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Expansion vs.
Compression:
Its got me under pressure
Steve Tredinnick, PE, Vice President of Energy Services, Syska Hennessy Group
oday it seems like everyone is overextended and constantly under pressure. There is pressure from our jobs,
our bosses, our spouses, our families and so
on. Pressure here, pressure there and pressure everywhere. Pressure! (I think I just
heard a Billy Joel riff.)
Most people have some sort of outlet
for relieving stress-induced pressure. They
decompress by having a vacation, exercising,
listening to music, kicking the dog (not
recommended or endorsed), being a couch
potato and even enjoying an adult beverage or two (or four if they live in Wisconsin
like me. No pressure here!).
Pressure relief is a good thing. Without
it, things will literally blow. Too much stress
and your blood pressure gets too high and
you will bust an artery. The same goes for
your heating or cooling water systems. Is
your water system under pressure and close
to the breaking point? Is the safety valve
ready to blow? Luckily, engineers long ago
prescribed the perfect pill for this: the expansion tank/compression tank or expansion
chamber, one of the really simple set-it-andforget-it devices.
Technically speaking, I personally think
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District Energy
Reprinted from Second Quarter 2007 District Energy magazine with permission of IDEA.
Reprinted from Second Quarter 2007 District Energy magazine with permission of IDEA.
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