ARCHIVED NEWSLETERS

The E-PAK E-LETTER - March 2000 Issue

Hello from E-Pak Technology, Inc., makers of the E-Pak series of evaporative chillers and chilled water plants, and the soon to be released evaporative cooled dx roof top HVAC units, evaporative condensing units and remote evaporative condensers.

The Big Chill

Recently, a Philadelphia Inquirer year-end editorial declared the single most important invention of the 20th century to be air conditioning.  "It (air conditioning) has shaped the nation and enabled the redistribution of people, commerce and political power that we see all across the land. . .  . Soon other farsighted builders and planners saw that people worked better when they weren't sweating or freezing to death."

We agree!  Air conditioning has changed the face of civilizations and still is one of the first signs of an advanced industrialized economy.  To bring this product to more people at less operating cost, E-Pak assembles an evaporatively cooled chiller and chilled water plant that is very energy efficient (as low as .70kW per ton) and extraordinarily quiet (60 to 65 dB @ 50ft. unattenuated.)  Our capacities range from 20 to 120 tons using scroll compressors and from 70 to 535 tons on a single 8' wide skid using semihermetic screw compressors that require virtually no maintenance. 

Meeting a Customer Challenge

This example will briefly focus on the E-Pak product attributes of size and engineering capability. E-Pak was recently commissioned to fabricate a chilled water plant, both highly efficient and compact in design.  The 190-ton packaged chilled water plant was required to fit within a space sixteen feet wide and twenty-six feet in length.  E-Pak was additionally challenged to install duplex (for the sake of redundancy) condenser water and chilled water pumps on the same unit.  Fortunately, evaporative condenser water pumps are compact in size and the motors that operate them operate at a low head pressure which translates to small motor and impeller sizes.  Inline chilled water pumps where installed overhead in the unit. This installation allowed for the entire chilled water plant to be placed on a single skid measuring only 8' x 24'!  The chiller was factory control and power wired so that the contractor had to only to bring three wires to the unit and throw the main circuit breaker to electrically bring the unit on-line.  The unit now happily resides in Los Angeles at a well-known academic institution.

Patents on the Horizon for E-Pak

E-PAK is pleased to announce that it has filed a provisional patent on its unique heat exchange process that brings less costly sub cooling to the expansion valve in lieu of a sub cooling coil.  It is anticipated that this process will also improve efficiency of the equipment, thus lowering the already low energy consumption of the E-Pak equipment.  Tests are planned to verify this patent pending process.

New Product Developments

E-Pak is pleased to announce that it is rolling out three (3) new products:

1. Evaporative cooled DX Roof-Top HVAC Unit
This 20-120 ton equipment will contain an evaporative cooled condensing unit made by E-Pak and will be the first E-Pak unit that does not chill a fluid.  Developed as DX to refrigerant coils, it will be connected to an air-handling unit in two strategic capacities.  These air handling units could be manufactured by Trane (Intellipac) and/or the larger capacities can be manufactured by E-Pak in conjunction with one of its strategic partners that has experience in this product category.  Basic designs are being developed and Beta units will be available for sale in the near future.  For salesdetails please contact Joe Guckin at 215.957.6661 x 2266.

2. Remote Evaporative Condensers.
Developed at the request of several sales offices, these units will contain evaporative condensers and power control panels that can be connected to remote chillers, usually in doors. The evaporative condenser packages are available with a number of options such as: stainless steel sump, water touch SS unit, copper coil, redundant condenser pumps, intake and discharge sound attenuation plenums, remote sump, sump sweeper, 2 speed or VFD fan control, multi-circuit coils and others.  As in the above, please contact Joe Guckin for sales details.

3. Evaporative Condensing Units.
This product evolved as a result of an energy solution requested by a local energy company.  A number of  existing air-cooled condensing units, which were connected to a series of penthouse air-handling units, were in need of replacement.  On the advice of an energy company consultant, E-Pak was contacted to provide an evaporative cooled condensing unit to reduce energy consumption.  This event triggered E-Pak engineers to begin the development of an entire line of evaporative condensing units in capacities from 30 tons to 160 tons.

Our line of R-22 chillers may virtually double in capacity (an increase from 270 tons nominal to 450 tons) as our supplier is in communication with E-Pak to provide E-Pak with critical control equipment.  Once E-Pak has access to this control equipment, chiller designs will be completed and product can be offered for sale.  Many thanks to those of you who may have communicated with folks in high places to encourage the availability of this equipment. Please stay alert for further information.

For Those Selling E-Pak...

• New Sales Literature
  Many of you who have been with us for while have experienced the frustration of having to complete a sale with literature that could not convey the product line.  We are pleased to announce that by April 2000 a new a much more attractive sales catalogue will be released.  This publication contains much of the same information previously released but in 2 color format, more legible print and formatted in a manner to encourage inspection and use.  While these types of changes are often taken for granted, we at E-Pak want to respond to that sales group in Los Angeles, "Finally, you get to make a sale with quality literature!"
   
• E-Pak On The Road
  Joe Guckin travels to Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, as well as San Diego and Los Angeles, California, to inform Trane staff about the technology that makes E-Pak Packaged chillers and Chilled Water Plants the most efficient in the market, as well as introduce the E-Pak product line to consulting engineers.  Joe will also visit the California Bay Area and Sacramento in April 2000.
   
• When Cost is King
  Can't seem to meet that bid price?  Recently, a sales representative whose contractor was bidding on a specific job and needed a lower price on the E-Pak equipment to beat known competition contacted us.  The representative asked if E-Pak could reconfigure the equipment to meet the performance specified in the chiller schedule, which was significantly less than E-PAK's nominal performance and thereby less expensive. In order to assist the sales representative, we quickly reconfigured the equipment by making design modifications and other slight but cost sensitive changes.  As a result, the Saturated Condensing Temperature increased, the sales price decreased, and the sales representative and E-Pak got the job.  Please keep this scenario in mind when you bid E-Pak equipment against our competition.  If the owner has little interest in energy, we can make the equipment with the same high quality chillers, but without the many energy efficient advantages designed by E-Pak engineers.

The President's Note...

All of the E-Pak family of employees are dedicated to providing our sales representatives and their consulting engineers and owners with the best equipment in the market place.  We believe there is no substitute for quality at a fair price.  We encourage you to communicate with E-Pak to let us know how we can continue to be of service.  Our size and flexibility is purposely structured to provide you with immediate and focused access to company decision makers. We are some way from perfection, but our interest in moving towards that goal is relentless.  Your cooperation in providing us with critical performance, design and engineering observations will help us in our endeavors.  We look forward to serving you and your clients in our mutual pursuit of success.