Products and service from Hayward Flow Control has exceeded the expectations of designers and contractors at a new aquarium in Miami.
One of the most powerful ocean currents is found at the new Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami. It’s a 500,000-gallon Gulf Stream Aquarium that showcases the science on how things work beneath the ocean.
Behind the scenes, Hayward Flow Control products and – more importantly – the Hayward team, have been involved with the project, from the aquarium’s design, through to when the facility was turned over to the owner.
“Hayward took a step beyond what would typically be required in the scope of a contract to make the sure the I’s were dotted and the T’s were crossed,” said the museum’s LLS Manager, Vic Aderholt.
As plans unfolded for the new aquarium, the success of the new exhibit faced two challenges: temperature swings on Miami’s bay, and the building’s multiple, open-floor design.
Designers knew they needed a complex control system. The coral tank, for example, required water that would flow back and forth, mimicking the natural flow of the ocean. That meant actuators in that part would reposition every 2 to 5 minutes. By comparison, actuators in other aquarium sections reposition only once an hour – or longer.
The actuators would have to perform this demanding job long-term, without generating excess heat or electrical problems. And the actuators would need to respond promptly to the loss of power and the ensuing alerts and alarms.
After favourable reviews from industry contacts, Chris Eccles, the project Design Engineer for PCA Global, decided to use Hayward’s system, including pumps, valves, filters, strainers, actuators and field flow control devices, throughout the project.
“Hayward has worked hand-in-hand with the aquarium industry to design their products,” said Aderholt. “The practicality of how a pump comes apart and goes back together, the quality of materials and saltwater use – Hayward is the gold star in my opinion.”
The decision to use Hayward products also meant working with several Hayward teams – technical support, engineering, customer support and production. They scheduled biweekly calls with the aquarium team, as well as monthly visits.
Hayward worked with mechanical and plumbing contracting teams from the JJ Kirlin Group – forming a partnership that no other manufacturer can match, according to the staff at Kirlin.
Several project managers with Johnson Controls, the Control and BAS systems engineer, also praised Hayward’s approach. For instance, Hayward helped:
• Safeguard against concerns that humidity could build up condensation in some electrical parts.
• Modify circuits in the relay wiring so the software would still recognise and react to the system, even if a human overrode the logic of the controls.
• Review the design before construction was finished to make sure there was enough square footage in the mechanical systems/closets.
• Identify appropriate installation locations to support operations and future physical access to equipment.
• Game-plan scenarios after the concrete, steel and pipe were put together to make sure the electricity would work after flipping the switch.
• Loop in operators and LSS professionals who had not been intimately involved in early stages of the construction process.
After the successful opening, Eddie Falco, the system design engineer at Johnson Controls, is hoping he can use Hayward’s thermoplastic products on other projects that currently call for metal valves.
When the aquarium opened on May 8, 2017, there was a turnkey handover to the owner. Trevor Powers, the Senior VP of Engineering & Operations at Frost Science, said much of the reason it went smoothly stemmed from his frequent meetings with Hayward. He said: “We know some things are going to come up, but what’s important is that we get these issues resolved without long delays, and Hayward was able to do that.”
Hayward Flow Control – www.haywardflowcontrol.com
