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Engineers Toolbox

HELPFUL TOOLS
 

RESOURCE CENTER

1. USE REVIT TO DESIGN:


BIM is a Computer Aided Design (CAD) tool using intelligent 3-D objects to show actual building components such as walls and doors. In Autodesk® Revit® Architecture software, viewing the building model is similar to looking at it through a camera lens, either orthographic or perspective. That means, for example, a door can be moved in any view and all the other views of the model will update automatically. This is made possible by Revit's® "parametric change engine," the name given to its underlying relational database architecture.

Revit's® database also offers information at various stages of a project, from concept to construction to decommissioning. This is sometimes called 4-D CAD, in which time is the fourth dimension.

Daikin and McQuay have a vast library of available, current content on the McQuay.com and the Autodesk® Seek Web sites. For template-based content such as Vision, Skyline, Destiny and RPS, please ask an HTS sales representative. He or she also can help you with the availability of other Revit® files.

2. EARN LEED CREDITS:


The green building designation showing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design has fast become a building standard. LEED is a voluntary certification sought by building owners for new or existing buildings. Elements of a building's design, construction and materials earn credits towards a possible total of 100 points. Four levels of LEED certification can be earned based on the number of credits a building earns.


HTS has tackled numerous projects in recent years to help buildings achieve LEED-certification and can help you design water and air systems to reach your LEED goals, too. Please visit www.usgbc.org or www.gbci.org for more information about this coveted certification. HTS engineers also frequently access refrigerant calculators for LEED EA Credit 4 , chiller energy comparison spreadsheets and chiller efficiency calculators in advising building owners on LEED certification.


3. UNDERSTAND SOUND MANAGEMENT:


While the performance and efficiency of HVAC equipment is paramount to building owners, these goals are obsolete if the noise emitted by the machines is too loud for an end-user's environment. Engineers must understand the actual sound power levels in order to make a fair comparison between two pieces of similar equipment. HTS works hand-in-hand with the building's design team to ensure that both space NC and sound power are at acceptable levels. Understanding both the amplitude, measured in decibels, and the frequency of the sound, measured in Hertz, our engineers are valuable partners in designing and equipping a space with the most efficient, effective and quiet HVAC equipment on the market today. Tables incorporating perceived sound level changes, decibel addition charts, sound pressure levels and octave band center frequencies are helpful tools used by the design team to limit noise disturbances in enclosed office spaces.


4. CALCULATE HEAT GAIN:


One of the ultimate goals, of course, of HVAC equipment is to cool an enclosed space for potential end-users of the building. However, as the electrical motors used in this cooling equipment generate its own heat from operation, engineers must incorporate this additional heat gain into the overall design of a building. HTS engineers and sales representatives have a thorough knowledge of heat gain produced by its bevy of equipment, and therefore are vital consultants from the beginning of a design plan. The following table of electrical motors heat gain helps HTS engineers evaluate the overall efficiency of its equipment.

Fan inefficiency are what cause the heat gain and temperature rise in the airstream. Refer to this link for the paragraph and formulas.



5. MEASURE EFFICIENCY & PERFORMANCE:
 

Efficiency and performance are the name of the game when it comes to primary goals of engineers and building owners. HTS project managers are well versed in essential ratios and coefficients that translate directly into maximum effectiveness and performance of all its HVAC system equipment. Incorporated into all HTS plans are detailed Coefficient of Performance (COP) ratios, measuring the cooling or heating output to the energy input of a compressorized unit and Energy Efficiency Ratios (EER), which indicates the cooling efficiency of a unit. HTS project managers routinely correspond with engineers to relay important equipment efficiency and performance parameters:
  • KW/ton = 12 / EER
  • KW/ton = 12 / (COP x 3.412)
  • COP = EER / 3.412
  • COP=12 / (KW/ton) / 3.412
  • EER = 12 / KW/ton
  • EER = COP x 3.412

6. RECEIVE UTILITY INCENTIVES:


HTS is partnering with with local utilities in Ontario by using high efficiency HVAC equipment. That includes high efficiency chillers, rooftop units, central plants, premium efficiency motors and variable speed drives.

Available utility rebates for customers in Ontario are outlined on the following Web pages:
  1. The Building Owners & Managers Association Conservation & Demand Management (BOMA CDM) Program:
    www.bomacdm.com
  2. The Green Saver Multi-Family, Energy-Efficiency Rebate Program:
    www.meerontario.ca
  3. The Better Buildings Partnership MASH (Municipal, Academic, Social Services, and Healthcare) Program:
    www.bbptoronto.ca
  4. The Horizon Utilities Electricity Retrofit Incentive Program (ERIP):
    http://horizon.erip.ca/retrofit/
  5. Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc. Programs & Incentives:
    www.enbridgegas.com
  6. Toronto Water Efficiency Programs:
    www.toronto.ca/water

7. EVALUATE REFRIGERANT PROPERTIES:


In addition to evaluating sound and heat gain of HVAC equipment, the design team also must consider the effect of various low, medium and high pressure refrigerants on the overall performance of the machinery. The following tables of refrigerant properties are commonly used by the design team and HTS engineers to appraise and select appropriate refrigerants.


8. ASHRAE FAN SYSTEM POWER LIMITATIONS:


The following ASHRAE excel file is a useful tool for calculating the fan power limitations of your system.
Fan Power Limitation Calculator


9. MAGNETIC BEARING CHILLER TECHNOLOGY:


Magnetic Bearing Chiller Seminar presentations - September 21, 2011:
McQuay Magnetic Bearing Chillers
Chiller Plant Optimization
MOE Ontario R11 Regulation
Mirus Harmonic Distortion




Engineering Toolbox


Take advantage of our resource center:
Use Revit to design
• Earn LEED Credits
• Receive utility incentives
• Calculate heat gain and more...

Learn more about our toolbox

LEED on...


HTS' expertise in Green HVAC systems brings a breath of fresh air to your LEED achievements.

Learn more about LEED Certification
See HTS Energy Efficient Solutions
Take advantage of Federal Tax Incentives

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