Automation & Controls - Case Studies

During the final months of 2020, the Wizards of Metal left Finland and headed towards Uruguay during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Equipped with Heatmasters heat treatment units, the specialists would be working with Andritz personnel to replace bends and ties on several superheaters, during which on-site heat treatment work was required. These works happened during the plants’ annual outage maintenance project, officially called “PGP 2020 (Parada General de Planta)”. Montes...

For more than three decades, Heatmasters has been at the forefront of temperature control systems for metal heat treatment applications. Industry veterans are already familiar with the legendary Rigel controller and HM20/HM25 temperature control program. This technology has proven to be excellent in both accuracy and ease of use, whilst also offering multiple innovative features for end-users. AP-Tela AP-Tela Oy, a Kokkola-based subsidiary of Plc Uutechnic Group Oyj (ex-Vaahto Group), is a pro...

Heatmasters’ heat treatment operators were on site at the Kymijärvi III bio-heating plant before its commissioning in 2019. Now, they were back on site for on-site heat treatment works during a project involving the installation of additional piping. The Kymijärvi III bio-heating plant uses certified sustainable woody biomass as fuel, providing Finland’s most environmentally friendly district heating to the city of Lahti. Lahti – European Green Capital 2021 Lahti h...

Heatmasters has finished the commissioning of a gas-fired furnace in Saudi Arabia. Featuring 2100 kW of heating power, and a movable wagon, this furnace was designed according to the customers’ needs to expand their production facilities’ in-house heat treatment capabilities. The customer is an experienced pressure vessel, tank, and steel structure manufacturer for the oil and energy industry. Temperature control system In addition to their famous digital temperature control syste...

Manchester Underwriting Management Ltd (MUM Ltd), an insurance company occupying the first floor of a commercial office building in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, in the United Kingdom (UK), approached SFE Services to initially assist with installing a new mechanical ventilation system. Their goal was to improve the well-being and safety of staff, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The client also advised that they had an old ceiling cassette air conditioning system, which was no longer working in t...

Two Lochinvar Copper-Fin2® Commercial Pool Heaters were center stage for a 12-day swimming competition in Omaha, Neb., in June 2021. Spear Corporation in Roachdale, Ind., tapped Lochinvar to supply the critical pool heating equipment to ensure top athletes could perform in optimal conditions. Set up directly on top of the basketball court in the facility’s main arena, the two pools – a warm-up pool and a competition pool totaled more than 1.8 million gallons of water. In less th...

Located in Worcester Massachusetts, Doherty Memorial High School is typical of many schools designed in the 1960’s. With two classroom wings joined together by hallways and anchored by an auditorium and gymnasium, the red brick school is home to approximately 1500 students. After 40 years, the school needed to replace the original hot water boilers and unit ventilators serving the upper and lower classroom wings. To design their new heating and ventilating system, the school enlisted the...

Working alongside Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd. in Bhandara, India, global technology company ABB has achieved successful integration of its ABB Ability™ Data Analytics Platform for metals, tying together all manufacturing and operational data of steel melt shop and rolling mills to improve production planning and plant performance optimization. The plant, which has a capacity to produce 500,000 metric tons of high-quality special steel per annum, now has the platform to integrate...

The mining industry uses a variety of corrosive chemicals in the extraction process of minerals such as gold, silver, platinum and other valuable raw materials. In the extraction of gold, for example, chemicals that are used in the process (ie., sodium hydroxide and sodium cyanide),  require to be constantly heated at certain temperatures in large containers (up to 50,000 gallons). Replaceable heating elements These temperatures also require precise controls in order to maintain their con...

Houston Methodist Hospital, a world-class hospital, and medical research institution require a constant, reliable, and affordable energy supply to meet its critical needs. That became even more obvious to administrators at Houston Methodist Hospital after Hurricane Katrina and other major storms from the following years. The hospital required the ability to create its own energy to maintain operations during the blackouts that can occur with major storms that regularly slam into the Texas gulf c...

After numerous water leaks, compressor failures, and damper control problems, it was time for South High Community School in Worcester, Massachusetts to replace their 30 year old HVAC rooftop units. Not only had the units outlasted their expected mechanical life, but the ability to deliver fresh outdoor air and maintain comfortable heating and cooling conditions became increasingly difficult and expensive. To specify a state-of-the-art replacement HVAC roof-top system, the energy and environmen...

With help from celebrity investors like Dan Aykroyd and Aerosmith, House of Blues has been an iconic franchise in live music since 1992. The popular Boston location that opened in 2009 next to Fenway Park is a prime spot for concerts and private events. A packed schedule that leaves little downtime for the repair of the club’s HVAC equipment means that reliability and ease of maintenance are extremely important factors when making purchasing decisions. In 2016, energy recovery wheels in t...

The YMCA Association of Greater Rochester, New York, is one of the oldest associations in the United States. They currently have fifteen thriving locations built over the last century that range in size from 50,000 to more than 70,000 square feet. While the size and age of the facilities vary, high standards for energy efficiency and indoor air quality (IAQ) are key objectives in the design, construction, and operation of these buildings. "Good indoor air quality is very important" notes Eastsi...

Maintaining safe levels of air quality in multi-story car parks is crucial for the safety of those using them. Carbon Dioxide caused by vehicle exhausts and other emissions can lead to poor and potentially dangerous levels of toxicity without good ventilation. Additionally, should a fire break out, the smoke and fumes need to be drawn from each floor quickly. Energy-efficient ventilation system The owner of a multi-story car park in the center of Belgrade, Serbia, turned to Electro Pneumatic...

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached the U.S. in March of 2020, Three Rivers Casino Resort and its two properties on Oregon’s scenic Central Coast, like all tribal gaming and hospitality  properties, closbyith Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance and government regulations. It was the first time that the casino resort, which first opened as a casino-only in 2004 before a resort expansion in 2007, was forced to shut its doors to its beloved local community. guest experience Owne...

Ductless and VRF manufacturer, Samsung HVAC, headquartered in Roanoke, Texas, has collaborated with the developers of The Metroport Chamber located in downtown Roanoke to provide individual zone control, energy efficiency, and innovative indoor units to a brand-new office building in an up-and-coming area. Designed as a member-focused building, the new Roanoke location offers co-working space, lease space, and conference room availability for the Chamber’s membership and staff. The new of...

The nationwide lockdown in November made necessary by the high infection figures of the second corona wave is also accompanied by considerable restrictions during the current third wave. This makes it all the more important to continue safeguarding the indispensable work in public institutions such as hospitals. Vitovent 200-P To make a decisive contribution to the solution, Viessmann has developed Vitovent 200-P, a new air purification unit. These are unique hybrid ventilation units that pe...

Indoor air quality and affordable building ventilation are increasingly important for businesses fighting to stay open and operable during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Casinos, with their 24/7 operating schedules and high levels of tobacco smoke and other indoor air contaminants, face a unique challenge to maintain optimum indoor air quality at an affordable cost. Airxchange energy recovery wheel technology was specifically designed to operate in demanding casino environments to deliver imp...

The underfloor system at the prominently positioned Mayfair offices was originally installed in the year 2000 for Japanese construction company Teisei and has proved to be an adaptable services solution for the building over the past 18 years. The system at Hanover Street is the CAM-C system with underfloor supply air and underfloor return air. Each floor is effectively one zone, with a single CAM downflow unit supplying conditioned air to the underfloor plenum. Access flooring system This co...

Honeywell announces that global natural and organic foods retailer Whole Foods Market has adopted its Solstice® N40 (R-448A) lower Global-Warming-Potential (GWP) refrigerant in its stores across the United States as it seeks to reduce refrigerant emissions under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill program. Whole Foods Market will retrofit their commercial refrigeration systems at more than 100 stores with Honeywell’s reduced-GWP alternative, replacing high-glob...

Global technology company ABB has been contracted by manufacturer of forest products, Arauco, to modernize its Licancel Cellulose Plant in Chile to deliver faster response times, greater cyber security, upgraded operator interfaces, enhanced process reliability and flexibility for remote working. Arauco will continue to utilize ABB Ability™ System 800xA distributed control system (DCS) and extend its use as the foundation for all operations at the plant. This will be done in two key sta...

SeaCube Containers LLC and Carrier Transicold announced a strategic refrigerated asset management systems platform engagement. As a result, SeaCube will be the first intermodal equipment leasing company to incorporate Carrier’s Lynx™ Fleet solution into its fleet with an initial deployment of 2,000 PrimeLINE™ refrigerated container units. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the pioneering global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold...

Aggreko, the foremost global supplier of mobile and modular power, temperature control, and energy services, has installed a new Combined Heat and Power (CHP) solution at the CET Arad Power Plant, Romania. The solution will help to increase efficiency and stability at the plant, a key provider of hot water and electricity for the district heating scheme and grid at the regional capital Arad City, for the next four years. Challenges Aggreko’s skilled team of engineers had to contend with...

Teknotherm is excited to announce that they have been awarded the contract to finalize the HVAC systems for RoPax ferry HONFLEUR. Back in 2017 Brittany Ferries ordered HONFLEUR at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellshaft (FSG) Shipyard in Germany. However, when FSG Shipyard went bankrupt in 2019, its Norwegian owner Siem Group signed a contract with Fosen Yard in Norway to complete the project. Supplying HVAC systems HONFLEUR – now named newbuilding 93 – was designed to become a 187.4 m...

Drury Southwest is a Missouri-based, family owned and operated hotel system with more than 130 hotels in 21 states. Founded in 1973, the Drury brands include Drury Inn & Suites®, Drury Inn®, Drury Plaza Hotel®, Drury Suites®, Pear Tree Inn by Drury®, and other brands. The company’s focus on exceptional customer service, spotless rooms, and best-in-class value earned the company a JD Power and Associates ranking of ‘Highest in Guest Satisfaction’ award fr...

Blalock Heating & Air, along with Johnstone Supply, Fujitsu and The Nixon Group, teamed up on a project at Speedway Ford in Griffin, Georgia, United States of America (USA). The team consisted of: Blalock Heating and Air – Justin Bishop, Johnstone Supply – Ty Rath, Fujitsu – Shawn Hill, The Nixon Group – Seth Nixon. Speedway Ford Speedway Ford has been a long time customer of Blalock Heating & Air Speedway Ford has been a long time customer of Blalock...

To ensure swift and reliable maintenance and repair services, KKT chillers runs a close-knit global service network, and Adcock is KKT Chillers’ only UK service provider for the maintenance and repair of all their equipment. Thanks to this status Adcock was recently awarded a maintenance contract to look after climate control equipment at GAP Ice Ltd and was called to assist with emergency breakdown soon after. Standard packaged chillers The customer reported that one of their KKT chill...

A large manufacturer of steel cables from Detroit, Michigan contacted Wattco with a problem that the cables they manufactured were corroding in their warehouse and needed a solution to prevent this from happening. Steel products that often sat in inventory for long periods of time were more prone to corrosion. Traditionally, light lubricating oil was used to coat the cables, preventing rust from settling in. The cables were exposed to a steam heating tank, containing light oil at ninety-five de...

Manteca Unified School District plans to use OptiClean air scrubbers in every classroom to provide improved indoor air quality across its facilities To prepare for its facilities fully reopening to students and staff, northern California’s Manteca Unified School District has installed 1,500 Carrier OptiClean™ Dual-Mode Air Scrubber & Negative Air Machines to purify the air in classrooms across its 30 schools. OptiClean The OptiClean units will help to improve indoor air qualit...

Carrier Commercial Service secured a three-year service agreement with Jefferson Regional Medical Center (JRMC) in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Under the BluEdge™ Elite service agreement, Carrier will maintain more than 100 heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) assets totaling 2,500 tons of cooling, as well as the hospital’s Carrier i-Vu® Building Automation System. Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the pioneering global provider of healthy, safe and sustain...