Humidity Principles, Controls and Sensors Presented at May 14 Meeting

There's more to humidity than indoor comfort, and there is a lot to know when it comes to controlling its impact on indoor air quality in buildings. Those who attended the May 14 monthly meeting and seminar picked up much useful information about the topic. About 60 people were in the crowd for the two afternoon presentations and an after dinner talk at the Park Tavern in Chicago, near the United Center and downtown.

Lew Harriman, Director of Research & Consulting at Mason-Grant in Portsmouth, NH, and also one of ASHRAE's "Distinguished Lecturers, was the afternoon speaker. His first talk discussed "Humidity Control – Principles and Practice." He followed this up with a discussion of "Diagnosing and Fixing Humidity Control Problems in Real World Buildings."

An ASHRAE Fellow, Lew has 35 years of experience with humidity control systems in a broad variety of commercial, industrial and institutional applications. He has taught humidity control to more than 3,000 technical professionals. Lew is the lead author of both ASHRAE's Humidity Control Design Guide and the ASHRAE Guide for Buildings in Hot & Humid Climates. 

 The evening presentation on "Humidity Sensors – Understanding & Evaluating Products and Performance Criteria," explained how humidity sensors are used in different applications with varying requirements for control strategies and performance. It was conducted by Maria Lupo, LEED AP, Associate – Control Systems Engineer, Environmental Systems Design in the Energy and Eco Services group. Maria's experience includes the design and assessment of building control systems for new and existing buildings including commercial office, healthcare, and mission critical facilities

Chapter members may download the three presentation files in the "Previous Meeting" area at www.illinoisashrae.org.

This Job Will Send You into Orbit!

If your company is one that prides itself on the belief that no project is too small, too large or too difficult, then get ready; we may have a job for you. On the surface, it appears to be a simple ammonia leak and a routine pump replacement. However, this job is not on the surface — in fact, not even close to it. So if you accept it just know that you’ll need to travel farther than normal (upward some 220 miles) and be able to perform the repair in a state of zero gravity.

In a May 10 National Public Radio (NPR) story, Astronauts aboard the International Space Station reported seeing “a steady stream of flakes or bits” trailing away from a spot somewhere outside their orbiting laboratory. Ground controllers have watched the ammonia levels steadily drop on one of the station’s cooling system power channels.

Two of the astronauts, Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn, hope to handle the repair themselves during a space walk they planned over the weekend. While they are apparently trained to perform such a task, it is one they expect could require up to six hours to complete while floating in space. (Does that sound like too much time to you?)

If they are unsuccessful and you think your mechanics can handle the task, then start getting yourself prepared now. They’ll have to call someone for help. If it’s the Illinois Chapter office, we’re not sure what referral to offer them.

Spring Tour on a Beautiful Spring Afternoon

The Illinois Chapter’s Spring Tour was a very worthwhile outing in a number of ways. A beautiful spring afternoon greeted the group of 28 Chapter members who attended the discussion and walking tour at the City of Elgin Water Treatment Plant on April 25^th. Sudesh Saraf, Wight Co., started off with a detailed explanation of his recent project, which updated the HVAC system that services the plant’s offices and laboratories. He was accompanied by Richard Munson, City of Aurora Engineer, who described the workings of the water treatment plant and added historical background to the city and its water delivery system. Aurora is Illinois’ second largest city. Its current daily consumption averages 15 – 16 million gallons of water drawn from both underground wells and the nearby Fox River.

Afterward everyone broke into smaller groups for a behind-the-scenes walking tour of the plant. Among its features was an overhead view several ClariCone clarifier tanks, each of which holds up to 300,000 gals. The project won a 2012 Excellence in Engineering Award. After the tour, several members gathered at the nearby Two Brothers Roundhouse microbrewery for a social get together.

More Spring Tour photos.   Other Award Winning Projects

Illinois Chapter Elects New Leaders

Thanks to all members who participated in the recent election for Illinois Chapter ASHRAE officers and directors in 2013-14. The online ballots have been counted. We are proud to present the following names and wish to congratulate each person. We’ll have information on appointments for committee members in the near future. Here’s a description of Illinois Chapter committees. Let us know if you’d like to get involved with one or more committees.

Dan Hansen, President
Laura Michel, President-Elect
Roland Schleicher, Treasurer
Brian Medina, Secretary

 Board of Governors
Roxanne Cortinas
Laura Ludwig
Will Mak
John Song
Todd Soukup

Tell Us What You Think

Illinois Chapter members were recently emailed a brief survey designed to help the Chapter CTTC (Programs) Committee select topics for next year’s education programs. Please take a few moments to review and complete the questions. Your preferences and suggestions will help the committee choose seminar topics that the most appealing and significant to Chapter members. Completed surveys will be accepted until May 29. Take the survey now.

A Look at the April 9 Meeting 

Members and guests at the April 9 meeting gained new information and ideas about Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) from three presenters who described ASHRAE's Indoor Air Quality Guide, Commissioning Ramifications of IAQ Guidelines, and Gas Detection and Monitoring. They were   (clockwise from top) James Livingston, Regional Sales Manager, Ruskin Co.; John Villanni, Associate V.P., Grumman/Butkus Associates; and Ron Sweet, Regional Sales Manager, Critical Environment Technologies.

The Sky's The Limit At Annual Conference In Denver

Join the Society in Denver, Colo., June 22-26, to elevate your career to new heights with its technical program, learning courses, technical tours and opportunities to network.

The Technical Program kicks off early Sunday, June 23, with interactive programs and a networking coffee break. The Technical Program includes such tracks as Building Energy Modeling vs. Measurement and Verification; Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources; and the Mile-High Efficiency and Equipment track. The Integrated Project Delivery mini-conference, which takes place Sunday-Monday, presents success and lessons learned. The Technical Program runs June 23-26. Additionally, a newly created Research Summit—which comprises a major portion of the technical program—brings together distinguished researchers to discuss the latest research results, techniques and future directions.

Denver provides many opportunities to get out and explore. Technical tours include the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Pepsi Center Stadium, Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) and the Denver Zoo. General tours feature Colorado Springs, the Platte Riverwalk, Red Rocks and Coors Brewery and Boulder, Colo. The Conference Headquarter hotel is the Sheraton Denver Downtown. To register or for more information, visit www.ashrae.org/denver.

Congratulations to the following individuals who recently became ASHRAE members and welcome to the Illinois Chapter:

Associates
Sergio Bandera
John Browne
Julianna Carney
Peter Crichton
Louis Franceschini
Rishi Gupta
Daniel Huizinga
Corey Kravitz
Tory McNeil
Andrew Milleville
Patrick Moran
Eric George Peterson
Varun Sood
Nathaniel Weber
Gustavo Zarazua

 Members
Roy Jensen
Richard Ko Ang, PE
Brian Roskens
Dr. Yanping Xia