safety meets sustainability
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Safety Meets Sustainability. Rob Klein, MS, CIH Environmental Health & Safety Yale University New Haven, CT Making Universities Sustainable Copenhagen, Denmark 23 October 2014. Partnerships at Yale. Sustainability Facilities / Utilities / Systems Engineering - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Safety Meets Sustainability
Rob Klein, MS, CIHEnvironmental Health & SafetyYale UniversityNew Haven, CT
Making Universities SustainableCopenhagen, Denmark23 October 2014
Partnerships at Yale• Sustainability• Facilities / Utilities / Systems Engineering • Purchasing and Procurement • Yale Animal Research Center• Lab Managers & Researchers• Environmental Health & Safety
Modern Laboratories• Protect research materials and people• Highly engineering for odor control, comfort, and safety• High flux of supplies, materials, and hazardous wastes• Trend towards disposal products• Primarily 100% exhaust air• Energy-intensive• All labs are not =
Lab Type Rooms
Biomedical 3,287 (70%)
Research Animal (husbandry, procedure, and support)
567 (12%)
Chemistry 251 (5%)
Engineering & Physics 242 (5%)
Environmental, Geology, and Planetary Sciences
182 (4%)
Teaching 48 (1%)
Pathology/Anatomy Services 1 28 (1%)
All Other 18 (<<)
Total 4,623 (100%)
1 Includes surgical path lab services, autopsy, and gross anatomy
Laboratory Footprint at Yale
Total gross space at Yale – owned and leased
19.3 M ft2
Assignable lab space(includes owned and leased)
1.3 M ft2 (6.3%)
Utilities consumed by labs US$ 32 M/year (= 50% of total)
!!!
HVAC 82%
Electrical Equipt10%
Lighting8%
Energy Consumption in Yale Labs (US$ 32 M/year)
Chilled water 41% Steam 31% Electricity 10%
US$ 2M/year regulated waste disposal
Vs.
Historical Tension Areas
• General lab room ventilation• Fume hood flow rates• Recycling chemical containers• Excess protective equipment use in animal research• Freezer and contents management
Obstacles to Change
• “We’ve always done it this way”• Requirements from regulatory agencies and
accrediting organizations• Over-designed systems• Changes in research – reagents, equipment • Indirect costs externalize involvement• Funding rules that limit “sharing” and encourage
over-buying (“use it or lose it”)
General Laboratory Ventilation• Background:
– Control emissions, reduce odors, and clear spills
• Tension: – 100% exhaust of conditioned lab air, historically at rates of
4-12 or more ACH; even higher in animal facilities
• Safety concerns:– Older epidemiological data suggest higher incidence of
disease among chemists and other lab workers– Air flows too low will result in exposures
0 2 4 6 8 100
20
40
60
80
100
Air changesCon
cen
trati
on
(%
)
C = C o e -n
… in a Perfectly Mixed Room
Small Spills
Benchtop Work (x 6) “fugitive emissions”
Original Supply Air Diffusers
New Radial Style Supply Air Diffusers
Spills – Duct MeasurementsOriginal 6 Supply Air Diffusers
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 1000
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
300006 ACH
8 ACH
10 ACH
12 ACH
14 ACH
16 ACH
Time (minutes)
Spills – Duct MeasurementsOriginal But Only 3 Supply Air Diffusers
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 1000
5000
10000
15000
20000
25000
30000
6 ACH
8 ACH
10 ACH
Time (minutes)
Co
nce
ntr
atio
n (
pp
m)
Spills – Duct Measurements3 New Style Supply Air Diffusers
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 1000
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
6 ACH
8 ACH
10 ACH
Time (minutes)
Co
nce
ntr
atio
n (
pp
m)
Supply Air Diffuser Effects
Spills
(Duct Measurements)4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
05000
1000015000200002500030000350004000045000
Peak Concentration
Original 6 grilles
Power (Original 6 grilles)
Original 3 grilles
ACH
Co
nc
en
tra
tio
n (
pp
m)
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 180
5
10
15
20
Speed of Peak
Original 6 grilles
Power (Original 6 grilles)
ACH
Pe
ak
Pu
lse
Tim
e (
min
)Observations:
• Higher [peak]’s
• Faster clearance
CFD Modeling - Residual Contamination (benchtop emission model, time = 70 min, 6 ACH)
6 original supply air diffusers
3 new supply air diffusers
Empirical Conclusions
• Higher ACH → lower concentrations, faster clearance• Greatest improvement from ~ 4 - 6 ACH• But diminishing returns ≥ 8 ACH • Reducing number and style of SA diffusers provides
functional equivalent of 2 – 4 additional ACH vs. original room HVAC design
• Must consider original HVAC system design before lowering ventilation rates
• Be aware of the limitations of demand control systems
Very Serious Cost Savings• @ US$ 8 / CFM exhaust / year (average):
– 1 ACH reduction ~ $1,400 / yr test lab alone– $116,000 / yr this bldg alone– $1.95 M / yr entire campus
• With proper room HVAC design, we now accept 6 ACH, less in unoccupied labs
Shameless self-promotion: 2 articles in J Chemical Health & Safety – Klein, King, and Kosior
Some Other Successes
Conclusions and Advice
• Data-driven• Dialogue, communication, and teamwork• Open mind and willingness to consider change
Questions?