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Mechanical 330

Today’s Handout: Radon, et al (For future dedicated session)

During today’s colloquium we audit the literature that sets the standard of care for mechanical engineering design, construction operations and maintenance of campus district energy systems — typically miles (kilometers) of large underground pipes and wires that characterize a district energy system.  Topically, Mechanical 400 deals with energy systems “outside” or “between” buildings; whereas Mechanical 200 deals with energy systems within an individual building envelope.

2024 International Mechanical Code

Mechanical Engineering Courses

A campus district energy system is a centralized heating and cooling network that supplies thermal energy to multiple buildings within a defined area, such as a college or university campus. The system generates steam, hot water, or chilled water at a central plant, which is then distributed through an underground network of pipes to individual buildings for space heating, domestic hot water, and air conditioning. By consolidating energy production and distribution, campus district energy systems can achieve significant energy and cost savings compared to individual building systems, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve reliability and resiliency of the energy supply.

"I've always been interested in building systems that can understand and respond to natural language. It's one of the most challenging and fascinating problems in AI" - Stephen Wolfram"The golden rule of elevator safety states 'Its either you're in or out'" - Facilities Management

School Construction News (September 24) | Arizona State University: Helping Higher Ed: Solutions to Advance Sustainability Goals in Campus Mechanical Systems

We track standards setting in the bibliographies of the following organizations:

AHRI | Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute

ASHRAE | American Society of Heating & Refrigeration Engineers

ASHRAE Guideline 14: Measurement of Energy and Demand Savings

ASHRAE Guideline 22: Instrumentation for Monitoring Central Chilled Water Plant Efficiency

Facility Smart Grid Information Model

ASME | American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ASPE | American Association of Plumbing Engineers

ASTM | American Society for Testing & Materials

AWWA | American Water Works Association

AHRI | Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute

IAPMO | International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials

IEC | International Electrotechnical Commission

Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers

Research on the Implementation Path Analysis of Typical District Energy Internet

Expansion Co-Planning of Integrated Electricity-Heat-Gas Networks in District Energy Systems

Towards a Software Infrastructure for District Energy Management

 

IMC | International Mechanical Code

IDEA | International District Energy Association

District Energy Best Practices Handbook

District Energy Assessment Tool

IPC | International Plumbing Code

ISEA | International Safety Equipment Association

NFPA | National Fire Protection Association

SMACNA | Sheet Metal Contractors National Association

UL | Underwriters Laboratories

UpTime Institute

(All relevant OSHA Standards)

It is a large domain and virtually none of the organizations listed above deal with district energy systems outside their own (market-making) circle of influence.  As best we can we try to pull together the peak priorities for the real asset managers and engineers who are responsible for these system.

* Building services engineers are responsible for the design, installation, operation and monitoring of the technical services in buildings (including mechanical, electrical and public health systems, also known as MEP or HVAC), in order to ensure the safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly operation. Building services engineers work closely with other construction professionals such as architects, structural engineers and quantity surveyors. Building services engineers influence the architectural design of building, in particular facades, in relation to energy efficiency and indoor environment, and can integrate local energy production (e.g. façade-integrated photovoltaics) or community-scale energy facilities (e.g. district heating). Building services engineers therefore play an important role in the design and operation of energy-efficient buildings (including green buildings, passive houses and zero energybuildings.  uses. With buildings accounting for about a third of all carbon emissions] and over a half of the global electricity demand, building services engineers play an important role in the move to a low-carbon society, hence mitigate global warming.


More:

Practical Essay on the Stength of Cast Iron and Other Metals  Thomas Tredgold (1882)

Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research

Installation of Air-Conditioning and Ventilating Systems

Design, construction, operation and maintenance of environmental air, piping and drainage systems is one of the largest cost centers in education facilities.  We find subtle tradeoffs between fire safety, energy conservation and indoor air quality goals.   With solid data and enlightened debate which include the user-interest (the final fiduciary in the education facility industry, for example) those tradeoffs are reconciled by technical committees administered by three ANSI-accredited standards developers:

American Society of Heating and Refrigeration Engineers (ASHRAE)

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

IAPMO Group (IAPMO)

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors National Association

Today we focus on the leading safety practice of NFPA 90A Standard for the Installation of Air-Conditioning and Ventilating Systems.  From the NFPA 90A prospectus:

[NFPA 90A] shall cover construction, installation, operation, and maintenance of systems for air conditioning and ventilating, including filters, ducts, and related equipment, to protect life and property from fire, smoke, and gases resulting from fire or from conditions having manifestations similar to fire.

[Explanation A.1.1] An air duct system has the potential to convey smoke, hot gases, and flame from area to area and to supply air to aid combustion in the fire area. For these reasons, fire protection of an air duct system is essential to safety to life and the protection of property. However, an air duct system’s fire integrity also enables it to be used as part of a building’s fire protection system. Guidance for the design of smoke-control systems is provided in NFPA 92, Standard for Smoke Control Systems. Pertinent information on maintenance is provided in Annex B. Maintenance of fire dampers, ceiling dampers, smoke dampers, and combination fire/smoke dampers requirements can be found in NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, and NFPA 105, Standard for Smoke Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives.

The original University of Michigan codes and standards advocacy enterprise spoke loud and clear about duct smoke detector application, control signaling and maintenance requirements from the user point of view.   Owing to the re-organization we missed the 2018 revision but we are now recovering from where we left off for the 2021 revision.

The First Draft Report for the 2021 edition is linked below:

First Draft Ballot / Final Results

90A_A2020_AIC_AAA_SD_PCResponses

NFPA 90A is heavily referenced in an interlocking matrix of related fire safety consensus products but it is not very lengthy document.   We include it on the standing agenda of our periodic Mechanical and Prometheus Bound teleconference.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting.

 

Issue: [13-118]

Category: Fire Protection, Mechanical

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Richard Robben, Larry Spielvogel

:

 

International Mechanical Code

2024 / 2025 / 2026 Code Development: Group B (2025)

“Plaza Italia” 1971 | Giorgio de Chirico

 

After architectural trades, the mechanical technologies occupy the largest part of building construction:

  1. HVAC:
    • Heating Systems: Technologies include furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, and radiant heating systems.
    • Ventilation Systems: Incorporating technologies like air handlers, fans, and ductwork to ensure proper air circulation.
    • Air Conditioning Systems: Including central air conditioning units, split systems, and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems.
  2. Plumbing:
    • Water Supply Systems: Involving technologies for water distribution, pumps, and pressure regulation.
    • Sanitary Systems: Including drainage, sewage systems, and waste disposal technologies.
    • Fixtures and Faucets: Incorporating technologies for sinks, toilets, showers, and other plumbing fixtures.
  3. Fire Protection:
    • Fire Sprinkler Systems: Employing technologies like sprinkler heads, pipes, pumps, and water tanks.
    • Fire Suppression Systems: Including technologies such as gas-based or foam-based suppression systems.
  4. Energy Efficiency Technologies:
    • Energy Management Systems (EMS): Utilizing sensors, controllers, and software to optimize energy consumption in HVAC systems.
    • Energy Recovery Systems: Incorporating technologies like heat exchangers to recover and reuse energy from exhaust air.
  5. Building Automation (BAS):
    • Control Systems: Using sensors, actuators, and controllers to manage and automate various mechanical systems for optimal performance and energy efficiency.
    • Smart Building Technologies: Integrating with other building systems for centralized control and monitoring.
  6. Materials and Construction Techniques:
    • Piping Materials: Selecting appropriate materials for pipes and fittings based on the application.
    • Prefab and Modular Construction: Leveraging off-site fabrication and assembly for mechanical components.

Our examination of the movement in best practice in the mechanical disciplines usually requires an understanding of first principles that appear in the International Building Code

2024 International Mechanical Code

Current Code Development Cycles (2024-2026)

2024/2025/2026 Code Development Schedule

“On the Mechanical Equivalent of Heat” | 1850 James Prescott Joule | Proceedings of the Royal Society of London

Representative Design Guidelines:

Michigan State University

Florida State University

US Department of Energy: Sandia National Laboratories

Related:

ICC Releases 2024 International Codes

Group A Model Building Codes

We are waiting for the link to the Complete Monograph for the Group A cycle in which one of our proposals (Chapter 27 Electrical) will be heard at the April 2023 Committee Action Hearings in Orlando.


Superceded:

Because of the larger, disruptive concepts usually require more than one revision cycle — i.e. 3 to 9 years — it is wise to track those ideas in the transcripts of public hearings on the revisions.   For example, the ICC Group A Committee Action Hearings were completed (virtually) in May 2021.  The complete monograph of proposals is linked below:

2021 Group A Complete Proposed Changes

Transcript of committee response is linked below:

2021 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ACTION HEARINGS ON THE 2021 EDITIONS OF THE GROUP A INTERNATIONAL CODES

A sample of the topics that need attention that involve the mechanical disciplines (e.g. energy, environmental air, water) :

  • Soil gas and carbon monoxide detection and mitigation
  • Minimum number of required plumbing fixtures in schools and higher education community facilities
  • Fixtures for adult changing stations and gender neutral toilet and bathing facilities
  • Fat, oil and grease interceptors in kitchens
  • Dormitories, residence halls

There are others ideas that can be tracked in the most recent Group B Hearings included April 6th:

LIVE: I-Code Group B Public Comment Hearings

Proposals for the 2024 IMC revision will be accepted until January 7, 2024.  We maintain this title among our core titles during our periodic Mechanical teleconferences.   See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting; open to everyone.

"Microgrids represent a transformational opportunity in how energy is generated, delivered, and consumed" - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

Issue: [Various]

Colleagues:  Mike Anthony, Richard Robben, Larry Spielvogel


Group A includes the following codes:

  • International Building Code (IBC) – Egress, Fire Safety, General Portions
  • International Fire Code (IFC)
  • International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC)
  • International Mechanical Code (IMC)
  • International Plumbing Code (IPC)
  • International Private Sewage Disposal Code (IPSDC)
  • International Residential Code (IRC) – Mechanical, Plumbing
  • International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (ISPSC)
  • International Zoning Code (IZC)
  • International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC)
  • International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC)

ICC Code Development Process: Important Links

 

Workspace / ICC

 

 

 

 

 

Bourbon Research

What Is A Standard Drink?


Greg Gutfeld and guests discuss how President Biden’s alcohol czar is warning that new guidance could be only two beers a week

Mint Julep University

Grandma’s Chicken Soup

Nebraska

WRITTEN BY Kalani Simpson PUBLISHED May 25, 2021

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 5- to 6-pound stewing hen or baking chicken
  • 1 package of chicken wings
  • 3 large onions
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 3 parsnips
  • 2 turnips
  • 11 to 12 large carrots
  • 5 to 6 celery stems
  • 1 bunch of parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Clean the chicken, put it in a large pot and cover it with cold water. Bring the water to boil.
  2. Add the chicken wings, onions, sweet potato, parsnips, turnips and carrots. Boil about 1 and a half hours. Remove fat from the surface as it accumulates.
  3. Add the parsley and celery. Cook the mixture about 45 min. longer.
  4. Remove the chicken. The chicken is not used further for the soup. (The meat makes excellent chicken parmesan.)
  5. Put the vegetables in a food processor until they are chopped fine or pass through a strainer. Both were performed in the present study.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

(Note: This soup freezes well.)  Matzo balls were prepared according to the recipe on the back of the box of matzo meal (Manischewitz).

PRINT Recipe

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