Past President's Night and Holiday Party

November 29 will be the date of this year’s traditional Past Presidents Night and holiday party! Once again, we will hold the event at the Cherokee Country Club, Lyons View Pike, 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm, with plenty of time for social interaction, dinner, and entertainment. Entertainment will be by the group Balin’ Twine who will be playing bluegrass, americana, and original music. Cost for the evening will be $50 per guest, $90.00 per couple, and $40.00 for each additional guest.

Prior to dinner, the cocktail hour will be sponsored by our YEA group. This will be an official YEA event, and for those not in that age group, they will be available to assist you with any pre-dinner need as they lead this event. For the YEA group, enjoy the holiday spirit (and spirits) as you mix with your fellow members.

Please RSVP to Anne Jacoby (ajacoby@hobbstn.com) as soon as possible, but by November 27 at the latest. We hope to see you there!

October Research Promotion Month a Success!

Our October meeting had a research theme associated with it, and was a great success. Attendance was the best yet this year, and many of those were recognized for contributions to ASHRAE Research. Jeff Gibson recognized many, both on the projector screen and by giving certificates of appreciation to those who donated. John Sealy assisted, and he added to Jeff’s talk by reminding us that our Chapter has more individual donations that practically any chapter in the country. Our research effort is consistently among the best in ASHRAE. Congratulations Jeff, John, and the entire Research Promotion Committee!

ORNL Tour Announced!

On October 30, 2018, Chapter members Van Baxter, David Grant, and Heather Buckberry will lead a tour of two ORNL facilities that should be of great interest to Chapter Members. Specific details follow below:

Data Center Tour Description:

During the tour of the National Center for Computational Sciences’ Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, guests will see both the Titan and Summit High Performance Computing systems and the supporting power and cooling infrastructure. A briefing of the science being done on these supercomputers will be provided. These systems are housed in two very different data centers which will provide insights into how best practice design evolves with time. The facility’s 20MW chiller plant and the new 20MW cooling system that supports Summit will be included in the tour. Guests will get to see how over 1000W/SF gets removed from the newest data center without any facility air handlers.

Research House Tour Description:

ASHRAE Chapter guests touring the ORNL Research House will see the instrumentation and process control that allows HVAC, water heating, and controls research in a home setting. An introduction to the Connected Neighborhood Project will review how commercial internet of things (IoT) functionality on HVAC, water heating, and circuit level energy monitoring. This is being integrated with weather forecasting and utility price curves as part of an ORNL-developed system to control home and neighborhood electric load shapes by actively dispatching loads in response to a price signal. The research house is also used to assess the field performance of prototype water heating and HVAC systems after they have been tested in a laboratory.

Important Deadlines/Information:

1. Sign-up deadline October 16 is (ORNL security asks for two-week advance notice to prepare visitor passes). Please provide by October 16 to David Grant (grantdr@ornl.gov) and Van Baxter (vdb@ornl.gov):

a. Name as given on photo ID (driver’s license, student ID, or passport)
b. Citizenship
c. Office and mobile phone numbers
d. E-mail address

2. Please be sure to bring your photo ID with you to show the guards at ORNL portal.

3. Carpooling is encouraged. There is no parking lot at the Research House so visitors have to park on neighborhood streets near the House.

4. Tentative tour schedule:

a. 8:30 am: Arrive at ORNL Visitor Center for sign-in, badging.
(David Grant and Van Baxter will meet tour group)
b. 9-10am: Tour Datacenter facility (David Grant, lead)
c. 10-10:30: Return to Visitor Center & travel to Research House site (Van Baxter, lead)
d. 10:30-11:30: Tour Research House (Heather Buckberry, lead)

Freshman Luncheon at UT MABE!

Classes are back in session at the University of Tennessee! To welcome and celebrate the incoming freshman in the Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering (MABE) Department, Dr. Matthew Mench, Department Head, hosted a voluntary luncheon for all those entering into the program. It was a very informal event for the students to attend, have a free lunch, and be able to see the different programs and clubs that they could potentially be a part of.

Our ASHRAE student leaders had an ASHRAE table/booth set up by the student chapter advisor Dr. William Miller, who works at ORNL National Lab and is also a Lecturer at the University of Tennessee. Accompanying Dr. Miller were Blake Forsythe, Student Activites Chair, as well as YEA Members Zach Rose and Ian Swaggerty. They managed to talk to over two dozen students about ASHRAE and what we do as an organization and society. The booth had a few senior design project posters associated with topics in HVAC technology that were spearheaded by Dr. Miller and his students. We also had a few of the ASHRAE handbooks throughout the years to show what the organization does and how it contributes to our industry. There was a fairly good interest received from the students as they stopped by and spoke with us about potentially joining the student chapter at UT and the possibilities of becoming a part of the industry post-graduation.

City of Knoxville Code Changes and Forum

Erin Gill, Director of Sustainablity for the City of Knoxville, has advised us about the following opportunities to learn about upcoming code adoptions for the City. Her message follows, as we want all of our members to be aware of these changes.

Good Morning (Green) Building Industry Friends,

The City is preparing to adopt the 2018 editions of the International Code Council construction codes. Historically, the adopted codes have been amended to reflect earlier editions to minimize construction process changes. This adoption will be somewhat different in that we intend to adopt the 2018 code editions with minimal amendments.

Plans Review and Inspections Staff have been reviewing the 2018 codes the past six months. Please join our staff next week Monday, July 30, 2018 through Thursday, August 2nd from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Public Works Service Center on 3131 Morris Avenue to learn more about the changes for each code.

The following schedule has been developed to discuss changes with those interested:

Monday, July 30, 2018

2018 International Residential Code
2018 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

2018 International Building Code
2018 International Energy Conservation Code

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

2018 International Plumbing Code
2018 International Fuel Gas Code
2018 International Mechanical Code

Thursday, August 2, 2018

2017 National Electric Code

From a green building perspective, we are evaluating an option to lightly increase a few commercial energy efficiency standards above and beyond base code. Your input as we consider this option would be very valuable.

Please feel free to pass this along to others who may be interested.

Erin Gill
Director, Office of Sustainability
City of Knoxville, TN
865-215-4430
http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/sustainability

May Meeting and Officer Installation

Our May meeting was a great success. Following a strong program on variable primary flow chilled water systems, Tom Werkema assisted with the installation of our new officers, committee chairs, and Board of Governors.

Pictured above is our new past-president, Andrew Meyers passing the gavel to our new president, Chuck Biggs. We certainly appreciate Andrew's contribution to our chapter this year - we continue to be one of the best in Region VII. Congratulations to Chuck - we look forward to you leadership in the coming ASHRAE year!

Also pictured are our newly installed officers, committee chairs, and Board of Governors.

April Student Meeting Success!

Our April meeting was a success, as Dr. Bill Miller's senior mechanical engineers presented their Combined Cooling and Power (CCP) HVAC unit that not only provides air conditioning but also converts waste heat to mechanical energy. Their presentation was quite professional! The working project was slated to be demonstrated the following day at the annual senior project fair.

Our attendance was good for the meeting, and President Andrew Meyers encouraged all to be here for the May meeting - Officer Installation - and invited all to the annual Chapter Lake Party that will be June 2, 2018 this year.

April Meeting will Feature Student Design Group

Our April 25 meeting, will feature a presentation by Dr. William (Bill) Miller's Senior Design Project Team. Dr. Miller is a Research Scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as well as an instructor at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Miller received his Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate Degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee. He has led a group of undergraduate Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering (MABE) students as they complete their Senior Capstone Project.

Bill's current group of students are in the process of building a combined cooling and power (CCP) system that cools air for use in comfort conditioning and generates electricity from waste heat. Rather than dissipate condenser heat to the environment, the refrigeration system will convert the primary refrigerant’s condenser heat into  electricity.The key challenge is to transfer refrigerant condenser heat to shaft power and drive a turbine/alternator set for converting high quality heat into useful electricity. Students have used the NIST REFPROP[1] v9.1 refrigerant routines and have modeled the refrigeration cycle using the MATLAB programming language which the School of Engineering at UT has licensed for student academic work. Students are building a prototype CCP with support from UT Facility Services refrigerant technicians.

We expect a good crowd for this meeting - come early and network with fellow ASHRAE members! Better yet, invite a friend or colleague to hear this interesting topic.

January Global Warming Program Cancelled by Cold Weather!

In a cold, Arctic blast of irony, our own Tom Werkema's "Update on Climate Change" program will have to be postponed to a later, hopefully warmer day. Snow, and a previous night's low of 9-degrees caused hazardous driving conditions along with the usual school cancellations, etc. in Knoxville.

Meanwhile, it was sunny and almost 30-degrees warmer in Anchorage, Alaska. Rumor has it that the annual summer lake party will be scheduled there, in order to take advantage of the newly tropic Arctic weather! Stay tuned for details!

Holiday Party Success!

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Our 2017 Holiday party was a resounding success - we appreciate the efforts of many folks to secure, organize, and execute a great evening. Someone whispered that Anne Jacoby did more than her fair share - we  sure did appreciate it Anne! The event was once again well attended with young and old alike.

We wish all of our chapter a wonderful and merry holiday season! We will reconvene in Janaury and look forward to the New Year.

2017 Holiday Party

We are excited about our upcoming Past Presidents Night and Christmas Party on Thursday, November 30th, at Cherokee Country Club! A great menu and program in on deck, including a speaker, carolers, and an expanded social hour. Dress in your most festive holiday attire and be prepared for a great evening!

Please RSVP to Anne Jacoby (ajacoby@hobbsassociates.com) by 10:00 am on November 28th.

Strong Hall YEA Event

Over 15 people were in attendance at the YEA tour of the new Strong Hall building at the University of Tennessee. Most are pictured above - thanks to Andrew Bosse for organizing this event. It is good to see our YEA members in numbers and supporting our chapter!

November 2 - YEA Event

A message from our YEA Chair - Andrew Bosse

I hope all is well! Thanks to the help of John Sealy, we will be having our first YEA event of the chapter year at Strong Hall on the campus of UT. We will be taking a tour of the new facility and we will be doing dinner afterwards (location TBD) for those of you that can join! This event is open to any students, YEA members, or general members. I strongly encourage you to bring anyone who may be interested in joining ASHRAE to attend as well.

The tour will take place on Thursday, November 2nd at 5:00 PM and will last approximately 1 hour. Parking will be tight so I do encourage those of you that can carpool to do so.

Strong Hall is located on the corner of 16th Street and White Avenue and we will meet in the main atrium on the first level of the building at 5 PM.

Please RSVP by October 31st to Andrew.Bosse@irco.com. If you have any questions please feel free to call or email me directly.

September Meeting

Well, the Webmaster was conveniently absent from the September meeting, but he understands it went quite well! Congratulations to Andrew Myers on a great start to the 2017-18 year! Also, congratulations to John Sealy, Jon Driskill, and Phil Newby for receiving their Chapter Service Awards!

Nashville Chapters Regional Conference

Nashville was rocking for the 2017 Chapters Regional Conference (CRC). East Tennessee was well represented with at least 11 chapter members, including new Society Director Van Baxter. Several other companions and friends were present. The event was held downtown and included a rooftop event, great meals, and a VIP balcony at the Wild Horse Saloon. Oh yeah, we had a few meetings and workshops as well! Once again, East Tennessee did very well at the Awards Luncheon, where multiple members were recognized for excellence. In particular, our chapter beat out all others in Research Promotion fundraising! Congratulations to Jeff DeLong on a successful year!

New Officers and Summertime Fun!

Our May meeting was a success! Our speaker, and former Society President Terry Townsend was on hand to install our new slate of officers. Outgoing Chapter President Jeff DeLong has led the Chapter in what has been another successful year for East Tennessee. Our new President, Andrew Meyers, has been a Regional leader for YEA and represents a youthful turn for our leadership. We wish him the best and with strong support from a new Board of Governors and Committee Chairs, we should enjoy a great year upcoming.

Nothing beats a great lake party to celebrate and enjoy. We extend thanks to Tom and Suzanne Werkema for their hosting of yet another YEA sponsored lake party. Included in the pictures above are a few of our lake surfing crew - a great day of water sports!

UT Senior Design Project Showcase

The MABE Senior Design Showcase was held Thursday afternoon, April 27, at the Thompson Boling Arena Concourse, University of Tennessee. MABE is an acronym for Mechanical, Aerospace, and Biomedical Engineering, and almost 40 design projects were on display, accompanied by their creators - soon-to-graduate seniors of the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Our own ASHRAE student group, along with their faculty sponsor, Dr. Bill Miller, participated, demonstrating the ductwork project that was featured in our April meeting. Dr. Miller also had a second student group, demonstrating a two-phase energy storage project. This group demonstrated a technology that could save substantial amounts of energy at Hodges Library.

Other participants included groups sponsored by local and regional manufacturers and organizations such as Young-Williams, Denso Manufacturing, and Tennessee Eastman.

Of particular interest was the Design-Build-Fly team, which designed and built a working, scale-model aircraft. The aircraft did fly, did some fundamental maneuvers, but then failed upon being challenged with advanced arobatics. The pieces were on display at the showcase. Engineering student and part-time quarterback Josh Dobbs participated on this team, but had to leave early for a "job interview" (draft time?).

UT Student News and Showcase Invitation

Our April Meeting was a real treat! A presentation was made by Dr. Bill Miller's student team, who gave us insight into a research project that explored double-walled, vacuum ductwork for residential applications. Each of the students were very professional in their talk, and offered interesting discoveries as well as a candid view on the practicality of using ductwork of this type. This is what research is all about!

Dr. Miller has since passed along an invitation for members of our Chapter -

You and the ASHRAE chapter members are cordially invited to visit the Thompson Boling Arena concourse, meet the students and learn about the potential of the redox flow battery and the unique HVAC duct design. The showcase will exhibit several projects from 2 pm to 4 pm on Thursday, April 27, 2017.

Mechanical and Electrical engineers are developing a unique benchtop battery. The concept, if implemented,  could save the Hodges Library upwards of $750k per year by eliminating peak electrical demand charges. The project is funded by the Office of Sustainability’s Green Fee program.

Program Manager is Preston Jacobsen.  Student objectives are to 1) build and demonstrate a prototype battery;  and, 2) support UT Facility with the development of engineering specifications for a vanadium flow battery (VFB) intended for installation in the John C. Hodges Library.

Hoping you have opportunity to visit us between 1 Pm till 4 Pm.

William Miller, Ph.D.

Joint Faculty Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering

Lecturer Architecture and Design

Building Scientist Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Office (865) 574-2013    

ORNL Job Opening

Oak Ridge National Laboratory has a job opening for a Facility Engineer. Download the notice here if you might have an interest. Good Luck!

Winter YEA Event

Another successful YEA event was held on February 8 at the new "Veloce" center in West Knoxville. This new facility boasts some of the fastest go-karts around, and our YEA members enjoyed a great evening. The event was attended by eleven young men who seemed to create a competition of sorts.

Thanks go to our YEA Chair Andrew Bosse, who organized the event. Andrew says that he's not done for the year, so look forward to the next one, probably a lake event during the spring.