Description

In the 2008 report, ASHRAE Vision 2020 – Producing Net Zero Energy Buildings, ASHRAE has identified that many
stakeholders of the building community must also take some responsibility to reduce the energy consumption of buildings. ASHRAE identified
that "there will be a need for ultra-high-efficiency equipment" to be used in systems with varying loads, including part-load profiles, and for use in
variable speed systems.

After an acquisition of a manufacturing organization with a complimentary product line, the pump organization made a technical
evaluation of one of the product ranges acquired. It was found through performance testing that many of the pump models failed to meet the
performance levels set by internal quality standards. In addition, it was determined that opportunities existed for some pump models to have
higher efficiencies at the best efficiency point (BEP).

This paper will present an overview of the project to improve the hydraulic efficiencies of a complete pump product range. The factors and the
process involved with the evaluation will be explained and the results will be shared. The activities involved with the actual efficiency improvements
will be described. The outcome of the project provided efficiency increases at BEP that ranged up to five and one half (5.5) percentage points.
Finally, the perspectives of the post-mortem examination of the project by the manufacturer will be presented.

The information in this paper is intended to convey a process to improve product efficiencies to other manufacturers in the building
community that are stakeholders in reducing energy consumption in buildings. The manufacturer acknowledges their responsibility to make the
necessary changes in their products to increase efficiency and contribute to producing net zero energy buildings. This information can be used to
support additional efficiency improvement projects for other pump products utilized in the buildings industry.

Citation: ASHRAE Papers CD: 2014 ASHRAE Winter Conference, New York, NY

Product Details

Published:

2014

Number of Pages:

8

File Size:

1 file , 2.1 MB

Product Code(s):

D-NY-14-C074