February Lunch Meeting

Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Time: 12:00 - 1:00pm

Location: Brother John's

Colin E. Laisure-Pool, P.E., CEM, LEED-AP

Colin is a Sales Engineer at Mechanical Products Southwest in Phoenix, AZ. He joined MPSW in January of 2019, after a 17-year career as a consulting engineer. A 3rd-generation AZ native and graduate of the University of Arizona (BSE in Engr Physics), he has spent the majority of his HVAC design career in all sectors of the building industry; ranging from residential, to retail/commercial, to semiconductor, to mission-critical facilities data centers.

Mr. Laisure-Pool currently serves on the Central Arizona ASHRAE Chapter Board of Governors, and is current Region X RVC of the GAC (Government Affairs Committee). He served as Central AZ Chapter President in 2014.

Extreme Design Conditions

Weather and site conditions in Arizona, specifically the Phoenix & Tucson Metro area, pose unique challenges to the HVAC engineer. Some widely-held misconceptions about our climate and conditions (usually held by those not from or living here) can have detrimental effects on HVAC performance and building operation. The sentiment that ‘Phoenix is easy; there’s no seismic, no humidity, and no snow’ is not entirely accurate. This presentation is intended as a sharing of experiences and open-forum discussing the challenges we face in our industry, on the design, construction, and operation sides.

Topics will include:

-              Dry-bulb design temp: Use 108F per ASHRAE, or 120F?  (follow ASHRAE, or keep your license?)

-              Wet-bulb design temp & the effects of our monsoon season (so much for the ‘dry heat’).

-              Dust control. ‘Haboob’ mitigation

-              Hard water issues/water treatment challenges

-              Cold snaps/short-term freezing conditions in the rural desert