ENERGY SAVING
may deliver the efficiencies, reduce costly maintenance bills and offer a more sustainable solution that is good for business.
Modularity offers flexibility Modular solutions are changing the way we heat and cool buildings. Modularity offers many advantages, not least the flexibility to increase capacities as businesses expand. Often height, width and weight restraints require an alternative solution to standard unit. Modular systems can be built in modules and assembled on site, offer excellent performance levels and flexibility as customers can upscale (when it comes to increasing capacity, the modular approach offers significant partial load efficiencies) reconfigure or downscale according to their requirements. Modular AHUs and chillers offer a factory tested and proved solution, with the added benefit of being able to ‘pull’ components from the system to fix it and then ‘plug’ it back without the entire system shutting down. This gives the degree of redundancy that standard units lack. Sourcing the right systems and products
can be challenging but manufacturers are responding with smart and efficient solutions. Depending on the manufacturer the configurations can be extensive. Some modular chillers offer capacities from 90kW up to 3,500kW, achieved with numerous shapes, sizes and refrigerants. Energy efficiencies are enhanced with the potential of free cooling and the use of HFO refrigerants helps to minimise the environmental impact. A choice of air to water and water to water models offer an attractive ESEER of up to 6.5. This has raised the bar and offers an innovative mechanical design solution for businesses
looking for a scalable approach; Aermec’s WWM range for example, offers up to 32 units linked together hydraulically, either side-by-side or back-to-back, but also stacked on two levels, offering flexible layout options and keeping the overall unit dimensions to a minimum. A Planned, Preventative Maintenance (PPM) strategy in place can help reduce energy wastage but can also prevent shut downs and high repair bills. Paying closer attention to how buildings are and their energy systems are being used can also have a significant impact on HVAC costs. Investing in remote diagnostics for service and maintenance, fully integrated Building Management Systems (BMS), simulators and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) services give facilities managers greater control of their plant and in mission critical sites such as data centres any tool that delivers a greater understanding of air flows and helps with the design of optimised heating and cooling solutions adds considerable value. There are many technologies in the pipeline and some still on the drawing board, but we are already taking advantage of magnetic levitation chillers, compressor-less cooling, particularly in data centre environments, variable speed drives, multiple scroll compressors, Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems and Electronically Commutated (EC) motors. Compressor technology has also rapidly
advanced, inverter driven screw and scroll compressors are now commonplace and new highspeed centrifugal compressors and Turbocor have gained considerable traction.
Heat exchanger technologies
Heat exchanger technologies have also helped drive down HVAC energy consumption with improved micro channel heat exchangers (MCHX) and spray evaporating technology, which maximises heat exchange effectiveness, lowers working pressures and increases overall chiller/heat pump efficiencies, whilst also reducing refrigerant charge by 50% free cooling technology can also help maximise the energy saving benefits. Predictive control and maintenance strategies are also being deployed with autonomous monitoring of operating parameters and adaption of operating envelopes with maintenance alerts that can sustain original design efficiency levels. Building energy preservation particularly
in high rise offices and commercial buildings is a must for all countries and the latest heat pumps are designed to redistribute building
www.acr-news.com January 2020 41
heat energy where previously it was rejected to ambient air and wasted.
Refrigerants Refrigerant manufacturers are promoting a shift towards HFOs or natural refrigerants like hydrocarbons such as 1234ZE, R32, Carbon Dioxide and Ammonia. The and the F-Gas Regulations, Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) schemes, CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme and Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), all help to drive change and improve our environments. Collaborative working can deliver energy
efficiencies too. System design now includes end users and design contractors collaborating to ensure optimum system efficiency levels are achieved, as opposed to the old school ‘Silo’ approach where each party was kept at arm’s length and operated within their individual silos focusing on erosion of margins and breaches of confidentiality. Building Information Modelling (BIM) has opened the process, and injected transparency whilst offering a greater insight into the planning, design and management of buildings and their infrastructures. Today’s solutions are geared to focus
on minimising wastage, reducing carbon emissions, boosting PUEs, longevity, reliability and delivering more sustainable outcomes. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but the HVAC industry is moving at a very fast pace, it’s challenging for manufacturers and suppliers alike, but we live in exciting times, newer, smarter technologies are better for the customer, for business and our planet.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
