Difference between revisions of "Labs Sessions - Q1 2015"

Revision as of 15:52, 18 June 2015

Home of the MADD Scientists - "Making A Difference Daily"....Time to Reinvent the Wheel!!

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Geeks Rule

   GG Labs Sessions are held the first Friday of each month after the
   Community Lunch, starting at 1:30 p.m. and ending around 4:30 p.m.
   Everyone is invited to come hang out!!

Labs Experiments
- WATER - Rainwater Usage analysis at end of summer
- WATER - Finalize plan for Measurement of in-ground tank volume/dipstick calibration
- WASTE - Kirsten's Waste Watch
  - Trends & Goals / Policy communicated and easy to reference
- BCS - Cooling & Dehumidification M&V on coil
- BCS - Trickle loop experiment
- ENERGY - Phase 2 - Finish documentation on refrigerator electrical usage and performance
- Solar Oven - example

CURRENT CAVE DAY FOCUS
- For June - The Earth Room Performance (efficiency) number crunching; is Earth Room bypass viable; optimize Earth Room exhaust fan
- Also button up coil condensation documentation
- BCS - Annex revised ductwork and airflow readings
- BCS - Building pressurization by balance - summer/winter modes

END OF LIST

Labs Sessions - 1st Quarter 2015

Labs Session - Jan 16, 2015

Happy New Year!!
LABS VisionQuest 2015
- Roots
- Future Growth
- Meeting Frequency & Time
  - Labs Projects
    - First Friday of month from 1:30-4:30 p.m. (except July and September will be second Friday due to holidays)
    - Open to everyone
    - Generally intended to be a "hands on" science-related project that can be completed in approx. 3 hour span including brief analysis at end of activity to determine general results and decide if further analysis would be beneficial
  - Cave Day
    - Third Friday of month unless otherwise noted on Labs Calendar
    - Generally intended to be for deep analysis, extended calculations, or enhanced documentation of previous activities that are not well suited to group activity (busy work or catch-up activities)

Cool Stuff
- DTE Insight Overview
- Article on Application

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Next Session and Beyond
- Ideas - Date
- Red Panda Heating

Labs Session - Feb 6, 2015

Labs Updates
- Topic for March 6, 2015 Project - Earth Room wrap-up
- Cave Day Plan (see above) - prep Earth Rm info for March 6 Project
- Cool Stuff: Vampire Loads Study
- Today's Project: Red Panda Space Temp Study

Prep - Overview
- Heat Sources - Premise of Operation
- Paths of Heat Transfer
- Review trends from this week (space temp, water temp, etc.)

Hands-On
- Annex space pressure differentials
- Ventilation airflows
- Floor heating profile
- Temperature gradients in room

Brain Work
- Review observations/results

Conclusions & Suggestions - See RED PANDA TEMPERATURE STUDY REPORT
- Any additional research or calcs required?
  - None identified at this time

Next Project and Beyond
- March 6 Project - Plan A, Earth Room

Labs Session - Mar 6, 2015

Labs Updates
- 30 minutes with Tom Brennan - Red Panda Recap
- Topic for April 3, 2015 Project
  - Plan the trash audit
  - Finish up Earth Room
- Cave Day Plan (see above)
- GG Ventilation System Observations
  - Scheduled for 8a-6p
  - Trend showing on about 3 hours later
  - Clock correct on Jace? On trend histories?
  - Sometimes only on for 1 hour at a time
  - Not reading CO2 when off; sometimes CO2 spiking after system turned off
  - No toilet exhaust when off
  - Some toilet room odors, stuffy nose, coughing noted at times
  - ERV wheel could freeze on super cold days, but designed to have wheel turned off during potential freezing (see design; 5 deg F??)
  - Ask Joe for update on current cold weather ventilation strategy (LLC emailed 3/24/15)
- Today's Project: Altherma / Earth Room Performance

Prep - Overview
- Goals of Project - see Earth Room Performance
- Review previous work completed
  - LLC folder
  - 2014 Heating Readings
- Plan to finish
  - Review measurements and how to improve; get more close to snapshot of time
  - Relationship between heat transfer loops to get to mfg chart more accurately
  - Measure electrical with domestic water heater off

Hands-On
- How to measure electrical component of Altherma - turn off water heater temporarily; no dishwasher on at that time
- Field investigation - next time
  - Verify location/size of air bypass
  - Verify exhaust fan capacity compared to air bypass capabilities

Brain Work - After getting readings
- Verify Altherma operation on mfg performance charts
- Run simulation for annual operation of Altherma with and without bypass
- Estimate energy savings
- Estimate cost to install/control air bypass
- Document findings / recommendation

Conclusions - Suggestions
- Based on findings, determine if should continue to pursue

Next Project and Beyond
- April 3 Project
- Trash Audit in May - to be scheduled based on Kirsten's zoot soot
- Energy Monitoring

Labs Sessions - 2nd Quarter 2015

Labs Session - April 10, 2015

Labs Updates
- Friday Lunch Presentation on Red Panda work
  - Reviewed with Matt for format and content
  - Create PowerPoint to highlight main points and show images of results
- Upcoming Projects
  - May 1, 2015 - Live Trash Audit
  - June 2015 - Dehumid Coil Condensation Investigation
- GG Cold Weather Ventilation Policy - Particle Counter, CO2
- Cave Day Plan (see above)
- Today's Activity: Plan Trash Audit & Red Panda Presentation

Today's Project: Live Trash Audit Planning
- Time: May 1 during lunch
- Place: near doors to Annex
- Protocol: open 1 bag on tarp, review compost, finish rest during Labs
- Goals: see how we are doing; straighten out issues with compost
- Kirsten's outfit is on track to be ready
- Kirsten bring tarp(s), gloves, grabber tool
- Laurie photographer
- Helen record results and notations
- Matt will make sure to hold trash from collection that Friday
- Tom Brennan has microphone to broadcast audit; Matt will coordinate

Today's Project: Red Panda Presentation Planning
- Into to systems, problem / solution / how its working / examples

Next Project and Beyond
- May Project - Trash Audit
- June Project - Coil Condensation Issue
- Future - Trickle Loop, Energy Monitoring

Labs Session - May 1, 2015

Labs Updates
- Topic for Next Month's Project - Dehumidification Coil Condensation Issue
- Cave Day Plan (see above)
- Today's Project: Live Trash Audit

Prep - Overview
- Past Trash Audits
- Reason for doing / Goals
  - See how we are doing
  - Education & awareness
  - Compost bin specific check for issues
- Process
  - Sample at end of lunch
  - Finish during early Labs Session

Hands-On
- Open first bag, sort, report, repeat until complete
- Observations:
  - Bag 1 - 3.6 lbs - no notes
  - Bag 2 - 7.8 lbs - lots of paper could have been recycled
  - Bag 3 - 2.0 lbs - plastic grocery bags, lots of Starbucks cups
  - Bag 4 - 3.6 lbs - fridge clean out bag
  - Bag 5 - 5.8 lbs - more Starbucks, clean paper bags, plastic utensils should be left at carryout
  - Bag 6 - 1.6 lbs - more Starbucks, plastic flower bag
  - Bag 7 - 1.4 lbs - lots of plastic grocery bags, borderline Styrofoam
  - Misc boxes, brown packing paper could be recycled
  - Judgment call on rinsing out containers vs pitching, especially if oily

Brain Work
- What are we doing well
  - Not many recycling mistakes
- Where could we improve
  - Starbucks compostable cups, bring your own washable
  - Plastic grocery bags
  - Some paper, cardboard

Conclusions - Suggestions
- Documentation
  - Blog with photos
- How to communicate results
  - Matt send out to community

Next Project and Beyond
- Next Project - Coil Condensation
- Energy Monitoring

Labs Session - June 5, 2015

Labs Updates
- Topic for Next Month's Project
  - IAQ Study - CO2 Data Logging / Particle Counter (summer portion)
  - Trickle Loop Analysis (summer portion)
- Cave Day Plan (see above)
- Today's Project: GG Dehumidification Coil Condensation Issue

Prep - Overview
- Problem description - Tom Brennan and Joey G.
- Verify process matches actual problem

Hands-On
- Visual observation for signs of past moisture
  - Rust on outside of coil/drain pan section
  - Some white residue on wood from floor in Annex
- Listen for air leakage - does not appear to be an issue
- Measure air pressure drop across coil (dry)
- Activate dehumidification mode; note Outside Air T/RH and Annex T/RH
  - Dehumidification activated, but Altherma not coming on
  - Communication to Altherma failed, low water alarm indicator communication failed
  - Traced back and found GFI in bathroom was tripped and power supply to I/O device powered from connected outlet
  - Reset breaker and power came back on; Altherma functioning
  - Time clock on Jace scheduling was another 2 hours off; set ERV schedule two hours later
- Screenshot of system during thermal imaging
- Thermal image coil / duct area
- Check duct joints / coil drain pan for moisture leakage
  - Rust at border between drain pan and coil near bottom of section
- Measure air pressure drop across coil (wet) - unable to reach

Brain Work
- Compare coil air pressure drop to Cx benchmark, mfg data, dry vs. wet
- Analyze thermal imaging
- Record all observations
- Make recommendations
  - Insulate with elastomeric insulation sections where condensation occurs
  - Add note about GFI in bathroom if no power to that outlet again
  - Or separate outlet from GFI and put a separate GFI in for Janitor's Closet

Conclusions - Suggestions
- Provide access panel upstream / downstream of coil for cleaning coil and drain pan and observation
- Consider repeating thermal image, dewpoint readings on hot, humid day to check results

Next Project and Beyond
- Next Project
- Energy Monitoring

Labs Session - x x, 2015

Labs Updates
- Topic for Next Month's Project
- Cave Day Plan (see above)
- Today's Project:

Prep - Overview

Hands-On

Brain Work

Conclusions - Suggestions

Next Project and Beyond
- Next Project
- Energy Monitoring

Resources

Commissioning Design Center
Labs Highlights
Labs Help Wanted
Current Labs Summary
Labs Idea Bin
Labs Tool Box
Labs Experiment Template - Wiki outline of individual Experiment

TO DO

Plan / Do / Check / Act / Repeat

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 * '''CURRENT CAVE DAY FOCUS'''
 ** '''For June - The [[Earth Room Performance]] (efficiency) number crunching; is Earth Room bypass viable; optimize Earth Room exhaust fan'''
-** '''Also button up trash audit photos for blog and coil condensation documentation'''
+** '''Also button up coil condensation documentation'''
 ** '''BCS - Annex revised ductwork and airflow readings'''
 ** '''BCS - Building pressurization by balance - summer/winter modes'''

Difference between revisions of "Labs Sessions - Q1 2015"

Revision as of 15:52, 18 June 2015

Contents

Cave Day Items

Labs Sessions - 1st Quarter 2015

Labs Session - Jan 16, 2015

Labs Session - Feb 6, 2015

Labs Session - Mar 6, 2015

Labs Sessions - 2nd Quarter 2015

Labs Session - April 10, 2015

Labs Session - May 1, 2015

Labs Session - June 5, 2015

Labs Session - x x, 2015

Resources

TO DO

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