BUILDING SPECIFICATIONS
14,600-sqaure-foot single-day surgery center
PROJECT TEAM
HinesHartman Consulting Engineers, Tallahassee, FL
Vause Mechanical Contractors, Tallahassee, FL
Trane
SYSTEMS INSTALLED:
Trane custom rooftop air conditioning system with CDQ desiccant dehumidification system
Tracer Summit building automation system
Trane’s CDQ system was recently awarded the Frost &
Sullivan 2006 Product Innovation of the Year Award,
presented each year "to the company that has
demonstrated excellence in new products and
technologies within its industry."
Trane Helps Tallahassee Single-Day Surgery Center Heal Long Time Problems
As its name implies, Tallahassee Single-Day Surgery Center (TSDSC) doesn’t usually let problems linger. But the legendary
heat and humidity of Tallahassee, Florida present challenges that are not easily conquered. Extreme summer heat and humidity make meeting
strict surgical ventilation, humidity and temperature guidelines difficult—not to mention very expensive. With those extreme conditions,
it’s not surprising that the performance from the 14-year-old rooftop unit provided reliably poor temperature and humidity control. It was
time for an upgrade.
Mike Hartman and Matt Scaringe of HinesHartman Consulting Engineers worked with Trane Account Manager Don Frye to design a
custom rooftop unit fitted with Trane’s new CDQ™ (Cool, Dry, Quiet) system. Trane’s CDQ system recently won the Frost & Sullivan Product
Innovation of the Year Award for its breakthrough technology, which allows economical handling of high-temperature, high-humidity
environments. The system’s great advantage? It uses return air—the lowest-grade heat available—to regenerate the desiccant. So while
alternative systems reheat the air with gas-fired units to 140-200 degrees, the CDQ desiccant operates at 75 degrees. TSDSC was so
impressed with the system, it had the Vause Mechanical Contractors install the new system within 10 days of getting the design.
The CDQ unit runs with 20 to 25 percent greater efficiency than other dehumidification systems. And while standard air
conditioners have limited dehumidification capacity, since the dew point cannot be less than the coil temperature, the CDQ technology
lowers the dew point barrier 5 to 15 degrees without consuming additional energy to subcool and reheat the air. These factors make for far
better performance and significant long-term savings. But Matt Scaringe of HinesHartman discovered yet another benefit: "Without the CDQ we
would have had to increase TSDSC’s electrical distribution capacity. With the CDQ unit, TSDSC avoided more than $135,000 in additional
work." Certainly the savings are an important part of what the CDQ technology brings, but the bottom line is that it works better too.
TSDSC Director of Nursing Elizabeth Trikardos has seen it for herself: “We now have much better control of operating room temperature and humidity. We can keep humidity at 40 to 42 percent or lower and keep temperatures wherever the surgeons want.”
Savings with superior performance—at Trane we believe it just doesn’t get any better than that.
TSDSC strives to provide the most cost-effective surgical care in the area, and an independent, pleasant
and convenient workplace for physicians. TSDS is a free-standing ambulatory surgical center performing
surgery in these specialties: General Surgery, Dentistry/Oral Surgery, Gynecology, Ophthalmology,
Otolaryngology, Orthopedics, Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery, Podiatry and Urology. The center currently
averages 325 cases per month.