Project Showcase JATC

SMACNA-AZ Contractor:

JATC Test and Balance Lab

Project Name:
Arizona Joint Apprentice Training Committee’s (JATC) Test and Balance Lab

Project Owner:
Arizona JATC

Description:
The lab, located at the Homer D. Dukes Sheet Metal Training Center, serves as a training lab for journeymen and apprentices in the testing and balancing of air conditioning and fire/life systems – critical to the safety of all commercial buildings. Testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) is an important part of the HVAC system. It is the adjustment of the air and water delivery systems to meet the specifications outlined by the design engineer.

The lab is one of only 20 nationally certified ICB/TABB (Testing Adjusting and Balancing Bureau) Testing Facilities in the U.S. ICB and TABB are functions of the National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC). NEMIC is a not-for-profit organization jointly funded by the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) and SMART (formerly the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association). NEMIC identifies opportunities, seeking to create or expand employment for SMART members and programs that assist SMACNA contractors.

Start/End Dates: September 2011 – June 2012.

Project Manager: Albert R. Blanco, Jr

Mechanical Design Engineer: The project was designed by the JATC staff, with help from contractors and vendors.

More About The Project: Built in 1982, the Homer D. Dukes Sheet Metal Training Center was the first training center built in Arizona specifically for the purpose of teaching Sheet Metal to apprentices. This building houses the JATC’s main office, welding facility, service training area and classrooms.

General TAB Curriculum Includes:

• Basics of HVAC
• Airflow and psychometrics
• Heat and heat transfer
• Fundamentals of electricity and electrical measurement
• Air pressure, air flow, temperature and speed measurement
• Duct systems
• Automatic controls
• Fans, fan laws and V-belt drives
• Balancing methods: proportional and sequential
• Pumps and pump laws
• Principles of the cooling tower
• Hydronic balancing: flow meter and thermal method
• Safety

TABB opportunities in this field include:

• Energy management
• Indoor air quality
• Building systems commissioning
• Sound and vibration testing
• Life safety control systems
• HVAC installation or system controls
• System design
• Project management or facility management
• Clean room work or certification