Side by Side Evaluation of High- Performance Fume Hoods

Kevin Fox, Jacobs Carter Burgess
Bernard Bhatti, The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas (UT) is conducting a High-Performance Fume Hood Evaluation Program to test and review commercially available high-performance fume hood technologies for potential use on the Austin campus.

Laboratory buildings are among the most demanding energy users of any type of facility on a university campus due to the large quantities of outside air that must be conditioned for ventilation and exhaust makeup. Typically, the quantity of fume hoods installed in a laboratory determines the total cooling and heating load of the facility. The use of high-performance fume hoods specially designed for superior fume-capture performance at reduced exhaust air flow rates offers the potential for significant energy savings while ensuring a safe and healthy environment for hood users and laboratory occupants.

High-performance fume hoods must provide a high degree of operational safety, while offering reduced energy consumption compared to a standard fume hood of similar physical size. The elements of the UT Austin evaluation program consist of two phases; a Safety Evaluation to test the static and dynamic containment performance of selected fume hoods using owner-developed testing methods adapted from similar established testing procedures, and an operational evaluation to review fume hood features, ergonomics, and maintenance requirements as well as energy performance for the hoods tested.

This program is being developed to help determine an optimal fume hood standard for use in the new Experimental Sciences Building (ESB), slated for construction in the heart of the UT Austin campus. The new ESB is being designed to Labs21 performance guidelines for energy efficiency and sustainability. Over 100 fume hoods are programmed for the facility. Further, hoods deemed acceptable through this program will be considered for replacement and retrofit opportunities to improve energy efficiency and system capacity of existing campus laboratories, consistent with the goals of the UT Demand-Side Energy Management and Conservation Program, currently being implemented in an effort to reduce campus energy use as a whole by 25 percent.

The High-Performance Fume Hood Evaluation Program represents collaboration between the UT Austin Project Management and Construction Services, the College of Natural Sciences, and Environmental Health and Safety Departments.

Biographies:

Kevin Fox is a Project Manager with the Energy and Power Solutions Group in the Jacobs Carter Burgess office in Fort Worth, Texas. He has been responsible for the design, construction administration, and project management of mechanical systems for a wide range of projects, including central energy plants, cogeneration cooling tower installations, campus utility master plans, biotechnology and research laboratories, student dormitories, and commercial HVAC systems. Mr. Fox is a Certified Energy Manager ( CEM) and a LEED® Accredited Professional.

Bernard Bhatti leads Project Support Engineering and Design Services for the University of Texas at Austin Project Management and Construction Services department. This multi-disciplined group provides mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil engineering services and offers design assistance for special architectural, interior design and selection projects, and CADD support for the entire department. Bernard holds a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and is a registered professional engineer in Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Industrial Energy Technology Conference.

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