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    Key Components of a Mission-Critical Facility – Test Load Banks

    by  • April 27, 2012 • 0 Comments

    Mission-critical facilities are growing steadily as a niche market segment for MEP design firms. No longer limited to financial data processing or telecommunications, these critical facilities are now in high demand for a new breed of “in the cloud” data storage and “big data” applications. Whatever functions they support, one thing remains constant – these facilities have an absolute need for reliable electric power. A recent study found that the average cost for a power outage at a data center exceeds $500,000. So, how can these facilities improve the reliability of their electric power system? Testing is one key, and there is one device in particular that makes testing procedures safe and efficient.

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    Teamwork

    Avoid Problems with Facility Fuel Systems

    by  • April 14, 2012 • 0 Comments

    You mean well, of course you do! You dedicate your education and experience to create practical and reliable designs for your clients. But, when it comes to specialty areas such as fuel system design, researching new codes and technologies can be a big challenge, especially while trying to meet fast-approaching project deadlines. So, is it inevitable that some design flaws will find their way to the final construction documents? Well, don’t give up just yet!

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    Engine Room Too Small? Consider a Hockey Puck Exhaust Silencer

    by  • April 5, 2012 • 0 Comments

    Trapped In A Box

    If you do design work for commercial facilities, chances are that the architect for your last project gave you very limited space for mechanical and electrical equipment rooms. When specifying equipment such as emergency generators, the equipment footprint is always important. But, what about overhead space for things like the engine’s exhaust system? What are the options when the room’s height appears insufficient?

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    Open, Delayed or Closed Transition? Selecting the Right Transfer Switch

    by  • February 21, 2012 • 0 Comments

    ReverseOsmosisWTP

    While most transfer switches are equipped with basic features that make them suitable for simple installations, larger or more complex projects often require additional features to meet special requirements. One such special requirement is the need to protect sensitive equipment whenever building loads are switched between two live, un-synchronized, power sources. How exactly does a proposed transfer switch execute a transfer between the normal source and the emergency source, and what effect will the transfer sequence have on the connected loads? Learn the key differences between open, delayed and closed-transition automatic transfer switches, and how to specify the right equipment.

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    Key Elements for Specifying an Engine Exhaust System

    by  • January 30, 2012 • 0 Comments

    Whether you are designing a central energy plant for a hospital, or a smaller generator for a commercial facility, be sure to dedicate some time to your engine exhaust system specifications. Federal regulations are becoming stricter each day. And, at the local level, noise and air quality are becoming more and more important to permitting [...]

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    Testing your generator: It may start, but will it carry the load?

    by  • January 16, 2012 • 0 Comments

    Data centers and health-care facilities have some of the best and most thorough procedures for testing their emergency on-site power systems (EPSS).  For obvious reasons, these operations must have 100% confidence in their critical systems, and they invest heavily to insure that these systems will operate as expected, when needed.  Large facilities are often regulated [...]

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