Harry Sim, CEO of Cypress Envirosystems

To me, the intersection of the Chicago River and the Magnificent Mile (otherwise known as N. Michigan Ave) is the defining iconic image of Chicago. The beautiful Riverwalk, the historic bridges, and above all the stunning architecture - spanning over a century of skyscraper design - never fails to make me stop and gawk in awe even if I have been there countless times.   I certainly hope that the majestic structures will continue to endure for many future generations to enjoy.

But to do that, the buildings must be modernized to be more functional, comfortable, and energy efficient. That is why we at Cypress Envirosystems are proud to help Zeller Realty, the building manager, upgrade the HVAC controls at 401 N. Michigan Ave. with wireless IoT thermostats. The 35-story tower built in 1965 hosts historic Pioneer Court and the new flagship Apple Store sitting right on the riverfront.

Once the controls renovation is completed next month to reduce energy consumption, Peoples Gas is expected to award one of the largest rebates ever granted to a commercial building.

The Lincoln Center in New York City is arguably the most famous and prestigious performing arts center in the United States. It is home to iconic companies including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and the New York City Ballet. The world-renowned Juilliard School is also a key part of the Lincoln Center, training generations of top artists in dance, music, and drama.

This month, Cypress Envirosystems is helping the Juilliard School modernize its HVAC controls to improve comfort and to reduce energy use. Although the Juilliard building was state-of-the-art when it was constructed in the 1960’s, it lags in automation, sensing and controls technology which we now take for granted in modern buildings. We are proud that our Wireless Pneumatic Thermostat can help improve the operations of this priceless institution.

Exelon’s massive Calvert Cliffs Nuclear plant was built in the 1970’s.   It is hard to remember, but that was a time before the internet and cell phones, and even before digital sensors.  It is a marvel of engineering so much was accomplished using mechanical, analog, and pneumatic technology to deliver reliable and safe power over so many years.  But such a plant requires intensive manual labor to operate.  It is prohibitively disruptive and costly to upgrade to modern digital technology. 

In 2017, Exelon partnered with Cypress Envirosystems to deploy non-invasive IoT sensors to “digitalize” the plant – they can be installed in minutes at a fraction of the cost of conventional technologies.  Once installed, plant systems can be remotely monitored to enable “Condition Based Maintenance”.

Tim Baugher and Bill Ansley from Exelon documented how the Cypress IoT sensors enabled early detection of faults in the plant’s feedwater control system.  This allowed preventive maintenance work to correct the problem in a timely manner and avoid costly last-minute repairs or unplanned downtime.

Read Bill Ansley’s case study here:

https://www.cypressenvirosystems.com/files/pdf/Exelon%20Case%20Study%20-%20Calvert%20Cliffs%20AOV%20Fault%20Detection%20using%20WGR.pdf

P&G owns some of the most well known and trusted brands in the world. Billions of consumers depend every day on Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Gillete, Oil of Olay, and Bounce to name just a few. Dozens of mega P&G facilities worldwide produce and feed the sprawling supply chain.

Christina Francis is the global Fire Protection leader for P&G facilities. At a recent webinar hosted by SFPE, she explained how most sites still use mechanical risers, valves and pumps which do not support remote monitoring. Christina shared P&G's efforts to "digitize" these systems to improve safety and reduce cost.

Cypress Envirosystems is proud that our Wireless Gauge Reader is part of P&G's vision for the future. Our non-invasive technologies can upgrade existing plants in hours without impacting operations, at a fraction of the cost of traditional solutions. This week we just completed the deployment at P&G's largest site, and we look forward to more in the coming months.

View Christina's video here:
https://lnkd.in/gTpEZUs

Learn more about the Wireless Gauge Reader here:
https://lnkd.in/gQ-JY-W

Our four college students come from all parts of the country – Northeastern in Boston, DeAnza in the Bay Area, University of California Davis in Sacramento, and University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign - and are pursuing challenging fields ranging from Computer Engineering to Bioengineering to Aerospace to Computer Science.

They are diligent at practicing social distancing at work, and are learning and helping us in manufacturing and in software development!

Even before Coronavirus struck, many organizations were “digitizing” their facilities to enable remote monitoring and control. But retrofitting old facilities is expensive and disruptive to operations, so progress has been slow. Often, technicians still need to be physically on-site with clipboards to read dial gauges and inspect equipment.

The COVID-19 crisis has made it imperative to work remotely - it is now much more urgent to “digitize” aging assets. Customers increasingly turn to our non-invasive IoT technology e.g. the Wireless Gauge Reader, which take minutes to install and offers remote monitoring/control and diagnostic capabilities. Our team has been busy installing at hospitals, nuclear power plants, federal agency buildings, semiconductor fabs and pharmaceutical plants during the pandemic.

Through this time, we have the opportunity to see the dedicated effort from essential workers who put their own safety on the line each day to support our communities. We salute and thank them for their efforts!

Learn more about the Wireless Gauge Reader at:
https://lnkd.in/gQ-JY-W

Fire protection systems rely on a complex system of pumps, valves, risers and sprinklers to do its job. Should a fire occur, this system regulates water pressure and flow to the right location to control or put out the flames.

For the fire protection team, it is critical they confirm that all of the components of the system is ready all the time, just in case. In most facilities, this means manually checking many pressure and flow gauges all around the facility each day.

Now this checking and data gathering can be automated by using clamp on optical Wireless Gauge Readers from Cypress Envirosystems. The easy installation takes minutes without the need to cut pipes, break seals, perform leak checks or run wires. Alerts can be texted to cell phones or emailed. Data can be shared with Building Automation Systems via BACnet. This automation increases system reliability and reduces labor costs.

Challenging installation of the Cypress Wireless Gauge Reader this week in a power plant baghouse to monitor filter status. It was blowing rain, almost freezing temperatures, in a structure 200 ft high! The WGR's performed well though.

Baghouses are air pollution control devices which remove particulates and gases from industrial processes. They are used in power plants, steel mills, food manufacturers, pharmaceutical plants etc. Wireless Gauge Readers can quickly and cost effectively capture performance data from baghouses to help ensure compliance with clean air regulations, reduce energy use, and lower cost of consumables (filter bags).

Learn more about the Wireless Gauge Reader at:
https://lnkd.in/gQ-JY-W

The City of Chicago presented Cypress Envirosystems with the "Most Innovative Project Award" for 2019, which recognizes a project team or partnership showing exceptional innovation in the field of energy efficiency.

Zeller Realty, JLL, and Cypress Envirosystems jointly received this award for our work on the “Wireless Pneumatic Thermostats and Smart Building Technology Project”. This effort saved 33% in HVAC energy consumption at 311 South Wacker Drive, an iconic 65 story skyscraper on the Chicago West Loop.

Cypress Envirosystems is honored to be a recipient of the prestigious award. Our patented Wireless Pneumatic Thermostat solution enables existing buildings to be upgraded to modern smart controls at a fraction of the cost and disruption of conventional DDC controls.

Learn more about our project at 311 S. Wacker Drive here:
https://lnkd.in/gJjmGPi

Learn more about the Retrofit Chicago Awards here:
https://lnkd.in/gpYMp5K

#retrofitchicago#smartpneumatics#retrofit#wpt#cypressenvirosystems

Image credit: Johnell Pannell, Unsplash.com

Read more here:

France derives about 75% of its energy from nuclear reactors, the highest in the world (compared to 20% of total electricity output in the US). It has 58 operating reactors, most built over 30 years ago. All the sites are operated by EDF, which is actively modernizing its nuclear fleet.

This week, the Cypress team had the pleasure of meeting with the main EDF R&D labs at Chatou, near Paris, to test the Cypress Wireless Gauge Reader (WGR) technology's ability to digitize aging plants. Happily, our teams confirmed that the WGR is compatible with the gauges used in French plants, and the wireless radio is seamlessly compatible with the LoRaWAN networks already existing at most EDF sites. We are now looking forward to a field deployment at an operational EDF plant.

It was a real privilege to work with such a dedicated and capable team at EDF, not to mention the wonderful opportunity to be in Paris for a few days. While the Wireless Gauge Reader is already installed at or planned for over 11 nuclear plants in the US, we are just beginning the expansion to other countries including France, Canada, and Japan.

Read more here:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6588198110546264064