Douglas Lucht, P.E.

 Doug Lucht MS, P.E. has a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from South Dakota State University with over 21 years of experience in the HVAC industry. Lucht has been involved in all phases of laboratory mechanical engineering including, HVAC systems design, analysis of existing systems, laboratory pressurization, systems troubleshooting, energy studies, and HVAC systems retrocommissioning. He has completed work on many higher education research laboratory projects, including MRI suites, chemistry, and biology laboratories. Throughout Lucht’s career, he has become an industry-leading engineer who specializes in diagnosing complex building performance issues.

He enjoys his current role as a Senior Mechanical Engineer at AKF Group, LLC in Minneapolis. He can be reached at dlucht@akfgroup.com

Articles

ARTICLES

The Case Of The Exhausted Exhaust: A Lab Ventilation Mystery

The Case Of The Exhausted Exhaust: A Lab Ventilation Mystery

Why was one floor’s laboratory ventilation failing to keep up, when it was even the closest floor to the rooftop fans? Some system sleuthing led two engineers to a fitting conclusion.
Douglas Lucht, P.E.
May 10, 2017

A colleague of mine was the project manager on a commissioning project for a build-out at a five-story, 150,000-sq-ft laboratory building at a large university.


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air handling diagram

Lab Results: Big (And Sometimes Fewer) Changes

When you have to individually go verify whether 128 air curtains meant to ensure air balance in the original design’s branch ductwork are still there or not, you’re not having an easy time of it.
Douglas Lucht, P.E.
April 1, 2014
One of the worst-performing buildings I’ve had the pleasure to study was a 375,000-sq-ft laboratory building at a Midwest university.
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magnifying glass

Trust But Verify

After 40 years and other engineering studies, a large university building still suffered from humidity problems. Our intrepid author dug into the data and the dark corners of the building in pursuit of the culprit — or culprits?
Douglas Lucht, P.E.
February 1, 2014
Sebesta Blomberg was commissioned to study a humidity problem for a 400,000–sq-ft library at a university in the Midwest a few years ago.
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picture in museum

Malfunction At The Museum

An air handling unit that hasn’t worked since, well, ever. Chillers that have to work more often as a result — and an extra chiller just to attack the affected zone. These were the obvious symptoms, but what was the cause?
Douglas Lucht, P.E.
January 2, 2014
One of my favorite stories is about when I fixed a poorly performing air handling system at a local art museum.
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