Air handling units Good ventilation is free
There’s no excuse for poor air circulation, especially since, when integrated with the heating system, ventilation is free, says Dave Garvey
buildings, good ventilation will keep bad odours, irritating pollutants and potentially harmful gases like carbon monox- ide at bay. Plus, it prevents the formation of mould and/or mildew, which is vital for employee health and building hygiene – especially important when in a kitchen or food processing environment. When production processes get underway, air quality can quickly deteriorate. Raised levels of indoor air pollution may reduce produc- tivity, as well as having negative effects on the comfort of the build- ing’s occupants. Certain industries are prone to airborne particles that can make life very unpleasant. Automotive manufacturing processes, for example, produce oil haze that hangs in the air. In other industries, chemical process- es may generate foul vapours. The use of chemicals or other hazardous substances at work can put people’s health at risk. Diseases including asthma, der- matitis or cancer can result from poor ventilation. The COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) regulations require employers to control substances that can harm workers’ health. As a minimum, ‘a good standard of gen- eral ventilation and good working practice’ is required. For very hazardous substances, extract ventilation is often required, but a good level of ventilation that will maintain air quality can be achieved easily and cheaply – and without the need for additional equipment – through the heating system. Combined heating and ventila- tion solutions have been on the market for years. The technology has been developed to the point that they now offer optimum ener- gy efficiency while improving air quality. These systems rely on a degree of fresh air intake to oper- ate. Nordair Niche direct and indi- rect gas-fired units, for example, provide both fresh and warm air in the building. Direct fired units work on a patented air recirculation sys- tem which supplies the amount of fresh air required to meet the changing requirements of the build- ing, while maintaining a constant supply of fresh air into the burner. When fresh air is required, ventilation is quickly achieved as the dampers automatically adjust
28 | September 2014 | HVR
Nordair Niche developed a bespoke heating, ventilation and cooling system solution for McDonald’s Restaurants
to provide the required amount of tempered outside air. The effect is almost instant as the fresh air is distributed evenly around the building.
Since fresh air is delivered faster than it can escape by natural ventilation, these units slightly pres- surise the air inside a building. Pressurisation causes the air to distribute evenly throughout, eliminating temperature stratifica- tion or ‘cold spots’ and ensuring every part of the building is usable at all times. Once optimum condi- tions have been reached, the sys- tem modulates the fresh air input and utilises up to 80 per cent recir- culated air for maximum economy. When temperatures within the building change, a combined heat- ing and ventilation system can respond very quickly, soon return- ing the interior to comfort condi- tions. Heat recovery is fast becom- ing the norm for such ventilation systems, reducing both running costs and harmful CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
This method of heating and ventilating premises does not require ductwork and is ideal for buildings requiring summer venti- lation and regular air changes to maintain good air quality. Combining the heating and ven- tilation functions gives optimum control and avoids the problem of co-ordinating and balancing sepa- rate heating and ventilation units. The combined system also has significant benefits on the opera-
tion of the heating, since the sys- tem utilises a large air volume/low discharge temperature principle. A modulating burner and damper system, controlled elec- tronically, ensures full co-ordina- tion of the heating and ventilation functions. Between 20 per cent and 100 per cent fresh air may be utilised together with up to 80 per cent recirculated air. The 80/20 operation ensures excellent performance and low emissions. Working together with Mitsubishi Electric, Nordair Niche were able to develop a bespoke heating, ventilation and cooling system solution for McDonald’s Restaurants that reduced running costs, was transferable across sites and improved customer experi- ences with a reliable, consistent and comfortable temperature inside all restaurants.
McDonald’s Restaurants was looking to create a comfortable environment for customers through a more energy efficient heating, ventilation and cooling system, The new Air Handling Unit from Nordair Niche is used for cooling, heating and ventila- tion and resulted in McDonalds Restaurants cutting its running costs by over £4,500 for each site, whilst reducing its carbon emis- sions significantly. The fast food giant also saw a 35 per cent reduc- tion in energy consumption across 250 UK restaurants following the installation of the Air Handling Unit developed by Nordair
Niche and Mitsubishi Electric. Dave Holden project manager for McDonalds says: “It is commer- cially critical for us to operate effectively all year round. Our cus- tomers expect McDonald’s to have a comfortable internal temperature and the ability to offer that, reliably and consistently, is part of our relationship with customers.” He added “When we started looking at replacing our air conditioning equipment we quickly realised we needed a bespoke system. We were coming at this with very spe- cific requirements and off-the-shelf systems didn’t satisfy the need.” The solution combined Nordair Niche’s IDF Air Handling Units with Mitsubishi Electric’s Air Source Heat Pumps which were controlled by a Trend building Energy Management System to achieve maximum operating effi- ciency. Following an initial trial in two restaurants, the results saw an annual saving of £4,515 per year and on average 20 tonnes less CO2 emitted.
The solution was designed to accommodate a variety of standard sized Air Handling Units previous- ly installed so that the replacement solution could be rolled out across all 1,200 restaurants.
Intelligent combined heating and ventilation units are also an ideal cost effective and fuel effi- cient solution for a variety of industrial applications, warehouse and logistics, bars and restaurants. // The author represents Nordair Niche //
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