ASHRAE Journal - April 2011 - 4

ASHRAE® JouRNAL
1791 Tullie Circle NE Atlanta, GA 30329-2305 Phone: 404-636-8400 Fax: 404-321-5478 ASHRAE Online: www.ashrae.org

COMMENTARY
Are We Prepared?
ASHRAE’s technical committee on seismic design (TC 2.7) has broad expertise. Two of the members, one of whom works in the nuclear power industry, developed this month’s article on the Japanese earthquake and U.S. readiness for similar events. The article covers the issues with the nuclear power plants in Japan, and the codes governing nuclear power plants in the U.S. But it mainly addresses the codes covering other buildings and important recent changes to the International Building Code (IBC). Authors James A. Carlson, P.E., and Robert E. Simmons, P.E., Member ASHRAE, say these changes include an expansion of the areas that must consider earthquake loads, more sophisticated formulas to determine loads, and requirements for seismic inspection of nonstructural Fred Turner equipment at the job site. As for readiness, the authors say buildings built to new codes have performed well in earthquakes, but special inspections and certification of products for seismic compliance are the most overlooked tools. Older buildings, they say, are at major risk. “In many areas, the maximum credible earthquake maps were ignored. Building codes were primarily addressed in the building structure but ignored for nonstructural components, specifically the HVAC and electrical systems.” THIS MONTH’S cover article addresses issues to consider when specifying meters and submeters. Topics include justifying the cost, specifying the right meter, metering vs. submetering, why data quality matters, how to leverage data, response time and throughput, and multifunction meters. “The likelihood of achieving the ‘ideal solutions’ increases dramatically when design engineers collaborate with those who will ultimately be responsible for managing the power metering system,” says author Jim Plourde. THIS ISSUE also includes a solid group of articles, columns and a case study. One of these addresses what we know, and don’t know, about the use of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) to treat the surfaces of cooling coils. Author Bill Bahnfleth, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, says there is no doubt that irradiation of coils with UVC reduces biofilm growth, and there’s anecdotal evidence that a cleaner coil will perform better than a dirty coil. However, there are questions to be answered in order to design systems properly and to quantify the benefits in a defensible way. Another describes the problems encountered when mechanical engineers tried to repurpose the Building Information Modeling (BIM) files used to retrofit the ASHRAE headquarters building. The BIM model produced impressive graphics, but native load calculations with BIM are still a far cry from an everyday production tool, says author Steve Bruning, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE. We hope you enjoy the issue, and we welcome feedback, especially suggestions on what we can do better.

Publisher W. Stephen Comstock EDITORIAL
Editor Fred Turner fturner@ashrae.org Managing Editor Sarah Foster sfoster@ashrae.org Associate Editor Rebecca Matyasovski rmatyasovski@ashrae.org Associate Editor Christopher Weems cweems@ashrae.org Associate Editor Charlotte Tubbs ctubbs@ashrae.org Copy Editor Jeri Eader jeader@ashrae.org

PUBLISHING SERVICES
Production Jayne Jackson Tracy Becker

Publishing Services Manager David Soltis

ADVERTISING

Advertising Sales Manager Greg Martin gmartin@ashrae.org Advertising Production Coordinator Vanessa Johnson vjohnson@ashrae.org

CIRCULATION

Circulation Specialist David Soltis dsoltis@ashrae.org

ASHRAE OFFICERS
President Lynn G. Bellenger, P .E. President-Elect Ronald E. Jarnagin Treasurer Thomas E. Watson, P .E. Vice Presidents William P Bahnfleth, Ph.D., P . .E. Sheila J. Hayter, P .E. Ross D. Montgomery, P .E. T. David Underwood, P .Eng. Secretary & Executive Vice President Jeff H. Littleton

POLICY GROUP

2010 – 11 Chair Publications Committee John A. Clark, P .E. Washington Office washdc@ashrae.org
Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

ASHRAE Journal - April 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - April 2011