Summit Building Engineering
Commissioning Resources
Under Floor Air Distribution (UFAD)

Summit Building Engineering has extensive experience with UFAD systems. Our work and capabilities include:

-Design. Design assistance and thorough design and specification review
-Construction. Construction field checklists, sequencing, coordination and inspection
-Verification. Functional testing, performance verification (stratification; energy efficiency)
-Occupancy. Operational optimization (fans, static pressures, control set points, etc.)

The following are UFAD resources for commissioning providers, design and construction professionals and owners. All are free downloads unless noted.

 

Information Developed by SBE

Checklist covering the construction and testing phase tasks and coordination needed between designers, general and sub-contractors, owner and commissioning provider.
SBE UFAD Checklist

Paper discussing the issues surrounding how clean an underfloor space should be and what impacts dust and dirt may have on indoor air quality and mold growth.
UFAD Cleanliness, Dust; Mold

Graphs that estimate air leakage in cfm through different width construction cracks and raised floor panel cracks under various under-floor pressures.
SBE Crack Leakage Graph for Construction Elements
SBE Leakage Graph for Raised Floor Panel Cracks

A Powerpoint presentation of UFAD issues focusing on construction coordination.
To be Posted.

Air sealing architectural and contruction details (drawings) for the problem points in achieving a tight floor plenum.
To be Posted.

Air sealing and cleanliness specifications for UFAD projects, including coordination language.
To be Posted.

Leakage test procedures
To be Posted.

Smoke test procedures for leakage location identification
To be Posted.

Space air stratification test procedures
To be Posted.

UFAD control fine tuning for comfort, energy and stratification optimization
To be Posted.

Information Developed By Others
General Information

Primer on UFAD by Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). 2004 (8 pgs). www.eere.energy.gov/femp/pdfs/ufad_tf.pdf

Video presentation overview of UFAD by Tate Floors (two 5 minute videos, 14Mb ea.).
http://www.tateaccessfloors.com/literature.html

More Detailed Information

MANUALS

U.S. General Services Administration UFAD Guideline 2005 (75 pgs)
Download from SBE

Design manual by UC Berkeley and ASHRAE. 2003 ($70).
http://ashrae.org/store/ashrae/

DEDICATED WEB SITES

Website dedicated to UFAD information and research (UC Berkeley Center for the Built Environment).
http://www.cbe.berkeley.edu/underfloorair/Default.htm

Website with links to other articles and presentations from the National Center for Energy Management and Building Technologies (NCEMBT)
http://www.ufad.net/downloads.htm

OTHER RESOURCES

Thorough overview of UFAD by UCB. 2004 (15 pgs).
http://repositories.cdlib.org/lbnl/LBNL-49527

Design and construction guidelines by UCB. 2003.
http://www.cbe.berkeley.edu/underfloorair/applyingTheTechnology.htm

UFAD articles from ASHRAE Journal. Thermal stratification, lessons learned, future for UFAD, best practices, etc. 2002-2005 ($8ea).
http://ashrae.org/store/ashrae/ then search for "UFAD"

Four tips for success with UFAD by Energy Design Resources. 2005 (4 pgs).
www.energydesignresources.com/docs/end-49.pdf

Study on UFAD stratification vs. cfm/ft2 by UCB. 2002 (6 pgs). Very detailed, but only done in a small 16' x 16' laboratory and may not be applicable to larger spaces. www.cbe.berkeley.edu/research/pdf_files/Webster2002_indoorair.pdf

Study on fan energy savings from UFAD by UCB. 2004 (17 pgs).
http://www.cbe.berkeley.edu/underfloorair/research.htm

Field study of performance of one UFAD project by LBNL. 2004 (22 pgs).
http://repositories.cdlib.org/lbnl/LBNL-56257

Technical bulletins on UFAD issues by Tate Floors. 2006 (5 articles). Acoustics, air leakage, zinc whiskers, wet area applications; fire suppression.
http://www.tateaccessfloors.com/tech_bulletin.html

Complete UFAD design manual using Tate system by Tate Floors. 2005 (407 pgs, 33Mb).
http://www.tateaccessfloors.com/literature.html

Installation and Owner's manuals by Tate Floors.
http://www.tateaccessfloors.com/literature.html

Specifying Underfloor Plenums. HPAC Nov, 2004. Good, but be aware it mixes computer room
applications with commercial open floor.

Why the "Simple Underfloor Air Distribution System" Isn't Quite as Simple as It Seems. Luskay and Sellers, National Conference on Building Commissioning, PECI 2004.

contact@summitbe.com

V. 360 573 5700

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