AIR CONDITIONING, COOLING & VENTILATION


The key to preventing breakdowns of mission critical HVAC


Cooling specialist Airedale examines the importance of analysing HVAC equipment performance when such equipment is critical to business


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n this era of rapid technological advancement, we understand so much more about the need for healthy spaces for people to live and work in. Alongside this, we have seen more and more critical industries become digitalised, and as such the role HVAC equipment has been catapulted to the forefront of the priority list. More and more organisations have transferred their transactions online, rely on digital stock taking and employ digital accounting procedures. Coupled with that, we have laboratories demanding precision temperatures and healthcare facilities prioritising indoor air quality (IAQ) for the wellbeing of their staff and patients. As a result, HVAC is now deemed as critical because if the cooling equipment goes down it can have serious business consequences; the transaction can’t take place, telecoms signals go down, healthcare notes cannot be accessed, the hospital air quality deteriorates or the laboratory samples become invalid, to name just a few such crisis examples. As cooling has become fundamental to business operation, it is imperative that the cooling equipment used is as resilient, reliable and efficient as possible and we can only understand just how reliable, resilient and efficient equipment is by measuring it, analysing it and comparing it to other similar equipment in similar industries. With such reliance on HVAC, these industries also need to ensure they have failsafe systems in place so that if and when there is a mechanical breakdown, or a power outage, there is a back-up plan in place to keep the cooling operational. There are a number of procedures and


products that we advise are put in place to rapidly reduce the risk of any downtime, and in the past 20 years or so, this has moved from just having back-up plant equipment, to the implementation of intelligent software. The trend towards analysing HVAC equipment


performance via their control panels has grown in line with technology. It is no longer viable to make manual set point adjustments in response to fluctuating conditions. As we strive for greater efficiencies, demand is high for software that can constantly monitor equipment and systems, whilst fine tuning the various variables to constantly deliver the most efficient operating points. As a starting point, sensor technology can be used to issue an alarm when a fault is reported. Over time, such monitoring equipment has become more sophisticated, and now with the availability of IoT (Internet of Things), data can be extracted and analysed, using machine learning to recognise patterns in performance and prevent an issue before it occurs.


Software systems


Many HVAC solution providers, including Airedale, offer a range of software options that will intelligently manage equipment to deliver optimum results. Ranging from individual unit controls to optimisers that monitor and operate an entire network of chillers, to a BMS that manages the entire system, and to a cloud based monitoring and alert system, each software solution offers something specific to the equipment and the plant that allows for intelligent operation.


Cloud monitoring


Perhaps one of the most exciting advancements of recent times is a cloud monitoring service. Cloud monitoring platforms use machine learning to really get under the skin of the HVAC system, comparing it against not only its own data but that of other similar operations, to deliver analysis and ultimately information that will enhance performance,


6 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JULY 2022


prevent breakdown and increase the life cycle of the product. Airedale’s Cloud Diagnostics is an example of one such cloud -based solution. This is an example of a remote platform that predicts and prevents breakdown in cooling applications, with the ability to detect refrigerant leaks at just 5%, offering performance analysis and efficiency monitoring. For facility managers who perhaps oversee various facilities in various locations across the UK, they have a more holistic view of their plant, giving greater insight at a strategic level, as well as allowing individual site teams the benefit of remote access.


Predictive maintenance


A cloud-based monitoring platform has the ability to track performance and recognise anomalies or reductions in performance, long before a breakdown situation might ordinarily occur. Thus instead of reaching the breakdown and then having to work fast to get an engineer to site, the reporting of an anomaly acts as an early warning system, allowing for the maintenance team to investigate before a crisis situation occurs.


Refrigerant leak detection


Refrigerant leaks can have a detrimental affect on performance and the environment, but are often not detected until performance has dropped significantly, or there is a breakdown situation. The benefits of a cloud based monitoring system are that they use machine learning to recognise when a drop in performance might be associated with a leak and this can be detected much earlier than it can by the human eye. In tests, leakages have been detected at an astoundingly low 5%, (compared to 20% when not monitored, by which time performance is struggling and energy costs are soaring.)


Performance and efficiency


It is widely reported that critical cooling equipment is estimated to consume


approximately 40% of a plant’s total energy expenditure, hence HVAC efficiency is a key driver for most plant managers. Software is now available that allows operators to monitor performance and analyse efficiency at a level of detail that is incomputable to humans. Taking it one step further, when the equipment is connect to a cloud monitoring system, that data is not only compared to its own previous performance, but also against other machines in other settings, which allows for a much wider benchmark. For example, it can automatically recognise if a setting needs to be changed to improve efficiency, make that change and report that change back to the operator, all within a split second.


Security


When selecting a cloud based software, it is of course advisable to ensure that security is of the highest grade and only company-authorised users have access to the dashboard. With robust technology in place, any risk to security is mitigated and companies can limit access to their system as they deem appropriate.


HVAC Software


When cooling is critical to industry, it is imperative that the performance of any cooling equipment is monitored, faults are detected at the earliest possibility and adjustments are rapidly made in response to any change in conditions, to ensure the organisation can continue without disruption. Software can detect changes, report anomalies and make setting changes at a speed and frequency that is beyond that of a human and for this reason, software plays a fundamental role in this analysis. Cloud monitoring platforms have the ability to monitor cooling systems 24/7, in real time operation, giving peace of mind to customers working with tight service level agreements, by providing performance, prediction, maintenance and efficiency intelligence.


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