Energy Savings Realized and Lessons Learned from
the Installation of Automatic Sash Positioning Systems on Fume Hoods
Equipped with Variable Air Volume
David Sweitzer, Laboratory Specialist, Inc.
Amgen Thousand Oaks has installed six test automatic
sash positioning systems. Prior to these installations, Amgen has
encouraged fume hood users to keep their sashes closed, set operational
sash height at 18 inches to reduce energy usage, and trended the
usage on the test hoods with the building automation system to provide
a baseline for comparison of this data.
This presentation will look at the results of these installations,
including:
- User acceptance of the devices
- Energy savings realized
- Verification of the operation of the devices in the real world
- Projected impacts on physical plant capacity
The unique technology involved in these devices is the patented
sash safety eye. The sash safety eye will stop the hood from closing
if it encounters an object within the path of the sash. Our preliminary
assessment is that this device will be critical to user acceptance
of the system.
Additionally, the sash height can be easily manually adjusted once
the sash has been raised by the sash positioner. Again, from the
perspective of user acceptance of this device, we felt that the
ease of this activity would be critical.
It is anticipated that the unvarying rate of rise and closure of
the hood sash will permit fine tuning of Amgen's variable air volume
system to reduce overshoot and undershoot following actuation.
On a more general level, it is believed that, with the installation
of these devices, Amgen will begin to operate its system very close
to the sum of the minimum exhaust volumes of the fume hoods. Other
anticipated benefits include:
- Improved safety associated with closed hoods.
- Dramatically reduced energy consumption associated with reduced
exhaust volumes.
- Reduction in demand on the physical plant infrastructure.
One additional feature designed into the system is a lighting control
that will turn the two light fixtures per hood off after a 30-minute
time delay. If a scientist needs to use the hood, he/she walks up
to hood and the lights turn on and the sash opens. This feature
increases the electricity savings by keeping the lights off when
unneeded—during portions of the day, all night, and on weekends
and holidays.
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