ABB Ability Smart Sensor

motors that let you know when

its time for a service.
ABBs new condition monitoring solution revolutionizes maintenance for low voltage
motors. ABB Ability Smart Sensor monitors key parameters and sends the data
to a secure server for analysis. Users can access detailed status reports from their
smartphone or PC. The solution enables proper maintenance planning for longer
motor lifetimes, lower energy consumption and big reductions in downtime.
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input #1 at www.csemag.com/information
Simply no waiting
for factory racks
Simply easy to install
Simply more protable
Simply visit your local
Navien wholesaler and
pick up everything you need

Introducing
Navien Ready-Link

wall or rack manifold systems

1 2 3 4
Pick your Pick your Pick your Pick your
Navien Units, location, manifold venting
NPE-A or NPE-S wall or rack kit system

us.navien.com input #2 at www.csemag.com/information

The Leader in Condensing Technology

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Viega MegaPress Stainless

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Keeping projects on time and on budget is challenging. Over 25 years ago, Viega introduced a
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For more information, call 800-976-9819 or visit viega.us/mpstainless

input #3 at www.csemag.com/information
 SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURES
20 | Best practices for building integration
and interoperability
Many benefits to building integration include efficiency
and reduced maintenance, when best practices are fol-
lowed during the design process.
TERRY FLOCK, PE; DOUG SHOWERS, PE; and
JEREMY LANG, CCNA-I

28 | How to perform a pipe stress analysis

Understanding the various types of pipe stresses, the pro-
cess, and best practices are necessary to perform effective
pipe stress analyses.
ON THE COVER: Pictured is the firing aisle of the new steam MONTE ENGELKEMIER, PE, PMP
plant addition at Iowa State University (ISU) in Ames. ISU
replaced three aging coal-fired boilers with three new
150,000 lb/hr natural gas-fired package boilers. The boilers
are housed in a new boiler building that is adjacent to their 37 | Integrating plumbing into
existing power plant building. The new boilers began opera-
the overall design
tion in 2016. The new boilers have allowed the combined heat
and power plant to increase efficiency to more than 60%, and Having a qualified, knowledgeable plumbing engineer
emissions have been reduced by more than 80%. Courtesy: involved in early planning will help select the right system
Burns & McDonnell and equipment for the project before construction begins.
KARI ENGEN, PE, CXA, LEED AP
DEPARTMENTS
05 | Viewpoint 14 | Codes & Standards
43 | 2017 Product of the
How well do you
communicate?
Back to basics:
Boiler selection
Year winners 2017
Winners of the 13th annual Consulting-
07 | Research 51 | Advertiser Index Specifying Engineer Product of the Year
Seven findings in awards are featured. WINNERS
HVAC, BAS
52 | Future of
Engineering
09 | Career Smart Proposed changes to the ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES
Five tips on how to get pub- IBC: 2021 edition
Use the icons to identify topics of interest.
lished in trade publications
AUTOMATION & CONTROLS HVAC
10 | MEP Roundtable COMMUNICATIONS LIGHTING
The complexities of indus- ELECTRICAL PLUMBING
trial, manufacturing, and FIRE, SECURITY & LIFE SAFETY
warehouse facilities

CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER (ISSN 0892-5046, Vol. 54, No. 8, GST #123397457) is published 11x per year, monthly except in February, by CFE Media, LLC, 3010 Highland Parkway,
Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Jim Langhenry, Group Publisher /Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER copyright 2017 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used under license. Periodicals postage paid at Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offices. Circulation records are maintained at CFE
Media, LLC, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Telephone: 630/571-4070. E-mail: customerservice@cfemedia.com. Postmaster: send address changes to CONSULTING-SPECIFYING
ENGINEER, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40685520. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 3010 Highland Parkway,
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SPECIFYING ENGINEER, 3010 Highland Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Printed in the USA. CFE Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors
or omissions in the material contained herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.

www.csemag.com Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 3

Lifting Fork Pockets

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input #4 at www.csemag.com/information
 Editors Viewpoint
CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL
AMARA ROZGUS, Editor-in-Chief/Content Manager
630-571-4070 x2211, ARozgus@CFEMedia.com
EMILY GUENTHER, Associate Content Manager
630-571-4070, EGuenther@CFEMedia.com
AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Director of Research
APelliccione@CFEMedia.com
MICHAEL SMITH, Creative Director
MSmith@CFEmedia.com
ELISA GEISHEIMER, Production Coordinator
630-571-4070 x2213, EGeisheimer@CFEMedia.com
Amara Rozgus,
Editor-in-Chief
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
CORY J. ABRAMOWICZ, PE, LEED AP,
Associate, Environmental Systems Design Inc., Chicago
PETER ALSPACH, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Principal, Mechanical Engineer, Arup, Seattle How well do you communicate?
T
JERRY BAUERS, PE,
Vice President, NV5, Kansas City, Mo. he debate about clear and effec-  Education would open many
MICHAEL CHOW, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Principal, Metro CD Engineering LLC, Columbus, Ohio
tive communication continues doors for them. Most of them were
TOM DIVINE, PE, to rage on in the general media. just starting high school (and were
Senior Electrical Engineer,
Smith Seckman Reid Inc., Houston
Do people read articles, books, and quite nervous about it) and they
CORY DUGGIN, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, other long-form media, or do they already had their sights set on college.
Energy Modeling Wizard, TLC Engineering for Architecture Inc.,
Brentwood, Tenn.
only digest information in 30-second Questions ranged from what high
ROBERT J. GARRA JR., PE, CDT, sound bites or 140-character tweets? school classes would help them get into
Vice President, Electrical Engineer,
CannonDesign, Grand Island, N.Y.
What media outlets can be trusted, a good college to how to decide which
JASON GERKE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, C X A, and which ones have a hidden agenda? degree to pursue. Every one of them
Mechanical Engineer, GRAEF, Milwaukee
Does correct spelling really matter? Do wanted to go to college; many wanted
JOSHUA D. GREENE, PE,
Vice President, JENSEN HUGHES, Framingham, Mass. millennials read and watch news only to obtain professional degrees in medi-
RAYMOND GRILL, PE, FSFPE, on their phones? cine, engineering, teaching, or other
Principal, Arup, Washington, D.C.
DANNA JENSEN, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
As I mentioned in July, I was one areas.
Senior Vice President, WSP, Dallas of about 30 professionals speaking  Having a mentor or adult guide
WILLIAM KOFFEL, PE, FSFPE,
President, Koffel Associates Inc., Columbia, Md.
with high school females about career is important. Some of the girls wanted
WILLIAM KOSIK, PE, CEM, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, options. The event was even more to be an architect because an uncle was
Senior Mechanical Engineer - Mission Critical,
exp US Services Inc., Chicago
incredible than I expected. I met girls an architect. A couple of the girls I met
KENNETH KUTSMEDA, PE, LEED AP, from around the world whod recently wanted to become attorneys because
Engineering Manager, Jacobs, Philadelphia moved to the United States, and their theyd been inspired by the women
JULIANNE LAUE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP,
Senior MEP Engineer, Center for Sustainable Energy, ambitious goals inspired each of the they were spending time with at girl
Mortenson Construction, Minneapolis professional women in attendance to camp during the summer. The concept
DAVID LOWREY,
Chief Fire Marshal, Boulder (Colo.) Fire Rescue give candid guidance on career choices. of having a guide to hold their hand
BRIAN MARTIN, PE, The conversation turned to much clicked with most of these girlsthey
Senior Electrical Engineer, Buildings and Places,
AECOM, Portland, Ore. more than career choices, however. The knew theyd need some extra help
DWAYNE G. MILLER, PE, RCDD, AEE CPQ, professional team was from a host of beyond parental support or a high
Chief Executive Officer, NV5, Las Vegas
backgroundslaw, media, ministry, school counselor.
RODNEY V. OATHOUT, PE, CEM, LEED AP,
Principal, Regional Engineering Leader, fitness, marketing, you name it. At Each young lady was focused on
DLR Group, Overland Park, Kan.
the conclusion of the event, a few key integrating into her community and
FREDDY PADILLA, PE, ATD,
Principal/Senior Electrical Engineer, Page, Austin, Texas themes bubbled to the top. school, and her ability to clearly and
GREGORY QUINN, PE, NCEES, LEED AP,  Communicationwritten and effectively communicate was para-
Principal, Health Care Market Leader,
Affiliated Engineers Inc., Madison, Wis. verbalis exceptionally important. mount. Theyd all prepared questions
BRIAN A. RENER, PE, LEED AP, Each of these young ladies was quickly for the professionals in the room, many
Associate, SmithGroupJJR, Chicago
SUNONDO ROY, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
learning English, and they all realized of which were thoughtfuland some-
Vice President, CCJM Engineers Ltd., Chicago that their ability to communicate was times hard to answer.
RANDY SCHRECENGOST, PE, CEM,
Austin Operations Group Manager and
vital to their acceptance, education, This group of Generation Z girls is
Senior Mechanical Engineer, and eventual success. They each agreed going to conquer the world someday,
Stanley Consultants, Austin, Texas
MARIO VECCHIARELLO, PE, CEM, GBE,
that learning the language, and learn- especially as they hone their ability to
Senior Vice President, CDM Smith Inc., Boston ing it well, was at the top of their list. get their point across in many formats.
RICHARD VEDVIK, PE,
Senior Electrical Engineer and Acoustics Engineer,
IMEG Corp., Rock Island, Ill.
MIKE WALTERS, PE, LEED AP,
Campus Energy Market Leader, MEP Associates, Verona, Wis.
JOHN YOON, PE, LEED AP ID+C,
Lead Electrical Engineer, McGuire Engineers Inc., Chicago www.csemag.com Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 5
MACH-ProView
LCD
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www.reliablecontrols.com/MPV
 Interoperability of fire,
life safety systems
Not important Extremely
important
1%

19%
32%
48%
Somewhat
important Fairly important
Figure 1: Eight in 10 engineers focus
on a fire and life safety systems
interoperability with other systems
when making a recommendation or
purchase decision. Source: Consult-
ing-Specifying Engineer 2016 Fire
and Life Safety Study
6 in 10 engineers usually
write open (alternate or substitute)
electrical or power system specifica-
tions. Source: Consulting-Specifying
Engineer 2016 Electrical and Power
Study
2017 HVAC AND BUILDING AUTOMATION SYSTEMS STUDY:
Seven findings in HVAC, BAS
R
espondents to the Consulting-
Specifying Engineer 2017 HVAC
and Building Automation Systems
(BAS) Study identified seven high-level
findings:
1. Building structures: More than
half of mechanical engineers specify
products for office buildings, industrial/
manufacturing facilities/warehouses,
educational facilities, hospitals/health
care facilities, and government build-
ings/military facilities.
2. Specification involvement:
Seventy-three percent of respondents
determine requirements/write specifica-
tions for HVAC systems, equipment,
and controls.
3. Design value: Engineering firms
are specifying $2.5 million annually, on
average, in HVAC and BAS products for
research
and an inadequate budget for good
design are affecting the future of HVAC
systems.
5. BAS challenges: Four out of 10
engineers reported interoperability/
complementing systems and inadequate
budgets as top challenges when design-
ing BAS.
6. Products specified: HVAC
controls, air handlers, and fans/air
movement were the top three HVAC
equipment types or control systems
currently being specified by mechanical
engineers.
7. Time spent researching: The
average mechanical engineer spends
37% of their billable hours/time at work
researching and/or specifying HVAC
systems and BAS.

19%: The average percent-

age of an engineers time that is
spent on proposals and business
development when working on light-
ing and/or lighting controls projects.
Source: Consulting-Specifying Engi-
neer 2017 Lighting and Lighting
Controls Study
new and existing buildings, with 28%
specifying more than $5 million.
View more information at
www.csemag.com/2017HVACBAS.
4. HVAC challenges: At least half of Amanda Pelliccione is the research
respondents agree that energy efficiency director at CFE Media.
Top 10 recently specified HVAC equipment,
BAS, or controls systems
Air handlers 61%
Fans, air movement 61%

of engineering firms specify

less than $500,000 in HVAC and BAS
Pumps, pumping systems

Building automation systems (BAS)

60%
57%
products for new and existing build- Rooftop units 57%
ings. Source: Consulting-Specifying Chillers, chilled water systems 53%
Engineer 2017 HVAC and Building
Building management system 53%
Automation Systems Study
Boilers, domestic hot water 52%
Air balancing, test-and-balance,
49%
More research environmental balancing
Consulting-Specifying Engineer cov- Variable refrigerant flow systems 44%
ers several research topics each year.
All reports are available at Figure 2: Six out of 10 respondents cited air handlers, fans/air movement, and
www.csemag.com/research. pumps/pumping systems as having generated design revenue for their firms within
the past year. Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer

www.csemag.com Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 7

input #6 at www.csemag.com/information
 Career Smart
Five tips on how to get published
in trade publications
Expand your professional portfolio by contributing to trade magazines.
R
eaching potential clients, such as
property developers and property
managers, can be difficult. But
its important to build a professional
profile to get noticed and stand out as
the source of expertise that they need
to achieve their goals.
One way to reach potential clients is
through establishing a presence where
theyre already lookingin their trade
and professional publications. These
can include printed magazines and
associated websites of the business and
professional associations to which they
belong.
These publications need informa-
tive, authoritative articles relevant to
their readers. To successfully approach
the editors at a trade publication, here
are five tips to follow:
1. Study the publication
Many editors state that they receive
many articles that are not written with
their readers in mind. Most trade and
business publications cover a very nar-
row range of topics. They want articles
about relevant topics that will interest
their readers. Taking the time to become
familiar with the publication will help
you develop article ideas to propose to
the editors.
2. Consider how your expertise
relates to readers needs
Sometimes, the connection between
your area of expertise and the needs of
www.csemag.com
Thought Leadership Resources, Mississauga, Ontario
the publications readers is clear. If youre
discussing a new regulation on municipal
water treatment and the publication is
for municipal utilities, theres a clear con-
nection.
But all too often, you need to think of
why the proposed topic is newsworthy
and what will cause the readers to pay
attention. Pick a topic that addresses a
pressing issue for the
readers.
3. Gain the editors interest first
Many writers put their hearts and
souls into writing an article only to have
it rejected by the editor. Editors generally
dont like to get what they call an unso-
licited manuscript, which is editor-speak
for an article they didnt ask for. So, take
advantage of a secret used by many free-
lance writerssend the editor a query
letter to gain buy-in for your idea before
you actually write the article. A good
query letter contains four points:
 The story idea in three or four sen-
tences.
 Why the readers of this particular
publication would care about this
topic.
 What the article will cover, in three
or four one-line bullet points.
 The authors qualifications for writ-
ing on this topic.
4. Keep the sales pitch out
If the editor expresses interest in the
Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017
CARL FRIESEN,
article idea, go ahead and write. Just
remember, the editor is under no obli-
gation to publish what is submitted.
One way to increase your chances of
success is to resolutely keep all sales
messages out of the article. Any edi-
tor of a credible publication will pull
out anything that sounds like a sales
pitch. They also may ask you to send
something they can useor just delete
the article altogether. The articles
focus should be to educate the reader
regarding the topic youre writing
about, not to sell them on a product or
service.
5. Add graphics to the article
Most publications need graphic
imagescharts, tables, photographs
to bring life to the pages. It is vital to
send graphics and images for which
you have the legal rights. Having
quality images that are complemen-
tary to the article will add a lot to a
lengthy article. Technical subjects can
sometimes be easily explained with an
additional chart or illustration.
Getting published can be a lot of
work. However, trade publications are
relied upon and trusted by potential
clients, making it worthwhile.
Carl Friesen is the founder of Thought
Leadership Resources, helping business
professionals build careers by showing
their expertise.
9
 MEP Roundtable
The complexities of
industrial, manufacturing, and
warehouse facilities
Warehouses and factories are more than bare-bones buildings for companies to make and
keep equipment. Here, professionals with experience on such facilities offer advice on how
to meet and exceed expectations.
CSE: Whats the No. 1 trend you
see today in the design of indus-
trial, manufacturing, and warehouse
facilities?
Russell Ashcroft: I have noticed an
emphasis on speed-to-production time
concerning all of the components of an
engineering solution. One other focus
is an increased emphasis on sustain-
ability and a need to make sure that the
byproducts (if any) of the processes are
environmentally friendly.
Mike Barbes: LED, LED, and LED,
no other sources considered. Were fre-
quently asked to evaluate other sources
(high-density discharge, fluorescent,
and even induction lighting), but in all
cases, the outcome is that LED will be
the most beneficial lighting source.
Eric M. Roeder: From a fire protection
standpoint, the clear trend Im seeing
is the desire to eliminate in-rack sprin-
kler systems. As automated lifts and
Russell
Ashcroft, PE
Principal Engineer
Southland
Engineering
Tempe, Ariz.
10 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017
pickers become more common, so too
is mechanical damage to in-rack sup-
ply pipes. In locations where the sprin-
kler or pipe is exposed, these machines
dont have the forethought to avoid
damaging the sprinklers. Moving to
a ceiling-level-only system eliminates
business interruption stemming from
unintended activation of in-rack sprin-
klers. However, the obvious caution
flag that comes with this approach is
ensuring that a ceiling-only sprinkler-
protection design is sufficient to control
a fire, given the higher fuel loading that
typically comes with these automated
pickers.
Sunondo Roy: Cost pressures are
obviously the No. 1 overall trend. How-
ever, the No. 1 technical trend is still
energy efficiency, even in spite of the
large power and accompanying heat
loads from process equipment. There
is a constant pressure to find cost-
effective energy-conservation measures
Mike Barbes,
PE, LC
Senior Electrical
Engineer
AECOM
Atlanta
for all of these types of facilities, whether
they are in the type of lamping (LED
options that deliver better color rendi-
tion and lumens per watt) or advanced
lighting controls that zone lighting to
match production processes. It is getting
more expensive to update aging HVAC
equipment in existing facilities using
end-of-life R-22 equipment with R-22
replacement stocks. Switching over to
more eco-friendly refrigerant units, like
R-410a, is a no-brainer.
CSE: What other trends should
engineers consider for these proj-
ects in the near future (1 to 3 years)?
Roeder: If inert gas (nitrogen) genera-
tion drops in price, its use in dry sprinkler
systems should be on everyones radar.
One of the main concerns with sprin-
kler systems is leaks (frequently caused
by internal pipe corrosion due to oxy-
gen in the piping), and environments in
Reinhard
Hanselka, PhD
Director of Code
Compliance
CRB
Kansas City, Mo.
www.csemag.com
warehouses and industrial shops are
harsher than most. Using nitrogen
instead of air in dry-pipe systems has
been shown to reduce corrosion and pro-
long the life of the pipe in some studies.
Ashcroft: Energy efficiency and a
move to be as close to net zero are
things that we are being asked to explore
from all of the clients associated with
these types of facilities.
Barbes: I would recommend that the
lighting design professional consider
numerous lighting manufacturers since
the field has expanded due to the high
request for LED sources. It seems that fix-
ture quality is positively increasing and
costs are decreasing.
CSE: Please describe a recent
project youve worked onshare
details about the project includ-
ing location, systems engineered,
team involved, etc.
Marcin Jakubowski: We recently
worked on an industrial project in the
Chicago area, where a 113,000-sq-ft
warehouse space was renovated into
a food-processing facility. Because the
space would include both food prepa-
ration and cooking, special mechani-
cal systems were designed for exhaust,
make-up air, and grease collection.
This facility also included freezers and
coolers to chill and store food, so our
MEP team had to work closely with
the refrigeration and control engineers
throughout the project.
Roeder: My team and I worked on a
large part of a temporary storage and
distribution warehouse for a public
Marcin
Jakubowski
Senior Mechanical
Engineer
RTM Engineering
Consultants
Orlando, Fla.
www.csemag.com
Figure 1: Industrial, manufacturing, and warehouse structures may seem to be simple
structures, but the systems and components can be complexespecially if the items
stored or made inside are sensitive, delicate, or valuable. Courtesy: JENSEN HUGHES
transit system. Due to the nature of the designed with a generator with backup
client, there was limited consistency as capacity for many of the critical sys-
to what was stored on which racks. The tems. After the four-building facil-
racks were solid shelving with in-rack ity had been in operation for approxi-
sprinklers and original to the build- mately 3 years, the owner realized that
ing. In the 6 months before we were not all of the critical processes were on
awarded the contract, workers broke the backup system. We were asked to
in-rack pipes three times, flooding the provide a solution to add the necessary
facility and stopping work until the fire backup power to protect all of the criti-
marshal gave the all clear to reopen. Our cal product that, if lost, would cost the
design specified early suppression fast- company many millions of dollars.
response (ESFR) sprinklers on the ceil-
ings, installation of open racks so that CSE: What are the challenges that
water could pass through, and removal you face when designing industrial,
of the existing system. A fire pump was manufacturing, and warehouse facil-
needed due to the additional pressure ities that you dont normally face for
demands of the ESFR system. other building projects?
Ashcroft: We just completed a project
for a research and development facility Jakubowski: Designing for industrial,
in Nebraska, in which we worked closely manufacturing, or warehouse facilities
with the owner (site operations man- often requires a more intensive involve-
ager, site maintenance personnel, and ment in the construction phase of the
the company construction manager). project as compared with other building
They have an existing facility that was types. One reason for this is industrial
Eric M. Roeder, Sunondo Roy,
PE PE, LEED AP
Project Manager, BD+C
Security & Fire Vice President
Protection CCJM Engineers Ltd.
JENSEN HUGHES Chicago
Arlington, Va.
Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 11
MEP Roundtable
systems and equipment information are often not available at
the beginning of the design process and can sometimes continue
to be optimized or revised until the very last day of construc-
tion, which is well past the permit and bid design documents
deadlines. Additionally, the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing
(MEP) engineer will often be required to coordinate with several
nontraditional trades, such as system vendors or specialized-
equipment manufacturers. If the facility requires design for
any refrigeration or waste-handling systems, those also must
be closely coordinated with the MEP engineer.
Roy: The manufacturing process is the prime driver for
most industrial facilities. We have found that many clients
will choose a system that isnt as efficient, but the staff is
comfortable with maintaining it if the inefficiencies do not
affect the manufacturing process. Whatever cost savings may
be obtained with improved HVAC systems apparently pale
in comparison to productivity losses that the new equip-
ment may cause during manufacturing processes. Although
counter-intuitive to go with outdated solutions, it is always
important to talk with the facilities and manufacturing per-
sonnel to fully understand the impact of facility changes to
the core production process. Even minor productivity losses
of a few pennies per product can result in significant losses
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in high-volume processes. That typically isnt a concern in
conventional commercial buildings.
Ashcroft: The challenges faced include the delivery speed
of the completed design as well as the final construction of the
facility. All this is to be accomplished with much consideration
given to the projects capital costs to the owner while remaining
within the desired program requirements.
Barbes: The projects must incorporate flexibility in the light-
ing and power distribution systems. Industrial and manufactur-
ing processes can, and do, change from the time design starts to
the time construction documents are completed. Other than the
obvious revised power requirements of manufacturing equip-
ment, there will be power increases, so it is critical to size the
service equipment to the extent allowed by the serving utility. It
would be advisable to provide empty conduit and real estate for
additional (future) electrical distribution equipment. Typically,
industrial and manufacturing clients are more receptive to this
train of thought than perhaps a commercial/developer client.
CSE: What are some unique elements/considerations
to designing/retrofitting such facilities?
Roeder: Industrial facilities dont stop. You have to work
around the operation of the facility, since theyre integral to the
owners business. This generally means schedules are longer
and special considerations have to be taken into account when
taking a life safety system out of commission, such as delaying
demolition until after the new system is online.
Ashcroft: One of the things I have started to notice is that if
an existing facility is in an older part of the city, there are often
concerns about the capacity of existing utility-delivery systems.
There may not be more infrastructure for power, water, network
bandwidth, etc. to meet the needs of the facilitys renovation.
Barbes: The most common issue I have seen is inaccessi-
ble distribution equipment. For example, the switchboard (or
switchgear) does not have sufficient space to allow for additional
overcurrent protection devices (fuses or circuit breakers). In
which case, the only solution is to install new equipment and
back-feed the existing equipment.
Jakubowski: Humidity control and space pressure control are
two unique elements that might come into play with a design for
industrial or warehouse facilities. These elements should be well-
defined so the unique requirements can be met. Oftentimes,
the combination of typical HVAC equipment and refrigeration
equipment is required to achieve the facilitys goals. Redundancy
and backup power also need to be part of the design to ensure
the critical processes are not affected.
CSE: Please explain some of the codes, standards,
and guidelines you use during the design process.
Which codes/standards should engineers be most
aware of in their design of engineered systems?
12 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017
 Reinhard Hanselka: There are currently two major model
code families. We have the NFPA code series and the Inter-
national Code Council (ICC) code series. Both code groups
reference a variety of standards. An issue is that referenced
standards achieve the status of codes when they are simply
referred to, even though only a limited portion of that stan-
dard may apply. For example, the ICCs International Fire
Code has more than 409 referenced codes and standards that
may be applicable by reference. This can be an onerous task
and responsibility for any engineer. Additional standards,
such as OSHA regulations and U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) standards, also are always applicable. Today,
engineers have the daunting task of complying with the com-
plete body of applicable codes or standards and deciding how
to legally proceed.
Barbes: Besides the most common codes, it is critical to
also comply with OSHA and electrical safety codes to avoid
electrical burn hazards in a manufacturing facility. Specifically,
the arc flash equipment-labeling requirements, since there may
be times when it is necessary to work on energized electrical
equipment. Although it should be avoided at all times, it may
Ashcroft: As electrical engineers, we are always bound
by NFPA 70: National Electrical Code (NEC). We often
also refer to ASHRAE 90.1: Energy Standard for Build-
ings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, the Uniform
Building Code, and International Building Code (IBC) for
special function buildings. In the last 5 years, the Interna-
tional Energy Conservation Code (IECC) has become more
important for lighting-power densities, as many municipali-
ties have begun to adopt this standard.
Roeder: Designs use NFPA or IBC as adopted by local
jurisdictions. When designers get to requirements unique
to being stored/used/processed/manufactured, these doc-
uments will guide them to their specifically applicable
requirements. Combustibles, hazardous materials like aero-
sols, and other special considerations have their own sub-
sections in these codes, and occasionally their own NFPA
code specific to their challenges.
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 Codes & Standards
Back to basics:
Boiler selection
Boiler codes and design standards provide the basic guidelines
for boiler application, design, construction, and operations.
BY DAVID GOETZ, PE, and SAM HUFF, Burns & McDonnell, St. Louis
Learning
objectives
 Grasp the codes, standards,
and guidelines that assist in
specifying boilers and boiler
systems.
 Know the different types of
boilers available and under-
stand when to specify each
type.
 Understand how control
systems play into the overall
boiler design.
14 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017
B
oilers come in various sizes, shapes,
and colors. They are used to generate
hot water or steam for process or heat-
ing applications. This article will focus
on steam generation, as requirements
for both types are similar until steam is generated
within the drum.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME) Boiler Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC),
Section I, governs the design, fabrication, instal-
lation, and operation of fired pressure vessels
(vessels in which steam is generated). The BPVC
is one of the two primary references that engi-
neers will require when designing boiler systems.
The other is NFPA 85: Code on Boiler Combus-
tion Systems and Hazards. NFPA 85 provides
the requirements for the fuel and combustion
systems that are used to heat the boiler. Compli-
ance with both codes is required for safe boiler
operation. Materials will be briefly reviewed, as
their selection is governed by the process fluid
and its properties.
A great wealth of knowledge is provided within
ASME BPVC Section I. Depending on the boiler
type and components, the limits of jurisdiction
are defined within Section I and refer to ASME
B31.1: Power Piping Code for the remainder of
the requirements. The common limits engineers
should be aware of are the water inlet and the
steam outlet. The incoming water limit for Sec-
tion I is at the inlet connection of the second
isolation valve from the nozzle of the first water
component of the boiler. This can either be an
economizer or the drum itself. Steam limits vary
depending upon the component and ASME
BPVC, Section 1 should be reviewed.
NFPA 85 is applicable to boilers with heat
inputs of 12.5 MMBtu/h or greater. Another
important code in the design and installation of
boilers is ASME B31.1. This code is applicable to
the piping connecting to the boiler proper that
are not under the jurisdiction of ASME BPVC
Section I.
The design of boiler systems first requires the
engineer to understand the requirements for the
unit by understanding the system requirements
it will be serving. This would include steam flow,
pressure, and temperature requirements neces-
sary to account for system pressure and tempera-
ture losses including the anticipated losses up to
the boiler connection at the non-return valve.
Steam-flow requirements are based on end use,
plus losses in the distribution system including
steam traps and leaks.
Understanding the system losses and adding
them to the actual steam usage plus a growth fac-
tor, typically 1% per year, will assist in developing
the steam generation required. Working with the
boiler supplier, the engineer can select the neces-
sary guaranteed outlet conditions of the boiler.
Piping and materials
Materials of construction will be dependent
upon the selected input and output steam/water
properties as well as the fuel being consumed. The
typical materials used in the industry are A53-B/C
www.csemag.com
Figure 1: Pictured is the firing aisle of the new steam plant addition at Iowa State
University (ISU) in Ames. ISU replaced three aging coal-fired boilers with three new HVAC data: boilers/
150,000 lb/hr natural gas-fired package boilers. The boilers are housed in a new boiler boiler systems
building that is adjacent to their existing power plant building. The new boilers began
operation in 2016. The new boilers have allowed the combined heat and power plant to
increase efficiency to more than 60%, and emissions have been reduced by more than 57% of engineers are currently specify-
ing boilers, domestic hot water systems; 23%
80%. All graphics courtesy: Burns & McDonnell
expect to specify these systems over the next
12 to 24 months. Source: Consulting-Specifying
and A106-B/C carbon steel for feedwater, fuel gas, Fuel supplies Engineer 2017 HVAC and Building Automation
and steam. The tubes within the boiler itself are Fuels in use today include natural Systems Study
selected by the boiler manufacturer but typically gas, No. 2 fuel oil, ultra-low sulfur
will be carbon steel of seamless construction.
Helical welded tubes are occasionally quoted as
diesel, and solid fuels including coal,
biomass, and other materials that
52% of firms have obtained design rev-
enue from boilers, domestic hot water systems
they are easier to fabricate. However, care must can be mixed with those base fuels. in the past year. Source: Consulting-Specifying
be taken with their use in environments where Deciding the fuel early in the design Engineer 2017 HVAC and Building Automation
liquid or biomass fuels are used since the sulfur, is important because the boiler sup- Systems Study
sodium, and chloride contents, when combust- plier will select the burner based on
ed, can damage tubes if left unchecked. Should a the selected fuel. In addition to the type of fuel,
superheater section be used or a compact boiler the quality of the fuel selected will affect burner
employed with a high heat-release rate, materi- selection, turndown, and output.
als can be upgraded with carbon-molybdenum If natural gas is supplied, the incoming pres-
or chromium-molybdenum (chrome-moly). A sure, temperature, and higher heating value will
typical chrome-moly used is P11, which contains need to be provided. If the gas is subject to vary-
~1.25% chromium. Drum materials are selected ing conditions, such as water entrainment, high
by operating conditions, but for package boilers sulfur content, or other constituent changes, this
under 250,000 lb/hour operation, it is common must be included in the fuels report to the boiler/
to see A516-70 carbon steel. burner supplier. It will assist with the selection

www.csemag.com Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 15

 Codes & Standards
Figure 2: A new central plant was designed and built for Parkland Hospital in Texas.
of a burner that meets the needs of the
boiler and the need for upstream equip-
ment including heaters, separators, and
pressure-control equipment.
Boiler efficiency
It is the responsibility of the engineer
and owner to define the desired efficiency
of the boiler. This is typically defined at
around 80% at minimum boiler operat-
ing conditions. Efficiency is measured
by how much heat is input to the boiler
to generate the target output divided by
the ideal heat input to convert the target
mass of water into steam (or hot water).
This is impacted by several factors that
the engineer should include in the boiler
specifications.
Primary factors that are often over-
looked are ambient conditions. Average
annual conditions are the common val-
ues provided, but to ensure operational
efficiency is met throughout the year, the
maximum and minimum ambient con-
ditions also need to be provided. These
include temperature, wet-bulb tempera-
ture, humidity, and any air-bound con-
taminants that would get pulled into an
air intake.
Contaminants can include debris from
harvesting of field crops, seeds from trees
16 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017
that float, excessive snow, or other solids
that could be carried by the wind. These
items, when known, can be accounted for
and filtered. Debris in the airstream can
plug filters and bearings or add fuel to the
burner that is not accounted for, which
would affect heat input. Some debris,
especially field crops, contain sodium
and other components that, when heated,
become sticky and can plug burners, stick
to tubes, create hot spots, plug gas paths,
and limit overall boiler capacity.
Water supply
Water supply quality has a large impact
on boiler performance. All boiler suppli-
ers require supply water that meets ASME
and/or American Boiler Manufacturers
Association (ABMA) boiler feedwater-
quality standards. These quality standards
are dependent, in part, upon the boiler-
outlet pressure and define the feedwater
conditions that the owner must supply to
meet the warranty requirements provided
by the boiler manufacturer.
The required boiler feedwater must also
be deaerated to remove excess oxygen and
noncondensable gases prior to admittance
into the boiler. This process requires the
use of low-pressure steam, commonly
referred to as pegging steam. If this
steam is being supplied by the boiler, then
the parasitic load needs to be accounted
for during design. The feedwater rate used
for design should be determined based on
the output of the boilerand the associated
the boiler blowdown rate, typically 5%
to 8% of the steam generated, plus the
growth margin determined during the
steam-consumption calculations.
Feedwater piping should be capable
of supplying the boiler with the maxi-
mum flow rate as well as excess margin
and minimal pressure loss. The outlet
of the deaerator should discharge to the
boiler feedwater pumps with as much
suction head as possible. The net posi-
tive suction head (NPSH) available to
the boiler feed pump should be maxi-
mized. This reduces the horsepower
requirements of the pumps. It also
provides a time buffer in the event of
a water supply failure at the deaerator
inlet and reduces the chance of oper-
ating the boiler feedwater pumps in a
low-NPSH condition, which can lead to
cavitation and impeller damage.
Boiler feedwater pumps should be
capable of supplying the boiler with
water at a pressure at least 3% higher
than that of the drum operating pressure.
An evaluation of the line routing from
the pump outlet to the drum inlet should
be performed and pressure losses calcu-
lated to determine the proper discharge
pressure. In the case of an existing sys-
tem, this is critical to determine if exist-
ing pumps can supply a new boiler in a
remote location where frictional losses
may be greater than expected.
Boiler specification
Boiler operation and design should be
determined prior to developing a pur-
chase specification. Design requirements
to keep in mind are boiler turndown,
control, and maintenance. These items
are typically known, but often are not
considered in the design or thought out to
the point where they are included in the
boilers provided options. Boiler turndown
is simply the ability to reduce the steam
output from the 100% design-output point
to a defined minimum value.
www.csemag.com
Figure 3: The photo shows a natural gas
pressure-reducing skid with a start-up
train and redundant operational trains at
Pennsylvania State University in State
College.

A base boiler is generally provided with

a 4:1 turndown, which means it will be
capable of stable operation at 25% of the
maximum load. Operation outside of this
range needs to be identified in the specifi-
cations with any known durations. Boiler
manufacturers will select burners and the
heating-surface area to attempt to accom-
modate reduced loads while meeting
emissions requirements. If this requested
turndown is difficult to obtain, a steam-
vent valve can be provided that will open
and release steam either to a flash tank
or to the atmosphere through a silencer.
Turndown also impacts the maximum
output, as owners occasionally request
higher-than-normal steam flows from
units. This is to be defined by the specifica-
tion with a known operational time limit. A
typical request is 110% of maximum load to
permit excess steam generation while start-
ing up another boiler. This is often limited
to 4 hours and will affect the burner, fuel gas
skid, steam line, tube, heat-release area, and
fan sizing. These items should be reviewed
at all load points to determine if the proper
conditions have been applied.
Figure 4: The photo at Pennsylvania State University in State College shows the shop fabri-
cation of both a condensate-polishing skid and a water-softening skid for boiler feedwater.
Controls mendations are to limit modifications.
Boiler control can be the responsibil- Any modifications will have notes/com-
ity of the manufacturer or the owner/ ments added to the logic diagrams from
engineer. The manufacturer will supply the manufacturer. An item that typically
controls that are compliant with ASME is contested is the time related to alarms
Section I and NFPA 85, but may not prior to a boiler trip. Manufacturers often
take into account operation of multiple include 6-second delays on these alarms.
boilers, master controls, or shutdown These delays are often adjusted by the
requirements that are unique to the site. owner to give additional time for opera-
A common request is for the manufac- tions to evaluate the alarm and determine
turer to supply its control logic and then if they can adjust other units to alleviate
have the owner/engineer provide com- the alarm condition. This is compliant
ments to the logic provided for approval with NFPA, but is not always preferred by
by the manufacturer. the manufacturer. These changes need to
Owner modifications may fall outside be evaluated by all parties to ensure com-
the normal practice of NFPA 85. Recom- pliance with warranty terms.

www.csemag.com Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 17

 Codes & Standards
Operations and maintenance
Maintenance is a critical design aspect
that seems to be reviewed late in the
design process. When boilers need repairs,
and they will at some point, accessibility
to the commonly touched components is
important. Scaffolding, human lifts, and
other temporary access can be provided,
but will add time and budget to any out-
age. Planning for common maintenance,
such as relief valve rebuilds, rear-wall
tube replacements, or steam (upper)
drum chevron inspection/replacement,
will reduce overall costs and improve
efficiency. These items can be expensive
during a capital installation project, but
over time will shorten outage durations,
which will offset the initial cost increases.
Another maintenance item not usu-
ally considered is access to the tubes on
the floor of the boiler firebox and back
gas path. Boilers are typically installed on
a slab or small pedestal at each support
beam. This does not allow for access below
the boiler. When tubes leak within the
boiler, the steam will blow either into the
gas stream or onto adjacent tubes. When
a boiler is shut down, these leaks can pool
on the floor. The pooled liquid either sits
and corrodes the tubes or flashes to steam
during start-up. Both conditions can cause
damage to the surface of the tube, which
leads to additional leaks.
When repairs are needed, there is not
access to the bottom side of the tube for
welding, resulting in more tubes need-
ing replacement to access all sides of the
tube. To facilitate the repairs, the boiler
pedestals can be heightened to allow 4 ft
of clearance below the lowest tube. This
will increase the height of pedestals and
adjust the stack inlet point. Identifying
this requirement in the specifications
will allow the manufacturer to provide
components and support steel designed
for this access.
Boiler codes and design standards
provide the basic guidelines for boiler
application, design, construction, and
operations. These codes are intended to
guide engineers in their tasks to meet
the clients needs while providing for
a safe, efficient, reliable installation.
While these codes and standards pro-
vide background for the basic boiler
requirements, experience with and
understanding of them is crucial for
their proper application.
David Goetz is a senior project man-
ager and Sam Huff is a senior mechani-
cal engineer at Burns & McDonnell.
Goetz has been involved in the design,
construction, and start-up of campus
central-plant and distribution projects
including numerous boiler-replacement
and -installation projects over the past 25
years. Huff s experience involves design,
construction, and start-up of utility proj-
ects including extensive experience with
boilers, steam turbines, and pipe-stress
analysis for utility systems.

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input #11 at www.csemag.com/information

 Best practices for building
integration and interoperability
Many benefits to building integration include efficiency
and reduced maintenance, when best practices are followed during
the design process.

BY TERRY FLOCK, PE; DOUG SHOWERS, PE; and

JEREMY LANG, CCNA-I; Affiliated Engineers Inc., Madison, Wis.

Learning
objectives
 Understand the basics of
building system integration.
 Learn about the drivers
behind designing integrated
systems, such as system
performance.
 Assess examples of inte-
grating building systems.
T
oday, it seems that almost any
daily task can be done with
the click of a mouse or swipe
of a finger. This convenience
has led to some assump-
tions that a modern building automa-
tion system (BAS) will be able to deliver
this same functionality. With sufficient
upfront thought and planning, system
functionality of unprecedented versatility
and impact is possible using integration
and interoperability. Projects must be
designed with an understanding of how
different systems can work together and
what is possible to provide the features
that the user and owner are expecting.
However, the user and the owner must
first be made aware of the opportunities
to gain additional functionality for little
to no added cost.
Defining interoperability
and integration
From a controls perspective, interoper-
ability is the ability of different systems to
communicate using a common communi-
cation protocol. For building automation
systems, interoperability typically involves
BACnet, Modbus, and local operating
networks (LonWorks) communication
protocols, which allow different manufac-
turers equipment a way to communicate
and share data. Traditional analog and
digital hardwired signals are still used for
simple interoperable interfaces including
permissives and safety locks. Permissives
are several process conditions that must
be met before a piece of equipment is
allowed to start.
In the building controls world, inte-
gration is the process of connecting
multiple systems that control or monitor
separate equipment by using interoper-
able parts to provide a single functioning
system. Systems may be interoperable,
but integration is required to make them
function together.
Why do we integrate?
A building consists of a combination
of many different systems and equipment
that are built by different manufacturers
and installed/commissioned by different
contractors. An integrated building pro-
vides visibility in several ways: visibility
of data analysis tools, visibility of build-
ing status to operations, and visibility of
performance to building owners. When
and how to coordinate the integration is
a key consideration. Coordination can
begin during schematic design, especially
if the project is structured as design-build
or design-assist, by leveraging the pres-
ence of the construction team. This allows

20 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 www.csemag.com


contractors and construction managers to
start understanding the level of systems
involved. Understanding the payback on
an investment of integrating many sys-
tems is multifaceted and complicated.
Cabling costs, system-integration labor,
design labor, and distributors are all
things to consider as added costs. The
key question concerns how quickly those
costs can be offset and whether that is
measurable. According to the Continental
Automated Building Association, a cable-
reduction savings of 56% can be realized
by integrating systems and sharing cable
and pathways.
Energy efficiency and system perfor-
mance are important reasons to integrate
systems. Electricity, natural gas, hot water,
chilled water, and steam are common util-
ities in a building. For energy purposes,
real-time energy demand and consump-
tion can be trended and exported for
analysis to find opportunities to improve
system performance. Natural gas and
electricity are usually metered by the util-
ity provider at a building entry point for
billing purposes, but for many buildings,
these meters are not integrated despite
the low costeven no costof doing so.
If energy efficiency and conservation are
the main goals, then an integrated design
can easily accommodate the addition of
www.csemag.com
Figure 2: The rewards for
integration and interoper-
ability are high and provide
a means to increase
efficiency, comfort,
and reliability, and to
reduce maintenance
for the life of a building.
What once was optional
is becoming standard
practice.
pulse output signals from the
natural gas and electrical meter.
Most electrical meters come standard with
Modbus remote terminal unit (RTU) or
Modbus transmission control protocol/
internet protocol (TCP/IP) communica-
tions for additional integration opportuni-
ties that provide a more granular under-
standing of energy consumption and
demand. The information garnered from
such an interface ranges from power usage
and quality to system health. Chilled-
water and hot-water systems are typically
designed with temperature and flow mea-
surements that can easily be upgraded to
an energy-consumption meter.
Integration can save energy through
increased system performance. When
packaged air handling units (AHUs) can
Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017
Figure 1: The owners goal for
this office building was to create
an exceptional occupancy experi-
ence using minimal resources.
One reason for integrating sys-
tems was the need for energy
reports and long-term storage of
performance data. All graphics
courtesy: Affiliated Engineers Inc.
communicate with air terminal
devices, opportunities are avail-
able to reset AHU discharge
temperature and pres-
sure based on actual
conditions. If lighting
and HVAC occupancy times are
automatically coordinated, energy
savings are maximized. Integrating occu-
pancy signals from the access-control
system provides additional advanced
opportunities for the BAS to determine
the actual occupancy of the building and
update ventilation setpoints and lighting
levels based on this information.
Another important reason to integrate
is maintenance. Many maintenance per-
sonnel are expected to retire within the
next 5 years. The facility manager for a
Midwestern health care client recently
determined 54% of their maintenance
staff is expected to retire in the next 5
years. Staff counts are decreasing, yet the
complexity in systems is increasing, usu-
ally to meet energy goals. If these advanced
mechanical systems cannot be maintained,
21
 Building integration and interoperability
they will in some cases decrease system
efficiency. For example, a heat-recovery
system operating with a faulty tempera-
ture sensor may be running when it is not
advantageous to save energy, resulting in
wasting pumping energy, which adds to
operational costs. This gap can be filled
using technology and running reports to
verify system health. Islanded subsystems,
or systems installed without any connec-
tion to the overall network, make main-
taining systems very difficult and will
impact building performance for the life
of the systems.
Another example of increasing staff
efficiency is integrating the building
automation system with a computer-
ized maintenance management system
(CMMS). This gives the maintenance staff
the added efficiency of automatically gen-
erating work orders.
Increased occupant comfort is a
byproduct of integration. System data
thats introduced into the building net-
work can be analyzed and alarmed by
the BAS or interfaced with third-party
fault-detection and diagnostics applica-
tions. Having all the data in one historical
database is a crucial tool for troubleshoot-
ing. Visibility of systems helps
increase overall reliability
and resiliency by exposing
data that can be used to adjust
parameters, calibration, and
maintenance schedules. Equip-
ment status and operational
deviations allow for proactive
maintenance instead of emergency
reactions.
The phases of a
successful integration
Standards focusing on interoperabil-
ity exist (like BACnet), yet guiding stan-
dards focusing on building-integration
best practices are limited. It is often left
up to the controls contractor or system
integrator to provide their off-the-shelf
solution. In this article, we are going to
refer to controls contractors that integrate
multiple systems as systems integra-
tors because of the added expectations
of integration. Most system integrators
22 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017
and controls contractors have their own
equipment or controllers for similar
applications. A typical controls contractor
is not necessarily concerned about whether
the integration is successful or not, where
a system integrator is concerned. This is
where it is important to understand what
system is being provided and what limita-
tions may be present. For example, some
controls contractors lock points available
to BACnet if not specified to be exposed.
Additional integration challenges include
the constant evolution of software and
hardware, low-bid integrator selection, time
constraints, training, legacy systems, and
poorly defined requirements.
Owner and user requirements: The first
steps of a successful integration project
are obtaining a clear understanding of the
owners and design teams expectations
and requirements, then consulting with
the owner and design team on what is pos-
sible. Almost all equipment today comes
standard with a BACnet, Modbus, or Lon-
Works interface. Some owners have strong
opinions and detailed expectations for
integration while others only have general
Figure 3: Integration is connecting mul-
tiple systems that control or monitor
separate pieces of equipment by using
interoperable parts to provide one func-
tioning system. Integration is required
to make interoperable systems function
together.
requirements. Typical clarification ques-
tions should include:
n What level of integration is desired
(e.g., mechanical systems, specialty
systems, metering, lighting, load
shedding, smoke control, shades,
security, etc.)?
n Is there a desire to only monitor
specific points versus control and
monitor?
n Is the owner happy with their
existing building controls?
n Is the owner looking for an
open system?
n Will maintenance and operations be
contracted out or performed
by internal staff?
The designer should indicate to the
owner integration opportunities that can
provide the most initial value (e.g., inte-
grating the lighting control system into
the BAS) and those that are possible at
little to no cost (e.g., chillers, boilers, vari-
able frequency drives, etc.). Regardless of
whether a given system will be integrated
during the initial installation, the design
engineer should plan for these systems
and provide all prerequisites in the initial
design. For example, the net-
work infrastructure should
be sufficient to support
future integrations, wall
space should be reserved if
additional control panels are
required, and communication
protocols should be reviewed.
One way to prioritize goals is
through an ideation session with all
stakeholders. An ideation session, or
workshop, is a forum to spotlight and prior-
itize goals and objectives. Participants from
all user groups should be included. From
meetings with the owner and design team,
an overall system architecture can be cre-
ated that defines and identifies the system
to be integrated as well as communication
protocols, network hardware, controllers,
workstations, servers, and software to be
used. Figure 5 is an image of a typical sys-
tem architecture that would be developed
during design. Other key tools used in
the design of an interoperable integrated
www.csemag.com
system include instrumented flow dia-
grams, points lists, sequences, and speci-
fications.
Routing data: Coordination that must
occur with the information technology (IT)
network is one of the most important parts
of integration today. Designers responsible
for integration must understand capabili-
ties of IT systems and have a good working
relationship with the IT design engineer to
coordinate the distribution of data from the
edge, or end, device up the corporate value
chain. Its nearly impossible for an engineer
focusing on integration to have an exhaus-
tive knowledge of all pertinent data sources
and volume. For instance, fiber-optic cable
alone has several parameters that must be
specified per the application. An IT engi-
neer will know best how to specify the fiber
parameters, such as glass/transmission type,
strand count, construction (e.g., armored
loose tube), rating, connectors, and termi-
nation type.
An integrated and interoperable build-
ing needs to share network resources. This
makes sense as a way to leverage the IT
infrastructure to serve multiple systems,
allowing owners to maximize investments.
Most platforms todaysuch as a lighting
system, fire alarm system, or clock sys-
temuse the bottom three layers of the
open systems interconnection (OSI) model,
allowing the IT infrastructure to transfer
data. Todays network switches are capable
of handling the volume and speed required
to successfully transfer data packets from
several systems. But what happens in the
unlikely event of congestion? For years
now, switches have had the ability to apply
data prioritization to packets using quality
of service and policing techniques. This
allows more critical safety-related data to
take precedence over standard data, such
as HVAC information. Systems that were
once separated with physical local area
networks, known as LANs, can now be
virtually separated using virtual local area
networks, aka VLANs. This Layer 2 isola-
tion method not only provides congestion
mitigation, it also adds a simple level of
security to the network.
Routing data is the key to integration.
Routing allows for devices on different
www.csemag.com
Figure 4: The payback on an investment of integrating many systems is multifaceted
and complicated. A key concern is how quickly additional costs can be offset and
whether the savings is measurable.
networks to come together in one specific
place. For example, a lighting control sys-
tem can pass occupancy information onto
the same database as the BAS. Running data
analytics rules becomes a whole lot easier
when data is in one place. In a typical build-
ing application, the owner provides the net-
work that is used by the many systems. As
the volume of systems needing visibility
increases, so does the importance of coordi-
nating the navigation of data packets. What
was once a coordination effort between IT
and the system integrator must now be real-
ized at the design level. One reason for this
is security. Network switches are becom-
ing more mindful of intrusions, making it
far more difficult to just plug in another
controller at the nearest port. Switch inter-
faces are more routinely configured to dis-
able a port, or even neighboring ports, if
an unknown media access control address
(MAC) address attempts to communicate.
This can be detrimental if a neighbor port
is managing prioritized information, such
as a fire alarm system.
Coordination: Working with the
mechanical, electrical, and piping engineer
is another critical design activity needed to
achieve an interoperable integrated build-
ing. From this effort, systems are defined
by creating instrumented flow diagrams
for mechanical and piping systems. An
instrumented flow diagram is a schemat-
ic representation of a system, such as a
heating hot-water system or AHU, which
includes equipment, general piping con-
figuration, control valves, control dampers,
Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017
instrumentation, and input/output points,
allowing individuals to quickly understand
the systems configuration.
An instrumented flow diagram can be
considered a simplified piping and instru-
mentation diagram (P&ID) for those famil-
iar with the process industry. The instru-
mented flow diagram provides the design
team with an effective tool to convey design
intent to contractors and is more effective
than using only mechanical floor plans. An
instrumented flow diagram illustrates hard-
wired connections to individual instrumen-
tation points as well as networked interface
connections. It does not, however, describe
the points within a networked interface
connection. Instrumented flow diagrams
are typically used as the basis for develop-
ing control sequences and points lists. Using
a standardized tagging and point-naming
convention for equipment on the instru-
mented flow diagram is a best practice to
allow use of relational data. This allows
users to easily find and analyze points, and
new equipment or changes can quickly be
incorporated into the systems.
If the intent is to use a data-analytics
package, the standardized tagging becomes
essential. Typically, the electrical systems
integration (e.g., lighting and power moni-
toring) shows up on the system architec-
ture and points list only and references the
electrical drawings and specifications for
more detail.
Points lists: After the instrumented
flow diagrams are created, a points lists
should be developed as early as possible.
23
 Building integration and interoperability
The points list is a table that describes
every input and output point, both
hardwired and those points acquired via
a network/communications connection.
This document can include alarm values,
analog scaling (if known), point function,
and in some cases, clarification notes.
Most network/communications connec-
tions between a piece of equipment and
a controller contain tens, maybe hun-
dreds, of input/output points. Many of
those points are not required for control
function and data analysis. The points list
only contains the points that the designer
feels are necessary. The points list should
be discussed with the owner and design
team so desired points can be identified.
Projects using best practices
for integration and interoperability
An allowance for additional points can
be made to ensure any points found to
be necessary during commissioning and
start-up can be added. Too often, this is
not discussed during the design phase, and
the system integrator has to decide which
points to bring forward. Many times, they
will just map all points that are available
so nothing is missed. This ensures all
the points the user actually wants will be
included, but also adds a significant num-
ber of unnecessary points, potentially in
the hundreds. This is compounded if it is
done for several devices. Electric meters
and variable frequency drives (VFDs) are
good examples of this. Both have a large
number of points and parameters avail-
able, and usually substantial numbers of
these are within a building.
Sequences: Mechanical and piping
engineers develop control sequences for
their systems to describe how each system
operates. The sequences typically focus on
operation functionality. The design engi-
neer must understand how all systems
within the building are intended to oper-
ate, as well as their interaction with other
systems, for integration to be leveraged.
Typically, sequences need to be expanded
with a focus on integration to include such
items as data storage, reports, fault detec-
tion and diagnostics, alarming, schedul-
ing, metering, lighting control, load shed-
ding, shade control, and security.
For example, if the power meters do
not integrate into the BAS, the opportu-
nity to implement load shedding is lost
along with the ability to peak shave and
reduce utility bills. ASHRAE Guideline

A
brownfield high-rise office building in a midsize Midwestern city went through the design 36: The Next Generation Control System
practices described in the article. The owners goals for the project were to create an is being created to publish best-of-class
exceptional occupancy experience using minimal resources. The owner had a strong desire control sequences. To take advantage of
to make the building equally innovative, sustainable, and intelligent. An ideation session was held the sequences, in many cases a coordi-
with the design team and owner to identify integration opportunities and ultimately define the level of nated system architecture, a points list, and
integration desired. Not all the integration ideas were incorporated into the design. The design of the equipment specifications will be required
core infrastructure accounted for future integration goals while the initial build-out included electric for proper implementation.
power demand and consumption integrationas well as hot-water and chilled-water energy rate and Specifications: While creating inte-
consumption. Other systems, such as low-temperature condensing boilers, magnetic bearing chillers, gration specifications, the design engi-
and an emergency generator, were integrated neer should ask and understand why
One reason for integrating with the building automation system (BAS). the systems are being integrated. Once
the intended purpose of the integration
these systems was the need for The lighting system was integrated with the
automated shade controls and with the HVAC is understood, the design engineer must
energy reports and long-term system for occupancy control. One reason determine what can be accomplished. Is
storage of performance data. for integrating these systems was the need the goal to read and store data for trend-
for energy reports and long-term storage of ing and analysis only? Or is the goal also
performance data. Points to be trended were defined with a sample interval taken every 15 minutes and to include control of the equipment via
automated reports running every hour. Data and reports were specified to be saved for a minimum of 36
communication link? This scope must
be clearly specified and conveyed to the
months. In addition, the data within the reports will be broken down and grouped into several different
system integrator along with equipment
categories, based on the types of loads they serve within the building.
providers or other system providers.
The Bay Area Medical Center project in Marinette, Wis., is a greenfield hospital and medical office
The design engineer also must deter-
building designed to support emerging practices and technologies and provide the best state-of-the-art
mine the best way to integrate two given
care. Because budgets were limited, efforts were made to contain installation costs while still looking
systems. For example, automatic transfer
for building-intelligence opportunities supporting long-term staffing challenges and system health.
switches (ATSs) often must be monitored
Long-term data storage was presented and accepted as a low-cost solution but required an integration by the BAS to determine when the build-
effort to accumulate data from several systems. Integrated systems included a BAS connection to the ing has switched from normal to emer-
lighting control system for occupancy and lighting control. In addition, the BAS was integrated into the gency power. The design engineer must
medical-gas alarm system for reporting and long-term tracking. Finally, the switchgear was specified decide whether this should be done via
to include a BACnet master slave token passing (MS/TP) translator for interfacing into the BAS for hardwire interlocks or through a commu-
electrical distribution status. nication interface. This is an example of an

24 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 www.csemag.com

Figure 5: An ideation session with the owner, participants from all user groups, and the design team helps to establish an overall
architecture that defines and identifies the systems to be integrated as well as communication protocols, network hardware, con-
trollers, workstation, servers, and software to be used. A system architecture diagram is a key tool in the design of interoperable
integrated systems.

instance when the reliability of the differ-
ent options must be thoroughly examined.
If the interlocks are through a communi-
cation interface, the power source to the
controller monitoring the status of the
ATSs must be considered. Examples of
questions that could be asked during the
design phase are:
 What happens if/when it loses
power?
 What happens if other controllers/
devices on the same communication
bus lose power and stop communi-
cating?
 How compatible are the two
systems?
 Are there any limitations to
what can be done?
A properly edited set of specifications
is required for this. Specifying integra-
tion includes editing the controls and
communications portion of equipment
specifications (e.g., primary cooling
equipment, primary heating equipment,
packaged AHUs, VFDs, water heaters,
electrical power monitoring, ATSs, and
lighting). Other items to include are hard-
wired signals and joint commissioning
and start-up with the controls contractor.
Specifying the scope for both the equip-
ment supplier and control contractor is
very important; otherwise, start-up assis-
tance may not be included. The integra-
tion will not be successful if both parties
are not responsible for making the inte-
gration work. This includes items in the
points list, as well as specifying who is
responsible for providing the integration
equipment.
Typically, having the equipment sup-
plier provide the communication interface
is preferable. It is becoming very common
for original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) to offer a communication inter-
face for several protocols, such as BAC-
net, Modbus, or LonWorks. Best practices
involve eliminating third-party translators
and selecting devices already with open
interoperable protocols.
Life safety integration: Many controls
contractors offer the capability to provide
UL 864 controllers, which allows integrat-
ing smoke-control systems into the build-
ing automation system, thus eliminating the
need for both the fire alarm system and the
BAS to control smoke-control equipment.
When integrating equipment dedicated
for smoke control, all components of the
smoke-control system must be UL 864-list-
ed. Careful consideration should be given to
this before proceeding. It is recommended
that the owner and design team conduct
an evaluation of pros and cons and discuss
this with the local authority having jurisdic-
tion before proceeding with the integration.
Advantages include reducing cost, saving
space by sharing equipment, and increas-
ing flexibility. Disadvantages include lack of
contractor and user familiarity, additional
operational testing, and BAS upgrades

www.csemag.com Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 25

Building integration and interoperability
that may require recommissioning of the
smoke-control system.
Construction: The final phase of integra-
tion, construction is the most critical. This
starts with selecting systems integrators to
bid on the work. Integration work is highly
dependent on the skills and training of the
staff implementing the solutions. Selecting
a contractor with a proven history is crucial.
Reviewing submittals to make sure the pro-
tocols and features specified are provided is
just as important, including those for pack-
aged equipment, such as AHUs, chillers,
and boilers. If equipment shows up onsite
without the proper communications and
configuration, delays may result and fea-
tures may not be implemented.
Allowing time for and scheduling joint
start-up and commissioning of integrated
systems must be completed for the inte-
gration to be successful. Integrated sys-
tems must be thoroughly tested to prove
functionality. Adjustment and operational
modifications to the systems should be
input #12 at www.csemag.com/information
expected once systems are operational.
Pretesting programming code and simu-
lating sequences are also highly recom-
mended and can highlight problem areas
in advance of start-up.
Sometimes, it may be necessary for the
controls contractor or system integrator
to provide temporary Ethernet switches
to commission the system if the IT infra-
structure is not ready. Specifications
should address this so final commission-
ing is completed with the permanent IT
infrastructure.
Many integrated buildings go through a
phased integration approach. During the
construction of a new building, there are
typically time constraints on contractors
to get the building systems operating so
the facility can be occupied. A layered
integration approach works well in these
instances. After the base-system function-
ally is proven and commissioned, person-
nel can be trained and become familiar
with their new facility. Additional layers
of integration can then be added and
commissioned as facility personnel
become comfortable with how the sys-
tems are operating.
Integrating systems into a BAS requires
experience in many areas to orchestrate and
fully leverage its many facets. The benefits
of integration are high and provide a means
to increased efficiency, comfort, reliability,
and a reduction of maintenance for the
life of the building. Building evolution
continues to push the boundaries of inte-
grated systems to the next level, and own-
ers expectations continue to grow. What
once was an option is becoming a standard
practice.
Terry Flock is an instrumentation and
controls project manager with Affiliated
Engineers Inc. Doug Showers is an instru-
mentation and controls project engineer
with Affiliated Engineers Inc. Jeremy Lang
is an instrumentation and controls project
designer with Affiliated Engineers Inc.
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input #13 at www.csemag.com/information
 How to perform
a pipe stress analysis
Understanding the various types of pipe stresses, the process, and best
practices are necessary to perform effective pipe stress analyses.

BY MONTE ENGELKEMIER, PE, PMP, Cargill, Wayzata, Minn.

P
Learning
objectives
 Define and evaluate the
pipe stress analysis process.
 Understand pipe stress
analysis.
 Learn how to model a pip-
ing system and pressure
design basics.
ipe stress analysis is an analyti-
cal method to determine how
a piping system behaves based
on its material, pressure, tem-
perature, fluid, and support.
Pipe stress analysis is not an accurate
depiction of the piping behavior, but it
is a good approximation.
The analytical method can be by
inspection, simple to complex hand
calculations, or a computer model. The
computer models can vary from 1-D
beam elements to complex, finite ele-
ment models. For instance, if it is a water
system with no outside forces applied to
the piping system, inspection or hand
calculations are usually sufficient. If it
is a high-pressure, high-temperature,
hazardous-fluids system, and/or large
outside forces are applied to the piping
system, a computer-aided model may be
required.
Understanding pipe stress analy-
sis software does not make for a solid
foundation of pipe stress analysis. Its
important to understand the various
types of pipe stresses, the process, and
other items related to pipe stress analysis
for best practices in performing a pipe
stress analysis.
There are many piping codes and
standards that could be used during a
pipe stress analysis depending on the
application (power, process chemical,
gas distribution) and location (country
or local jurisdiction). However, to keep
things simple, this discussion is based on
American Society of Mechanical Engi-
neers (ASME) B31.1 Power Piping. The
physics of pipe stress analysis does not
change with piping code.
Pipe stress analysis should be done
primarily to provide safety to the public,
whether the design is for a building heat-
ing system or a high-pressure gas line in a
refinery. Public safety is paramount. The
National Society of Professional Engi-
neers (NSPE) Code of Ethics first canon
is: Hold paramount the safety, health,
and welfare of the public.
On a good day, a pipe failure is only a
broken support that the owner does not
call the designer/engineer about. On a
bad day, the owner requires the designer/
engineer to pay for the damage and the
engineer to provide a solution for free.
On a horrible day, someone is killed.
Another reason a pipe stress analysis is
performed is to increase the life of piping.
Most engineers wont consider a piece of
pipe to be equipment, but it is no dif-
ferent than a pump. Both have moving
parts and must be designed and main-
tained properly to ensure a proper life.
Pipe stress analysis also is used to pro-
tect equipment, because a pipe is nothing
more than a big lever arm connected to a
delicate piece of equipment. If not prop-
erly supported and designed, it can have
devastating effects on that equipment.

28 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 www.csemag.com

Figure 1: In this lateral restraint on a hot
reheat steam system pipe, the bottom-
left inset shows a 3-D piping model. The
top-right inset is of a 3-D pipe stress
analysis model. All graphics courtesy:
Stanley Consultants
There are several common reasons that
could warrant a pipe stress analysis, in
addition to those above. They include:
n Elevated temperatures (>250F).
n Pressure mandated (300 psig).
n Sensitive equipment connections.
n Large D/t ratio (>50).
n Piping subject to external pressures.
n Critical services.
The key when performing a pipe stress
analysis is determining the required level
of detail.
How to model the piping system
Pipe stress analysis computer models are
a series of 3-D beam elements that create a
depiction of the piping geometry. Three-
dimensional beam elements are the most
efficient way to model the piping system,
but not necessarily the most accurate; and
without complex finite element models, it
is nearly impossible to account for every-
thing. However, it is known from historical
empirical testing that these methods and
3-D beam computer models demonstrate
enough behavior that they are a good
approximation.
In addition, piping codes, such as ASME
B31, have safety margins that allow for
approximation. That being said, there are
some pitfalls with modeling piping systems
that one should avoid:
n The computer models are only as
good as the information entered into
them. It is important when develop-
ing a pipe stress analysis, as with any
finite element analysis (FEA) model,
to also understand the physics and
boundary conditions of the model.
n Elements used to model the piping
system have their limitations. One-
dimensional beam elements are great
for straight pieces of piping, but not
www.csemag.com
so good with pipe fittings (elbows,
tees, reducers, etc.). Therefore, ASME
has developed stress-intensification
factors (SIFs) for piping fittings
through empirical testing. They allow
for greater approximation without
using complex FEA models with
shells, plates, and brick elements.
It is important to make sure these limi-
tations are considered when developing a
pipe stress analysis. Most pipe stress anal-
yses do not perform like a high-powered
FEA software package.
Three-dimensional beam element
The 3-D beam element behaviors
are dominated by bending moments.
As mentioned above, it is efficient for
most analyses and sufficient for system
analysis. However, there are downsides
to using a 3-D beam element:
n No localized effects will be seen
on the pipe wall.
n No second-order effects.
n No large rotation.
n No accounting for a large
shear load.
- Wall deflection occurs before
bending failure.
- Short, fat cantilever versus
long and skinny.
n No shell/wall effects can be seen.
Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017
The main types of piping stresses
There are five primary piping stresses
that can cause failure in a piping system:
hoop stress, axial stress, bending stress,
torsional stress, and fatigue stress.
Hoop stress is the result of pressure
being applied to the pipe either inter-
nally or externally. Because pressure
is uniformly applied to the piping sys-
tem, hoop stress also is considered to
be uniform over a given length of pipe.
Note that hoop stress will change with
diameter and wall thickness throughout
the piping system. Hoop stress is most
commonly represented by the following
formula:
shoop = P .Do
4 .tw
(cylinder with closed ends)
Axial stress results from the restrained
axial growth of the pipe. Axial growth
is caused by thermal expansion, pres-
sure expansion, and applied forces. If a
pipe run can grow freely in one direction,
there is no axial presentat least in theory.
When comparing axial growth caused by
pressure, steel-pipe growth is minimal at
over 100 ft and can be ignored. Compos-
ite piping such as fiber reinforced pipe
(FRP) or plastic pipe will exhibit notice-
able growth, as much as 2 to 3 in. over
100 ft under the right conditions (200 to
29
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input #27 at www.csemag.com/information

Performing pipe stress analysis
300 psi). The primary reason for the dif-
ference in growth rates under pressure is
related to the modulus of elasticity. Steel
has a modulus of elasticity of approxi-
mately 30 x 106 psi, whereas composites
will be 2 to 3 orders of magnitude or less.
Axial stress is represented by the axial
force over the pipes cross-sectional area:
axial = FA
AC
Bending stress is the stress caused by
body forces being applied to the piping.
Body forces are the pipe and medium
weight, concentrated masses (valves,
flanges), occasional forces (seismic,
wind, thrust loads), and forced displace-
ments caused by growth from adjacent
piping and equipment connections. Body
forces create a resultant moment about
the pipe, for which the stress can be rep-
resented by the moment divided by the
section modulus:
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chemical emissions into indoor air during usage.
b = M
Z rotating equipment.
Torsional stress is the resultant stress
caused by the rotational moment around
the pipe axis and is caused by body forces.
However, because a piping system most
likely will fail in bending before torsion,
most piping codes ignore the effects of
torsion.
Fatigue stress is created by continu-
ous cycling of the stresses that are pres-
ent in the piping. For example, turning a
water faucet on and off all day will create
a fatigue stress, albeit low, because of the
pressure being released and then built up.
In power-cycle applications, the cycling
of a steam turbine from low to high pres-
sure/temperature creates a fatigue stress.
Fatigue stress results in a reduction of
allowable strength in the piping system
and is commonly caused by cycling of:
Pressure.
Temperature.
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Vibration, flow induced or cause by
Occasional loads (a gentle breeze
caused the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
in Washington State to collapse
from fatigue).
Allowable code stresses
Piping codes, such as those published by
ASME, provide an allowable code stress,
which is the maximum stress a piping sys-
tem can withstand before code failure. A
code failure is not necessarily a piping fail-
ure. This is because of safety factors built
into piping codes. ASME codes consider
three distinct types of stress: sustained
stress, displacement (thermal or expan-
sion) stress, and occasional stress.
Sustained or longitudinal stress is
developed by imposing loads necessary
to satisfy the laws of equilibrium between
external and internal forces. Sustained
stresses are not self-limiting. If the sus-
tained stress exceeds the yield strength
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 of the piping material through the entire
thickness, the prevention of failure is
dependent on the strain-hardening prop-
erties of the material.
Displacement stress is developed by
the self-constraint of the piping structure.
It must satisfy an imposed strain pattern
rather than being in equilibrium with an
external load. Displacement stresses are
most often associated with the effects of
temperature; however, external displace-
ments, such as building settlements, are
considered a displacement stress.
Occasional stress is The sum of longitu-
dinal stresses produced by internal pressure,
live and dead loads, and those produced by
occasional loads, according to ASME B31.1,
paragraph 102.3.3(A). Occasional stresses
can exceed the allowable code stress by a
given percentage depending on frequency
and duration of the load; for ASME pip-
ing codes, this is typically 15% or 20%. For
example, wind loads can only exceed the
allowable code stress by 15% due to their fre-
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quency, but seismic loads can exceed by 20% ASME codes apply a safety factor of
due to the relative infrequency of the loads. two when determining wall thickness
based on hoop stress, yielding:
Pressure design basics
As a pipe stress analyst, it is critical to SH = PDo (simplified)
understand how wall thickness is deter-
mined. If the pipe wall is too thin, it will not 2t n
matter how the pipe is supported; it will fail. The safety factor is to account for the
Typically, the engineer designing the sys- additional stresses caused by bending
tem also will determine the wall thickness; and axial stresses to be applied later.
however, the wall thickness is also verified Through basic algebraic manipulation,
during the pipe stress analysis. Most engi- the code equation for wall thickness is:
neers are more concerned with mass flow
and pressure drop, therefore the effects of tm = PDo + A (simplified)
pipe size and wall thickness may be lost
on them. Going to a thicker pipe wall or a 2S H
larger pipe size may be worth the material
costs, versus facing design issues and added
pipe-support costs in labor and materials. tm = PDi + 2SH A (actual)
Hoop stress (simplified) is
2(SH - P)
PDo
A is the additional thickness added
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 Performing pipe stress analysis
during normal operation. The value of
A is left up to the designer by ASME.
However, most people consider 0.0625
in. to be an acceptable value.
The minimum will thickness (actual)
shown above is based on the internal
diameter (ID) of the piping. The main
difference in the two wall thickness
equations is the simplified version is
more conservative, quicker, and easier
to calculate for scheduled pipe. The
actual version is closer to the measured
hoop stress. Most stress analysis pro-
grams default to calculating hoop stress
based ID.
Lastly, ASME codes require that min-
imum thickness account for the 12.5%
mill tolerance:
tn > tmin = tm
0.875
(nominal wall thickness must be greater
than minimum wall thickness).
input #16 at www.csemag.com/information
Please note that when factoring in the
12.5% mill tolerance, multiplying by 1.125
is not the same as dividing by 0.875.
Sustained stresses
For someone who is new to pipe stress
analysisthere is no reason sustained
stresses in the pipe should be greater
than 55% of the standard allowable stress.
There are a couple of reasons why. First,
recommended pipe support spans are
governed by deflection, and not by allow-
able stress, to ensure proper flow and
drainage. The second is from the discus-
sion above, the wall thickness is based on
a safety factor of two, which is removed
from the sustained-stress equation.
Manufacturers Standardization Society
(MSS) SP-58: Pipe Hangers and Supports
Materials, Design, Manufacture, Selection,
Application, and Installation recommends
support spans to be based on deflection
criteria of approximately 0.125 in. or less
between supports. The deflection criteria
assume a simply supported beam. However,
a supported piping system is a continuously
supported beam that reduces reaction and
moments at each support, further reduc-
ing the deflection between supports. This
negates the bending moments between
supports and reduces the bending moment
term of sustained stress.
Below is the sustained equation from
ASME B31.1:
SL = PDo + 0.75iMDW < 1.0Sh .
4t n Z
The simplified hoop-stress term is in
the equation above, is based on minimum
wall thickness, and is approximately at
50% of allowable stress, based on the wall
thickness safety factor. However, in the
equation above, hoop stress is based on
nominal wall thickness, which is at least
1/0.875 times greater than minimum wall
thickness. Conversely, if hoop stress as a
function of minimum wall thickness is
 50% of allowable code stress, then hoop
stress as a function of nominal wall thick-
ness is 50% x 0.875 = 43.75%.
As mentioned above, the sustained-
stress equation is based on nominal wall
thickness, with extra wall thickness for
milling and corrosion. Because there is
extra wall thickness, the pipe has extra
strength available to resist deflection.
Furthermore, to achieve pipe failure from
deflection, the supported pipe spans would
be at least three to four times greater in
length than the recommended MSS SP-58
spans. The moment due to dead weight
contributes approximately 10% code stress
to the equation above when using MSS
SP-58 recommended pipe-support spans.
Looking back at the sustained-stress
equation above, if you assume 10% code
stress from the deadweight moments
and 44% code stress from hoop stress,
the sustained stress should be approxi-
mately 54% or less. If this is not the case,
there are usually excessive deflections at
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a bend and/or concentrated mass in the
piping, creating a higher-than-expected
bending moment from an unbalanced
system (see Table 1).
Standard span guidelines
Below are some general thoughts on
standard pipe spans to consider:
Fluid has a greater impact as the
pipe size becomes larger. Water
weight is more than pipe weight for
12 in. nominal pipe size (NPS) for
standard wall thickness (STD), or
greater.
When concentrated loads, such as
flanges, valves, and piping specialties,
are present between pipe supports,
the recommended span should be
reduced to account for them.
A pipe support should be placed
within one-third the recommended
span of a rotating equipment con-
nection to minimize vertical load
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and moments at connection. In most
cases, this support should be a vari-
able spring to help with adjustment
and reduce translation vibration.
When piping changes horizontal
direction, the recommended span
between pipe supports shall be
reduced by 25%.
Displacement stresses
In most cases, if displacement or expan-
sion stresses are perceived to be a concern
(e.g., elevated temperatures), then a com-
puterized pipe stress analysis is required.
If a computerized analysis is performed,
displacement stresses should be kept at
80% to 90% of what the code allows.
Typically, this recommendation is met
by ensuring the equipment connection
loads are within published allowable code
stresses through adding flexibility to the
piping system. Flexible piping systems
typically have low displacement stresses
because the piping can grow freely.
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 Performing pipe stress analysis
Table 1: Calculated recommended spans and loads
STD Section Moment Pipe Water MSS Span based Span based Span based
Nominal
OD (in.) wall modulus of inertia weight weight SP-58 on 1/16 in. on 1/8 in. on allowable
pipe OD
(in.) (in. 3) (in. 4) (lbf/ft) (lbf/ft) span (ft) deflection (ft) deflection (ft) stress (ft)
1 1.315 0.179 0.1606 0.1056 2.170 0.312 7.00 7.717 9.177 26.940
1.5 1.900 0.200 0.4118 0.3912 3.630 0.765 9.00 9.280 11.036 32.340
2 2.750 0.212 0.7309 1.3695 5.020 1.280 10.00 11.601 13.797 35.846
2.5 2.875 0.203 1.0640 1.5296 5.790 2.070 11.00 11.285 13.420 38.669
3 3.500 0.216 1.7240 3.0172 7.580 3.200 12.00 12.358 14.696 41.933
4 4.500 0.237 3.2140 7.2326 10.790 5.500 14.00 13.869 16.493 46.428
6 6.625 0.280 8.4960 28.1422 18.970 12.510 17.00 16.521 19.647 54.010
8 8.625 0.322 16.8100 72.4892 28.550 21.700 19.00 18.620 22.144 59.913
10 10.750 0.365 29.9000 160.7342 40.480 34.200 22.00 20.579 24.473 65.341
12 12.750 0.375 43.8000 279.3350 49.560 49.000 23.00 22.045 26.216 68.472
14 14.000 0.375 53.2000 372.7602 54.570 59.750 25.00 22.831 27.151 69.791
16 16.000 0.375 70.3000 562.0841 62.580 79.120 27.00 23.978 28.515 71.600
Notes:
1: A106 GR B carbon steel pipe with an allowable stress of 17,100 psi and Young Modulus 30 x 10 6 psi
2: SCH 80 is used for 2 in. and smaller pipe.
3: Allowable stress is using an internal pressure of 150 psi
4: Spans based on deflection used simply supported beam:

5: Spans based on allowable stress are based on ASME B31.1 Sustain Stress Formula:

Table 1: Comparing deflection-based spans versus code allowable-based spans for 1 in. through 16 in. standard wall thickness
and nominal pipe size.

Occasional stresses
Occasional stresses in the piping sys-
tem are caused by short-term events, such
as seismic, wind, and relief-thrust loads.
These three loads comprise most of the
possible occasional load combinations.
Because occasional stresses are short-term,
most piping codes allow for increased pipe
stresses for a brief period. ASME codes
typically allow an increase of:
n Fifteen percent if the event lasts less
than 8 hours and no more than 800
hours per year.
n Twenty percent if the event lasts less
than 1 hour and no more than 80
hours per year.
Typically, wind loads fall under the
15% increase category, where seismic
and relief thrust would be a 20% increase.
If occasional stresses are perceived to
be a concern or are complex in nature, a
computerized pipe stress analysis is war-
ranted. However, in most cases. adding
lateral restraints for every three or four
nominal pipe-support spans will cover
most seismic or wind loadings, unless
they are in a high seismic zone, such as
California, or are subjected to coastal
wind loading with sustained hurricane
winds.
Keep pipe analysis records
Most people believe that a computer
printout is a sufficient record of a pipe
stress analysis. This a big mistake that can
be avoided with little effort. Creating a
record of your work is about more than
keeping a hard copy or PDF of the com-
puter-aided pipe stress analysis. It means
documenting a trail of all inputs, not just
the drawings used to create the piping
geometry. Items that could be included
are the piping and instrument diagrams,
system parameters, load cases, and any
corresponding external forces applied to
the piping system, pipe-support locations,
and type of pipe support used. Most pipe
stress analysis records will fill a three-ring
binder.
As most consulting engineers have
internal quality assurance/quality control
procedures, develop a standard list of the
inputs commonly used and corresponding
reference for the information. This would
provide the checker of a calculation a place
to sign off, indicating they concur with the
input and acknowledge the source of the
input. In the end, your documentation
should tell a complete story.
Monte Engelkemier is the group engineer-
ing lead for piping, mechanical, and equip-
ment in the starches, sweeteners, and tex-
turizers division of Cargill. Prior to that,
he was a member of Stanley Consultants
for 12 years, where he authored this article
before taking his current position.

34 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 www.csemag.com

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Integrating plumbing
into the overall design
Having a qualified, knowledgeable plumbing engineer involved
in early planning will help select the right system and equipment
for the project before construction begins.

BY KARI ENGEN, PE, CxA, LEED AP, WD Partners, Dublin, Ohio

D
ue to the increasing inter-
est in U.S. Green Building
Council LEED certification,
and sustainable design in
general, the use of an inte-
grative design process can add value to a
projects success via increased energy effi-
ciency, aesthetic appeal, and innovative
building components and in decreased
construction cost. To incorporate an
integrative design process, the project
coordinator brings together all designers,
stakeholders, the commissioning agent,
and other individuals who have an inter-
est in the completion of the project.
Early participation in design deci-
sions creates an inclusive environment
that ensures buy-in and a cohesive team
approach to the buildings basis of design. Learning
At several stages of the design process, objectives
an integrated team is often returning to  Learn about the integrative
the table to discuss progress, revisit any design process.
decisions that are creating obstacles to  Understand how integrating
success, examine any new issues that the plumbing engineer can
arise, and collaborate to resolve them in a enhance system design.
manner that respects how such decisions  Review the water efficien-
affect each discipline and/or stakeholders. cies that can be achieved
by integrating the plumbing
The integrative design process urges the
design early.
early inclusion of all project team mem-
bers in the planning stages of any project.
Obvious members to invite to the table
include the client or owner; the architect;
electrical, mechanical, structural and civil
engineers; and community officials.

LEED v4 in plumbing projects

T
he integrative design process is now a required prerequisite in
health care applications for U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
LEED certification for a commercial building project and is avail-
able for a 1 point credit in most other LEED building classifications.
Additionally, one of the key components to LEED v4 is consideration of
efficient water use.
For these reasons, its best to get a qualified plumbing engineer
involved in the integrative process. By successfully following the inte-
grative process guidelines crafted by the USGBC, the engineering team
can deliver a better product for the end user. Following the integrative
process may require more time, effort, and creativity than a traditional
project design, but the benefit to its implementation are many, for all
stakeholders.
When used for a project with LEED certification or other sustainability goals,
the early collaborations allow for more innovation and creativity with sustain-
ability strategies. Most engineers have some experience in working with a client
who decides very late in a projects design to pursue LEED certification. The
early and periodic collaboration involved in an integrative process eliminates
the potential for the last-minute scrounging for LEED points. Rather than
spend valuable project dollars buying renewable energy credits at the end of
the project design, those project dollars can be used in designing sustainable
systems, such as rainwater harvesting for irrigation or for toilet flushing.
Design and construction professionals interested in enhancing their
credentials can benefit from a robust implementation of the integrative
process. The USGBC now offers a one-point credit toward LEED certifica-
tion when an integrative design process is utilized.

www.csemag.com Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 37

 Integrating plumbing into design
The plumbing engineers role
Often overlooked in these early plan-
ning stages, the plumbing designer or
engineer can provide value to the proj-
ect due to his or her expertise in water,
waste, storm/sewer, fuel-gas, or med-
ical-gas systems. Including the plumb-
ing engineer during the initial planning
phase of any project can eliminate costly
delays during construction. Engaging
these experts from the start will avoid
frustrating errors and oversights and
help the entire project team create the
best possible collaborative plan before
construction begins.
Including the plumbing engineer from project
conceptualization to completion will ensure that
critical systems meet everyones performance
expectations and serve the needs of the structure
throughout its lifecycle.
The right plumbing engineer also can
offer valuable insight that is specific
to a particular project. Plumbing and
pumping considerations are dictated by
the intended use of a structure. When
designing a single-story retail outlet, the
plumbing needs will be vastly different
than those demanded by a mixed-use,
high-rise building. Hospitals and other
health care facilities often require plumb-
ing to deliver medical gases.
While building exteriors get the glam-
orous curb-appeal shots and an interior
designers dazzle, no structure is going
to satisfy its occupants if the plumbing
is substandard. Including the plumbing
engineer from project conceptualization
to completion will ensure that this criti-
cal system meets everyones performance
expectations and serves the needs of the
structure throughout its lifecycle.
For example, imagine a 1-story office
building design that is ready for engineering
design to begin, but without input from an
engineer. When the plumbing engineer gets
the plans, he sees that the catering kitchen,
restrooms, and natural gas-fueled hot-water
tank are all placed on the north side of the
structure. All of the service lines enter the
building on the south side.
If the buildings engineering design
proceeds with no input from the plumb-
ing engineer, the design of plumbing sys-
tems may result in a less optimal layout
and an increased cost for more materials
and labor. Over the course of the buildings
lifespan, inconveniently placed plumbing
equipment can mean greater expenses for
eventual repairs or general maintenance.

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input #20 at www.csemag.com/information

 Structural
engineer

Electrical General
engineer contractor
Built on
schedule
Innovative

Functional
Functiona
Sustainable adjacencie
adjacencies

Mechanical
Project
Architect
engineer building
Provide Efficient
ficient
community operatio
operation
value

Cost- Secure
effective
Plumbing Owner/
engineer client

Civil
engineer

Figure 1: The integrative design process includes all aspects

of a building project, and all of the key partners in the project.
Because the process is ongoing, all parties should be discuss-
ing all aspects throughout the project. Courtesy: WD Partners

Suboptimal placement of restrooms and kitchens can lead

to an overall system that underperforms or jeopardizes other
parts of the facility. For example, a wastewater line that has to
run the span of the building to reach its evacuation point will
be more vulnerable to clogs or breaks. Instead of being isolated
at the point of exit, wastewater and other contaminated mate-
rial can put the whole structure at risk in the event of a failure.
The single-use, 1-floor office space used in the example
clearly requires thoughtful planning. Specific-use facilities like
hospitals and mixed-use high-rise buildings that populate many
urban centers demand it.

Integrating all systems

Instead of designing a building in a bubble, an integrative
design process model enables the lead architect to prepare all
individuals, at the start of a project, to execute that project. At
this point, the building is little more than a concept. With all
players at the table, the plumbing engineer and the civil engineer
may discover that thoughtful placement of a kitchen in relation
to an existing sewer lateral may substantially reduce excavation
depth or length of drainage piping.
In a design-build model, a general contractor may be repre-
sented in the early stages as well. The contractor may recognize
a site-planning issue that can be alleviated by some site realign-
ment to allow for a sewer lateral or a grease interceptor.
The goal behind the integrative design process is to challenge
design assumptions. Inviting the plumbing engineer and plumb-
ing contractor to the design table early in the processalong

Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 39 input #21 at www.csemag.com/information

 Integrating plumbing into design
with all other disciplinesmay open a
dialog that explores the implementation
of plumbing and piping systems and the
integration of those systems into the
buildings design.
From the start, the integrative design
team seeks to identify and capitalize
on synergies within building systems
to maximize building performance,
exceed building requirements, and
deliver lasting value to the owners and
occupants. The process leans heavily on
the design-build model of project deliv-
ery, as opposed to the more traditional
design-bid-build method.
Under the design-bid-build model,
the contractor is not part of the integra-
tive process. An approved design might
solicit several bids that all come in over
budget.
At this point, several things can hap-
pen. The owner can continue with the
project and accept the higher price tag.
The architect, depending upon the type
of structure, may propose a scaled-down
version of the same project or suggest a
plan that is built in phases. The original-
ly approved design also may be scrapped
entirely, often labeled as value-
engineered, leaving the project right
back at the starting point. If the project
does move forward in some form, there
may be some disappointed parties when
the final product is delivered.
By eliminating the bid component,
the design-build model favored by the
integrative process streamlines the
steps necessary to get from the design
phase to the construction phase. The
te am memb ers ass emble d in t he
design phasearchitects, engineers,
contractor, owner, and other stake-
holderswill all continue to partici-
pate in the construction phase. As a
result, there is no need to subject a
preliminary plan to bid. The plan that
comes out of the integrative design
process is ready to be executed by the
parties who crafted it, and they are
prepared to operate within a budget
they helped establish.
Kari Engen is a senior mechanical engi-
neer with WD Partners.

CASE STUDY: Harvesting rainwater at a school

A
n example of an integrative design process was performed for
an elementary school in the Midwest. Sustainability goals were
openly discussed during early planning stages. The client, a
local school district, was pursuing U.S. Green Building Council LEED
silver, and the existing building provided good opportunities to design
new sustainable systems. The plumbing engineer was included early in
the process.
The buildings expansive flat roof allowed for the collection of rainwater.
The design team worked together to develop two rainwater-harvesting
systems; one for toilet flushing and one for irrigation.
Because the project was for an existing building, there were coordination
and collaboration hurdles to overcome. Available space was limited. An
existing mechanical room in a less-than-ideal location (not central) was
the only available space for new equipment. With the use of an integrated
design process, challenges were brought to light early, allowing the design
team to work together to solve such challenges.
The plumbing engineer and mechanical engineer coordinated on what
equipment could be redesigned to allow more space for equipment
associated with the rainwater-harvesting system. To increase available
space in that mechanical room, the mechanical engineer coordinated with
the structural engineer and the architect to design new air-distribution
equipment outside of the mechanical room on the existing roof. Such a
decision required buy-in from the structural engineer to reinforce roof
framing, from the architect to design pathways for new ductwork, and
from the electrical engineer to provide power systems in support of the
new equipment.
The client was involved in the process as well, encouraging the team to
continue to innovate while contacting the local water and sewer utility to
allow for the installation of nonpotable water systems inside the building.
The rainwater-harvesting system consists of a duplex packaged
domestic water-pumping system, a storage tank with an ultraviolet
water-treatment system, and a roof-drainage system feeding into
the storage tank. The system includes a bypass in case excessive
water collection exceeds the rate of toilet use. Water piping serving
the toilets is labeled specifically for use as nonpotable water only
and painted bright orange to distinguish it from potable water. Note
that the use of nonpotable water is recognized by the piping industry,
and now purple pipe is accepted as the standard color for reclaimed
water inside buildings.
The reclaimed-water irrigation system uses a series of aboveground
outdoor collection tanks. The architect and landscape designer collabo-
rated with the plumbing engineer so that the tanks would be located
in proximity to the buildings
proposed outdoor learning Because the project
lab. Students could use the
was for an existing
reclaimed water directly from
the collection tanks for feed- building, there were
ing plants. The plumbing engi- coordination and
neer calculated the rate and
amount of storm drainage that collaboration hurdles
would provide suitable water to overcome.
storage for the system and
designed for a portion of the storm-drainage piping to collect at the
storage tanks instead of the toilet-flushing system.
Without the integrative design process, which outlined target goals
early in the development of the projects design, and without all designers
and stakeholders involved throughout, the rainwater-harvesting system
would likely have been quickly discarded from the project scope due
to its complexity. Because the integrative process was embraced by
the entire team, the project proceeded to conclusion with, among other
sustainable strategies, the rainwater-harvesting systems constructed
and implemented into the buildings systems.

40 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 www.csemag.com

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2017 LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ. All rights reserved. LG Lifes Good is a registered trademark of LG Corporation.

input #22 at www.csemag.com/information

 CO M E M E E T T H E CO M PA N I E S
WHO ARE INVENTING

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Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 43
AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Project Manager

Congratulations

Product of the
Year winners
W
inners of the 13th annual Consulting-Specifying Engineer Product of the Year awards
included an outdoor charging station, a scaling monitoring system, and an emergency
signaling system, among other notable technologies. Each of the following winning inno-
vations has been designed to improve quality, lengthen lifecycles, and increase efficiencies.
This year, companies submitted their new and improved products debuted in 2016 to be judged
for this distinguished honor. Then readers whittled them down to the 49 winners listed here
including the 2017 Most Valuable Product winner below, which received the most votes overall.
View the full description of each winning product at www.csemag.com/POY. Entries for the
2018 program will open Dec. 1, 2017, at www.csemag.com/NP4E.

Medium-voltage switchgear
Premset incorporates a Shield Solid Insulation System
(2SIS) to enhance robustness, protection, and exibility
of medium-voltage switchgear. The 2SIS system encas-
es every current-carrying conductor in dielectric epoxy
and shields that epoxy with a grounded conductor to
offer unprecedented safety, efciency, and ease of use.
Premset minimizes the risk of internal arc ash and pre-
vents phase-to-phase faults by ground-shielding each
individual phase. The circuit breaker and isolation switch
are positive-indicated and interlocked to prevent access
to live compartments. Maintenance is reduced due to
better environmental protection for the current-carrying
portions and complete encasement of the circuit breaker
2017
and isolation switch.
Schneider Electric, www.schneider-electric.us

44 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER

MAY 2011 2017
 AAON Innovative Solutions

V3 Series Energy Recovery Wheel

Vertical Indoor Air Handling
Units (450-10,000 cfm)
Hinged Service Access Doors
Slide-Out Wheel
Energy Saving Conguration Variable Speed ECM Driven Fans
100% Outside Air Application Direct Drive Backward Curved Fans

AAON Touchscreen Controller

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Simple Touchscreen Interface Stand-Alone Control or BACnet MS/TP
Constant Volume, VAV, Single Zone VAV, or Modbus RTU Network Capability
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AAON WH Series Small Packaged

Water-Source Heat Pump Units ( to 5 tons)
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Replacement Ready Size Microchannel Indoor DX Coil
All Aluminum Cabinet Construction Bottom Service Access
Closed Cell Neoprene Foam Insulation Stocked Units Ready to Ship

Contact Your Local AAON Representative for More

Information about Award Winning AAON Innovations!
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input #24 at www.csemag.com/information
Congratulations
Product of the Year
Category Award Product Manufacturer

V3 Energy Recovery Air

Gold AAON
Handling Unit
Air Movement,
Dehumidification, Silver Powerfoil X3.0 Big Ass Solutions
Humidification
Bronze heaterSteam titanium Carel

Gold Hydrovar Bell & Gossett

BAS, Controls,
Silver Connected Services Schneider Electric
Energy Management
Bronze AAON Touchscreen Controller AAON

AquaForce 30XV Air-Cooled

Gold Carrier
Variable-Speed Chiller
Chillers
Silver YORK YVFA Johnson Controls

Gold PMA XR90 Multilayered Conduit Thomas & Betts, ABB

Electrical: Cable, Crouse-Hinds 567BXD Duplex AC/

Silver Eaton
Wire, Components MC Strap

Bronze 221 Lever-Nuts Splicing Connector Wago Corp.

Crouse-Hinds 1,500-Vdc Solar

Gold Eaton
Combiner Box
Electrical
Silver Outdoor Charging Station Legrand
Distribution
LKT-Type DD60 Phase Dry-type
Bronze Frako Capacitor
Capacitor

Enclosed Circuit Breaker with

Gold Arcflash Reduction Maintenance Eaton
Electrical: Fuses, System
Circuit Breakers,
PowerPact B-Frame Circuit
Safety Silver Schneider Electric
Breaker

Bronze OEM Line Isolation Switch Eaton

46 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017

 2017
winners WINNERS
Category Award Product Manufacturer
Gold Cat 3512C Diesel Generator Set Caterpillar Inc.
Contactor-based Automatic
Emergency, On-Site, Silver Eaton
Transfer Switch
Standby Power
Bronze Galaxy VX UPS Schneider Electric
Bronze SDC20 Industrial Diesel Generator Generac Power Systems

Equipment-Level Gold Fluke Condition Monitoring Fluke Corp.

Sensors & Controls Silver Series 14 Indicator Compact EAO
Crouse-Hinds Clamped EBMX
Gold Eaton
NEMA 7 Enclosure
Fire, Life Safety, Mass
Notification Silver VicFlex Style VS1 Dry Sprinkler Victaulic
Bronze Emergency Signaling System Bradley Corp.
Mitsubishi Electric U.S.
MFZ-KJ Floor-mounted Indoor
Gold Inc., Cooling & Heating
Unit
Division
HVAC Silver FumeJet Greenheck
Bronze ECM Fan Array Daikin
Bronze ProPEX Opposing-port Tee Uponor
Crouse-Hinds LED Weatherproof
Gold Eaton
Luminaire
Lighting &
Columbia Lighting,
Luminaires Silver LED Zero Plenum Troffer
Hubbell Lighting
Bronze HL Linear High Bay MaxLite
Distributed Low Voltage Power
Gold Eaton
System
Lighting
Silver nLight Eclypse Acuity Brands
Controls
Dual Technology Dimming Wall
Bronze Wattstopper, Legrand
Switch Occupancy Sensor

Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017 47

Congratulations 2017

Product of the WINNERS

Year winners
Category Award Product Manufacturer

Gold LPD Y-Strainer The Metraflex Co.

NextGen Selectronic
Plumbing & Water
Silver Integrated Commercial American Standard
Management
Faucet

Bronze Tankless Rack System A. O. Smith

Design Envelope Vertical Armstrong Fluid

Gold
In-Line Retrofit Pump Technology

Pumps, Technologic Intelligent

Silver Bell & Gossett
Pump Controls Pump Controller/VFD

WH Horizontal Water-
Bronze AAON
Source Heat Pump

Bussmann Arcing Current

Gold Eaton
Calculator
Software: Design,
Modeling, Analysis Silver LayoutFAST Schneider Electric

Bronze iCOM CMS Mobile App Vertiv

Siemens Embedded
Gold Siemens
Micro Metering Module

Test Instruments, Power Xpert Branch

Silver Eaton
Meters, Data Loggers Circuit Monitor

Fluke 902 FC True-rms

Bronze Fluke Corp.
HVAC Clamp Meter

48 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017

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MONTH 2017 49
 Product & Literature Digest

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847-378-2275, maria.bartell@infogroup.com Armacell........................................... 30 ....................14 ..............800-866-5638................. www.armacell.us.....................................
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 Future of Engineering
Proposed changes
to the IBC: 2021 edition
Proposals in the 2021 edition of the International Building Code facilitates
sustainable construction materials for tall wood buildings.
T
all wood buildings have been
announced or recently opened in
North America and Europe as a
result of increased interest in sustainable
construction materials and reducing
the carbon footprint. The design and
construction of mass timber buildings
in U.S. cities have been approved by the
local authorities on a case-specific basis.
Committee for tall wood buildings
To provide a uniform, consensus-
based approach to the requirements
for these buildings, the International
Code Council (ICC), publisher of the
International Building Code (IBC),
established the Ad Hoc Committee
on Tall Wood Buildings (TWB) in
2016. The goal is to develop com-
prehensive design and construction
criteria to be proposed for the 2021
edition of the IBC.
In addition to the technical com-
mittee, more than three dozen other
interested parties have been participat-
ing in the process. Since the summer of
2016, the TWB has reviewed technical
literature, the available technology, fire
loss history, and recent fire tests and is
currently drafting proposed language
for the 2021 IBC. The TWB has under-
taken a comprehensive review of every
chapter of the IBC to determine the
effect of allowing taller and larger wood
buildings on the safety of the built envi-
ronment.
52 Consulting-Specifying Engineer SEPTEMBER 2017
CARL BALDASSARRA, PE, FSFPE;
Wiss, Janney Elstner and Associates, Northbrook, Ill.
Two principal concerns of the TWB
are: 1. the impact of the increased fuel
load contributed by the wood structure
to a building fire; and 2. the combusti-
bility of the structural members, which
could lead to failure of the structure
before building evacuation and interior
firefighting is completed a life safety
risk, as well as the potential for property
damage to adjacent properties.
Proposed changes to the IBC
Two series of full-scale fire tests have
contributed valuable information to
the work of the committee. The NFPA
Research Foundation tests were con-
ducted without fire sprinklers and were
intended to determine the performance
of various layers of gypsum board
protection for the wood structure as
well as the effects of various ventilation
openings. The American Wood Council
(AWC) tests included unsprinklered
and sprinklered cases to determine the
effects of gypsum board protection, ven-
tilation, and sprinklers for both a nor-
mal case and one with a delayed water
supply. The data from these two series
of tests will be formally presented to the
TWB in reports later this year.
The working draft of the TWB cur-
rently includes four types of mass tim-
ber construction. Type IV-HT construc-
tion is identical to the current Type IV
Heavy Timber construction in the IBC.
The working draft also includes three
new subcategories: Types IV-A, IV-B,
and IV-C construction. The proposal
recognizes that exposed wood members
can be designed (oversized) to sustain
a fire and remain standing; however, at
least two-thirds of the required rating
for types IV-A and IV-B construction
must derive from noncombustible pas-
sive protection. Similarly, while auto-
matic sprinkler protection will be a key
element of the buildings protection
features, the committee believes that
tall wood buildings should have a major
portion of the structural fire resistance
provided by passive means.
As with other types of construction,
the current concept is that the IBC will
allow taller and larger mass timber
buildings as the passive fire-resistance
ratings are increased from one sub-
category to the next. Other specific
provisions will address combustible
concealed spaces, shaft construction,
and exterior wall combustibility.
The proposed code change will be
first considered at a public hearing
scheduled for April 2018 in Colum-
bus, Ohio.
Carl Baldassarra is a principal at Wiss,
Janney Elstner and Associates and leads
the consulting engineering firms fire pro-
tection practice group. He has a bachelors
degree in fire protection engineering and
a masters degree in business. He is a
licensed engineer in several states.
www.csemag.com
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input #25 at www.csemag.com/information
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