Oct. 29, 2024

Previewing the 2024 Edition of AMCA inmotion Magazine

You will want to be on the lookout for the 2024 edition of Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International’s award-winning magazine, AMCA inmotion, which is being distributed with the November issue of ASHRAE Journal this week.

A link to the electronic version of the 2024 edition of AMCA inmotion was e-mailed to all ASHRAE Journal digital and High Performing Buildings subscribers on Oct. 28. As of Oct. 29, the electronic version can be viewed on the AMCA International and ASHRAE websites. The print version will be polybagged with the November issue of ASHRAE Journal and mailed to readers in the United States, Canada, and the Middle East on Nov. 1.

The 2024 edition of AMCA inmotion was edited by AMCA International Senior Manager, Publications and Standards, Scott Arnold. Here is a preview:

• AMCA International is a lot of things—developer of technical standards and publications used the world over, accreditor of laboratories that test air-system components, educator of air-systems and buildings professionals, advocate for its more than 400 manufacturer members on matters related to codes, standards, regulations, and legislation—but what makes AMCA International what it fundamentally is lies in its Certified Ratings Program (CRP). “Inside the AMCA Certified Ratings Program” by Scott Arnold explains the workings of the AMCA International CRP and illuminates why products that undergo the rigorous certification process deserve to be specified ahead of products that do not. Additionally, it offers practical advice for properly specifying AMCA International-certified products and ensuring those products get installed.
• The market for data centers is booming. As with other mission-critical facilities, failure is not an option with data centers. Outages can be costly, catastrophic even. One way to ensure continuous operations is by maintaining optimal environmental conditions. Dampers and louvers play a vital role in this process by regulating airflow, preventing water intrusion, and controlling airborne particulates. “Maintaining Optimal Data-Center Environments with Dampers and Louvers” by Tim Vogel, senior director, product development, Ruskin, explores the various types of dampers and louvers used in data centers, their specific applications, and their impacts on overall system efficiency and safety.
• July 21-24, 2024, were Earth’s four hottest days on record. This was not a mere heat wave, the result of a rare and relatively short-lived combination of meteorological phenomena, but, rather, part of a 13-months-long streak of unprecedented warmth. As temperature records fall, heat stress is on the rise, creating health and safety challenges for communities, employers, and more. “The Human Cost of Heat Stress and the Role of Large-Diameter Ceiling Fans in Mitigating Risk” by Christian Taber, BEMP, HBDP, CEM, principal engineer, codes and standards, Big Ass Fans, discusses the growing prevalence of heat stress, the role of buildings in providing protection, and heat mitigation through the frameworks of resilience, refuge, regulations, and redundancy, the use of large-diameter (greater than 7 ft [2.1 m]) ceiling fans (LDCF), also known as high-volume, low-speed (HVLS) fans, in particular.
• Developed in the 1990s as a means to efficiently cool dairy cattle, LDCF today are used in a variety of applications: manufacturing, warehouse and distribution, hospitality, and fitness, to name a few. These are relatively large spaces where HVAC is cost-prohibitive or impractical or could stand augmenting. Like fan-blade profile, the choice of motor technology to power a fan is a key influencer of airflow performance and energy use. It also is a substantial driver of the cost of a fan. To drive more informed product selections, “Direct-Drive vs. Gear-Driven: Choosing the Correct Motor for a Large-Diameter Ceiling Fan” by Ryan Perkinson, senior mechanical engineer, 4Front Engineered Solutions, highlights similarities and differences between the two types of motors used in LDCF.
• Regulation has come to the U.S. market for commercial and industrial fans and blowers in the form of a test procedure published by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that took effect Oct. 30, 2023, and an accompanying energy-conservation standard that is expected to be finalized by the close of 2024. If conversations with manufacturers of industrial-process equipment across the United States are any indication, many are underinformed and ill-prepared for the redirection of engineering, design, testing, production, marketing, sales, and information-technology resources they face if the fans and blowers they are sourcing become unavailable because of noncompliance. “Manufacturers of Industrial-Process Equipment, Beware: Soon-to-Be-Finalized Regulation Poses Significant Burdens” by Doug Yamashita, vice president, OEM sales, The New York Blower Co., provides a brief overview of the regulation and identifies likely burdens and potential risks for industrial-process-equipment manufacturers.

AMCA International wishes to thank the following for their support of the 2024 edition of AMCA inmotion: Greenheck, Loren Cook Co., AAON, ebm-papst, The New York Blower Co., Pottorff, TAMCO, MicroMetl, Berner International, Mars Air Systems, and AHR Expo.

In recent years, AMCA inmotion has made the leap to nationally and internationally recognized publication. To date, the 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018 editions have collected a total of 19 honors for editorial and design excellence.

Ed Rizk New President of AMCA International

AMCA International Elects Four to Board of Directors

A graduate of Monash University in Australia with a degree in mechanical engineering, Teoh joined Kruger Ventilation Industries as research-and-development (R&D) engineer in 2011. He has risen through the ranks, attaining the positions of R&D manager; sales and marketing manager; general manager, marketing; and managing director. He is the chair of the AMCA Asia Regional Steering Committee and a member of the technical committees for ANSI/AMCA Standard 250, Laboratory Methods of Testing Jet Fans for Performance, and ANSI/AMCA Standard 270, Laboratory Methods of Aerodynamic Testing Fan Arrays for Rating. He has a master-of-business-administration degree from National University of Singapore.

Vake is an accomplished sales professional with nearly 30 years of experience, the last 25 with Twin City Fan. As vice president of customer experience, he oversees day-to-day interactions with customers from order submittal to product installation. He has been active with AMCA for more than two decades, including as chair of the North America Marketing Committee and the North America Regional Steering Committee. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Grady, Valbracht, Teoh, and Vake will serve three-year terms.

Mike Astourian to Receive AMCA Distinguished Service Award

Mike Astourian, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, who retired as product manager, louvers, for Ruskin in August, is the recipient of Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International’s highest individual honor, the AMCA Distinguished Service Award, for 2024.

“Mike Astourian has been actively involved in air-control committees and issues and has championed AMCA testing and certification his entire career,” Joe Rockhold, Southeast regional sales manager, Ruskin, said. “He has worked tirelessly to ensure that AMCA is the preeminent source of leadership, education, and advocacy in the air-control field.”

Astourian has served as vice chair of the AMCA International Louver Engineering Committee and the technical committees for AMCA Publication 511, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Air Control Devices, and ANSI/AMCA Standard 540, Test Methods for Louvers Impacted by Wind Borne Debris. Additionally, he has served on the AMCA International North America Air Control Code Action and Review Committee (ACCARC), the AMCA International Damper Engineering Committee, and the technical committees for AMCA Publication 501, Louver Application Manual and Design Guide; AMCA Publication 502, Damper Application Manual for Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning; AMCA Publication 503, Fire, Ceiling (Radiation), Smoke and Fire/Smoke Dampers Application Manual; AMCA Publication 512, AMCA Listing Label Program; ANSI/AMCA Standard 500-D, Laboratory Methods of Testing Dampers for Rating; ANSI/AMCA Standard 500-L, Laboratory Methods of Testing Louvers for Rating; and ANSI/AMCA Standard 550, Test Method for High Velocity Wind Driven Rain Resistant Louvers.

Astourian has a bachelor’s degree in architecture from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and a master’s degree in construction management from The University of Kansas. He spent the first seven years of his career (1980-1987) as a project manager for three West Coast architectural firms before being named associate architect for the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.

In 1991, Astourian joined Ruskin as engineering manager. Over the next 18 years, he oversaw the design of various architectural and sound-control products and developed new products for the Florida hurricane market. He then served as director of engineering for Metal Industries Inc. for four years and a building inspector for the City of St. Petersburg, Fla., for nearly two years before returning to Ruskin as a design consultant in 2015. A year later, he was named air-control-products engineer for Nailor Industries Inc. He worked for Nailor for over four years before returning to Ruskin again in late 2020. He served as product sales manager and louver-design new-product-introduction/design-production manager before being named product manager, louvers.

Astourian founded Alpha-1 Enterprises LLC, a building-envelope and air-control consultancy, in May 2024.

Established in 2004, the AMCA Distinguished Service Award is given to individuals who, through their character and career achievements, are exemplars of the mission of AMCA International: “to advance the knowledge, growth, and integrity of the air-movement-and-control industry.”

From the 2024 edition of AMCA inmotion magazine:

The Human Cost of Heat Stress and the Role of Large-Diameter Ceiling Fans in Mitigating Risk