A Field Perspective on Engineering Commissioning Resources
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  • SketchUp Models
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    • Bureaucratic Affairs Building HHW System Logic Exercise
    • Bureaucratic Affairs Building Scavenger Hunt
    • Chilled Water Plant System Diagram Exercise
    • The HIjend Hotel >
      • Chilled Water Plant Scoping Exercise
      • Ballroom AHU Scoping Exercise
      • Cooling Tower Scoping Exercise
  • Tools
    • Altitude Correction Factor
    • Economizer Evaluation Checklist
    • Eikon for Educators and WindLGC
    • Effective Duct Length Tool
    • Excel Third Axis Tool
    • Excel Time Value Conversion
    • Insulation Savings Tools
    • Logic Diagram Tool
    • Mixed Air Calculations
    • Monitoring Plan Spreadsheet
    • Pipe Friction Chart
    • Plot Digitizer >
      • Plot Digitizer Pump Curve Example
    • Square Law Spreadsheet
    • System Diagram Symbols
    • Thermodynamic Diagrams Spreadsheet
    • Universal Translator Data Analysis Tool
    • y = (m * x) + b Spreadsheet
  • Useful Formulas
    • Affinity Laws
    • Circular Equivalent Duct
    • Effective Duct Length
    • FT Guide Appendix C
    • HVAC Equations and Concepts
    • Hydraulic Diameter
    • Pump Power and Energy
    • "Square Law"
  • What's That Thing?
    • Cooling Towers
    • Pumps
    • Valves
  • Resources
    • Bill Coad's Writings
    • Data Logging Resources
    • EBCx Skills Guidebook
    • Energy Design Resources
    • Fisher Controls Valve Cavitation Bulletin
    • Functional Testing Guide
    • Honeywell Gray Manual
    • MCC Powers Bulletins
    • NBCIP Reports
    • PEC Tool Lending Library
    • PID Resources
    • Pneumatic Control Resources
    • Resource List
    • Scoping Resources
    • TAB Resources
    • Vintage Carrier Design Manual
    • VRF Systems
    • Williams' Wisdom
  • Videos
    • Bureaucratic Affairs HHW Logic Answers
    • Cooling Tower Flow Variation
    • Economizer Stratification
    • Functional Testing
    • Induction Principles
    • Monitoring Plans
    • Ripple Effects
    • Testing a Pump
    • The Garden of Low Entropy
    • Variable Flow Systems
  • Training
    • Materials from Classes and Presentations >
      • ACEEE
      • ASHRAE
      • ASHRAE - Engineers Notebook
      • BCxA and NCBC
      • BEST Institute
      • Case Studies
      • ERDC 2020 RCx Academy
      • ELPNW
      • ICEBO
      • Marriott AEP
      • Magazine Articles
      • NAVFAC
      • Pacific Energy Center Design, Performance and Commissioning Issues Classes >
        • PEC Class Materials Archive
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Existing Building Commissioning Workshop Series 13 Materials

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As indicated on the main page, the true source for the materials for the existing building commissioning class workshop is the FTP site Ryan maintains.  If you need information regarding how to access it, you should contact him via e-mail at R2S2@pge.com.  It would be desirable to include the words "EBCx Workshop Series 13 Materials FTP Site Access" in the subject line to catch his attention.

The materials below are the materials I provide for the portions of the workshop that I teach.   I am going to keep placing them here so that you can access them before class if you want and also to make it easy for Ryan to pull them back for the FTP site. 
If someone is looking for materials from a session prior to Series 13, Ryan should probably be your first contact (see above for his e-mail) since he has everything vs. just the information I contribute.  But you should also feel free to get in touch with me if you are looking specifically for something that I provided and I will see if I can find it in my archives.
​​
Note that for the follow-up materials, I generally put a Read Me file in with the other files to explain what each of them is.
Session 1
Session 4/5
Session 9
Session 2
Session 6
Session 10
Session 3
Session 8
Session 11
Video Recordings of One-on-one GoToMeeting Sessions with Students
 


​Session 1
Session 1 Materials (series_13_session_1_ds_materials.zip)
File Size: 84903 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

 


​Session 2
Session 2 Materials (series_13_session_2_ds_materials.zip)
File Size: 172781 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Session 2 Follow Up (series_13_session_2_follow_up_materials.zip)
File Size: 56245 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

 


​Session 3
Session 3 Lecture (lecture_materials.zip)
File Size: 59639 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Session 3 Lab (lab_materials.zip)
File Size: 40500 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

 


​Sessions 4 and 5
​Lecture Materials
Lecture Slides (introduction_to_functional_testing_v4.pptx)
File Size: 19372 kb
File Type: pptx
Download File

Byers Hall Photographs
These are all of the photographs I took during the time I was on site.  I tried to select names for the pictures that described what they were but if you have questions, just e-mail me.
CHW and CW Systems (pictures_01.zip)
File Size: 241447 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

HW system and Boilers (pictures_02_.zip)
File Size: 169437 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Misc and MRI Magnet Cooling (pictures_03.zip)
File Size: 139476 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Rooftop AHUs (pictures_04.zip)
File Size: 124235 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Cooling Tower Stills and Test Data (pictures_05.zip)
File Size: 39779 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Boiler Firing Cycle
This is an extremely moving and exiting video I took that shows how the boiler linkages move during a firing cycle.  You'll laugh, you'll cry, it will change your life.

I started it right at the end of the purge cycle, so the video starts with the system moving from full air flow with no gas to purge the boiler.  If you listen to the audio, you can hear the various stages of the firing cycle.   The timing was as follows:
  • 60 seconds purge
  • 20 seconds pilot
  • 72 seconds main flame ignition and firing
  • 5 seconds main flame off and shutdown
  • 150 seconds off
The cycle repeated in a regular pattern.
There are a couple of blog posts that look at the energy implications of boiler short cycling if you want to understand how to assess an issue like this.

I also have videos of the cooling tower flow issue but I am going to put them up on a separate page I am developing to highlight cooling tower flow problems since I think they are not well recognized.  I will assess the performance implications of all of this in an upcoming blog post.
Lab Materials
Lab Materials (lab.zip)
File Size: 69424 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Findings List
​The file below is the findings list I put together during the time I was on site at Byers Hall. I plan to develop some of the information for the condenser water pump optimization and cooling tower flow issue and put it up in a blog post, so you might want to watch for that.
Findings List (ds_findings_list_v1.xlsx)
File Size: 719 kb
File Type: xlsx
Download File

​Equipment Information
The next file is information I pulled of the internet regarding the CW pump performance, the cooling towers, the flow control valves on the chillers, and the boilers along with the balancing valve information Ryan pulled back. 

The boiler information includes some detailed information about the NOx control methodology that the boilers use; i.e. the duct and control apparatus that injected flue gas into the combustion air box.  Since the flue as is inert in terms of the combustion process, injecting it into the combustion air will not impact the fuel air ratio. 

But injecting the flue gas will increase the mass flow through the combustion process and thus, cool the flame (the flame is in the 2,500°F range or higher, so at 400 - 600°F, the flue gasses are relatively cool).   The cooler flame reduces the amount of NOx generated, but also impacts over-all boiler efficiency a bit in a negative way.
Equipment Information (equipment_information.zip)
File Size: 10282 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Miscellaneous Followup Materials
This file contains all of the other follow-up information.  Mostly it is related to the lecture session at the PEC, including additional information about the flywheel test I used as an example and information from Sporlan about the refrigeration cycle and some of the components that make it work including the expansion valves and hot gas regulators.   There is also a copy of the psych chart we developed in the lab session.

I also included the presentation on the Perfect Economizer that I mentioned when Ryan shared and the economizer diagnostic in the UT.  It provides a bit more insight into how the diagnostic lines are created and also illustrates how the economizer will perform in a more extreme climate than San Francisco, where you may encounter conditions that drive you to minimum outdoor air in extremely cold weather and thus require preheat.
Miscellaneous Followup Materials (followup.zip)
File Size: 131548 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

 


​Session 6
EBCx Checklist Tool (ebcx_checklist_v8.xlsb)
File Size: 265 kb
File Type: xlsb
Download File

Supporting Information (supporting_information.zip)
File Size: 225031 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Reviewed System Diagrams (system_diagrams.zip)
File Size: 14286 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Logic Diagram Tool (logic_diagram_tool.xlsm)
File Size: 4749 kb
File Type: xlsm
Download File

UCSF Followup (ucsf_followup.zip)
File Size: 6709 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Lab Materials (lab_materials.zip)
File Size: 69424 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

 


​Session 8
Note that the Followup Materials zip file includes a Read Me file that describes the other files.
Lecture and Lab Materials (2018-03-08_materials.zip)
File Size: 65277 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Followup Materials (follow-up.zip)
File Size: 4440 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

 


​Session 9
Note that the Followup Materials zip file includes a Read Me file that describes the other files.
Lab and Lecture Materials (2018-04-12.zip)
File Size: 55440 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Follow Up Materials (followup.zip)
File Size: 117590 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

 


​Session 10
Note that the Followup Materials zip file includes a Read Me file that describes the other files.  It also includes Tony's slides.
2018-05-02.zip
File Size: 142590 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

Follow Up Materials (followup.zip)
File Size: 67440 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

 


​Session 11
These are the materials I used in the lab session, including a READ ME file describing each of the files.
2018-06-07 Lab Materials (lab.zip)
File Size: 31395 kb
File Type: zip
Download File

 

Video Recordings of One-on-one GoToMeeting Sessions with Students Discussing Different Topics

System Diagram Techniques and Reset Schedule Calculation Techniques
gotomeeting_with_john.zip
File Size: 10084 kb
File Type: zip
Download File


This video is a recording of a GoToMeeting session I did with John, which he generously offered to make public since the information may be of value to others. 

​In it, we discuss his system diagrams, including doing some edits interactively, and also how to go about doing a savings calculation for a reset schedule on a hot water system.  We also touch on how to calculate the savings associated with eliminating boiler short cycling.  I have string of blog posts that discuss the steps in that process in detail.

The zip file to the left includes the resources I mention in our discussion, including a spreadsheet with an example reset savings calculation in it.  There is a READ ME file included that describes the other files.
System Diagram Techniques, Fan Static Estimates, Schedule Optimization, and Fan Static Reduction Savings Assessment Techniques

​This video is a recording of a GoToMeeting session I did with Lane, which he generously offered to make public since the information may be of value to others. ​

In the video, we briefly discuss some improvements to his system diagram but then we talk about a number of potential savings measures and calculations that he could do, including the benefits of optimizing the unit start times and how, via the trend data, the building is "telling him" what the optimized schedule might look like.   
We also discuss how to assess the static pressure requirement for a fan system and how to use that information to try to understand if an existing system is making more static than it needs to make or not and how, if it is, you could assess the savings.

The file below is one of the resources I mentioned I would provide in the course of our discussion.  Specifically, starting around page 21, it illustrates a technique you can use to estimate the fan static requirement for an air handling system based on the elements in the system, which you typically identify when you make a system diagram.

As of the time of this post, I still need to scan the other resource (the chapter from the Carrier Design Manual about induction systems) and currently, I am not where that is.  But check back in a week or so if that is of interest to you;  I think I will have it uploaded by then if not sooner.
Design Brief with Fan Static Estimate Example (improving_mechanical_system_energy_efficiency_-_final.pdf)
File Size: 4533 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

System Diagram Techniques, Drawing a System Diagram using PowerPoint
​
​This video is a recording of a GoToMeeting session I did with Steve, which he generously offered to make public since the information may be of value to others. 
​
 
In it, we discuss how to go about developing a system diagram for a really large, complex air handling system.  In particular Steve wanted to get comfortable using electronic drawing techniques like PowerPoint.  So, most of the video shows me illustrating how to draw in PowerPoint.
System Diagram Concepts, Reset Schedule Concepts, Variable Flow Hot Water System Concepts, Tracing Out a Power Circuit for a Motor

This video is a recording of a GoToMeeting session I did with Raymond, which he like the others, agreed to share for the common good. 

​In it, we discuss his system diagram, including some things he might want to consider adding or improving.  We also touch on some MS Office drawing techniques.   The diagram is of a hot water system and there are some things to verify to better understand it, including figuring out if it is a variable flow system.
If the system is a variable flow system, then there are a number of additional opportunities that may be achievable for saving energy and those opportunities may impact the way Raymond uses to capture a scheduling opportunity he has identified.

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