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Clark is senior mechanical engineer with Karges-Faulconbridge, (KFI). He has over 40 years experience providing mechanical engineering design services for a wide variety of projects and is an ASHRAE Life Member-Fellow. He has served on numerous national ASHRAE committees and has been a member of the Minnesota State Code Advisory Committee. He has authored many articles and papers related to plumbing, fire protection, and HVAC system design. He emphasizes practical, maintainable, cost effective designs for all aspects of his projects. He is a teacher at heart and is a senior mentor for all young engineers. Contact him at jaclark@kfi-eng.com.
Leakage caused by modern cleaning techniques, evolving codes, increased airflow requirements ... kitchen ventilation design has become more complicated than the old sizing and design challenges. Of course, they’re still around, too. Grease is the word, so review these tips to keep it from popping up in the wrong places.
A
veteran engineer takes a broad look at designing and retrofitting for
the several types of spaces that fall under the “government
buildings” category. Weigh options for ventilation, fire safety,
laboratories, and more, while considering factors like boosted head
loads and the context of what was likely in place originally and why.
The aesthetic aftermath of a heating system upgrade … placement of air returns for an unusually shaped space … noise levels … making economical but smart choices for an organization on a tight budget – these are issues that come into play for places of worship. Take a few lessons from the author, and earn praise instead of prayers for a better system.
Several of the typical “Too” adjectives sound like a list of
rejected names for Snow White’s cartoon companions: Drafty, stuffy, noisy, and
complicated. However, there’s (usually) nothing fake about comfort complaints, and
some occupants can get animated when the situation gets too bad. Draw on this
article’s wisdom to avoid ventilation mistakes that often leave facility
engineers feeling grumpy, dopey, or worse.
From the high ceilings to the high pressures of retail timelines, large mega-retail projects can present more than an engineer might bargain for. A basic prototype gets the cart rolling, but the savvy shopper has to tailor the design to some specialized space usage, regional weather, and local codes. Throw in a permanent discount on duct dilemmas, and big box stores offer their own design "specials" on nearly every aisle.
Glad you asked. It involves less ductwork, simpler duct runs, easier system expansion, less demolition if switching from constant volume to VAV, a maneuver for handling solar load shift, and more. For when to use it, why to use it, and how to design it, read on.
