This month’s Facility File will focus on the B2B November test for the addition of a 100-ton, year-round cooling tower addition as standby to an existing, older cooling tower serving a process cooling system in a pharmaceutical facility. It will be very beneficial for the pharma facility O&M manager to refresh her memory by reading 2015 ASHRAE Handbook — HVAC Application chapter 18 (Clean Spaces), 2016 ASHRAE Handbook — HVAC Systems and Equipment, and, more specifically, chapter 14 (Condenser Water Systems) and chapter 40 (Cooling Towers) to be knowledgeable of ASHRAE’s latest guidelines when preparing to authorize the design of a cooling tower installation. It is also recommended that the design team and the owner’s team review the Cooling Technology Institute (CTI) cooling tower manual and CTI certification.
The project delivery method shall be design-bid-build (DBB). The building owner outsources the O&M but will keep the on-site O&M technicians involved in the project delivery process. The design team shall include the HVAC, structural, plumbing, and electrical consultants with the HVAC consulting engineer being the prime choice for this infrastructure retrofit. The owner shall retain a third-party commissioning and testing, adjusting, and balancing (CxTAB) consultant.