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Montreal, May 1, 2007 - Dectron Internationale (TSX: DTL):, a leader in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning, indoor air security and water generation markets, is pleased to announce its financial results for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2007 (in thousands of Canadian dollars) ...
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| Dectron DRY-O-TRON |
August 13, 2003 |
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Engineer Designs Perfect Environment for Cable Programmer's Technical Operations.
16 Dectron dehumidifying air conditioners maintain the precise climate at the home of HGTV.
Knoxville, Tenn.-With the tremendous heat load produced by mission-critical broadcast operations servers and associated high tech equipment at the corporate headquarters of Scripps Networks, Knoxville, Tenn., mechanical engineer Greg Farmer needed a reliable means to cool and dehumidify the space.
Maintaining precise 24-hour space conditions with back-up redundancy from the cooling system is critical for the newest broadcast operations floor of Scripps, which is the home of HGTV, Food Network, DIY Network, and FineLiving Network. HVAC failure is not an option for Scripps' new computer and digital broadcast environments, which are part of Scripps latest 36,000-square-foot addition. Failure to maintain a precise temperature in this high tech area of Scripps' new addition could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost broadcast revenue, not to mention equipment replacement. This redundancy is achieved by designing a mechanical cooling/dehumidifying system to automatically switch from rejecting heat to the heat pump loop or an outdoor condenser.
Typically, precision air conditioning equipment or chiller and air handler combinations with costly redundant back-ups are used to cool computer and server rooms. However, Farmer, a vice president of mechanical engineering at architect/engineering firm, Michael Brady Inc., Knoxville, provided Scripps significant cost savings by using 14 Dry-O-TronÒ dehumidifiers by Dectron Internationale, Roswell, Ga., to control the conditions in the technology area.
The mass of dehumidification machinery involved dozens of piping runs that were plumbed meticulously by mechanical contractor, D.F. Shoffner, Knoxville. "There's a huge amount of water and refrigeration piping that will impress anyone that enters the room," said Dennis Pitsenbarger, senior project manager, D.F.Shoffner.
Besides resourcefulness, the design might be the first use of dehumidifiers in high technology rooms. "Anybody can just specify boilers and chillers or computer room HVAC equipment, but with Dectron I saw an opportunity to design something that offered redundant back up within the same unit," explained Farmer. "This allowed me to take advantage of the water source heat pump loop and reduce equipment costs. "I'm still providing the required redundant back-up required by the owner and this might change how future computer and server rooms are built and air conditioned."
Cost Savings.
The cost savings come in several ways. The use of packaged dehumidifiers consumes the same 4,000-square-foot floor space of the corresponding technical room equipment, but since there is no associated central plant and accompanying mechanical space, approximately 1,000 square feet is saved. With construction costs averaging $125/sq. ft., this amounts to a savings of $125,000.
Furthermore, building operational costs are saved because the technical room requires year round cooling. A feature of the redundant heat rejection capabilities of Dectron's dehumidifiers allows them to switch from the outdoor condenser to the heat pump loop anytime. During the heating season the units automatically reject heat into the heat pump loop. The resulting increased loop temperatures improve the effectiveness of all the other heat pumps connected to it. This feature provides heat for the addition's offices, a tape library, viewing rooms, and cafeteria at an annual energy savings of $5,000.
Space was also saved on the roof. Installing one condenser for each of the 16 dehumidifiers would have required thousands of square feet because of necessary clearance required between neighboring condensers, not to mention the aesthetic visual impact. However, Farmer worked through Dectron's manufacturer's representative, Myron Carter, Rome Eddleman, Knoxville, to specify only four custom-manufactured condensers with multiple circuits by Dectron's heat transfer division, Ref-Plus.
Farmer's HVAC design also saved on capital costs of purchasing a new back-up boiler for heating. Because the Dry-O-Tron units' continual cooling modes supply steady heat to the water source heat loop, any back-up heating, if needed at all, will be handled by a rarely-used existing on-site 500,000-BTU boiler by Raypak Inc., Westlake Village, Calif. "My calculations reveal that the boiler probably will never be needed," said Farmer. "Even on the coldest of days, the contribution of heat from the Dry-O-Tron units allows the heat pumps to handle the entire load."
Farmer also figures that maintaining packaged dehumidifiers versus chillers will save an estimated $10,000 to $15,000 in annual maintenance costs. Scripps' in-house staff, which is already trained in direct expansion equipment, can perform most service tasks versus the more costly service people required for chiller repair.
The HVAC Layout.
Farmer's design, which was implemented in coordination with Michael Brady architects, calls for a 265-square-foot mechanical space that's inside the technology room, but walled off from the five 22-foot-long, eight-foot-high racks of computer equipment they cool. Nested in between the racks is the mechanical space, which has three Dectron DA5-30 dehumidifiers as well as pre-piping for an additional unit for future expansion. Two units are for current conditions and the third serves as a redundant back up. The mechanical space also includes two DA5-10 dehumidifiers (again with pre-piping for future expansion) that serve the adjacent broadcast control center and its equipment.
Each bank of Dectron units is equipped with an on-board humidifier to eliminate static electricity and maintain a 50-percent relative humidity during the winter.
Above the first floor mechanical room is a 592-square-foot secondary mechanical room that houses six more DA5-30's for the main technical room. Additionally, there's a hot back-up site of corporate IS/IT servers with three more DA5-30 dehumidifiers and piping accommodations for one future add-on.
Farmer also devised a unique air distribution system to assure the computer equipment is continually bathed in cool air, but doesn't create air noise that can affect nearby broadcast operations. Over each set of 22-foot-long computer racks is a series of two plenums-an upper supply plenum, which is connected to a lower distribution plenum via several short ducts. The supply plenum, which has a continuous slot to drop air along the top of the racks, has an equal pressure and self-balancing design. The plenums are integrated into a soffit and end wall system developed by the architect. A cable access area where air is returned to the ceiling plenum separates the racks and wall system. "We were a little concerned with this very unique air distribution design because we know the client is noise sensitive, but the credit must go to the designer (Farmer) because noise has not been an issue," said Pitsenbarger.
Other equipment used on the project included two Taco 7.5 pumps and one Baltimore Aircoil Co., Baltimore, Md. closed circuit cooler. Twenty-seven conventional McQuay International, Minneapolis, Minn., heat pumps condition air to offices within the expansion. Scripps' existing Alerton Technologies, Redmond, Wash., building automation system operates the majority of the HVAC equipment and systems.
The project's electrical engineer, Vreeland and Associates, Knoxville, specified an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and a back-up diesel-powered generator. In the event of a power failure the inline UPS provides power to critical systems until the backup generator engages after a ten second delay.
Farmer believes more future technology applications will require smaller spaces that are part of corporate headquarters and offices. The trend will be 500 to 1,000-square-foot computer or server rooms. "Corporate CEO's are beginning to realize that the heat generated by these small rooms combined with water source heat pumps are capable of heating part or all of the building," said Farmer.
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