Douglas T. Reindl, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Department of Mechanical Engineering
1513 University Ave. Room 3184
Madison, WI 53706
United States
(608) 262-6381
Region: VI
Honorarium: None
Douglas Reindl is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition, he is the founding director of the Industrial Refrigeration Consortium (IRC) at UW-Madison. Professor Reindl has taught at all levels: undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional development. Professor Reindl has developed an internationally-recognized series of professional development courses focused on industrial refrigeration systems with an emphasis on the safe use of ammonia as a refrigerant. Through the IRC, Professor Reindl works with some of the world’s leading food companies to improve the safety, efficiency, reliability and productivity of industrial refrigeration systems and technologies.
Professor Reindl is an ASHRAE Fellow, a past recipient of ASHRAE’s Distinguished Service Award, and the first recipient of ASHRAE’s George C. Briley Award for the best refrigeration article in the ASHRAE Journal. He has served as a past chair and member of ASHRAE’s Standard 15 committee – Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems. Professor Reindl is a registered professional engineer in the State of Wisconsin.
Professor Reindl has published 6 books and more than 100 technical papers on topics including: industrial refrigeration, building mechanical systems, energy systems, indoor air quality (including research on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in buildings), and solar energy.
Topic
An Introduction to Ammonia Refrigeration Systems
GBCI Approved | 1 CE Hour | 0920014344
AIA Approved|1LU/HSW|REINDL01
Industrial refrigeration systems have used anhydrous ammonia for more than a sesquicentennial. Although ammonia has a long history of use in the industrial sector, the interest in ammonia as a potential refrigerant for non-industrial applications has grown recently. This presentation will provide an overview of the ammonia refrigeration systems that have been the mainstay in the industrial sector and emphasize unique characteristics that differentiate ammonia systems from traditional halocarbon refrigeration systems.
Understanding safety relief systems
Overpressure protection for refrigeration systems is required by ASHRAE Standard 15 and other related standards including the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code as well as model mechanical codes. Safety relief systems have basic engineering requirements that are commonly missed on system design and refrigeration system installations. This presentation will review the importance of safety relief systems, recent revisions in ASHRAE 15 related to overpressure protection and provide examples of proper and improper practices of this engineered system.
Back to Basics: How does a liquid chiller work?
Many view a liquid chiller as a “black box” that mysteriously produces cold water, in exchange for warmer water and an electric (or other fuel) input. This presentation takes the mystery away from chillers by exploring exactly what happens inside the chiller and how it functions to produce chilled water. The presentation includes an overview of the vapor-compression refrigeration cycle and the key components that enable liquid chillers to function.
Thermal Energy Storage Technology to Enable Microgrids with Renewable Energy Generation
Microgrids are smaller networks that include electric generation and distribution capability to provide power to users. Although microgrids are interconnected to larger utility networks, they are capable of disconnecting and operating independently; thereby, offering the potential to increase resiliency. Because the generation of electricity needs to constantly balance the demand, some form of energy storage is important to maximize the potential benefits of microgrids. This presentation will discuss how thermal energy storage is a strategic technology to incorporate into microgrids and how thermal storage can actually increase the proportion of electricity generated by renewable energy to further increase reliability.
ASHRAE Standard 15 - A Review and Update
GBCI Approved | 1 CE Hour | 0920014345
AIA Approved|1LU/HSW|REINDL02
Standard 15 (Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems) is one of ASHRAE’s oldest standards dating back to 1919. The purpose of Standard 15 is to specify safe design, construction, installation, and operation of refrigeration systems. All engineers that work with building mechanical systems should have a basic understanding of this Standard and for those engineers that work closely with refrigeration or chilling systems must have a deeper understanding of this standard and its requirements. This presentation will provide a review of Standard 15 and highlight recent changes to the standard. Common misapplications of the standard will be presented and discussed.
Powering with Renewable Resources: Thermal Energy Storage
The push to add increasing amounts of renewable energy sources to our utility grid has exposed a number of weaknesses and challenges that need to be solved to ensure resiliency and reliability. The intermittent and somewhat unpredictable nature of electricity production from renewable sources has heightened the importance of energy storage. Batteries have often taken center stage as the preferred means to bridge the mismatch in periods where end-use electricity demands exceeds the production from renewable sources. Although batteries seem to be the logical technology to fill this need, they are high cost, resource intensive, and prone to a process called battery aging, which limits their capacity to charge/discharge. This presentation will discuss challenges of increasing deployment of renewables on the grid and the role thermal energy storage can play to enable greater utilization of renewable energy resources.
Refrigerant Safety - Inside and Outside the Machinery Room
This presentation will discuss aspects of refrigerant safety both inside and outside of machinery rooms. With the list of refrigerants in use continuing to grow, it will include discussion of hazards associated with natural refrigerants as well as halocarbons. Recent incidents and accidents along with application trends will provide the back drop to discuss systems and practices needed to maintain safe installations. The emphasis will be on industrial refrigeration system applications but cover commercial systems as well.
