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(New Orleans, LA – April 19, 2006) – Carrier Rental Systems (a division of Carrier Corporation),a specialty provider of temperature control and power generation equipment recently assisted building owners maintain safe humidity levels during an electrical renovation. A large 14-story building looses electrical service after Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans. Built in New Orleans’ Garden District in the 1950’s, the original facility was designed as an apartment complex. In the 1980s, the building was converted into a 264-room condo. The current owners renovated the building about 5 years ago and operate as a timeshare resort/hotel and restaurant. The entire building had to be evacuated before Hurricane Katrina struck the Louisiana coast. Floodwaters filled the resort’s basement destroying everything including the main electrical service. Compared to the rest of the city, the only other damage from the storm included minor roof damage and a few broken windows. "With everything else in the basement, the contaminated floodwaters destroyed the building’s main electrical service including switch gear, panels, wiring, breakers and more” said Norris Ortolano, the buildings’ Chief Engineer. A secondary electrical service was added some time in the past to feed the elevators and restaurant. "Fortunately our secondary service was able to get back up and running a short time after storm. So we have been able to get the restaurant, elevators and secondary lighting back in service,” said Ortolano. “After the storm and initial evaluation of the facility, we knew we had to address our electrical service issue. Not only were we going to have to replace and relocate the entire electrical service, but now we would have to address a new concern with the building being left in an unconditional state for an extended amount of time,” continued Ortolano. By removing the electrical service, each room’s individual water source heat pump would be down during the entire project. To make things even more complicated, the total damage throughout the city has contractors stretched thin and increasing the amount of time to complete any project. The building’s owners had to address the HVAC need. Several possible solutions where being considered including bringing in large dehumidification equipment. The cost and additional heat load made that solution impractical. “About 6 years ago I had an experience with temporary air conditioners and decided to call Carrier Rental Systems to design an economical solution. Our main priority was to maintain humidity levels to protect the furnishings, drapes, carpets, cabinetry and the rest of the facility from mold, mildew and other potential contaminates,” said Ortolano. Ortolano called Carrier Rental Systems to design a system that would help reduce the threat. Bruce Godbery and Toby Sarradet (Carrier Rental Systems’ Baton Rouge Office) went to the site and began evaluating the project. “There were several challenges to overcome,” said Godbery. “The first option would be temporary generators. Unfortunately, the flood damage eliminated existing tie-ins and would greatly limit the electrical contractor while working around “live” wires and panels,” continued Godbery. Another major hurdle, the fuel costs for running large generators over an extended time would be astronomical. In addition to the limited space of a downtown area, neighbors were concerned about noise and emission pollution. Large temporary generators were eliminated as an option. The second option would be to provide a temporary air conditioning system to maintain the humidity levels on all 14 floors during the renovation. “This option also faced many challenges,” said Sarradet. “We still had to deal with the limited space for temporary equipment and the only available spot on the property was a small parking area with limited access,” continued Sarradet. Like any other metro area, finding enough space on city streets would be difficult. Traffic and pedestrians still needed to move freely. Another challenge…the building’s footprint did not leave a lot of options. “The building is shaped like an “H”, creating difficult areas to reach,” said Sarradet. Finally, without utility power available, whatever the finished design, temporary power would still be needed. Carrier Rental Systems would have to create a solution utilizing minimum power. The solution: Carrier Rental Systems would utilize 320 tons of air-cooled chillers and high-static, 100% outside-air, air handling units producing over 65,000 cfm. The air-handlers would introduce cool dry air into the building and maintain appropriate humidity levels. The key to the success of the project was maintaining a balance of air escaping out of the building and replacing it with enough conditioned air to maintain the space. “After spending time with Norris (Ortolano) and getting familiar with the facility, we decided to take advantage of the building’s stairways and access points and use them as large plenums”, said Sarradet. By creating positive pressure within the space, the cool, dehumidified air would be forced throughout hallways and rooms maintaining comfortable and safe humidity levels. By creating a temporary chilled water system design, Carrier Rental Systems was able to run the system only utilizing one 800kW generator. A significant savings compared to the amount of power and distribution required for multiple air conditioners capable of conditioning all 14 floors. “The temporary systems is doing exactly what we expected and we are satisfied that this final solution will protect both the structure and contents during our renovation”, commented Ortolano. Social Bookmark Options: Syndication Subscription Options:  |
