Multiple learning opportunities from CPP team members

The 2018 International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I²SL) Annual Conference will be held October 14-17, 2018, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The event is the leading international conference focused on strategies to meet the challenges of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in laboratories and related facilities. The anticipated 500-participant audience will include owners, EH&S officials, facility managers, designers, engineers and lab users.

Join CPP’s Brad Cochran, Ryan Parker, and Jeff Reifschneider at various workshops and events throughout the conference.

Sunday, Oct. 14, Brad Cochran will deliver a training workshop, Designing Safe and Energy-Efficient Laboratory Exhaust Systems. If an exhaust system is not properly designed, unacceptable levels of exhaust may be re-entrained back into the laboratory or neighboring building, creating an unhealthy environment. Alternatively, an overdesigned system can lead to high capital costs and excessive ongoing energy consumption. This workshop will offer new advancements in designing safe and energy-efficient laboratory exhaust systems. These strategies can safely reduce energy consumption by approximately 50% compared to a typical constant volume system, which equates to about a 15% reduction in the laboratory’s total electrical energy use.

Cochran will also give two presentations. The first, Limiting Risk of Formaldehyde Exposure in a Large Scale Gross Anatomy Lab, will be given on Monday, Oct. 15^th, with his co-presenter, Sean Convery from Cator, Ruma & Associates. They will discuss formaldehyde exposure limits and how different agencies have varying concentration thresholds (ppm), and how those different concentrations impacted the owner’s desired layout compared to the design team’s recommended alternative layout. Learning objectives include formaldehyde exposure limits and the wide range of published standards, managing risk while pursuing the project in a design/build lump sum design competition delivery method, CFD modeling of gross anatomy labs, and energy savings opportunities for a very-high-air-change-rate laboratory.

Cochran’s second presentation, Basics of Plume Dispersion, will be given Tuesday, Oct. 16^th, with co-presenter Kishor Khankari from AnSight LLC. This presentation will describe the dynamics of plume dispersion and what is involved in the calculation of plume height and related dilution. With the help of examples, impact of important parameters on the dilution and dispersion of plumes will be demonstrated. In addition, this presentation will show how Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), analytical numerical models, and wind tunnel simulations can help in the design and optimization of the lab exhaust systems. This lecture will also present insightful animations showing the nature of plume dispersion and resulting dilution at the air intakes.

On Monday, Oct. 15^th, Ryan Parker’s presentation, VAV Exhaust System Implementation Challenges, will cover variable air volume (VAV) exhaust system implementation and the challenges associated with successful commissioning and subsequent operation. Application of a simple-turndown or wind-responsive VAV exhaust system is an energy-saving measure that, if implemented successfully, maintains safety and improves system performance. Parker will discuss dispersion modelling and its use in developing a VAV sequence of operation (SOO) along with information on the general process flow. Once this background is established, Parker will present specific VAV exhaust ideas, ranging from mechanical considerations to variations in specific control protocol. Finally, Parker will discuss solutions and outcomes of these challenges.

The 2018 agenda, including training and presentation dates and times, can be found here.

The conference will present opportunities to meet with Cochran, Parker, and Reifschneider. CPP’s clients and partners are encouraged to attend.

Learn more about the conference here.