Proving Water Flow in Rooftop Air Handlers

We met with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) last year, who was working on a new design for rooftop air handling equipment. Part of the their design utilized water flow for cooling in a loop.

Low or no-flow conditions can cause major damage to expensive pumps, motors, and other equipment, which could result in extensive downtime and repair costs. In order to prevent this, the customer needed an inexpensive, but reliable and robust method for proving water flow. Continue reading “Proving Water Flow in Rooftop Air Handlers”

The Key to Energy Efficiency

“In the real estate industry you always hear this phrase, ‘Location, location, location.’ I think for energy management systems the key is ‘Execution, execution, execution.'”[1]

— Sara Lisauskas, Energy Management Systems: Maximizing Energy Savings

What comes to mind when you think of the phrase “energy efficient?” Perhaps you think of LED light bulbs, electric cars, Energy Star appliances, or LEED-certified buildings. But energy efficiency isn’t limited to “green” products or certifications. Continue reading “The Key to Energy Efficiency”

Velocity Measurement and Environmental Effects

Differential pressure measurement can be beneficial in a wide variety of building automation system (BAS) applications.

One of these applications involves determining if a filter in your system needs to be cleaned or replaced. Filter health can be established by monitoring the pressure on the primary and secondary sides of a filter. A clean filter will typically have a baseline differential pressure generated as air flows through it. As the filter becomes dirty, this differential pressure increases.

When using a mechanical flow sensor, such as a pitot tube, differential pressure can also be used to determine flow velocity and volumetric flow. Continue reading “Velocity Measurement and Environmental Effects”