As a custom coil manufacturer, we often speak with facilities managers and maintenance professionals about coil replacements, upgrades, and retrofits. These jobs often require us to design a coil for an existing space, which can be tricky if you're not sure what to look for. For this post we’ll explain that process, including:

• Common size-in-place scenarios for commercial HVAC coils
• Some best practices when replacing a coil
• Other important coil replacement considerations

This is the first in a series of articles about battery power and its adjacent industries and processes. Check out our other post, "Application Spotlight: Solvent Recovery and Battery Liners."

Today, energy comes from a wide range of sources. The share of that collective power that comes from renewable energy sources continues to grow. In fact, in 2019, it was estimated that just under 20% of electricity generated at utility-scale electricity generation facilities in the United States was from renewable energy sources.[1]

Early 2021's deadly cold spell in Texas in and other areas of the South led to loss of power, water quality concerns for millions, and tragically, loss of life. Abnormal temperatures pushed all manner of equipment past its breaking point, and HVAC systems were hit hard.

In industries like commercial and industrial HVAC, there’s an understandably massive focus on innovations aimed at improving efficiency. Billions of dollars are spent every year on research and development to drive down operating costs without compromising on performance. Doing more with less is the name of the game, and included among the measures intended to do so is the economizer.

Hydronics systems? Football? While you may not hear those terms in the same breath every day, there’s actually a mind-blowing amount of design and engineering that help keep football field surfaces playable through the cold winter months.

First, some context

With this year’s big game being played in Tampa Bay, frozen ground won’t play a factor, but January's NFC championship game took place at the site of probably the most famous instance of frozen turf in history - historic Lambeau Field.

As far as stages go, professional football's championship game is one of the biggest out there, and there’s a small army responsible for making sure everything goes off without a hitch. Behind that army of personnel is an even larger assemblage of vehicles, equipment, and other technology that help along the way – one of which is the heat exchanger.

Heat exchangers of all shapes, sizes, and functions play a part in the Great American Game – from down on the field to very high above it. So, we thought it’d be fun to list some that help to make the big game everything we know and love.

Cooling data center IT equipment using air has been the industry standard for as long as there's been a data center industry. However, advances in computing technology have pushed the limits of what air-cooled systems are able to efficiently keep cool, as the amount of power needed to operate those systems increases. 

When designing a heat exchanger, an engineer should not only consider thermal performance, but also external influences that can negatively impact thermal performance, such as fouling.

In a refrigeration circuit, the evaporator coil plays a critical role. Part of its responsibility is creating the controlled pressure drop necessary for the refrigerant to change phase, the bulk of which occurs via the system’s metering device, such as a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV).

Fin tube heat exchangers are subject to fouling, which takes place as long as there is an airflow or waterflow in the unit. Defined as thermal resistance due to the accumulation of contaminants on heat transfer surfaces, fouling negatively affects heat exchanger efficiency, longevity, and increases system operating costs.