment made in high efficiency boilers and chillers.
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Circle 166
28 HPAC EnginEEring September 2015
a tank-type water-heating system.
Additionally, ancillary equipment,
such as storage tanks, circulators,
and mixing valves, is eliminated.
This lowers installation and mainte-
nance costs considerably.
Space savings. A tankless-water-
heater solution requires one-quarter
the square footage of a comparable
tank-type system, resulting in more
room that can be used to generate
income instead of storing water.
Photos A and B show a mechanical
room before and after tanked sys-
tems were replaced with tankless
systems.
Safety. Spikes in hot-water tem-
perature can cause burns, espe-
cially among children and seniors. A
tankless water heater can maintain
water temperature at a safe level of
less than 120°F to reduce the risk
of scalding, while eliminating the
need for costly system mixing
valves. Because water volume is
minimal and circulation is continu-
ous, a tankless design virtually elimi-
nates the risk of Legionella bacteria
growth as well.
Life cycle. With a life of 20-plus
years, tankless water heaters last
two to three times longer than
tank-type heaters, which typically
need to be replaced every eight to
10 years. Glass-lined storage tanks
have even shorter service lives of
three to five years and are prone to
rust and failure when potable-water
chemistry is less than ideal. Tank-
What OWnerS need tO KnOW abOut ... tanKleSS Water heaterS
performance. This reduces energy
waste, increases productivity and
efficiency, and prevents lost revenue
caused by unexpected downtime.
Benefits
Tankless water heaters help
engineers, architects, and facility
owners achieve the best possible
ROI by lowering costs, maximizing
space, providing a safe environ-
ment, and lasting much longer.
Economic advantages. Tankless
water heaters lower operating costs
with high efficiency (typically, 96 to
99 percent) and high turndown. With
no hot-water storage, heat-radiation
loss is less than one-quarter that of
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Circle 167
PHOTOS A and B. A mechanical room before (left) and after (right) tanked systems were replaced with tankless systems.
September 2015 HPAC EnginEEring 29
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less water heaters with advanced
condensing and modulating tech-
nology, along with a stainless-steel
helical firetube heat exchanger,
provide a highly reliable solution.
Tankless water heaters can be
designed with onboard multiunit
sequencing logic for efficient daisy-
chaining to meet load requirements.
This minimizes cycles per unit to
extend the life of the heaters, while
significantly reducing service and
maintenance costs and maximizing
system efficiency and turndown.
Versatility
Virtually any facility in need of
hot water can realize the benefits of
tankless water heaters.
Hospitality. A tankless design
that allows outlet temperatures to
be set to 120°F without the risk of
Legionella bacteria, as well as tight
temperature control, will lower
operating costs and reduce the risk
of guests being scalded. When this
level of performance is paired with
a proactive remote monitoring tool
that prevents unexpected downtime,
guests always will have hot water.
Health care. Hospitals, medical
centers, and other health-care facili-
ties must have continuous hot-water
service. When selecting a tankless
water heater, facility owners and
managers do not have to be con-
cerned with Legionnaires’ disease or
patients being scalded. Additionally,
they avoid the cost associated with
purchasing mixing valves, which
are necessary for a tanked system to
provide similar assurances.
Education. For campus environ-
ments, engineers should select the
tankless design with the highest
possible turndown. This will allow
the water heater to meet the low
flow and peak demands commonly
found in dormitories, which will
lower operating costs.
Multifamily. Nowhere is mechan-
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Conclusion
From prov id ing sa fe , non-
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without the need for a storage
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reliable system built to last two
to three times longer than tanked
systems, tankless water heaters
are the most advanced hot-water
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Circle 169
Boiler Systems Engineering SEPTEMBER 2015 BSE1
Steve Connor is an expert in steam- and hot-water generation with more than 50 years of experience. He recently retired from Cleaver-Brooks as
director of technical and marketing services. Randy Smith, PE, CEM, is a sales engineer with Cleaver-Brooks’ Boiler Plant Optimization group, which
focuses on improving facilities’ steam generation, distribution, consumption, and condensate return. He has more than 25 years of industrial and
boiler-plant experience.
Efficiency, sustainability, reliability, safety—these are
the keys to the optimal performance of a facility, and
they are the focus of a properly conducted boiler-room
assessment. This article discusses what goes into a properly
conducted boiler-room assessment.
Because it requires a specific methodology and expertise,
a boiler-room assessment—for most facilities—is best
performed by an outside specialist.
EfficiencyThe first step in conducting a boiler-
room assessment is to determine
facility steam cost. When figuring steam cost, many consider
only fuel cost, boiler efficiency, and cold-water makeup. This
calculation is “unloaded” because it does not include other
costs associated with the production of steam. A “loaded,” or
true, cost of steam production includes all of the above plus
labor and maintenance, chemicals, and waste charges.
Various terms are applied to efficiency. For instance,
combustion efficiency sometimes is used to refer to boiler
efficiency, but it really is the ability of a burner to combust
fuel with the least amount of excess air without exceeding
or compromising acceptable levels of carbon monoxide
and safety. Thermal efficiency is overall boiler efficiency
before subtracting radiation and convection (R&C) losses.
Fuel-to-steam efficiency is the true reflection of how a boiler
is performing, as it is net of R&C losses. This is the correct
indicator of useful energy going out to a system.
A boiler-room assessor will determine fuel-to-steam
efficiency by evaluating the physical condition and features
of a boiler’s burner and determine actual efficiency using the
procedure outlined in ASME PTC 4-2008, Fired Steam Gen-
erators. The procedure takes a number of variables, including
stack loss, steam and feedwater flow, moisture in stack gas,
and fuel-meter clocking for actual input, into account.
The goal is safe, efficient combustion and optimal heat
transfer. To accomplish this, a burner typically will be set
at about 3 percent oxygen or 15 percent excess air, which
is where it should operate most of the time. For every
2-percent increase in oxygen over the benchmark, there will
be a 1-percent loss in efficiency.
The assessor then will observe
how well the boiler (heat exchanger)
absorbs heat from the burner. If the
burner is operating and combusting
properly, flue-gas temperature should be approximately 50°F
to 100°F above saturated temperature. In other words, if the
boiler is operating at 100 lb with a saturation temperature
of approximately 340°F, the stack temperature should be
between 390°F at low fire and 440°F at high fire. For every 40°F
increase over this base point, there will be a 1-percent loss in
efficiency.
The assessor also will look for possible climatic variables,
including relative humidity in the boiler room, barometric-
pressure fluctuations, and ambient air temperature. If
ambient temperature changes frequently and the boiler
modulates a lot, the system would benefit from an oxygen-
trim system, which optimizes combustion controls, keeping
the fuel/air ratio consistent.
While taking note of climatic conditions, the assessor will
be paying close attention to the burner’s combustion-control
system, particularly the modulation frequency. The assessor
will look at the turndown capability of the burner, how the
burner is tracking the load, and how frequently the burner is
cycling.
In addition to the boiler, areas of the boiler room the
Proper Procedure for a Boiler-Room
AssessmentImproving efficiency, sustainability, reliability, safety
By STEVE CONNOR and RANDY SMITH, PE, CEMCleaver-Brooks
Thomasville, Ga.
BSE2 SEPTEMBER 2015 Boiler Systems Engineering
assessor will evaluate include the
exhaust-stack/breeching arrangement
and support accessories. Often, a great
deal of energy will be lost through the
stack. If a boiler is more than 150 hp and
is operating at over 100 lb of pressure,
some of this energy can be recouped
with the addition of an economizer.
For every 40°F drop in stack tempera-
ture, there will be a 1-percent gain in
efficiency.
Next, the assessor will observe how
the boiler is set up to control totally
dissolved solids in boiler water to
maintain proper conductivity. If effluent
is going down the drain, a blowdown
heat-recovery system, which puts valu-
able energy into a boiler’s feedwater
stream, likely will be recommended.
Other support accessories, along
with the amount of condensate com-
ing back from the system, also will be
checked. If little is returning and a lot
of raw makeup is entering, a carbon
filter may be required, if one is not
already in place.
The assessor will perform chemical-
treatment analys is to determine
whether there is a high degree of
carbonate/bicarbonate alkalinity. If
there is, the addition of a dealkalizer
may reduce blowdown and further
protect the system. The assessor then
will examine the boiler feed system
(vented or pressurized), as well as the
chemical feed system.
While its primary emphasis will be
on boiler-room equipment, a com-
prehensive assessment will take into
account where and how effectively
steam is being used. Specifically, the
assessor will check piping through-
out the plant to see if it is insulated
properly. If it is not, valuable energy is
being wasted to the process, and the
chance of damaging water hammer is
heightened.
At the same time, the assessor will
look for steam traps. Whether catego-
rized as thermodynamic, mechanical,
or thermostatic, all traps serve the
same purposes: trap steam, purge air,
and evacuate condensate.
Air has a negative effect on pro-
cesses. It can significantly reduce
steam temperature and, thus, heat
transfer. When air and other gases
enter a steam system, they consume
v o l u m e s t e a m o t h e r w i s e w o u l d
occupy. The temperature of an air-
steam mixture is below that of pure
steam.
In terms of air elimination, traps
can do only so much. Air vents need
to be placed in strategic locations
to eliminate air or partial-pressure
conditions. For example, if a steam Circle 170
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it comes with a modulating burner and two separate return
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Circle 171
BSE4 SEPTEMBER 2015 Boiler Systems Engineering
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line is heating a process load at 86 psig, the temperature
of that steam will be 328°F. If air is mixed with the steam,
which amounts to 10 percent of the volume, the temperature
will drop to 321°F, or the equivalent of 76 psig, even though
the steam gauge is registering 86 psig. This extends process
time and wastes energy.
An assessor will note how traps are piped, where traps
are located, and if the drip pocket is sized correctly with the
proper drain valve installed at its bottom.
The assessor will note whether condensate is returning to
the boiler room by gravity, shear motive force, or mechanical
means. Equally important, the assessor will want to know
if condensate is overloading the return system and, thus,
is in need of venting; if it is, a surge tank in the boiler room
working in conjunction with the existing feed tank likely
will be recommended.
SustainabilityFacility owners and managers are seeking ways to
conserve natural gas, oil, air, and water. Fresh water not only
is an ongoing operational cost, it is becoming scarce, which is
one of the reasons returning condensate is so important.
In terms of reducing emissions while improving
combustion efficiency, there is an array of high-efficiency,
low-emitting burners to dramatically reduce nitrogen-
oxide and carbon-monoxide emissions. The assessor will
evaluate current systems and recommend additional ways
to conserve natural resources and reduce emissions.
If a system has another source of fuel, such as landfill gas
or digester gas, that is being wasted (flared off) or hauled
away, there are technologies that may be used to burn it.
ReliabilityThe assessor will thoroughly check the burner, its
combustion-control system, and its burner-management
system (BMS). It is important a BMS provide all lockout
information in a clear and readily understandable way and
have the capacity to log and store fault history.
Today’s programmable-logic-controller-based systems
integrate not only burners, but all accessory equipment.
Integrated systems are important for reliable service and to
keep operators informed and able to anticipate and quickly
remedy unexpected outages.
An important contributor to reliable boiler operation
is an ongoing maintenance program that includes regular
combustion analysis. Keep all service records detailing
when tune-ups, including efficiency checks, were performed.
The assessor will want to review the records. One of the
things he or she will look for is elevated stack temperature,
which can indicate fireside or waterside fouling. Along
with energy loss, elevated stack temperature can seriously
damage a boiler.
In addition to service records, the assessor will ask for
critical and dynamic records. Critical records include the
manufacturer’s data report, equipment documentation,
a list of suppliers with contact information, a spare-parts
list, operating manuals, wiring diagrams, and standard
operating procedures. Dynamic records include startup
and tuning reports, repair reports, inspection reports,
chemical-analysis reports, and the boiler-room log.
SafetyProperly functioning low-water cutoffs and properly
piped safety valves are key safety check points. The assessor
will look at steam-line-drip-pocket sizing and location,
along with steam-trap location and functionality. Improper
sizing, location, and function of steam-line drip pockets
and steam traps can cause dangerous water hammer.
The main and auxiliary low-water cutoffs and the piping
for the boiler’s safety relief valve(s) also will be checked.
Once the assessment is complete, the assessor will
review his or her findings with facility management and
prepare a report that includes recommendations for the
facility going forward. The report likely also will include
markups of the plant’s process and instrumentation drawings
detailing recommended changes.
P R O P E R P R O C E D U R E F O R A B O I L E R - R O O M A S S E S S M E N T
Circle 172
BSE6 SEPTEMBER 2015 Boiler Systems Engineering
Corey Lehman, PE, is an associate principal and HVAC- and plumbing-system designer with Southland Industries, a national mechanical, electrical,
and plumbing building-systems firm. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architectural engineering from The Pennsylvania State University.
He can be reached at [email protected].
In boiler systems, nearly all problems related to premature
water- and fire-tube failure, unexpected performance
loss, and system failure can be traced to water chemistry
and treatment. Taking the steps to develop and maintain an
efficient and reliable water-treatment program will ensure a
successful boiler system.
With a boiler system, the importance of water treatment
is determined largely by the type and
application of the boiler. There are many
types of boiler applications, the primary
ones being hot water and steam.
Hot-Water ApplicationsIn hot-water applications, boilers typically operate within
a stable closed-loop system in which the water chemistry is
fairly constant. This means water is treated and stabilized for
use during the initial fill of the system. Periodic checks and
minor chemistry modifications are needed to keep the loop
under control, provided there are no major leaks introducing
large amounts of raw makeup water.
In hot-water systems, water quality tends to be less of an
issue and more predictable, which leads to tighter tolerances.
In the light- and small-commercial market, the most common
types of boilers include copper fin, cast iron, high mass, and,
whether condensing or non-condensing, water tube. Fire-
tube boilers are available in this market, but usually require
more installation space than comparable-output water-tube
boilers. In water-tube boilers, flue gases surrounding tubes
heat water inside of the tubes. In fire-tube boilers, flue gases
are inside of tubes, and water is in the shell around the tubes.
Steam ApplicationsIn steam applications, water quality is an important part of
boiler selection. Steam boilers tend to be steel water-tube- or
fire-tube-type boilers in the 10-to-1,000-hp range. Fire-tube
boilers are more robust and more tolerant of poor water qual-
ity, but require more physical space, than water-tube boilers.
Regardless of boiler type, water quality is a critical aspect
of implementing and operating an efficient steam plant.
Key components of steam-boiler water treatment include
makeup-water treatment, oxygen removal, and feedwater
treatment.
Mathematical RelationshipsIn most plants, steam losses can be signifi-
cant, varying from 30 percent to 80 percent
of total boiler output. These losses can be attributed primarily
to leaks and processes that leave condensate in a contami-
nated or unrecoverable state.
Fresh makeup water is required to account for condensate
losses in a system. Scale-forming minerals are removed as the
first line of defense in controlling water chemistry and steam
quality. This can be done through precipitation softening, ion
exchange, or reverse osmosis. Makeup-water-supply quality,
economics, and the end use of the steam often dictate which
approach is most appropriate. For most commercial and light-
industrial applications, an ion-exchange softening process is
utilized to minimize costs.
Condensate return water is combined with treated makeup
water and deaerator steam to produce boiler feedwater. This
feedwater is introduced to the boiler, and mostly pure steam
is boiled off. During the boiling process, all of the solids and
impurities left behind in the boiler become concentrated. This
requires blowdown or a deliberate bleeding off of the boiler
water. With the blowdown having to be made up as well, the
total makeup can be expressed as follows:
TM = SL + CL + BL
By COREY LEHMAN, PESouthland IndustriesGarden Grove, Calif.
Hot-Water- and Steam-Boiler Water Treatment
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Circle 174
BSE8 SEPTEMBER 2015 Boiler Systems Engineering
where:
TM = total makeup
SL = steam losses
CL = condensate losses
BL = boiler water losses
Makeup and blowdown can be
represented in terms of a percentage of
feedwater, when the flow rates of these
streams are known. Their relationships
are expressed as follows:
BD%BD = 100% × ___FW
MU%MU = 100% × ___FW
where:
BD = blowdown mass flow, pounds
per hour (kilograms per hour)
MU = makeup mass flow, pounds per
hour (kilograms per hour)
FW = feedwater mass flow, pounds
TDSC = TDS in recovered steam
condensate, milligrams per liter
TDSMU
= TDS in makeup, milligrams
per liter
The quantity of dissolved solids
in boiler water compared with that
in feedwater can be described in a
concentration ratio or cycles of concen-
tration (COC). In the simplest terms, it
is the reciprocal of the percentage
blowdown:
100COC = ____
%BD
O f t e n , w h e n m a k e u p w a t e r i s
demineralized, COC cannot be cal-
culated using a conductivity probe.
Fluorescing tracer chemicals can be
util ized to determine the ratio of
concentration of boiler water to feed-
water. Another approach is to measure
the steam being produced and the
H O T - W A T E R - A N D S T E A M - B O I L E R W A T E R T R E A T M E N T
Circle 175 Circle 176
per hour (kilograms per hour)
Often, mass-f low rates are not
known, in which case the percentages
can be calculated based on a ratio
concentration of a dissolved solid or
total dissolved solids (TDS) in the
different streams:
TDSFW%BD = 100% × ____
TDSBD
where:
TDSFW
= TDS in feedwater, milligrams
per liter
TDSBD
= TDS in blowdown, milligrams
per liter
The percentage makeup can be
calculated as follows:
TDSFW
− TDSC%MU = 100% × ___________
TDSMU
− TDSC
where:
Boiler Systems Engineering SEPTEMBER 2015 BSE9
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blowdown flow rate to calculate COC:
S + BDCOC = ______
BD
where:
S = steam mass flow, or boiler output,
pounds per hour (kilograms per hour)
Removing Oxygen and Gases
Another important function of
boiler-feedwater treatment concerns
the removal of oxygen and dissolved
gases, such as carbon dioxide and
ammonia. The presence of these
gases can result in corrosion that
ultimately causes tubes to fail and
piping to rupture and leak. Carbon
dioxide primarily affects condensate
systems, as it turns to carbonic acid,
which can aggressively deteriorate
components.
The primary mechanism for remov-
• Methylethylketoxime (C4H
8NOH).
• Hytroquinone [C6H
4(OH)
2].
In most commercial and l ight-
industrial applications, sodium sulfite
is used to control oxygen beyond the
capabilities of deaerators. However,
sulfite adds solids and contributes to
the need for increased blowdown flows.
Other scavengers can double as metal
passivators, protecting equipment
and piping, in addition to reducing
oxygen levels. Many other compounds,
however, break down into carcinogenic
and acidic components.
Scale ControlMineral scale is comprised largely of
precipitates of calcium and magnesium
salts. Although ion-exchange water
softening largely removes scale-
forming agents, feedwater should be
monitored regularly to ensure none is
being introduced from other sources.
H O T - W A T E R - A N D S T E A M - B O I L E R W A T E R T R E A T M E N T
ing oxygen and dissolved gases is
the deaerator . There are several
methods of deaeration; selection
depends on the size of the system,
the type of gases, the concentration
to remove, and economics. The most
common types are spray, tray, and
atomizing. For most small to medium-
s i z e d c o m m e r c i a l i n s t a l l a t i o n s ,
spray type is the most compact and
economical.
Effective deaerators reduce oxygen
levels in feedwater to about 0.007 to
0.04 mg per liter (7 to 40 μg per liter).
Often, additional oxygen removal is
accomplished with a chemical scaven-
ger. Commercial oxygen scavengers
on the market include:
• Sodium sulfite (Na2SO
3).
• Hydrazine (N2H
4).
• Carbohydrazide [(NH2NH)
2CO].
• Erythorbate (RC6H
6O
6).
• Diethylhydroxylamine [(C2H
5)
2NOH].
BSE10 SEPTEMBER 2015 Boiler Systems Engineering
Silica scale also can be a problem,
although it rarely is found in systems
below 600 psig. Silica deposits can
form when boilers operate at excessive
COC or pretreatment softeners are
not designed to remove silica. For
most applications in the western
United States, where most water
comes from the melting of mountain
snow pack, mineral scale is the larger
culprit.
Whereas scale associated with
w a t e r h a r d n e s s u s e d t o b e t h e
main cause of boiler fai lures, the
push to return as much condensate
as possible has led to increased iron
deposits in boilers. Iron deposits on
heat-transfer surfaces now are the
predominant mode of fai lure. As
deposits accumulate, they act as
insulators, impairing heat transfer.
This ultimately causes metal to over-
heat and fail. The porous nature of
the deposits exacerbates the situation
by trapping corrosive chemistries,
such as caustic acid phosphates,
sulfates, and chlorides. Unfortunately,
even after significant research initia-
tives, the deposition mechanism of
iron deposits on boiler surfaces is not
well-understood.
Most iron originates from raw-source
makeup water or the corrosion of mild-
steel components within a steam and
condensate system. Corrosion of mild
steel is influenced by factors such as
pH, temperature, heat flux, dissolved
oxygen, carbon dioxide, flow, ionic
strength, suspended solids, and boiler-
treatment chemicals. Fortunately,
mild steel at high temperatures under
alkaline-reducing conditions, or high
pH, will form a protective magnetite-
oxide (FE3O
4) layer on the surface,
protecting the base material.
Special care should be exercised
in monitoring and protecting oxides.
As boilers and systems are taken
offline and restarted, the expansion
and contraction of metals can cause
oxides to crack and flake off, exposing
the base metal to continued corrosion.
Additionally, caustics or acids can
interact with oxides and cause them
to break down. For this reason, the
recommended pH is in the alkaline
rage of 9 to 12.
Table 1 summarizes common prob-
lems and affected areas.
Key TakeawaysFollowing is advice for developing
a water-treatment program:
• Be willing to invest in a high-quality
p r o g r a m f r o m a r e p u t a b l e s e r v i c e
provider. Good treatment programs
can save costs attributed to shutdowns
for tube or equipment replacement.
• Take a proactive approach. Actively
engage a reputable water-treatment
serv ice provider to ass ist in the
development of a program tailored to
your system. Also, test the makeup-
water source and any condensate or
feedwater system, and include neces-
sary components in the design.
• C o n s i d e r t h a t o p e r a t o r s m a y
not know how to maintain effective
water-treatment programs. Have the
water-treatment service provider
conduct detailed training. Consider
recording the training for future
reference.
• E m p l o y t h o r o u g h m o n i t o r i n g
procedures, frequently checking water
chemistry at different control points
w i t h i n t h e s y s t e m , a n d d o c u m e n t
results. Elevated temperatures can
cause chemistries to go out of spec
quite rapidly. Knowing the normal
tolerance ranges and monitoring
frequently (two or three times a day)
can prevent scale and iron deposition
from escalating beyond recoverable
limits.
• Keep it simple. The simpler the
design and program, the greater
the likelihood operators will stick
to it.
ReferenceFlynn, D. (2009). The Nalco water
handbook (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Did you f ind this art ic le useful?
Send comments and suggestions to
Executive Editor Scott Arnold at scott
H O T - W A T E R - A N D S T E A M - B O I L E R W A T E R T R E A T M E N T
Iron deposits inside tube.
TABLE 1. Common issues and system areas affected.
©2015 Cleaver-Brooks, Inc.
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Circle 178
BSE12 SEPTEMBER 2015 Boiler Systems Engineering
By TOM EWINGSpecial to Boiler Systems Engineering
Most l ikely this month, the
U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency (EPA) will decide
whether to lower the permissible level
of ground-level ozone, a move that
would affect business operations and
economic development throughout
the United States, with some cities
and regions—even within the same
state—impacted more than others.
By law, the EPA has to review the
adequacy of its air-quality standard
every five years to ensure it is set at
a level deemed protective of the
public health. The current standard,
set in 2008, is 75 parts per billion (ppb).
In December 2014, after the most
recent review, the EPA announced
the possibility of lowering the standard
to a level between 65 ppb and 70 ppb.
Ozone is a colorless, odorless gas
formed largely from two “precursor
pollutants”—nitrogen oxides (NOx)
and volat i le organic compounds
(VOCs)—primarily on hot, sunny days.
At certain exposures, it is linked to
lung and breathing problems.
To control ozone, regulators focus
on NOx and VOC emissions from:
• Mobile sources—mostly cars and
trucks, but also marine, rail, and off-road
engines.
• Stationary sources—industries and
electric utilities.
• “Area sources”—the “mom and
pop” scale of business-related pollution.
Within a metropolitan area, or “air
shed,” environmental regulators seek
to develop regional NOx- and VOC-
emission “budgets.” For industry, a NOx
or VOC budget is implemented within
a state’s system of operating permits.
Regulators may determine, for example,
that total NOx emissions in an air shed
must be kept under 20 tons per day.
That total helps in setting the emission
allowance for each source category. If
regulators decide the industry sector
(stationary sources) has to stay under
7 tons per day, individual operating
permits wil l ref lect that regional
sum.
Among business advocates, there
are two basic concerns with the
proposed reduction. First, how will
emissions allowances for each source
category—mobile vs. stationary vs.
area—shift? Second, crit ics claim
the EPA is too vague regarding the
controls that could deliver the required
reductions. The EPA contends a lower
standard largely will result from cur-
rent control policies, some of which
are new. Critics disagree, arguing the
nation will not just slide into compli-
ance on the cheap, so to speak, and that
a 65-to-70-ppb standard will require
significant new controls to reduce NOx
and VOCs. The National Association of
Manufacturers, which has led the
business critique of the EPA’s proposal,
calls the possible ozone revision the
costliest regulatory program ever.
A lower ozone standard presents
critical concerns for industrial non-
electric-generating-unit (non-EGU)
boilers, particularly regarding NOx.
Historically, EGU boilers have been the
primary NOx targets. With a change
from 75 ppb to perhaps 65 ppb—which
would be significant—regulatory scope
would expand, and NOx emissions
from non-EGU boilers, especially large
boilers, would get new attention.
Utility-sector NOx control is reaching
its limits. And with Congress not par-
ticularly supportive of the EPA’s recent
carbon-dioxide/climate-control pro-
posals, the profile of non-EGU boilers
would be raised.
There is another important twist
with NOx: In some places, NOx has
been identified as the more important
ozone precursor. Air-quality models
in North Carolina, for example, cite
natural sources (trees, forests) as the
source of VOCs. No one is going to
clear-cut the Smoky Mountains. In this
respect, again, a lower ozone standard
would put new pressures on NOx and
new pressures on all sources.
At individual facilities, boiler opera-
tors face difficult questions: If required
to scale back NOx, what are the options?
Are they cost-effective? Do competi-
tors face the same requirements? There
are no easy, standardized answers.
With ozone, regulatory uncertainty is
part of the game. It can take years for
the dust to settle regarding who has to
do what and to what extent.
On the technical side, options for NOx
control are part of regular engineering
reviews. Control options include switch-
ing fuels, flue-gas recirculation, and
catalytic/non-catalytic reduction. More
extremely, NOx control could mean
scrapping a boiler prematurely or even
shutting it down.
Currently, there is a critical parallel
issue: the boiler Maximum Achievable
Control Technology (MACT) rules,
established to control hazardous air
pollutants. The MACT compliance
deadline is Jan. 31, 2016.
The Council of Industrial Boiler
Owners (CIBO) has prepared a timeline
for boiler MACT compliance. CIBO’s
schedule suggests construction and
installation should be taking place
now for the January deadline to be
met. A question keeping facility owners
and operators up at night is this:
What if your boiler MACT project is
spot-on, but then NOx is judged too
high because regulators are looking
for ways to implement a lower ozone
standard?
W h i l e t h e o z o n e s t a n d a r d i s
national, pollution-control programs
vary throughout the country and
even within states. That is because air
quality is worse in some metropolitan
N E W S & A N A L Y S I S
Industrial Boiler Operators Bracing for Ozone DecisionAnnouncement likely this month
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Circle 179
BSE14 SEPTEMBER 2015 Boiler Systems Engineering
Circle 180
areas than others. Think of a facility
in Los Angeles and one in Columbus,
Ohio. Other factors being more or less
equal, the facilities will demand very
different approaches for additional
NOx control.
New NOx i ssues would create
competitive issues as well. If your
facility is in Los Angeles and your
competitor ’s is in Columbus, the
emission-control impacts f rom a
revised ozone standard could be
q u i t e d i s p a r a t e — s a m e n a t i o n a l
standard, much different programs.
Would your competitor have the
advantage?
I f a n e w s t a n d a r d w e r e t o b e
announced, states would be required
to determine whether ozone readings
in urban areas met the new standard,
whether regions were “in compliance.”
Depending on the EPA’s final numbers,
hundreds of counties could be out of
70 ppb, all of these regions likely will
be judged more harshly, with busi-
nesses facing new and more stringent
pollution-control policies.
Business managers are wise to pay
close attention to the evaluation and
ranking of metropolitan areas. By
doing so, they will better understand
the ramifications for their operating
areas, if a new standard is enacted.
Additionally, they wil l be able to
participate in proposals about new
controls and influence final decisions
via trade organizations and elected
officials. Now is the time for them to
sharpen their advocacy skills.
Stay tuned for updates.
Tom Ewing is a Cincinnati-based
freelance writer focusing on business
and economic-development issues
linked to air quality, particularly ozone,
and U.S. EPA regulatory oversight.
N E W S & A N A L Y S I S
compliance. State governors would
be asked to determine the degree of
“non-compliance” (e.g., “marginally,”
“moderately”). The EPA then would
review the governors ’ proposals
and make a final decision regarding
level of non-compliance, with decisions
due in October 2017.
Importantly, these are not casual
r a n k i n g s . C o n t r o l p r o g r a m s i n
“marginal” areas are less exacting
than those in “moderate” ones. There
are yet higher rankings for “serious,”
“severe,” and “extreme” areas of the
country. Under the current standard
of 75 ppb, LA-South Coast is considered
“extreme,” while Ventura County,
Calif., is considered “serious.” Dallas-
Fort Worth is a “moderate” area. Thirty-
six metro areas, from New York to
Cleveland to Denver to San Francisco,
are considered “marginal.” With a new
lower standard between 65 ppb and
condenser unit
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Wall thickness of ¹∕₂", ³∕₄", 1", 1¹∕₂", 2"
simply visit www.aeroflexusa.com/vrf today
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CAUTION9 out of 10 Engineers specify the wrong VRF insulation
BSE16 MONTH YEAR Boiler Systems EngineeringBSE16 SEPTEMBER 2015 Boiler Systems Engineering
800-835-4429 www.duravent.com M&G DuraVent ©2015
Scan QR Code or follow us on social media or for more information on our products, visit www.duravent.com
CHANGING TO HIGH EFFICIENCY?UTILIZE YOUR EXISTING VENT!FasNSeal 80/90 is a unique, patent pending system that exhausts 90+ condensing appliances with Type B atmospheric units within the same vent.
Using your preexisting common vent, our cap improves the operation of both the remaining atmospheric appliance, and the new condensing unit, while not disturbing fnished space during installation.
Finally a solution when you need to deal with narrow lot lines, clearance to window and door openings or when side wall venting just isn’t practical.
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P R O D U C T S P O T L I G H T
alarm condition is detected, PV-A
will text up to three phone numbers.
If the alarm is cleared, an additional
text will be sent to an off-site owner or
operator. PV-A can be purchased as a
standalone device and installed in the
field by others or provided mounted
on a new boiler.
—Parker Boiler Co.
www.parkerboiler.com
Gas condensing boilerA compact gas condensing boiler in a
floor-standing de-
sign, CU3A is easy
to install in both
new-construction
and retrofit appli-
cations. Multiboiler
installation with
eight boilers up to
1,592 MBH is pos-
sible. No primary/
secondary piping
is required. Features include a wa-
ter-cooled, stainless-steel combus-
tion chamber, a MatriX radiant dome
gas burner with a 5:1 turndown ra-
tio for efficiency of 95 percent AFUE,
extremely clean combustion, and a
high-grade SA 240 316Ti stainless-
steel Inox-Crossal heat exchanger
for maximum heat transfer and
longevity. KW6B boiler and system
control manages the entire heating
system with precise temperature
control. Lambda Pro easily adjusts
to various fuel types and delivers
optimum combustion efficiency.
—Viessmann Manufacturing Co.
http://uncompromise.us
Condensing gas boilersSlimFit high-efficiency condensing
gas boilers have been enhanced to
include improved boiler-to-boiler
communication, Modbus and BACnet
for linking with building automation
systems, an express setup wizard, 10
preset typical heating systems, and an
updated controls interface for simpler
navigation, at-a-glance boiler status,
diagnostics, and troubleshooting.
The boilers’ narrow housing offers im-
proved maneuverability for confined
spaces and weight-restricted areas.
Additionally, the units come com-
pletely factory-assembled, allowing
for on-site plug-and-play installation,
lowering installation costs and ensur-
ing timely project completion.
—Weil-McLain
http://bit.ly/SlimFit_boiler
Water heaters/boilersLiberty fully con-
d e n s i n g c o m -
m e r c i a l w a t e r
h e a t e r s / b o i l e r s
are designed with
high-quality ma-
terials, including
a stainless-steel
heat exchanger,
f o r l o n g e v i t y .
Five models rang-
ing from 399,000
to 800,000 Btuh are available. The
easy-to-maintain units feature a
user-friendly control system.
—Ace Heating Solutions LLC
www.aceheatingllc.com
Alarming systemParkerView-Alarm (PV-A) is a simple-
to-set-up, use, and maintain cellular-
based alarming system for use on
boilers and other devices. When an
floor-standing de-
sign, CU3A is easy
to install in both
new-construction
and retrofit appli-
cations. Multiboiler
installation with
eight boilers up to
1,592 MBH is pos-
sible. No primary/
secondary piping
is required. Features include a wa-
SEPTEMBER 2015 HPAC ENGINEERING 47
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(800) 336 -1942 (310) 839 -2828 Fax : (310) 839 -6878
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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
Why Should You
Filter Your Water?
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Circle 62
• Simple! Shows your room is operating properly.• Ball rolls in direction of airfl ow, in or out of room
BALL-IN-THE-WALL® ROOM PRESSURE MONITOR
• Hospital Iso-Rooms, O.R.’s, Vivariums and more.• Built-In Failsafe feature!• Lifetime Warranty!
Airfl ow Direction IncorporatedToll Free: 888-334-4545www.airfl owdirection.com • HPAC@airfl owdirection.com®Airfl ow Direction, Inc.
Circle 61
www.HPAC.com
48 HPAC EnginEEring September 2015
Installs
in no
time
FLAT
Metraloop®
seismic joints
Pre-assembled.
Pre-tested.
Two connections.
Done.
And install a BreakAway Coupling to get full-rated
www.Metrafl ex.com312-738-3800
©2015 The Metrafl ex Company
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184 titus IbC
153 trane Commercial 5
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CirCle No. Page No.
Sleepwell,Alex.
Some environments are more critical than others. When proper air management can mean the diference between a good night’s sleep and contamination, hospitals choose the leader in the feld. A partner they know stands for comfort, innovation and safety.
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