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Helios Laboratory: Design and Optimization of an Ultra-Low Energy HVAC System

Steve Taylor, Taylor Engineering, LLC

This presentation will summarize the design of the HVAC system serving the new Helios Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, including selection of system options, in-depth modeling of the air distribution systems and cooling and heating plant using a custom simulation program, and advanced techniques used to design control logic that minimizes energy usage. The Helios HVAC system features indirect evaporative outdoor air pre-cooling, run-around exhaust air heat recovery, "zero reheat" VAV air distribution system, high efficiency all variable speed boiler and chiller plants, variable speed exhaust system using tall stacks to allow variable flow, and evaporatively cooled chilled beams in office areas.

Biography:

Steve Taylor is the principal of Taylor Engineering in Alameda, California. He is a registered mechanical engineer specializing in HVAC system design, control system design, indoor air quality engineering, computerized building energy analysis, and HVAC system commissioning. Mr. Taylor graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Science in Physics and a Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering and has over 25 years of commercial HVAC system design and construction experience. He was the primary author of the HVAC sections of ASHRAE Standard 90.1-1989 and 1999 "Energy Conservation in New Non-residential Buildings" and California's Title 24 Energy Standards and Ventilation Standards. Other ASHRAE project and technical committees Mr. Taylor has participated in include Standard 62.1 Indoor Air Quality (chair), ASHRAE Standard 55 Thermal Comfort (member), Guideline 13 Specifying DDC (chair), Guideline 16 Economizer Dampers (chair), TC 1.4 Controls (chair), and TC 4.3 Ventilation (vice-chair).

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