When most people think of radiant heat or hydronic snowmelt, the usual applications are warm floors, heated sidewalks and snow-free driveways. Viega Radiant Design Services in Nashua, NH, has designed and quoted thousands of projects like those, but occasionally they receive requests for assistance with out-of-the-box projects.
The Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency (BBARWA) in Big Bear, CA, contacted Viega Radiant Design Services with a project that needed an innovative solution. A byproduct of the water treatment process is sludge, composed of 25% solids and 75% water. Since the sludge must be hauled by truck to an off-site disposal area, BBARWA needed a way to reduce the water content and weight of the sludge, making it less expensive to haul. BBARWA tried several different methods to dry the sludge with only marginal success, so they decided to devise a new system that would be more effective, more efficient and would reduce the odor complaints.
Viega Radiant Design Services worked on the specifics of the slab heating system design, focusing on what would be required to generate enough heat from the slab to meet the sludge-drying objectives. Viega design engineers used finite element analysis (FEA) to determine the optimum tubing size, spacing and install-depth in the slab based on the water temperature supplied from the diesel generator’s exhaust. Due to the shape and size of the 315- by 60-foot heated slab, it was clear that this project was an excellent application for Viega’s revolutionary Viega Climate Mat® system.
Since the facility produces its own electricity using three natural gas generators, the water flowing through the slab would be heated with a heat exchanger in one of the generator’s exhaust, making it an efficient co-generation system. Within the first year alone, the new system saved approximately $200,000 in transportation and fuel costs.
Viega Climate Mat® system
The contractors were impressed with the speed and ease of installation of the Viega Climate Mat and appreciated the support provided by Viega throughout the entire process, from design to installation.
“Anything you said you could do, you did it,” said Plant Manager Fred Uhler. “They were topnotch guys from the sales staff, to the design support. They were excited about the project. It’s great to work with people like that.”
Once the covered drying bed building was completed, the system went into operation in June 2014. Within a few months, it became clear that this unique application of radiant heating was a resounding success. In 2015, Uhler reported that the system was performing beyond expectations and even better in the low-humidity winter months.
“This system is self-operational, and I’ve had zero maintenance issues with it from Viega’s side of things,” Uhler said. “It couldn’t be any better.”
Additionally, the project received the California Water Association Desert Mountain Award for Innovation.
While conventional radiant heating and snow melting projects are everyday business for the Viega team, projects like the Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency covered drying bed are prime examples of how Viega can design and deliver innovative solutions that improve lives, reduce energy usage and help protect the environment.
For more information on Viega system solutions, visit Viega.us.
Viega
800.976.9819
insidesales@viega.us
www.viega.us
Related Stories
Industrial Facilities | Jun 20, 2023
A new study presses for measuring embodied carbon in industrial buildings
The embodied carbon (EC) intensity in core and shell industrial buildings in the U.S. averages 23.0 kilograms per sf, according to a recent analysis of 26 whole building life-cycle assessments. That means a 300,000-sf warehouse would emit 6,890 megatons of carbon over its lifespan, or the equivalent of the carbon emitted by 1,530 gas-powered cars driven for one year. Those sobering estimates come from a new benchmark study, “Embodied Carbon U.S. Industrial Real Estate.”
Industrial Facilities | May 31, 2023
Nascent cowarehousing firm steps forward with facilities that offer a communal user experience
The design firm Ware Malcomb has partnered with FlexHQ, a Los Angeles-based firm offering cowarehouse leasing solutions, to create a scalable workspace that emphasizes leasing flexibility and higher-quality and environmentally friendlier amenities than aren’t commonly found in this building type, say representatives from both companies.
Multifamily Housing | May 12, 2023
An industrial ‘eyesore’ is getting new life as an apartment complex
The project, in Metuchen, N.J., includes significant improvements to a nearby wildlife preserve.
Industrial Facilities | Apr 10, 2023
Implementing human-centric design in operations and maintenance facilities
Stantec's Ryan Odell suggests using the human experience to advance OMSF design that puts a focus on wellness and efficiency.
Warehouses | Mar 29, 2023
Construction completed on Canada’s first multi-story distribution center
Construction was recently completed on Canada’s first major multi-story industrial project, a distribution center in Burnaby, British Columbia. The project provides infrastructure for last-mile delivery in a world where consumers have come to expect next-day and same-day delivery, according to Ware Malcomb, the project's architect of record.
Industrial Facilities | Mar 6, 2023
The largest planned logistics and business park in North America gets under way in Southern California
The $25 billion World Logistics Center will boost the supply chain capabilities of Southern California and will serve as a distribution center for destinations across the continent.
Intelligent Lighting | Feb 13, 2023
Exploring intelligent lighting usage in healthcare, commercial facilities
SSR's Todd Herrmann, PE, LEEP AP, explains intelligent lighting's potential use cases in healthcare facilities and more.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Feb 6, 2023
2022 Telecommunications Facility Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. telecommunications facility sector
AECOM, Alfa Tech, Kraus-Anderson, and Stantec head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest telecommunications facility sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Industrial Facilities | Dec 21, 2022
New York City’s largest industrial building is nearing completion
The multistory facility is arriving at a time when space remains at a premium.
