EETD News #10, Vol. 3, No. 3
Table of Contents

Containing the Effects of Chemical and Biological Agents in Buildings

For three years, researchers in EETD's Airflow and Pollutant Transport Group have been studying the dispersion and fate of chemical and biological agents released in buildings, with an eye to developing strategies to minimize casualties. The events of September 2001 have increased the urgency of this work. This research builds on 25 years of R&D at Berkeley Lab on the indoor environment.

Laser Ultrasonic Sensor Streamlines Papermaking Process

Hoping to save the paper-manufacturing industry millions of dollars in energy costs, Environmental Energy Technologies Division scientists have developed a laser ultrasonic sensor that measures paper's flexibility as it courses through a production web at up to 65 miles per hour.

Building a Smarter Light: The IBECS Network/Ballast Interface

Lighting control companies have developed products that can be specified as systems to achieve simple lighting control in buildings. Researchers at the Environmental Energy Technologies Division demonstrated in the late 1990s that components from different manufacturers could be specified, assembled, and installed, and that such systems could result in significant energy savings. However, the fragmented nature of the lighting control market means that component products from different manufacturers often do not work together well as systems. Thus, advanced lighting control equipment capable of implementing strategies such as daylighting have proved difficult to commission in the field, resulting in poor operation and user complaints. The software needed to coordinate lighting control subsystems is also immature.

IPMVP—from a DOE-Funded Initiative to a Not-for-Profit Organization

Seven years ago, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) started a market transformation initiative to help secure low-interest loans from financial institutions for energy efficiency investments. DOE envisioned achieving this by developing industry consensus and standard methods to measure and verify energy savings resulting from the implementation of energy-conservation measures (ECMs). The product, International Performance Measurement & Verification Protocol (IPMVP), provides standard measurement and verification (M&V) terminology and defines four M&V options to quantify energy and water savings. It is a savings-verification tool with principles that are applicable to commercial and industrial energy efficiency projects.

Skylight Well Reduces Solar Heat Gain

It is well known that daylight is rapidly attenuated as it is reflected, multiply and diffusely, while passing through a skylight well that has a depth comparable to, or greater than, the size of its opening. The same is true of solar energy that strikes the walls of the light well. The diffusely reflected energy is transported downward by multiple reflections. On each reflection, a portion of the energy is absorbed in the well walls. This absorbed energy appears as heat. Building energy calculations have generally assumed that all this heat enters the building space below, creating a cooling load.

Research Highlights

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