HE EA MAKAME Page 1 Page 1 HE EA MAKAME HE EA MAKAMAE I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE 1 President’s Message 2 March Chapter Meeting Technical Session 3 February Chapter Meeting Main Presentation 4 2017-2018 Chapter Program 5 ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter Officers 6 ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter Committee Chairs 6 Pics from February 2018 Membership Meeting 7 Pics from 2018 Engineers Week at Windward Mall 9 Nominations for Officers and BOGs 2018-2019 SY 10 Membership Promotion Report 12 Job Posting 13 Message from the Newsletter Editor 14 Technical Seminar Flyer – March 2018 16 BOG Meeting Minutes from Feb. 2018 18 UHM Students’ / Graduates’ Perspective Report from the 2018 AHR Expo Trade Show March 5, 2018 Aloha members of the Hawaii ASHRAE community. Going into the February meeting I didn’t know what to think with our main presentation being on the topic of natural refrigerants. I had no idea how this topic could be that relevant to our group since we are pretty much at the mercy of the manufacturers with regards to the refrigerant they choose to use in their equipment. After hearing the presentation by Keilly Witman of the North American Sustainable Refrigerant Council I am thoroughly convinced that natural refrigerants are going to be the future of refrigerants and was very grateful to have her speak to our group. The two main natural refrigerants Keilly discussed are CO2 and Propane which both have almost non-existent global warming potential and ozone depletion. CO2 may not be the most effective in warm climates like ours here in Hawaii but Propane looks to work well everywhere and is 53% more efficient than R-134a. It would also be much cheaper than traditional refrigerants since it is used in large quantities in heating applications everywhere. Unfortunately, the main drawbacks are outdated codes and standards specifically UL 471 and ASHRAE Standard 15 which put a limit of 150 grams within equipment which is the equivalent of a Bic lighter. We as an engineering community need to work to get these standards updated for the good of our planet. Later on in the month of February we had a well attended presentation on how to read drawings by Joshua McDonough and John Kawe Humel. Dan Mestas was kind enough to arrange for the use of a large conference room in the state of the art Bank of Hawaii Center for Excellence for the presentation. Coming up on March 7 th we have a great technical seminar coordinated by Joshua Jackson at the Ala Moana Hotel. We have some great speakers for the event and it is not to be missed. Look forward to seeing everyone at the Technical Seminar on the 7 th ! Mahalo Nui Loa, Kevin Luoma, PE 2017-2018 Hawaii ASHRAE Chapter President President’s Message By Kevin Luoma, P.E. P.O. Box 3916, Honolulu HI 96812-3916 Ashraehawaiichapter.info Chapter President Kevin Luoma, P.E. WSP Hawaii
Transcript
HE EA MAKAME Page 1 Page 1 HE EA MAKAME
HE EA MAKAMAE
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E
1 President’s Message
2 March Chapter Meeting Technical Session
3 February Chapter Meeting Main Presentation
4 2017-2018 Chapter Program
5 ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter Officers
6 ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter Committee Chairs
6 Pics from February 2018 Membership Meeting
7 Pics from 2018 Engineers Week at Windward Mall
9 Nominations for Officers and BOGs 2018-2019 SY
10 Membership Promotion Report
12 Job Posting
13 Message from the Newsletter Editor
14 Technical Seminar Flyer – March 2018
16 BOG Meeting Minutes from Feb. 2018
18 UHM Students’ / Graduates’ Perspective Report from the 2018 AHR Expo Trade Show
March 5, 2018
Aloha members of the Hawaii ASHRAE community. Going into the February meeting I didn’t know what to think with our main presentation being on the topic of natural refrigerants. I had no idea how this topic could be that relevant to our group since we are pretty much at the mercy of the manufacturers with regards to the refrigerant they choose to use in their equipment. After hearing the presentation by Keilly Witman of the North American Sustainable Refrigerant Council I am thoroughly convinced that natural refrigerants are going to be the future of refrigerants and was very grateful to have her speak to our group. The two main natural refrigerants Keilly discussed are CO2 and Propane which both have almost non-existent global warming potential and ozone depletion. CO2 may not be the most effective in warm climates like ours here in Hawaii but Propane looks to work well everywhere and is 53% more efficient than R-134a. It would also be much cheaper than traditional refrigerants since it is used in large quantities in heating applications everywhere. Unfortunately, the main drawbacks are outdated codes and standards specifically UL 471 and ASHRAE Standard 15 which put a limit of 150 grams within equipment which is the equivalent of a Bic lighter. We as an engineering community need to work to get these standards updated for the good of our planet. Later on in the month of February we had a well attended presentation on how to read drawings by Joshua McDonough and John Kawe Humel. Dan Mestas was kind enough to arrange for the use of a large conference room in the state of the art Bank of Hawaii Center for Excellence for the presentation. Coming up on March 7th we have a great technical seminar coordinated by Joshua Jackson at the Ala Moana Hotel. We have some great speakers for the event and it is not to be missed. Look forward to seeing everyone at the Technical Seminar on the 7th! Mahalo Nui Loa, Kevin Luoma, PE 2017-2018 Hawaii ASHRAE Chapter President
President’s Message By Kevin Luoma, P.E.
P.O. Box 3916, Honolulu HI 96812-3916 Ashraehawai ichapter. info
Chapter President Kevin Luoma, P.E.
WSP Hawaii
HE EA MAKAMAEPage 2 HE EA MAKAME
Date: Thursday 7 March 2018
Where: Ala Moana Hotel – Garden Lanai Room
http://www.alamoanahotelhonolulu.com/ Registration: Starts at 8:00am-8:30am. Contact Josh Jackson at [email protected]> for additional info. Welcome & Introduction of Speakers: 8:30am-8:45am
Technical Seminar: 8:45am-12:30pm
Lunch: 12:30pm-1:30pm
Cost: $55 per ASHRAE member; $65 per guest; $80 at the door; $15 per Students Payment via credit card: https://ashraehawaiichapter.info Otherwise, make check payable to ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter. See attached flyer for more details! Next Chapter Meeting & Research Promotion Night: Thursday 12 April 2018 at The Plaza Club
March 2018 Technical Seminar
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Speaker Topic September 14th (Membership Promotion)
President: Kevin Luoma, P.E. President Elect: Mofazzal
Mir, P.E. Vice President: Willie Diguc,
P.E. Secretary: Samantha
Nakamura, P.E. Treasurer: Matthew Tio
Committee Chairs Attendance and Reception Chair: Justin Choriki Energy Awards Chair: Min Zhong, P.E. Technology Awards: Kelsey Koshi Grassroots Government Activities Chair: Tony Rasabout Historian Chair: Donna Kishi Membership Promotion Chair: William “Bill” Lee, P.E. Newsletter Editor Chair: Willie Diguc, P.E. Chapter Programs Co-Chairs: Andrew Crossland & Dan Mestas Refrigeration Chair: Jeanessa Slaughter Research Promotion Chair: Dave Drapalik Student Activities Co-Chairs: Diamond Pedro & Jack Mullen Technical Seminar Chair: Josh Jackson Technology Transfer Chair: Mofazzal Mir, P.E. Webmaster Chair: David Lebowitz Chapter Electronic Communications Chair: Kalani Castro Young Engineers of ASHRAE Co-Chair: Joshua McDonough &
Tyson Quisano Sustainable Activities Chair: Joseph Palazynski
Chapter Board of Governors
Josh Jackson William “Bill” Lee, P.E. David Lebowitz
Chapter Officers
Mofazzal Mir, P.E. InSynergy
Engineering
Willie Diguc, P.E. Oahu AC
Samantha Nakamura, P.E. WSP Hawaii
William “Bill” Lee
Coffman Engineers
Kevin Luoma, P.E. WSP Hawaii
Josh Jackson Air Treatment Corp.
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Donna Kishi Norman S. Wright
Tony Rasabout
Coffman Engineers
Andrew Crossland, P.E.
Crossland Engineering
Kelsey Koshi ACS Supply Corp.
Diamond Pedro
ACS Supply Corp.
Jack Mullen Trane
Joe Palasynski Trane
Tyson Quisano Air Treatment Corp.
Dave Drapalik Air Treatment Corp.
Chapter Committee Chairs
Joshua McDonough WSP Hawaii
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February 2018 Membership Meeting Pics
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2018 Engineers Week at Windward Mall Pics
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2018 Engineer’s Week at Windward Mall continued
HE EA MAKAMAE Page 9
By Nominating Committee
Nominations for ASHRAE Officers and BOG 2018-2019 SY
The nominating committee would like to present the following slate of Officers and Board of Governors for the ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter 2018 – 2019 Society Year: President: Mofazzal Mir, P.E. President Elect: Willie Diguc, P.E. Vice President: Samantha Nakamura, P.E. Secretary: Matthew Tio Treasurer: David Lebowitz BOG Members: Kevin Luoma, P.E. (immediate Past President), Donna Kishi, Paul Scott, Scott LaBeau This slate is to be voted at the April 2018 Membership meeting. Mahalo, Nominating Committee
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Membership Promotion Report By William (Bill) Lee, P.E.
Welcome to the following new members from the February 2018 to March 2018 Raquel Kamalu from Johnson Controls Robert Tuchman from Metropolitan Methodist Hospital
The following pages show 4 different levels of membership and some of the benefits for each level. Now would be a great time to upgrade your membership to receive greater benefits to upgrade send an email to [email protected] indicating an interest in advancing It is also a great time to invite a co-worker to join ASHRAE and it is easy and simple to do online at https://www.ashrae.org Please let me know if I can help you in any way concerning your membership and renewal process or if you want to upgrade your membership. Thank you, William (Bill) Lee Membership Promotion Chair
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Grade/Type Qualifications Benefits Age Term Annual Dues Member Members shall have the equivalent of 12 Society‐approved
years of experience composed of an approved combination of: (1) completed education beyond high school; (2) work experience*; and (3) professional engineering or related registration or license issued by a legally authorized body. *Qualifying work experience must be in the performance of duties in work related to ASHRAE fields and shall have included research, teaching, design, contracting, engineering sales, or engineering management.
Voting privileges ASHRAE Journal Insights ASHRAE
Handbook eNewsletters Members only
website privileges
Discounts on
ASHRAE products and services
Group insurance
N/A Annual $206 Effective 7/1/2017‐ 6/30/2018
Associate An Associate Member shall have had experience in technical matters or in design, operation, or maintenance in HVAC&R fields; shall have an interest in the advancement of the Society's aims, and shall possess sufficient qualifications to cooperate with HVAC&R engineers in the advancement of the knowledge relating to HVAC&R engineering and its application.
Voting privileges ASHRAE Journal Insights ASHRAE
Handbook eNewsletters Members only
website privileges
Discounts on ASHRAE products and services
Group insurance
N/A Annual $206 Effective 7/1/2017‐ 6/30/2018
Membership Promotion Report continued
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Job Posting
Carrier Hawaii Commercial Applied Sales Engineer Motivated, disciplined, good attitude, passionate for learning. 3-4 years HVAC experience, B.S. degree in Engineering. Job requires assisting customers with design/specs, equipment selections, engineering software, and bidding projects. Must be willing to be trained: in-depth factory training and personal development. Requires mainland travels. Salary commensurate with experience plus sales incentive. Excellent benefits. Email resume to [email protected] or fax to 682-2828 Attn: Cheryl Kuroiwa.
HE EA MAKAMAE Page 13
ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter P.O. Box 3916 Honolulu, HI 96812-3916
This month is a very special month. As mentioned before, we’re having the Technical Seminar on Wednesday March 7 at the Ala Moana Hotel. The seminar will be a morning session with the theme as “Building Wellness” and of course, a nice lunch will be provided. I want to give a special thanks to Hawaii Energy for being a huge sponsor for the event and a warm Mahalo to all the other sponsors that helped and supported as well. It’s going to be a good one. As always, if you have anything ASHRAE related you want posted in the monthly newsletter, please send your email to [email protected]. All submitted material is subject to approval. Mahalo and A hui hou!
Message from the Newsletter Editor
REGISTRATION FORM 2018 TECHNICAL SEMINAR
Name (Member):
Guest (Non-Member):
Address:
Phone #
Email:
Limit 100 Attendees—First Come First Serve
Fee Schedule # Cost Total
Member $55
Non-Member $65
No RSVP (walk-in for either) $80
Students $15
Speakers Free
Parking (Pay on your own at
the hotel’s garage, $6 or
street/mall)
Each Attendee is entitled to the lunch buffet and
refreshments during breaks.
SPONSORS
Platinum $300+
Gold $250
Silver $150
Bronze $100
Table Top Display $250
TAX-DEDUCTABLE DONATIONS
Total Amount Enclosed
Make check payable to ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter
– 2018 Technical Seminar
Send to: P.O.Box 3916, Honolulu, Hi 96812 or
online at www.ashraehawaiichapter.info/
meetinginfo.php
Please Mark your calendars, the 2018 Technical
Seminar event is set. We have reserved the ALA
MOANA hotel for Wednesday March 7th 2018.
The seminar theme is on “Building Wellness”.
The wellness of a building and occupants can be
attributed to the design, the construction, and the
facility operation. The 3 presenters will speak on
topics that directly impact a building’s
WELLNESS. We will discover the role airflow
management can play in healthcare facilities and
how to design for thermal comfort, IAQ, and
prevention of transmission of airborne pathogens.
We’ll look at occupant centered building design
and the latest trends that improve occupant
comfort and safeguard energy. And also for
Wellness in Building (verb) we’ll review
construction legal practices to build well while
limiting risks. The seminar will be from 8am to 12:30pm in the
Garden Lanai room and will showcase table top
exhibitors outside the meeting room. Lunch will
follow the seminar and will be buffet style. We
hope that all of you will come out to join us and
support the ASHRAE technical Seminar and all
the exhibitors!
Airflow Management for Healthcare Facilities Dr. Kishor Khankari, Ph.D. is President at AnSight LLC in Ann Arbor, MI. He provides engineer-ing solutions and insights through Physics based simula-tions and CFD analysis. He has developed several easy-to-use analytical software tools which are regularly used by de-sign engineers in a variety com-panies including those in HVAC industry. A noted expert in his
field, he has a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and has been regularly published in several technical journals and trade magazines.
Dr. Khankari’s presentation topics:
HVAC configuration on airflow distribution and flow path of airborne contaminants in patient/ operating rooms.
Applications of active chilled beams, radiant heat-ing and cooling, and displacement ventilation.
Evaluation of contaminant removal efficiency for ventilation effectiveness
Demonstrations for airflow patterns and the result-ing flow path of contaminants
8:45-9:25 Latest Trends in Occupant Centered Building Design
Manfred Zapka
9:25- 9:45
Hawai’i Energy Keith Block
9:45-10:15 Coffee Break & Exhibitor Display
10:15-11:00
Legal Practices for Risk Mitigation
Addison Bonner
11:00-12:30
Airflow Manage-ment for Healthcare Facilities
Kishor Khanrani
12:30- 1:30
Lunch
Latest trends in Occupant Centered Building Design
Manfred Zapka, Ph.D., P.E., is
founder and principle of Sustainable Design & Consulting of Honolulu, and he specializes in building ener-gy efficiency and occupant wellness. He has been working on commercial research projects to enhance well-ness and comfort in buildings. He is a lecturer at the UHM School of Architecture where he teaches inter-disciplinary courses in the design and analysis of high performance buildings. He holds several profes-sional certifications in sustainable
design, including LEED AP and WELL AP.
Dr. Zapka’s presentation topics:
Improving thermal comfort while safeguarding energy
efficiency
Hawaii Pilot installation of a liquid-desiccant dehumidifi-
cation system
View of Magic Island
From Hawaii Prince
Hotel
Hosted by:
ASHRAE HAWAII CHAPTER For more info on the
ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter go to www.ashraehawaiichapter.info
EVENT ORGANIZERS:
Josh Jackson: Sales Engi-neer at Air Treatment Corp — Hawaii. Josh has been working in the HVAC indus-try since 2005. Josh previ-ously served as the ASHRAE Hawaii chapter’s sustainability chair and is currently the chapter’s tech-nical seminar chair.
Legal Practices for Risk Mitigation
Addison Bonner, devotes a
significant portion of his practice to the representation of contractors and design professionals facing litigation being threatened or brought by individual owners and associations, in residential, com-mercial, and industrial contexts. Mr. Bonner’s experience includes advising as to risk mitigation prac-tices before and during projects, as well as investigation and de-fense of claims lodged in state
and federal courts, or pending in alternative dispute resolution forums, including mediation and arbitration.
Mr. Bonner’s presentation topics:
Risks in Value Engineering:
-Liability of contractors proposing and implementing value engineered solutions -Liability of designers accepting and approving value engineering changes -Risk mitigation strategies and considerations
Handling Change Orders:
-Identification of problem areas -Effective management practices
Working with Associations:
-Contractor and designer concerns -Best practices and other risk mitigation
Kevin Luoma, P.E.: Vice President at WSP Hawai’i which is part of the WSP Group. He has over 18 years of experience as an HVAC design engineer with the last 9 years in Hawaii with a fo-cus on sustainable design practices. He is also on the ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter Board of Governors serving as President.
Date: 2/8/2018 (Thursday) Time: 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm Location: Plaza Club, 900 Fort St Mall, #2000, Honolulu, HI 96813 Attendees: Kevin Luoma, Samantha Nakamura, Matthew Tio, Joe Palaszynski, Jeanessa Slaughter, Jack Mullen, Kalani Castro, Justin Choriki, Joshua Jackson, Dan Mestas Joshua McDonough Call to Order: 5:00 pm by President Kevin Luoma
1. Treasurer’s Report – Matt a. Budget Overall
Student account needs to be separated from the Chapter accounts b. Budget from chair members? – No updates from Matt on the 2017-2018 budget.
2. Committee Reports: a. Newsletter – Willie. No updates. b. Chapter Programs – Andy / Dan.
PDH credits for chapter meetings. No updates. Chapter meeting reminders need to be sent out on the Friday before the meeting.
c. Sustainability - Joe Bea is available to speak during the first week of March for Zero Waste event. BOH meeting facility can hold 75 people, Joe to confirm date with Dan and send
out event information. Even may be advertised to public. d. Research Promotion
Golf outing on 5/4/18 – Joshua & Katie. There will be two additional new sponsorship options, sleeve of golf balls with sponsor’s logo and cart stickers. Dinner will be the same as last year. Participants will receive a shirt with registration. Budget this year includes one hosted drink ticket for each golfer. Please register!
Chapter RP meeting on 4/12/18. Karine Leblanc will be in town, she offered to speak at the Chapter Meeting.
e. YEA – Joshua M./Tyson
New YEA Member: 1 new members, Raquel Kamalu. Social event – Bowling: Aiea Bowl, event will be on a Friday. Tyson will be
organizing the event.
Technical presentation, 2/15 on reading plans at BOH – Presentation will be at 5:30 pm at BOH, so far 9 students and an instructor from HCC have registered.
f. Student Activities – Diamond / Jack Mullen Event in May at Kamehameha TBD. Committee is working on starting up the HCC student chapter again, will need to
have 10 active members and 3 officers. The advisor does not need to be a faculty member but it usually is.
Event in the works for student event that all Chapter officers would attend for PAOE points.
g. Refrigeration – Jeanessa.
Another refrigeration tour at Beer Labs is TBD (April). h. Webmaster - David
Basecamp - No updates. Facebook Page – No updates.
i. Chapter Electronic Communications Chair – PAOE points to enter? The Chapter should be able to earn points for the Vex Robotics judging (Matt
Liang, Les Taniyama, Ken Richardson, Kevin Luoma, and Blake Araki attended). j. Technology Awards –Kelsey – Technology Portal items
No updates. k. CTTC, Mofazzal
No updates. l. GGAC, Tony
No updates m. Membership Promotion – Bill
No updates. n. Attendance and Reception – Justin
No updates. o. Technical Seminar and Product Show – Josh
3/7/18 at Ala Moana Hotel p. Historian – Donna
ASHRAE Booth at E-Week at Windward Mall on Feb. 19. http://www.hceshawaii.org
3. ASHRAE Winter Conference and AHR Expo 4. Nominations Committee – Mofazzal, Bill and Donna, voting on offices in April meeting. 5. New ASHRAE website coming on the 14th! 6. New Items? – No updates.
Adjourned: 5:45 pm
Next BOG Meeting: Thursday, March 1 at Murphy’s, 5pm. NOTE LOCATION CHANGE.
Respectfully submitted,
Samantha Nakamura, Secretary 2017-18
2018 AHR Expo Trade Show Jan. 20-24, Chicago, Illinois
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Students’ / Graduates’ Perspectives Fall 2017 Semester, Course ME 417 Students Accompanied by Graduates
2018 AHR Expo Trade Show (Chicago, Illinois) – A Student’s Perspective
Cherline Galacgac, UHM Student, Fall 2017 Course ME 417
The 2018 AHR Expo Trade Show in Chicago, Illinois was the largest show in AHR Expo records
according to show management. The expo anticipated over 65,000 plumbing,‐heating‐cooling contractors
and I was the number #52516 out of thousands registered for the event. The event has set the Expo 7%
larger than the previous record… 2018 AHR Expo was the largest ever in AHR Expo history according to
Official Publication of the American Supply Association. As a new mechanical engineering graduate at
University of Hawai’i at Manoa, I began a new journey by embarking on a trip to Chicago, the windy
city. The 2018 AHR Expo Trade Show in the windy city of Chicago gave me more insight on the world of
HVAC&R, eye opening experiences, and possible opportunities. We attended two out of the three‐day
AHR Expo, which consisted of seminars and thousands of booths that stretched across the McCormick
Center.
The first day of the AHR Expo was scheduled for two seminars, “Cooling Tower Water
Treatment Fundamentals” and “BACnet – A Deeper Look”. Bill Pearson II, Special Pathogens Laboratory
Senior C.P. Business Development and Jon Cohen, ChemTreat Technical Staff Consultant were the
speakers for the “Cooling Tower Water Treatment Fundamentals” seminar. The seminar covered the
fundamentals of cooling towers and more specifically water treatment for the system. The speakers
covered basics of water treatment for evaporative heat rejection equipment, evaporative condensers
including the open circuit and closed‐circuit cooling towers. They also included methods of scale control,
corrosion control, biological contamination control, water management plans, and the best practice to
minimize the use of water while also maximizing system efficiency.
“BACnet – A Deeper Look” was presented by Coleman Brumley, a senior software engineer at
Portsoft, Inc. His presentation’s objective was to uncover and identify BACnet layers and importance.
BACnet is a data communication protocol for building automation and controls networks. BACnet was
developed under the auspices of ASHRAE and a national standard in more than 30 countries. The
network was designed to allow communication of building automation and control systems for
applications such as HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air‐conditioning) control, lighting control, access
control, and fire detection systems with their associated equipment. Having thousands of booths to visit,
the game plan was to walk down every aisle and grasp the presentations and riveting products of every
booth. Some of the booths we visited were control systems and heating products used in many
applications.
We also visited the Opteon refrigerant booth and met the man in
their introduction videos. Adrian and I were very fortunate to have an
opportunity to attend Cleaver‐Brooks, LG Corporation, and Alerton
hospitalities later in the night. The hospitalities gave us a chance to meet
wise and experienced engineers already in the industry.
On the second day, I attended “BEST Way to Compare HVAC
Systems” seminar which was presented by Greg Cunniff, an application
engineer manager at TACO, Inc. The presentation was on the Building
Efficiency System Tool (BEST), the tool software designed for potential
buyers, such as, the consulting engineers, and design/build professionals, who analyze real‐world HVAC
options. BEST targets system that can meet any budget, performance requirements and comparing
performance, life cycles costs for any type of HVAC system. This new complex program being presented
is boasted by the speaker to perform in a way that cuts your work down to less than an hour. After the
seminar, Adrian and I met Josh Jackson from Air Treatment Corporation (ATC) in Hawaii, who gave us
an opportunity to work with ATC in the future. Josh also gave a quick introduction in the BAC (Baltimore
Aircoil) booth on cooling towers and passed it over to Phil, who gave a deeper look of their new Modular
Hybrid Cooler. Later that night, we got a chance to have Chicago’s famous deep‐dish pizza with Wilo
Group that specialized in pumps. Also, we attended the Ebtron’s hospitality held at the famous House of
Blues.
The four‐day trip to attend the 2018 AHR Expo, largest AHR Expo on record was a mind‐altering
experience. This experience would not have been possible without the amazing donations from
individuals, company sponsors, and Professor Joseph Ting. Also, I appreciate the three UHM ME 417
advisors, who came on the trip to show us the massive HVAC&R industry, Ray Au, P.E., John Humel,
and Thomas Cashman. This Chicago trip has only initiated my view of the professional world that awaits
me, a newly graduated mechanical engineer.
2017 AHR Expo Trade Show (Chicago, IL) – A Student’s Perspective
Adrian Tauyan, UHM Student, Fall 2017 Course ME 417
The 2018 AHR Exposition Trade Show was held in Downtown Chicago from January
22nd thru 24th. The temperature was in the 40’s upon landing on Sunday the day before the
expo. It was cold enough to freeze your ears off. It was a good thing I invested in a thick coat.
This made it comfortable for me to walk around the Windy City before my classmates arrived
in the afternoon.
Early morning on Sunday, I dropped off my luggage and experienced the Windy City
by myself. This made Downtown Chicago convenient to navigate around. I was able to stumble
upon Chicago Bean, formerly known as the Cloud Gate. Our dinner later that night was
underwritten by UHM Course ME 417. The next few days in the city were busy with people
rushing to work but in comparison to New York, Chicago is very mellow.
My classmates and I took the shuttle to the convention center at McCormick Place. Upon
entering, I had no idea how huge this convention was going to be. Many vendors were
showcasing their products. By “many”, I mean thousands of vendors. Petra, based in Saudi
Arabia, showcased their air handling units. One, in particular really fascinated me which was
the vertical unit with a special casing for the control box. It resembled a bank vault that let no
air in and no air out. Its purpose was to keep out air where flammable gases lingered in any
industrial settings. If any gases were to leak inside and ignite, the combustion would be
contained within.
Seminars were held on the other side of the convention center. The first seminar, I
stepped in was hosted by CTI (Cooling Tower Institute) on Cooling Tower Fundamentals. The
individual presenting had a doctorate degree, who presented to those with much experience in
the industry. I learned that there are three (3) main concerns of poor performance in cooling
towers: (1) corrosion, (2) microbes, and (3) deposits left behind from the water. The seminar
seemed like a dissertation for graduate students that will make it much more interesting.
The seminar that was most interesting to me was “The BEST Way to Compare HVAC
Systems.” They talked about the BEER method to better predict field performance. This method
reduced the differences between the measured and predicted performance from 48% to 18%.
What made the seminar much better was that CTI released the software as freeware on their
website. For consultants, this makes their job easier when designing their system.
These seminars added to my experience during the BAC tour. BAC introduced us to
modular hybrid cooling towers. This tower is able to reduce the need for maintenance and raise
the energy efficiency. By design, it’s able to get better heat transfer in the fins. The best part is
that it’s modular and can be assembled in pieces without the need for a crane or helicopter.
After the AHR Expo on both days, we were fortunate to be invited to the hospitalities of the
following companies: Cleaver‐Brooks, Alerton, LG Corporation, Wilo Pumps, and Ebtron
Controls. It was interesting to hear the conversations going on and fun to participate in them.
In closing, I am grateful for this experience and opportunity. If it weren’t for the
HVAC&R companies in Hawai’i and Professor Ting, I would not have gained this much
exposure as a young grass hopper in this HVAC&R World.
2018 AHR Expo Trade Show (Chicago, Illinois) – A Graduate’s Perspective
John (Kawe) Humel, F.E., UHM Graduate in the Fall of 2015 from Course ME 417
The 2018 AHR Exposition in Chicago is my third consecutive attendance to the annual AHR
Exposition winter conference, where I was the 2017 ME 417 class mentor. I was invited to the 2017
AHR Exposition in Las Vegas by a local manufacturer’s representative and attended the 2016 AHR
Exposition in Orlando as an ME 417 student. The key take‐aways from the 3rd AHR Expositions are
the networking and problem solving opportunities made available during the 3‐days event. Meeting
the regional and international representatives of the equipment that we work with daily is
invaluable to any young engineer or emerging business professional. The hospitality functions
hosted by the manufacturers allowed the additional time to build relationships with other
professionals, whether they are manufacturer representatives, marketing/business development
consultants and competitor consultants.
Arriving at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on the afternoon of January 21, 2018, I
was introduced to the 25°F Chicago weather, which the airport security described as “summer‐
time” weather as I asked for directions to the B terminal. My fellow ME 417 student arrived on an
earlier flight in Terminal B. We had arranged the same flight from Honolulu, but a delay in our San
Francisco layover re‐routed our original flight from Honolulu to an 1.5 hours earlier. My
recommendation to future AHR Exposition attendees is to book a direct flight from HNL to your
destination, especially those held on the east coast. Fortunately, I packed warm clothes (thick jacket,
gloves, beanie and boots) for the walk to Terminal B, and my fellow ME 417 student and I kept close
communication during the flight mayhem. Once meeting up, we caught the train to La Quinta Inn &
Suite where we met a fellow ME 417, who arrived earlier that day. We checked into our rooms, got
settled and waited for another fellow ME 417 alumnus, who joined me as a mentor for the trip,
before we got a nice meal at Umai (Japanese) restaurant in anticipation for the days to come.
The morning of January 22 consisted of eggs and bacon, courtesy of La Quinta, and a brisk
walk to the AHR Exposition shuttle bus stop down the street. Arriving early to the first day of the
show allowed the ME 417 students to obtain their AHR Exposition entry badges from the kiosk,
among the thousands of attendees. Once the show opened, we started at the controls section of the
showroom floor to learn more about the LG Corporation and Distech Controls booth. It is amazing
how BAS (Building Automation Systems) have developed to a simple phone application that allows
anyone with Wi‐Fi or 5G cell phone coverage to monitor the building systems’ status. The difference
between the two vendors is that LG controls suit VRF (Variable Refrigerant Frequency) systems,
which have been changing the game against traditional VAV/packaged RTUs (Root Top Units). VRF
controls market is direct competition with Distech’s traditional controls, so it is interesting to see
how they feel about each other and which applications their control systems fit best.
Meeting the President of Optergy controls, Steven Guzelimian, another traditional controls
manufacturer, was neat as he explained why Optergy Proton won the 2017 Control Trend Awards –
Light Commercial System of the Year. The small modular 864 controller, about the size of an
McDonalds McRib Sandwich, and powered off the Ethernet cable, can be connected in series to
support 194 points from 100 devices , 10 tenant management points, utility billing and after‐hours
billing of point on their system. The 864 controller and the Wi‐Fi modem send the signal to the cloud
based application for user to monitor, receiver alerts/alarms and make changes to the system.
Discussing the controls with these three different vendors was followed by an eventful evening at
the LG hospitality event at “Harry Caray Sports Museum” and Alerton hospitality event held at “The
UnderGround”.
The morning of January 23 was a blur. We arrived at McCormick Center to continue
learning, when I met Mike Conti at the Wilo Pumps booth, who introduced me to the Wilo sanitary
lift station package. This unique system by Wilo offers the macerating pumps, guide rail system,
float controls and controller, and actual pit itself, which sets Wilo apart from their competitors like
Grundfos and Amrstrong pumps. After being sold on the Wilo sanitary lift station, I was happy to
know that they have local representation here in Honolulu with Josh Jackson at Air Treatment
Corporation. Not only does Wilo offer a packaged solution that puts the equipment responsibility to
a single manufacturer but local equipment representation provides the engineer of record with
assurance on quality equipment installation and maintenance support. This key role of the local
equipment representatives makes or breaks some equipment reputation in the Islands of Hawaii.
Any sales representative will tell you what you want to hear and sell you whatever you want to buy
but local representatives know they will be the first person to be called when the equipment failed
within 1 year to 10 years down the road. Local reps help me at WSP USA every day make educated
decisions on equipment selections and will often steer me away from certain designs/equipment
they represent because it may not be suitable for a specific application.
The last day of the 2018 AHR Exposition consisted of meeting a new and interesting product.
The Coolerado HXV “pre‐conditioner” offers a simple and energy efficient way to cool warm
ambient air through evaporative cooling. The guts of the Coolerado consist of a simple fan and an
arrangement of dry and wet channels that utilize evaporative cooling to lower the dry bulb
temperature of the incoming outdoor air down to 120% of the ambient dewpoint. This equipment
seems to be “no‐brainer” for hot and dry climates, but has its challenges for our tropical
environment due to ambient wet bulb conditions. I would like to entertain this equipment in future
projects and maybe find its niche in our local industry. Being introduced to different products like
the Coolerado, sparks new conversations for applications in Hawaii, which is a benefit of attending
the AHR Exposition.
The 2018 AHR Exposition offers consulting/sales engineers and contractors the opportunity
to see new products and meet these manufacturers to discuss strategies and applications for our
tropical climate. As a mechanical engineer undergraduate, the 2018 AHR Exposition shows students
to enormous size of the HVAC&R industry in the country and introduces students to potential
employers in the industry. The key take‐away for undergraduates is the opportunity to practice
“interviewing” skills with many employers and to learn more about the industry that will make
them more valuable to their current employer. The key take‐away for young mechanical engineers is
the opportunity to meet/greet with manufacturers and competitors to expand one’s professional
network. Coming from a young mechanical engineer, who consecutively attended the last three (3)
AHR Expositions, I would recommend that all ME 417 students and potential ME 417 mentors to
attend future AHR Expositions when the opportunity presents itself.
2018 AHR Expo Trade Show (Chicago, Illinois) – A Graduate’s Perspective
Ray Au, P.E., UHM Graduate in the Fall of 2010 from Course ME 417
AHR Expo provides a great place for the entire HVAC Industry; Manufacturers,
Engineers, Contractors and Users gathered at one place to share ideas, to learn innovative
technologies & new products and to build professional network.
At the recent Expo, various educational seminars were available for free admission to
many learning opportunities; such as “Global Trends in HVAC, Engineer‐Focused Cooling
Tower Fundamentals”, “The Future of Building Automation”, “Data at the Open Intelligent
Edge”, “Health Impacts of Indoor Air Quality”, et al. They are quite technical, but you can
certainly learn somethings from those seminars in preparation for your future career.
Through the Expo, our UHM ME 417 students have experienced the HVAC trade show
and conferences, various manufacturers showcased their latest products and technologies,
which a traditional classroom environment can’t provide.
Networking is another plus to attend the AHR Expo, you can build your own
professional network through this Expo. Meeting difference professional from various
manufacturers, product distributers or design firms can effectively wider your vision and
expand your horizon and accumulate new knowledge. I also have witnessed students being
offered a new job at the Expo.
While in school, lots of students think it will be cool if I can be designing a car, a large
vessel, an aircraft or develop weapons, etc.; and being an HVAC&R engineer seems kind of
boring. However, The AHR Expo did shows how large this HVAC&R industry can be. With
countless opportunities, it can offer, it is much more interesting to be an HVAC engineer.
2018 AHR Expo Trade Show (Chicago, Illinois) – A Graduate’s Perspective
Thomas Cashman, UHM Graduate in the Fall of 2015 from Course ME 417
AHR Expo in Windy City
This year the AHR Expo was in Chicago, a great town with lots to see; and with every possible
vendor that had anything to do with the HVAC&R Industry showing up there was never a dull moment.
There was everything from tool companies like Milwaukie and DeWalt to companies like Wilo Pumps
that furnishes pumps… there were heat exchangers and duct‐forming equipment firms and of course, the
chillers and air‐handler manufacturing corporations like Baltimore AirCoil, Trane, and Carrier to name a
few.
There were several control companies large and small, new brands like Optergy, which won the
2017 Control Trends Innovation Product of the Year, and the old pillars like Johnson Controls Inc. all had
their booths lit‐up and got ready for action. The experience was amazing, to be able to get up close and
really get‐involved with all the new technology that is constantly progressing the industry and see how it
all works together was an invaluable experience.
Not only were the vendors showing off their latest and greatest products & innovations, but also,
the seminars, which range from fundamental concept such as understanding BACnet over IP
communication, getting a better grasp of how a cooling tower works and what things to watch out, such
as, legionnaires diseases to how to get better efficiency from your chillers and the sizing of air handlers as
well as pumps.
Then, there were the hospitality parties, which gave the students the opportunity in a
comfortable setting to network with the industry’s people and make some great connections, which could
led to career opportunities and good insight on what the HVAC Industry is really all about beyond the
books and projects from the classrooms.
Being able to walk around the Expo floor and see one brand of chiller, air handler, pump
manufacturer after another really gave the student a chance to compare the differences and ask the sales
staff what makes their product stand‐out over their competitors. This presented a fantastic learning
experience that couldn’t be brought to the classroom. Walking the floor can become both over‐whelming
and tiring so to be able to sit down for a 30‐45 min presentation at one of the many seminars that were
scheduled though‐out the day was a perfect way to use the time wisely.
Not only will you get a much needed rest but you can pick up some great information to help
expand your knowledge of the HVAC&R Industry. For me, being in the controls part of the industry I
went to the deeper look into BACnet communication and although the subject was familiar; it was great
to reinforce the knowledge I had acquired though my day‐to‐day work. The seminar on cooling tower
was interesting and the dangers of legionnaire’s disease, and ways to prevent it from spreading were
informative and educational that it’s relative to the recent outbreak at Disneyland.
After a busy day of walking at the AHR Expo show and seminars, it was indeed nice to be at a
couple of the hospitality parties put‐on by different vendors. Clever‐Brooks, LG Corporation and Alerton
Controls invited the 2018 UHM Delegation to some great parties where to food was delicious and the
drinks kept us flowing. Everybody was superbly friendly and shared their personal knowledge of the
industry. I made some great contacts, which I am sure will benefit me in my future career and also made
some new friends. Being able to talk to the people that work in the same industry on a personal level
about what they do and the different roles they have played is absolutely priceless when just starting out
and trying to figure out what sector of the HVAC industry might be best for you.
As a whole, the experience of the AHR Expo is one not to be missed if an individual is serious
about a future in the HVAC&R Industry. Being able to have two full days of equipment to explore,
people to meet and knowledge to gain at one place is indeed invaluable. There isn’t a better way to get a
quick dose of the realities of working in the HVAC&R Industry. Networking, information‐gathering and
understanding are always a key when exploring a new career and the AHR Expo brings all those pieces
