April 7th 2021

VE User Award: Tampa International Airport - Cory Duggin, TLC

VE User Award: Tampa International Airport - Cory Duggin, TLC

Credit: image above provided by HNTB, the prime consultant for the Tampa International Airport Curbside expansion project.

As we continue to highlight the excellent entries submitted to our VE User Award, we move on to a long-time IESVE expert; Cory Duggin PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, and Principal from TLC Engineering Solutions.

For his entry, Cory showcased how he used IESVE Software to perform a range of analytical studies on the Tampa International Airport Curbside expansion project. 

TLC created a 3D model of the Airport project and used IESVE to calculate the design cooling loads and show energy code compliance for each phase of the project. This included analysis of the Central Utility Plant (CUP) with the renovation of the existing building and expansion. 

Integration with Existing Building:  Metered plant loads from the existing airport facility were combined with the anticipated increased load from TLC’s design models to create a new Central Utility Plant load profile.  The new Central Utility Plant load profile was imported to ApacheHVAC and linked as scheduled CHW and HHW load profiles.  This allowed for isolated simulation analysis of the Central Utility Plant, for comparison of various design alternatives, without the combined simulation of the entire building(s).   


Figure 1: Series Counterflow Chiller Option providing the lowest Payback Period

Custom bi-quadratic chiller curves were used for accurately modeling different chiller types as well as different configurations, such as series-counter flow, ground coupled heat rejection, thermal storage, and heat recovery chillers.

Occupant Comfort – Thermal and Visual:  Optimization of HVAC loads, energy consumption and utility cost did not result in a penalty to the experience of building occupants.  TLC used detailed daylight & glare simulations and CFD airflow simulations to validate the design.

•    Thermal Comfort:  MacroFlo was used to model the bulk airflow transfer and pressure relationships in the shuttle lobbies when the shuttles open and close their doors to transfer passengers to the terminal. MicroFlo was also used to examine the mixing of air and thermal comfort on the occupant transfer level.  
•    Visual Comfort: RadianceIES allowed TLC to assess potential excess daylight concerns and compare glare mitigation strategies such as adding fritted glass. 


Figure 2: [Left] Daylight Glare Probability Analysis with RadianceIES for the Airport Shuttle Lobby and [Right] CFD Analysis of air mixing in the ceiling area, maintaining air temperatures between 68-70⁰F (20-21⁰C) in the Occupied Zone 

Cory’s leadership at TLC’s Peak Institute continues to remind us about the importance of performance-based digital design and how building simulation continues to benefit building owners and occupants. 

We congratulate Cory on his success in these awards! 

E: Cory.Duggin@tlc-eng.com