Come join us for the November monthly meeting of the ASHRAE Hawaii Chapter!

 Where to Park 

 Meeting Agenda

Registration - 5:30

Do's and Dont's Presentation - 6:00

Dinner - 7:00

Main Program - 7:30

Adjournment - 9:00

November is Membership Month!

RVC (Regional Vice Chairperson) of Membership Promotion Devin Avellon, P.E. will be joining members at this month's meeting. This will be a good opportunity to find out what is happening at the regional level of the society.

Technical Presentation

Topic: The Cost of Corrosion in a Humid Environment

 Corrosion is a completely natural process and will occur in all situations irrespective of what precautions are taken. The key is to understand how to control the rate of corrosion and make the process work for you. Corrosion costs a country 5-6 % of GDP. In the US this represents approx. 800 billion dollars. It is estimated that using simple technologies to slow the rate of corrosion can save 30-40% of this cost saving up to 300 billion dollars annually. A great way of preserving equipment is to understand galvanic corrosion and appreciate how different metals react together. Every metal can protect or be protected by other metals in the galvanic series. Understand this reaction and appreciating the environment that the metals are in will give you ways of determining the weakest component in a piece of equipment. These rules allow you to proactively protect that piece of equipment and extent its life. Another simple procedure is limiting water and oxygen exposure to the metal surface. Corrosion is oxidation of the metal down to its lower METAL OXIDE state. OzKem Australia prides itself in the fact it has formulated a range of protective coatings that are completely water based and not only minimize corrosion but also work to improve system efficiency by maximizing heat exchange and improving condensation. This presentation will give a simple overview of corrosion and give insight into simple rules that will extend and prolong the efficiency and working life of this expensive equipment.

Presenters: Terry Kobler and Scott Carreiro

Terry Kobler (Principal at OzKem Pty Ltd Australia)
Since 2006 OzKem has been formulating and manufacturing niche coatings for corrosion protection in HVAC. All technology from OzKem Pty Ltd are water based and environmentally friendly, making them the first ECO friendly coating company in the world. OzKem has formulated coatings for many companies around the world including Trane, Carrier, Lennox, Hussmann, Heatcraft, Lloyd, SKM, SERCK and numerous other small national companies. Terry Kobler finished his studies in 1990 in Chemical Engineering and since then has work globally for numerous International Companies. Terry’s main interest is corrosion and corrosion prevention. He has presented at many meetings around the world on corrosion and HVAC Efficiency. In 2006 Terry Kobler and Thomas Wagner started OzKem Pty Ltd formulating coatings specifically for the HVAC industry.  All coatings are non toxic high quality corrosion coatings that improve efficiency and longevity of HVAC infrastructure.

Scott Carreiro (Vice President of Rahn Industries)
Scott Carreiro is the Vice President of Rahn Industries in Whittier California. Scott has 26 years experience in HVAC; beginning in the trade and graduating to managing service at a multimillion dollar service company in Southern California.  He went on to study Business Administration and Business Law. He has served as a Vice President for Amana Heating and Cooling, managed several large HVAC distribution companies including US Air Conditioning Distributors and a 25 million dollar division of WATSCO. Rahn Industries is a leading manufacturer of refrigeration and HVAC heat exchangers servicing the United States for 30 years.  Rahn services the OEM coil market for several major manufacturers including McQuay, Hussmann Refrigeration and Williams Comfort Products. They are one of the largest HVAC corrosion proofing companies in the United States. Rahn Industries is proud to have pioneered several new and innovative coating products that offer the best HVAC system protection available. In his spare time Scott enjoys off-roading, weight lifting and spending time with his family.

Scott and Terry Kobler will be discussing the do’s and don’ts of corrosion proofing HVAC products, as well as proper coil maintenance, relevant to ensuring maximum product longevity.

Main Program

Topic: The Water Side of HVAC Systems - Line Stopping & Reducing Cooling Tower Make-Up Water Using Alternative Technologies

As building chilled water system ages and most often preventive maintenance are deferred, sometime it is necessary to isolate a section of chilled water lines without interrupting chilled water supply throughout the facilities in order to conduct maintenance & repair work. Such a task can be very difficult and costly. A shutdown may require draining the entire system that is costly for the customer because huge amount of makeup water is needed to bring the system back as well as the cost of chemicals that are needed to treat the makeup water could be substantial. Some time shutdown is not practical to install new valve or tap of new lines for the buildings such as hospital where continuous chilled water supplies are needed for the equipment and critical care area. An alternative to draining the piping system and interrupting the chilled water supplies throughout the facilities, line stop technology also known as Plug Valves and Stopple Plugging can be utilized to isolate a section of chilled water piping in order perform various maintenance & repair work. Such technology could be utilized for the domestic water & sewer piping system.

Makeup water is needed for cooling towers to compensate for water losses through evaporation and blow down. The cost of water and sewer has been increasing in the State of Hawaii. In Honolulu annual increase in cost of water is about 10%. In order to reduce the cost and conserve this important resource, we should explore options to minimize its uses while managing the risks. Mostly conventional water treatment programs are being utilized in Hawaii throughout last decades. Conventional water treatment programs and alternative water treatment technologies such as High Cycle Program and Zero Bleed Program will be reviewed and operational cost saving results will be presented.

Presenters: Kalani Kamanu and Earl S. Ichimura

 The line stopping topic will be presented by Kalani Kamanu. Mr. Kamanu is the Oahu Team Leader for Pural Water Specialty Co., Inc. with over 20 years experience in the plant and water utility field. Part of his role is to manage Pural’s Specialty Water Service Group that includes a team that performs hot tapping and line stops. Mr. Kamanu has been involved in projects as large as 36” Hot Tapping and 24” Line Stops with pressures up to 220 psi. He is an active member of General Contractors Association (GCA), American Water Works Association (AWWA) Hawaii Section and is the current president of National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) Hawaii.

The makeup water topic will be presented by Earl S. Ichimura, president of Pural Water Specialty Co., Inc. Mr. Ichimura has been involved in the plant and water utility field for over 30 years. Mr. Ichimura has a BA in Zoology, MS in Public Health (Environmental) and a Master in Business Administration. Currently he is the president of Hawaii Rural Water Association, Trustee of American Water Works Association (AWWA) Hawaii Section, and Board member of American Backflow Prevention Association (ABPA) and a member of General Contractors (GCA) Hawaii.