Fluke 435 Series I Application Note

: Fluke Fluke-435-Series-I-Application-Note-809707 fluke-435-series-i-application-note-809707 fluke pdf

Open the PDF directly: View PDF .
Page Count: 3

Application Note

Save money with best

practices and an energy

inspection checklist

From the Fluke Digital Library @ www.fluke.com/library

valuable steam is lost. To spot

a failed trap, use a non-con-

tact thermal imager, infrared

thermometer or a contact

thermometer to compare the

temperature of the trap to

the pipe on either side of it.

Thermography and infrared

thermometers hold obvious

advantages for traps mounted

in awkward areas. Normal

temperature differences across

steam traps are approximately

20 °F.

With the economic downturn, many

facility managers are facing very tight

operation and maintenance budgets.

Luckily, many facilities are sitting on

multiple energy conservation oppor-

tunities that can save thousands of

dollars per year with relatively little

capital investment.

If capital expenditures at your

facility for new HVAC mechani-

cal equipment have been frozen

or eliminated, one way to free

up financial resources is to

tune up existing HVAC equip-

ment. Follow best maintenance

practices and the increased

operating efficiency will reduce

energy consumption. Cumula-

tive energy bill savings can then

supplement the general budget.

While HVAC systems vary

widely in terms of equipment

and operational characteristics,

the following checklist should

generally apply to most main

equipment types and energy

waste areas:

Steam system checklist:

✔ Insulation checks: Loose or

missing insulation costs thou-

sands of dollars in extra fuel

costs per heating season. Use

a thermal imager to inspect

system insulation and identify

insufficient areas.

✔ Steam trap checks: Steam

traps remove condensate from

heating and process equip-

ment. If the traps fail open,

To spot missing insulation, use a fairly sensitive thermal imager with IR-Fusion® blended digital/

thermal view. That’s because a) differences in temperature indicating a gap can be relatively small

and b) while a gap may read clearly in infrared, finding the spot on the wall afterwards is difficult

if you don’t have digital landmarks within the thermal view to go by.

If you don’t see a distinct temperature difference on

either side of a steam trap, it may be failed and needs to

be further investigated.

2 Fluke Corporation Save money with best practices and an energy inspection checklist

✔ Check air temperatures in

boiler room: Proper com-

bustion requires that the

combustion air be between

proper limits. Use a digital

thermometer designed to mea-

sure ambient air temperatures

and consider checking the

carbon monoxide level in the

boiler room, as well, to ensure

safety.

✔ Other: In addition to the steps

made above, also check the

feedwater temperature, fuel oil

heater temperature, and other

items such as lubricant. These

checks may not only save

energy but also costs due to

equipment repair or failure.

Cooling system checklist:

✔ Electrical checks: Check

compressor voltage and

amperage to ensure that the

motor is operating at manufac-

turer-recommended levels.

✔ Temperature checks: Check

the temperatures of inlet and

outlet air and water tempera-

tures at heat exchangers to

verify they are operating at

their most efficient levels.

Chilled water supply tempera-

tures for most chilled water

systems should be between

42 °F and 44 °F.

✔ Pressure checks: Use a

digital multimeter with a pres-

sure attachment to take the

inlet and outlet pressures of

shell and tube heat exchang-

ers, to ensure the tubes are

not fouled. Fouling will result

in lower heat transfer and

higher energy consumption at

the compressor. Pressure drop

across the heat exchanger

(Delta P) may be anywhere

from 5 psig to 25 psig and

varies by manufacturer. Check

refrigerant and pump pres-

sures, as well, to ensure

equipment is operating at

baseline levels.

✔ Cooling tower checks: For

cooling equipment to operate

at its most efficient levels, the

cooling tower must oper-

ate properly. Since cooling

towers reject heat at a spe-

cific rate to the atmosphere,

use a temperature/humidity

meter to measure the outside

air temperature and humid-

ity and analyze cooling tower

operation. Also measure the

temperature of the condensing

water supplied to the chiller. A

common value is 85 °F.

When taking readings near any combustion equipment, measure not only CO but CO2 and temperature as well.

Some electrical test tools, such as this Fluke 902

Clamp Meter, offer temperature measurement too,

making it easier to build in temperature checks.

Fan system checklist:

✔ Electrical checks: Measure

the voltage and amperage of

the fan motor and compare to

nameplate conditions.

✔ Temperature checks: Check

the following values at air

handlers:

• Outside air temperature

• Mixed air temperature

• Return air temperature

• Discharge or supply air

temperature

• Coil face discharge air

temperatures

• Space temperature sensors

• Economizer and related

dampers

• Wet bulb temperature or

relative humidity (RH)

sensors

Take readings with a handheld

temperature meter and compare

them against those indicated

by the control system to ensure

accuracy. Sensor calibration

should be an integral part of all

maintenance programs.

✔ Air pressure checks: Check

pressure drops across filter

banks to ensure adequate

air flow. Excessive pressure

drops will cause higher than

normal energy consumption.

Measure air pressure drops

across heating and cooling

coils to ensure that the coils

are clean. Measure the inlet

and outlet air temperatures to

ensure proper temperature rise

or drop.

Lighting system

checklist:

✔ Electrical checks: Thermog-

raphy applications for lighting

include ballast and breaker

contact temperatures. Look for

hotspots and compare values

with baselines or previous

temperature measurements for

evaluation.

✔ Illumination levels: Use a

light meter to measure foot-

candle or lumen levels. Where

possible, reduce illumination

levels to industry standards.

Especially consider reducing

Fluke Corporation

PO Box 9090, Everett, WA 98206 U.S.A.

Fluke Europe B.V.

PO Box 1186, 5602 BD

Eindhoven, The Netherlands

For more information call:

In the U.S.A. (800) 443-5853 or

Fax (425) 446-5116

In Europe/M-East/Africa +31 (0) 40 2675 200 or

Fax +31 (0) 40 2675 222

In Canada (800)-36-FLUKE or

Fax (905) 890-6866

From other countries +1 (425) 446-5500 or

Fax +1 (425) 446-5116

Web access: http://www.fluke.com

©2009 Fluke Corporation.

Specifications subject to change without notice.

Printed in U.S.A. 1/2009 3433295 A-EN-N Rev A

Modification of this document is not permitted

without written permission from Fluke Corporation.

Fluke. Keeping your world

up and running.®

illumination during seasons

when more natural light is

available.

✔ Operational checks: Set up

a recording meter to sample

illumination levels during a

facility’s unoccupied hours.

This will help identify areas

where the lights are left on

inadvertently or unnecessarily.

Building automation

system checklist:

✔ Energy consumption

checks: Use a power quality

meter to evaluate your facili-

ty’s voltage, current, and KWH

energy consumption. If pos-

sible, log energy consumption

over time on specific circuits,

and by specific equipment and

areas. Compare your hourly

usage rate to your utility fee

structure and adjust usage

patterns out of high-demand,

high-cost times of day. Also

check control system supply

voltages to ensure proper

controller operation. Control-

ler communication bus values

may be checked to ensure the

integrity of the communication

wiring.

✔ Control system: Check

all sensors and indicating

thermometers for properly

calibrated gauges. Check valve

and damper actuators as well.

Actuator problems can cause

higher than normal heating

and cooling usage and high

energy bills. Actuator output

voltages and current signals

can be checked using a regu-

lar digital multimeter.

✔ Temperature checks: Check

the temperatures of inlet and

outlet air and water tempera-

tures at heat exchangers to

make sure that they are oper-

ating at their most efficient

levels. For example, chilled

water supply temperatures for

most chilled water systems

are between 42 °F and 44 °F.

✔ Operational checks: Log air

temperature over time, over

occupied and unoccupied

schedules, identify areas left

in the wrong temperature

mode at night or on weekends,

wasting energy.

✔ Setpoint checks: Check the

accuracy of all temperature,

pressure and humidity control

setpoints by logging those

values over time. Control

inaccuracy may waste 1 % of

energy per degree of error.

Hook a power quality monitor up to specific circuits and equipment,

such as chillers to determine energy consumption.

3 Fluke Corporation Save money with best practices and an energy inspection checklist