Kele Blog

Employee Spotlight: Catch Up with Christian Kemp

Posted on by Kele Inc

There’s a difference between knowing something and understanding something. Just because you know that a panel is wired doesn’t mean that you understand how to wire it or how it impacts an overall system. Kele techs “get this.” And they show up to work every day ready to gain both knowledge and understanding of their craft so that they may continue to grow as technicians, adding more value to both their teams and the industry.

Christian Kemp is no newcomer to crafting and customizing panels. Before becoming a Panel Tech I with Kele, he built his foundational education with other panel shops. He has been with Kele for two years now and is continuing to broaden his knowledge in relation to panels. He has increased his abilities and learned how to innovate and customize panels in various ways that build upon his prior experience—doing exactly what Kele advocates for in the industry.

The largest influence that Kele has had on Christian’s professional career is the fact that he’s had the ability to continue cultivating his understanding in how things are wired and in turn how that causes them to work. He has enjoyed being able to impart his knowledge and understanding to his team and gain the benefit of their experience in return.

Christian exemplifies the continued cycle of education within the BAS industry by making strides with knowledge and understanding, and Kele is happy to have such a great panel tech on our team!

 

Employee Spotlight: Getting to Know Jim Luke-Gipson

Posted on by Kele Inc

Continued education in the BAS industry doesn’t end with a class or certification or growing one’s knowledge and understanding. It continues on in how employees think and how they problem solve to best serve customers every day. Kele Founder Roger Johnson knew this well—often building custom solutions for customers when what they needed was not available.

Jim Luke-Gipson is a Label Engraver who has been a part of the Kele Family for four years now. Jim has learned to value accuracy and customer perspective through her job, and it has made all the difference in how she tackles her work each day. She has applied years of retail experience and truly put the customer first in her role at Kele.

When asked what she has learned at Kele, Jim said, “More than I can ever put into a sentence.”

Taking the Label Engraver position was a turning point for Jim professionally. It has allowed her to work within a team that learns from her and in return pushes her to learn from them. Kele’s customer focus has been something that she is in lockstep with, and she continues to learn more about herself and from her team and customer interactions every day.

Kele is proud to have such a customer-oriented member on the team and knows that Jim’s commitment to excellence and incredible customer service helps to elevate Kele within the industry and carry on the customer-first legacy established decades ago.

 

Employee Spotlight: Meet Mack Moss

Posted on by Kele Inc

Education in the industry is paramount to its continued success and the success of those who chose to work within it. That’s why Kele prides itself in keeping the cycle of knowledge ever turning when it comes to the BAS/HVAC world. We want there to be open communication and continued education between our veteran associates and our new associates. When we are able to foster high ideals of mentorship, we are able to better ourselves, our products, and our processes constantly; that way not only do we evolve and grow as the business does but so do our employees.

Mack Moss has been building custom panels for more than two decades. He is a panel tech II in Kele’s custom panel shop and has been part of the Kele family for more than eleven years. Prior to his time at Kele, he spent ten years working with panels at Allen Bradley and Astronautics.

While at Kele, he’s continued to increase his knowledge and learn new things on a daily basis. He has also been able to grow and gain experience with his team, all of which he passes along to new associates and panel techs. Our panel techs pride themselves on knowing where the panels they build end up, like New York’s subway systems.

“I enjoy the fact that panels I’ve built help create a bigger picture and help the overall performance of entire systems,” said Mack.

Helping out his team and growing as a professional have positively impacted Mack and, in turn, allow him to positively impact those he comes into contact with through his work.

Highlights from ASHRAE’s School Return Guidelines

Posted on by Kele Inc

Part of Kele’s ongoing effort to help you stay informed—especially during this time of uncertainty and “a new normal”—is to share updated industry standards and guidelines. As schools make final plans and decisions on when to open back up for the fall, questions remain around where to focus projects, retrofits, and equipment upgrades. The goal is to implement as many safeguards as possible while the pandemic is still ongoing. ASHRAE recently released a guidebook formulated to help schools retrofit and plan for the improvement of indoor air quality and to slow the transmission of viruses via the HVAC systems.

Below we’ve highlighted a few items that may impact the way you currently work on the job: 

  • Increase your filtration loads. Double-check your equipment and VFDs in order to handle the load increase.
  • Increase your outside air, and ensure the economization and dampers are working accurately. Ventilating the virus’s aerosol out of your facilities is critical.
  • Maintain 68-72 degrees, 40-60 RH, and capture the measurements.
  • Turn off Demand Control Ventilation.
  • Isolate the nurse’s station.
  • Be on top of your maintenance.

The full guidebook can be downloaded here.

The July 22 update also includes guidance for higher education institutions, including student health facilities, labs, residence halls, athletic facilities, and large assembly and lecture halls.

Protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the world’s students from the spread of infectious disease is essential to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the entire population. As an industry partner, Kele will continue to expand on information and helpful guidelines to ensure the safety of our communities. Should you have any questions about the ASHRAE guidelines or what products to use during this time, please reach out to us by calling Kele, emailing info@kele.com, or via Live Chat.

Hydronic Flow Optimization

Posted on by Kele Inc

Contributed by Siemens

Hydronic systems are cooling and/or heating systems that utilize a liquid, such as water or mixture of water and glycol, as a heat transfer medium. The water is either heated or chilled and then circulated throughout a building to maintain comfort and temperature. Hydronic systems are specified in commercial buildings because of water’s thermal characteristics, as well as the availability, general safety, and ability of these systems to scale for larger buildings.

Principle hydronic systems elements consist of:

Generation elements – These elements are either the boilers to heat the water or chillers to cool the water. Cooling towers may also apply if waterside heat rejection is designed for the chillers (versus airside heat rejection).

Distribution elements – This includes the piping and pump network from the generation equipment out to each individual zone and/or space.

Consumption elements – These may be anywhere there is a heat transfer surface or coil. This includes air handling units, chilled beams, radiators, fan coil units, and variable air volume units.

Design Evolution

Older constant volume system designs use considerable energy compared to more modern methods because pumps see a relatively constant head pressure having to continuously pump water throughout the entire piping network. In the example shown in Figure 1: Constant Volume, the pumps are either on or off, and the chillers supply a constant volume or flow of water via distribution piping to our consumption side of the loop.

On the consumption side, air-side loads are transferred to the heat transfer coil, and flow is varied through the coil via three-way valves bypass to maintain load requirements. The total flow through the distribution mains, however, remains constant. A balancing valve is required to balance out the circuits to ensure proper flows to each load.

A variable volume secondary design (see Figure 2) distributes chilled water to the consumption coils that are decoupled from the generation or primary loop. The advantage is that a secondary pump is used with a variable frequency drive (VFD) to control flow, which allows a two-way valve to be used instead of a three-way valve at the consumption coils. The benefit of this design is that the pumping energy is greatly reduced to just the flows needed to each load. However, a balancing valve is still required to balance the secondary circuits.

A variable primary volume design still maintains a generation or primary loop and consumption or secondary loop (see Figure 3). With this configuration, the chillers are selected so that they can unload with variable flow through the chillers. Each chiller gets its own VFD on its respective pump. The bypass now gets a control valve that effectively directs water into the consumption or secondary loop. The advantage of the variable primary volume design is that only what is needed is pumped through the chillers and the bypass control valve directs the flow to the consumption or secondary loop. The entire distribution piping network is seeing only the flow it needs when it needs it, effectively reducing any unnecessary head losses in the system. This allows a two-way valve to be used instead of a three-way valve at the consumption coils and a balancing valve will still be required to balance the secondary circuits.

Design Implications of Variable Flow

Three major impacts of designing for variable flow (both primary and secondary) are:

  • Heat transfer efficiency at the coils (Treturn – Tsupply)
  • Control valve selection, which in turn impacts pumps and associated VFDs and energy savings
  • Staging of generation equipment such as boilers and chillers

Coil Heat Transfer Efficiency

Several factors can affect coil heat transfer efficiency, including dirty filters, coil fouling, and improper piping. From an operational perspective, because coils are designed for a certain flow, it is important to ensure that the coils are neither undersupplied (loads not met) or oversupplied (creating low delta T). As two-way control valves in variable flow systems open and close to meet associated loads, system pressure variations affect flow rates through the valves. This is initially addressed by statically balancing the system via manual balancing valves at coil locations for the nominal operating conditions. This can only be achieved, however, for one given ‘‘ideal’’ operating condition.

Overflow Effect on Coil Efficiency

Coils can encounter overflow scenarios that lead to the erosion of system designed Delta T. The most common is overflowing the maximum limitation of the coil due to pressure fluctuations in the system or due to an incorrect understanding of those limitations, particularly in chilled water coils. As seen in (Figure 4) – a typical chilled water coil’s heat transfer curve plateaus out as it nears maximum flow. In general, if 200% flow is forced through the coil only 10% more heat transfer will take place. This can be a primary cause of delta T erosion as the extra flow will not pick up the additional heat due to coil design limitations. The impacts of delta T erosion at just a few of the heat transfer coils then can cause two negative systemic effects.

First, recall our waterside heat transfer equation stating that the heat transfer potential of our water is directly proportional to our flow rate (GPM) and our delta T (ReturnSupply temperature). As coils are overflowed in the system our delta T shrinks, effectively derating the rest of the coils within our system. As this starts to occur the control system may react by increasing flows across the system which will lead to further delta T erosion as the coils were selected at the initial delta T conditions. As more flow is required at this lower delta T to satisfy load conditions, our pumps are negatively impacted by the increase in energy used to circulate this additional flow. Second, in the case of chillers and heat pumps, overflow causes inefficiencies in the energy generators. Overflow of dedicated consumers can lead to a return temperature lower than the nominal design value in cooling mode and a return temperature higher than the nominal design value in heating mode. This decreases the energy efficiency of boilers and chillers by 2% and 3%, respectively, because a decrease of the evaporation temperature of a chiller below its design value by 1° decreases its performance by about 3%.

Dynamic-Balancing against Pressure Differences

One way to address the inevitable pressure fluctuations in hydronic systems is with pressure-independent control valves (PICVs). Within their range of operation, PICVs are not affected by pressure fluctuations in the building’s hydronic system. This is called dynamic-balancing or auto-balancing.

This basic functionality is achieved by an internal differential pressure regulator working in series with the main flow control valve and regulating the pressure differential of the flow control valve using a pressure inlet and membrane. Hence, the flow across the entire device is independent of the pressure changes in the system, and flow is determined only by the travel of the control valve. When used with a terminal unit, PICVs ensure proper flow, optimizing heat transfer, and system performance. In heating and cooling applications, the auto-balancing function generates energy savings by:

  • Eliminating heat exchanger overflow at any time and under any operating condition;
  • Improving control accuracy by eliminating hydraulic pressure dependency between neighboring control loops; and
  • Enabling advanced energy distribution strategies by eliminating the risk of heat exchanger starvation.

Variable Frequency Drive Considerations

Reducing the speed of pump motors using variable frequency drives (VFDs) lowers energy costs by reducing the amount of energy it takes to operate the pumps. A VFD often is specified to save money by reducing energy consumption in pumps or other motor loads that may be found in a typical building.

The following best practices provide engineers with information on how to specify a VFD to meet load conditions while achieving efficiency. To effectively specify a VFD, engineers must understand these key points:

  • Load (operating power, torque, and speed characteristics)
  • Duty cycle (percentage of operation at 100% load, 50% load, etc.)
  • Desired benefits by using a VFD (energy savings, soft start, controllability, etc.)

Understanding the load is the first step to determining what can be gained by deploying VFDs. In building hydronic systems, the most common type of motor providing power to a load is a three-phase AC induction motor. For a given power rating, the motor base speed is inversely proportional to the effective torque rating for that motor. For example, selecting a 1,800 rpm motor instead of a 1,200 rpm motor reduces torque by one-third. Once a load’s starting requirements are determined, the next step is to look at the load’s running requirements. In building systems, excluding constant horsepower and constant speed/ torque loads, typical loads that can take advantage of VFDs are:

  • Variable speed, variable torque (fans, blowers, and centrifugal pumps)
  • Variable speed, constant torque (positive displacement loads, such as screw compressors, reciprocating compressors, or elevators).

To support a characteristic load, select a motor to meet a specific starting requirement and running output power, torque, and speed.

Because of affinity laws, however, there are significant potential energy savings associated with reducing a motor’s speed and, by association, horsepower. If we can define the required change in motor speed to meet the change in flow for a centrifugal load, the change in required power is proportional to the cube of the change in speed from one system point to another. The change in required torque is proportional to the square of the change in speed from one system point to another.

This nonlinear relationship between power and speed can be exploited for significant energy savings if the speed of the motor can be changed. For example, if the speed of the motor is reduced by just 5% from the full load, a realization of 14% energy savings is possible. When the speed of the motor is reduced to 80% from full load, 49% of energy savings can be realized. Every incremental slowdown of the speed of the pump becomes more valuable from an energy savings standpoint.

For centrifugal loads, there is potential to significantly increase energy efficiency by reducing motor speed.

The Hydronic System: Differential Pressure Control

As hydronic systems continue to evolve from constant volume systems to constant volume primary, variable volume secondary, and variable primary systems, it is important to maintain flow across all heat transfer circuits.

Because a VFD is connected to either the primary or secondary pumps in variable hydronic flow systems, the control loop will need an input to monitor and control. A differential pressure sensor located on the circuit most likely to be starved, also known as the critical circuit, is a common and reliable input configuration. The differential pressure sensor will allow the hydronic system to set a minimum pressure across the critical circuit, ensuring flow availability across all circuits.

The pump and variable frequency drive will take the differential pressure measurement across the critical circuit and control via the VFD’s onboard proportional-integral derivative (PID) controller, allowing the pump speed to be optimally reduced and maximize energy savings.

Contact Kele today or Chat with a technical representative here on kele.com if you have questions or need help finding a product.

Kele Solutions for Gas Detection in Mechanical Rooms

Posted on by Kele Inc

Why is it important to have gas detection products in place? Well, between monitoring oxygen levels for people and animals, gas detection sensors and products can also be used to warn against unsafe levels of combustible, flammable, and toxic gases.

Typically, most sensors are programmed to detect oxygen (O2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbon monoxide (CO), and flammable gases or vapors (LEL). These sensors work by producing an electric current that can be measured when it detects a chemical reaction caused by the gas.

Just like us, sensors can be poisoned by the very gases they are tasked with detecting. It is important to regularly test them using calibration and bump-testing to ensure optimal performance. Because these sensors are so sensitive, it is important to maintain and replace them as needed.

Sensors and controllers are installed and utilized in various places. One critical application is in mechanical rooms. This is due to the variety of gasses that can be present in those locations. The 301-EM-US3-K — part of the Kele-branded 301EM-K Series gas detection system—is just one of the many Kele products that are perfect to help get the job done.

The301-EM-US3-K is a controller for up to twenty sensors. These sensors are in place to detect refrigerant, toxic gases, and combustible gases. The refrigerants displace oxygen and are deadly, so they are monitored for safety’s sake.

Typically, the main product it competes against is a sample/draw system (which pumps air from the space). Several advantages of the301-EM-US3-K system over a sample/draw include:

  1. Real-time readings (sample/draw systems have a delay in this regard)
  2. No pump to possibly fail
  3. Sensors can be replaced (whereas you have to replace a whole sample/draw system if it fails)
  4. Instantaneous knowledge of a possible failed sensor

Kele offers a variety of gas sensors, detectors, and controllers. The301-EM-US3-K along with any Kele sensor and gas detection products are excellent choices to keep all your bases covered and help keep the guesswork out of the equation. Contact your sales representative today to order the Kele products you need to keep your job moving.

With COVID-19 in attendance, when and where do you begin your school project?

Posted on by Kele Inc

Q&A with Kele Tech Service

With everything still up in the air due to COVID-19 cases continuing to climb in certain states, one question on a lot of minds is: “When will school start back up?” School administrators are working closely with state government and public health officials to make sure the correct steps are being taken to safely bring students and faculty back into buildings.

We checked in with one of Kele’s technical support representatives to get an expert perspective on how school jobs/projects have changed and will continue to change, as circumstances continue to evolve. Tech expert Steve Brown answered some questions that will impact contractors for the next few months: 1) What could be the pandemic’s effect on school projects?, 2) What are the “best” retrofit items contractors should be considering?, and 3) Are there any new guidelines that have been announced by ASHRAE specific to COVID-19?

 

What could be the pandemic’s effect on school projects?

That’s a really difficult question to answer. With everything going on currently there is no one answer. On one hand, contractors normally only have a few months here and there to get these jobs done, but with the slowing of the new school year, time may not be the motivator it once was. On the other hand, if the school year jumps ahead of projections, customers and contractors alike will be scrambling to keep project schedules moving at rapid rates of speed to keep up with demand. So, all of that to say, there’s really no way to tell what the effect will be one way or another. Depending on when and how these schools open up, there may be a few key parts/products to focus the retrofit around rather than doing a traditional overhaul.

 

What are the “best” retrofit items contractors should be considering?

Well, contractors should be considering retrofitting outside air intakes to ensure that they are fully functional and ready to work at an increased pace to accommodate increased use times as schools’ HVAC systems battle the spread of germs. This can be accomplished via new dampers/actuators and new CO2 sensors. By targeting these products, school HVAC systems will have a longer life and a stronger effect on air quality within the school building.

 

Are there any new guidelines that have been announced by ASHRAE specific to COVID-19?

While no new safety protocols have been put into place, be on the lookout for any and all that may impact the life and viability of your project cycle as time continues. Some guidance has been announced but there’s been nothing set in stone as of yet. One key tip that has been circulating however is to keep outside air ventilation running full speed up to two hours after students have left the school grounds. The thought process behind this is to fully flush out any and all “old” air that may still be circulating through the system. This allows for fresher therefore safer air to clear out any air compromised by COVID-19 particles.

Kele offers a wide variety of parts and products that will help you through any retrofit project, no matter the size or schedule. We can help you plan an entire project or ship you a part the same day.  Contact a Kele tech expert today or go to kele.com to see how we can help you with all your school project needs.

Back to Basics: Demand Control Ventilation

Posted on by Kele Inc

Kele knows that our contractor customers work tirelessly on retrofits for numerous reasons: precise temperature control, reduced chiller compressor wear, lower energy consumption, less noise pollution, and to extend the equipment’s life cycle. We also know it takes some pretty important parts to achieve this. Recently, we’ve seen increased demand for components related to Demand Control Ventilation (DCV). The Kele technical service team has also answered a few questions on the topic.

What is DCV? Well, DCV is a system that controls a building’s ventilation based on carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. Sensors monitor the CO2 levels and send a signal to the HVAC system which then brings in only the outside air necessary for the actual occupancy. This is best for businesses with long operating hours, where occupancy varies greatly and is unpredictable like stores, supermarkets, theaters, schools, healthcare facilities, and places of worship. Plus, there is a multitude of benefits to DCV: easily added to existing HVAC systems, reduces A/C costs by up to 10 percent (sometimes more) annually, helps HVAC equipment operate more efficiently and last longer, and maintains indoor air quality/comfort more efficiently.

Shop for what you need now or Live Chat with a tech service rep for answers to DVC or other questions.

Kele serves customers across numerous markets with products, custom panels, project services, and technical support. Learn more about how Kele can help you in these featured vertical markets.

Healthcare HVAC Systems and Disease Mitigation

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Isolation Room Preparedness for COVID-19 Patients

According to the CDC and ASHRAE, hospital HVAC systems play a critical role in mitigating the spread of diseases like COVID-19, MERS, SARS, and tuberculosis. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, respiratory droplets can travel through the air and be inhaled by people nearby.  Room pressurization, air change rates, humidity, and temperature all play an integral role in mitigating airborne contaminants to provide a healing space for patients while protecting healthcare providers.

It is recommended by the ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017  and the CDC to place patients with a suspected or known COVID-19 diagnosis in an airborne isolation infection room (AIIR). AIIRs are negative pressure single-patient rooms with a minimum of 6 air changes per hour (12 are recommended for new construction).

AIIRs constantly provide clean air to patients and help protect staff from infection. AIIRs contain, dilute, and exhaust contaminated air through a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, and then vent it outdoors.

The negative pressure prevents contaminated droplets from traveling to other areas of the hospital when the doors are opened. Room doors should be kept closed except when personnel are entering and exiting. Entry and exits should be minimized as air currents from personnel traffic can disrupt proper airflow, so AIIR HVAC equipment must be fast-acting, adjusting immediately to changing conditions. Facilities should monitor and document AIIR negative pressure function, and there should be a constant visual indication from the room pressure controller or monitor.

Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR) Checklist

Utilize this checklist to help ensure your AIIRs are ready to receive patients with suspected or confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). For more details, refer to the ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170-2017 Ventilation of Health Care Facilities.

  • Verify the room sensors are calibrated and working properly
  • Verify room controllers and monitors are working and communicating with airflow valves
  • Verify the room is operating at a negative pressure relative to surrounding areas
  • Verify room pressure is being properly documented
  • Verify correct air changes per hour are taking place per CDC/ASHRAE standards
  • Verify temperature and humidity ranges are in place per CDC/ASHRAE standards
  • Verify room air is being exhausted directly outside through a HEPA filter
  • Verify doors are being kept closed except during healthcare personnel entry/exit
  • Confirm patient rooms are visible on your BAS, for prompt notification of any issues
  • Consider updating older VAV boxes to a fast-acting Venturi air valve or measured airflow valve
  • Plan for an influx of patients and how to address isolation requirements in your facility

Buy Triatek FMS-1655 room pressure controllers here, or Live Chat with the Kele team for help.

Considerations for Converted Hospital Space

Posted on by Kele Inc

Between high cost and low capacity, the healthcare industry has taken blow after blow while combatting the current pandemic. Global news has focused on the numerous obstacles healthcare professionals have had to overcome (and continue to) in their fight against the virus.

The spotlight has also shone on what goes into creating hospital-like environments and how ships, tents, hotels, and vacant malls and office buildings undergo a transformation. Contractors work feverishly behind the scenes to equip all these structures with the proper health and safety measures, including HVAC systems. Fortunately, to date, much of this converted space has been minimally occupied and remains a precautionary option.

However, when more hospital space is needed, it’s important to get the required components you need to make sure your job and system stay up and running. Kele carries a variety of parts and accessories that aid in HVAC retrofit and building to help keep facilities safe. For example, think economizers. An economizer system is comprised of a duct and damper arrangement and automatic control system typically found in rooftop unit applications. The economizer solution allows a cooling system to supply outdoor air to reduce or eliminate the need for mechanical cooling during ideal conditions. Depending on the control method selected, CO2, temperature, humidity, and other air characteristics are collected. The economizer controller then determines whether the air should be allowed to enter the building or not, and controls the damper actuator accordingly

Ensuring proper airflow in these converted structures will require either the installation of HVAC systems or the retrofit of systems already in place. The damper and actuator system will need evaluation, as well as taking into consideration retrofit solutions such as economizers, mentioned above. These systems allow for negative and positive pressure rooms to be set up to help slow and ultimately stop the spread of COVID-19. Without proper ventilation and pressure, healthcare workers and patients are at a higher risk to contract and spread the virus.

The Kele team is ready to help get you what you need when you need it. Our technical service staff is also able to provide project support in the field and help you troubleshoot from beginning to end. Click here to visit our focused content and featured products for the healthcare market. And shop Kele’s lines of economizers and dampers and actuators.