CEAC-2023-1-January
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DON’T LET YOUR BUSINESS GO UP IN FLAMES!<br />
100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE<br />
INSTALL OR RETROFIT FIRE<br />
SPRINKLERS TODAY!<br />
DEDUCT THE FULL COST OF QUALIFIED PROPERTY IMPROVEMENT!<br />
CARES ACT<br />
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)<br />
Act closed a loophole that was included in the TCJA by<br />
making QIP 15-year property. This change made businesses<br />
of all sizes, regardless of the amounts spent on equipment,<br />
eligible to deduct the full cost of commercial fire sprinkler<br />
systems using bonus depreciation.<br />
The time is now to upgrade your building's fire safety with a<br />
fire sprinkler system or a sprinkler retrofit. Under the new<br />
Section 179 guidelines, the one year deduction period<br />
phases out after 2022. Any new sprinkler system or retrofit<br />
completed between September 27, 2017 and December 31,<br />
2022 will be able to be fully expensed in one year. After<br />
2022, the allowed deduction percentage is as follows:<br />
2021: 100%<br />
2022: 100%<br />
<strong>2023</strong>: 80%<br />
2024: 60%<br />
2025: 40%<br />
2026: 20%<br />
2027 and after: The depreciation schedule becomes<br />
permanently set at 15 years.<br />
WHAT IS QIP?<br />
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), passed in December,<br />
2017, gave small businesses the ability to deduct the full<br />
cost of Qualified Improvement Property (QIP) up to $1.04<br />
million in the year of installation using Section 179.<br />
QIP is defined as improvements to the interior of an existing<br />
building that is not residential property. Commercial fire<br />
sprinkler systems, including upgrades of existing systems or<br />
retrofitting in existing structures, are considered QIP.<br />
The Section 179 deduction is not phased out over time.<br />
However, there is a phase out of the amount allowed as a<br />
deduction based on a maximum spending amount of $2.59<br />
million on equipment in a year. Businesses that spend over<br />
that amount will see a dollar for dollar reduction of their<br />
eligible deduction. So a business that spends $3.63 million<br />
or more on equipment in a given year would not be allowed<br />
any Section 179 Deduction.<br />
WHAT HAS CHANGED?<br />
Prior to the TCJA allowing Section 179 on qualified<br />
improvement property, including sprinkler systems,<br />
property of this type was only allowed a deduction on a<br />
straight line basis over a period of 39 years. In other words,<br />
a company spending $390,000 on a commercial sprinkler<br />
system prior to the TCJA would only deduct $10,000 per<br />
year for 39 years.<br />
While many believe that the intention of Congress was to<br />
make Qualified Improvement Property 15-year property,<br />
which would have made this property eligible for bonus<br />
depreciation, the TCJA left the life of this property at 39<br />
years. So, a taxpayer who did not elect to use the Section<br />
179 Deduction or who has that deduction phased out would<br />
have been left to depreciate the remaining balance of the<br />
assets over a 39-year period.<br />
Neither of these deductions is currently available for fire<br />
sprinkler systems installed in residential high rises. The<br />
National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) continues to fight<br />
to obtain incentives for residential structures.<br />
For more information on how these tax incentives might impact the business of your<br />
contractors, we would recommend that they contact their tax professionals, as<br />
situations differ based on the facts and circumstances for each business. As a general<br />
rule, we would not recommend that the Local provide tax advice to the contractors.<br />
CALL OR CLICK 7087101448 • FireProtectionContractors.com
<strong>January</strong> <strong>2023</strong><br />
VOLUME 88 • Number 1<br />
Official Magazine of<br />
38<br />
cover story:<br />
Water-tube Boilers Dominate<br />
Commercial/Industrial Markets<br />
Advantages of water-tube boilers have many considering<br />
their benefits in spite of their elevated cost.<br />
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(ISSN 1553-5797) is published 12 times per year for<br />
Chief Engineers Association of Chicagoland by:<br />
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13<br />
29<br />
Stadiums Can Keep Emergency<br />
Communications Out of the “Dead<br />
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State-of-the-art Emergency Responder Communication<br />
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PVC Roofing: Recyclable at End of<br />
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PVC roofing membranes are the only commercial roofing<br />
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Publisher<br />
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john@chiefengineer.org<br />
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5 president’s message<br />
6 in brief<br />
8 news<br />
48 member news<br />
50 techline<br />
56 new products<br />
62 events<br />
64 ashrae update<br />
66 american street guide<br />
68 boiler room annex<br />
70 advertisers list<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 3
DON’T LET YOUR<br />
BUSINESS GO UP<br />
IN FLAMES!<br />
The Fire Protection Contractors work on all aspects of fire protection<br />
systems. Starting with the initial design of your system to the installation we<br />
are with you every step of the way. Almost as important as installing a fire<br />
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7087101448 • FireProtectionContractors.com
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE<br />
Dear Members,<br />
BOARD OF DIRECTORS<br />
Dan Carey<br />
Trustee<br />
312-446-1967<br />
Bryan McLaughlin<br />
Doorkeeper<br />
708-687-6254<br />
Robert Jones<br />
Warden<br />
773-407-5111<br />
Patrick Wawrzyniak<br />
Warden<br />
773-410-2326<br />
OFFICERS<br />
Ken Botta<br />
President<br />
708-952-1879<br />
Douglas Kruczek<br />
Vice President<br />
312-287-4915<br />
Laurence McMahon<br />
Vice President<br />
708-535-7003<br />
Ralph White<br />
Recording Secretary<br />
708-579-0259<br />
Brian Staunton<br />
Treasurer<br />
312-533-1575<br />
Brendan Winters<br />
Financial Secretary<br />
773-457-6403<br />
Barbara Hickey<br />
Sergeant-At-Arms<br />
773-350-9673<br />
Kevin Kenzinger<br />
Corresponding Secretary<br />
312-296-5603<br />
DIRECTORS<br />
John McDonagh<br />
Curator<br />
312-296-7887<br />
Brock Sharapata<br />
Warden<br />
312-617-7115<br />
Michael Collins<br />
Warden<br />
708-712-0126<br />
Sean Casey<br />
Warden<br />
312-890-9282<br />
A new year is upon us, and before<br />
we get down to business, let<br />
me thank everyone who attended<br />
the December meeting at<br />
Maggiano’s and gave so generously<br />
to support the Raddatz-Kulak<br />
family at their time of loss.<br />
The Chief Engineers have always<br />
been generous in such situations,<br />
and it was good to see people<br />
acting in the spirit of the season.<br />
We also need to thank, as always,<br />
our sponsors for the event,<br />
including Air Comfort, BEAR<br />
Construction and LionHeart, for<br />
their generosity and helping our<br />
Christmas event to successful as it<br />
was. As always, we encourage everyone<br />
to give them your support as they support us. And let’s not forget<br />
Alex Boerner, our longtime event planner who helped us to plan this and<br />
so many other memorable Chiefs events, who is moving on to different<br />
opportunities with the start of this new year.<br />
Our <strong>January</strong> meeting will be held Wednesday, Jan. 18th, at the Embassy<br />
Suites Hotel (Downtown, 511 N. Columbus Drive). We hope to see you<br />
there. A note on sponsoring opportunities: With Alex’s departure, those<br />
organizations seeking to sponsor a Chiefs event can get in touch with me<br />
via phone (number at left) or via email at kbotta@sbcglobal.net.<br />
Even as we plan our <strong>January</strong> meeting, our popular February Skatefest<br />
is coming together. If you’re a sponsor or vendor and would like to get<br />
involved in this family-friendly event, please don’t hesitate to reach out.<br />
We’ll announce dates and times in due course, but in the meantime, get<br />
those skates sharpened, practice your hockey skills, and we’ll look forward<br />
to seeing you out there.<br />
In the meantime, this month represents a challenging time for us chief<br />
engineers, as you well know, as we balance maintaining our tenants’<br />
comfort levels and coping with the harsh conditions of winter on both<br />
our equipment and our budgets. Remember that should you need them,<br />
our Associate Member organizations are always just a phone call, text or<br />
email away, and are reachable via our biannual Quick Shopper.<br />
All Active members remember to renew your membership for the upcoming<br />
year. If you are having difficulties, please call the office for any help<br />
needed at (708) 293-1430.<br />
As we welcome the new year, please let’s all remember to keep in mind<br />
our men and women of the military and our first responders, on whom<br />
we depend for our freedom and safety.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Pat Biesty<br />
Warden<br />
312-618-6864<br />
Thomas Phillips<br />
Past President<br />
773-445-7423<br />
Ken Botta<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 5
In Brief<br />
Explosion Tears Through Russian Gas<br />
Pipeline During Repairs<br />
MOSCOW (AP) — An explosion during repairs on a section of<br />
a Europe-bound natural gas pipeline in western Russia killed<br />
three people on Tuesday, Dec. 20, but didn’t affect export<br />
supplies, officials said.<br />
The explosion ripped through a section of the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhhorod<br />
pipeline in the Chuvashia region during<br />
repair work. Three repair workers were killed and one was<br />
injured by the blast, which sent a huge plume of burning gas<br />
skyward, regional authorities said.<br />
The pipeline that originates at a gas field in Siberia and<br />
crosses Ukraine along its way to Europe is one of the main<br />
routes for Russian gas exports to the EU.<br />
Chuvashia’s governor, Oleg Nikolayev, said in televised<br />
remarks that it wasn’t immediately clear how long it would<br />
take to fix the section of the pipeline cut by the explosion.<br />
The regional branch of Russia’s state-controlled natural gas<br />
giant, Gazprom, said volumes of gas transit weren’t affected<br />
by the blast as supplies were rerouted along parallel lines.<br />
The pipeline crossing Ukraine has become the main conduit<br />
for Russian natural gas supplies to Europe since an explosion<br />
ripped through the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline under the<br />
Baltic Sea in September, causing extensive damage.<br />
Investigators in Sweden have found traces of explosives at<br />
the Baltic Sea site where two natural gas pipelines were<br />
damaged in an act of “gross sabotage,” but they stopped<br />
short of apportioning blame.<br />
West Virginia Poultry Farm Equipped<br />
With 1,400 Solar Panels<br />
OLD FIELDS, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia poultry farm is<br />
now equipped with 1,400 solar panels, the largest such system<br />
so far in the state, a company said.<br />
Solar Holler said it installed the panels at Oak Tree Farm in<br />
Hardy County. The company partnered with Davis Hill Development,<br />
Skyview Ventures and West Virginia Poultry Partners<br />
on the project, which will provide the farm with 941,371<br />
kilowatt hours of energy per year.<br />
Thirty-party power purchase agreements allow companies<br />
like Solar Holler to own and operate a solar panel system<br />
while the farm reaps the benefits of low-cost fixed utility<br />
rates and clean energy.<br />
The farm will see a 10-percent reduction in the cost of its<br />
electricity and the solar panel system will allow for expanded<br />
operations, Shepherdstown-based Solar Holler said in a Dec<br />
20 statement.<br />
“We are thrilled to have reached our latest milestone, building<br />
and turning on the largest solar system in West Virginia<br />
history.” Solar Holler founder and CEO Dan Conant said.<br />
Large Indiana Employers Asking<br />
Utilities for ‘Green Tariffs’<br />
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Several of Indiana’s major employers<br />
want their local utilities to make it easier for them to buy<br />
power generated by wind and solar farms so they can move<br />
closer to their renewable energy goals.<br />
Cummins, Salesforce, Roche and other companies recently<br />
joined with the cities of Indianapolis and Bloomington in<br />
signing a letter that asks Duke Energy and AES Indiana to<br />
offer more options for large customers to source their electricity<br />
through renewable energy.<br />
They want what’s often called a Green Tariff, which would<br />
allow the cities and companies to buy locally produced renewable<br />
energy, The Indianapolis Star reported.<br />
The companies, including Walmart and Rivian, penned the<br />
letter in conjunction with the Advanced Energy Economy<br />
Indiana — the local chapter of a national association of businesses<br />
working to accelerate the transition to clean energy.<br />
Caryl Auslander, executive director of Advanced Energy Economy<br />
Indiana, said large customers “want to choose renewable<br />
energy, and we’re asking Duke and AES to give them<br />
more options.”<br />
All green tariff programs would need to be approved by<br />
the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, the state’s utility<br />
regulator.<br />
Brewery, Salisbury Pair to Rehab Union<br />
Station<br />
SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — Thanks to a landmark $500,000<br />
grant, one of Salisbury’s most iconic structures will finally get<br />
much-needed rehabilitation as part of a bike trail project.<br />
The grant was awarded through the state’s Strategic Demolition<br />
Fund, a program designed to catalyze projects and<br />
activities that accelerate job production and economic development.<br />
Union Station, located at 611 Railway Ave., was<br />
one of 22 projects in the state awarded from this fund, and<br />
the owners of the building, John and Thomas Knorr, have big<br />
plans for the property.<br />
“The initial plan is to stabilize the property by fixing roof<br />
6<br />
| Chief Engineer
window and door damage,” said Thomas Knorr, co-founder<br />
of Evolution Craft Brewing Co. “There are structural parts<br />
of the building that need to be [repaired]. The initial money<br />
will be going to replacing the roof and bring it back to its<br />
condition from 1913 when it was originally built. We want to<br />
separate the building into three different sections.”<br />
Salisbury’s Union Station building will get much-needed<br />
rehabilitation with a landmark grant of $500,000.<br />
World’s Coal Use Creeps to New High<br />
in 2022<br />
BERLIN (AP) — Coal use across the world is set to reach a<br />
new record this year amid persistently high demand for the<br />
heavily polluting fossil fuel, the International Energy Agency<br />
said Friday, Dec. 16.<br />
The Paris-based agency said in a new report that while coal<br />
use grew by only 1.2 percent in 2022, the increase pushed it<br />
to all all-time high of more than 8 billion metric tons, beating<br />
the previous record set in 2013.<br />
“The world’s coal consumption will remain at similar levels<br />
in the following years in the absence of stronger efforts to<br />
accelerate the transition to clean energy,” the agency said,<br />
noting that “robust demand” in emerging Asian economies<br />
would offset declining use in mature markets.<br />
“This means coal will continue to be the global energy<br />
system’s largest single source of carbon dioxide emissions by<br />
far,” the IAE said.<br />
The use of coal and other fossil fuels needs to be cut drastically<br />
to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7<br />
degrees Fahrenheit) this century. Experts say the ambitious<br />
target, which governments agreed to in the 2015 Paris<br />
climate accord, will be hard to meet given that average<br />
temperatures worldwide have already risen by 1.2 degrees<br />
Celsius since pre-industrial times.<br />
Contested Natural Gas Pipeline<br />
Granted Permanent Certificate<br />
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Federal officials on Thursday, Dec. 15,<br />
granted Spire Inc. a permanent certificate to operate a natural<br />
gas pipeline in Missouri and Illinois, angering the environmental<br />
group that had sued over the project.<br />
concerns that the pipeline was approved without adequate<br />
review. Last year, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of<br />
Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that FERC had not<br />
adequately demonstrated a need for the project, vacating<br />
approval of the pipeline.<br />
For the past year, the pipeline had been operating under a<br />
temporary certificate while FERC conducted a court-ordered<br />
review.<br />
Scott Smith, president of the Spire STL Pipeline, said in a<br />
statement that he was pleased with the decision. He described<br />
the review the project underwent as “thorough.”<br />
But Ted Kelly, an Environmental Defense Fund attorney,<br />
disagreed, saying that FERC had “again failed to fulfill its<br />
obligation,” alleging that some landowners, ratepayers and<br />
stakeholders were shut out of the review.<br />
He said that FERC should reverse its decision to grant the permanent<br />
certificate and reopen the process with a temporary<br />
certificate in place so there is no disruption in service.<br />
$698M Deal to End Monsanto PCB Pollution<br />
Lawsuit in Oregon<br />
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Bayer, the German pharmaceutical<br />
and biotechnology company, will pay Oregon $698 million<br />
to end a lawsuit over PCB pollution associated with products<br />
made by Monsanto, the agriculture giant it now owns.<br />
It’s the largest environmental damage recovery in Oregon’s<br />
history and “magnitudes larger” than any other state settlement<br />
over PCB contamination by Monsanto, Rosenblum said.<br />
The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed by Oregon against<br />
Monsanto in 2018 for 90 years of pollution in the state until<br />
PCBs were banned in the late 1970s.<br />
PCBs are toxic compounds formerly used in coolants, electrical<br />
equipment such as fluorescent lights, and other devices.<br />
They still contaminate Oregon’s landfills and riverbeds and<br />
show up in fish and wildlife.<br />
“Monsanto’s toxic legacy unfortunately lives on in our lands,<br />
rivers and other waterways — and poses ongoing risks to the<br />
health of our people and our environment,” Rosenblum said.<br />
“This is all the more reason why this settlement is so vitally<br />
important. Oregon and Oregonians will be the better for it.”<br />
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission first granted<br />
approval for the Spire STL Pipeline in 2018 and it became<br />
fully operational in 2019. It connects with another pipeline in<br />
western Illinois and carries natural gas to the St. Louis region,<br />
where Spire serves around 650,000 customers.<br />
But the Environmental Defense Fund sued in 2020, raising<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 7
News<br />
EPA Investigating Colorado for<br />
Discriminatory Air Pollution<br />
By Michael Phillis and Brittany Peterson | Associated Press<br />
DENVER (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is<br />
investigating whether Colorado’s regulation of air pollution<br />
from industrial facilities discriminates against Hispanic<br />
residents and other racial minorities, according to a letter<br />
released Wednesday, Dec. 28.<br />
That’s a level of scrutiny long sought by Lucy Molina whose<br />
daughter goes to school near Colorado’s only petroleum<br />
refinery. Three years ago Molina had just stepped outdoors<br />
when she noticed a coating of ash on her Nissan Altima that<br />
wiped off on her fingers. Then she received a message that<br />
her daughter’s school was locked down and panicked. She<br />
later learned the refinery had malfunctioned, spewing a<br />
clay-like material into the air. She’d heard of lockdowns for<br />
shootings, but never for pollution.<br />
Since then she’s pushed for community air monitoring and<br />
stronger protections, but says it all feels too late. She’s lived<br />
here for 30 years, and her kids are already young adults.<br />
“If we would have known” years ago, she said. “We would<br />
have moved.”<br />
Advocates say the Suncor refinery too often malfunctions,<br />
spiking emissions. They say Colorado rarely denies permits<br />
to polluters, even in areas where harmful ozone already<br />
exceeds federal standards.<br />
Federal investigators said in the letter they will scrutinize the<br />
state’s oversight of Colorado’s biggest polluters including the<br />
Suncor oil refinery in North Denver where Molina lives, and<br />
whether the effect of that pollution on residents is discriminatory.<br />
Suncor did not respond to a request for comment.<br />
But it is already harder for oil and gas companies to get their<br />
air permits in Colorado than in some other energy-producing<br />
states, said John Jacus, chair of the Colorado Chamber of<br />
Commerce board of directors and an environmental compliance<br />
attorney. He said recent allegations that the state’s<br />
permit review process was faulty had the effect of slowing<br />
air permitting, a blow to business.<br />
“It would be really good for air quality to shut everything<br />
down, but that’s not good for society,” Jacus said, adding<br />
there needed to be a balance between environmental protection<br />
and economic activity.<br />
The EPA launched its investigation under Title VI of the Civil<br />
Rights Act of 1964. It has been going on since March but<br />
went little noticed until the letter, which explains its scope.<br />
The Act allows the EPA to negotiate agreements with states<br />
to promote equity. The Biden administration has stepped up<br />
its enforcement of environmental discrimination.<br />
Colorado officials said they welcome the EPA review, more<br />
community participation and are reviewing their permitting<br />
policies to ensure they are focused on environmental justice.<br />
“We’ve always prioritized the health and wellbeing of every<br />
Coloradan no matter their ZIP code, but we know we have<br />
even more to do,” said Trisha Oeth, our Director of Environmental<br />
Health and Protection in a statement.<br />
But the EPA has found those priorities lacking at times.<br />
The agency scrutinized the state’s handling of Suncor. Colorado’s<br />
only oil refinery is roughly 90 years old and is a major<br />
emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the state.<br />
In March, the EPA objected to a key air permit for the facility<br />
that state regulators were still reviewing 10 years after its<br />
original expiration date. The agency raised “significant environmental<br />
justice concerns” and said that the public wasn’t<br />
given enough opportunity to weigh in. The EPA didn’t object<br />
when the state issued a revised permit.<br />
In July, the agency also said the state had issued permits<br />
for a mine, oil and gas wells and other small polluters even<br />
though they could contribute to violations of federal air<br />
quality standards. Colorado said it would improve its reviews,<br />
but balked at revisiting its permitting decisions.<br />
There are some signs the agency chose Colorado because it<br />
could prove a willing partner.<br />
“Colorado has been one of the states that has been a leader<br />
in addressing environmental justice in the legislature,” said<br />
KC Becker, the head of the EPA region that includes Colorado<br />
and a former state legislative leader.<br />
Colorado has strengthened air monitoring requirements.<br />
It increased funding for air permit reviews. The state’s<br />
greenhouse gas reduction plan aims to reduce pollution in<br />
overburdened areas. It also worked with the EPA to ensure<br />
inspections target the most polluted areas and when companies<br />
reach settlements for wrongdoing, they pay for projects<br />
8<br />
| Chief Engineer
A view of the Suncor Energy oil refinery in Commerce City, Colo., on Nov. 23, 2020. The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating whether Colorado’s<br />
regulation of air pollution from industrial facilities discriminates against Hispanic residents and other racial minorities. Federal investigators said in<br />
a letter released Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, that they will scrutinize the state’s oversight of Colorado’s biggest polluters, like the Suncor oil refinery near<br />
Denver. (Rachel Ellis/The Denver Post via AP, File)<br />
that benefit communities.<br />
The EPA may have an easier time convincing Colorado to<br />
change than it would, say, Texas, said Jeremy Nichols, head<br />
of climate and energy programs at WildEarth Guardians.<br />
Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental<br />
policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of<br />
AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/<br />
climate-and-environment<br />
Colorado’s changes have “given EPA an opening to say, ‘well,<br />
if that is what you are committed to then let’s really test this<br />
out, let’s see you prove your mettle here,’” said Nichols.<br />
Nichols said Colorado is too deferential to industry. He wants<br />
to see the state deny permits much more often.<br />
Ian Coghill, an attorney with Earthjustice that is challenging<br />
the Suncor permit, says the push and pull between the EPA<br />
and state hasn’t yielded major improvements. Revisions to<br />
Suncor’s permit, he said “didn’t change a lot.”<br />
He is hopeful the civil rights investigation will force the state<br />
to make changes and detail the cumulative effect of pollution<br />
from industry on residents of North Denver.<br />
“I’m definitely optimistic,” he said.<br />
The Associated Press receives support from the Walton<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 9
News<br />
Retailers Find Daylighting Reveals<br />
Product’s True Colors for More Sales<br />
Good lighting has always been the retailer’s friend and<br />
scientific research shows that natural light — sunlight — may<br />
be their very best friend. A seminal study, Daylighting and<br />
Productivity, from 1999, by the environmental consulting<br />
firm the Heschong Mahone Group, found that retail spaces<br />
lit with daylight had increased sales by more than 40 percent<br />
over similar spaces selling comparable products.<br />
Wal-Mart further confirmed this approach when it built<br />
its first energy-efficient model store in Kansas in 1993. The<br />
store was constructed with skylights on one half of the store.<br />
Tom Scay, the company’s vice president for real estate at the<br />
time, told the Wall Street Journal in 1995 that the products<br />
illuminated by the skylights sold much better than those<br />
under fluorescent lights. To rule out other factors that might<br />
explain the higher sales volume, Wal-Mart swapped the<br />
products and when they were lit by the skylights, their sales<br />
numbers went up significantly and the previously well-selling<br />
products’ numbers dropped.<br />
Natural lighting or “daylighting” with skylights is also a winwin<br />
generationally. Retailers can stand out in a crowd targeting<br />
millennial shoppers with their sensitivity to energy usage<br />
and climate change. Older customers are accommodated as<br />
well. Studies by the Illuminating Engineering Society have<br />
shown that after 55 people can need 2.3 times more light<br />
and higher quality light than 25-year-olds. The high cost of<br />
artificially providing the full spectrum light needed by older<br />
folks is eliminated by intelligently placed skylights.<br />
The cherry on top for retailers using daylighting, confirmed<br />
by a study done at the Eneref Institute, is increased foot traffic.<br />
Customers interviewed for the study said that the stores<br />
felt more inviting. And having the checkout counters lit with<br />
daylight made those customers feel more at ease. Salespeople<br />
felt more approachable under skylights and overall, the<br />
shopping experience was more pleasant. Customers are more<br />
likely to spend more time in sunlit retail spaces.<br />
Even retail staff working in sunlit environments are happier,<br />
more productive and are absent less often than those working<br />
for long hours under artificial lights.<br />
Artificial light is also a problem for perceiving color accurately<br />
— something that is crucial for selling many products. In<br />
clothing stores, not only are the clothing colors more attractive<br />
under natural lighting, but so are the customers when<br />
they see themselves in mirrors. Paint, home goods, furniture<br />
and flooring retailers similarly benefit from warm, natural<br />
lighting that enables the true colors to shine through.<br />
For these types of businesses especially, daylighting is crucial<br />
because it provides the best color perception available. Sales<br />
Harnessing renewable and free natural light not only cuts the cost of generating<br />
artificial lighting but reduces collateral expenses as well.<br />
go up because the product looks better and is seen more<br />
accurately. Customers’ color perceptions are directly affected<br />
by the full light spectrum. In fact, the only way to see “true”<br />
color is in full-spectrum light.<br />
That is why when custom furniture producer and retailer,<br />
Marlin Gingerich was planning his new showroom space, he<br />
decided that letting the sunshine in was just good business.<br />
“LEDs and fluorescent lighting really distort colors and it is<br />
hard to discern exactly what the true colors of the furniture<br />
pieces are,” he says.<br />
To remedy this, Gingerich installed daylighting skylights<br />
when he built Midwest Woodworks’ new Kalona, IA’s 7,000<br />
square showroom in 2009. These special sun gathering skylights<br />
harvest and amplify sunlight to illuminate the space<br />
below. The technique is called daylighting and its effect is<br />
dramatic, flooding a space with bright light without any<br />
harshness or glare.<br />
For Gingerich, natural light is important because it highlights<br />
the grains and colors in his furniture well.<br />
“Our store was small, the lighting wasn’t great, and we<br />
determined we could probably do a lot more in sales [by<br />
adding natural lighting],” he says, “People bring in wood<br />
samples and ask us to match a specific color. In our previous<br />
store, we always went out into the direct sunlight which was<br />
not convenient especially in the winter. I discouraged doing<br />
any matching in the store just because the colors weren’t<br />
accurate. With our new skylights, we can do accurate color<br />
matching pretty much anywhere in the showroom.”<br />
Gingerich purchased the daylighting system from DayStar<br />
(Continued on pg. 12)<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 11
(Continued from pg. 11)<br />
News<br />
Systems in Campbell Hill, Ill., after seeing their skylights in<br />
local businesses. “There were other natural lighting systems,<br />
but DayStar had the best overall design and appearance,”<br />
Gingerich says.<br />
DayStar engineers have developed high-performance skylight<br />
systems that capture the sun’s natural light and collect,<br />
amplify and diffuse a broad, even pattern of indoor illumination.<br />
This is accomplished using a four-part system. First, sunlight<br />
is gathered and diffused through an ultra-clear outer dome<br />
and inner collimation lens. The dome is supported by insulated<br />
roof curbs of galvalume steel or aluminum continuously<br />
welded for watertight seams. Then a light shaft made of insulated<br />
panels with highly reflective interior surfaces amplify<br />
light as it is captured. And finally, an attractive ceiling lens,<br />
engineered to diffuse highly concentrated light into a broad<br />
lighting pattern, is installed on the interior ceiling.<br />
Each component can be customized for the building’s specifications.<br />
Gingerich worked with DayStar when he was designing<br />
his new showroom to determine how many skylights he<br />
needed, and their optimal placement.<br />
“We wanted to display our bedroom furniture in individual<br />
rooms,” Gingerich says. “So, we had seven bedrooms along<br />
one side of the showroom and each had its own DayStar<br />
skylight. No one ever complained that there was too much<br />
light in there.”<br />
Aaron Petersheim of Shade Mtn Countertops, in McAlisterville,<br />
PA. also found that natural sunlight is his best salesman.<br />
“Natural light is a full-spectrum daylight, where any artificial<br />
lighting would also need to be the full spectrum, or it would<br />
be a handicap,” Petersheim explains. “Artificial light has<br />
limited wavelengths. Lamps can be too yellow or too blue.<br />
You really need the correct lighting for the countertops, and<br />
natural daylight is perfect for it.”<br />
roofs. The DayStar skylights are easy to install and come with<br />
detailed instructions and all the materials required. Petersheim<br />
hired a local DayStar dealer to install the skylights<br />
after an initial trial of seven in a separate fabrication shop in<br />
2014. “The installation process took about a week,” he says.<br />
“They were installed well and are watertight.”<br />
Harnessing renewable and free natural light not only cuts<br />
the cost of generating artificial lighting but reduces collateral<br />
expenses as well. Some artificial light creates greater heat<br />
loads, which must be offset by a building’s cooling system.<br />
Direct sunlight from standard windows can be an issue too.<br />
One thing that Gingerich noticed immediately in the new<br />
showroom was the light was even and diffused and illuminated<br />
the entire showroom. “In the old showroom,” he says<br />
“On a nice sunny day, there was, what I would call a pool of<br />
light inside every window. And the light did not extend very<br />
far into the showroom.”<br />
With a good thermal designed daylighting system, energy<br />
costs can be reduced.<br />
Gingerich found that the skylights provided an additional<br />
benefit even before they were installed. When asking the<br />
bank for the loan he needed to construct the new showroom,<br />
he explained that he expected to increase sales by<br />
installing the DayStar System.<br />
“I told the loan officer that based on what we were hearing<br />
from our clients if we had more natural lighting that our<br />
business would increase,” says Gingerich. “Our sales ended<br />
up higher than I initially projected. So, if you are retailer considering<br />
bringing in more natural lighting, your sales have<br />
nowhere to go but up.”<br />
For more information on natural daylighting systems, visit<br />
www.daystarskylightsystem.com; email roman@daystar1.com<br />
or call (618) 426-1868.<br />
Petersheim has installed more than 40 daylighting skylights<br />
on his countertop showroom and fabrication production<br />
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| Chief Engineer
Stadiums Can Keep Emergency<br />
Communications Out of the “Dead<br />
Zone”<br />
At stadiums across the country, first responders including<br />
police, fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) depend on<br />
reliable two-way radio communication when lives and property<br />
are at risk. In-building radio signals are often blocked or<br />
attenuated by structures that are large and primarily constructed<br />
of metal and concrete and with below grade areas.<br />
When this occurs, weak or obstructed signals result in radio<br />
communication “dead zones” that can jeopardize emergency<br />
coordination among first responders.<br />
Stadiums bring together thousands of spectators and participants<br />
for games, concerts and other gatherings, making<br />
real-time radio coordination among police, fire and EMS<br />
services essential. This is not only necessary for routine<br />
traffic, crowd control and medical services, but also to facilitate<br />
response to the unexpected. Incidents can range from<br />
transporting an injured player to the hospital to responding<br />
immediately to a fire or other emergency on the premises.<br />
When lives are on the line, a quick, coordinated response can<br />
help de-escalate a situation before it intensifies.<br />
“Stadiums often have one or two levels below grade, which<br />
is a major problem for emergency communication,” says<br />
Deron Bone, president of RF DAS Systems, Inc., a national<br />
provider of emergency responder radio coverage systems for<br />
more than 30 years. “Pre-cast walls, pipes, rebar or structural<br />
steel can also disrupt communication, which can be prevalent<br />
in areas such as stairwells or tunnels. Signal failure in any<br />
critical area will require installing an Emergency Responder<br />
Communication Enhancement Systems (ERCES).”<br />
ERCES are mandated by fire code in most places for the<br />
construction of new stadiums and some existing stadiums.<br />
These advanced systems boost the signal within all areas of<br />
the stadium, providing clear, two-way radio communication<br />
without dead spots.<br />
“Basically, all stadiums from high school to college to pro<br />
need an ERCES, since there can be communication dead spots<br />
throughout. Many do not have these systems, so testing is<br />
essential to support safety and compliance,” adds Bone.<br />
State-of-the-art ERCES are available that amplify and accommodate<br />
all the necessary emergency signals required, even<br />
in the largest stadiums. The approach facilitates meeting all<br />
codes while reducing overall installation cost and complexity<br />
— helping to expedite tight project deadlines.<br />
A World-Class Stadium<br />
Recently, RF DAS Systems installed an ERCES at a new West<br />
Coast stadium with more than 30,000 seat capacity, that<br />
hosts both professional and collegiate sports as well as large<br />
festivals, concerts and events.<br />
According to Bone, when RF DAS Systems initially conducted<br />
a pre-test on the stadium, there was no signal in much of the<br />
first floor and the entire lower level, so installing additional<br />
antennas was required in the ERCES system throughout these<br />
areas.<br />
“Even though a radio transmission tower is close, there were<br />
a number of weak points in coverage that needed to be<br />
accommodated,” says Bone.<br />
ERCES were first introduced in the 2009 International Building<br />
Code. The latest version requires all buildings to have an<br />
approved level of emergency communication coverage for<br />
first responders.<br />
ERCES systems function by connecting through an over-theair<br />
link that the installer optimizes to the public safety radio<br />
communications tower network using a rooftop directional<br />
antenna. This antenna is then connected via coaxial cable to<br />
a bi-directional amplifier (BDA), which increases the signal<br />
level to provide sufficient coverage within a stadium based<br />
on life safety standards. The BDA is connected to a distributed<br />
antenna system (DAS), a network of relatively small<br />
antennas installed throughout the structure that serve as repeaters<br />
to improve the signal coverage in any isolated areas.<br />
In stadiums, multiple amplifiers are usually required to drive<br />
an adequate signal level across the system.<br />
Fire, police and EMS frequencies vary across the country. To<br />
increase safety and compliance, the specific radio frequency<br />
used must be customized to the stadium configuration,<br />
the frequencies used by emergency services specifically in<br />
the area, and the geographic topography, i.e., nearby hills,<br />
mountains, etc. The design usually involves tuning the ERCES<br />
to prevent signal interference with other frequencies and<br />
avoid running afoul of the FCC, which can levy significant<br />
fines when violations occur.<br />
To streamline the process, Bone selected the Fiplex by Honeywell<br />
BDA and fiber DAS system.<br />
(Continued on pg. 14)<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 13
(Continued from pg. 13)<br />
News<br />
The compliant, FCC-certified system was developed to reliably<br />
provide superior RF amplification and coverage without<br />
noise, enhancing two-way radio signal strength inside buildings<br />
including stadiums. The system is specifically designed<br />
to meet NFPA and IBC/IFC code compliance with the UL 2524<br />
Second Edition listing.<br />
One vital aspect that sets the Fiplex ERCES apart is that Fiplex<br />
can “tune” the device to the channels used before shipping.<br />
The installer can further optimize the BDA’s RF tuning onsite<br />
to achieve the precise frequency required with channel<br />
selective, software programmable or adjustable bandwidths.<br />
This mitigates the issue of wideband transmission, which can<br />
otherwise cause outside interference in highly congested RF<br />
environments like stadiums and potentially lead to FCC fines.<br />
Bone points out another aspect that distinguishes Fiplex<br />
BDAs from other digital signal boosters: the availability of a<br />
dual-band option for dedicated UHF or VHF models.<br />
“One of the best features of the system is that it can incorporate<br />
both UHF and VHF in one unit, which saves space<br />
and simplifies installation,” says Bone. “Previously, I had to<br />
purchase separate units.”<br />
To meet tight deadlines, companies rely on OEMs to quickly<br />
deliver ERCES system components.<br />
“My customers cannot wait eight weeks, let alone 18 to 20<br />
weeks, for an amplifier,” Bone says. “Although this happens<br />
in the industry, I don't have that problem with Fiplex. They<br />
coordinate with us so we always have a ready supply.”<br />
For the stadium project, RF DAS Systems relayed the specific<br />
fire, police, EMS and public service frequencies to Fiplex,<br />
which programmed the RF signal band.<br />
Bone appreciates how the ERCES system enhances design<br />
flexibility. This can be particularly important after a stadium<br />
project is complete if modifications are made or a certain<br />
material is denser and more prone to blocking RF signals<br />
than originally believed.<br />
“With a BDA software upgrade, I can change the amplifier<br />
At stadiums across the country, weak or obstructed signals result in radio communication “dead zones” that can jeopardize emergency coordination<br />
among first responders.<br />
14 | Chief Engineer
from a half-watt to a two-watt BDA,” he says. “That flexibility<br />
is key because it allows easy adjustment, so I don’t need to<br />
purchase and install another amplifier if a structure is denser<br />
than I thought.”<br />
Additionally, the compact size of the BDA eases installation.<br />
“Fiplex’s BDA is much smaller than the industry norm, and<br />
has its own mounting bracket, which streamlines field installation,”<br />
Bone says. He notes that the system’s DAS and fiber<br />
components are much easier to install than the equipment he<br />
previously used.<br />
For Bone, installing a reliable system that works as expected<br />
is the most important aspect of any project.<br />
“When there’s an incident at a stadium, like an injured player<br />
who is taken off the field by ambulance, it is a communications<br />
frenzy with RF signals flying everywhere — which is<br />
tough on an ERCES system, but if you are installing a quality<br />
system, then everything is OK,” says Bone.<br />
ERCES are mandated, advanced systems that boost the signal within all areas<br />
of the stadium, providing clear, two-way radio communication without<br />
dead spots.<br />
This was put to the test when the final sign-off by the AHJ<br />
(Authority Having Jurisdiction) was the day of the first game,<br />
due to tight timelines for stadium completion.<br />
The inspection went off without a hitch and the fire marshal<br />
signed off on the ERCES.<br />
“The Fiplex system passed with flying colors,” concludes<br />
Bone.<br />
To avoid delays and technical challenges, stadium developers,<br />
architects and engineering firms can benefit from an expert<br />
contractor’s familiarity with ERCES requirements. With quick<br />
shipment of an advanced ERCES tuned by the manufacturer<br />
to the required RF channel, a skilled contractor can install<br />
and further optimize the device to the specific local band<br />
frequencies. The approach expedites the project and compliance,<br />
enhancing safety during an emergency.<br />
For more information, contact Megan McGovern, Director of<br />
External Communications at Honeywell Building Technologies,<br />
email megan.mcgovern@honeywell.com or call<br />
(404) 216-6186.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 15
News<br />
Industrial-Grade VIZZ Headlamps<br />
Maximize Safety, Reliability<br />
For professional trades like utilities, facility maintenance,<br />
and construction, Princeton Tec’s industrial-grade VIZZ<br />
series headlamps are designed to provide powerful, lasting,<br />
reliable, hands-free illumination to increase operator safety<br />
and productivity in the many low-light work conditions that<br />
require it. Whether the job starts before the sun rises or ends<br />
after it sets, or operators are working in small or large dark<br />
spaces, they need a light that is going to work as hard as<br />
they do in whatever conditions that are thrown their way.<br />
Princeton Tec designs and manufactures its headlamps in<br />
the U.S. with durable thermoplastic material engineered to<br />
withstand drops and rough handling. An IPX7 waterproof<br />
rating means the headlamps are thoroughly protected from<br />
moisture, providing waterproof integrity down to 1 meter<br />
for up to 30 minutes. The U.S. military and numerous utilities<br />
use these products, which offer a lifetime warranty.<br />
Lightweight 3.2oz VIZZ series headlamps flexibly light up the<br />
workspace with two separate modes that the operator can<br />
easily switch between at the push of a button: flood, which<br />
widely illuminates the surroundings, and spot, which focuses<br />
a bright beam on the task at hand.<br />
The operator can dim and adjust the light level to their<br />
personal preference in both modes by holding down the<br />
pushbutton to the desired setting. The dimming capability<br />
also extends battery life. The raised button provides ease of<br />
use when the operator is wearing gloves.<br />
Since battery life is an important consideration for technicians<br />
working 8-to-12-hour shifts, VIZZ series headlamps offers<br />
consistent regulated LED illumination. Traditional lights<br />
are very bright initially, but immediately begin to dim and<br />
continue to dim until the batteries are drained.<br />
These headlamps come with an industrial headlamp kit with<br />
a nylon head strap, a rubber hard hat strap, and double-sided<br />
Velcro to affix the light to a helmet, if preferred. Three<br />
AAA batteries are included.<br />
The VIZZ series is offered in two distinctive headlamp models,<br />
the VIZZ II and VIZZ IND. Both appear in POP packaging<br />
for facility managers that want to display the products in<br />
their vending machines as all specifications are clearly listed.<br />
The VIZZ II<br />
For trades that work in potentially hazardous environments,<br />
the intrinsically safe VIZZ II headlamp meets essentially all<br />
safety requirements whether for OSHA, Zone 0, or state<br />
standards (Classes I, II, III; Divisions 1,2; and Groups A-G). So,<br />
there is nothing from the light that could spark a potential<br />
fire or explosion in a work environment that could have<br />
flammable gases, vapors, materials, or dusts present.<br />
One Maxbright LED creates a powerful 200 lumen spot beam<br />
for long-throw illumination, while 4 Ultrabright LEDs deliver<br />
a dimmable flood beam. At close range, the wide beams simulate<br />
normal daylight conditions, allowing technicians to use<br />
their peripheral vision, while focused narrow beams provide<br />
distance illumination. The smooth, white, wide-beam light<br />
emitted by Ultrabright LEDs is ideal for close to mid-range<br />
tasks. Ultrabright LEDs are usually grouped together to offer<br />
a more powerful light source. The headlamp offers a burn<br />
time of 102 hours.<br />
VIZZ IND<br />
The VIZZ IND headlamp is like the VIZZ II but provides even<br />
brighter illumination with a 550-lumen spot beam. However,<br />
it is not safety-rated for hazardous environments. The headlamp<br />
offers a burn time of 100 hours.<br />
Although professional industrial-grade headlamps cost a little<br />
more up front, the overall cost of ownership is often lower<br />
because the batteries typically last 5-6 times longer and do<br />
not need to be replaced constantly during work shifts.<br />
Since the rugged headlamps are designed to last for many<br />
years in harsh conditions, frequent replacement also is not<br />
necessary the way it is with more fragile consumer-grade<br />
units.<br />
For more info, call 1-800-257-9080; email<br />
questions@princetontec.com; visit princetontec.com; or write<br />
to Princeton Tec, PO Box 8057, Trenton, NJ 08650.<br />
Princeton Tec’s industrial-grade VIZZ<br />
series headlamps provide powerful,<br />
lasting, reliable, hands-free illumination.<br />
Princeton Tec’s VIZZ series<br />
headlamps increase operator<br />
safety and productivity in the<br />
many low-light work conditions<br />
that require it.<br />
16<br />
| Chief Engineer
All-Volunteer Firefighting Team at Point<br />
Pleasant Fire Company #1 Now Trains on<br />
The Fire Chief<br />
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — Point Pleasant Fire Company #1 got<br />
a truly great present for its 98th birthday this year — a<br />
30-foot-tall training tower, The Fire Chief. The structure was<br />
first put into service on May 22, 2022, by members of the<br />
all-volunteer fire company to enhance their live fire training<br />
skills.<br />
“Fortunately, we don’t have many structure fires in our<br />
area,” says Battalion Chief/Training Officer Will Dobron with<br />
Point Pleasant Fire Company #1 in Point Pleasant, Pa. “That’s<br />
specifically why it’s so important for us to have a building<br />
where we can train for live fires. We need to continually<br />
hone our skills so that we’re prepared to make an aggressive<br />
attack when a fire does occur, and our firefighters are called<br />
into action.”<br />
Selecting Fire Facilities<br />
The Fire Chief tower selected by the Point Pleasant Fire Co.<br />
#1 features a residential-like design. There’s a burn room on<br />
the first floor with interior stairs leading to multiple floors.<br />
The 60-foot-long structure features an interior ships ladder,<br />
roof-mounted chop-out curbs, and parapet roof guard<br />
with chain opening. The Fire Facilities structure is made of<br />
all-American steel and designed for multiple training exercises,<br />
including hose advancement, fire attack, search and<br />
rescue, rappelling, laddering, confined space, and high-angle<br />
rescue operations.<br />
“We specifically invested in this Fire Facilities structure<br />
because, after much research, it seemed to be the closest<br />
building to a structure that you will see on the streets,” says<br />
Dobron, a fourth-generation firefighter. “The smooth walls<br />
allow you to ladder anywhere on the building. We compared<br />
this to competitor’s buildings where they are corrugated and<br />
need to have metal plates installed for a smooth surface for<br />
ladders to be placed, which is inconvenient.”<br />
#1 was started. A group of concerned citizens formed the<br />
volunteer department after a local fire destroyed a store because<br />
area firefighters were too far away to help. Since that<br />
time the department has relied on volunteers to keep Point<br />
Pleasant safe.<br />
“Our training in the past was on an old homemade tower,<br />
along with a 40-foot overseas container for search and rescue<br />
drills,” says Dobron, a 14-year firefighter veteran. “When<br />
available, we’d use acquired structures too, but they were<br />
few and far between.<br />
“With The Fire Chief, we’re looking forward to the variety of<br />
training scenarios we can perform in this building. From the<br />
normal live fire training, search and rescue, ventilation and<br />
laddering to rappelling, there’s lots of options.<br />
“We custom-designed the three-story tower to be 18-feet<br />
long to give ourselves more room to work around the floor<br />
door area in the tower. This will help us with confined space<br />
rescue training. Every aspect of using The Fire Chief is dedicated<br />
to helping make our volunteer firefighters more skilled<br />
and prepared for handling real emergency situations on a<br />
daily basis.”<br />
Fire Facilities, Inc. (FFI), founded in 1989 and an ISFSI corporate<br />
sponsor, manufactures a full line of steel fire training<br />
structures engineered to withstand real-life firefighting conditions.<br />
From mobile units to burn rooms to high-rise towers,<br />
FFI training models are available in a multitude of configurations.<br />
For more information, visit www.firefacilities.com or<br />
call 800-929-3726.<br />
Dobron relates that the process to procure the structure took<br />
about four years. From initial planning to completion included<br />
many meetings with the township to gain approvals. “For<br />
funding, we were fortunate that past members made wise<br />
investments over the years,” says Dobron. “That made it possible<br />
for the fire company to purchase the training tower.”<br />
Preparing for Service<br />
Getting to the point of having a new Fire Facilities tower all<br />
began back in 1924 when the Point Pleasant Fire Company<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 17
News<br />
Social Ventures and Innovators Around<br />
the World Invited to Apply for the ASME<br />
ISHOW Accelerator<br />
NEW YORK — The American Society of Mechanical Engineers<br />
(ASME) is currently accepting applications from social entrepreneurs<br />
focusing on hardware innovations for the <strong>2023</strong><br />
ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW). The prestigious global<br />
hardware accelerator is open to individuals and organizations<br />
taking physical products to market that will have a positive<br />
social and/or environmental impact and that improve<br />
the quality of life around the world.<br />
Applicants should have an existing prototype and interest in<br />
receiving financial/technical support and access to expert networks<br />
that can assist in taking their product to market. ASME<br />
ISHOW finalists receive product exposure, advice, and technical<br />
insights through ISHOW’s rigorous review methodology.<br />
Finalist will have a chance to earn a share of $200,000 in seed<br />
grants, in-kind support, design services, travel stipends, and<br />
marketing and business development assets.<br />
Eight finalists are chosen for each of three regional events<br />
from hundreds of applications received each year. The deadline<br />
for applications is Feb. 7 for entrepreneurs in India and<br />
the Asia Pacific region seeking consideration for ISHOW India.<br />
Finalists for ISHOW India will be invited to present their<br />
pitches as part of ASME India Innovation Week, a weeklong<br />
program of events for engineering educators, students, and<br />
entrepreneurs April 1-4 in Bengaluru.<br />
“We are proud to offer a forum for engineering problem-solving<br />
that truly improves lives,” said ASME Executive<br />
Director/CEO Tom Costabile. “We are continually impressed<br />
by the creative talent of ASME ISHOW participants and their<br />
passion for helping underserved communities around the<br />
world. We look forward to engaging in person with the<br />
vibrant engineering community within India when we return<br />
to Bengaluru this spring.”<br />
“Social enterprises, now more than ever, need the support of<br />
the global impact community,” says Iana Aranda, director of<br />
ASME’s Engineering Global Development sector that houses<br />
ISHOW. “Social entrepreneurs around the world, including<br />
many ISHOW ventures, are on the frontlines of crisis response<br />
and the advancement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development<br />
Goals. We are aggressively focused on providing<br />
these innovators with accessible platforms for capacity building,<br />
expert engagement and co-design of scaling strategies<br />
suited for today’s dynamic markets. Ensuring their success is<br />
of paramount importance.”<br />
The <strong>2023</strong> ISHOW cohort will be invited to the annual ISHOW<br />
Bootcamp in the fall to receive an extensive and customized<br />
design and engineering review by experts recruited to guide<br />
them as they scale to market. They will also have a chance<br />
to earn a second round of seed grants from ASME. They<br />
become part of the ISHOW alumni network, an international<br />
community of hardware innovators and stakeholders with<br />
exclusive access to experts and resources.<br />
ASME ISHOW annually matches up to 24 carefully selected<br />
innovators with appropriate engineering experts to ensure<br />
that the proposed hardware solutions are technologically,<br />
environmentally, culturally and financially sustainable.<br />
ASME’s panel of judges and experts includes successful entrepreneurs,<br />
academics, engineers, designers, investors and<br />
industry representatives from leading organizations in India,<br />
Kenya, and the United States. These subject-area experts provide<br />
technical and strategic guidance based on ISHOW’s four<br />
key pillars: customer/user knowledge, hardware validation,<br />
manufacturing optimization, and implementation strategy.<br />
Earlier this year, ASME launched the Idea Lab incubator,<br />
extending the reach of the ISHOW hardware accelerator<br />
platform.<br />
The application deadline is April 14 for innovators in the<br />
Middle East and Africa seeking consideration for ISHOW Kenya,<br />
a virtual event to be held June 6-14; applications are due<br />
June 1 for social entrepreneurs in the Americas seeking consideration<br />
for ISHOW USA scheduled for July. Three companies<br />
selected at each event will join the ISHOW <strong>2023</strong> cohort.<br />
18<br />
| Chief Engineer
Between ASME’s and Idea Lab incubator and ISHOW showcase, the event covers the full spectrum of tech development, from idea inception to product<br />
launch.<br />
With Idea Lab, ASME moves “upstream” to aid budding<br />
social entrepreneurs in developing and implementing their<br />
social impact hardware concepts from the pre-prototype<br />
stage. Applications for the <strong>2023</strong>-2024 Idea Lab class will open<br />
in summer <strong>2023</strong>.<br />
To date, ISHOW has enabled more than 200 startups from<br />
30-plus countries to solve critical quality-of-life challenges<br />
for vulnerable populations worldwide. ISHOW alumni have<br />
developed affordable devices to address key issues related to<br />
clean combustion, crop threshing, fetal health, food waste<br />
prevention, health diagnostics, safe drinking water, and<br />
many more that advance the U.N. Sustainable Development<br />
Goals.<br />
ASME is grateful to The Lemelson Foundation for its continued<br />
support of the ISHOW with a three-year strategic<br />
investment and to ISHOW implementation partners around<br />
the globe. Learn more about ISHOW’s global impact in this<br />
dynamic dashboard.<br />
Follow the journeys of ISHOW alumni including PayGo<br />
Energy, PlenOptika, Himalayan Rocket Stove, SAYeTECH and<br />
others here.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 19
News<br />
Steps to Follow for a Successful School<br />
Renovation by Sam Cicero<br />
PLAINFIELD, Ill. — Renovating a school offers an opportunity<br />
for a community to invest in its own future and provide a<br />
safe, welcoming environment for all students. More importantly,<br />
renovation offers new possibilities to make the school<br />
an academic environment in which children can thrive.<br />
A community has one of two choices when it comes to<br />
an outdated school: renovating the building or tearing it<br />
down to start from scratch with a new facility featuring the<br />
latest learning technologies. Of course, new construction is<br />
considerably more expensive than renovation, and typically<br />
requires a much longer timeline measured in years, rather<br />
than months. Renovations, correctly planned by an experienced<br />
contractor, can have excellent results much faster at a<br />
vastly lower price.<br />
If the community decides on a renovation, the final cost<br />
will be largely dependent on the condition and age of the<br />
existing building. A much older school may need new HVAC,<br />
electrical and plumbing. One that has been in service for<br />
only a decade or two, in contrast, will not need new mechanicals<br />
but may require upgrades such as high-speed Ethernet<br />
cabling to replace an aging coaxial network.<br />
project team will need to address.<br />
Here is a rough overview of the process that you can use for<br />
your school renovation journey:<br />
1. Data Collection: Your in-house project team should gather<br />
all files on the original school design, its electrical, HVAC<br />
and plumbing systems, and any other structural details.<br />
It’s essential to share this information with the renovation<br />
team you’ve hired, including architect, interior designer,<br />
mechanical engineer, and general contractor, to ensure<br />
everything goes smoothly. No detail is too small.<br />
2. Collect Input: Conduct a survey to gauge opinions about<br />
the current state of the school and what changes those<br />
most affected by a renovation — the school’s students,<br />
staff, neighbors — would like to see made. Meet with<br />
school board members to collect ideas on what kind of<br />
environment they believe students need to best succeed.<br />
Renovation costs will also be determined by the goals set<br />
forth by the district. Below are a few that renovation contractors<br />
are often asked to meet:<br />
• Improve student safety and building security<br />
• Expand classrooms and administrative offices<br />
• Redesign floor layouts including additions<br />
• Update mechanical and technological infrastructures<br />
• Reduce building energy consumption and improve sustainability<br />
• Bring the school up to current building codes (fire, accessibility).<br />
A school renovation project should not only enhance the<br />
facility but also student academic performance and job opportunities.<br />
For instance, upgrading the school’s technology<br />
will better prepare students for a life beyond the classroom,<br />
especially where the school space reflects the modern workplace.<br />
Multiple studies have shown that good school design<br />
is a key factor in academic excellence and in improving the<br />
wellbeing of pupils, as well as in helping to attract and retain<br />
the best staff and teachers.<br />
When undertaking a school renovation project, it’s important<br />
to create a plan or “roadmap” that takes you through each<br />
step of the process — from initial planning and budgeting to<br />
final construction and commissioning new equipment. Renovations<br />
of this magnitude can be overwhelming, often filled<br />
with hurdles and hassles the school district and your in-house<br />
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3. Initial Design and Layout: Now it is time to work with the<br />
renovation team. Share your goals, structural information<br />
and input so that an initial layout can be created, usually<br />
by the architect and engineer, who are well-versed in local<br />
safety and ADA requirements, community building codes,<br />
and current material costs and availability. This first draft<br />
will likely go through several revisions before being finalized.<br />
4. Prepare the Budget: Establish a detailed budget for a<br />
school board presentation that includes all architectural,<br />
technology and furniture solutions, as well as a timeline<br />
for construction. This budget will be carefully reviewed,<br />
revised and approved by the school board before renovations<br />
can begin.<br />
5. Final Review: Next, it is the responsibility of your in-house<br />
project team to review and approve all final contractor<br />
quotes, construction details and schedule, and to generate<br />
a purchase order.<br />
6. Renovation Begins: School renovations often have a<br />
narrow window to be completed, usually over summer<br />
vacation or extended holiday breaks. Here is where the<br />
renovation contractor’s skills are crucial in areas such as<br />
permitting, material deliveries and storage, scheduling subcontractor<br />
work, and conducting inspections. Every phase<br />
must be sequenced by the contractor to avoid delays. Communications<br />
between your contractor and project team will<br />
ensure problems are quickly resolved.<br />
7. Project Delivery: Your school renovation is now complete<br />
and delivered. Although the work is done, your general<br />
contractor will continue to act as a liaison between the<br />
school and the project’s sub-contractors and material suppliers<br />
should an issue arise.<br />
Whether you’re renovating a single classroom or constructing<br />
a major addition to the school from the foundation up,<br />
Cicero Construction Group can ensure a safe, quality-driven,<br />
cost-effective project. Contact us at<br />
www.cicero-construction.com.<br />
Sam Cicero is president of Cicero Construction Group.<br />
Cicero Construction Group renovating Chicago Math and Science Academy<br />
in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 21
News<br />
Scientists: Atmospheric Carbon Might<br />
Turn Lakes More Acidic<br />
By John Flesher | AP Environmental Writer<br />
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Great Lakes have endured<br />
a lot the past century, from supersized algae blobs to invasive<br />
mussels and bloodsucking sea lamprey that nearly wiped<br />
out fish populations.<br />
Now, another danger: They — and other big lakes around<br />
the world — might be getting more acidic, which could make<br />
them less hospitable for some fish and plants.<br />
Scientists are building a sensor network to spot Lake Huron<br />
water chemistry trends. It’s a first step toward a hoped-for<br />
system that would track carbon dioxide and pH in all five<br />
Great Lakes over multiple years, said project co-leader Reagan<br />
Errera of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<br />
“If you change things chemically, you’re going to change<br />
how things behave and work and that includes the food<br />
web,” said Errera, a research ecologist with NOAA’s Great<br />
Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory in Ann Arbor,<br />
Mich.<br />
“Does that mean your favorite fish might not be around anymore?<br />
We don’t know that, but we know things will change.<br />
Maybe where and when they spawn, where they’re located,<br />
what they eat.”<br />
Oceans are becoming more acidic as they absorb carbon<br />
dioxide that human activity pumps into the atmosphere —<br />
the primary cause of climate change. Acidification endangers<br />
coral reefs and other marine life.<br />
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Studies based on computer models suggest the same thing<br />
may be happening in big freshwater systems. But few programs<br />
are conducting long-term monitoring to find out — or<br />
to investigate the ecological ripple effects.<br />
“This doesn’t mean the waters are going to be unsafe to<br />
swim in. It’s not like we’re making super acid battery liquid,”<br />
said Galen McKinley, a Columbia University environmental<br />
sciences professor. “We’re talking about long-term change in<br />
the environment that to humans would be imperceptible.”<br />
A 2018 study of four German reservoirs found their pH levels<br />
had declined — moving closer to acidity — three times faster<br />
in 35 years than in oceans since the Industrial Revolution.<br />
Researchers say Great Lakes also could approach acidity<br />
around the same rate as in oceans by 2100. Data from the<br />
Lake Huron project will help determine if they’re right.<br />
Two sensors have been attached to a floating weather buoy<br />
at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary near Alpena,<br />
Mich. One measures carbon dioxide pressure in the water<br />
column and the other pH. Additionally, crews are collecting<br />
water samples at varying depths within the 4,300-squaremile<br />
area for chemical analysis.<br />
Besides disrupting aquatic life and habitat, acidification<br />
could deteriorate hundreds of wooden shipwrecks believed<br />
resting on the bottom, said Stephanie Gandulla, the sanctuary’s<br />
resource protection coordinator and a study co-leader.<br />
Other monitoring stations and sampling sites are planned,<br />
Errera said. The goal is to take baseline measurements, then<br />
see how they change over time.<br />
Data also is needed from lakes Erie, Michigan, Ontario and<br />
Superior, she said. All are part of the world’s largest surface<br />
freshwater system but have distinct characteristics, including<br />
water chemistry, nutrients and other conditions needed for<br />
healthy biological communities.<br />
Acidification from carbon dioxide overload in the atmosphere<br />
is different than acid rain caused by sulfur dioxide<br />
and nitrogen oxides from fossil fuel burning for electric<br />
power generation or manufacturing.<br />
While more potent, acid rain covers relatively small areas and<br />
can be reduced with scrubbing equipment, as the U.S. Clean<br />
Air Act requires. But the effect of carbon-related acidifica-
tion is worldwide and potentially more damaging because<br />
there’s no easy or quick fix.<br />
“The only solution is a global solution,” McKinley said. “Everyone<br />
cuts their emissions.”<br />
Regardless of how well nations accomplish that, big lakes<br />
probably will continue acidifying as they absorb carbon<br />
dioxide already in the atmosphere, plus carbon-laden water<br />
runoff from land, she said.<br />
Less certain are effects on ecosystems, although initial studies<br />
have raised concerns.<br />
Based on laboratory tests, scientists who documented soaring<br />
acidity in the German reservoirs found it can imperil a type<br />
of water flea by hampering defense from predators. The tiny<br />
crustaceans are an important food for amphibians and fish.<br />
Scientists in Taiwan experimented with Chinese mitten crabs,<br />
an Asian delicacy but an invasive species elsewhere. Increasing<br />
water acidity in lab tanks to projected 2100 levels more<br />
than tripled their mortality rates, according to a report last<br />
year.<br />
Other studies have found freshwater acidification harms<br />
development and growth of young pink salmon, also known<br />
as humpback salmon, an important commercial and sport<br />
fishing species in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.<br />
But it’s unknown how big such problems will get, said Emily<br />
Stanley, a University of Wisconsin freshwater ecology professor.<br />
“I honestly don’t see this as a thing that we as lake scientists<br />
should be freaking out about,” Stanley said. “There are so<br />
many other challenges facing lakes that are larger and more<br />
immediate,” such as invasive species and harmful algae.<br />
Many lakes emit more carbon dioxide than they take in, she<br />
said. But other scientists say even those could acidify because<br />
their outflow will slow as atmospheric concentrations surge.<br />
Either way, tracking lakes’ carbon dioxide levels is a good<br />
idea because the compound is fundamental to processes<br />
including photosynthesis that algae and other aquatic plants<br />
use to make food, Stanley said.<br />
A crucial question is the effect of CO2-related acidification<br />
on microscopic plants called phytoplankton, said Beth<br />
(Continued on pg. 24)<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 23
News<br />
In this photo provided by Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Michigan Sea Grant intern Cassidy Beach collects Lake Huron water samples aboard a<br />
research vessel on July 13, 2022, near Alpena, Mich. Beach was assisting a multi-year project at Thunder Bay Marine Sanctuary to determine whether the<br />
lake is becoming more acidic. (Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary/NOAA via AP)<br />
(Continued from pg. 23)<br />
Stauffer, a University of Louisiana at Lafayette biologist<br />
studying the situation around river mouths where fresh and<br />
ocean waters meet.<br />
Studies suggest some of the tiniest phytoplankton may thrive<br />
in acidic waters, while larger types — more nutritious for fish<br />
— fade.<br />
The potential upheaval in freshwater ecosystems is one example<br />
among many of global warming’s long reach, she said.<br />
“Those greenhouse gases we’re putting into the atmosphere<br />
have to go somewhere,” Errera said. “The oceans and large<br />
freshwater bodies are where they’re going, and acidification<br />
happens as a result.”<br />
“It’s like walking into a buffet and instead of having the salad<br />
bar and roast turkey, you have just Skittles,” Stauffer said.<br />
Of particular interest for the Great Lakes are quagga mussels,<br />
said Harvey Bootsma, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee<br />
lake scientist. The prolific invaders have elbowed aside other<br />
plankton eaters and fueled nuisance algae. Acidification<br />
could weaken quaggas’ calcium carbonate shells, as it has<br />
with ocean mussels and clams.<br />
But that’s hardly a silver lining, Errera said. The same fate<br />
could befall native mussels that conservationists are struggling<br />
to protect.<br />
24<br />
| Chief Engineer
Derry Township, Pa., Takes Landmark<br />
Step Toward Organics-to-Energy Vision<br />
HERSHEY, Pa. — The Derry Township Municipal Authority<br />
(DTMA) has taken a significant step on its journey toward<br />
energy and nutrient recovery from organic waste at its Clearwater<br />
Road Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF).<br />
Ongoing upgrades at the five million gallons per day WWTF,<br />
part of a $12 million biosolids facility improvements program,<br />
will expand capacity and increase energy efficiency, boosting<br />
the plant’s sustainability.<br />
Already accepting organic waste from industrial and municipal<br />
sources, and with plans to receive future additional waste<br />
streams, the Authority has a long-term vision to recover and<br />
reuse resources, reduce landfill waste, and generate alternate<br />
revenue sources to lessen the financial burden to customers.<br />
In a landmark step, the Authority has purchased Ecoremedy®’s<br />
Fluid Lift Gasification (FLG) technology. The full-scale<br />
biosolids drying and gasification process is the world’s most<br />
advanced platform for simultaneous gasification and nutrient<br />
and energy recovery from industrial residuals and municipal<br />
biosolids. A major advantage of the state-of-the-art system<br />
is its ability to reduce or eliminate emerging contaminants,<br />
such as PFAS.<br />
“This major investment aligns with our mission to provide<br />
a cost-effective public service to protect and enhance the<br />
water environment and quality of life for our community,”<br />
said DTMA Executive Director William Rehkop. “By implementing<br />
self-sustaining facility improvements and expanding<br />
our hauled waste program, the Authority has generated<br />
alternate revenue sources which have significantly subsidized<br />
operation and maintenance costs to benefit our customers.”<br />
Leading environmental engineering and construction services<br />
firm Brown and Caldwell is providing construction management,<br />
design services, and permitting to accommodate the<br />
new system and development of a biosolids receiving facility<br />
at the plant. Once operational, the FLG system will process<br />
higher amounts of biosolids into renewable thermal energy,<br />
biochar, and concentrated minerals, thus keeping biosolids<br />
out of landfill and creating a sustainable fuel source.<br />
Derry Township, Pa., has moved toward enhanced resource recovery with a<br />
revolutionary biosolids process investment.<br />
As local manufacturer’s representative, Kappe Associates, Inc.<br />
played a pivotal role in developing the system’s scope, performance,<br />
throughput, and capabilities.<br />
“We congratulate DTMA for their visionary approach to<br />
recovering resources and reducing environmental impacts,”<br />
said Brown and Caldwell Project Manager Colin O’Brien. “Our<br />
team is honored to help transform the facility and position<br />
DTMA as a waste-to-energy leader at a time when our industry<br />
seeks innovative ways to manage biosolids.”<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 25
News<br />
Why Modern Electric Boilers Are Safer<br />
Choice<br />
In industry, gas-fired boilers have largely been the standard<br />
for many decades to produce steam as well as heat process<br />
water. However, not all boilers are created equal in terms<br />
of safety. By definition, combustion-fueled boilers can emit<br />
harmful vapors, leak gas, and even cause explosions and<br />
fires.<br />
In a recent example, a natural gas boiler was cited as the<br />
cause of a massive explosion and fire at a food processing<br />
plant in eastern Oregon that injured six and caused severe<br />
damage to the facility’s main building. Given the risks, many<br />
processors are turning to a new generation of electric boilers<br />
to dramatically reduce these hazards.<br />
“With gas burning boilers, any gas leak can increase the risk<br />
of an explosion wherever there are fuel lines, fumes, flames<br />
or storage tanks. So, gas units must be continually monitored<br />
or periodically inspected,” says Robert Presser, Vice President<br />
of Acme Engineering Products, who notes that state and<br />
municipal safety guidelines vary depending on boiler type<br />
and the expected frequency of inspection. Acme Engineering<br />
is a North American manufacturer of boilers for large<br />
industrial and commercial applications. The company is an<br />
ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturer of environmental controls<br />
and systems with integrated mechanical, electrical and<br />
electronic capabilities.<br />
In gas-fired boilers, explosions can result in the ignition and<br />
instantaneous combustion of highly flammable gas, vapor,<br />
or dust that has accumulated in a boiler. The force of the<br />
explosion is often much greater than the boiler combustion<br />
chamber can withstand.<br />
Minor explosions, known as flarebacks or blowbacks, can also<br />
suddenly blow flames many feet from firing doors and observation<br />
ports, seriously burning anyone in the path of a flame.<br />
Natural gas-fired boiler emissions also pose potential hazards<br />
in the form of emissions. This can include nitrogen oxides<br />
(NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxide (N2O), volatile<br />
organic compounds (VOCs), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate<br />
matter (PM), as well as the greenhouse gasses carbon<br />
dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), which accelerate global<br />
warming.<br />
In addition, fossil-fuel-burning boilers can also face potentially<br />
dangerous operational issues stemming from excessive<br />
heat accumulation, particularly if the water is too low in the<br />
system to properly absorb the heat. High heat conditions<br />
can compromise the boiler, electrodes, and other equipment<br />
essential to operation.<br />
To dramatically improve operator and environmental safety,<br />
industry is turning toward modern electric boilers that<br />
eliminate many of these risks. The most advanced electrode<br />
boilers not only match the capacity of large gas or oil-fired<br />
boilers but are safer and more compact, maximizing energy<br />
efficiency, improving reliability, and minimizing maintenance.<br />
Although many facility engineers are familiar with gas-fired<br />
boilers, many believe that electric boilers cannot match the<br />
output of the traditional, fossil-fuel-burning units. Due to<br />
considerable advances in electric boiler technology, however,<br />
such technology can now match the capacity of large gas or<br />
oil-fired boilers in a much smaller footprint.<br />
Presser explains that electric boilers utilize the conductive<br />
and resistive properties of water to carry electric current and<br />
generate steam. An A.C. current flows from an electrode of<br />
one phase to ground using the water as a conductor. Since<br />
chemicals in the water provide conductivity, the current flow<br />
generates heat directly in the water itself. The more current<br />
(amps) that flows, the more heat (BTUs) is generated, and<br />
the more steam produced.<br />
As an example, in Acme’s CEJS High Voltage Electrode Steam<br />
Boiler, almost 100 percent of the electrical energy is converted<br />
into heat with no stack or heat transfer losses. The<br />
electrodes of the jet type electrode steam boiler are vertically<br />
mounted around the inside of the pressure vessel. This<br />
enables the unit to produce maximum amounts of steam in<br />
a minimum amount of floor space, with boiler capacity from<br />
6MW to 52MW. Operating at existing distribution voltages,<br />
4.16 to 25 KV with up to 99.9-percent efficiency, the boiler<br />
can produce up to 170,000 pounds of steam per hour. With<br />
pressure ratings from 105 psig to 500 psig, the boilers are<br />
designed to ASME Section 1, and are certified, registered<br />
pressure vessels at the location of the boiler.<br />
“With the jet-type electrode boilers, there are no combustion<br />
hazards because there are no flames, fumes, fuel lines<br />
or storage tanks, which minimizes the risk of explosions and<br />
fires,” says Presser. In case of an electrical short, the breaker<br />
that protects the high voltage circuit trips in a matter of milliseconds,<br />
protecting the boiler and the electrical network.<br />
There is no chance of electrical mishap or fire from the boiler.<br />
Since the design does not rely on combustion, it does not create<br />
emissions that would endanger the operator or environment.<br />
In addition, the design eliminates many environmental<br />
issues associated with fuel burning boilers such as fuel fumes,<br />
fly ash, and large, obtrusive exhaust stacks.<br />
The approach resolves safety issues related to potentially<br />
excessive heat accumulation with the system as well. Low<br />
26<br />
| Chief Engineer
water protection is absolute since the absence of water<br />
prevents current from flowing and the electrode boiler from<br />
producing steam. Unlike conventional electric boilers or fossil<br />
fuel boilers, nothing in the electrode boiler is at a higher<br />
temperature than the water itself. This prevents the risk of<br />
dangerous heat buildup in the boiler, electrodes, and other<br />
important components even if scaling should occur, and thermal<br />
shock is eliminated.<br />
“Electric boilers, and specifically the electrode units, are<br />
inherently the safest boiler design today. These units do<br />
not need an operator because if anything goes wrong, the<br />
breaker trips, preventing further escalation of the issue,”<br />
explains Presser.<br />
The electric boilers also improve safety by reducing industrial<br />
noise, which is an OSHA-regulated issue. Under OSHA’s Noise<br />
Standard, the employer must lower noise exposure through<br />
engineering controls, administrative controls, or Hearing Protection<br />
Devices (HPDs) to attenuate the occupational noise<br />
received by the employee’s ears to within levels specified.<br />
In this regard, the electric units are also exceptionally quiet<br />
compared to fuel-fired boilers. “Unlike gas-powered burners<br />
that throttle like turbine engines almost continually, electric<br />
boilers keep operational noise levels down,” says Presser.<br />
“Because the loudest boiler component is a circulating pump<br />
motor, you can have a conversation next to one without the<br />
need to elevate your voice.”<br />
As safer, more energy-efficient electrode boilers become more widely available,<br />
companies can protect their people and processes more completely<br />
while minimizing required maintenance.<br />
While safety of the electrode units is superior, there are also<br />
significant benefits in terms of reliability and maintenance.<br />
The absence of excessive temperatures and burnout assures<br />
longer operating life. The boilers have a minimum number<br />
of components and electrical controls. With no fuel residues,<br />
along with fewer parts and simple control systems, cleaning<br />
and maintenance requirements are reduced, and reliability is<br />
enhanced.<br />
Processors have long sought to improve safety, yet options<br />
have been limited. Now, as safer, more energy-efficient<br />
alternatives become more widely available in the form of<br />
state-of-the-art electrode boilers, companies can protect<br />
their people and processes more completely while minimizing<br />
required maintenance.<br />
For more info, contact Robert Presser at Acme Engineering<br />
via e-mail: rpresser@acmeprod.com, phone: (888) 880-5323,<br />
or Web: www.acmeprod.com/.<br />
Del Williams is a technical writer based in Torrance, Calif.<br />
Advanced electrode boilers like those from Acme Engineering dramatically<br />
reduce the risk of explosion, fire and noxious emissions associated with<br />
fossil-fuel-burning units.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 27
News<br />
EPA to Tighten Nitrogen Oxide Limits<br />
for New Heavy Trucks By Tom Krisher | AP Auto Writer<br />
DETROIT (AP) — In a little over four years, new heavy truck<br />
makers will have to cut harmful nitrogen oxide pollution<br />
more than 80 percent under new standards released Tuesday<br />
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.<br />
Some environmental and health advocates praised the<br />
standards, but others said they don’t go far enough to curb<br />
nitrogen oxide, which can cause issues including respiratory<br />
illness, cardiovascular problems and even death.<br />
Problems are more acute in industrial and port areas, causing<br />
health problems for low-income residents who live there.<br />
The EPA says 72 million people live near freight routes in the<br />
U.S.<br />
The standards, coupled with greenhouse gas emission limits<br />
coming next year, and government investments, eventually<br />
will lead to zero-emissions electric and hydrogen fuel cell<br />
trucks carrying most of the nation’s freight, the agency said.<br />
“This is just the first action under EPA’s clean trucks plan to<br />
pave the way toward a zero-emission future,” Administrator<br />
Michael Regan said in a prepared statement.<br />
The standards, the first update in more than 20 years, limit<br />
nitrogen oxide emissions from new semis and other heavy<br />
trucks to 35 milligrams per horsepower hour. The current<br />
standard is 200 milligrams, the EPA said.<br />
One horsepower hour is the equivalent of energy consumed<br />
by working at the rate of one horsepower for a single hour.<br />
EPA officials say catalytic reduction technology is available<br />
for truck engine manufacturers to meet the large reduction<br />
when the standards take effect in 2027. The agency also says<br />
the standards can be met at a reasonable cost. The stronger<br />
standard will not change and will remain in place for multiple<br />
years, the EPA said.<br />
As the fleet of heavy trucks is replaced by newer vehicles,<br />
it should reduce nitrogen oxide pollution by 48 percent by<br />
2045, the EPA said.<br />
The agency expects greenhouse gas standards and incentives<br />
in the Inflation Reduction Act to bring the replacement of<br />
all diesel trucks with zero-emissions alternatives, said Margo<br />
Oge, a former director of the EPA’s transportation and air<br />
quality office.<br />
Oge, now a volunteer with the Environmental Protection<br />
Network, expects at least half of all new heavy trucks to be<br />
powered by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells by 2030.<br />
Tractor-trailers are stacked up along the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70<br />
near East Airpark Road, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, in Aurora, Colo. A massive<br />
winter storm closed roads throughout northeast Colorado. (AP Photo/David<br />
Zalubowski)<br />
The Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association said the<br />
new standards will be challenging to put in place, but its<br />
members will work with the EPA.<br />
“Ultimately the success or failure of this rule hinges on the<br />
willingness and ability of trucking fleets to invest in purchasing<br />
the new technology to replace their older, higher-emitting<br />
vehicles,” the association said in a prepared statement.<br />
A group representing independent truck drivers, the Owner<br />
Operator Independent Drivers Association, said small business<br />
truckers won’t be able to afford new trucks, so they’ll<br />
stay with older, less-efficient ones.<br />
The new rule lets the trucking industry keep making vehicles<br />
that pollute the air, the Natural Resources Defense Council<br />
said.<br />
“The agency missed a critical opportunity to slash soot and<br />
smog and accelerate the shift to the cleanest vehicles,” the<br />
group said in a prepared statement.<br />
However, the American Lung Association called the rule an<br />
important step in reducing emissions that can cause lifelong<br />
lung damage.<br />
“Now, EPA must build on today’s rule,” the group said.<br />
“These standards must dramatically reduce greenhouse gas<br />
emissions from trucks to drive a nationwide transition to<br />
zero-emission vehicles.”<br />
28<br />
| Chief Engineer
PVC Roofing: Recyclable at End of<br />
Service Life<br />
For more than 50 years, durable PVC roofing membranes<br />
have cooled and protected buildings in climates around the<br />
world. Their long life cycle has helped earn them excellent<br />
ANSI ratings for sustainability. (To date, PVC materials are<br />
the only products to be rated gold or platinum.) But there’s<br />
more. PVC roofing is the only commercial roofing material<br />
that is being recycled, at the end of decades of service life,<br />
into the feedstock to make new roofing membranes.<br />
PVC has an inherent advantage over many other roofing<br />
materials when it comes to recycling. As a thermoplastic, it<br />
can readily be heated and reprocessed without loss of key<br />
physical properties. Thus, it has long been an industry best<br />
practice to reintroduce production trimmings and scrap as<br />
raw materials into the vinyl roofing membrane manufacturing<br />
processes. In 2021, the member manufacturers of the<br />
Chemical Fabrics & Film Association (CFFA) Vinyl Roofing<br />
Division recycled a combined 20.5 million pounds of pre-consumer<br />
materials.<br />
The Vinyl Roofing Division has a new white paper covering<br />
the topic, “Avoiding the Landfill: The Recycling of PVC Roof<br />
Membranes,” available for download on its website. Focusing<br />
on post-consumer recycling, this paper examines the evolution<br />
and current state of commercial PVC roof membranes<br />
as a sustainable building product at the end of its service life.<br />
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,<br />
construction and demolition waste from buildings totals an<br />
estimated 332 billion pounds annually. Skyrocketing raw<br />
material costs, higher landfill tipping fees, legislation to<br />
restrict disposal of construction materials, and an architectural<br />
community that demands the lightest environmental<br />
footprint that can be achieved, have led to the mainstreaming<br />
of post-consumer recycling and a vision of the day when<br />
specifiers will routinely call for post-consumer content in a<br />
roof membrane.<br />
In 2021, some participating manufacturers of CFFA’s Vinyl<br />
Roofing Division recycled a combined 758 thousand pounds<br />
of membranes at the end of their service lives. These were<br />
reprocessed into either new PVC roofing membranes (closed<br />
loop recycling) or other non-roofing products such as flooring<br />
(open loop recycling).<br />
For more information on the benefits of cool PVC roofing,<br />
visit https://vinylroofs.org/.<br />
PVC is the only commercial roofing material that can be transformed into<br />
feedstock and manufactured as the same product it previously had been.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 29
News<br />
Pasternack Celebrates Its 50th<br />
Anniversary<br />
IRVINE, Calif. — Pasternack, an Infinite Electronics brand and<br />
a leading provider of RF, microwave and millimeter-wave<br />
products, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.<br />
Pasternack was established on Jan. 9, 1972, by its founder<br />
Murray Pasternack, who ran the business out of his home<br />
in southern California. His sole purpose was to address the<br />
unique product needs of RF and microwave engineers.<br />
From its humble beginnings in Murray’s garage, Pasternack<br />
has since grown to become a global leader in the RF and microwave<br />
industry, providing its customers with an extensive<br />
range of actives, passives and cable assemblies.<br />
Many things have changed since the company’s inception in<br />
1972. However, one thing that has not is its customers’ demand<br />
for a reliable source of high-quality RF and microwave<br />
products backed by superior technical and customer service.<br />
Pasternack continues to thrive by aligning its products and<br />
services with the needs of its customers. Its inventory of more<br />
than 40,000 products is always available, granting customer<br />
access to the broadest array of industry standards as well as<br />
rare and hard-to-find specialty items. In addition to thousands<br />
of off-the-shelf products, Pasternack is an expert at<br />
building custom cable assemblies with same-day shipping.<br />
“We are so proud to be celebrating Pasternack’s 50th anniversary,”<br />
said Penny Cotner, President and CEO of Infinite<br />
Electronics. “Our success has come from listening to what our<br />
customers need and by providing responsive, technical and<br />
customer service as well as offering the industry’s broadest<br />
selection of in-stock products to address the urgent needs of<br />
From the garage to the globe — Pasternack celebrates its 50-year legacy in<br />
the RF/microwave industry.<br />
our customers. As the flagship brand of Infinite Electronics,<br />
Pasternack has set the standard of service for our company.”<br />
To commemorate this milestone anniversary, the company<br />
recently interviewed Murray Pasternack to get all the details<br />
on the company’s inception and growth. To read the interview,<br />
visit bit.ly/3YywQKO.<br />
For inquiries, contact Pasternack at (949) 261-1920.<br />
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Call Chief Engineer at 708-293-1720 or email<br />
editor@chiefengineer.org, and let us know<br />
about your project, product, service, or other<br />
industry news!<br />
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30<br />
| Chief Engineer
Purdue, Accenture Sign 5-year<br />
Agreement in Support of Smart<br />
Manufacturing<br />
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University and Accenture<br />
have agreed to a five-year commitment supporting Purdue’s<br />
mission to prepare a next-generation smart-manufacturing<br />
workforce.<br />
Accenture has committed to provide funding in support of<br />
two strategic areas:<br />
• The Accenture Smart Factory, which will meet the needs<br />
of a growing College of Engineering and Purdue Polytechnic<br />
Institute student population. Located in Dudley Hall,<br />
the facility will provide instructional laboratories, design<br />
studios and spaces where students from various disciplines<br />
will collaborate on smart-manufacturing projects. The<br />
Smart Factory will also serve as a central hub for joint innovation<br />
among Purdue, Accenture and industry.<br />
• The Accenture Smart Manufacturing Scholars Program,<br />
which will provide funds for select qualified students to<br />
receive the equivalent of in-state tuition every year for up<br />
to four years. The program will include a Women in Manufacturing<br />
scholarship designed to attract more women to<br />
manufacturing fields and drive inclusion and diversity in<br />
the industry.<br />
“With the Accenture Smart Factory and the Accenture<br />
Manufacturing Scholars Program, we can prepare more<br />
students for exciting future careers in smart manufacturing,”<br />
said Daniel Castro, dean of the Purdue Polytechnic<br />
Institute, through which Purdue offers an undergraduate<br />
major in smart manufacturing industrial informatics. “At the<br />
same time, this venture allows Purdue to meet the needs of<br />
our partners in industry who are desperately seeking career-ready<br />
graduates with the skills we will teach in this new<br />
facility.”<br />
Smart manufacturing uses digital technologies such as artificial<br />
intelligence, the cloud, robotics and 5G to build products.<br />
Industry experts believe the United States’ need for a workforce<br />
with core knowledge and skills in this field is growing<br />
faster than the country’s current ability to produce qualified<br />
workers. Fast-track workforce training programs help fill<br />
this gap, and Purdue — a proven leader in manufacturing,<br />
engineering and innovation — is advancing several projects<br />
to meet the long-term need.<br />
“We are excited about this new partnership, particularly the<br />
Women in Manufacturing scholarship, which will help drive<br />
more inclusion and diversity in engineering roles,” said Shiv<br />
Iyer, Accenture’s market unit lead for the U.S. Midwest. “By<br />
Purdue University and Accenture have come together in an attempt to<br />
inspire more students to consider careers in digital manufacturing.<br />
partnering with Purdue, we hope to inspire more students to<br />
pursue a career in digital manufacturing of the future.”<br />
Accenture is a global professional services company with<br />
721,000 employees offering leading capabilities in digital,<br />
cloud and security to clients in more than 120 countries.<br />
“Companies are not just rebuilding manufacturing in North<br />
America, they are reinventing it,” said Aaron Saint, who<br />
leads Accenture’s digital engineering and manufacturing<br />
service, Industry X, in North America. “Factories of the future<br />
will rely on automation, data analysis and digital twin replicas<br />
to enhance productivity, safety and quality. They need a<br />
workforce with those skills. The Accenture Smart Factory will<br />
provide the right platform for innovation in this next era,<br />
and this collaboration with Purdue will equip tomorrow’s<br />
workforce with the skills they need for a successful career in<br />
digital manufacturing.”<br />
Volume 87 · Number 11 | 31
News<br />
California Approves Roadmap for<br />
Carbon Neutrality by 2045<br />
By Sophie Austin | Associated Press/Report for America<br />
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California air regulators voted<br />
unanimously Thursday, Dec. 15, to approve an ambitious plan<br />
to drastically cut reliance on fossil fuels by changing practices<br />
in the energy, transportation and agriculture sectors, but<br />
critics say it doesn’t go far enough to combat climate change.<br />
The plan sets out to achieve so-called carbon neutrality by<br />
2045, meaning the state will remove as many carbon emissions<br />
from the atmosphere as it emits. It aims to do so in part<br />
by reducing fossil fuel demand by 86 percent within that<br />
time frame.<br />
California had previously set this carbon neutrality target,<br />
but Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation making it a mandate<br />
earlier this year. The Democrat has said drastic changes<br />
are needed to position California as a global climate leader.<br />
“We are making history here in California,” Newsom said in<br />
a Dec. 15 statement.<br />
But the plan’s road to approval by the California Air Resources<br />
Board was not without criticism. Capturing large amounts<br />
of carbon and storing it underground is one of the most<br />
controversial elements of the proposal. Critics say it gives the<br />
state’s biggest emitters reason to not do enough on their<br />
part to mitigate climate change.<br />
In a meeting that lasted several hours, activists, residents and<br />
experts used their last chance to weigh in on the plan ahead<br />
of the board’s vote. Many said the latest version, while not<br />
perfect, was an improvement from earlier drafts, committing<br />
the state to do more to curb planet-warming emissions.<br />
Davina Hurt, a board member, said she was proud California<br />
is moving closer to its carbon neutrality goal.<br />
“I’m glad that this plan is bold and aggressive,” Hurt said.<br />
The plan does not commit the state to taking any particular<br />
actions but sets out a broad roadmap for how California can<br />
achieve its goals. Here are the highlights:<br />
Renewable Power<br />
The implementation of the plan hinges on the state’s ability<br />
to transition away from fossil fuels and rely more on renewable<br />
resources for energy. It calls for the state to cut liquid<br />
petroleum fuel demand by 94 percent by 2045, and quadruple<br />
solar and wind capacity along that same timeframe.<br />
Another goal would mean new residential and commercial<br />
buildings will be powered by electric appliances before the<br />
next decade.<br />
The calls for dramatically lowering reliance on oil and gas<br />
come as public officials continue to grapple with how to<br />
avoid blackouts when record-breaking heat waves push Californians<br />
to crank up their air conditioning.<br />
And the Western States Petroleum Association took issue<br />
with the plan’s timeline.<br />
“CARB’s latest draft of the Scoping Plan has acknowledged<br />
what dozens of studies have confirmed — that a complete<br />
phase-out of oil and gas is unrealistic,” said Catherine Reheis-Boyd,<br />
the group’s president, in a statement. “A plan that<br />
isn’t realistic isn’t really a plan at all.”<br />
At the beginning of the Dec. 15 meeting, California Air Resources<br />
Board Chair Liane Randolph touted the latest version<br />
of the plan as the most ambitious to date. It underwent<br />
changes after public comments earlier in the year.<br />
“Ultimately, achieving carbon neutrality requires deploying<br />
all tools available to us to reduce emissions and store carbon,”<br />
Randolph said.<br />
Transportation<br />
Officials hope a move away from gas-powered cars and<br />
trucks reduces greenhouse gas emissions while limiting the<br />
public health impact of chemicals these vehicles release.<br />
In a July letter to the air board, Newsom requested that the<br />
agency approve aggressive cuts to emissions from planes.<br />
This would accompany other reductions in the transportation<br />
sector as the state transitions to all zero-emission vehicle<br />
sales by 2035.<br />
The plan’s targets include having 20 percent of aviation fuel<br />
demand come from electric or hydrogen sources by 2045 and<br />
ensuring all medium-duty vehicles sold are zero-emission by<br />
2040. The board has already passed a policy to ban the sale<br />
of new cars powered solely by gasoline in the state starting<br />
in 2035.<br />
Carbon Capture<br />
The plan refers to carbon capture as a “necessary tool” to<br />
32<br />
| Chief Engineer
Gen Nashimoto, of Luminalt, installs solar panels in Hayward, Calif., on April 29, 2020. California air regulators are set to approve an ambitious plan for<br />
the state to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Doing so will require a rapid transition away from oil and gas and toward renewable energy to power<br />
everything from cars to buildings. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)<br />
implement in the state alongside other strategies to mitigate<br />
climate change. It calls for the state to capture 100 million<br />
metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and store it underground<br />
by 2045.<br />
Connie Cho, an attorney for environmental justice group<br />
Communities for a Better Environment, called the plan’s goal<br />
of phasing down oil refining “a huge step forward” to mitigate<br />
climate change and protect public health.<br />
“Our communities have been suffering from chronic disease<br />
and dying at disproportionate rates for far too long because<br />
of the legacy of environmental racism in this country,” Cho<br />
said.<br />
But Cho criticized its carbon capture targets, arguing they<br />
give a pathway for refineries to continue polluting as the<br />
state cuts emissions in other areas.<br />
Agriculture<br />
One of the goals is to achieve a 66 percent reduction in<br />
methane emissions from the agriculture sector by 2045. Cattle<br />
are a significant source for releasing methane — a potent,<br />
planet-warming gas.<br />
The plan’s implementation would also mean less reliance by<br />
the agriculture sector on fossil fuels as an energy source.<br />
Sophie Austin is a corps member for the Associated Press/<br />
Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for<br />
America is a nonprofit national service program that places<br />
journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered<br />
issues.<br />
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Volume 88 · Number 1 | 33
News<br />
Regulators Grant Critical Approval for<br />
Dominion Wind Farm By Sarah Rankin | Associated Press<br />
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia regulators granted a critical<br />
approval Thursday, Dec. 15, for Dominion Energy’s plans to<br />
construct and operate a 176-turbine wind farm in the Atlantic<br />
Ocean.<br />
The State Corporation Commission effectively signed off on<br />
an agreement Dominion reached this fall with the Virginia<br />
attorney general and other parties, in which the company<br />
agreed to implement several consumer protections in connection<br />
with the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.<br />
“We thank the Commission for its approval and appreciate<br />
the collaboration of the parties involved to reach an agreement<br />
that advances offshore wind and the clean energy<br />
transition in Virginia,” the Richmond-based company said<br />
in a statement. “Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind has many<br />
benefits for our customers. It is fuel free, emissions free,<br />
diversifies our energy mix and is a transformative economic<br />
development opportunity for Hampton Roads and Virginia.”<br />
In its order, the commission also issued a warning about the<br />
impact the project will have on the electricity bills of Dominion’s<br />
captive electric utility customers.<br />
“The magnitude of this project is so great that it will likely<br />
be the costliest project being undertaken by any regulated<br />
utility in the United States. And the electricity produced<br />
by this Project will be among the most expensive sources<br />
of power — on both a per-kilowatt-of-firm-capacity and a<br />
per-megawatt-hour basis — in the entire United States,” the<br />
order said.<br />
Dominion filed its application to build and recover the costs<br />
Two of the offshore wind turbines, which have been constructed off the coast of Virginia Beach, Va., are seen, June 29, 2020. Virginia regulators granted<br />
a critical approval Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, for Dominion Energy’s plans to construct and operate a 176-turbine wind farm in the Atlantic Ocean. (AP<br />
Photo/Steve Helber, File)<br />
34 | Chief Engineer
of the project with the State Corporation Commission in<br />
2021. That kicked off a lengthy process before the regulatory<br />
agency, one that has included voluminous filings and an<br />
evidentiary hearing last May.<br />
The commission initially signed off on the project in August,<br />
but it included a consumer protection provision — a performance<br />
guarantee — that Dominion strenuously objected to,<br />
saying it would kill the project.<br />
Several parties to the SCC proceeding, including Walmart,<br />
the AG’s office and conservation groups, began to hash out<br />
a compromise, announcing a proposed agreement in late<br />
October that did away with the performance guarantee but<br />
does include performance reporting requirements and provisions<br />
laying out a degree of construction cost sharing.<br />
The agreement now approved by the SCC calls for a<br />
cost-sharing arrangement for any overruns beyond the<br />
estimated $9.8 billion price tag. The company would cover 50<br />
percent of construction costs between the range of $10.3-<br />
$11.3 billion and 100 percent of costs between $11.3-$13.7<br />
billion. If construction costs were to exceed $13.7 billion, the<br />
issue would go back to the commission.<br />
calls for an in-service date of late 2026 or early 2027. Dominion<br />
expects the project to generate enough clean energy to<br />
power up to 660,000 homes.<br />
The Dec. 15 SCC order noted that while Dominion estimates<br />
the capital cost of the project to be nearly $10 billion, total<br />
project costs, including financing, are estimated to be approximately<br />
$21.5 billion.<br />
Clean Virginia, a clean energy and rate-reform advocacy<br />
group, said in a statement that the approved compromise<br />
would help hold Dominion accountable.<br />
“With its final ruling today, the State Corporation Commission<br />
demonstrated that consumer protection must go hand<br />
in hand with Virginia’s clean energy transition,” Clean Virginia<br />
Energy Policy Manager Laura Gonzalez said. “Absent<br />
the Commission’s leadership and pressure from environmental<br />
groups, the Attorney General, and Walmart, Dominion<br />
Energy would have zero incentive to actually produce clean<br />
energy from its offshore wind project or keep costs reasonable.”<br />
The proposal would not require the company to guarantee<br />
certain energy production levels, like the SCC had initially<br />
ordered. Rather, Dominion will have to report average net<br />
capacity factors annually and “provide a detailed explanation<br />
of the factors contributing to any deficiency.” Capacity<br />
factor is a measure of how often a generating facility runs<br />
during a period of time.<br />
The commission will also have the continuing authority to inspect<br />
Dominion’s expenditures on the project to ensure they<br />
are reasonable and prudent under state law.<br />
The project, which will be located about 27 miles off the<br />
coast of Virginia Beach, has drawn broad support from local<br />
officials, policymakers, business groups and trade unions,<br />
who say it will help fight climate change and create jobs.<br />
The company already has a two-turbine pilot project up and<br />
running. The 2.6-gigawatt, utility-scale project’s schedule<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 35
News<br />
Japanese Court Says 45-Year-Old Nuclear<br />
Reactor Can Operate By Mari Yamaguchi | Associated Press<br />
TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court ruled Tuesday, Dec. 20, that<br />
a 45-year-old nuclear reactor in central Japan can continue<br />
to operate, rejecting demands by residents that it be suspended<br />
because of safety risks, a decision supportive of the<br />
government’s push for greater use of nuclear energy because<br />
of possible global fuel shortages and the country’s pledge to<br />
reduce carbon emissions.<br />
The Osaka District Court’s decision came just days before<br />
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet is expected to approve<br />
a new nuclear energy policy that would accelerate<br />
restarts of reactors that were idled after the 2011 Fukushima<br />
nuclear power plant disaster and extend the operating life of<br />
aging reactors.<br />
The Economy and Industry Ministry has drafted a plan to<br />
allow extensions every 10 years for reactors after 30 years of<br />
operation, while also permitting utilities to subtract offline<br />
periods in calculating reactors’ operational life beyond the<br />
current 60-year limit.<br />
The Dec. 20 ruling was the first on the safety of reactors that<br />
have operated more than 40 years.<br />
Chief Judge Naoya Inoue said the operator of the Mihama<br />
No. 3 reactor, Kansai Electric Power Co., has taken adequate<br />
steps to prevent equipment degradation to fulfil the requirements<br />
of the Nuclear Regulation Authority and obtain an<br />
operational permit. The ruling said the reactor’s age doesn’t<br />
require more stringent safety standards than normal.<br />
Nine residents — seven from Fukui prefecture and one each<br />
from neighboring Kyoto and Shiga — filed a lawsuit against<br />
Kansai Electric in June 2021 demanding the suspension of the<br />
Mihama reactor, citing safety risks at the aging facility.<br />
The court also dismissed other safety concerns raised by the<br />
plaintiffs, including earthquake resistance and evacuation<br />
plans, citing a lack of concrete proof of potential risk.<br />
Lawyers for the plaintiffs said it was obvious that aging increases<br />
risks for reactors and said they plan to appeal.<br />
Most nuclear reactors in Japan are more than 30 years old.<br />
While four reactors that have operated more than 40 years<br />
have cleared the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s safety standards<br />
and have received permission to operate, the Mihama<br />
No. 3 reactor is the only one that is currently in operation.<br />
36<br />
| Chief Engineer<br />
Petitioners display banners in front of Osaka District Court in Osaka,<br />
western Japan Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. A Japanese court ruled Tuesday that<br />
a 45-year-old nuclear reactor in central Japan is safe to operate, rejecting<br />
demands by local residents that it be suspended because of corrosion and<br />
inadequate safety measures — a decision supportive of the government’s<br />
push toward a greater use of nuclear energy amid power crunch concern<br />
and decarbonization obligation. The banners read “Unfair decision cannot<br />
be permitted. Immediate appeal!” right, and “We’ll settle at Osaka Hight<br />
Court.” (Kyodo News via AP)<br />
Anti-nuclear sentiment and safety concerns rose sharply<br />
in Japan after the Fukushima disaster, in which a massive<br />
earthquake and tsunami damaged reactor cooling systems,<br />
causing three to melt and release large amounts of radiation.<br />
The government initially planned to phase out nuclear<br />
power but has since reversed that stance.<br />
Kishida said in August that Japan needs to consider all<br />
options in its energy mix, including nuclear, to secure a<br />
stable energy supply amid potential shortages resulting<br />
from Russia’s war on Ukraine, while strengthening its “green<br />
transformation” to meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction<br />
targets. Japan has pledged to reach carbon neutrality by<br />
2050.<br />
While maintaining a 20-22 percent target for nuclear energy<br />
in its energy mix for 2030, the government previously insisted<br />
it was not planning to build new nuclear plants or replace<br />
aging reactors, apparently to avoid triggering criticism from<br />
a still wary public.<br />
Under the newly adopted nuclear policy, the government<br />
will seek to develop and construct “new innovative reactors”<br />
such as small modular nuclear reactors.<br />
Some experts say extending the operational lifespan of reactors<br />
is not desirable because utility operators would need<br />
to invest in old equipment to keep it working instead of in<br />
new technology or renewables. They also say developing<br />
next-generation reactors involves huge costs and uncertain<br />
prospects.
Company Starting to Recover Oil From<br />
Kansas Pipeline Spill By John Hanna | Associated Press<br />
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The company operating a pipeline<br />
that leaked about 14,000 bathtubs’ worth of crude oil into a<br />
northeastern Kansas creek is recovering at least a small part<br />
of it from what was the largest onshore crude oil spill in nine<br />
years.<br />
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday,<br />
Dec. 13, that Canada-based TC Energy has recovered 2,163<br />
barrels of oil mixed with water from the 14,000-barrel spill<br />
on a creek running through rural pastureland in Washington<br />
County, Kansas, about 150 miles northwest of Kansas City.<br />
The EPA also said the company has recovered 435 barrels<br />
from the ruptured pipeline, to bring the total amount of oil<br />
and water recovered to 2,598 barrels, a figure also released<br />
by the company. Each barrel is enough to fill a household<br />
bathtub, and the total spill was 588,000 gallons.<br />
The rupture in Kansas forced the company to shut down the<br />
Keystone system, and it hasn’t said when it will come back<br />
online. It is using trucks with what essentially are large wet<br />
vacuums to suck out the oil. The company said Dec. 15 that<br />
the trucks are operating around the clock. The company and<br />
the EPA say no drinking water was affected, and no one was<br />
evacuated in the wake of the spill.<br />
“Our commitment to the community is that our response<br />
efforts will continue until we have fully remediated the site,”<br />
the company said in a statement.<br />
The company used booms, or barriers, to contain the oil in<br />
the creek and also built an earthen dam to prevent it from<br />
moving into larger waterways. The EPA said the company<br />
built a second earthen dam to helps support the first.<br />
It was the biggest onshore spill since a Tesoro Corp. pipeline<br />
rupture in North Dakota leaked 20,600 barrels in September<br />
2013, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data.<br />
The agency’s data also said it was the largest spill on the<br />
Keystone system since it began operating in 2010 and bigger<br />
than 22 previous spills on the system combined.<br />
The spill prompted the U.S. Department of Transportation’s<br />
pipeline safety arm to order TC Energy to take corrective<br />
action.<br />
It said the company must reduce the operating pressure by<br />
20 percent inside the 96-mile segment running from Steele<br />
City, Neb., south to Hope, Kan. It also said the company cannot<br />
restart operations in that segment without the permission<br />
of the pipeline safety regulators.<br />
The company also must identify the root cause of the spill<br />
and submit a plan for finding similar problems elsewhere<br />
and conducting additional tests by early March.<br />
Bill Caram, executive director of the advocacy Pipeline Safety<br />
Trust, said much of the order is standard “boilerplate,” and it<br />
would be possible for TC Energy to get the 96-mile segment<br />
back online once it does a repair.<br />
“They need to excavate the pipe in such a way that it’s preserved<br />
just for the investigation, for that root-cause analysis,<br />
and that takes probably the most time,” Caram said. “But<br />
the actual repair can be pretty quick.”<br />
Concerns that spills could pollute waterways spurred opposition<br />
to plans by TC Energy to build another crude oil pipeline<br />
in the Keystone system, the 1,200-mile Keystone XL, which<br />
would have cut across Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska.<br />
Critics also argued that using crude from western Canada’s<br />
oil sands would worsen climate change, and President Joe<br />
Biden’s cancelation of a U.S. permit for the project led the<br />
company to pull the plug last year.<br />
Volume 87 · Number 12 | 37
WATER-TUBE BOILERS<br />
DOMINATE<br />
COMMERCIAL/<br />
INDUSTRIAL MARKETS<br />
by Greg Hughes<br />
Three boiler types loom large among conventional (non-condensing)<br />
commercial water boilers used for process or space<br />
heat, with input sizes of 400 MBH and up: those with cast iron<br />
sectional, fire-tube, and water-tube heat exchangers.<br />
For a variety of reasons, the latter two have been most prevalent<br />
in the commercial process heating market. Advantages<br />
include relatively compact size, lower standby heat loss, and<br />
the speed with which heat can be generated and delivered into<br />
distribution piping.<br />
First out of the gate for a wide range of uses was the fire-tube<br />
boiler — with early design dating back centuries. Hollywood<br />
gave great prominence to horizontal fire-tube boilers, though<br />
few producers, actors or moviegoers were aware of it. Every<br />
time a steam locomotive — aka the iron horse — blew its whistle<br />
or raced across the great plains, an uncelebrated fire-tube<br />
boiler was doing its part.<br />
Still today, fire-tube boilers offer a wide range of uses. Within<br />
these boilers, fire tubes are immersed in water; hot flue gases<br />
produced by the combustion chamber flow inside them. The<br />
hot flue gases transfer their heat to the outside water through<br />
the conduction.<br />
Water-tube boiler designs, introduced later, essentially invert<br />
the fire-tube boiler construct: Water is contained within the<br />
boiler’s internal tubes.<br />
WATER-TUBE ADVANTAGES<br />
In water-tube boilers, combustion occurs within the shell that<br />
surrounds the tubes, forcing combusted gas over the water<br />
tubes for exceptionally fast, efficient heat transfer.<br />
A Thermal Solutions AMP water-tube boiler is rated at 97% efficient.<br />
Water-tube boilers offer quick startup and response time to<br />
changing conditions with very little standby loss. By design,<br />
38 | Chief Engineer
comparatively little water passes through the heat exchanger;<br />
this translates into a smaller footprint and broader range of<br />
capabilities and output ranges.<br />
“Their ability to make steam, or hot water, very rapidly, from a<br />
cold start, and without damaging the boiler is a beneficial asset,”<br />
says Lane Blackwell, Sales Engineer, Service, for Peru, Ind.-based<br />
Thornton & Associates, Inc., a manufacturer’s rep firm. “This is<br />
valuable in applications where the systems aren’t running 24/7.”<br />
Because the burner in a water-tube boiler is located centrally,<br />
most water-tube designs provide higher temperature outputs<br />
and higher operational pressures than fire-tube boilers — key<br />
advantages for process heating application. Another advantage<br />
to the design of these systems is that, as a result of the requirement<br />
for water to flow continuously during operation, hot spots<br />
in the heat exchanger don’t threaten the operation or lifespan of<br />
the boiler.<br />
A Thermal Solutions water-tube boiler is manufactured in Lancaster, Pa.<br />
Water-tube heat exchangers also operate at higher pressures, a<br />
capability that can — for steam-producing systems — produce<br />
saturated or superheated steam depending on the design and<br />
application they’re required for.<br />
Blackwell also points to the advantage of water-tube maintenance,<br />
“Or, rather, lack of it. A surprisingly high number of<br />
water-tube systems may go several years without more than<br />
occasional attention to the water quality [within them],” he says.<br />
“And, if there would be a need to replace individual tubes, that<br />
can be accomplished with hand tools — no rolling or welding.<br />
It’s not uncommon for a well-maintained water-tube boiler to<br />
last 40-plus years with little maintenance.”<br />
“A few years ago, we specified two non-condensing water-tube<br />
boilers for a high school expansion project in Cass County<br />
[Ind.],” Blackwell adds. “The boilers were 72 and 50 HP in size,<br />
and it wasn’t long before facility managers found that they<br />
could provide heat for the rest of the school with them, so they<br />
decommissioned two old, enormous — and way oversized —<br />
fire-tube boilers. The following year, they added another 100 HP<br />
water-tube system, and within a few years, they verified 30 to 40<br />
percent annual fuel savings. I could reel off countless instances<br />
where water-tube boilers have exceeded expectation.”<br />
Water-tube systems are designed to work with high-ash fuels<br />
that, when combined with soot blowers, typically meet environmental<br />
regulations. This also means that they’re well-suited for<br />
biomass applications and waste-to-energy plants.<br />
The primary factor that determines heat transfer is the heat<br />
transfer coefficient, based on the transfer fluid’s flow pattern,<br />
characteristics and chemistry (including density, conductivity<br />
and viscosity), geometry of the flow passage, and surface conditions.<br />
Of these factors, the most important to thermal efficiency<br />
in a water-tube boiler is flow through the water tubes and the<br />
fluid’s velocity and density. When all of these variables are optimal,<br />
water-tube boilers provide exceptionally reliable operation,<br />
while offering performance and efficiency that is difficult to<br />
match with any other heat exchanger design.<br />
For these and other reasons, water-tube boilers are the equipment<br />
of choice for many industrial process applications. Their<br />
ability — in a steam boiler configuration — to handle greater<br />
pressures and very high temperatures provides superior steam<br />
generation in the millions of pounds/hr.<br />
WATER-TUBE CAVEATS<br />
Most advantages come with a counterbalance; water-tube boilers<br />
are no exception.<br />
The initial cost for a water-tube boiler is usually higher than that<br />
of a fire-tube boiler of similar capacity. And, depending on size,<br />
some water-tube boilers can be assembled onsite, which can add<br />
to the cost and the time required for installation.<br />
By design, the concern of heat transfer fouling — typically in<br />
the form of accumulated mineral scale — is heightened. For that<br />
reason, fill-water quality and the steady monitoring and maintenance<br />
of water chemistry are essential to peak operation.<br />
The accumulation of scale is by no means specific only to the<br />
(Continued on pg. 40)<br />
A technician handles a diagnostic check on a water-tube boiler.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 39
(Continued from pg. 39)<br />
water-tube design. Scale can accumulate faster because of the<br />
water-tube boiler’s lower water mass, but it’s still a concern across<br />
all heat exchanger types. “But reduced water volume also equates to<br />
savings on chemical treatment,” adds Blackwell.<br />
Finally, the reduced volume of water affects the water-tube boiler’s<br />
ability to meet the call for sudden changes in heat demand. This<br />
shortcoming is often remedied by the addition of an indirect water<br />
storage tank.<br />
FIRE-TUBE ADVANTAGES<br />
Advantages to fire-tube boilers include their simple construction<br />
and their ability to easily meet rapid fluctuations in the need for<br />
heat. As a lower-cost alternative to water-tube boilers, they’re often<br />
used for smaller commercial or industrial facilities with lower<br />
operating pressures.<br />
Fire-tube boilers are designed with water in the unit’s main vessel,<br />
achieving higher mass. Because of their higher water volume, system<br />
design also offers the benefit of a less urgent need to maintain<br />
tight control of water quality. If water quality deteriorates and isn’t<br />
corrected quickly, there’s less chance — when compared to water-tube<br />
technology — that system performance will be affected.<br />
Another advantage to fire-tube boilers may be lower upfront cost.<br />
“However, said Blackwell, “In our market, there’s very little, if any,<br />
difference in pricing.”<br />
FIRE-TUBE CAVEATS<br />
A fire-tube boiler’s higher water volume and lower flow rates also<br />
mean that they may offer less efficient heat transfer. Likewise, the<br />
greater water volume requires a longer wait for system start-up, and<br />
may also challenge the boiler’s ability to meet demand for constant<br />
water flow — and heat transfer — at peak conditions. Standby losses<br />
are greater because of the boiler’s higher volume of water.<br />
The main disadvantage of fire-tube boilers is that they tend to have<br />
smaller capacities and can’t handle internal pressures over 250 psig.<br />
(The steam capacity range of fire-tube steam boilers is approximately<br />
5,000 to 75,000 pounds/hr.) Or, if configured as a hot water<br />
boiler, hot water capacity is between 2 million to 100 million BTUs.<br />
Traditional, horizontal fire-tube steam boilers may offer a capacity<br />
as low as 690 pph — pounds (of steam) per hour. Traditional<br />
fire-tube steam boilers in a vertical configuration will go smaller —<br />
offering as little as 207 pph, for example.<br />
BOILER SAFETY — BE WARNED<br />
Operationally, water-tube boilers are known to be safer than firetube<br />
systems. This is because of the much greater volume of water<br />
40<br />
| Chief Engineer<br />
Thermal Solutions’ stainless steel, modulating-condensing boiler line offers a<br />
size range of 1,000-4,000 MBH.<br />
held within fire-tube boilers — containing as much as 10 times the<br />
volume of a water-tube boiler of similar capacity.<br />
When fire-tube boilers are inadvertently operated with low water<br />
volume, very dangerous risks can develop. Initially, the metal in the<br />
boiler warps and contracts. Then, if cold fill-water enters the boiler<br />
in a hot, low-water condition, the metal could rapidly expand,<br />
causing an explosion.<br />
Should a similar scenario take place in a water-tube boiler with<br />
lower internal water volume, an explosion would be much less<br />
severe. In most instances — should fill-water enter a hot water-tube<br />
boiler with an insufficient fluid level — conditions would likely lead<br />
to metal fatigue, a crack, and leakage.<br />
SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE<br />
Some boiler designs are built to facilitate ease of service and<br />
maintenance. The assumption, however, is that a newly installed<br />
boiler is ready for the rigors of duty, 24-7-365. Yet, all mechanical<br />
equipment is not created equal. Service and maintenance work<br />
ideally happens systematically to maintain optimal performance<br />
and efficiency — not to deal with challenges that arise as a result of<br />
faulty or compromised design.<br />
Commercial boilers should be designed to ensure long-term durability<br />
and optimal performance. Ideally, the burner is mounted<br />
front and center, fully accessible and serviceable. Removable panels<br />
around the boiler should provide access to the burner chamber<br />
and entire heat exchanger. There should be no need to disconnect<br />
blowers or gas piping.<br />
COMMERCIAL CONDENSING SYSTEMS<br />
As with all technology, improvements emerge to enhance operation,<br />
durability or efficiency. The emergence of condensing capability<br />
— often going hand-in-hand with “turn-down” (or modulation,<br />
offering very efficient, partial firing) — constitutes the most<br />
substantial enrichment to boiler systems in decades.<br />
Condensing boilers are based on a remarkably simple concept.<br />
They achieve higher efficiencies by condensing the flue gasses. In<br />
contrast — in a conventional boiler, latent heat contained in the
complete access to the entire heat exchanger, byproducts of combustion<br />
can be easily removed with a service brush. This is an<br />
important facet to maintaining a boiler’s original high-efficiency<br />
rating.<br />
Burnham Commercial Boilers offers a convenient solution with<br />
efficient, easily portable, mobile boilers. (Image courtesy of<br />
Burnham Commercial Boilers)<br />
flue gas escapes through the flue vent. They’re also quite effective<br />
at reducing NOx, COx and other harmful emissions.<br />
Modulating condensing boilers (AKA “mod-con” boilers)<br />
earned “greatest achievement” recognition as a result of their<br />
dramatic contribution — pushing fuel efficiency from 80 percent<br />
for non-condensing boilers, and up into the 90-plus-percent<br />
range for mod-con systems. Condensing water-tube boilers<br />
achieve efficiencies of up to 98 percent, higher than most condensing<br />
fire-tube systems — a result of their better heat transfer.<br />
With modulation, they provide a range of firing rates to match<br />
the variable heating load of the building.<br />
However, mod-con boiler efficiency depends on the temperature<br />
of the water returning to the boiler. The lower the return water<br />
temperature, the higher the efficiency. Low boiler return water<br />
temperature depends on the overall boiler system design, not<br />
just the boiler.<br />
Condensing boilers cost 40 to 50 percent more, on average, than<br />
conventional systems. However, the difference in cost is typically<br />
recovered in four months to four years, depending on a wide<br />
range of variables. Substantial cost-saving incentives may apply.<br />
After the initial cost recovery period, the fuel savings are quite<br />
significant over the life of the boiler.<br />
There are a few disadvantages. For instance, one fire-tube boiler<br />
design change involved the arrangement of internal tubing<br />
from a horizontal format, to vertical. The revision was warmly<br />
welcomed by facility owners and installers alike because their<br />
now-smaller size permitted movement through a standard door<br />
frame. As a result, the products of combustion and condensate<br />
were redirected: Rather than gradually absorbing heat as flue<br />
gas passes through tubes, the contemporary vertical fire-tube<br />
burner sits inches away, forcing heat directly on the tube sheet,<br />
welds and tube tops. All materials expand and contract as they’re<br />
heated and cooled, and these internal components of the vertical<br />
fire-tube boiler are no exception. The design tends to concentrate<br />
too much heat on metal components.<br />
CLEANINGS AND REPARABILITY<br />
If a condensing boiler’s panels are easily removed, providing<br />
Should repair work be required, all components of the heat exchanger<br />
should be easily accessible for service or replacement —<br />
including even the possibility of changing one or more internal<br />
tubes in the field.<br />
With properly isolated equipment, service work could and<br />
should be completed within hours, not days or weeks.<br />
Systems that offer the greatest resistance to cleaning are those<br />
with tight, top access and — when opened — may have many<br />
welded tubes. Those that do typically require entirely new heat<br />
exchangers, sometimes costing as much as 60 percent of the<br />
original install.<br />
KNOCKDOWN REWARDS<br />
Knockdown condensing boilers were, for good reason, greeted<br />
enthusiastically by the commercial market. Some of these systems<br />
use no welds in securing tubing to the header.<br />
The “knockdown” moniker stems from the ability to assemble<br />
or disassemble a boiler of any size with relative ease and precise<br />
repeatability. The systems arrive on jobsites, similar to old castiron<br />
sectional boilers, or partially assembled, based on space<br />
requirements.<br />
Even elevator weight constraints pose no challenge to getting<br />
the boilers in place. If there’s a need to maximize mechanical<br />
room space, some systems are available with reverse construction<br />
models to optimize clearance space between units or to be<br />
placed side by side, to be serviced from outside.<br />
Greg Hughes is Internal Sales Manager at Thermal Solutions and<br />
Burnham Commercial, and can be reached at ghughes@heatingsolutionssales.com.<br />
Additional Sources:<br />
Fire-tube merits: Jim Knauss – Engineer for Burnham Commercial.<br />
(Retired, but now consulting.)<br />
jknauss@burnhamcommercial.com<br />
Water-tube merits: Joe Tinney – Internal Sales Manager for Bryan<br />
Boilers. jtinney@heatingsolutionssales.com<br />
Rick Constantino – Owner/COO Boileroom Equipment Company.<br />
rconstantino@bresales.com<br />
Theodore (Ted) Dreyer – Sales, Gardiner.<br />
TDreyer@WHGardiner.com<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 41
News<br />
Nevada Flower Listed as Endangered at<br />
Lithium Mine Site By Scott Sonner | Associated Press<br />
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A Nevada wildflower was declared<br />
endangered at the only place it’s known to exist — on a<br />
high-desert ridge where a lithium mine is planned to help<br />
meet growing demand for electric car batteries, U.S. wildlife<br />
officials announced Wednesday, Dec. 14.<br />
The Fish and Wildlife Service’s formal listing of Tiehm’s<br />
buckwheat and its accompanying designation of 910 acres of<br />
critical habitat for the 6-inch-tall flower with yellow blooms<br />
raises another potential hurdle for President Joe Biden’s<br />
“green energy” agenda.<br />
With an estimated remaining population of only about<br />
16,000 plants, the service concluded that Tiehm’s buckwheat<br />
is on the brink of extinction.<br />
“We find that a threatened species status is not appropriate<br />
because the threats are severe and imminent, and Tiehm’s<br />
buckwheat is in danger of extinction now, as opposed to<br />
likely to become endangered in the future,” the agency said.<br />
The proposed mining and mineral exploration poses the<br />
biggest threat to the flower. It’s also threatened by roadbuilding,<br />
livestock grazing, rodents that eat it, invasive plants<br />
and climate change, the service said. It said an apparent,<br />
unprecedented rodent attack wiped out about 60 percent of<br />
its estimated population in 2020.<br />
Ioneer, the Australian mining company that’s been planning<br />
for years to dig for lithium where the flower grows on federal<br />
land halfway between Reno and Las Vegas, says it has<br />
developed a protection plan that would allow the plant and<br />
the project to coexist.<br />
But the listing under the Endangered Species Act subjects the<br />
mine to its most stringent regulatory requirement to date.<br />
It also underscores the challenges facing the Biden administration<br />
in its efforts to combat climate change through an<br />
accelerated transition from fossil fuels to renewables.<br />
“Lithium is an important part of our renewable energy<br />
transition, but it can’t come at the cost of extinction,” said<br />
Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director for the Center for Biological<br />
Diversity, which petitioned for the listing in 2019 and<br />
sued last year to expedite the plant’s protection.<br />
The mining company said the decision “provides further clarity<br />
for the path forward” and is “fully in line with Ioneer’s<br />
expectations” for development of the mine site at Rhyolite<br />
Ridge in the Silver Peak Range west of Tonopah, near the<br />
California border.<br />
“We are committed to the protection and conservation of<br />
the species and have incorporated numerous measures into<br />
our current and future plans to ensure this occurs,” Ioneer<br />
managing director Bernard Rowe said in a statement.<br />
“Our operations have and will continue to avoid all Tiehm’s<br />
buckwheat populations,” he said.<br />
The service’s final listing rule was published Dec. 15 in the<br />
Federal Register.<br />
The conservationists who sued to protect the plant insist that<br />
Ioneer’s mitigation plan won’t pass legal muster. They pledge<br />
to resume their court battle if necessary to protect the<br />
buckwheat’s habitat from the rush to develop new lithium<br />
deposits.<br />
The flowers are found on a total of just 10 acres spread<br />
across about 3 square miles. Federal agencies are prohibited<br />
from approving any activity on federal lands that could<br />
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42<br />
| Chief Engineer
In this Feb. 10, 2020, file photo, a plant ecologist at the University of Nevada, Reno, points to a tiny Tiehm’s buckwheat that has sprouted at a campus<br />
greenhouse in Reno, Nev. U.S. wildlife officials declared a Nevada wildflower endangered Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, at the only place it exists — on a<br />
high-desert ridge where a lithium mine is planned to help meet growing demand for electric car batteries. (AP Photo/Scott Sonner, File)<br />
destroy, modify or adversely affect any listed species’ critical<br />
habitat.<br />
Donnelly said the company’s latest operations plan for the<br />
first phase of the mine proposes avoiding a “tiny island of<br />
land” containing 75 percent of its population — surrounded<br />
by an open pit mine and tailings dumps within 12 feet of the<br />
flowers.<br />
The Bureau of Land Management is reviewing the environmental<br />
impacts of Ioneer’s latest operations and protection<br />
plans.<br />
But Donnelley noted that USFWS estimated in the Dec. 14<br />
final listing rule that the proposed scenario would “disturb<br />
and remove up to 38 percent of the critical habitat for this<br />
species, impacting pollinator populations, altering hydrology,<br />
removing soil and risking subsidence.”<br />
“Ioneer’s ‘Buckwheat Island’ scenario would spell doom for<br />
this sensitive little flower,” Donnelly said.<br />
The mine is among several renewable energy-related projects<br />
facing legal or regulatory challenges in Nevada. They include<br />
another lithium mine proposed near the Oregon border and<br />
a geothermal power plant where the Dixie Valley toad has<br />
been declared endangered in wetlands about 100 miles east<br />
of Reno.<br />
“Now that the buckwheat is protected, we’ll use the full<br />
power of the Endangered Species Act to ensure Ioneer<br />
doesn’t harm one hair on a buckwheat’s head,” Donnelly<br />
said.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 43
News<br />
Pennsylvania Lifts Ban on Gas<br />
Production in Polluted Village<br />
By Michael Rubinkam | Associated Press<br />
One of Pennsylvania’s largest drillers will be allowed to extract<br />
natural gas from underneath a rural community where<br />
it has been banned for a dozen years because of accusations<br />
it polluted the water supply, according to a settlement with<br />
state regulators.<br />
The Department of Environmental Protection quietly lifted<br />
its long-term moratorium on gas production in Dimock,<br />
a small village in northeastern Pennsylvania that gained<br />
national notoriety when residents were filmed lighting their<br />
tap water on fire.<br />
The agency’s agreement with Houston-based Coterra Energy<br />
Inc. is dated Nov. 29 — the same day Coterra pleaded no contest<br />
in a high-profile criminal case accusing the company of<br />
allowing methane to leak uncontrolled into Dimock’s aquifer.<br />
State officials denied that Coterra was allowed to plead to a<br />
misdemeanor charge in exchange for being allowed to drill<br />
for potentially hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of gas.<br />
The agreement, which is public, was obtained by The Associated<br />
Press.<br />
Some of the residents, who have long accused the Department<br />
of Environmental Protection of negligence in its<br />
handling of the water pollution in Dimock, said they felt<br />
betrayed.<br />
“We got played,” said Ray Kemble, the most outspoken of a<br />
small group of Dimock residents who have battled the drilling<br />
company and state regulators alike.<br />
Coterra will be permitted to drill horizontally underneath a<br />
9-square-mile area of Dimock and frack the gas-bearing shale<br />
that lies thousands of feet down. That’s been forbidden since<br />
2010, when environmental regulators accused Coterra’s corporate<br />
predecessor of failing to keep its promise to restore<br />
or replace Dimock’s water.<br />
The Department of Environmental Protection said it began<br />
negotiations with Coterra in early 2022, shortly after the<br />
company formed from the merger of Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.<br />
— the driller deemed responsible for fouling Dimock’s water<br />
supply — and Cimarex Energy Co.<br />
“When Coterra took over responsibility of the wells after the<br />
Cabot merger, they actively engaged with DEP to address the<br />
remaining issues in the area,” said agency spokesperson Jamar<br />
Thrasher. “Coterra committed to strict controls, monitoring<br />
and evaluation, resulting in some of the most restricted<br />
44 | Chief Engineer<br />
conditions on any drilling in the commonwealth.”<br />
Cabot, the predecessor company to Coterra, was charged in<br />
June 2020 with 15 criminal counts over allegations it drilled<br />
faulty gas wells that leaked flammable methane into residential<br />
water supplies in Dimock and surrounding communities.<br />
Coterra pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor violation of<br />
the state Clean Streams Law. Its plea deal with the state attorney<br />
general’s office requires Coterra to pay more than $16<br />
million to fund construction of a new public water system<br />
for Dimock and to pay affected residents’ water bills for 75<br />
years.<br />
Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who takes office<br />
as governor next month, held a celebratory news conference<br />
with Kemble and two other Dimock residents on the day<br />
Coterra entered its plea. At the news conference, Shapiro<br />
punted a reporter’s question about whether Coterra would<br />
be permitted to resume drilling in the moratorium area,<br />
pointing out the administration of Democratic Gov. Tom<br />
Wolf was still in charge.<br />
“That’s obviously a question for the regulators, not for the<br />
attorney general’s office,” Shapiro said then.<br />
Shapiro’s spokesperson said the plea deal was not contingent<br />
on DEP lifting the moratorium.<br />
“Our office plays no role in DEP’s regulatory decisions, and<br />
we do not share confidential information about criminal<br />
investigations,” Jacklin Rhoads said.<br />
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In an interview Friday, Dec. 12, Wolf said he was satisfied<br />
with his administration’s decision to allow Coterra to go back<br />
into Dimock, “as long as they do what we need them to do<br />
with the new water supply and the pipes.” He said the company<br />
had to abide by “some pretty stringent guidelines.”<br />
Coterra will continue to be prohibited from drilling new gas<br />
wells inside the moratorium area itself. But shale gas drillers<br />
like Coterra are able to drill horizontally for miles until they<br />
reach the target, meaning that even though the company<br />
will have to start their new wells outside of the prohibited<br />
area, the gas is easily within reach.<br />
Zacariah Hildenbrand, a Dallas-based biochemist who has<br />
conducted testing in Dimock, said that technically speaking,<br />
the horizontal portion of a gas well is “orders of magnitude<br />
safer” than the vertical portion, from which most incidents<br />
of drilling-related water contamination originate.<br />
But he was incredulous that Coterra would want to risk it in<br />
Dimock — and that regulators would allow it — given it was<br />
at the center of one of the most high-profile contamination<br />
cases to emerge from the U.S. drilling and fracking boom.<br />
“Why even roll the dice for this to happen again? You’ve<br />
already made a colossal mess of this region. It’s already been<br />
a black eye to the industry,” Hildenbrand said. “Why not pick<br />
up your tools and go somewhere else?”<br />
The driller has long said the gas in Dimock’s water wells was<br />
naturally occurring, and over the years, it has periodically<br />
requested permission from the state to resume drilling in the<br />
community.<br />
In a statement, Coterra spokesperson George Stark said<br />
the agreement with DEP “resolves longstanding issues and<br />
provides for the responsible and safe development of natural<br />
resources located inside the nine-square mile area. It also<br />
satisfies the desires of many of the landowners, who communicated<br />
their support for such development over the years.”<br />
Pennsylvania is the nation’s No. 2 gas-producing state after<br />
Texas, and Susquehanna County, where Dimock is located,<br />
produces more natural gas than any other county in the<br />
state.<br />
Alan Hall, vice chair of the Susquehanna County Board of<br />
Commissioners, said many of his constituents in Dimock had<br />
been clamoring for gas production to resume, having leased<br />
their land to the gas company long ago.<br />
“They know the gas in that area is very prolific, and there’s<br />
a lot of it there. And they’d been hoping a resolution would<br />
come through, that their leases would be activated again<br />
and they’d start being able to get royalties out of the process,”<br />
he said.<br />
Anthony Ingraffea, a retired Cornell University engineering<br />
professor who has extensively studied gas well failures in<br />
Pennsylvania, estimates Coterra could frack as many as 50<br />
wells in the moratorium area, and produce as much as $500<br />
Craig Stevens holds a bottle of brown water as he speaks with members of<br />
the media outside the Susquehanna County Courthouse in Montrose, Pa.,<br />
on Nov. 29, 2022. One of Pennsylvania's largest drillers will be allowed to<br />
extract natural gas from underneath a rural Pennsylvania community where<br />
it has been banned for a dozen years because of accusations it polluted the<br />
water supply, according to a settlement with state regulators obtained by<br />
The Associated Press on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke,<br />
File)<br />
million worth of gas. Energy companies use hydraulic fracturing,<br />
or fracking, to capture natural gas locked in shale rock.<br />
Ingraffea, a drilling industry critic who once testified on<br />
behalf of Dimock residents who had sued Cabot in federal<br />
court, said more methane leaks and more problems are<br />
inevitable.<br />
“This is groundhog day,” he said. “These poor families, the<br />
families that remain and families that are still to be impacted,<br />
are right back to where they were in 2008. The state of<br />
Pennsylvania, the governor’s office and PA DEP, are washing<br />
their hands.”<br />
The promised water line might not be operational until 2027,<br />
according to the settlement agreement with DEP. Until then,<br />
Coterra is supposed to install temporary treatment systems at<br />
the homes of residents who want them. Some residents say<br />
previous attempts at treatment have failed.<br />
Dimock resident Erik Roos, whose well was fouled with<br />
methane and who spent years fetching drinking water from<br />
an artesian well miles from his house, said he was pleased<br />
that he would finally be connected to a public water supply.<br />
But he was surprised when a reporter told him about the<br />
planned resumption of drilling.<br />
“It’s disturbing to me that they rewarded them so quickly,”<br />
he said Monday, Dec. 12. “Seems to me they should wait at<br />
least a year.” He said regulators should have told Coterra: “‘If<br />
you show you’re following this agreement, maybe we’ll let<br />
you do it.’”<br />
Rubinkam reported from northeastern Pennsylvania. Associated<br />
Press writer reporter Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,<br />
contributed to this report.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 45
News<br />
Buildings Big and Small Benefit from<br />
Electrification, Decarbonization with<br />
Updated Trane® Heat Pumps, Split and<br />
Rooftop Systems<br />
DAVIDSON, N.C — Trane – by Trane Technologies, a global<br />
climate innovator — has announced updates to its trusted<br />
Precedent®, Odyssey, and Foundation® lines of HVAC<br />
systems that help customers with buildings of all sizes embrace<br />
electrification and decarbonization. The company also<br />
released version five of its essential system design software,<br />
TRACE® 3D Plus, with new capabilities engineers can use to<br />
design and validate projects with confidence and clarity.<br />
“Whether modeling for decarbonization during design and<br />
validation, reducing complexity on the day of installation,<br />
or optimizing energy efficiency during operation, Trane’s<br />
updated software, all-electric systems, and updated unitary<br />
models help to empower owners to create the right solution<br />
for their building,” said Dave Molin, Vice President of Trane<br />
Product Management, Equipment, Controls, and Digital.<br />
Trane Offers First Packaged Heat Pump Unit in 25-Ton<br />
Capacity<br />
Continuing its introduction of the next-generation Precedent<br />
portfolio, Trane has released new standard and high-efficiency<br />
Precedent heat pumps in 12.5- to 25-ton capacities. The<br />
Precedent line meets the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)<br />
<strong>2023</strong> energy efficiency standards. All next-generation units<br />
released to date are now available in a high-efficiency model<br />
that exceeds those standards by 25 percent or more.<br />
Trane’s all-electric Precedent heat pump is among the first<br />
packaged rooftop heat pumps in the industry available in a<br />
25-ton capacity. Convenient characteristics simplify service<br />
and installation, such as hinged access to the control panel,<br />
color-coded wiring, keyed connectors, and no fan belts to<br />
adjust or replace. It arrives ready to install, and most replacements<br />
don’t require a curb adapter.<br />
Trane has equipped all Precedent models with Symbio® 700<br />
controls so owners can immediately enjoy the benefits of<br />
digital connectivity. Symbio 700 is a user-friendly onboard<br />
interface to optimize system performance, helps to improve<br />
serviceability, and facilitate unit connectivity and future<br />
enhancements. Its intuitive user interface displays system<br />
alarms and diagnostic reports building owners can use to<br />
troubleshoot. Use the free Symbio Service and Installation<br />
Mobile App for simplified commissioning and troubleshooting.<br />
Symbio integrates with common building automation<br />
Trane’s Foundation rooftop systems with capacities of 15 to 25 tons are<br />
now updated to meet DOE <strong>2023</strong> efficiency standards.<br />
systems (BAS) and open standard protocols.<br />
In addition to these powerful benefits, all new Precedent<br />
next-generation units:<br />
• Offer several new options, including single- and multi-zone<br />
variable air volume (VAV).<br />
• Comply with ASHRAE® 90.1-2019.<br />
• Include a three-year parts warranty, demonstrating Trane’s<br />
confidence in its quality.<br />
Design Flexibility with Energy Efficient Performance<br />
When rooftop installation isn’t an option, a Trane Odyssey<br />
split system is a versatile choice that delivers up-to-date<br />
energy efficiency, meeting DOE <strong>2023</strong> standards. Split systems<br />
provide the same high-performance heating and cooling of<br />
a packaged rooftop system but allow engineers and contractors<br />
to work around unique building designs such as glass<br />
ceilings or pitched roofs or code and service limitations.<br />
The Odyssey’s exceptional energy efficiency is realized by its<br />
Symbio 700 controller, now standard, and a new multi-speed<br />
air handler that can be configured for two-stage or sin-<br />
46<br />
| Chief Engineer
gle-zone VAV or Variable Volume Zone Temperature (VVZT).<br />
It’s available with several indoor and outdoor compressor<br />
and condenser options, including dual-compressor and dual-circuit<br />
models, so technicians can service either compressor<br />
without shutting down. The Odyssey split system also:<br />
• Come standard with hail guards to protect the components<br />
during shipping, inclement weather, or from vandalism.<br />
• Meet new testing and material flammability requirement<br />
UL 60335-2-40, which goes into effect in <strong>January</strong> 2024.<br />
• Comply with ASHRAE 90.1-2019.<br />
• Have easy-to-use colored-coded wiring, a low voltage terminal<br />
board that’s easy to access, foil-faced insulation, and<br />
one power point.<br />
Convenience, Cost-Efficient Retrofits and Replacements<br />
Trane’s Foundation rooftop systems are available in a broad<br />
range of tonnages (3-25 tons) and have a footprint designed<br />
for quick and easy retrofits or unplanned replacements without<br />
the cost or hassle of a curb adapter. Foundation systems<br />
with capacities of 15 to 25 tons have been updated to meet<br />
the DOE <strong>2023</strong> efficiency standards, and 7.5 to 12.5 tonnages<br />
will be released in the first quarter of <strong>2023</strong>. Foundation units<br />
in the smaller 3- to 5-ton capacities already comply with the<br />
new standards.<br />
With the simple, efficient Foundation line contractors, building<br />
owners and facility managers operating small-to-medium<br />
buildings can save up to $1,500 on installation without the<br />
need for a curb adapter. In addition, mindful design touches<br />
such as colored and numbered wiring and single-side service<br />
doors keep service and maintenance quick and economical.<br />
It can be configured in the field for horizontal or vertical<br />
airflow.<br />
Next-Generation Building Design Software Supports<br />
Decarbonization Approaches<br />
TRACE 3D Plus design and analysis software is now available<br />
in version five, so engineers can quickly and precisely model<br />
HVAC systems. Built on the U.S. Department of Energy’s<br />
EnergyPlus® engine, TRACE 3D Plus is enhanced with Trane’s<br />
industry-leading attributes.<br />
With version five, engineers and specifiers can move from<br />
the project plan to load design to energy and economic analysis,<br />
all in the same project file and interface. For a complete<br />
list of software features, visit www.trane.com/trace3Dplus.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 47
Member News<br />
Western Specialty Contractors Wins<br />
Trimble 2022 Viewpoint Construction<br />
Award for Best Use of Construction One<br />
Technology<br />
Western Specialty Contractors is proud to announce that it<br />
has received a Trimble Viewpoint Construction Award for<br />
the Best Use of Trimble’s Construction One Technology — an<br />
award recognizing contractors that have leveraged technology<br />
solutions to create more data-driven, connected construction<br />
businesses.<br />
Held annually, the Trimble Viewpoint Construction Awards<br />
honor the technological achievements of North American<br />
contractors as exhibited through the growth and improvements<br />
of their projects, people and processes over the past<br />
year. Honors are given in three categories: Most Outstanding<br />
Project, Most Impressive Human Resource Achievement, and<br />
Best Use of Trimble Construction One Technology. The awards<br />
were announced during the Trimble Dimensions+ Conference<br />
on Nov. 9 in Las Vegas.<br />
Western used Trimble’s Construction One Technology to<br />
centralize and streamline many of its workflows, including<br />
the development of a custom Human Resources Information<br />
System (HRIS) that supports everything from safety training<br />
to performance management. This includes a compensation<br />
dashboard that provides an accessible view of each employee’s<br />
salary history with built-in workflows and notifications<br />
for approvals/rejections.<br />
“Continuing to work with the right<br />
partners and leverage the technology<br />
platforms available provides a<br />
benefit to all our employees and<br />
drives ROIC. We thank Trimble for<br />
partnering with us and recognizing<br />
our efforts with this award.”<br />
— Tom Brooks, Chief Operating Officer<br />
Western Specialty Contractors<br />
The dashboard has helped streamline Western’s merit increase<br />
process and allows managers to see a consolidated<br />
salary view as they prepare their budgets. A process that used<br />
to take weeks to complete, now only takes a few minutes<br />
with Trimble’s Construction One Technology.<br />
“What a great accomplishment and a team effort. First to<br />
human resources for identifying a need and conceptual solution,<br />
followed by our technology team working with Trimble<br />
Viewpoint to create a turn-key solution. We could not be<br />
more pleased with the outcome; definitely a win for Western’s<br />
employees,” said Brooks.<br />
48<br />
| Chief Engineer<br />
Western Specialty Contractors announced its having received the Trimble<br />
Viewpoint Construction Award for Best Use of Trimble’s Construction One<br />
Technology.
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 49
Techline<br />
HyperloopTT to Become First Public<br />
Company Focused on Next Generation of<br />
High-Speed Mobility<br />
LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK — Hyperloop Transportation<br />
Technologies (“HyperloopTT” or “the Company”), a leading<br />
transportation and technology licensing company focused on<br />
realizing the hyperloop, and Forest Road Acquisition Corp. II<br />
(“Forest Road”), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition<br />
company, recently announced it has entered into a definitive<br />
merger agreement (“Merger Agreement”) that is expected<br />
to result in HyperloopTT becoming a publicly listed company.<br />
Upon the closing of the transaction, the newly combined<br />
company will be named “Hyperloop Transportation Technologies”<br />
and will continue to be led by Chief Executive Officer<br />
Andrés de León and the HyperloopTT management team.<br />
A Leading Developer of Hyperloop IP<br />
Led by an experienced team of hyperloop business and technology<br />
professionals, HyperloopTT relies on a global network<br />
of technologists, scientists, engineers and expert contributors,<br />
resulting in an asset-light technology development<br />
business model. Through this partner network, the Company<br />
is driving a suite of next-generation technologies to power<br />
transportation in the future.<br />
Since its inception in 2013, HyperloopTT has made significant<br />
progress towards the adoption of hyperloop systems. The<br />
Company developed a full-scale hyperloop test track in Tou-<br />
HyperloopTT and Forest Road have merged with the expectation of becoming a publicly traded company, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, with the<br />
goal of redefining the future of transportation.<br />
50<br />
| Chief Engineer
louse, France, a hyperloop insurance framework model, and<br />
model safety and certification guidelines.<br />
With the deployment of the Company’s test track, HyperloopTT<br />
has built a robust technology portfolio relating to<br />
patents across levitation and propulsion, low pressure tube<br />
transportation, and passenger experience. These patents are<br />
the basis of a technology that combines sustainability with<br />
the ability to reach destinations faster, which can redefine<br />
the urban landscape, create new economic opportunities,<br />
and disrupt the $2+ trillion transportation industry.<br />
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with minimal pressure, reducing resistance. As a mobility<br />
solution with transformative power, hyperloop is potentially<br />
cleaner, safer, healthier and more efficient than existing<br />
forms of transportation.<br />
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Volume 88 · Number 1 | 51
Techline<br />
Facebook Parent Meta Will Pay $725M<br />
to Settle User Data Case<br />
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook’s corporate parent has<br />
agreed to pay $725 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the<br />
world’s largest social media platform allowed millions of its<br />
users’ personal information to be fed to Cambridge Analytica,<br />
a firm that supported Donald Trump’s victorious presidential<br />
campaign in 2016.<br />
Terms of the settlement reached by Meta Platforms, the<br />
holding company for Facebook and Instagram, were disclosed<br />
in court documents filed Dec. 22. It will still need to be<br />
approved by a judge in a San Francisco federal court hearing<br />
set for March.<br />
The case sprang from 2018 revelations that Cambridge<br />
Analytica, a firm with ties to Trump political strategist Steve<br />
Bannon, had paid a Facebook app developer for access to the<br />
personal information of about 87 million users of the platform.<br />
That data was then used to target U.S. voters during<br />
the 2016 campaign that culminated in Trump’s election as the<br />
45th president.<br />
Facebook’s Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo<br />
Park, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2021. Facebook’s corporate parent has agreed to<br />
pay $725 million to settle a lawsuit<br />
Uproar over the revelations led to a contrite Zuckerberg<br />
being grilled by U.S. lawmakers during a high-profile congressional<br />
hearing and spurred calls for people to delete<br />
their Facebook accounts. Even though Facebook’s growth<br />
has stalled as more people connect and entertain themselves<br />
on rival services such as TikTok, the social network still boasts<br />
about 2 billion users worldwide, including nearly 200 million<br />
in the U.S. and Canada.<br />
The lawsuit, which had been seeking to be certified as a class<br />
action representing Facebook users, had asserted the privacy<br />
breach proved Facebook is a “data broker and surveillance<br />
firm,” as well as a social network.<br />
The two sides reached a temporary settlement agreement in<br />
August, just a few weeks before a Sept. 20 deadline for Meta<br />
CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his long-time chief operating officer,<br />
Sheryl Sandberg, to submit to depositions.<br />
The company based in Menlo Park, California, said in a Dec.<br />
23 statement that it pursued a settlement because it was in<br />
the best interest of its community and shareholders.<br />
“Over the last three years we revamped our approach to<br />
privacy and implemented a comprehensive privacy program,”<br />
said spokesperson Dina El-Kassaby Luce. “We look forward<br />
to continuing to build services people love and trust with<br />
privacy at the forefront.”<br />
52<br />
| Chief Engineer
Weil-McLain ProTools App Now<br />
Features Real-Time Video Tech Support<br />
BURR RIDGE, Ill. — Just in time for heating season, Weil-Mc-<br />
Lain® has updated its ProTools App with enhanced features<br />
to provide contractors and service technicians with the<br />
support they need to streamline customer visits and provide<br />
clients with a premium experience. Available for iOS and<br />
Android devices, the app now allows heating professionals<br />
to work virtually with Weil-McLain’s Tech Support team to<br />
problem-solve issues as they occur on the job site.<br />
“Our goal is to continuously optimize this platform by adding<br />
additional features that make service technicians’ and installing<br />
contractors’ jobs easier — especially during the busy<br />
heating season period,” said David DeVries, Director of Product<br />
Management with Weil-McLain. “The new Site-Call video<br />
assistance opens new opportunities for service technicians to<br />
receive instant support from our Tech Support team.”<br />
Service technicians who run into complications while on the<br />
job can contact Weil-McLain Tech Support for Site-Call video<br />
and receive immediate real-time assistance. After requesting<br />
support, they simply accept the call from Tech Support on<br />
their smartphone and share a live video of the issue they are<br />
experiencing on the job site. Tech Support will then highlight<br />
the issue on the service technician’s screen and propose corrective<br />
action to solve it.<br />
“This new feature provides heating professionals with<br />
immediate access to our support team and also allows them<br />
the opportunity to learn new methods for troubleshooting,<br />
maintenance and boiler setup,” added DeVries. “As we prepare<br />
for what could be another colder than normal winter,<br />
we want to ensure service technicians have all the digital<br />
tools and knowledge they need to help expedite customer<br />
visits while providing homeowners a best-in-class service<br />
experience.”<br />
The Weil-McLain ProTools App helps enhance service technicians’<br />
hydronic expertise by putting a variety of Weil-McLain<br />
boiler product information at their fingertips. From reviewing<br />
fault codes for troubleshooting and accessing how-to videos<br />
to viewing product manuals and schematics and quickly<br />
finding parts, the app has become a one-stop resource for<br />
boiler installation and maintenance.<br />
Weil-McLain’s ProTools app now features real-time video support for technicians,<br />
ensuring the best and most streamlined service visit experience for<br />
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Volume 88 · Number 1 | 53
Techline<br />
US Opens Probe of Cruise Robotaxi<br />
Braking, Clogging Traffic By Tom Krisher | AP Auto Writer<br />
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are investigating<br />
reports that autonomous robotaxis run by General Motors’<br />
Cruise LLC can stop too quickly or unexpectedly quit moving,<br />
potentially stranding passengers.<br />
Three rear-end collisions that reportedly took place after<br />
Cruise autonomous vehicles braked hard kicked off the<br />
probe, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.<br />
At the time, robotaxis were staffed by human<br />
safety drivers.<br />
The agency also has multiple reports of Cruise robotaxis<br />
without human safety drivers becoming immobilized in San<br />
Francisco traffic, possibly stranding passengers and blocking<br />
lanes.<br />
The reports of immobilized vehicles came from discussions<br />
with Cruise, media reports and local authorities, NHTSA said<br />
in an investigation document posted Friday on its website.<br />
was working to minimize collision severity and risk of harm,”<br />
Pusateri wrote.<br />
In the clogged traffic incidents, Pusateri wrote that whenever<br />
Cruise technology isn’t extremely confident in moving, it’s<br />
designed to be conservative, turning on hazard lights and<br />
coming to a safe stop.<br />
“If needed, Cruise personnel are physically dispatched to<br />
retrieve the vehicle as quickly as possible,” Pusateri wrote.<br />
Such stoppages are rare and have not caused any crashes, he<br />
wrote.<br />
NHTSA said Cruise reported the three rear-end accidents<br />
under a 2021 order requiring automated vehicle companies<br />
to notify the agency of crashes.<br />
Reports of Cruise robotaxis becoming immobilized in traffic<br />
There have been two reports of injuries related to the hard<br />
braking, including a bicyclist seriously hurt last March, according<br />
to the NHTSA crash database.<br />
NHTSA says it will determine how often the problems<br />
happen and potential safety issues they cause. The probe,<br />
which covers an estimated 242 Cruise autonomous vehicles,<br />
could bring a recall. “With these data, NHTSA can respond<br />
to safety concerns involving these technologies through<br />
further investigation and enforcement,” the agency said in a<br />
statement.<br />
Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt told The Associated Press that the<br />
company is fully cooperating with the NHTSA. “I am happy<br />
to help educate them on the safety of our products,” Vogt<br />
said during a Friday interview. “Regulators are doing their<br />
job. They are scrutinizing things as they should, asking lots of<br />
questions.”<br />
So far, Cruise vehicles have driven nearly early 700,000 autonomous<br />
miles in San Francisco without causing any life-threatening<br />
injuries or deaths.<br />
“This is against the backdrop of over 40,000 deaths each year<br />
on American roads,” Cruise spokesman Drew Pusateri wrote<br />
in a statement. “There’s always a balance between healthy<br />
regulatory scrutiny and the innovation we desperately need<br />
to save lives.”<br />
He said police didn’t issue tickets in any of the crashes, and<br />
that in each case, the autonomous vehicle was responding to<br />
aggressive or erratic behavior of other road users. “The AV<br />
54<br />
| Chief Engineer
came from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency<br />
and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority,<br />
the agency said.<br />
Cruise vehicles may strand passengers in unsafe locations,<br />
such as travel lanes or intersections, increasing the risk to<br />
exiting passengers. And they can become obstacles to other<br />
road users, causing them to make unsafe maneuvers to avoid<br />
collisions. “The vehicles may also present a secondary safety<br />
risk, by obstructing the paths of emergency response vehicles<br />
and thereby delaying their emergency response times,”<br />
NHTSA said in the document.<br />
The municipal transportation agency, in comments to NHTSA,<br />
said that starting in May, the city began to notice 911 calls<br />
from people who were inconvenienced by Cruise operations.<br />
Some city police officers also saw Cruise vehicles disabled in<br />
travel lanes. One incident in June involved 13 Cruise vehicles<br />
stopped on a major road. Two other large blockages were<br />
reported in August, the agency said.<br />
The probe comes at an important time for Cruise, which in<br />
June started charging passengers for autonomous rides without<br />
human safety drivers in part of San Francisco at night. On<br />
Thursday, the company got approval from a state agency to<br />
carry riders citywide, around the clock. One more agency has<br />
to sign off.<br />
It’s also a critical time for the autonomous vehicle industry,<br />
with Google spinoff Waymo running a robotaxi service in the<br />
Phoenix area with plans to expand to San Francisco. Other<br />
companies also are moving toward services without human<br />
safety drivers.<br />
San Francisco-based Cruise plans to expand the service to<br />
Phoenix and Austin, Texas. The startup owned by GM has<br />
been testing autonomous Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles for<br />
several years.<br />
In this Jan. 16, 2019, photo, Cruise AV, General Motor’s autonomous electric<br />
Bolt EV is displayed in Detroit. U.S. safety regulators are investigating<br />
reports that autonomous robotaxis run by General Motors’ Cruise LLC can<br />
stop too quickly or unexpectedly stop moving, potentially stranding passengers.<br />
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)<br />
Cruise told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,<br />
that one of its vehicles was making an unprotected left<br />
turn at an intersection when it was hit by an oncoming vehicle.<br />
The Cruise vehicle had to be towed away from the scene,<br />
according to the regulatory filing.<br />
GM acquired a majority stake in Cruise when it was a startup<br />
in 2016. The company invested to take 80-percent stake in<br />
the company last May.<br />
AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke contributed from San<br />
Ramon, Calif.<br />
In September Cruise revealed that it recalled 80 of its driverless<br />
vehicles for a software update after one of the cars was<br />
involved in a crash that caused minor injuries.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 55
New Products<br />
Brass Knuckle®, Application-Specific<br />
Protective Gloves Easy to Source<br />
CLEVELAND — The hand is the leading body part injured at<br />
work and treated in hospital emergency departments, with<br />
acute hand and finger injuries sending more than 1 million<br />
workers to the emergency room annually in the United<br />
States. Brass Knuckle offers a complete line of gloves for<br />
maximum protection along with comfort and dexterity —<br />
and the company strives to make specifying gloves easier,<br />
with robust selection tools that make narrowing down glove<br />
choices a breeze.<br />
In its effort to help make gloves fit better, Brass Knuckle<br />
shines in the “construction of the glove.” Gloves are tested<br />
and measured against the following criteria: longer wear<br />
life, maximum dexterity and defined flex points, plus a wide<br />
range of protective features. Application-specific glove<br />
construction is critical. Brass Knuckle leads in understanding<br />
fibers, coatings, special features and other material construction<br />
attributes that blend protection and value.<br />
5 and from 12- through 18-gauge. The cut lineup includes<br />
the company’s SmartShell glove, a favorite for impact protection.<br />
SmartSkin gloves keep hands dry from nasty and<br />
sometimes dangerous liquid hazards without compromising<br />
comfort. SmartFlex are superior general-purpose gloves<br />
with construction that delivers unparalleled comfort. Clean-<br />
Hand® disposable gloves are also available.<br />
Brass Knuckle provides two ways to find the perfect glove.<br />
An exclusive interactive tool allows you to choose gloves by<br />
type, gauge, shell, and coating. Or, use the Hand Protection<br />
Product Selector Guide and see the full line of Brass Knuckle<br />
gloves at a glance, with 15 individual characteristics that<br />
define each glove.<br />
For more information, visit<br />
https://www.brassknuckleprotection.com/.<br />
Brass Knuckle offers three signature, application-specific<br />
glove lines, with multiple gradient options within each line.<br />
SmartCut gloves are cut-resistant from ANSI cut 2 through<br />
When variable speed is<br />
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Our qualified team assembles, installs, and<br />
repairs a wide variety of programmable<br />
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• Retrofitting Pumping Systems to Variable<br />
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• Base Mounted or In-Line Pumps<br />
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(630) 455-1034<br />
novatronicsinc@bornquist.com | www.novatronicsinc.com<br />
56<br />
| Chief Engineer
Pipe Beveler End Prep Tools Handle<br />
Highly Alloyed Small Tubes<br />
A family of right-angle welding end prep tools for highly<br />
alloyed small diameter tubes that require precision beveling<br />
prior to welding to assure high-integrity welds has been<br />
introduced by ESCO Tool of Holliston, Mass.<br />
The ESCO Ground MILLHOG® Beveler is a right-angle drive<br />
I.D. clamping tool that features a push-pull clamp and release<br />
mechanism that engages and disengages easily. Ideal<br />
for beveling tubes and small pipes with a high percentage<br />
of chrome, this tool produces precision welding end preps<br />
without cutting oils and comes in pneumatic, electric and<br />
battery-powered models.<br />
The ESCO Ground MILLHOG Beveler is priced from $4,625.00<br />
and is available for rental at $200.00 weekly, with overnight<br />
shipment.<br />
For more information contact:<br />
For more information, contact Marketing Director Matt Brennan<br />
at ESCO Tool, Holliston, MA 01746, call (800) 343-6926,<br />
FAX (508) 429-2811, email matt@ESCOtool.com or visit<br />
www.ESCOtool.com.<br />
Enabling users to achieve X-ray-certifiable welds without<br />
hand grinding, the ESCO Ground MILLHOG Beveler is suited<br />
for tube and pipe from 0.5" I.D. to 2.25" O.D. with 0.5" thick<br />
walls and only needs a 1.5" radial clearance. It has totally<br />
sealed construction and can be used in any orientation.<br />
The ESCO Ground MILLHOG® Beveler produces precision welding end<br />
preps and is available in pneumatic, electric and battery-powered models.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 57
New Products<br />
Electrical Connectors and Terminals<br />
Designed for Critical Robotic Medical<br />
Devices<br />
Custom-fabricated electrical connectors and terminals manufactured<br />
to OEM specifications from virtually any alloy, and<br />
that can be inlaid or edgelaid with precious metals, are being<br />
introduced by ETCO Incorporated of Bradenton, Fla.<br />
ETCO connectors and terminals for robotic medical devices<br />
are manufactured to specification from virtually any alloy,<br />
and can be inlaid or edgelaid with precious metals to achieve<br />
specific properties. Permitting OEMs to meet design requirements<br />
for critical robotic medical devices, they are supplied<br />
loose or on reels for use with various automated attachment<br />
systems.<br />
Available in sizes from 0.008" to 0.090" thick with +0.002"<br />
tolerances, depending upon materials and design requirements,<br />
ETCO Connectors & Terminals can include discrete<br />
over-molding and other special characteristics. Parts can also<br />
be made for other medical equipment including mobility<br />
units, monitors, hospital beds, MRI systems and CT scanners.<br />
ETCO Connectors & Terminals for robotic medical devices are<br />
priced according to configuration and quantity. Price quotations<br />
are available upon request.<br />
For more information contact Sean Dunn, VP of Marketing<br />
at ETCO Incorporated, 3004 62nd Ave. East, Bradenton, FL<br />
34203, call (800) 689-3826, email sdunn@etco.com or visit<br />
www.etco.com.<br />
ETCO connectors and terminals for robotic medical devices can be manufactured<br />
to specification in virtually any alloy, and even inlaid or edgelaid<br />
with precious metals as needed.<br />
58<br />
| Chief Engineer
Goodway Technologies Introduces Ultra-<br />
Compact HEPA Industrial Vacuum<br />
STAMFORD, Conn. — This is the industrial vacuum solution<br />
when size, portability, and industrial design need to check all<br />
the boxes. Goodway Technologies is releasing the latest addition<br />
to its heavy-duty, powerful industrial vacuum cleaners<br />
with the DP-E1-H Compact HEPA Industrial Vacuum Cleaner.<br />
In response to customer demand for a more compact, powerful,<br />
yet industrial grade solution, Goodway Technologies has<br />
launched a versatile and portable solution weighing under<br />
43 pounds, making it easier to transport throughout a facility.<br />
Use it for dry or wet applications in industrial facilities,<br />
food and beverage plants, commercial kitchens, and much<br />
more.<br />
The DP-E1-H Compact HEPA Industrial Vacuum is constructed<br />
with stainless steel and features high-performance motors<br />
and HEPA high-efficiency filters, filtering 99.97 percent of<br />
debris to 0.3 microns. It can be used for various industrial<br />
cleaning applications to remove dust, residues, and liquids.<br />
The product features an external filter shaker that allows for<br />
longer pickup times for dry powders and includes a 4-gallon<br />
detachable collection drum that allows for easy disposal of<br />
waste and debris.<br />
Features of the E1 Compact Industrial Vacuum include:<br />
• Ergonomic heavy-duty design<br />
• Lightweight and durable<br />
• Easy to operate<br />
• Stainless steel construction<br />
• 0.3 Micron HEPA Filter (Non-HEPA model available)<br />
• Detachable collection drum<br />
• External filter shaker<br />
• Accessory kit<br />
• The DP-E1-H Compact HEPA Industrial Vacuum is also<br />
available in a standard non-HEPA model. Visit the DP-E1-H<br />
product page for more information.<br />
Visit www.goodway.com for more information.<br />
Power and portability take center stage with the DP-E1-H.<br />
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 59
New Products<br />
Cable Tie Cutter Leaves Smooth Flat<br />
Ends<br />
A compact and lightweight, ergonomic cable tie cutter that<br />
removes the tie ends after tightening and leaves a smooth,<br />
flat cut to protect people from getting cut or scratched has<br />
been introduced by Xuron Corp. of Saco, Maine.<br />
The Xuron® Model 2275 Cable Tie Cutter features soft<br />
Xuro-Rubber hand grips, a Light-Touch return spring, and<br />
provides full cutting along the entire length of the blades.<br />
Featuring bypass cutting that leaves smooth, flat, clean cuts<br />
that are safer for people to handle, it is better than compression<br />
cutters which can leave spikes that can cut or scratch<br />
people.<br />
Easy to cut and release, with no scissor-like finger loops, the<br />
Xuron Model 2275 Cable Tie Cutter was originally developed<br />
for electronics cable harness assembly workers. Comfortable<br />
to hold in any size hand, left or right, this cutter is suited for<br />
any cable tie application such as closing tote boxes, securing<br />
signs to fences, and attaching portable chairs.<br />
The Xuron Model 2275 Cable Tie Cutter sells for $24.25 (list).<br />
A complete catalog is available on request. Distributor and<br />
dealer inquiries invited.<br />
For more information, contact Abby Robey in Marketing at<br />
Xuron Corporation, 62 Industrial Park Rd., Saco, ME 04072-<br />
1840, call (207) 283-1401, FAX (207) 283-0594, email<br />
arobey@xuron.com or visit www.xuron.com.<br />
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60<br />
| Chief Engineer
Nortek Global HVAC Expands High-<br />
Efficiency UEZ Unit Heater Line<br />
ST. LOUIS — Nortek Global HVAC (NGH) announces the<br />
release of three new capacities for the Reznor® UEZ condensing<br />
gas-fired unit heater. This industry-leading model<br />
supplies fuel-efficient heating to ensure cost-effective operation<br />
while promoting the safety and comfort of building<br />
occupants.<br />
Features of the launch include:<br />
• Three new sizes: 55, 85, and 110 MBH.<br />
• Certifications for industrial/commercial use and residential,<br />
non-living space applications (such as workshops and<br />
garages).<br />
• 93-percent fuel efficiency for cost-effective operation.<br />
• Improved sustainability and reduced environmental impact.<br />
• Outside air used for combustion, eliminating drafty infiltration<br />
problems, and improving building performance<br />
and comfort.<br />
• Bright status light, hinged access door, and seven-segment<br />
error code display on the control board for easier service<br />
and maintenance.<br />
• Appliance-grade finish that is attractive for residential<br />
applications while robust enough for commercial and<br />
industrial applications.<br />
The line is expertly designed, tested, and backed by 134 years<br />
of Reznor heating experience. The new sizes enable large<br />
and small spaces to be heated efficiently while reducing<br />
operating costs and the building’s carbon footprint. These<br />
additional capacities provide one-stop-shopping for all unit<br />
heater needs.<br />
Three new sizes round out Reznor’s new high-efficiency UEZ unit heater<br />
line.<br />
achieve their financial and sustainability goals; all while supporting<br />
their building occupants’ safety, health, and productivity,<br />
said Joe Patterson, Reznor General Manager.<br />
For more information about NGH’s products, contractors and<br />
distributors should visit www.nortekhvac.com or<br />
www.reznorhvac.com. Information regarding pricing, submittals,<br />
and quotations can be found by contacting one of<br />
the distributors in Reznor’s 1400+ network.<br />
“Expanding the portfolio of our most efficient products<br />
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Volume 88 · Number 1 | 61
Events<br />
Associated Builders and Contractors<br />
<strong>2023</strong> Convention<br />
March 15-17, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center<br />
Kissimee, FL<br />
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is bringing ABC<br />
Convention <strong>2023</strong> to the No. 1 convention destination: the<br />
greater Orlando area. Located a short drive from both of<br />
Florida’s coasts, Kissimmee is a great place for attendees to<br />
mix business and pleasure and escape the winter blues.<br />
The popular location isn’t the only reason to register. ABC<br />
Convention <strong>2023</strong> is the place for contractors to find content<br />
designed to improve their businesses and bottom lines. Plus,<br />
enjoy the celebrations and networking opportunities that<br />
ABC members value and look forward to each year, from the<br />
National Craft Championships and the Construction Management<br />
Competition to the National Excellence in Construction®<br />
Awards. This is THE event for the merit shop construction<br />
industry, and you don’t want to miss it!<br />
All convention events take place at the Gaylord Palms Resort<br />
& Convention Center, located a short distance to Walt Disney<br />
World,® Universal Orlando Resort® and other Orlando<br />
theme parks and attractions. There’s something for everyone<br />
at this four-and-a-half-acre upscale resort, including the Cypress<br />
Springs Water Park and many family-friendly activities<br />
and entertainment, nine award-winning restaurants, bars,<br />
the world-class Relâche Spa, and a state-of-the-art fitness<br />
center.<br />
Opening General Session: “Life Is Magic” With Jon Dorenbos<br />
Jon Dorenbos suffered a devastating family tragedy in his<br />
childhood, but performing magic and playing pro football<br />
saved him, leading him to appearances on America’s Got Talent<br />
and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, as well as playing 14 NFL<br />
seasons. After a life-threatening heart condition, he developed<br />
a road map for finding happiness. “Life Is Magic” is his<br />
story about overcoming life-or-death challenges with grace,<br />
persistence and a childlike sense of wonder.<br />
The Construction Workforce Award winners — the Craft<br />
Instructor, Craft Professional and Young Professional of the<br />
Year — will also be honored during the opening session. In<br />
addition, attendees will be introduced to the <strong>2023</strong> Chair of<br />
the ABC National Board of Directors.<br />
Additional Speakers:<br />
Stephen M.R. Covey<br />
Trust expert, executive thought leader and bestselling author<br />
Stephen M. R. Covey is co-founder of CoveyLink and the<br />
62 | Chief Engineer<br />
FranklinCovey Global Trust Practice. He is a sought-after and<br />
compelling speaker and adviser on trust, leadership, ethics<br />
and collaboration. Covey is a New York Times and Wall Street<br />
Journal bestselling author of The SPEED of Trust — The One<br />
Thing That Changes Everything and recently released Trust &<br />
Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others,<br />
which is a Wall Street Journal bestseller.<br />
Duncan Wardle<br />
Former senior executive at The Walt Disney Company and<br />
design-thinking and innovation consultant<br />
As head of innovation and creativity at Disney, Duncan<br />
Wardle and his team helped Imagineering, Lucasfilm, Marvel,<br />
Pixar and Disney Parks innovate, creating magical storylines<br />
and experiences for consumers around the globe. As founder<br />
of iD8 & innov8, he now brings his extensive Disney experience<br />
to audiences around the world using a unique approach<br />
to design thinking. Wardle is a frequent TEDx speaker, a<br />
contributor to Fast Company and teaches master classes at<br />
universities like Yale and Duke.<br />
Early Bird registration deadline: Jan. 9, <strong>2023</strong>.<br />
For more information or to register, visit<br />
abcconvention.abc.org<br />
<strong>2023</strong> ASHRAE Winter Conference/AHR Expo<br />
Feb. 4-8, <strong>2023</strong>/Feb. 6-8, <strong>2023</strong><br />
Omni CNN Center<br />
100 CNN Center NW, Atlanta, GA<br />
ASHRAE is looking forward to returning to Atlanta — home<br />
of the new ASHRAE Global Headquarters. The ASHRAE Winter<br />
Conference will be held February 4-8, <strong>2023</strong>, at the Omni<br />
Hotel at CNN Center and Building A of the Georgia World<br />
Congress Center. The AHR Expo will take place February 6-8<br />
in Buildings B and C of the Georgia World Congress Center.<br />
The <strong>2023</strong> ASHRAE Winter Conference technical program<br />
comprises nine tracks selected to represent areas of focus<br />
common among ASHRAE membership. The track focus areas<br />
include Fundamentals and Applications, HVACR Systems and<br />
Equipment, Refrigerants and Refrigeration, Grid Resilience<br />
and Thermal Storage, Pathways to Zero Energy Emissions and<br />
Decarbonization, Multifamily and Residential Buildings, Operations<br />
and Maintenance, Building Simulation and Virtual<br />
Design in Construction, and a mini track addressing Innovative<br />
Responses to Supply Chain Challenges.<br />
For more information and to register, visit www.ashrae.org/<br />
conferences/<strong>2023</strong>-winter-conference-atlanta.
Volume 88 · Number 1 | 63
Ashrae Update<br />
ASHRAE Commits to Developing an<br />
IAQ Pathogen Mitigation Standard<br />
ATLANTA — ASHRAE’s board of directors recently announced<br />
its commitment to support the expedited development of a<br />
national indoor air quality (IAQ) pathogen mitigation standard.<br />
The goal is to finalize the consensus-based, code-enforceable<br />
standard within six months.<br />
“The health and well-being of building occupants are crucial<br />
factors that must be considered during the design, construction<br />
and operation phases of the building process,” said<br />
2022-23 ASHRAE President Farooq Mehboob, Fellow Life<br />
Member ASHRAE. “ASHRAE’s long history of leadership in<br />
IAQ science and technology, will provide broad-reaching<br />
guidance through this standard to help ensure the use of<br />
best practices for pathogen mitigation, which will assist in<br />
creating safer indoor spaces for us all.”<br />
ASHRAE will set up a balanced team of internationally recognized<br />
experts to work on an accelerated timeline to develop<br />
the standard. Delivery of the standard will include:<br />
• Both design and operation<br />
• Alternative paths (prescriptive or performance), in which<br />
equivalent clean air would be the goal<br />
• Testing, verification, documentation (commissioning) and<br />
periodic re-commissioning<br />
The increased focus on IAQ by governments and the public,<br />
along with the convergence of the flu, respiratory syncytial<br />
(RSV) and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) threatening public health,<br />
makes ASHRAE’s development of the pathogen mitigation<br />
standard of even greater importance, as jurisdictions and<br />
building owners look to a reputable and non-biased source<br />
for guidance and science-based building standards.<br />
Airborne transmission of pathogens is of concern to the<br />
public writ-large and governments are responding. In March,<br />
the U.S. government launched the National COVID-19 Preparedness<br />
Plan, which included recommendations to improve<br />
ventilation and filtration in buildings. The Clean Air in Buildings<br />
Challenge was also launched this spring, along with a<br />
Summit on Improving Indoor Air Quality in October.<br />
The ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force responded to the COVID-19<br />
pandemic with the release of extensive guidance, including<br />
IAQ resources, referenced by governments, building owners,<br />
and facility managers in the U.S. and internationally.<br />
Conference <strong>2023</strong>, May 11-12, <strong>2023</strong> in Mumbai, India. This is<br />
ASHRAE’s third Developing Economies Conference.<br />
The conference theme is “Decarbonizing and Sustaining<br />
Growth of Healthcare and Residential Infrastructure in<br />
Emerging and Future Markets.”<br />
With a focus on healthcare and residential, the conference<br />
will cover resiliency, indoor environmental quality (IEQ),<br />
building decarbonization, policy making and digitalization<br />
and other topics. Technical sessions will also address the challenges<br />
of rapidly growing energy demand, epidemic effects,<br />
fast-paced advancements, urbanization, sustainability and<br />
the role to be played by the global HVAC&R industry to meet<br />
the building decarbonization targets set during the 2021<br />
United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly<br />
referred to as COP26.<br />
Presentation proposals to speak are requested on the following<br />
program tracks:<br />
Healthcare<br />
• Decarbonizing healthcare sector<br />
• Resiliency in healthcare buildings / infrastructure<br />
• Working with nature in designing hospitals<br />
• IEQ in healthcare<br />
• Policies, standards, codes and certifications<br />
• Role of digitalization in healthcare<br />
Residential<br />
• Decarbonizing residential ecosystem: engineering towards<br />
net zero<br />
• Retrofitting to a sustainable future<br />
• New-age products and technologies<br />
• Heating and cooling technologies<br />
• Smart homes<br />
• Policies, standards, codes and certifications<br />
• Future proofing our homes (climate change)<br />
Presentation abstracts (300 words or less) are due Jan. 15,<br />
<strong>2023</strong>, and notifications will be sent by Feb. 28, <strong>2023</strong>. If accepted,<br />
final presentation submissions are due April 30, <strong>2023</strong>.<br />
For more information or to submit a presentation proposal,<br />
visit ashrae.org/DevelopingEcon<strong>2023</strong>.<br />
Call for Speakers Announced for ASHRAE Developing<br />
Economies Conference<br />
ATLANTA — ASHRAE announced a call for healthcare and<br />
residential tracks speakers for the Developing Economies<br />
64<br />
| Chief Engineer
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American Street Guide<br />
Former Student Moves, Will Restore<br />
Historic Schoolhouse By Grace King | The Gazette<br />
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Stony Point Schoolhouse, moved<br />
recently from the land where it stood since the 1800s, will be<br />
saved by a former student with plans to restore it.<br />
Power lines were raised and the schoolhouse settled on a<br />
new foundation on a 120-acre farm owned by Rae Jeanne<br />
Kilberger, 85, at 6304 Ellis Rd. NW in Cedar Rapids. Kilberger<br />
attended the school for two years as a 7th- and 8th-grader in<br />
1948-50, and wants to see the historical building being given<br />
new life.<br />
Kilberger said she plans to restore the schoolhouse to how<br />
she remembers it when she went to school there, including<br />
replacing the windows, refinishing the floor and repairing<br />
the water-damaged walls and roof.<br />
“There’s not many [one-room schoolhouses] around,” Kilberger<br />
told the Cedar Rapids Gazette. “I really believe kids<br />
today need to learn how it was to have eight grades under<br />
one teacher.”<br />
Stony Point schoolhouse was built on the corner of what is<br />
now Stoney Point Road old Highway 94 (Covington Road and<br />
F Avenue NW) on a farm later acquired in the early 1900s by<br />
Frank and Ida Davis. The Davis family kept the school and<br />
grounds in good condition, letting church and civic groups<br />
use the property for meetings and social events.<br />
The Davis family still owns the property where the schoolhouse<br />
originally sat. Laurie Church, co-owner of the property<br />
with her sister, Vicki Davis, said she hates to see the old<br />
school move but is glad it will be restored.<br />
Church said she painted the schoolhouse and put a new sign<br />
out front years ago, but the building was constantly vandalized.<br />
“I hope it’s a little more protected now,” she said.<br />
Kilberger said she doesn’t care about the expense of relocating<br />
and restoring the school. “Fortunately, I have the money<br />
to pay for it,” she said.<br />
Cindy Hadish, a board member for the historic preservation<br />
group Save CR Heritage, which was not involved in the move,<br />
estimates the cost of moving the schoolhouse to be about<br />
$25,000. Other expenses would include hiring Alliant Energy<br />
to raise power lines for the building to be moved, building<br />
a new foundation for the school and hiring the Sheriff’s<br />
department to escort the building, she said.<br />
“At one point in time, there were hundreds of these schoolhouses<br />
dotting the landscape of Iowa, and now we’re down<br />
to the very last few,” Hadish said. “It’s important to save<br />
what we have left.”<br />
Kilberger recalls walking to Stony Point for school. Every day,<br />
a student would get a bucket of water that would be shared<br />
by everyone and used all day for drinking and hand washing.<br />
It wasn’t until Kilberger went to Roosevelt High School,<br />
where she graduated in 1954 — now Roosevelt Creative<br />
Corridor Business Academy — that she had toilet paper for<br />
the first time. At Stony Point, the students’ restroom was an<br />
outhouse and their toilet paper was magazines, Kilberger<br />
said.<br />
Kilberger was raised by her maternal grandparents, who<br />
purchased the 120 acres on which she still lives off Ellis Road<br />
NW from her fraternal grandparents in the mid-1900s. She<br />
built the house she now lives in, along with her grandfather<br />
and a few neighbors.<br />
To prepare for the schoolhouse to be rehabilitated, Kilberger<br />
has collected about 20 school desks from the early 1900s,<br />
including a teacher’s desk and recitation bench built in 1901<br />
where students would sit and recite their lessons in front of<br />
the class. She also acquired an 1876 brass bell from a oneroom<br />
schoolhouse from Atkinson, Ill., that will be hung in<br />
the Stony Point bell tower.<br />
Stony Point schoolhouse was a site for political gatherings in<br />
the 1870s, according to The Gazette’s archives. When classes<br />
weren’t in session in the one-story school, it also served as a<br />
church, a Sunday school and a place for community celebrations.<br />
It was the last country school in Linn County when it<br />
closed in 1959, and students began attending Cedar Rapids<br />
schools, according to The Gazette’s archives.<br />
The school and its contents were sold at auction Dec. 7, 1959.<br />
C. Russell Davis bought the building for $1,500, and the land<br />
automatically reverted to Davis as its original owner. In the<br />
days of one-room country schools, farmers often allowed<br />
schools to be built on their land with the understanding the<br />
land would revert to them when the school was no longer in<br />
use, according to The Gazette’s archives.<br />
Somewhere along the way, the neighborhood that grew up<br />
around the school added an “e” to the Stony name. The road<br />
where the schoolhouse sat until Monday is now identified as<br />
“Stoney Point.”<br />
Clark “Bud” Derhammer, 81, sat in his car Monday, Dec. 12,<br />
watching the schoolhouse be towed down Ellis Road NW,<br />
where he also once attended school.<br />
Kilberger is “bringing this back to life,” Derhammer said.<br />
“Give her a little time. It’ll take time to restore that, because<br />
it’s pretty well tore up.”<br />
66<br />
| Chief Engineer
The historic Stony Point Schoolhouse is transported along Covington Road in Linn County, Iowa, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette via AP)<br />
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Volume 88 · Number 1 | 67
ACROSS<br />
1 Greenish-blue<br />
color<br />
5 Compass point<br />
9 Compass point<br />
13 Alack’s partner<br />
17 N.A. Indian<br />
18 Hello!<br />
19 Spring flower<br />
21 Each<br />
22 Manner<br />
23 Green Gables<br />
dweller<br />
24 Defense<br />
25 Split apart<br />
26 Pickpocket<br />
27 Metric weight unit<br />
28 Dale<br />
29 _____ arrest<br />
31 Block<br />
33 Violent thrower<br />
35 African antelope<br />
36 Pastor (abbr.)<br />
38 Note of debt<br />
39 Trigonometry<br />
40 Boat movers<br />
44 Czech<br />
47 British thermal<br />
unit<br />
49 Western Athletic<br />
Conference<br />
50 Pull on loose<br />
thread<br />
51 Central processing<br />
unit<br />
52 Holler<br />
54 Prig<br />
56 Japanese selfdefense<br />
57 __ Minor (Little<br />
Dipper)<br />
59 Den<br />
61 Disrespect<br />
62 Hear<br />
63 Fast plane<br />
64 Rank<br />
66 City<br />
68 All right<br />
70 United Arab<br />
Republic<br />
71 Wise Man<br />
72 Kind<br />
75 Medication<br />
amounts<br />
79 What a doctor<br />
gives<br />
81 Zero<br />
83 Howdy<br />
84 Fire remains<br />
87 Hovercraft<br />
88 Gone by<br />
89 Uh-uh<br />
92 Foray<br />
93 Show off<br />
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16<br />
17 18 19 20 21<br />
22 23 24 25<br />
26 27 28 29 30<br />
31 32 33 34 35<br />
36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43<br />
44 45 46 47 48 49 50<br />
51 52 53 54 55 56<br />
57 58 59 60 61 62 63<br />
64 65 66 67 68 69<br />
70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78<br />
79 80 81 82 83<br />
84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92<br />
93 94 95 96 97 98<br />
99 100 101 102 103 104 105<br />
106 107 108 109 110<br />
111 112 113 114 115 116 117<br />
118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126<br />
127 128 129 130 131<br />
132 133 134 135<br />
136 137 138 139<br />
www.CrosswordWeaver.com<br />
ACROSS<br />
95 Waft<br />
96 Streetcar<br />
1 Greenish-blue color<br />
98 School group<br />
5 Compass point<br />
9 Compass 99 Course point<br />
13 Alack's 100 partner Cap<br />
17 N.A. Indian<br />
101 Genius<br />
18 Hello!<br />
19 Spring<br />
104<br />
flower<br />
Useless<br />
21 Each 106 Gawk<br />
22 Manner<br />
23 Green Gables dweller<br />
24 Defense<br />
25 Split 110 apart __ Lanka<br />
26 Pickpocket 111 Disobey<br />
27 Metric<br />
112<br />
weight<br />
Clench<br />
unit<br />
28 Dale<br />
115 Zeal<br />
29 _____ arrest<br />
31 Block 118 Eject<br />
33 Violent 122 thrower Bang down<br />
35 African antelope<br />
36 Pastor (abbr.)<br />
38 Note of debt<br />
39 Trigonometry<br />
40 Boat movers<br />
44 Czech<br />
47 British thermal unit<br />
49 Western 131 Antelope<br />
Athletic Conference<br />
50 Pull on loose thread<br />
51 Central<br />
133<br />
processing<br />
Squeezeunit<br />
52 Holler<br />
54 Prig<br />
56 Japanese self-defense<br />
57 __ Minor (Little Dipper)<br />
107 Mexican sandwich<br />
108 In possession of<br />
123 Serving of corn<br />
125 Replace a striker<br />
127 Assumed name<br />
128 Gunpowder need<br />
130 Negative (prefix)<br />
132 National capital<br />
134 Told an untruth<br />
135 Colored part of eye<br />
136 End of a loaf<br />
137 Has<br />
138 Land measurement<br />
139 Not one<br />
DOWN<br />
59 Den<br />
61 Disrespect<br />
62 Hear<br />
1 Bloke<br />
63 Fast plane<br />
64 Rank<br />
66 City 3 Month<br />
68 All right<br />
70 United Arab Republic<br />
71 Wise Man<br />
5 Trickery<br />
72 Kind<br />
75 Medication amounts<br />
79 What a doctor gives<br />
8 Sadness<br />
81 Zero<br />
83 Howdy 9 Musty<br />
84 Fire remains<br />
87 Hovercraft<br />
11 Blintz<br />
88 Gone by<br />
12 Sibling<br />
89 Uh-uh<br />
92 Foray 13 Eager<br />
93 Show off<br />
95 Waft<br />
15 Location<br />
96 Streetcar<br />
98 School group<br />
99 Course<br />
100 Cap 21 Goofs<br />
101 Genius<br />
28 Stuff<br />
104 Useless<br />
106 Gawk 30 Fall mo.<br />
107 Mexican sandwich<br />
108 In possession<br />
34 Hustle<br />
of<br />
110 __ Lanka<br />
35 Take<br />
111 Disobey<br />
112 Clench<br />
115 Zeal<br />
2 Belonging to you<br />
4 Famous falls<br />
6 Winding tool<br />
7 National capital<br />
10 Swiss mathematician<br />
14 Jacob’s son<br />
16 In __ (together)<br />
20 Eat alfresco<br />
32 Assembly<br />
37 Bowed stringed<br />
instrument<br />
39 Duces<br />
40 Furniture wood<br />
41 Car rental agency<br />
118 Eject<br />
122 Bang down<br />
team<br />
123 Serving of corn<br />
43 Gap<br />
125 Replace a striker<br />
127 Assumed name<br />
128 Gunpowder flowers need<br />
130 Negative (prefix)<br />
131 Antelope<br />
132 National capital<br />
133 Squeeze<br />
134 Told an (abbr.) untruth<br />
135 Colored part of eye<br />
136 End of a loaf<br />
137 Has<br />
138 Land measurement<br />
139 Not one<br />
DOWN<br />
42 Cincinnati baseball<br />
44 Small bunch of<br />
45 Red-blooded<br />
46 Communication<br />
Workers of America<br />
48 U.S. Department of<br />
Agriculture<br />
50 Middle East capital<br />
51 Adorable<br />
53 Capital of Peru<br />
55 Final inning<br />
56 Boat<br />
58 Swiss mountains<br />
1 Bloke<br />
2 Belonging to you<br />
3 Month<br />
4 Famous<br />
60 Big<br />
falls<br />
truck<br />
5 Trickery 62 Digit<br />
6 Winding tool<br />
7 National capital<br />
67 Jargon<br />
8 Sadness<br />
9 Musty 69 Not mine<br />
10 Swiss mathematician<br />
11 Blintz<br />
12 Sibling<br />
74 Devise<br />
13 Eager<br />
14 Jacob's 76 Cuffs son<br />
15 Location<br />
65 Hydrocarbon<br />
71 I want my ___<br />
73 Yang’s partner<br />
77 Elect<br />
78 Cola<br />
80 Halloween mo.<br />
82 State<br />
16 In __ (together)<br />
84<br />
20 Eat<br />
Hairstyle<br />
alfresco<br />
21 Goofs<br />
85<br />
28 Stuff<br />
Walk<br />
86 30 Fall Draw mo.<br />
88 32 Assembly Dog food brand<br />
34 Hustle<br />
90 Professional<br />
35 Take<br />
91 37 Bowed Grubstringed instrument<br />
94 39 Duces Southwestern Indian<br />
95 40 Furniture Dark beer wood<br />
41 Car rental agency<br />
97 Heavy mud<br />
42 Cincinnati baseball team<br />
100 43 Gap Skill<br />
102 44 Small Pal bunch of flowers<br />
103<br />
45 Red-blooded<br />
Dine<br />
46 Communication Workers of<br />
105<br />
America<br />
Waterproof<br />
(abr.)<br />
cloth<br />
48 U.S. type Department of Agriculture<br />
107 50 Middle Little East bitcapital<br />
51 Adorable<br />
109 Picturesque<br />
53 Capital of Peru<br />
111 55 Final Kissinning<br />
112 56 Boat Bathe<br />
113 58 Swiss Small mountains birds<br />
60 Big truck<br />
114 One who despises<br />
62 Digit<br />
116 65 Hydrocarbon Sporty car brand<br />
117 67 Jargon Lowest point<br />
118<br />
69 Not<br />
Curse<br />
mine<br />
71 I want my ___<br />
119<br />
73 Yang's<br />
Colorpartner<br />
120 74 Devise Fork prong<br />
121 76 Cuffs Revile<br />
77 Elect<br />
122 Thick soup<br />
78 Cola<br />
124 80 Halloween Sit in a mo. car<br />
126 82 State Hectic<br />
129 84 Hairstyle The other half of<br />
85 Walk<br />
Jima<br />
86 Draw<br />
130 88 Dog Wing food brand<br />
90 Professional<br />
91 Grub<br />
94 Southwestern Indian<br />
95 Dark beer<br />
97 Heavy mud<br />
100 Skill<br />
102 Pal<br />
103 Dine<br />
105 Waterproof cloth type<br />
107 Little bit<br />
109 Picturesque<br />
111 Kiss<br />
112 Bathe<br />
113 Small birds<br />
114 One who despises<br />
116 Sporty car brand<br />
117 Lowest point<br />
118 Curse<br />
119 Color<br />
120 Fork prong<br />
121 Revile<br />
122 Thick soup<br />
124 Sit in a car<br />
126 Hectic<br />
129 The other half of Jima<br />
130 Wing<br />
68<br />
| Chief Engineer
dian<br />
h<br />
s<br />
f<br />
Boiler Room Annex<br />
Top 25 Engineering Terms and Expressions (What they say<br />
and what they really mean)<br />
Source: http://www.jokesclean.com/Engineer<br />
• Customer satisfaction is believed to be assured. (We’re<br />
so far behind schedule that the customer will settle for<br />
anything.)<br />
• Please see me/Let’s discuss it. (I need your help. I’ve<br />
screwed up again.)<br />
• The project is in process. (It’s so tied up in red tape that it’s<br />
completely hopeless.)<br />
• We’re trying a number of different approaches. (We still<br />
guessing, at this point.)<br />
• We’re following the standard. (We’ve always done it this<br />
way.)<br />
• Close project coordination. (We met together and had<br />
coffee.)<br />
• Years of development. (It finally worked.)<br />
• Energy saving. (Turn off the power to save electricity.)<br />
•<br />
• We’ll have to abandon the entire concept. (The only person<br />
who understood the thing just quit.)<br />
• We had a major technological breakthrough. (It’s boring,<br />
but it looks high tech.)<br />
• We’re preparing a report with a fresh approach. (We just<br />
hired a couple of kids out of college.)<br />
• Preliminary operational tests proved inconclusive. (It blew<br />
up when we flipped the switch.)<br />
• Test results proved extremely gratifying. (Yahoo! It actually<br />
worked.)<br />
• Please read and initial. (We want to spread around the<br />
responsibility.)<br />
• Tell us what you are thinking. (We’ll listen, but if it disagrees<br />
with what we’ve already done or are planning to<br />
do, forget it.)<br />
• Tell us your interpretation. (Let’s hear your bull.)<br />
• We’ll look into it. (Forget it! We’ve got so many other<br />
problems already, we’ll never get to it.)<br />
• No maintenance. (If it breaks, we can’t fix it.)<br />
• Low maintenance. (If it breaks, we’re no likely able to fix<br />
it.)<br />
• All new. (None of the parts are interchangeable with the<br />
previous design.)<br />
Solution:<br />
A S E A D O D O F A M E S L O B<br />
C O R N A D O B O H I R E R C O A L<br />
T R I G M O T I F O F T E N O N T O<br />
S T E L A R E E F P O S T A U G H T<br />
O F F I W O A P R<br />
S P A T O Y S C O N E E S T G A B<br />
H E R R R E M A I N M A C H F U S E<br />
O R E O L A M A O U C H R A I L<br />
E T N A A L L L T M T O P O V A L<br />
H A N D M A I D E A C H O R G A N<br />
N E T U P E N D S K I<br />
S Q U A B R O U T T A K E B A C K<br />
G A L S A D O M H Z N A Y L O A N<br />
A G U E E M M A W A T T M A Y O<br />
G A B S S E P T T I D I E D A L A S<br />
E S E M O P V O W E D R I G S K Y<br />
P U N C O B M I L<br />
A L K Y D T U F T A C R E N A A C P<br />
R I N G L U C R E C Z A R S T S A R<br />
I T E M E C L A T K A R M A H I R E<br />
D E W Y O K A Y R E A P E A S Y<br />
DECEMBER SOLUTION<br />
• Rugged. (Needs major equipment to lift it.)<br />
• Robust. (More than rugged.)<br />
• Light weight. (A little less than rugged.)<br />
• Fax it to me. (I’m too lazy to write it down.)<br />
• I haven’t gotten your email. (It’s been days since I’ve<br />
checked my email.)<br />
The Six Phases of a Project<br />
Source: anengineersaspect.blogspot.com<br />
1. Enthusiasm<br />
2. Disillusionment<br />
3. Panic<br />
4. Search for the Guilty<br />
5. Punishment of the Innocent<br />
6. Promotion of the Uninvolved<br />
Volume 87 · Number 12 | 69
Dependable Sources<br />
Addison Electric Motors & Drives 63<br />
Restore Construction Inc. 9<br />
Admiral Heating & Ventilating, Inc. 58<br />
Rotating Equipment Specialists 15<br />
Advanced Boiler Control Services 17<br />
Sprinkler Fitters Local 281 Inside Front Cover, 4<br />
Air Comfort Corporation 51<br />
Syserco 21<br />
Air Filter Engineers<br />
Back Cover<br />
United Radio Communications, Inc. 24<br />
Airways Systems 57<br />
Universal Lighting of America 18<br />
Altorfer Power Systems 60<br />
American Combustion Service Inc. 12<br />
AMS Mechanical Systems, Inc. 47<br />
Bear Construction 43<br />
Beverly Companies 35<br />
Bornquist, Inc. 56<br />
Building Technology Consultants, Inc. 61<br />
Bullock, Logan & Associates, Inc. 67<br />
Chicago Backflow, Inc. 25<br />
Chicago Cooling Tower 55<br />
Chicago Corrosion Group 67<br />
City Wide Pool & Spa 15<br />
ClearWater Associates, Ltd. 58<br />
Competitive Piping Systems 60<br />
Door Service, Inc. 54<br />
Dreisilker Electric Motors 29<br />
F.E. Moran Fire Protection 49<br />
Filter Services, Inc. 53<br />
Glavin Security Specialists 30<br />
Hard Rock Concrete Cutters 51<br />
Hart, Travers & Associates, Inc. 44<br />
Hayes Mechanical 22<br />
HOH Water Technology 33<br />
Hudson Boiler & Tank Co. 42<br />
J & L Cooling Towers, Inc. 37<br />
Kroeschell, Inc. 52<br />
Metropolitan Industries, Inc. 65<br />
MVB Services, Inc. 35<br />
Neuco 23<br />
Olympia Maintenance 19<br />
Preservation Services 20<br />
PuroClean Disaster Services 61<br />
Reliable Fire Equipment Co. 59<br />
70<br />
| Chief Engineer<br />
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