Category Archives: Newsletters
Air Pollution Control
Common Hood Mistakes
by David Colborne, Project Manager
In most industrial environments, the air pollution control system is underappreciated and given very little attention. It is the non-productive portion of the operation, so many are uninterested in investing money for a properly designed and efficiently operating air pollution control system. That baghouse out back is considered to be a necessary evil – something that is needed for worker safety or environmental compliance, but not an area where most plants want to focus their capital.
Moreover, when it comes to industrial ventilation systems, frequently most of the attention is on the ductwork and the pollution control device. The important element which is often overlooked and doesn’t get enough focus is the hoods and the hood design. If you cannot capture the dust or the fume at the source, it doesn’t matter how well designed the ductwork is or what the transport velocity measures or how efficient the filtration device is. Additionally, as is commonly explained, you only get one chance to capture the dust at its point of generation; once the dust gets away from the source and becomes fugitive dust, it’s only a matter of where it will settle.
This article will look at the most common hood mistakes that we see during our plant visits, why they are a problem and how they can be done correctly. Perhaps you’ve seen these hoods in your travels as well.
Code Matters
Codes do matter in the building and industrial plant world…A lot.
by Karen Griffin, Staff Architect
Question:
Is it a requirement to provide accessible toilet rooms and elements within the industrial plant?
Reference Code:
The International Building Code (IBC), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA 2010)
The following will hopefully clear up many misunderstandings about accessibility design which we often lump into one word – handicap.
Fact #1: The ADA (a law) is written as civil rights
legislation and not as a building code.
Fact #2: Enforcement of ADA is the responsibility of the
Department of Justice, not the fire marshal or
building code official.
Fact #3: Everything is required to be accessible by the
IBC (buildings and site) unless it is specifically
exempted.
Fact #4: Physical disabilities can be permanent or
temporary, can involve all levels of abilities and
can range from persons with minor visual,
hearing or mobility impairments to persons who
are blind, deaf or confined to a wheelchair.
So the designers’ job is at first a scoping job – to determine what and where accessibility is required or how many accessible elements are required and then determine the technical requirements needed. An industrial plant is usually classified as a commercial facility, so accessibility is required. Most plants have office type areas, separate from the factory, where a person with a disability may very well work or arrive as a visitor. This is pretty clear we must provide the required accessibility elements.
Who’s Your Civil Engineer?
By: Monte Moreschi, P.E., LEED
Today’s Civil Engineer does more than just the grading, and erosion and sediment control plans. They take care of rezoning, overall site layout, local ordinance compliance, driveway permits, storm water management, underground utilities, potable water permits, sanitary sewer permits, site traffic patterns, and raw material and finished goods logistics. The Civil Engineer also provides coordination between building plumbing, building foundations, equipment foundations, electrical duct banks, surveyors, vendors, etc. They even provide coordination between other Civil Engineers hired to assist with local ordinances and contractor selection!
This is why more and more clients are hiring the Civil Engineers directly outside of EPC contracts or requesting their presence early in the process. Continue reading this in the Barn Raiser.
To Profile or Not to Profile?
By: Monte Moreschi, P.E., LEED
We get questioned all the time about why we spend time creating utility profile drawings. In the world of underground utilities, we feel that is like asking why did you spend time creating elevation drawings for buildings? We however understand that profile drawings might seem unnecessary to our clients.
We have heard on numerous occasions that a good set of plans showing utility locations and a typical depth for each type of utility is all we need! We agree that underground utilities can be installed this way; however, it does cost more and does not account for gravity systems.
Why would it cost more?
Mid-South Engineering In the News
Articles and Photos provided to Mid-South Engineering by Steve Brawner, Editor, Arkansas Professional Engineers Magazine, Little Rock, AR
Mid-South Engineering is proud to announce Larry Stephens and Bruce Westerman have been featured in the July 2015 issue of the Arkansas Professional Engineers Magazine. Mid-South Engineering would like to congratulate them on this recent accomplishment and acknowledgment.
Larry Stephens, P.E., former President, Vice-President, and Treasurer, now a current Chairman for Mid-South Engineering, has been selected as the ASPE Engineer of the Year. After starting Mid-South Engineering in 1969 alongside Roy Murphy, Larry’s intelligence, people skills, and knowledge of the sawmill industry have assisted in the expansion into other various wood industries. Larry said it best,
I think our key is the fact that our mission statement says
that we serve the client and always work for the client’s best interests.”
To read more about Larry Stephens’ wonderful achievement, click here.
Rep. Bruce Westerman not only has become R-Arkansas’ current State Representative, he has brought his engineering problem solving skills to Congress.
I still get to do problem-solving, and really that’s what engineering is: problem solving. I’ve heard more than one engineer describe themselves as ‘glorified problem solvers,’ that engineering school taught you the problem-solving method and it gave you the tools to solve complex problems, and the experience that you get after you get out of school is where you really learn what engineering’s about.”
To read more about Rep. Bruce Westerman and his feature: “An Engineer in Washington”, click here.
Mid-South Engineering would also like to thank Arkansas Professional Engineer Magazine for recognizing our employees and their hard work. To get more information about Larry Stephens & Rep. Bruce Westermans’ articles, please visit their website: Arkansas Professional Engineers Magazine.
Back to the Basics | Fasteners: Torque vs. Tension
by Kyle Manzer, Staff Engineer
Bolts, Capscrews, and Studs are used as fasteners for many applications in mechanical devices. On our rotating machinery, we have critical fasteners for couplings and anchor bolts, etc. and also non-critical fasteners for holding side covers, etc. In these cases, the fasteners work using the same principle, by providing a clamping force to hold two or more pieces together in compression.
2015 Forest Product Machinery and Equipment Expo
The Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA) is hosting the 2015 Forest Products Machinery & Equipment Exposition conference on June 10-12, 2015 at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Forest Product Professionals will have exhibits of the latest machinery, equipment, technology and services on display. We will be located at Booth 311. Stop by and see us!
For complete information, visit the conference website at http://sfpaexpo.com/
We look forward to seeing you there!
New Staff Members
We are pleased to announce two new staff members who have joined the Mid-South Engineering Team.
John Gamble joined the group on March 17, 2015, as a Structural Designer. John’s role will be working on multiple structural projects with other Designers and Engineers. John comes from an architectural background with bachelor’s in Architectural Technology from New York Institute of Technology. His most recent position working as an architectural/structural designer was with a local architectural/structural engineering firm.
Morgan Price joined the group on April 13, 2015, as a Project Administrator. Morgan’s role will be primarily working closely with the project managers on various project tasks. Morgan comes from a program and project coordinating background. Her most recent positions were with Duke University and Coldwell Banker as well as working with a local civil engineering firm for 2 years.
Please join us in welcoming John and Morgan to Mid-South Engineering.
2015 Northeast Biomass Heating Expo
Join us on April 16-18, for the 2015 Northeast Biomass Heating Expo. The region’s largest biomass heating conference will be held at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine. The 7th annual event will unite a diverse audience from the biomass fuel, supply chain, developer, manufacturer, and government sectors to break barriers and ground for biomass thermal and combined heat and power (CHP) systems. We will be located at booth 34.
For complete information, visit the conference website at nebiomassheat.com
We look forward to seeing you there!
2015 International Biomass Conference and Expo
Photo by: MAGNFOTO
The conference will be held on April 20-22, 2015 at the Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN. This event unites industry professionals from all sectors of the world’s biomass industries. We will be located at Booth 721. Stop by and see us!
For complete information, visit the conference website at http://www.biomassconference.com
We look forward to seeing you there!
-
“In the tradition of a community coming together to raise a barn, Mid-South Engineering is committed to working with our friends and neighbors as partners, knowing we can accomplish more by working together, with the common goals of lifting each other’s burdens and side-by-side framing our future for the better.”
