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Phone: 541-342-7210 Fax: 541-342-7220 |
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411
High Street Eugene, Oregon 97401-2427 |
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Staff / Email: Jeffrey L. Graper, PE Steven P. Hoffman, PE Gregory N. Langdon, PE Adam E. Mangrich, PE Adam C. Ward Jorge Hernandez Chance Sullivan William K. Boyanton Kris M. Garrick Michaeleen S. Beard K. Annette Allen Site Links: Home Page Projects Library Calculations
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Overview:
Our wide range of capabilities and experience lends itself to our commissioning efforts. In particular, our experience with design of an extremely wide range of facilities and system types makes our input during the design period of particular value and helps ensure that construction documents are biddable and complete. For previous commissioning projects, Systems West has used a wide variety of approaches tailored to the needs of each. For highly complex projects such as laboratory buildings in higher education facilities, services have comprised a full range of potential commissioning elements. Such elements included preparation of design intent, basis of design, and commissioning plans; review of design development and construction documents; review of product submittals; attendance at commissioning meetings to provide information and direct the contractor; pre-functional and functional testing; supervision of training; review of operations and maintenance manuals; and preparation of final commissioning reports. Other projects have involved less extensive methods where satisfactory results could be obtained using a more abbreviated approach. However, pre-functional and functional testing was a common element on all projects. On projects performed by Systems West, pre-functional testing was usually performed by a combination of the Contractor and Commissioning Agent. Typically, Systems West performed pre-functional inspection on major equipment including chillers, boilers, air-handlers and similar devices and provided supervision during manufacturer start-up. On less demanding equipment such as terminal units, Systems West typically provided pre-functional inspection and start-up forms for Contractor use. When the forms are completed and returned, Systems West re-inspects a representative sample of units to ensure compliance. Actual functional testing was performed by Systems West staff on virtually all significant commissioning projects. In general, testing is performed at the equipment by changing control system setpoints, triggering interlocks, selecting operational modes, and otherwise causing systems to execute the specified sequence of operation. The approach requires familiarity with the installed control system, and Systems West staff has developed considerable fluency with Siemens, Johnson, Honeywell, Siebe, Krueter, American-Automatrix, and other direct-digital control system manufacturers. Actual performance is measured directly using a wide variety of in-house temperature, pressure, flow, and electrical power measurement equipment. In our experience, providing a direct, hands-on test of the equipment provides a quick indication of performance and keeps the project moving forward. However, as a supplement to the testing indicated, various trend logs are assembled using the control system to verify functions not readily tested by control system manipulation. Such functions include optimized start, warm-up, and night-low limit sequences; loop tuning over a full range of conditions; and daily or seasonal control system resets. PROJECT EXPERIENCE:
Systems West Engineers provides comprehensive commissioning services for a wide variety of institutional, industrial, and municipal facilities. The following commissioning projects are currently in progress or recently completed. Central School District, Independence, Oregon
57,000 square foot middle school consisting of offices, classrooms, kitchen, gymnasium, locker rooms, and shops. Central plant, HVAC, and automatic control systems are being commissioned. Services include monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, and functional testing. The facility is currently in construction. Cost of construction is estimated to be $7.5 million. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
97,000 square foot research laboratory for the OSU Department of Forestry. The facility consists of an administrative office wing and a laboratory wing, and included numerous specialized research spaces and associated mechanical and electrical systems including:
Systems commissioned for this project included: utility steam, heating water, chilled water, air distribution, laboratory exhaust, general exhaust, heat-recovery, humidification, laboratory space pressure controls, HVAC controls, potable and non-potable water heating, fire protection and alarm, ground fault, electrical power, emergency power. Services included construction document review, design intent documentation, monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, functional testing, HVAC testing and balancing, coordination of operator training, review of O&M documentation, and preparation of an operations manual. Project completed in November 2001. Cost of construction was $24 million. Eastern Oregon University, La Grande, Oregon
106,000 square foot addition and remodel of the University science building. The facility consists of an administrative office wing and a laboratory wing, and includes numerous specialized research spaces and associated mechanical and electrical systems including:
Systems being commissioned for this project include: utility steam, heating water, chilled water, air distribution, laboratory exhaust, general exhaust, heat-recovery, humidification, laboratory space pressure controls, HVAC controls, laboratory water/gases, potable and non-potable water heating, fire protection and alarm, ground fault, electrical power, emergency power. Services include construction documents review, monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, functional testing, coordination of operator training, and review of O&M documentation. The facility is currently in construction. Cost of construction is estimated to be $18 million. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Re-commissioning of the 200,000 square-foot animal and life sciences research laboratory facility to correct HVAC and life safety deficiencies that remained unresolved after building construction was complete. The facility consists of offices, classroom, laboratories and numerous specialized research spaces for animal and agricultural research. In part, work consisted of correcting fume hood ventilation and space pressurization deficiencies that created potentially unsafe laboratory conditions. Commissioning services included troubleshooting, design of mechanical upgrades, control system modification and reprogramming, functional testing, follow-up monitoring, as-built documentation, and preparation of an operations manual. Cost of recommissioning and associated upgrades was $400,000. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Energy conservation improvements at the University veterinary hospital and classroom facility. The building consists of animal surgery, stalls, veterinary laboratories, anatomy laboratories, offices, and an auditorium. Work included HVAC upgrades and automatic control system replacement. Heating water, chilled water, air distribution, laboratory exhaust, general exhaust, laboratory space pressure controls, and HVAC controls were commissioned. Services include construction document review, monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, functional testing, HVAC testing and balancing, coordination of operator training, and review of O&M documentation. Cost of construction was $580,000. University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
100,000 square foot University of Oregon athletic department facility. Building consists of team locker rooms, weight room, training rooms, equipment service and repair, physical therapy and treatment, a laundry, meeting rooms, kitchen, and offices. The HVAC system consists of an integrated heat recovery system using a heat recovery chiller to extract heat from the general air exhaust air stream for space heating and domestic water heating. Services included complete verification and tuning of heat-recovery chiller, boiler plant, variable volume fan system, and direct-digital control system operations. Services also included classroom and hands-on operator training and preparation of an operations manual. Cost of construction was $7.2 million. Oregon Department of Forestry, Tillamook, Oregon
18,000 square foot office building consisting of offices, conference rooms, laboratory, and meeting room. The building incorporated many energy conservation and sustainable construction features including a natural ventilation system. Systems being commissioned include HVAC, heating plant, chilled water, and automatic controls. Services include monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, and functional testing. The facility is currently in construction. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
Certification testing for the Bio-level 3 insect rearing containment laboratory at Richardson Hall including development of certification testing procedures for regulatory approval and performing certification tests. Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon
Expansion and renovation of the campus central plant. The plant uses heat recovery chillers and a heating water storage tank to provide both campus heating and cooling with back-up natural gas boiler. Plant equipment includes the following components:
Work consisted of mechanical system upgrades including installation of a 300 horsepower water tube boiler, fuel oil storage tank, 35,000 gallon heating water storage tank, conversion of constant flow chilled water pumping system to variable flow including coil valve replacement and distribution pump variable speed drives, installation of campus chilled water distribution piping, condenser water system upgrades, replacement of pneumatic cooling tower control system with digital controls. Commissioning services included monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, control system modification and reprogramming, functional testing, follow-up monitoring. The facility is currently in construction. Lane County, Eugene, Oregon
40,000 square foot medical office building consisting of offices, exam rooms, and meeting rooms. Systems being commissioned include HVAC, heating plant, chilled water, and automatic controls. Services include monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, and functional testing. The facility is currently in construction. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
135,000 square foot addition and remodel of the student recreation center. The facility includes a new gymnasium, elevated indoor running track, exercise rooms, indoor climbing gym, and administrative offices. Systems commissioned for this project included: utility steam, heating water, chilled water, HVAC, heat-recovery, controls, fire protection, electrical power, and lighting controls. Services include construction document review, design intent documentation, monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, functional testing, HVAC testing and balancing, equipment vibration analysis, coordination of operator training, and review of O&M documentation. The facility is currently in construction. Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
7,100 square foot addition to the University oceanography research building. The facility consists of offices, data processing laboratories, and a meeting room. Systems commissioned for this project included: utility steam, heating water, HVAC, controls, fire protection, and lighting controls. Services included construction document review, monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, functional testing, HVAC testing and balancing, equipment vibration analysis, coordination of operator training, and review of O&M documentation. Lane Community College, Eugene, Oregon
A childcare complex consisting of four buildings totaling 17,500 square feet. The facility consists of multiple child daycare centers and administrative offices. Heating and air-conditioning are provided by horizontal ground source heat pumps systems. HVAC, automatic control, lighting, and fire alarm systems were commissioned. Services included construction document review, monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, functional testing, HVAC testing and balancing, coordination of operator training, and review of O&M documentation. City of Eugene, Oregon
An outdoor municipal swim center consisting of a 50-meter pool, multi-use pool, spa, and wading pool. Mechanical systems commissioned included pool water piping and pumps, pool heating boilers, solar pool water heating system, water features including water slides and fountains, pool water chemical treatment systems, and automatic control systems. Commissioning services included installation and start-up inspections and functional testing. University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
Expansion and renovation of the campus central cooling plant. Work included mechanical system upgrades for two 1200-ton centrifugal chillers, addition of two new 800-ton centrifugal chillers, campus distribution system piping modifications, installation of a 60-psi steam desuperheater, and control system upgrades including the integration of a Siemen's campus control system with a BACnet based Trane chiller control system. Systems commissioned for this project included: chilled water, condenser water, medium pressure steam, and automatic control systems. Services included construction document review, design intent documentation, monitoring construction, installation and start-up inspections, functional testing, coordination of operator training, and review of O&M documentation. ORGANIZATION, MANAGEMENT, AND ADMINISTRATION:
At the start of each project, a team is selected from Systems West staff based on their experience with expected work and their availability to perform the work at times dictated by the project schedule. Where TAB or vibration testing is included as a commissioning responsibility, a sub-consultant will be selected to perform the work. For TAB work, competitive bids are usually selected from three recognized firms with excellent reputations and a known ability to perform the work. The team is organized under a single commissioning agent who is responsible for all management and administrative tasks. Management and administration of a commissioning project involves two primary elements. The first element is coordination of the project commissioning team to ensure that staff is available and work is performed on schedule. Management of work within Systems West is provided on a project basis, with an individual project manager assigned for each contract. For commissioning projects, one individual acts as both the project manager within Systems West and the Commissioning Authority for the work. The project manager take advantage of a department-wide manpower scheduling program and weekly meetings of Systems West project managers to ensure that other team members are available at the appropriate times and for the duration of their assigned tasks. Most procedures used for this internal management were developed for large design and construction projects where supervision of several sub-consultants is common. The overall approach ensures that sub-consultants are integrated as part of the project team, and they receive the necessary direction and supervision to meet project goals. The second element of project management is coordination with the Owner, A/E, and Contractor. This is an extremely important responsibility, and is often key to success of the commissioning effort. To perform this element of work, the following basic principles must be observed. ? The Commissioning Authority (CA) must be proactive at all times. It is not appropriate to merely discover problems with system operation and assess blame. Instead, the CA must strive to recognize potential problems before they become issues.
Another important aspect of this planning is establishment of the commissioning schedule. Again, the schedule must be established as early as possible with input from the Owner, A/E, and Contractor to ensure cooperation and avoid conflict. In addition, to prevent project delays, the schedule must be continuously updated during the project to ensure that all parties are kept aware of changes. ? The commissioning agent should impress upon the A/E and Contractor that the commissioning process is to their advantage. The process allows projects to remain on schedule, helps avoid misinterpretation of Owner expectations, identifies potential problems before they become difficult issues, and provides a means to finalize work in a timely manner. Enlisting the A/E and Contractors support is paramount to a good working relationship between all parties. The organized approach and recognition of the importance of maintaining a project schedule and manpower projection has enabled Systems West to meet timelines on all past commissioning projects. Further, recognizing the importance of continuity in a project, Systems West has maintained the original project manager and project team on all commissioning work. No substitutions have been made. |
System Commissioning
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