Yarn producer Beaver Manufacturing had several HVAC challenges in retrofitting an existing 40,000-square-foot plant to expand its production facilities in
More than 172 one-horsepower motors required in the yarn production generate indoor temperatures surpassing 100 degrees Fahrenheit that are both detrimental to employee air comfort as well as machinery efficacy and longevity. Hot summer days can send indoor temperatures soaring past the 115 F mark. Air conditioning solves the extreme heat problem, however the huge 25,000-cfm air volume requirements combined with the facility’s low 12-foot ceilings would ordinarily locate supply ductwork too close to spinning yarn, which is manufactured for use as reinforcement in rubber hoses. Ventilation drafts are problematic for this sensitive process because yarn can easily be blown off its spindles.
Design/build mechanical contractor Air Conditioning Specialist (ACS) of
“We’ve used metal duct at our other facilities, but the low ceiling in
Fabric duct can be custom manufactured in a variety of vent sizes, placements and quantities that can be combined with many different fabric porosities for the ultimate in even air flow, according to industry-generated laboratory smoke tests.
With the assistance of manufacturers representative Tom Barrow Company,
Hayes’ calculations were based on heat load measurements taken from similar manufacturing lines at other Beaver plants and DuctSox’s factory engineering assistance.
Supplying the ductwork is two 125-ton and one 30-ton McQuay rooftop dx units mounted on an exterior ground-level pad. Hayes supplied metal ducts from each unit through the wall to a tee that feeds a 32-inch truck line running nearly the width of the building. Each of the six 18-inch branch lines that run perpendicular across the multiple yarn production lines are suspended with a cable system.
Installation labor was reduced by more than 20 percent. Metal duct would have taken two or more weeks to install, however Hayes’ four-man crew took three days to install the cable runs and just four hours to physically hang the DuctSox. The HVAC installation’s speed helped Beaver fast-track the project.
After installation, Atlanta Test & Balance of
Other fabric duct benefits – it doesn’t attract condensation or dust because air flows through the fabric – will also keep moisture and dirt from collecting and falling on yarn production processes.
ACS’s design has performed flawlessly in keeping Beaver’s production process cool as well as online. More importantly however, employees have a cool and comfortable workplace, according to Peppers.