MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Special Middle East Webinar: Sand Louvers and Certification

Feb. 24, 10 a.m. EST/7 p.m. GST

Speakers: Ed Rizk, AMCA Board of Directors, and Abhishek Chhabra, market-development manager, AMCA partner lab

Register now!

Webinar: Positive Pressure Ventilators (PPV) and AMCA 240 Updates

March 24, 1 p.m. EDT

Speaker: Kyle Weinmeister, international sales, AMCA member company

Register now!

Update Your AMCA Library

Click here to shop for AMCA technical documents, including the revised AMCA Publication 211, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Fan Air Performance, and ANSI/AMCA Standard 500-D, Laboratory Methods of Testing Dampers for Rating.

Click here to learn more about CETIAT's AMCA CRP fan-testing capabilities.

AMCA White Papers

Stay abreast of topics that are top of mind for AMCA and its members. Check out AMCA's white-paper library by clicking here.

AMCA Executive Committee for 2020-2021 Installed

Delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the installation of the AMCA executive committee for 2020-2021 took place Feb. 10.

AMCA’s president for 2020-2021 is Mats Georg Sándor, senior technical director, Systemair AB. He succeeds Amit Ahuja, managing director of Maico Gulf LLC, who, as immediate past president, ascends to the position of chairman of the AMCA Board of Directors.

Sándor began his career with Systemair AB in 1989. As laboratory manager and, later, quality manager, he oversaw the construction of the first AMCA-accredited laboratory in Europe, as well as the first ventilation-industry laboratory in Sweden certified to ISO 9001, Quality Management Systems—Requirements. Following a stint as technical manager at Systemair’s main technical center in Sweden, he was promoted to technical director, a role in which he was responsible for 250 technicians in 24 groups across 18 countries and nine technical centers. Throughout his time with Systemair, Sándor has maintained strong ties with AMCA, having served as a member of both the Board of Directors and the European Steering Committee since 2014.

Outside of AMCA, Sándor has been active with a number of other organizations. He initiated and from 2011 to 2016 served as a chairman of the Eurovent certification program for residential ventilation units; was a member of the advisory board for the International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy (ICIEE) at the Technical University of Denmark and the scientific advisory committee for the International Conference on Fan Noise, Aerodynamics, Applications and Systems; and was similarly active in the Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS), the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

As AMCA president, Sándor said he is aiming to “cultivate a more well-rounded and international perspective that will be reflected in AMCA’s strategies and activities.” To that end, he added, he intends to “advocate for greater cooperation among the four regions, enable stronger collaboration among the membership base, and facilitate better discussions surrounding issues related to regulations, technical information, and gender equality.”

Rounding out AMCA’s executive committee for 2020-2021 are:

• Vice President: Jim Meats, vice president, marketing, Loren Cook Co.
• Treasurer: Trinity Persful, vice president, marketing, Twin City Fan Companies Ltd.
• Secretary: Mike Wolf, director of regulatory business development, Greenheck Fan Corp.

Changes to AMCA’s Bylaws Coming April 1

Credit: vladwel/Bigstock

Changes to AMCA’s bylaws intended to support the Board of Directors’ reorganization initiative were approved unanimously by membership and will take effect on April 1.

“With AMCA’s growth and increased activity in all areas, the AMCA Board of Directors concluded the organization of AMCA’s committees, particularly how they relate to AMCA’s regions and divisions, needed a reorganization to facilitate and energize member engagement,” AMCA Executive Director Mark Stevens explained. “The board … looked at every facet of AMCA’s existing structure and determined if it made sense or needed improvement. … The board’s work resulted in changes to AMCA’s committee org chart and in changes to AMCA’s bylaws.”

The changes to the bylaws include:

• The expansion of eligibility for associate status to include “a company that designs and sells a product under AMCA’s scope, but subcontracts assembly and fabrication” (Article III, Section 7). This change has the potential to grow AMCA’s base, augment AMCA’s technical expertise, and increase non-dues, non-assessment revenue.
• The chair of each region becoming the region’s steering-committee chair (Article VII, Section 5) and each region steering-committee chair (or his or her designee) serving on the Nominating Committee (Article IX, Section 2C). This is expected to strengthen the connection between the Board of Directors, the steering committees, and the regions; improve communication; increase opportunities for coordinated leadership; and simplify the nominating process.
• Limiting committee chairs to terms of two years and not more than two consecutive terms (Article IX, Section H [new]). This will increase churn at the chair level, increasing leadership opportunities, and prevent staidness from a committee working under the same leadership for an extended period.
• The replacement of an association-wide engineering committee with product-section engineering committees (Article 9, Section 2B). This will formalize the role of committees responsible for product sections and eliminate a “speed bump” in the standards-approval process.
• The mandate that each region has a marketing committee (Article IX, Section 2D) and an advocacy committee (Article IX, Section 2E [new]). This will place responsibility for marketing and advocacy strategies with the regions, where the outcomes are most keenly felt.

Over the next month, AMCA staff will update the AMCAConnect database, starting with the rolling of the Acoustic Attenuation and Airflow Measurement divisions into the Air Control Division, ensuring that committee hierarchies and scopes are consistent with the reorganization and checking to see if any committee chairs are over or near the two-year term limit.

A redline version of the bylaws with the changes as proposed is available in the members area of the AMCA website.

ICYMI: 2021 AMCA Annual Meeting to Be Held Virtually

Credit: : Uladzislau Zaretski/Bigstock

With uncertainty stemming from the coronavirus pandemic persisting and looking to linger well into 2021, the AMCA Board of Directors decided Jan. 27 that the AMCA Annual Meeting will be held virtually again this year. Stay tuned for details.

AMCA Launches Online Education Portal

Credit: insta_photos/Bigstock (computer screen modified to show AMCA insiteTM Online Education Portal)

AMCA on Feb. 15 launched the AMCA insite^TM Online Education Portal, a virtual clearinghouse of educational materials and resources on a variety of air-systems-related topics enabling users to learn at their own pace and earn professional development hours (PDH) while they do.

“Selecting and creating the right educational platform, often called a learning management system, or LMS, was a lengthy and involved process,” AMCA Education Manager Lisa Cherney said. “After extensive research and testing, we believe we have the right portal for our members and professional colleagues.”

On the AMCA insite^TM Online Education Portal, users will find:

• “Welcome to the AMCA LMS,” an instructional guide.
• Video recordings of all AMCA insite^TM webinars, with quizzes and surveys users can take to earn PDH.
• New PDH-eligible educational modules on fan system effect and acoustics.
• Mini-modules on topics of interest to AMCA members intended to enhance their participation in the association.

“The portal will be a living, breathing destination for educational offerings, constantly added to and updated as new curriculum is built,” Cherney said.

More than 25 PDH-eligible offerings are available, with several modules in development for launch in 2021.

A small fee is associated with some of the offerings to support programming efforts.

To visit the AMCA insite^TM Online Education Portal, click here.

AMCA A2LA Product-Certification-Body Accreditation Renewed

Manufacturers that obtain third-party certification of a product through AMCA can be confident the product meets its intended use or need in the marketplace, following the recent renewal of AMCA’s accreditation as a product certification body by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).

Following the completion of a two-day assessment on Jan. 26, AMCA is accredited in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065:2012, Conformity Assessment—Requirements for Bodies Certifying Products, Processes and Services, for another two years—through March 31, 2023—to perform product certifications to the following certification schemes:

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star—residential ventilating fans (excluding luminaires).
• AMCA Certified Ratings Program—AMCA Publication 11, Certified Ratings Program Operating Manual; fans (AMCA Publication 211, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Fan Air Performance, and AMCA Publication 311, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Fan Sound Performance); air-control devices (dampers, louvers, spiral ducts, gravity vents, transverse duct connectors) (AMCA Publication 511, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Air Control Devices); and airflow-measurement stations (AMCA Publication 611, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Airflow Measurement Stations).

As part of the assessment, the scope of AMCA’s accreditation was expanded to include the following:

• AMCA Certified Ratings Program—acoustic duct silencers (AMCA Publication 1011, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Acoustical Duct Silencers).
• AMCA Listing Label Program—louvers (AMCA Publication 512, AMCA Listing Label Program).

“That means every service we provide under AMCA’s certification team is accredited by A2LA,” AMCA Technical Director Nazme Mohsina said.

The two-day assessment was the culmination of a six-month process, AMCA Quality Manager Daniel Lawhorn said.

“Usually, the assessor would visit AMCA, but, because of COVID-19, the assessment was done remotely,” Lawhorn explained. “During an on-site assessment, … the assessor will want different members of the AMCA team to walk them through the process for each of the certification schemes and to verify surveillance requirements. A2LA wants to make sure AMCA is adhering to the certification schemes and program participants are following the rules to maintain the certification of their products.”

The assessor found no deficiencies in AMCA’s product-certification operations.

“It’s definitely a team effort,” Mohsina said. “I thank the AMCA headquarters and Asia AMCA staffs and AMCA’s partner laboratories (Centre Technique des Industries Aerauliques et Thermiques [CETIAT], Thomas Bell Wright International Consultants, and KTC [Korea Testing Certification]) for their continuous dedication and contributions to providing an excellent service. And kudos to our program participants for their efforts to maintain their product certifications despite the challenges of the last year.”

For more information about AMCA’s ISO/IEC 17065:2012 accreditation, contact Lawhorn at [email protected] or +1 847-704-6257.

In October, AMCA received renewal of its A2LA testing/calibration-laboratory accreditation.

Asia AMCA Testing Jet Fans per Standard 250 Thrust Method

Asia AMCA’s rig for testing tunnel ventilation fans.

The Asia AMCA laboratory in Johor, Malaysia, is now accepting applications for the testing of jet tunnel fans per ANSI/AMCA Standard 250, Laboratory Methods of Testing Jet Tunnel Fans for Performance.

Asia AMCA’s capability to perform the testing was shown in a virtual laboratory check conducted by AMCA International staff in Arlington Heights, Ill., on Feb. 10.

“During this COVID-19 pandemic, where travels are restricted, it is amazing that AMCA International and Asia AMCA are able to conduct this virtual laboratory accreditation, each at opposite sides of the globe, without any issues,” Mdm. Goh Swee Lee, executive director, Asia AMCA, said.

ANSI/AMCA Standard 250 prescribes a method of test enabling direct measurement of the thrust produced by a jet tunnel fan. While the method of estimating thrust based on a measurement of airflow prescribed in ANSI/AMCA Standard 210/ASHRAE Standard 51, Laboratory Methods of Testing Fans for Certified Aerodynamic Performance Rating, and ISO 5801, Fans—Performance Testing Using Standardized Airways, is extremely accurate, it does not consider the effect of air entrained around a fan’s discharge, which increases the momentum of air moving within a tunnel or parking-garage space. Vibration is measured at support points per ANSI/AMCA Standard 204, Balance Quality and Vibration Levels for Fans.

Following the October 2018 revision of AMCA Publication 211, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Fan Air Performance, jet fans no longer can be certified using ANSI/AMCA Standard 210/ASHRAE Standard 51 and ISO 5801 and must be certified using ANSI/AMCA Standard 250.

ANSI/AMCA Standard 250 applies to small axial and centrifugal jet fans used in parking garages or car parks and larger axial jet fans used in tunnel ventilation. Asia AMCA’s test rig, donated by Kruger Ventilation Industries Asia Co. Ltd., is capable of testing fans with diameters as large as 1,250 mm (49.2 in.).

Along with performing thrust-measurement testing per ANSI/AMCA Standard 250, Asia AMCA can test jet fans for sound per ANSI/AMCA Standard 300, Reverberant Room Method for Sound Testing of Fans.

For more information and to schedule testing, contact Ms. Tan Tin Tin, Asia AMCA technical director, at +65 3157 6307 or [email protected].

AMCA in the Press

Credit: Andrey Burmakin/Bigstock

2021 thus far has seen the publication or republication of three articles by AMCA:

• On Jan. 20, Engineered Systems magazine published on its website “Remote Periodic Testing of Life-Safety Dampers,” a slightly updated version of the article of the same title by the AMCA Fire and Smoke Damper Subcommittee in the award-winning 2019 edition of AMCA inmotion magazine. Despite nearly 17 months between the publication and the republication of the article, the topic of remote testing remains relevant, as NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, and NFPA 105, Standard for Smoke Door Assemblies and Other Opening Protectives, both of which contain provisions allowing remote testing, are undergoing periodic review. With the AMCA Air Control Code Action and Review Committee (ACCARC) anticipating organizations that conduct manual damper inspections will move to lessen or remove those provisions during the 2021 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Technical Meeting, the article addresses reliability and safety concerns about remote testing those organizations are likely to raise.
• In the February issue (click here for the digital edition [registration required]) of its monthly magazine, RSES Journal, Refrigeration Service Engineers Society (RSES), the education, training, and certification-preparation organization for HVACR professionals, republished “Field Modifications of Fire, Smoke, and Combination Fire/Smoke Dampers,” the article by James Carlin, chair of the AMCA Fire and Smoke Damper Subcommittee, appearing in the 2020 edition of AMCA inmotion. The article, which discusses field modifications typically covered in Underwriters Laboratories- (UL-) approved installation instructions and options available when modifications fall outside of those instructions, is a particularly good fit for RSES Journal, which goes to 10,000 HVAC contractors, service technicians, students, operations/maintenance managers, engineers, and technicians who work in the residential, light-commercial, commercial, and institutional markets. In April, Carlin will be presenting a webinar based on the article for RSES members.
• In its February issue, which is focused on arenas and convention centers, Engineered Systems published “The Codes Driving Air Curtains Into Arenas and Convention Centers” by Brian Jones, Frank R. Cuaderno, and David Johnson of the AMCA Air Curtain Engineering Committee. The article discusses challenges from the standpoint of air infiltration through open doors presented by arenas, convention centers, and other large, high-capacity, multi-use buildings that can be addressed using air curtains.

These are just three of approximately 75 publishing opportunities across a dozen media outlets of possible interest to AMCA and its members identified by AMCA Manager of Industry Content Scott Arnold. Evaluating and prioritizing these opportunities is among the tasks of the new AMCA Industry-Content Subcommittee to the North American Marketing Committee, which held its first meeting Feb. 9. If interested in serving on the subcommittee, contact Arnold at +1 847-704-6335 or [email protected].

AMCA COVID Research Efforts Get Boost From Student Intern

Credit: smolaw/Bigstock

Raegan Persful, a freshman at the University of Kentucky pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public health and epidemiology, joined AMCA in December as COVID research intern.

Working a few days per month, Raegan is assisting AMCA Senior Director, Global Affairs Michael Ivanovich and AMCA Advocacy Manager Aaron Gunzner on research projects related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Conducted by an international team of AMCA members, associate members, and consultants, the research will result in guidance for making air systems more resilient to COVID-19. Raegan is responsible for categorizing and abstracting the dozens of documents being amassed and tracking, summarizing, and reporting breaking information from medical, scientific, press, and engineering sources.

Raegan’s interest in public health and epidemiology was sparked by the 2013-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak. Beyond her studies, the Minnesota native has accumulated more than 550 volunteer hours with organizations including World Relief and Helping Haiti since 2015.

Visit the AMCA Newsletter library for past issues.