HVAC Engineering Technology

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Does maintenance save money? Many numbers get thrown around when it comes to estimating the savings achieved by performing certain maintenance activities.

This month, I am continuing my series on commissioning “simple” HVAC equipment with hydronic unit heaters.

How often does an existing open condenser water system, or some other type of open water system, get reused as part of a building renovation project and/or mechanical system upgrade

As engineers work to reduce the risk of Legionella growth in buildings, what strategies can be borrowed from treating illnesses caused by biofilms?  

How often does an existing closed loop hot water heating or chilled water cooling system get reused as part of a building renovation project, and/or used to expand the area served by the system coverage to provide additional heating or air conditioning?

Thanks to a recent remodeling, patrons seated indoors experience the ambience of dining outdoors at O’Toole’s Irish American Grill & Bar. However, there are no mosquitoes, flies, or vehicle emission odors, and the temperature is always a comfortable 74°F.

Carilion Clinic is a not-for-profit health care organization based in Roanoke, VA. In line with their mission to improve the health of the communities they serve, and with the intent of becoming a teaching facility, Carilion Clinic set upon upgrading their operating rooms and related existing HVAC systems at the Carilion New River Valley Medical Center in Christiansburg, VA.

With a little guidance on ground-source heat pump design temperatures and a few rules of thumb for ground loop flow rates, most engineers are pretty comfortable designing the building side of a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) system.

Atypical load profile for a hospital might show heat energy increases in the winter, with electric demand peaks in the summer as seen in Figures 1 and 2.

Optimizing any cooling plant for minimal energy consumption is a demanding science.