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√PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Contributed by: Pat O'Donnell, Chapter President
 

Welcome to the beginning of a new year for Puget Sound ASHRAE.

For those whom I have not yet met, I have been a member of ASHRAE since 1986, following in the footsteps of my father. I am a manufacturer’s rep and distributor of ventilation equipment and was honored to join this board a short five years ago.

I am very much looking forward to this coming year for a number of reasons. First and foremost is the privilege of following the legacy of our Past Presidents, especially the outstanding service of Joel Jackman and John Thorpe.

Another reason I’m looking forward to the year is the line-up of talent our Chapter Board has with the following leaders:

• John Thorpe, P.E. (Hargis Engineers) – Past President / Governor – Research Promotion
• Tim Burns, P.E. (W.A. Botting) - President-Elect/CRC Delegate in charge of programs,
• Rand Conger, P.E. (Johnson-Barrow) – VP/Secretary all paperwork & documents
• Gary Williamson, P.E. (Amgen) – Treasurer
• Scott Sherman (Abacus) – Governor in charge of Reception & Arrangements
• Joe Stagg (Columbia Hydronics) – Governor in charge of PAOE Program and Newsletter

In addition to these Board members, we have a wealth of Award Winning Committee Chairs that continues to bring favorable recognition to our Chapter. You will read and hear more about these individuals in due course.

Goals set by previous Boards and Presidents have been accomplished with great results, and probably fairly invisible to most reading this. Our Chapter’s financial health is very good, thanks to a previous goal of creating a budget. This Board will be good stewards of your money and will invest wisely in the betterment of our Chapter – you can count on this.

Another recent goal of involving more members in our operations has paid off as well. Our meeting attendance rose last year by 43% - a Region high. There are many reasons for this, but much was due to your input on programs through our survey early last year and the general swell in support of our Chapter by members like you.

I urge each of you to reflect on why you joined ASHRAE, consider the opportunity available to you through our Chapter and join one of our Committees. Your time investment is only limited to what you can afford. The payoff in mentoring a student member, organizing a program, helping with the golf tourney or just showing up to support a Chair, etc. is really invaluable and will be appreciated.

Our Board and Committee Chairs will be working very hard over the summer and we would all appreciate hearing from you with any thoughts, comments or questions you may have. Our next official publication of the Punch List will be the September issue.

Thank you for your support. I wish you all a safe and fun summer season.

Pat O’Donnell
Chapter President

 

 

Jessica Lakey has done a great job the last year as our chapter’s newsletter editor. She consistently created a top-notch newsletter. Her efforts are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 

√ MEMBERSHIP Contributed by Holly Townes, Membership Committee Chair   HOW TO KEEP YOUR MEMBER INFORMATION CURRENT: Get your membership and pin number from your membership card. It is best to go on line to www.ashrae.org . Log-in and go to Membership Resources, Manage your Membership, and then Address Change. Enter your new information. If you do not want to update your info on-line you can call ASHRAE at 1-800-ASHRAE. KEEP DUES CURRENT TO MAINTAIN ASHRAE BENEFITS & REDUCE REMINDER E-MAILS & PHONE CALLS: Every year we launch a Delinquency Campaign to remind members about being behind on dues. If you are 3 months or more past your payment date (based on the date you joined) you are considered delinquent and start losing benefits:     3 months behind: Journal stopped for student members     6 months behind: Journal stopped for all members     9 months behind: No handbook provided     12 months behind: Membership is dropped Local dues must be paid to receive the roster and reduced meeting and workshop fees. To check your status or pay on-line go to www.ashrae.org . Log-in with your membership number and pin and go to Pay Dues on Line. If you need a bill and have lost your invoice you can call ASHRAE at 1-800-5ASHRAE to receive a new invoice. If you are only paying local dues send these to: PO Box 6446, Bellevue, WA 98008-0446 or pay at a meeting.

WELCOME TO ASHRAE! Welcome New Members:         James Hydzik of ACCO Engineered Systems        Warren Thomas of Climate Pro        Tracy Justice of Snohomish County Planning & Development Welcome New Associate Members::        Marvin Hogan of Hargis Engineers        Steven Krause of CB Richard Ellis        Joshua Robischon of Hargis Engineers        Tara Streck of Air Systems Engineering        Gurvinder Singh of Puget Sound Energy        Duane Randolph Bennett of Hargis Engineering Welcome New Affiliate Members::        Alan Burt of SSA Acoustics        Welcome to Transfers from other chapters:         Christopher Narramore of Hargis Engineering          Welcome back to ASHRAE:        Vahid Abossein of Abossein Engineering Corp          Byron Holmstead of Engineering Economics, Inc.        Michael Wade of NCS Corporation Congratulations on Becoming a Life Member!:        Donald MacKenzie of KJ Barnett Co.        Dennis Zbataschuk of CDi Engineers

Thank you in advance for keeping dues & information current!
If you need help walking through any of the processes feel free to call ASHRAE or call me - Holly Townes, Membership Chair, 206-246-1359.  

  

√INTERNATIONAL REFRIGERATION, AIR CONDITIONING & HEAT PUMPS CONFERENCE IN NEW ZEALAND

Contributed by Ronald A. Cole, P.E., Refrigeration Chair  

The NZ National Committee of the International Institute of Refrigeration in collaboration with the NZ Institute of Refrigerating, Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (IRHACE) are organizing an international refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps conference in Auckland (New Zealand) from Thursday, 16 February to Saturday, 18 February, 2006. Please contact Ron Cole for a brochure both giving information about the conference and inviting submission of paper abstracts by the deadline of 1 June 2005. Ron was told they hope that this conference will be of interest to you and welcome your contribution and/or attendance.

Do Consulting Engineers Still Need ASHRAE? ASHRAE Insights By S. Louis Kelter, P.E., Fellow/Life Member ASHRAE May/2005 Vol 20/Issue 5 When I was a young man — in the years of slide rules, pencils and drafting boards — I knew I was an HVAC designer when someone presented me with a hand-me-down copy of the ASHAE Guide. In my early 20s, a coworker suggested that a group of us attend a three-night lecture series at the New York Engineers Club. One of the featured speakers was the controversial A.I. MacFarlane. That was my first encounter with the organization then known as the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (ASHVE). It took me many years to realize that controversy was not new to Mac or the Society. I knew I had "arrived" when in 1966 when I joined the "National" as an Associate Member and received my own copy of the "Bible." In those years one could not design HVAC systems without the ASHAE Guide and to get a copy you had to become a member of what had become ASHRAE. In addition, my first boss told me that his philosophy was to make his social life part of his professional life. He said that if I did that, I was sure to be successful. In 1971, I left New York City for a position in Princeton, N.J., and quickly discovered there were few HVAC engineers or salesmen in the area. The need for information and contacts led me to seek out the local chapter of ASHRAE. Today, many things are different. Most HVAC designers now use computer programs that have all the data programmed in as multiple choices. Some feel that reading the ASHRAE Handbook is a waste of their time and they can glean all the system and equipment information out of magazine articles or catalogs. They do not believe they should have to spend their personal time getting involved in the industry's activities. If the firm pays for their ASHRAE membership and meal, they might attend a meeting (definitely if it is during lunch), but volunteering is out of the question for most. They couldn't be more wrong. The need for information and contacts is even more important today. An engineer now must consider public safety, new codes, guidelines and standards, new equipment options, new issues with energy efficiency, IAQ, seismology, noise and lots more. The engineer also must run a business, deal with archaic fee systems and unrealistic construction schedules. The

information provided by ASHRAE equips an engineer to deal with all of these issues and more. What is different is the way information is delivered. For example, ASHRAE now provides home study courses, called Self-Directed Learning Modules. You can view them all by visiting www.ashrae.org and clicking on "Education and Publications." Each course offers a self-testing program that ASHRAE grades to let the student know how well he or she has grasped the content. This program also lets consulting engineers give their employees a practical learning experience while limiting reductions in productivity. ASHRAE is going further, however. An ad hoc committee has been appointed to consider development of certification programs. For example, an individual member certification program could establish specific tracks of HVAC&R specialty at multiple levels of expertise and implementation. Other programs could focus on building design and operation certification or at product and equipment certification. All would help the consulting engineer to have a better-trained work force, and a credible and widely recognized frame of reference when communicating with the public and with building owners about HVAC&R performance, while at the same time allowing the consulting engineer to operate his or her business efficiently and soundly. Another way that ASHRAE helps the consulting engineer is by offering continuing educational units and professional development hours. The Society already does this through the ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI). The Self-Directed Learning Modules offer CEUs, as do short courses presented by ASHRAE at the AHR Expo and professional development seminars conducted by ASHRAE in various locations. To make these seminars more accessible, ASHRAE now offers them online. The online seminars consist of two days of online instruction, where there is give-and-take between instructors and students, while the student never leaves his work area. Finally, ASHRAE is looking at how it can assist chapters by providing local chapter technical lectures and seminars that fulfill requirements of many state professional boards. It was a long time since I went to my first ASHVE seminar, but not much has changed. The Society continues to meet the evolving needs of a new generation of engineers. The only problem is that many of them do not know they need to know more than what they read in a magazine — even ASHRAE Journal — or what a computer program spits out. They need contact with their peers, with suppliers, with contractors and with facility managers. No computer can give them that. Only ASHRAE can. So do consulting engineers still need ASHRAE? You bet. More now than ever before. Revised Date: May 2, 2005

√NEXT YEAR’S CHAPTER PROGRAMS Contributed by: Tim Burns, Chapter President-Elect   Why do you attend the ASHRAE meetings? What do you get out of the meetings? As the new chair of the Chapter Programs Committee, I am beginning to line up speakers for next years dinner or lunch meetings and workshops. I will be sending, very soon, an email survey for member’s preferences for technical topics. I welcome your suggestions for topics or themes (technical, general business, and social) for next years programs. Please feel free to contact me right away with any feedback you have concerning next years program line-up. Be sure to watch for the email survey for next year’s programs (it may land in your spam folder). I appreciate your input. Tim Burns Tim Burns (425) 483-7504.

Last month’s ASHRAE Learning Institute Optimizing the Design and Control of Chilled Water Plants Seminar sponsored by the TEGA Committee.

 √ MAY MEETING REVIEW

Contributed by: Pat O’Donnell, Chapter President

WORKSHOP: Mr. Keith Elder, General Manager of Coffman Engineers, teased the membership all year long with his much anticipated “Critical Principles & Perilous Myths of Human Comfort” presentation.

He made good on the expectations, and we had to drag people out of his workshop in order to get them registered for dinner. Very interesting insights and a program that should probably be brought back again soon.

MAIN PROGRAM: Mr. Juan Hernandez of Keen Engineering waited patiently for our typically busy May business meeting to conclude, and gave us a very thought provoking PowerPoint presentation on Sustainable Design.

Daylighting, exterior shading, natural ventilation, all sorts of concepts that go into proper Sustainable Design and how this is changing the dynamics between owners, architects, consultants, etc.

Well done, Juan.

 √ SOCIETY WEBCAST REVIEW: MOLD IN THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENT

Contributed by: Gary Milligan, Chapter Historian

The ASHRAE live Webcast on "Mold in the Indoor Environment" on April 13 went off as planned at the Trane Seattle office in Bellevue. There were a total of 28 in attendance, though despite our pleas, 6 of them would not sign the sign-in sheet! (If those six were simply playing hooky, and didn't want their whereabouts known, well, my hat is off for their dedication to the industry!)

The broadcast covered a broad spectrum of issues, from an introduction to what is known now about mold in the built environment to issues related to HVAC design, installation, and operation. Questions were taken from a worldwide audience.

The broadcast went off technically very well, and most comments afterwards were that the bulk of the information was good particularly for those very new to the issue. There were several members in attendance from the Indoor Air Investigators Association (IAIA) of Seattle, headed by Mia Sazon and Richard Knights.

Many thanks to Trane Seattle for the use of their facility and coordination help, and to Building Solutions Group/SERVPRO and the Indoor Air Investigators Association for providing food and drink.

 

 

 

√ CRC REVIEW Contributed by: Pat O’Donnell, Chapter President Early last month, the twelve Chapters in our Region got together for our annual meeting, known as CRC (Chapters Regional Conference) – this year in Hawaii. One piece of business at the CRC’s is the recognition of outstanding work by various individuals throughout the year. We are planningto do a presentation some time next year to give a more detailed account of what goes on at the CRC’s, but I can’t wait to recognize the following awards won by our Chapter:

Best Membership Promotion Program in the Region – Holly Townes, Keithly Barber Associates Best Student Activities Program in the Region – Darren Schwend, Notkin Engineering Best TEGA Program in the Region – Leslie Jonsson, CDi Engineers                     * Regional, Best in Class, Technology Award – Norm Brown, CDi Engineers for McCaw Hall Full Circle Award (financial donation by each Chapter Board Member) 2003-2004 Star Award – Best Programs for 2004-2005 in Region Gold Ribbon Award for Historical interview of Mr. Bob Johnson – Gary Milligan, ServPro Presidential Award of Excellence certificate for Joel Jackman, PSE Other PAOE awards as follows:            * Chapter Operations – Highest points            * TEGA – Highest points            * Programs – highest points Please take any opportunity to acknowledge the hard work by these individuals, and their committee members for bringing Regional, and National, recognition to our Chapter. More importantly, if anyone is interested in helping our various committees, be it helping accomplish a task, offering a couple hours a week or month, please contact any Board Member – any amount of help will be appreciated.

√ REVIEW OF VANDERHAAK FARMS TOUR IN LYNDEN, WA Contributed by: James Holgate, Mt. Baker Section President Here is a summary of the Mt Baker ASHRAE Section tour through the Vanderhaak Farms ,Lynden WA anaerobic digester (AD) VESSEL and green power generation plant: I hope its informative and it’s a really different angle on HVAC and green power! SUMMARY: The tour was well attended with 11-13 members of the Mt Baker ASHRAE Section and the Bellingham Technical College student ASHRAE CHAPTER. Bellingham based Angar Corporation’s, Mr. Brian Vanloo cordially led the tour and answered all technical questions. Again we thank ANGAR for this great opportunity in hosting us on the Vanderhaak Farm. I have enclosed a picture of everybody in front of the plant! The methane biogas is collected from the first two stages of the AD (AD-Anaerobic Digestor!!!- remember just like your stomach but made out of concrete!) tank covering a more than 10,000 sq ft and concrete and utilized for fuel in the combined heat and power (CHP) genset. The genset is a CAT G-398, commercially available, natural gas-fueled reciprocating diesel engine modified to burn methane gas. The electricity produced by these gensets can be used to offset on-farm power consumption; excess power can be sold directly to the utility as a source of green power. Which this particular plant does it sell it to Puget Sound Energy. The waste heat, in the form of hot water, is collected from both the engine jacket liquid cooling system and from the engine exhaust (air) system. Approximately 30 to 60% of this waste heat is utilized in the AD system in the highly insulated concrete tank. The remaining waste heat can be used by the farm as a replacement for hot water production (reducing the need for natural gas or propane purchases) and for in-floor heating of the farm and holding areas, as required. This is done on the Vanderhaak Dairy. The digester effluent is pumped from the effluent pit at the end of the AD vessel to a manure solids separator. The mechanical manure separator separates the influent digested waste stream into solid and liquid fractions. The solids are dewatered to approximately a 35% solid material. The separated solids, having the same odor and pathogen reduction characteristics as the liquid stream, and is utilized by the farm for bedding replacement (an expense reduction). Use of the separated solids for bedding typically comprises about 40 to 60% of the generated separated solids from a typical farm. This bedding - i.e. for cows - is more sterile than kiln dried sawdust for cows with 99% pathogens removed! ... I know I sound like I went to WSU… Go Cougs… but I didn’t! . The residual 40 to 60% of non-utilized separated solids may be sold (system-generated income) to other farms for bedding purposes or sold to after-markets, such as nurseries and composters, for soil amendment material. A contract with a Seattle firm sells the bedding material for plant compost at $10/tonne. The liquid from the manure separator, now with the majority of the large solids removed, gravity flows into the farm’s storage lagoon. A large advantage of the effluent from the AD treatment process is that the viscosity of the effluent is such, as opposed to the raw manure influent, that the liquid effluent can be pumped through an irrigation nozzle for field spreading. This gives a greenhouse gas emission reduction and has other potential benefits such as reduced odor reduction and weed seed destruction in the effluent. Odor is a major challenge for people living around farms… but it can be gotten use too! The pictures show AD tank with insulation and methane gas collection pipe, flare and backflow spark arrestor, process building genset and digester heat circulation system, and view of participants on tour. The youngest participant and non-ASHRAE member was 5 years old, Lars Alexander Holgate, farm tractor aficionado extraordinaire!

VANDERHAAK FARMS PROJECT PARTICULARS: POWER GENERATION CAPACITY:          300 KW (EXPECTED INCREASE TO 450 KW WITH TURBO’S ON DIESEL ENGINE) CAPACITY:          4500 GAL/DAY-1500 COWS 5-6 COWS PRODUCE 1Kw METHANE PRODUCTION TYPE OF ANAEROBIC DIGESTER (AD):          MIXED PLUG FLOW PROJECT COST: $1.2 MILLION GRANT FUNDING: $270,000 ELECTRICITY COST:          $0.05/KWHR $.005 FARMER GETS ON CHICAGO CO2 EXCHANGE GREEN POWER BUYER: PSE PAYBACK TIME: 7 YRS PROJECT CONTR. DURATION:         3-4 MONTHS SOLIDS CONTRACT COMPOST:         $10/TONNE SOLD TO SEATTLE LANDSCAPING FIRM-SOLIDS USED FOR COW bedding! MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR: ANDGAR DESIGNER: GHD, INC. WISCONSIN

REMEMBER ASHRAE IS NOT JUST ABOUT HVAC ITS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY-(WHO WILL APPROACH MERIDIAN SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH THIS GREAT IDEA WSU?) OR other applications can be seen such as wood kiln drying, food composting or other cogeneration! - THESE ARE GOING IN ALL AROUND THE WESTCOAST AND CANADA! THE GOVERNOR IS VISITING this site today!

 

√ ANNOUNCEMENTS/ WORKSHOPS/ CLASSES

June 6th TEGA Meeting The next TEGA meeting will be held on Monday, June 6th from 12:00-1:30 in the Seattle Municipal Building, Room 2246. Kollin Min, Vice President of Programs for the Cascadia Region Green Building Council will discuss the legislative process to pass HB/SB 1272 requiring LEED buildings for state funded projects greater than or equal to 5000 sq. ft. He will talk about how this bill affects commercial buildings, as well as K-12 schools. SMACNA – WESTERN WASHINGTON PRODUCT / TRADE SHOW Contributed by Tonia Sorrell-Neal, SMACNA Western Washington Membership Services Director SMACNA-Western Washington would like to extend an invitation to all ASHRAE members to attend our first product/trade show in many years. Things have changed, and with new technology comes the need to get in front of the people who buy the products. Please join industry professionals, contractors, architects and engineers for an invaluable opportunity to network and view a variety of new products. June 15, 2005 at the SeaTac Marriott in the Washington Ballroom 3:00-6:00 p.m. Cocktails and Appetizers will be served.

RECYCLING: PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE IN ENGINEERING It is not often that engineering firms have an opportunity to directly participate in recycling... In advance of an impending office relocation, we cleaned out decades of obsolete 3-ring binders from our engineering library and project files. There ended up being over 500 of them! Instead of sending them to the landfill, I made a couple calls, and my child's school took a couple hundred. The remaining 400+ binders were advertised as a free item on "Craig's List". I received 3 inquiries within 24 hours of people who wanted to take all 400 binders! And many more inquiries from people who were interested in taking smaller quantities. They did not care that many of the binders had marks on the spines and covers. So I encourage other firms to find groups that can reuse their obsolete binders. I think no matter how many you are getting rid of, you can recycle them to someone who can use them. Below is the note I received from the person who took the 400 binders! Joan Hitchner (Engineering Economics Inc) “… I delivered all 400+ binders to 6 teachers at Evergreen High School, the 8th grade counselor at Cascade Middle School (both in Seattle's White Center neighborhood) and Union Gospel Mission's Women & Family Shelter downtown this morning. Many thanks from all the recipients - if you hear of other engineering firms looking to offload similar stuff please pass along my information! ...” Owen Sallee Coordinator for Urban Involvement Urban Involvement/Latreia Seattle Pacific University (206) 427-1296 cell (206) 281-2932 office owen@spu.edu