TOP 10 INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING APPROACHES

We're counting down our Top 10 list in the next 10 editions of INNOVATIONS

#10 - Life-Cycle-Cost Based Decision-Making - October/November 2002

#9 - DOAS (Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems) - December/January 2003

#8 - Radiant Cooling - February/March 2003

#7 - DALI Lighting Control Systems

You thought light fixtures were immune from the digital revolution?  Think again!  DALI is coming.  A new protocol, Digital Addressable Lighting Interface, is beginning to appear in lighting products sold in the U.S. (Osram-Sylvania, Advance, Philips, Hunt Dimming, Leviton).  Just like your addressable fire alarm system, DALI allows communication to every device in the system, right down to the individual ballasts.  Devices can be  grouped by software in any fashion desired (by room, type of fixture, scene, etc.) for collective or individual control.  DALI is an open protocol so any manufacturer's products can be used interchangeably.  A DALI-compatible fluorescent ballast may be dimmed to <1% of power input and recognize as many as a hundred digital commands for control and monitoring.  Commands to the ballasts may include "on/off", "set light level", "fade to level", and "set fade time".  Queries of the ballasts can determine "actual level", "failure code", and other feedback and diagnostics. A DALI system may consist of a few rooms with individual controllers or an entire building complex complete with a server, Ethernet network, and Ethernet-to-DALI gateways.  Wiring includes the normal fixture power circuiting plus two low-voltage conductors that are daisy-chained to each ballast.  Wiring could be done with a 5-conductor Class 1 cable instead of pipe and wire.  A space with several fixture types (indirect, wall wash, down lights) could be wired on one home run (instead of separate runs to the wall switches or controllers) yet have each fixture controlled individually.

What are the possibilities?  Imagine your lighting maintenance company being able to remotely detect burned out lamps or ballasts in your building, print a work order, and dispatch their maintenance person before the occupant even thinks about calling to report a problem.  Imagine each office occupant being able to set his/her lighting level or choose a pre-programmed "scene" from a browser window on their PC (more about that in an upcoming Innovations).  Think of lighting levels automatically adjusting to the amount of daylight, occupancy, or function (occupied level, cleaning level, security level).

Advantages of DALI may include lower wiring costs (simpler cabling), lower controller cost (non-proprietary), reduced maintenance costs (feedback, digital technology), lower energy consumption (scheduling, occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting), and greater flexibility.  

Lighting systems account for as much as 30% of a building's energy cost and have a significant impact on worker productivity.  What other leading-edge lighting technologies should be considered?  See future Innovations for  highlights on T5 fluorescent fixtures, dimmable electronic HID ballasts, and other advanced concepts.

Project Spotlight:  New University of Cincinnati Genome Research Institute

Cincinnati is on the brink of becoming a global leader in genetic research.  A new research institute is taking shape at a 23-acre laboratory complex, donated to the University of Cincinnati by Aventis Pharmaceuticals.  The new Genome Research Institute, a $35 million high-tech laboratory research facility, is slated for completion in the spring of 2004.  ThermalTech Engineering is designing the MEP systems for the 270,000-SF renovation of the research labs.  Once complete, the institute will host scientists and their staffs involved in the research of the mechanism of diseases at the genetic and cellular level.

The MEP design consists of a new central plant and renovation of the existing lab HVAC and electrical systems, including:

• 2,700-ton chilled water system and 1,400-HP steam boiler plant;  (central plant designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED™ requirements)

• Reconfiguration of more than 100 individual fume hood exhaust fans to four new manifolded, redundant exhaust systems

• Rebuild of 22 air handling systems, 6 new air handlers

• Conversion of all major HVAC systems to new digital controls

• New reverse osmosis watering system

• New fire alarm, security and telecommunication systems, linked via fiber to UC main campus

• Total reconfiguration of emergency power systems, including new 1500 kW emergency generator, separation of all existing circuits into three branches

• Energy-efficient lighting upgrade

Two unique aspects of ThermalTech's involvement:  

• Field assessment of all MEP equipment that had been dormant for three years in vacant buildings

• Commissioning of all new systems and equipment to insure correct operation prior to start-up

GRI Campus

Virtual Representation of Central Plant

Exhaust Fans

 Speaking Engagements

What's new at ThermalTech?

ThermalTech proudly welcomes the following new professional staff:

	Hans H. Stroeh, P.E. Hans is a registered mechanical engineer with 30 years of consulting experience, primarily in healthcare and laboratory facilities, analyzing and designing HVAC, central plant, and plumbing systems.  He has served as a Department Leader, State Energy Coordinator, high-tech project  leader, and college HVAC design instructor.   Hans has a BS and MS from Iowa State University and a MA from Brown.
	Lynn Treiss, P.E. Lynn is a registered mechanical engineer with 19 years of consulting experience, primarily in manufacturing, laboratory and healthcare facilities, analyzing and designing HVAC, central plant, medical gas, and plumbing systems.  Lynn has a BSME from Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee.
	Nick Richmond Nick is a co-op student at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.  He will assist in fulfilling our computer-aided drafting (AutoCAD) needs until his graduation from Cincinnati State in November 2003, at which time he will earn his Associate's Degree in Architectural Engineering.  Nick was an electrician in the U.S. Marines for four years prior to college.