The Role of New Coil Restoration Technology in TAB and Retro-

Commissioning

Jeff Seippel, president of GreenAir Environmental

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NEBB Conference Agenda

• Company overview • GreenAir® HVAC coil cleaning and

restoration process • GreenAir® case studies • Bio-Film Problem • Environmentally Friendly Microorganisms

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GreenAir® Environmental Services • Established in 2006 as extension of HVAC restoration

and duct cleaning business – Certified Air Systems Cleaning Specialists (NADCA)

• Through restoration experience, developed proprietary and environmentally safe HVAC coil cleaning and verification process – Returns industrial and commercial HVAC coils to “like new” condition

• Scalable, national operation handling more than 30+ major-loss restoration projects

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Where We Can Help • TAB in major renovation projects • Retro-Commissioning • Implementation of Energy Audit

Recommendations

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GreenAir® Coil Cleaning Method

• Wet steam used to penetrate coil matrix and soften binding agents

Step One

• Non-corrosive cleaning agent added to wet steam

• pH balanced and environmentally safe

Step Two

• Proprietary cleaning techniques are used to ensure complete restoration

Step Three

• Tracking and measurement of psychometric data is used to verify cleaning

Step Four

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GreenAir® Coil Cleaning Video

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Measurement and Verification Process

• University of Michigan College of Engineering

• U.S. Department of Energy

• National Institute of Standards and Technology

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Equipment Specifications

HVAC System Seven, 30-ton refrigerant-based units

Filtration 2 inch pleated media pre-filter Coil Type Low-density two rows of coil approximately two inches thick. Coil Condition

Heavily soiled and damaged by standard coil cleaning method

• Canton High School • September 2009 • HVAC contractor hired to correct

air balance issue; tried standard coil cleaning method – two times; no success

• Applied GreenAir method • Air balance corrected and validated using

3rd party resource

HVAC Energy Case Study

Canton High School Results

AHU1 AHU2 AHU3 AHU4 AHU5 AHU6 AHU7 Avg.

Before cleaning 1.20 .93 .85 1.07 .89 1.32 1.15 1.05

After cleaning .25 .17 .18 .21 .17 .20 .19 .19

Average pressure differential of coil was reduced 80%

Average CFM was increased by 40%

Pressure differential inches/wc

• Two, 11-story towers with common first floor

• Commercial office space

Equipment Specifications HVAC System Four AHU and four chillers in penthouse Filtration

2 inch pleated media pre-filter followed by standard bag filters

Coil Type Each unit has two 10 ft. x 8 ft. coils. High-density six row coil approximately 10 inches thick.

Coil Condition

Excellent maintenance of unit with regular filter changes. Very little visible build-up on coil surface.

Ford Land

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Relative Humidity +15%

Temperature +19%

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Average Air Velocity

Average Air Velocity

Average Air Velocity Reduced 60 %

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Cooling Coil

Chiller

Cooling Tower

Cooling Tower Circuit

Chilled Water Circuit

Supply Air Return Air

Pre-Cleaning Chiller Water Temperature • Output to coils

was 44° • Return from

coils was 54-56 °

• Water temperature was raised 10-12 °

Post-Cleaning Chiller Water Temperature • Output to

coils was 44° • Return from

coils was 58-59°

• Water temperature was raised 14-15 °

HVAC Coil Cleaning Process Resulted in an Efficiency Gain of 20 – 40%

Ford Land – Chiller System

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Ford Land Chiller System Energy Usage Data

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Chillers Return Fan Drives Supply Fan Drives Circulation Pumps 1 chiller uses 216 kWh

1 drive uses 30 kWh 1 drive uses 73 kWh 1 pump uses 13 kWh

x 4 chillers x 8 drives x 4 drives x 8 pumps 865 kWh 239 kWh 293 kWh 106 kWh x 12 hours of operations

x 12 hours of operations

x 12 hours of operations

x 12 hours of operations

10,375 kWh per day 2,872 kWh per day 3,512 kWh per day 1,277 kWh per day

Daily System Energy Usage 18,036 kWh Daily Cost @ $0.07 per kWh $1,263 Annual Cost (Based on approx. 150 days of operation from May to Sept.)

$189,380

Example of Return on Investment for Ford Land

Annual System Cost $189,380

Coil efficiency gain 20 – 40%

Percent of Energy Savings Annual Financial Savings

10% $18,938

15% $28,407

20% $37,876

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Marcus Garvey Academy

AHU Pre-Clean Velocity

Avg (ft/min) Post-Clean Velocity

Avg (ft/min) % Increase

1 217 664 206 2 197 715 262 3 178 767 331 4 38 761 1926 5 77 748 876 6 231 884 282 7 4 331 7476 8 578 670 16 9 646 667 4

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Coleman A. Young Municipal Center

Unit Pre-Clean Velocity

Avg (ft/min) Post-Clean Velocity

Avg (ft/min) % Increase

1 466 627 47 2 551 603 9 3 568 627 11 4 553 589 7 5 495 699 41 6 458 548 18 7 425 600 41 8 see AHU 8 details 570 see AHU 8 details 9 381 434 13

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Today’s HVAC Cleaning Methods are Unproven and Unreliable

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Today`s standard methods only reach into the first row of the coil structure leaving the inner majority un-affected by

the cleaning process

Biofilm Challenge

• Bacteria grow in/on coils and fins clogging them and reducing the efficiency of a system

• Bacteria on coils and fins can generate odors that become a severe irritant and may lead to health issues

Cleaning Protocols Do Not Remove Biofilm 19

Biofilm Challenge

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Close-up of coil after conventional cleaning (note black tar like substance is biofilm)

Microscopic cleaning of coil using engineered EFM after conventional cleaning

What Is Biofilm? • Biofilms are aggregates of predominately bacterial cells attached to and growing on

a surface (Costerton J.W. and Stewart, P.S., 2001 Battling Biofilms. Sci. Am., 285:74-81. )

• A biofilm forms when bacteria begin to excrete a slimy, sticky substance that allows them to adhere to surfaces

• This extracellular polymeric substance (EPS),is what provides the biofilm with increased resistance to antimicrobial agents, heat/cold and cleaners

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Micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi, algae…) Biofilm EPS binding matrix (exopolysaccharides, proteins…) BIOFILM

Our Solution to Bio Film • Environmentally-friendly surfactants, enzymes and Environmentally Friendly

Microorganisms (EFM) break down biofilm and release trapped dirt • We clean at the microscopic level • After cleaning we restore and maintain a healthy balance of EFM by

automatic delivery tied into the HVAC system controls • Our EFM products are naturally biodegradable and do not use harsh

chemicals – Agent constituents are on the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)

list • Return HVAC systems to “like new” condition

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Coleman A. Young Municipal Center EFMs Show Dramatic Results

686 605 109 311

786 805 295 360

749 870 392 249

One Year After Initial GreenAir Process

Velocity (ft/min)

1241 677 521 721

763 1184 560 557

1018 962 727 724

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Results of second cleaning and EFM Treatment Velocity (ft/min)

Coleman A. Young Municipal Center Probiotic Results

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Performance curve mimics geometric biological reproduction curve

∆T Pre-EFM Treatment

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Return Air 76°

Supply Air 50°

∆T = 26°

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Return Air

Supply Air

78°

48°

∆T increased to 30°, an increase of 15 %

∆T Post-EFM Treatment

Questions?

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