Vincent “Vince” Sakraida has spent the past 40 years performing the design, construction, and commissioning of mechanical/HVAC system design for high technology (cleanrooms, laboratories, data centers, hospitals, pharmaceutical, electronics, manufacturing), government (DOJ, DOD, DOE, NIH, NNSA), institutional (schools, churches, universities, police, fire) and commercial (restaurants, office buildings, retail) facilities.
Vince received his undergraduate degree of mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1982. He is a 15-year member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). In ASHRAE, he is the Vice Chairman of the TC9.11 Clean Space Committee. As a member of TC9.11 Clean Space Committee, Vince co-authored the Cleanroom Design Guide and the ASHRAE Application Handbook Clean Space Chapter. Vince’s other ASHRAE activities included participating in the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force – Laboratory Subcommittee, ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer (2008 to 2010), and ASHRAE TC9.10 – Laboratories Committee Corresponding Member.
Outside of ASHRAE, Vince is a member of the NEBB Cleanroom Performance Testing Standard Committee (2018 to Present), ISO 14644, Member of US TAG, 2023, and Engineered Systems Magazine editorial advisory board member and author (2008 to Present).
Vince has written numerous technical articles and presented at numerous conferences nationally and internationally.
The Emergence of Grid-Sized Battery Energy Storage Systems
Any meaningful discussion of electrification needs to include the utility electrical distribution grid and the impact renewable power sources (photovoltaic, wind) have on it. Recent experience has shown utility electrical distribution grids are challenged to maintain a balanced electrical generation when there are high renewable power sources connected to it. One way to better manage the time renewable power is distributed to the grid is through the implementation of a battery energy storage system (BESS).
This seminar will discuss the services grid-sized BESS provide, battery performance characteristics, different battery technologies available and their performance characteristics, BESS technical standards, BESS layout, and modular versus BESS arrangements.
Recommended audience: ASHRAE members, architects, utility company representative, facility engineers.
Design the Built Environment to Prevent Pandemics
The world is just starting to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the human cost of millions of infected people with more than a million deaths, the damage to the world economy will take years to recover. The COVID-19 pandemic is the most severe pandemic since the 1918 Spanish flu, which claimed 50 million lives.
This seminar will discuss virus and pandemic fundamentals; how humans are infected by viruses; how do sneezing, coughing, and breathing affect the spread of corona virus; how contagious are viruses; what are the stages of a corona virus pandemic; environmental impact on corona virus; and built environment mitigation options.
Recommended audience: ASHRAE members, architects, facility engineers.
Cleanroom Design in 10 Easy Steps
This seminar will present a step-by-step method for evaluating and designing cleanrooms, factoring in people/material flow, space cleanliness classification, space pressurization, space supply airflow, space air exfiltration, space air balance, variables to be evaluated, mechanical system selection, heating/cooling load calculations, and support space requirements.
Recommended audience: ASHRAE members, facility engineers, pharmaceutical engineers.
How to Evaluate an Existing BSL-3 Biocontainment Laboratory
An accidental pathogen release from a high containment laboratory can potentially cause substantial health and economic damage. It is imperative high containment laboratories are routinely recommissioned and evaluated compared to the latest National Institute of Health (NIH) Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories standards and include an evaluation of the existing facility condition with recommended repairs/replacement.
This seminar will provide an explanation on the biocontainment laboratory classifications levels, types of biosafety cabinets (BSCs) used in BSL-3 labs, NIH requirements for a BSL-3 lab, description of the BSL-3 lab being assessed, recommended procedures for performing a BSL-3 lab assessment, and what was discovered during the BSL-3 study. The HVAC systems was the focus of the evaluation.
Recommended audience: ASHRAE members, laboratory clinicians, facility engineers.
Cleanroom Variable Airflow Design
Cleanrooms are one of the most energy intensive facilities per square foot. Most cleanroom airflows are determined by industry-accepted air change rates and airflow velocities. Typically, cleanroom air change rates are based upon meeting the peak particulate generation. However, these peak particulate generation time frames are relatively short and have a very short, accumulated time frame during a given day.
This seminar will discuss different cleanroom design variables that need to be evaluated to ensure variable airflow is appropriate for the cleanroom and provides reliable operation. These variables include space pressurization control philosophy, HVAC system design philosophy, particle monitoring system, particle monitoring sampling locations and number required, airflow control devices, HVAC sequence of operation and alarming, cleanroom minimum return airflow, and cleanroom minimum supply airflow.
Recommended audience: ASHRAE members, facility engineers, pharmaceutical engineers.