Bahnson Environmental Specialties, LLC. 4412 Tryon Road Raleigh, NC 27606-4218 919.829.9300 Fax: 919.829.7357 Sales/Project Fax: 919.833.9476 www.eschambers.com - TECHNICAL NOTES SUPPLEMENT TO PROJECT WORKSHEET - These notes are used in conjunction with the Project Worksheet. The $ symbol indicates that the note pertains to high-impact project cost issues. As all choices impact cost, these particular items are of most importance to the budget-constrained buyer. A. GENERAL CHAMBER INFORMATION SECTION A2 SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: [1]: FM approved panels are not provided by all panel manufacturers. This can affect the project cost. A3 - INSTALLATION AREA: [1]: For air conditioned areas with no specific ambient, ES assumes 65 75 F & 45 65% RH. [2]: For semi-conditioned areas with no specific ambient, ES assumes 55 85 F & ASHRAE extreme RH levels for that location. [3]: ES requires purified water feed to all humidified chambers. Mandatory minimum water quality limits are as follows: ph > 6.7 TDS < 20 ppm or Hardness (grains CaCO3) < 1 gpg Resistivity = 25,000 15,000,000 ohm-cm. B. CHAMBER DESCRIPTION SECTION B1 - EXTERNAL CHAMBER SIZE: [1]: The inside width & length dimensions will be approximately 8" less than the exterior dimensions above (due to nominal panel thickness of 4"). Available interior work volume is reduced due to wall panel thickness, suspended ceiling, shelving, etc. [2]: Standard size means that no specific dimensions are required at this time. ES will pick a standard chamber size to meet your need. [3] $: Custom size means that a specific size is required to meet the need. Consider that cost may be higher due to special panel lengths / widths. [4] $: Minimum installation & service clearance of 6" is required above most chambers without equipment on top of chamber; 24" with equipment on top of chamber. Clearances less than this may require special design considerations that can impact cost. [5]: Please allow at least 1" clearance between all chamber walls & building walls (air spacing for thermal barrier). B2 - CHAMBER MATERIAL & FINISH: [1] $: The most durable, longest lasting finish is stainless steel, but this selection does impact cost. It is recommended over all painted finishes due to scratch resistance & possible discoloration over time. Plain stucco is least recommended due to possible chalking, oxidation, & discoloration over time. B3 - CHAMBER FLOORING: [1]: Concrete floors, without under slab insulation, are not recommended for applications less than 10 C (50 F). [2]: Insulated slabs may be used for applications no lower than 40 C (-40 F). s:\fo r ms \project worksheet\technical notes supplement to project worksheet rev 3.0.doc Page 1 of 5
[3]: Panel floors will be 4" on all applications over & including 25 C (-13 F) & 5" on all applications below 25 C. [4]: Stainless steel flooring is recommended on high temperature, high humidity chambers. ES will correct floor selection as required. [5]: Screeds are floor-mounting systems, which are cosmetically pleasing as compared to flat bottom panels & floor clips. The special 3 ½" wide screed is best for chambers planned with internal terrazzo floors, vinyl. C. CONTROL SETPOINTS & UNIFORMITIES SECTION C1 - TEMPERATURE SETPOINT(S) & UNIFORMITY: [1]: ES can offer temperatures ranging from 85ºC to +90ºC (Temp Only). [2]: Temperature uniformity is defined as the variation between the setpoint temperature & the actual measured temperature at any point on a horizontal plane 40" AFF (above finished floor) & 12" from the walls. Uniformity is not be confused with control; uniformity refers to a variance throughout the chamber test zone & control refers to a variance as read at the controller. [3] $: A temperature uniformity of ± 0.3 C requires full proportioning valves. Most biomedical, research & industrial chambers use ± 0.5 C as a standard uniformity. [4] $ A check mark beside ٱ Volumetric indicates that the chamber may not deviate any more than the specified amount in low & high points of a vertical measurement plane. This generally requires that the horizontal uniformity be approximately ½ of the chosen value. This will impact the cost of the chamber. [5]: As an example from a popular scenario, note that a chamber that has a requirement that the entire volume be within 2 C to 8 C may be requested as a 5 C chamber with a volumetric uniformity of ± 3.0 C horizontally & vertically (volumetric). C2 - RELATIVE HUMIDITY SETPOINT(S) & UNIFORMITY: [1] $: ES can offer RH ranges from 1% to over 95%, note that rooms below 10% require heavy dehumidification equipment which can impact cost. [2] $: ES commonly offers 'maximum RH level' dry chambers which are cost effective & simply depress the relative humidity for purposes of mildew control, human comfort or product requirements. These chambers are designed to prevent high RH levels but cannot compensate for dry ambient conditions, which may dry the chamber to lower levels than the setpoint. Example: 4 C / 60% maximum setpoint may read 4 C / 40% on a dry day in the winter. [3]: For mildew control, 70% is the maximum RH level at 4 C to prevent mildew on the product & chamber vinyl gaskets. Relative humidity uniformity is defined as the variation between the setpoint humidity & the actual measured humidity at any point on a horizontal plane 40" AFF & 12" from the walls. [4]: Humidity uniformity is defined as the variation between the setpoint humidity & the actual measured humidity at any point on a horizontal plane 40" AFF (above finished floor) & 12" from the walls. Uniformity is not be confused with control; uniformity refers to a variance throughout the chamber test zone & control refers to a variance as read at the controller. [5] $: A uniformity of ± 5% is most common in biomedical, research, & industrial chambers. It is the most cost effective option. [6] $: Uniformities of ± 3% & ± 1% are generally obtained with fully proportional temperature control & higher airflow rates. Since relative humidity is a function of temperature, horizontal temperature uniformity is set back to ± 0.5 C or lower in order to provide the humidity uniformity. In the extreme case of ± 1%, airflow is s:\fo r ms \project worksheet\technical notes supplement to project worksheet rev 3.0.doc Page 2 of 5
dramatically increased to further lower the temperature uniformity & variations. Uniformities of 3% & 1% will greatly impact the cost of the chamber, with the greatest cost increase at 1%. D. CHAMBER LOADS SECTION: D2 - DOOR VIEW WINDOWS: [1]: Windows may not be used on chambers operating at less than 20 C. D3 - DOOR OPENINGS & OCCUPANTS: [1]: ES will use a default of 6 seconds opening duration if not specified otherwise. [2]: ES will use a default 15 minutes occupation time if not specified otherwise. D4 - MAKE-UP / VENTILATION AIR: [1] $: Make-up air affects the total heating & cooling load imposed on the conditioning system, & therefore affects cost. ES recommends limitations on make-up air for this reason. [2]: ES does not recommend make-up air volumes of 50 CFM or more for temperature only chambers operating below 6 C. Make-up air imposes a higher moisture load on the chamber & will promote heavy icing on the coil. This will result in a higher frequency of defrost cycles. D6 - LIGHTING LEVEL: [1] $: The standard level is 70 footcandles for general working rooms, 50 footcandles for storage rooms, & 100 footcandles for working clean rooms. High lighting levels impose additional cooling load on the conditioning system, therefore affecting cost. ES recommends using the minimum light level for this reason. [2]: Metal halides will automatically be chosen by ES on applications with large square footage & chamber heights of approximately 16 feet & higher (for example, warehousing applications). [3]: The ES standard vapor proof fluorescent fixture has T-8, 32 watt, 4' lamps, & offers specular back reflector for increased efficiency & output comparable to high output 60 W lamps. E. MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT SECTION E1 - COOLING UNIT: [1] $: Fully proportional valves offer the tightest temperature control, but will impact cost considerably. ES recommends choosing the standard rapid cycle valves if cost is a concern. [2] $: Certain voltages / phases are currently not available in many small & new refrigerant (R-134, etc) condensing units. In order to satisfy the customer's power requirements, transformers are then provided. This will impact cost, but can be avoided by noting above that ES is allowed to supply the standard voltage / phase on the properly sized condensing unit. E2 - EVAPORATOR: [1]: The unit cooler option is common choice for temperature only, freezer to warm rooms ( 40 C). This option is also heavily used on cold rooms (< 10 C) with RH depression by desiccant drier. [2]: The ES ceiling plenum option is a popular choice for many standard & redundant control applications, which are not accommodated by the unit cooler. It is also chosen by customers who prefer the high quality standard of this custom built ES product. s:\fo r ms \project worksheet\technical notes supplement to project worksheet rev 3.0.doc Page 3 of 5
[3] $: The exterior air handler is generally reserved for applications requiring high volumes of circulating air. An example would be a large storage warehouse. Your ES sales representative can review your chamber & budgetary requirements to assist in determining the need for an air handler. Note that the standard service for air handlers would be 460 V / 3 phase. E3 - CONTROL PANEL: [1] $: Outdoor applications & special appearance applications may require NEMA 12 or NEMA 4X enclosures. This will impact cost. [2] $: The programmable ramping controller allows the user to program multiple heat up / cool down sequences to occur automatically. This option is ideal for stress testing, & does impact cost. [3] $: The standard ES control panel operates with 120/208 V service. In order to satisfy the customer's power requirement for 460 V service, a transformer is then provided. This will impact cost. [4]: The standard ES control panel requires a (1) NEUTRAL wire in order to provide the 120 V from 1 or 3 phase service. For the 3-phase service, this is commonly known as '5-wire' (3 hot, 1 neutral, 1-ground wire). For the 1 phase service, this is commonly known as '4-wire' (2 hot, 1 neutral, 1 ground wire). F. STANDARD OPTIONS SECTION F1 - CHAMBER LAY-IN CEILING: [1]: Lexan panels are used on warm rooms & rooms with ES ceiling plenums. The panels offer increased light distribution, optimum air distribution, & an aesthetically pleasing ceiling system. [2]: White eggcrate panels are used on cold rooms & rooms with unit coolers. The panels offer optimum air distribution & an aesthetically pleasing ceiling system. F3 - CHAMBER DOOR: [1] $: Interior ramps are not recommended for high humidity rooms or freezers. Condensation can occur without a specially designed heating system. Please speak with your ES sales representative for more details. F5 - CONTROL PANEL RECORDER, BACKUP UPS & COMMUNICATIONS: [1]: The standard, low cost, recorder option is the 10" paper style. This is pen-to-paper. The 12" style features thermal paper & no ink pens. The recorder arm "draws" its own chart & trend line(s). All standard recorders are Honeywell or Partlow-West brand. [2]: An instrumentation backup system can be installed inside of, or local to, the ES control panel. The standard ES system offers 20 minutes, or more, of backup protection for items such as the process controllers, temperature & RH transmitters, recorder, process alarm card, & typical alarm contacts. ES can also provide a connection point for a 120 VAC UPS line by the customer. This will perform the same as above except at less expense to the customer. [3]: The 4-20 ma option allows the user to monitor the conditions of the chamber from a remote location (1-way line). The RS-485 option allows the user to both monitor & control conditions from a remote location (2-way communication line). s:\fo r ms \project worksheet\technical notes supplement to project worksheet rev 3.0.doc Page 4 of 5
F6 - SHELVING: [1]: Wall mounted shelving is not recommended for heavy loading. If chosen with heavy loads, special wall bracing is required & will considerably increase cost. It is recommended to choose free standing for heavy loads. [2] $: All special post heights, shelf depths, & shelf lengths are considerably more expensive than the standard choices. Please consider the standard choices for best pricing. F7 - CASEWORK: [1]: Standard bench depth is 30". Other sizes may be chosen with minimal cost impact. [2]: Standard sink size is 20"W x 20"L x 14"D. Other sizes may be chosen with minimal cost impact. [3]: If hot / cold water feeds are chosen, standard is (1) set per sink unless otherwise stated. Also note that HOT water is not recommended in rooms operating less than 10 C due to potential water pipe vibration. [4]: If air / gas / vacuum feed is chosen, standard is (1) feed per bench unless otherwise stated. [5]: Standard features are backsplash, under-shelf, & front marine edge. END s:\fo r ms \project worksheet\technical notes supplement to project worksheet rev 3.0.doc Page 5 of 5