AIR CONDITIONING
Four-pipe heat pump chillers
Heat pumps off er a sustainable solution for cooling and heating explains Aermec’s national sales manager, David Evans.
T
he HVAC industry is changing at a faster rate than any other time in its history. There has been a dramatic shift in the approach to how buildings are designed. Linear
perspectives that characterised many building designs are being replaced by aesthetics, usage and environmental aspects. Manufacturers of cooling and heating products have had to adapt to these changes and design more creative solutions that push the envelope in product design. Everyone knows about climate change and understands the need to meet the government’s net zero target. End users are increasingly driving demands for more sustainable and energy effi cient products. Price primarily drives projects, this now goes hand in hand with reductions in emissions, carbon footprints combined with ethical and moral values. Embodied carbon is no longer a by-word but rapidly becoming mainstream and demands action alongside operational carbon. Supply chains across the globe are having to adapt. The cooling industry has made great innovatory leaps adjusting to the demands for smarter solutions that can deliver more whilst minimising their environmental impact. This is largely being driven by legislation, but also building
owners who are keen to move away from traditional solutions using boilers, chillers and fan coil units to meet their cooling and heating requirements. Consultants are also moving away from designs that previously relied on chillers on a roof top. The focus is on heat pumps and heat recovery. London’s mayor has already mapped out his plans to meet carbon targets requiring a rapid transition towards lower carbon solutions with heat pumps playing a pivotal role alongside low carbon district heating solutions. London off ers a blue print that other cities are likely to follow.
The on-going decarbonisation of the national grid combined with heat pumps usage has huge potential to deliver signifi cant CO2
savings. There are many examples across the
country where there is a strong reliance on electrically heated buildings or buildings with a high cooling demand and may require major renovations. The mayor has identifi ed where waste heat from the London Underground as well as the many data centres across the city can provide heat sources. Chiller manufacturers need to stay relevant to remain competitive by changing the way products are designed, developed and supplied. Innovation is crucial. Chillers are smart pieces of equipment and highly fl exible. Standard chillers focus on cooling by removing heat from a space or building and reject it to the atmosphere to achieve the desired cooling eff ect.
Whilst heat pump chillers feature in most manufacturers’
product off ering, standard chillers are still in demand by data centres and other mission critical facilities as the world’s economies show no signs of letting up on data harvesting. Data is crucial to many businesses, from commercial enterprises to local government and healthcare providers – and it all has to be stored somewhere as well as be easily accessible. The cloud has opened up many opportunities to outsource and co-location resources are steadily expanding. Data centres are traditionally located in industrial sites and the UK has yet to realise the full potential of district heating networks that can be found in Europe. The data centre industry in conjunction with some manufacturers is looking at alternative cooling methods such as on-chip cooling which still uses chillers but is more of a direct water to refrigerant heat exchange than the typical refrigerant to water to air process.
26 September 2024 •
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