HVAC and refrigeration systems represent between a quarter and a third of total electricity consumption in an average commercial building. Chillers are responsible for over 40% of that demand, making up between 10-12% of a building’s total electricity usage and presenting an opportunity for cost savings. So why are HVAC chillers rarely optimized for efficiency?

The goal of any commercial property owner is to attract tenants while also still being profitable. Operating a large building often means having a lot of expenses and other overhead costs, whether they be for maintenance, repairs, utilities, or the multitude of other expenditures any business could incur.

Like most businesses, hospital administrations constantly look for ways to improve their bottom line. One of the most effective ways a hospital facility manager can help is by lowering building operating costs and running their building more efficiently. But because healthcare facilities are extremely sophisticated and specialized buildings, this task is often easier said than done.

 Technicians at the Kennedy Space Center often work in cleanrooms, laboratories with high degrees of cleanliness provided by strict control of particles such as dust, lint, or human skin. These facilities must be contaminant-free environments where the air is repeatedly filtered and surfaces are smooth to prevent particles from getting lodged.

There are many applications for differential pressure transducers, but none are more critical than those measuring the pressure parameters in a cleanroom. A cleanroom is a critical area used to manufacture medications, containers, enclosures, and other medical devices that require the products to remain sterile from manufacturing through delivery to the customer. The products manufactured in these environments are used to treat and care for the general population and are handled differently than other products.

The regulation language in U.S. Pharmacopeia Standard 797 (USP 797) has long been the guiding principle for cleanliness in hospital pharmacies that treat cancer patients with compounding sterile preparations (CSPs). For airflow in these special rooms, USP 797 outlines how spaces are to be pressurized, and what are permissible parts per million (PPM) particle counts.

In HVAC systems, various motors and devices need to be controlled with modulated signals to turn damper actuators and hydronic reheat valves. Most controllers in the industry do this using specific and standard logic, called a Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller, or PID Loop. PID is mathematical logic that provides these three functions as parameters that can be tuned, so devices function accurately and optimally.

From August 14^th through the 17^th, Setra Systems will be exhibiting at the NCSL International Workshop & Symposium taking place at the Gaylord National Convention Center in National Harbor, MD.

The theme of this year’s symposium is “Precision & Performance with Measurement Science”: