Ecolibrium Centenary issue

CENTENARY ISSUE – 2020 RRP $14.95 PRINT POST APPROVAL NUMBER PP352532/00001

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H A R I A RDS A IAL AW SPEC

Celebrating a Centenary From 1920 to 2020, AIRAH has been leading HVAC&R for 100 years.

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CONTENTS

The plant room at Barangaroo, one of the many standout projects AIRAH members made possible.

Image courtesy A.G. Coombs

Centenary Issue – 2020 FEATURES

“2020 will be defined by the COVID-19 pandemic. But in a very real sense, it is also the year that HVAC&R was finally seen as the essential service that it is in the eyes of government and the community, moving from success to significance.”

8 A brief history of AIRAH 12 New horizons 18 Ink and ice in his veins 21 Perspectives 27 AIRAH built this 30 The game-changers 34 The bridge 36 Son rise, sunset 4 0 The young ones 46 Remote revelry 49 Past Presidents and CEOs 50 The listener 51 AIRAH’s life members

– Ian Harwood, F.AIRAH, AIRAH President

www.airah100.org.au CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

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FROM THE PRESIDENT AND THE CEO

From success to significance 2020 will be defined by the COVID-19 pandemic. But in a very real sense, it is also the year that heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) was finally seen as the essential service that it is in the eyes of government and the community, moving from success to significance.

Food transport and storage, hospitals and surgeries, medicines, vaccines, and IT servers – without refrigeration and air conditioning, the backbone of our COVID-19 response would not have been possible.

For 100 years the Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) has worked to make our industry a better place, delivering actions that result in genuine, long-term outcomes, which become central to our sector.

We do this through our members’ continued drive for excellence and desire to make the HVAC&R industry a place of value.

Ian Harwood, F.AIRAH AIRAH President president@airah.org.au

Forging a pathway AIRAH continues to grow regardless of the global pandemic and impacted global economies. In this way, it demonstrates the fortitude of our members and the HVAC&R profession at large. However, we must seize opportunities to enhance our position within the profession and to forge our pathway of leadership based on our ethical and professional standards.

As a membership body, we remain a people-focused organisation, well supported by a dedicated team.

We will continue to invest in our people to provide individuals with the opportunity to be the best they can be, both professionally and personally.

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It is a given, therefore, that AIRAH will continue to focus on providing members with the best service, benefits, and continuing professional development, with a clear objective of supporting member success and prosperity.

This year has been more than challenging, and my best wishes go to you all as we continued to work in adverse conditions. Yes, it has been a year we may never forget, but as an organisation and as a profession, I am very confident we will emerge and grow from the experience.

CEN T EN A RY 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH Chief Executive Tony.Gleeson@airah.org.au

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FEBRUARY 2020

A brief history of AIRAH

A model of James Harrison’s ice-making machine.

Throughout 2020 Ecolibrium will be regaling you with tales from the Institute’s storied history.

In our first instalment we chart the important dates, momentous moments and major milestones.

1919

Victorian Institute of Refrigeration formed to commemorate James Harrison, the inventor and pioneer of the refrigeration process in Australia.

President – William French, Chief Engineer, Government Cool Stores, Melbourne.

1920

Victorian Institute of Refrigeration incorporated by Guarantee.

President – James Stroud, Chief Engineer, Carlton & United Breweries, Melbourne.

1935

Society of Refrigeration Engineers (NSW) formed in Sydney by Eric Ebeling, “Ginger” McCullagh and Jack Turbill.

1938 1941

First Australasian Congress of Refrigeration and Dairying held at the RAS Showground, Sydney.

After a meeting in Albury comprising delegates from the three groups (Institute of Refrigerating Engineers NSW; Society of Refrigeration Engineers (NSW); Australian Institute of Refrigeration), a decision is made to form the Australian Institute of Refrigeration, with headquarters in Melbourne.

1929

Institute of Refrigerating Engineers NSW formed in Sydney.

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President – A.N. Campbell, Chief Engineer, Tooth & Co. Ltd. Irving St Brewery.

CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

Victorian Institute of Refrigeration changes name to Australian Institute of Refrigeration.

Federal President – E. R. Gordon.

1942–44 1947

West Australian, South Australia and Queensland divisions formed.

First issue of the Australian Institute of Refrigeration’s official journal, The Refrigeration Journal, published in Melbourne, with George Boulton as Editor.

1956 1957 1958

“Centenary of Refrigeration” celebrated in all states on the initiative of the Victorian division.

James Harrison Scholarship initiated in Victoria.

First Australian Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Exhibition and Convention held at RAS Showground, Sydney. Guest lecturers, Prof. Rudolph Plank of Germany, and George Taubeneck of the US become first Honorary Members of the Australian Institute of Refrigeration. Membership of A.I.R. reaches 1,000.

1959

Australian Institute of Refrigeration acknowledges growth of air conditioning industry and agrees to change name to Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (Inc.).

1960 1962 1968 1969 1972

AIRAH Journal name changes to Refrigeration, Air Conditioning & Heating.

1989

AIRAH Industry Directory first produced.

This publication continues (now known as HVAC&R Search Compendium) to the present.

Illawarra chapter formed.

First AIRAH Handbook (A5) published.

1990

Last of the state-based AIRAH national conferences held. As of 1991 all conferences have been

AIRAH becomes an Associate member of ASHRAE.

while still being rotated around the states.

New headquarters established at National Science Centre, Melbourne.

Tasmania division formed.

Membership totals 1,763.

James Harrison Medal introduced.

This medal commemorates outstanding work by individuals within the science and/or practice of refrigeration, air conditioning and heating in Australia.

1978 1979

AIRAH signs MoU with the Society of Air Conditioning Heating Sanitary Engineers (SHASE) Japan.

WH Ahern Award introduced. This award is presented to the author of the best paper published by an AIRAH member in the AIRAH Journal during the year.

1981

Excellence Award introduced.

The Excellence Award acknowledges projects or aspects of projects that embody excellence in relation to invention, innovation, design, operation, maintenance or energy conservation. Aesthetics, environmental and community benefits were also considered.

coordinated out of the federal head office

AIRAH celebrates 70th anniversary.

Global CFC phase-down begins.

First two-day technical education program developed and delivered. The course covers Legionella.

James Harrison Bridge in Geelong opens on September 21. Work commenced in 1987.

1991 1992

Ammonia Refrigeration six-day training course developed and delivered.

Education committee formed.

AIRAH becomes member of IIAR.

ASNZ 1668 training course developed and delivered – Smoke Prevention and Mechanical Ventilation.

1993

AIRAH office moves to 52 Rosslyn Street, West Melbourne.

Official opening is September 3,

Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory divisions formed.

1983–86 1988

Fiji chapter and Papua New Guinea chapters formed.

Gold Coast and North Queensland chapters formed.

the 100th anniversary of James Harrison’s passing.

The new office is named James Harrison House.

Fellow grade introduced.

1994

50th Anniversary of AIRAH’s Qld division.

CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

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FEBRUARY 2020

1996

Inaugural five-day Ammonia Training course run at the Ammonia Refrigeration Training Centre (ARTC), Werribee (Vic).

1997

AIRAH council approves reduction in AIRAH board councillors from 37 to 11.

50 years of the Journal.

First version of DA19 manual released.

1998 1999

First ARBS Exhibition.

AIRAH acts as the secretariat and event organiser for the IIR 20th. International Congress of Refrigeration in Sydney.

Board appoints Jennifer Pelvin as the CEO.

2000

AIRAH 2000+ Conference held in conjunction with ARBS. This was the last of the annual conferences.

Clive Broadbent, L.AIRAH, awarded an OAM.

AIRAH office in West Melbourne sold; AIRAH relocates in May to Level 7, 1 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne.

Melbourne Aquarium Legionnaire’s outbreak.

2001 2002

National Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Council (NRAC) formed; ARC tick certification released.

AIRAH Journal moves in-house and rebranded as Ecolibrium.

AIRAH members vote on the proposed name change to the “Institute of Environmental Engineering”.

Overwhelming response to remain known as AIRAH.

AIRAH board approves the restructure of the divisional committees – volunteers to focus on events for members while national office has responsibility for finances.

Introduction of special interest conferences.

2003 2004

AIRAH involved in R410a training.

Water Treatment Victoria Code of Practice and Training Program developed and released.

2008

AIRAH board altered to include five members with one discretionary member.

July – Ecolibrium has major redesign; loses “Eco man” logo.

Ian Scott appointed General Manager.

2010

AIRAH’s 90th anniversary.

AIRAH’s 90th Anniversary Conference held.

Phil Wilkinson, F.AIRAH, appointed CEO.

AIRAH expands training into online courses.

2011

AIRAH in conjunction with IBPSA hold the International Building Simulation Conference in Sydney.

2013 2016

The Future of HVAC Conference first held.

Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH, named new CEO. Graduate Training Program (now Professional Diploma in Building Services – HVAC&R) pilot program held.

AIRAH’s first female President, Ania Hampton, M.AIRAH, appointed.

Women of AIRAH formed.

2017 2018

Inaugural Buildings Physics Forum held.

HVAC&R News site and e-newsletter launched.

AIRAH signs MoU with the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE).

AIRAH on Air Podcasting series launched.

2019

AIRAH Express student e-news launched.

Innovation Hub for Affordable Heating and Cooling (i-Hub) launched.

Inaugural Big Data and Analytics held.

AIRAH signs MoU with Institute of Refrigeration (IoR – UK).

Institute launches the AIRAH Registered Professional Engineer (ARPEng) program.

AIRAH and Institute of Hospital Engineers Australia (IHEA) signs MOU for strategic partnership.

2005 2006

AIRAH office moves to bigger premise on Level 3, 1 Elizabeth Street Melbourne (Level 7 office sold).

Graduate Certificate Air Conditioning Code Compliance released.

Phil Pryor named new CEO.

2007

AIRAH has role in ARC licence RPL certifications – ARC assessment program.

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HVAC&R Nation magazine established.

CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

Would you like to know more?

For more information on AIRAH’s centenary, go to www.airah100.org.au

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MARCH 2020

New horizons In this, AIRAH’s Centenary year, one only has to look to the past to imagine the skills HVAC&R professionals might need to develop for the future.

Sean McGowan explores the industry’s challenges and opportunities with some of our leading minds.

Just think of the advances our industry has made over the past century.

Indeed, you only need to look back a decade or so to see how quickly HVAC&R has evolved – as have the built environments in which so much of our work is integral.

From better understanding of the data our systems generate to the leading role HVAC professionals can have in the design teams of the future, there’s little doubt that to stay still in our industry is to go backwards.

We put a call out to some of the industry’s best and brightest to gain their insights into what it will take to stay on top of your game as an HVAC&R professional in the years and decades to come.

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THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY According to Bruce Precious, F.AIRAH, principal consultant at Six Capitals Consulting, it is becoming increasingly important that HVAC&R professionals understand the notion of the circular economy.

“The circular economy responds to the problems of resource use and depletion,” Precious says.

The concept of the circular economy is based on three principles: design out the waste and pollution, keep products and materials already in use, and regenerate natural systems.

Future sustainable cities will work with the materials that are already in circulation, avoiding the further destruction of the natural environment due to resource extraction and processing.

There’s little doubt that to stay still in our industry is to go backwards

CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

“Currently, we run largely linear economies – the take, make and dispose model – which are unsustainable and damaging to our environment,” explains Precious.

To put this in perspective, it is estimated that 92 billion tonnes of materials were extracted globally last year, with only 8.7 billion tonnes cycled back.

Meanwhile, 32.6 billion tonnes of materials were collected as waste, with the majority of this stream lost to landfill, incinerated, wasted at mining operations or being unregistered waste fractions.

“As professionals in the HVAC&R industries, we need to explore how systems can be designed without waste,” Precious says, “and continue to explore how these systems can use less energy, last longer and be reused, refurbished or recycled at end of life.”

An evolving concept, the circular economy is already receiving support from governments, at which level it is forming part of a strategy to eliminate the problems of waste.

Precious says as an industry, we need to design for optimum efficiency, then select components that are recycled, or even reuse content. Designing for disassembly so that systems and materials can be recovered effectively will also be important.

Says Precious: “It’s interesting to consider that if we were not to dig up any more non-renewable materials, what is the best material to use for HVAC systems?”

Will products emerge based on rapidly renewable materials, such as sustainable fabric ducts or laminated timber products? Perhaps HVAC systems could be leased as a service in the future, so that ownership and stewardship of materials is maintained?

“New business opportunities abound,” says Precious.

THE REAL MEANING OF DATA We already live in an era of large datasets, and that is only set to continue into the future.

As sensors, controllers and network infrastructure become cheaper, more readily available and better integrated into physical systems, the opportunity to extract knowledge from the data collected opens up to HVAC engineers.

“While advanced data analysis methods, data mining, machine learning and artificial intelligence are crucial methods that support the human in analysing and understanding datasets that would

THE BUILDING ENCLOSURE 92 billion tonnes of materials were extracted globally last year, with only 8.7 billion tonnes cycled back otherwise be inaccessible because of their size, knowing what measurements we feed them is equally important,” says Dr Massimo Fiorentini, Affil.AIRAH. Fiorentini is a senior research fellow at the University of Wollongong’s Sustainable Building Research Centre (SBRC).

Selecting the appropriate sensors, understanding the acquisition chain and the impact of the measurement resolutions and frequency, as well as the importance of appropriate signal processing, are all crucial to ensuring the knowledge we extract from data is meaningful.

“While this is not a new skill per se, it hasn’t been perceived as important as other novel skills,” says Fiorentini.

“But it should always be part of the base knowledge of a professional working in our industry.”

Such skills are important to professionals designing and implementing control systems, as well as those commissioning and troubleshooting the building services operation. Data scientists who implement remote automated faultdetection, energy-benchmarking and the continuous commissioning of a portfolio of buildings must also have these skills.

“HVAC&R systems, as with other building systems in general, are becoming more efficient but also more complex at the same time,” says Fiorentini.

“This means they are more difficult to manage, and understanding their operation is key to ensuring they perform as efficiently as they can.

“The knowledge that comes from integrating datasets from different sources helps to identify how variables at system level affect the performance of individual equipment, allowing solutions to be identified that better orchestrate the operation of components in a complex system.”

Many new and existing buildings fail to perform as anticipated due to problems encountered either with the design or construction of the building envelope.

Air infiltration and exfiltration, along with unmitigated heat transfer, can lead to poor energy performance and other adverse issues. Water penetration in the form of moisture-laden air or bulk water is all too common.

“Surprisingly, almost every building leaks at some point during its service life, often resulting in costly damage to interior building materials,” says Jesse Clarke, M.AIRAH, building science manager at Pro Clima Australia.

“The issues that result from inadequate integration and continuity of water, air and thermal barriers increase ongoing operational, maintenance and repair costs. At the very least, these problems may result in occupant discomfort and tenant dissatisfaction, while at their worst they may raise liability risks for the owner.”

In addressing these issues and others, the specific role of the building enclosure consultant to provide specialised engineering knowledge in the building envelope has emerged.

“They must ensure continuity of thermal control, water control, vapour control and air control layers with respect to not compromising the fundamental building code requirements of health, safety and energy efficiency, then make sure it gets implemented in the field,” Clarke says of the profession.

Depending on the type of project speciality, building enclosure consulting services can benefit any or all of the architect, contractor, property owner/manager, developer, insurer or construction law firm.

Despite having existed in many parts of the world for some years, the profession is only just emerging here in Australia.

Consequently, their involvement will likely be confined to commercial projects in the short term.

But Clarke says the high-rise multi‑residential sector would gain enormously from the input of highly qualified building enclosure consultants.

CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

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MARCH 2020

“Clients in low-rise residential housing are unlikely to have the funds to employ these people on a one-off basis,” he says. “But progressive developers and volume builders could go a long way in employing these people to standardise their design details to achieve great outcomes.

“Building envelope commissioning is the big missing piece of the puzzle.”

REFRIGERANTS OF THE FUTURE In the past, the refrigerants used by our industry were largely non-toxic, nonflammable and relatively low pressure.

But in recent years, we have discovered just how destructive these substances have been to our environment.

As a consequence, the shift to natural refrigerants has gained in momentum.

“All of the current options available are either flammable, high-pressure or toxic,” says Chris Fontana, M.AIRAH, owner of Process Cooling Solutions in Hobart.

“But we will be seeing more of these refrigerants and systems in the future as Australia follows the trends from Europe.”

He says it is critical that those using future refrigerants seek the training required.

“There are currently training modules being offered as part of the national apprenticeship training package to educate apprentices on flammable refrigerants, and outline some of the safety concerns around CO2,” he says.

GET RID OF THE SILO

providing vital input into the associated professional areas because they see this as not being their business,” says Obrart.

HVAC professionals are well-educated and skilled, but are sometimes unwilling to engage with other members of the design team “To be successful, full integration and coordination with the facade team is essential, as is end-user requirements for spaces within the building,” he says.

“But we have to break out of the HVAC silo and fully engage with the facade, structural and end-user requirements to provide a successful, cost-effective design that will provide users of the building spaces that are healthy, comfortable, sustainable and efficient.”

To this end, Obrart would like to see HVAC professionals are fully across all sustainability rating schemes including WELL, Green Star and NABERS – as well as current NCC/BCA mandatory requirements.

“These are the drivers for building design,” he says, “and are vital to the role HVAC contributes.”

He also recommends that younger professionals seeking a long career in an industry that is forever changing look beyond just the HVAC field.

“All too often I see HVAC professionals avoiding detailed discussion and

One of the problems commonly identified in the HVAC and construction industries is the siloing of professions in the design team.

“HVAC professionals are well-educated and skilled, but are sometimes unwilling to engage with other members of the design team – those with differing skills and priorities – which is essential for the successful completion of increasingly complex projects,” says Alan Obrart, L.AIRAH, director and engineer at Obrart & Co. Obrart says it’s critical that there is a full connection and contribution between all members of a multidisciplinary design team, including the client.

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CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

“But it is. Don’t practise outside of our professional area, but we must provide input where appropriate to the other professionals in the design team and not hide behind our own jargon.”

By upskilling in areas essential to the total building design, installation and operations – including hydraulics, fire, electrical, communications and digital controls – HVAC professionals will be able to add more value to the design process.

“Build skills in associated services,” Obrart says, “so that you can be a useful partner in the essential coordinated design process, which is vital to the ongoing operations of the building.”

SOLVE THE RIGHT PROBLEM As in the past, it’s likely that many of society’s current ills will only be solved by applying both analytical and creative thinking. Consequently, employers are increasingly attracted to candidates and graduates who display a diversity of skill, interests and thinking.

For instance, employers are likely to find a graduate who has studied engineering and something else – be it architecture, music, art, law or another language – a more attractive employee than one who has not.

“The starting point of solving problems is to solve the right problem,” says Jeffrey Robinson, M.AIRAH, Aurecon’s technical director, built environment.

MARCH 2020

He says developing skills in design thinking so as to ensure staff ask the right questions is paramount.

And like Obrart, he says one of the biggest barriers to coming up with creative answers to problems is siloed, reductionist thinking.

“To develop creative and sustainable solutions, we need to bring together the best ideas of creative thinkers, and get multiple benefits from each piece of construction.

“We train our staff in the integrated design process where we bring multidisciplinary teams together for short, intense workshops where we have the right people with the right tools, and we test many integrated designs in a short period of time at the start of a project.”

For instance, Robinson asks how an HVAC engineer should go about designing a zero-carbon building.

The answer?

“Not by starting with what size the HVAC system should be, and where to locate the plant, ducts, pipes and controls,” he says.

Rather, Robinson says the HVAC engineer should first seek to influence a lot of other decisions such as the orientation of the building, the area and type of glass, and how well the windows are shaded.

“By working with other design disciplines, you end up with a well‑insulated, airtight building that is comfortable to occupy and requires less energy to heat, cool and ventilate,” he says.

LESSONS, CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES As evidenced by the future-casting above, the evolution of the built environment, and the role of the HVAC&R professional in shaping it will be an intrinsic one in the years and decades ahead.❚

STAY FUTURE-READY WITH THESE SKILLS ▲ Be a lateral thinker – usually there is no one, single answer to a problem

▲ Communicate great ideas with compelling introductions and storytelling

▲ Be business-savvy – the profession is changing

▲ Have a passion for a better built environment

▲ Get a handle of IT and how it relates to HVAC&R equipment

▲ Seek training – in new refrigerants, sustainable rating schemes and more

▲ Consider the circular economy ▲ Evolve beyond your area of expertise

Keep your finger on the pulse of the HVAC&R industry • Latest news from Australia and abroad • Key legislation and regulation updates • New projects, products and services • Commentary from industry experts • Upcoming events, conferences and training

www.hvacrnews.com.au CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

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MARCH 2020

Back to the future When AIRAH registered its half-century in 1970, we asked our members to make long-term predictions for different parts of the HVAC&R industry.

Here’s what they saw.

BUILT-IN HOME FRIDGES

THE FUTURE OF FOOD

Kelvinator Australia’s chief design engineer J. A. Christophersen, M.AIRAH, provided his perspective on the future of domestic refrigeration.

In 1972, J. R. Vickery, F.AIRAH, would become the inaugural winner of AIRAH’s James Harrison Medal.

In 1970, he provided his expert predictions for the cold chain.

“Further development of plastic materials will enable cost reductions to be made. Convenience features such as automatic ice makers will become popular. I believe that solid state controls will ultimately replace conventional controls and will enable better control of temperature and humidity.

This may lead to more specialised compartments for food storage becoming available. Automatic defrost will be in demand and not, as now, on time, resulting in running economies.

“The development of the built-in refrigerator and freezer is possible so that these are part of a dwelling. It is also possible that the vapour compression cycle may be replaced by systems employing other phenomena; thermoelectric refrigeration is now a possibility.

It currently fails in operating and initial cost – exactly the same thing was probably said in 1920 of the vapour compression cycle.”

NATURAL REFRIGERANTS ON THE HORIZON G. C. Burke, A.M.AIRAH, project engineer at D. N. McKenzie & Co. shared his vision for commercial refrigeration.

“Alongside mechanical refrigeration, which should continue as the major contributor in future development, there may be an increase in the use of CO2 16

There is an increasing demand for high‑quality frozen food, which should lead to considerable bulk buying by individual householders and nitrogen as expandable refrigerants, primarily for transport refrigeration, provided, of course, that a reduction in cost makes this economically attractive.

Absorption refrigeration will hardly play a major role in commercial refrigeration as the capacities inherent in larger absorption plants are far in excess of ‘commercial’ requirements. Overall tendency is to more compact equipment, less installation work and increased mobility, particularly for smaller coolrooms, freezer rooms and cabinets.

“There is an increasing demand for high-quality frozen food, which should lead to considerable bulk buying by individual householders over the next 10 years. This would mean a larger number of frozen food distribution centres to be built and installed, all of which can be catered for by commercial refrigeration. Associated with this trend is the increase in refrigerated road transport, particularly in view of more stringent legislation to be expected in the handling of refrigerated perishables.”

CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

“It is undeniable that refrigerated frozen storage is costly, particularly if the produce of one year has to be stored in part until the next harvest is gathered and processed. It is likely, therefore, that the search for lower capital and running costs in cold stores will be actively pursued.

Design studies now in progress may tell us whether the ‘high-rise’ cold store of one-storey 80–90 feet high and fitted with stacking cranes will be the answer.

“The proportion of working wives is likely to increase steadily during this century. At the same time, higher levels of real income will become widespread.

The amount of money available to pay for convenience will increase. Both factors will tend, therefore, to increase the market for ‘convenience’ and other foods requiring a minimum cooking and preparation. A major share of this new market will go to pre-cooked, frozen foods.”

HARRISON’S HEIRS F. G. Hogg, M.AIRAH, weighed in on the future of Australian refrigeration research.

“The larger refrigeration and air conditioning firms will have their own active and well-equipped research and development facilities. The relevant government and university laboratories will be spending a major proportion of their time on investigations sponsored by industry, both specific projects for

MARCH 2020

individual firms and broader problems financed by sections of industry or groups of firms, working through some form of research association.

“Australia will be far more self-sufficient in its industrial research and will be developing and exporting an increasing range of its own refrigeration and air conditioning products. While it is unlikely that the great days of Harrison and Mort will ever be reproduced, research in these fields will be more soundly based, if less spectacular, and will be contributing at least as much to the nation’s economy.”

FROM MAINFRAMES TO MACHINE LEARNING It was still early days for computing when Honeywell national commercial manager D. M. Bell provided his outlook on controls.

“Computer-operated central control panels automatically gathering data and automatically operating the building with optimum efficiency will become the third generation.

“The size and complex nature of buildings under design or consideration at present impose some considerations that have not been encountered in other large structures. Operating their mechanical and electrical systems, for example, at optimum efficiency will require hundreds of decisions to be made each minute.

This is completely beyond the ability of any human operator, but will be adequately handled by the computer.

“A computer-oriented system will … integrate all the data pertinent to economical operation of the system and take appropriate action. It must be able to issue instructions to the operating staff.”

EARLY DAYS FOR CO‑GENERATION K. C. Fulton, M.AIRAH, from Carrier Air Conditioning offered his thoughts on the future of industrial refrigeration and air conditioning.

“Currently, a great deal of rethinking is being done on building operating costs, and this may well have a decisive

influence on future designs. The cost of reheat and of pumping and fan hp in particular are under scrutiny,” he said.

“The conventional owner-architectbuilder-engineer-contractorequipment supplier relationship is also receiving attention, with a view to improving co-ordination and site efficiency. Factors are the design modifications commonly necessary after a contract is let and the heavy demands placed on the engineer when dealing with a contractor who lacks a strong design capability.

“Onsite power generation and the ‘total energy’ concept continues to attract much attention (although so far little action).

“After an initial spate of subsidised installations in the ’70s, the total energy system will be usual in the large integrated district schemes, but rare in individual buildings. Although natural gas is a “clean” fuel, anti-pollution legislation may be a factor, with expensive control measures more readily absorbed in the larger plants.” ❚

C E L E B R AT I N G A C E N T E N A R Y 1920 –2020 In 2020 AIRAH celebrated 100 years of operation.

It’s a remarkable milestone, especially when you consider the Institute predates the technology of air conditioning.

The AIRAH100 website is a repository of stories, people and technology that reflects AIRAH’s 100 years of innovation.

S I N C E 1 92 0 ​# A I R A H 1 0 0

Although the Centenary has passed, the website remains alive to continue exploring the past while looking ahead to the exciting things to come.

www.airah100.org.au

APRIL 2020 This portrait of James Harrison, painted by Emily Walter, now resides in Geelong Gallery.

Ink and ice in his veins This month, we celebrate the birthday of James Harrison, the Australian refrigeration pioneer who inspired the creation of AIRAH and had an enormous impact on journalism.

HVAC&R owes much to James Harrison.

After making the trek from his native Scotland to the Australian colonies, Harrison charted a life of extraordinary achievement. Among his many notable accomplishments were the founding of newspapers that survive today, and of course, his astonishing refrigeration invention.

Harrison was the first to create ice via mechanical means, laying the foundation for the Australian HVAC&R industry that later evolved, and of course, of AIRAH itself. It’s not for nothing Harrison is known as the “father of refrigeration”.

EARLY LIFE Harrison was born at Bonhill near Renton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland in 1816, the son of a salmon fisherman.

When the family moved to Glasgow, he was apprenticed to a printer there, and was able to attend an evening college founded by Professor John Anderson (which eventually evolved into the University of Strathclyde) and later the Glasgow Mechanics’ Institution, where he specialised in chemistry and won two prizes for his essays.

After completing his printing apprenticeship in London, Harrison responded to an advertisement by London‑based company Tegg & Co for a compositor to be based in its Sydney office. He emigrated there in 1837, aged 21.

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Following contributions to the first edition of Tegg’s short-lived Literary News, and a stint with the Sydney Herald, Harrison set out for the settlement of the newly named Melbourne. From there he eventually moved to seaside Geelong.

as his achievements at the Glasgow Mechanics’ Institution testified.

ODD COMPANIONS

While cleaning the Geelong Advertiser’s movable type on printing presses with sulfuric ether, he realised that the chemical could have other uses.

After establishing the Geelong Advertiser in 1840 and eventually becoming its sole owner, Harrison became a respected pillar of the community. An inaugural member of the Geelong Council in 1850, Harrison represented the area in both the upper and lower houses of Victorian Parliament.

A man of eclectic talents, skills and interests, Harrison had long been intrigued by the science of refrigeration,

And although refrigeration and journalism might seem odd companions, it was the latter that gave rise to the former in Harrison’s case.

Experimentation with the ether and a whorl coil sourced from a heating apparatus followed.

This led eventually to establishing, in partnership with blacksmith John Scott, an ice works on the banks of the Barwon River at Rocky Point.

A LANDMARK YEAR The year of 1854 was an important one in Australian history. That December, the Eureka Stockade took place.

A man of eclectic talents, skills and interests, Harrison had long been intrigued by the science of refrigeration

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It was also the year when the first ice is reported to have been made by Harrison’s ether-vapour compression refrigeration system, which used a compressor to force ether through a condenser, where it cooled and liquefied. The liquefied gas was then circulated through refrigeration coils, and vaporised again, cooling down the surrounding machine.

By the following year, the system was refined such that he submitted

THE HARRISON TRADITION In commemoration of Harrison, one of the industry’s true trail blazers, AIRAH bestows the James Harrison Medal.

The most prestigious award presented by AIRAH, it is only awarded to recipients of the highest calibre.

Harrison’s was a life characterised by exploration, curiosity, rigour, technological advancement and discovery. His dedicated though unfulfilled work paved the way for those who came behind.

The Harrison-Siebe ice-making machine.

his first patent application in Victoria – granted in February 1855 with the title “Refrigerating Machine”.

In 1857, Harrison travelled to Britain to commercially develop the invention.

There he also applied for patents and formed a partnership with the engineering firm Siebe & Co in London.

The first commercial Harrison-Siebe refrigeration machine was sold in 1857 to a London brewery. Further improvements and sales quickly followed so that by 1861, Harrison refrigeration machines were in

Image courtesy of coolphase.com.au

use from London and Europe to Peru, Argentina, and Calcutta.

After fine-tuning and exhibiting his invention, Harrison set up the machine in Melbourne, where he began producing slabs and blocks of ice of various weight.

In 1859, he founded the Victoria Ice Works in Franklin Street.

The following year, Harrison ordered another machine for the establishment of the Sydney Ice Company, in partnership with P.N. Russell.

This sentiment was immortalised on Harrison’s epitaph: “One soweth, another reapeth.”

So it is with AIRAH, which was established a century ago in 1920, and to this day continues the pioneering work begun by the titan of refrigeration.

James Harrison Day is celebrated annually on April 17, James Harrison’s birthday.

OBSESSION AND DISAPPOINTMENT Despite the pioneering work he did, Harrison’s obsession with refrigeration did not translate to sustained financial success. His attempts to establish shipboard refrigeration between Australia and the UK were an abject failure.

This disappointment resulted in his life’s work remaining unfinished.

Nevertheless, Harrison’s boldness, creativity and ingenuity will long be remembered, even as the Australian HVAC&R industry continues its unstinting evolution. ❚

DID YOU KNOW? Not only was Harrison the founder of the Geelong Advertiser (which still exists today, and is part of the News stable), he was also an editor of The Age, now part of the Nine Entertainment Group.

This tombstone, at Geelong Eastern Cemetery, was made in 1896 by public subscription.

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M AY 2 0 2 0 AIRAH

Perspectives We asked AIRAH members from a variety of backgrounds their view on life, the industry, the environment and the future.

RED DIRT GIRL Originally from north‑west Tasmania, Clare Parry, M.AIRAH, spent most of the first half of her life bare‑foot and covered in red dirt.

She chose engineering because it combined everything she loved, especially a need to know how things worked.

Lessons learned I had some really great bosses and leaders in businesses I’ve worked in. The greatest thing I’ve learned from all of them is that it’s a great thing to have a passion, and it doesn’t matter what that is, a business will work to support it. All the greatest workplaces recognise that the human beings that make up their cohort are at their best when they’re happy and supported; I’ve tried to take that into my business, Grün Consulting, too.

And sometimes you don’t even have to “know” what your passion is, just follow your nose. I ended up in sustainability because I followed my interests – I got my first job because my prospective employer saw my environmental involvement at uni in my extra-curricular activities, and instead of taking me on as a hydraulics/mech grad they took me in as an ESD/mech grad.

THAT was a big moment in my fledgling career that might have seen me head somewhere wholly different, or flounder completely – I’m no hydraulics engineer!

After that, it’s been small and big steps in a similar direction with great support from colleagues, bosses and mentors.

Profound changes It’s been a slow change in my opinion, but the ship is slowly turning towards placing utmost importance on whole-of-building performance. It might seem obvious that a building should do what it’s designed to do, but the number of safety factors built in throughout building design and construction results in some very clunky and inefficient projects. This is typically the result of silos, but project teams that work very closely together can achieve great efficiencies. It’s great to see new delivery models coming through now to rectify this.

AIRAH has been a great support for me personally, and resources like Ecolibrium and the DA manuals are excellent, and much read in our office.

Most fundamentally, AIRAH is our body to join that recognises this amazing industry and collection of careers that go underrepresented.

HVAC&R, at its best, goes entirely unnoticed by the general population, but has such a critical role, and AIRAH is important to both inform and celebrate excellence in the industries that we work in. ❚

THE LEGEND Clive Broadbent AM, L.AIRAH, has been a pioneer in HVAC design to prevent Legionnaires’ disease.

Background In the 1940s, my one-mile walk to primary school each day took me across a railway line near the station at Preston, a suburb of Melbourne, and occasionally there would be a steam engine on the move to see.

I was always impressed by the sight of steam and its power.

I guess I could say I grew up in an age of steam, when having finished secondary school I started work for a nearby company called Dreadnought Steam Equipment Company. I was a fitter and turner there – capstan lathes, milling machines, toolmaking, valve testing – and we manufactured steam valves and condensate traps and the like.

Favourite projects

I loved the work and the company wanted me to stay and advance with them, but I saw limitations and subsequently chose instead to undertake tertiary study at RMIT. I then secured in 1955 a cadet engineer position with the Federal Department of Works, completed the course and began my career as an Engineer grade 1 in 1959 working in the architectural/ engineering drawing office in Exhibition St, Melbourne.

I loved working on the Pixel Building.

I was very lucky to work on such a high‑performing, aspirational project.

It was, at the time, very experimental, and remains a beacon of what’s possible.

I remained with ComWorks, in its many manifestations, until 1993 when that department was downsized and at that time, I began a consultancy that is still active.

Fulfilment I love seeing both the construction phase, but also the final product in use.

Getting onsite is really exciting but seeing something leap off the paper and being used by occupants takes the cake.

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Clare Parry, M.AIRAH

Clive Broadbent AM, L.AIRAH

AIRAH My association with AIRAH started in 1960 when I met Jim Watson and Stuart Brown, each of Werner, as we were night school students at Swinburne Tech (Diploma in HVAC&R).

They mentioned AIRAH meetings, which were then held in Kelvin Hall, 55 Collins Place (now part of Exhibition Street) Melbourne.

I attended and was awestruck with the industry knowledge passed on by luminaries such as Bill Dobney Senior (and later his son Bill Junior), and by the monthly speakers.

I resolved to join to get closer to this knowledge bank but had to settle for the “Junior member” title myself.

I could not enjoy the status of a full member until I was 26 years old.

I think that limit was subsequently lowered to 24 and maybe doesn’t exist nowadays. Another luminary was Gwen Gray, who was noteworthy not only for the generosity of her time given to AIRAH but also for her role in leading HVAC&R course planning structures at RMIT and all on top of her day job at Bassetts.

So much about all this was impressive.

All those I met seemed to be, well, nice people. And the technical talent was patently obvious. I liked to listen.

That initial membership fee was a mere one pound 10 shillings, $2.10 in modern currency. It certainly proved to be good value! My certificate of membership is dated November 28, 1961 and was presented on March 14, 1962. The program for 1962 was very attractive and included site visits to the Gas Corp.

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Danni Roberts, M.AIRAH

and to CSIRO Highett. I have fond memories as these early years were the most influential of my life.

AIRAH has continued to provide the means for meeting and listening to experts giving freely of their knowledge. It’s essential to maintain such contact and to be aware of industry developments. I feel honoured to still be a member.

AIRAH for me was also the gateway to ASHRAE, the most influential of international societies in our building services industry.

For AIRAH to be celebrating 100 years in this industry is not only commendable but also amazing. ❚

PROBLEM SOLVER Aurecon’s Danni Roberts, M.AIRAH, was originally from New Zealand, but now calls Queensland home.

Mentor advice To get your work peer-reviewed, and take a walk around the block before you finalise a design. A clear mind and fresh set of eyes can do wonders for a concept or even final project design solution.

Profound change There has been a huge shift in gender equality and the need for diversity in the industry over the past 10 years.

Diversity within a team is desirable these days whereas when I first

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Julian Cook, M.AIRAH

started my career, engineers were often expected to meet a stereotype.

In addition to this, the skill set of an engineer has vastly changed with digitalisation, where communication skills are becoming more important than some technical elements.

Fulfilment It’s the people I work with, clients, team members and seeing a solution unfold.

Problem solving is fun.

Favourite projects K25, Bowen Hills was a great project to be involved in, considering the timber building structure and challenges we overcame to get the right solution.

I have worked with Telstra for many years looking after HVAC systems in the exchanges. I have always found these projects interesting, and enjoyed the challenge around providing efficient solutions where there is such a high constant sensible heat load.

Most of the buildings are old and in acoustically sensitive areas, which makes the design solutions challenging.

AIRAH AIRAH is the go-to for Australian mechanical engineers in the building services industry, providing training resources, industry awards and events. I have found the most valuable outcome has been the network of people and industry connections I have made from my interactions and time as a member of AIRAH. ❚

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Jenny Smith, M.AIRAH

Vince Aherne, F.AIRAH

YOUNG ABLE TAS MAN Julian Cook, M.AIRAH, is Building Services team leader for COVA and president of the Tasmanian division committee.

Lessons learned From my boss Miles Harrison: “You won’t get every project 100 per cent right the first time, but what matters is what you do when a problem does arise.”

That is, when a problem does arise, don’t try to deflect responsibility but simply get on with finding a solution.

However, it is very important to keep good records of calculations and design decisions for later reference because when it comes to it, it could make the difference between having to pay for a variation and/or a damaged reputation.

Also, contractors have installed a heck of a lot more mechanical systems than you – the consulting engineer – have, so don’t be afraid to ask for their opinion.

Profound changes Even in the fairly short time I’ve been involved, we have seen a vast change in controls technology getting smaller, cheaper and more flexible. I’m building a house currently, and every fan/light/ AC system will be voice-controllable, for maybe $4,000 all up. That wouldn’t have been possible even five years ago.

More recently we have seen the changes around COVID-19. We have quickly seen everyone getting on board with working remotely and using

Mikaila Ganado, M.AIRAH

technology more heavily in day-to-day work. Although it is not as efficient with the design team all working remotely, many client/architect meetings that can drag on for hours can be done far more efficiently with a video call and screen sharing.

Fulfilment Working with clients – normally architects – to make sexy solutions that everyone is on board with.

Not everyone is an HVAC engineer and might not want to see all the services exposed, so it’s very satisfying when we can work together to hide services out of sight, but still get good acoustic and thermal performance.

Favourite projects My two favourite projects recently have been the Repatriation Hospital and Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre.

For the Repatriation Hospital (2019 AIRAH HVAC Upgrade finalist) we replaced two 1,200kW electric boilers with two heat recovery chillers, which gave the Dept of Health massive energy savings and huge improvement to thermal comfort, as it was coupled with air handling upgrades on the floors.

The Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre (finished) and Dove Lake Viewing Shelter (under construction) are two high‑profile projects for Parks and Wildlife that have some interesting specialist mechanical systems including hydronic floor heating and window anti-condensation system to keep the view of Dove Lake picture‑perfect in all conditions.

Graham Boyle, F.AIRAH

AIRAH Being part of AIRAH has given me great connections into the contracting side of HVAC, as Tasmania has a great percentage of contractors involved in division events. This has ultimately meant that I have developed good working relationships with most of the mechanical contractors in southern Tasmania, which has been invaluable. Building owners rarely seem to keep good records of mechanical as-installed drawings; however, if you know who the maintenance contractor is you can usually get them within the hour. ❚

FIRST FEDERAL FEMALE FRIDGIE The NT’s Jenny Smith, M.AIRAH, continues to surprise people.

Background I’m the first female fridgie for the federal government. I had a dream apprenticeship working within the industrial, commercial and domestic arenas. I did my trade in Darwin and loved it. I went on to teach at TAFE and helped inject many women into non-traditional careers. I have my own business, About Airconditioning, and still surprise people when I show up to work on a project.

Lessons learned My tradesman used to tell me to walk into a plant room and listen, feel and look, because the system will tell you its story.

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My TAFE lecturer used to say we are “bucketloads full of heat mechanics”.

My mum used to tell me to treat people with encouragement and respect.

Profound change I’ve watched ammonia come back into fashion and the digital era revolutionise control systems.

Fulfilment Working with my hands, thinking out a problem and finding the root cause.

Being good at diagnosis and remedy is my favourite thing.

Favourite assignments Anything customised or different always draws my full attention.

Controls and sensors; it’s amazing how much information we can gather that can further the efficiency of a system.

If you can think it, it can be done.

AIRAH AIRAH has been supportive of women, and has been mentoring them to better represent in HVAC&R. We have so much to offer in this space, and it’s a rewarding career that needs to be considered. ❚

THE NARRATOR If you have read an AIRAH technical document, Vince Aherne, F.AIRAH, has very likely played a part in it.

Background I’m a mechanical engineer with additional qualifications in building services and environmental management. I worked in both the consulting and contracting sides of the HVAC&R industry before moving into technical publishing and project management.

Having moved to Australia from Ireland in 1990, I got married, had three kids and made a tree change to a regional area in 2001. I now work in a small consultancy providing engineering advice, technical writing and project management services to a range of government and non‑government clients.

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As a technical writer and project manager I have managed a number of projects for AIRAH, working with AIRAH members to develop technical guidance on HVAC&R applications, energy efficiency, water conservation, and development of education and training programs.

I am currently working with AIRAH as the project leader for the Affordable Heating and Cooling Innovation Hub (i-Hub). I’m helping AIRAH bring together leading universities, researchers, consultants, building owners and equipment manufacturers to create a connected research and development community in Australia.

Lessons learned, wisdom imparted A few come to mind: Whatever you do, own it.

The devil is in the detail, or God is in the detail, depending on your perspective – in any case the details do matter. It is also always important and often helpful to be able to view things from other people’s perspective.

Communicate, to keep everybody on the same page, and make sure everyone is starting from the same place, understand your client’s and colleagues’ expectations.

Things can always go wrong; plan for success but prepare for failure (just in case), have an exit strategy.

Profound changes Without a doubt – digitisation.

I remember a single shared computer in a computer room when I first went to university, and now we all walk around with computers in our pockets. The melding of computer and machine is relentless and changes everything we do. From very basic early calculators the industry has developed and adopted a range of digital tools such as load estimation, CFD analysis, CAD and evolving to modelling of building and systems for building design, construction and increasingly remote sensing and control for building operation and intelligent buildings.

The other profound change has been the recognition of the environmental impact that the industry has had, and continues to have. While refrigeration and HVAC services save lives and improve health and productivity, both are rapidly growing sectors and are

CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

responsible for large chunks of energy use and global CO2 emissions.

However, with refrigerants and energy use moving to top of mind, solutions integrating HVAC with onsite energy storage and renewable energy generation assets are beginning to add up, technically and economically.

AIRAH I’ve been associated with AIRAH for over 25 years and in a range of capacities: as an industry liaison, as an AIRAH project manager and as an AIRAH member.

I have collaborated with a wide range of AIRAH members and staff over the years, when developing AIRAH Application Manuals or other AIRAH projects.

For me AIRAH is somewhere between workmate and extended family member.

Congratulations AIRAH, and all her supporters, on great work over the last 100 years! ❚

CONFIDENT COLLABORATOR Mikaila Ganado, M.AIRAH, is an associate and part‑owner at GWA Consultants Australia, has recently been elected onto the AIRAH board of directors, chairs the Women of AIRAH STG, and is associate director of the Institute’s NSW division committee.

Lessons learned The most important message that’s been imparted to me is that no one is qualified for a job until they’ve done it, so stand up and say “yes”.

The rest will sort itself out – with hard work and dedication. And we don’t have to have all of the answers all of the time. It’s OK to say, “I’ll get back to you on that.”

Profound changes Collaboration. I see owners, designers and builders working a lot more collaboratively to meet tight energy performance criteria.

Fulfilment Bringing ideas to life and being able to measure successful performance.

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Favourite assignments The Coliseum Theatre at West HQ, Rooty Hill. Not only has this theatre had a huge impact on the arts scene in the western suburbs and Sydney in general, but it was also an incredible project to be involved in. The huge open foyer area and multiple usage requirements for the theatre space resulted in a very challenging design brief. Working through those challenges to deliver a visually stunning and technically difficult solution for the air handling and controls systems was very rewarding.

AIRAH Being involved with AIRAH has presented me with a lot of opportunities. From arranging events to presenting at conferences and now serving on the board.

On a personal level, I’ve met some of my closest friends through my involvement with AIRAH and their encouragement, support and willingness to share their knowledge has helped me immensely throughout my career. ❚

DIVINE WORK Graham Boyle, F.AIRAH, has enjoyed a richly textured career in HVAC&R and beyond.

Background Born in England, lived on Tyneside with a brief sojourn to Leeds where I started high school.

Finished school at Year 10 back on Tyneside and almost completed a pre‑apprenticeship at Hebburn Technical College before migrating to Western Australia at age 15. My first ever flight was London to Perth, a real eye-opener travelling on my own.

I had my 16th birthday on the road to Wittenoom in the Pilbara.

Started work the next day for Australian Blue Asbestos – the “Blue Sky Mine” of the Midnight Oil song. I left home on decimal currency conversion day a few months later and moved through various jobs in agriculture, construction and oil exploration, before finding myself back in

the Pilbara working on the construction of the Port of Dampier ore-loading facilities, where I was introduced to R&AC. Eventually I completed an apprenticeship with Hamersley Iron (now RIO) as a refrigeration mechanic and moved to Perth a few months after cyclone Trixie gave us a very sleepless night. I worked for Direct Engineering Services in Perth – the company that started manufacturing air conditioners that became APAC – as a tradesman, service manager and contract supervisor.

I then moved into education and training when I successfully applied for a lecturing position at Perth Technical College. In my 40 years with TAFE I have been involved in teaching, curriculum development, secondment to special projects, management and resource development, including the national textbook project that produced Australian Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.

I completed a bachelor’s degree in Education and more recently with a change of focus completed a degree in Theology and was ordained as an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Perth.

AIRAH AIRAH has been an integral part of my career, especially in education and training. It has always been a requirement for TAFE to work closely with industry – how else do we keep up with change, maintain our currency and meet the needs of employers? AIRAH has been a vehicle for me to maintain that close contact with the refrigeration and air conditioning industry. I have learned much, met great people and had the opportunity to contribute to our industry through my involvement.

Much has changed in our industry since we crawled out of the cold store, but AIRAH has adapted and changed with the times. It hasn’t always been perfect but as an organisation we have endured due to the wise counsel of those who have taken up the baton of leadership. It is a great achievement to reach the Centenary and we look forward to AIRAH continuing to change and adapt towards the next 100 years. ❚

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Geelong Library and Heritage Centre

AIRAH built this

Perth Library Victorian Parliament Members Annexe

Throughout AIRAH’s history, Institute members have been key contributors to some of Australia’s most important and recognisable projects. Here is but a small sample.

Whenever you read about a building project in somewhere other than a mechanical engineering publication (and there are scant few of those around), it’s rare for the building’s HVAC to be discussed.

But as we know, how a building is heated and cooled goes a long way to determining its energy use and the comfort and productivity of its occupants. It is key.

So, bottom line, without AIRAH members – without you – these buildings don’t happen.

In the following pages we showcase a smattering of structures in which AIRAH members have played a pivotal role.

But in showing them, what we are really celebrating is you. ❚ Saffire Freycinet

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Arup Sydney HQ

Pixel AIRAH Award-winning data centre, Sydney

Barangaroo.

(Image courtesy A.G. Coombs)

Canberra Airport

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UniSA Cancer Research Institute Gold Coast Leisure Centre

Barangaroo

UQ Law

(Image courtesy A.G. Coombs)

Melbourne Recital Centre

Heidelberg Woolworths Monash University Gillies Hall

Sunshine Coast University Hospital SAHMRI, Adelaide

UNSW (Image courtesy A.G. Coombs)

Federation Square Atrium

Bidfood Mackay

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The game‑changers Since AIRAH was founded in 1920, the HVAC&R world has shifted axis more than once.

We pick out 10 of the most significant innovations, people and processes.

In 1911, Carrier presented one of the most significant documents ever prepared for air conditioning – Rational Psychometric Formulae – to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. It tied together the concepts of relative humidity, absolute humidity and dew-point temperature.

Following the start of World War I, Carrier joined with six other young engineers to form a company bearing his name. Enduring the financial and social challenges of the Great Depression, the company emerged as one of the largest employers in central New York.

After World War II, the popularity of mechanical air conditioning grew across the US and globally. The International Energy Agency now predicts that by 2050 there will be 5.6 billion air conditioners in buildings around the world.

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THE FATHER OF AIR CONDITIONING

Born in Angola, New York in 1876, Willis Carrier studied at Cornell University before graduating in 1901 with a Bachelor of Engineering degree.

When working as a young engineer on a hot summer’s evening in 1902, he was called to solve a problem at a Brooklyn print works – it was too humid for the ink to dry fast enough. Carrier’s solution would become recognised as the world’s first modern air conditioning system.

The same year, Carrier discovered that constant dew-point depression provided practically constant relative humidity, which would later become known by air conditioning engineers as the “law of constant dew-point compression”.

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FROZEN FOUNDER

A college dropout from New York, Clarence Birdseye moved to Newfoundland in 1912 as a fur trapper, before being introduced to ice fishing by local Inuits.

Birdseye witnessed how caught fish instantly froze in the sub-Arctic conditions. When thawed, they looked and tasted fresh. The freezing occurred so fast and at such low temperatures that only tiny ice crystals formed.

They were so small that they didn’t cause the damage to cellular structures that a slow drop in freezing did.

By 1922, Birdseye had begun developing flash-freezing of fish on an industrial scale. It took three years – and left

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him on the brink of bankruptcy – but eventually his multi-plate freezer worked. The fresh fish was packed flat to maximum surface area, and placed in cartons that were fed onto a steel conveyer belt. The metal surface was chilled to -43°C using refrigerated brine circulating underneath. A similar system cooled the roof above the conveyor, which was pushed down onto the cartons as they passed through.

While many technological advances have occurred since, the principles of the first flash-freezing system remain today.

In 1924, Birdseye established General Seaford Corporation in Massachusetts.

Although he sold his company and patents in 1929, his became a household name and he was even given the moniker of “Captain” despite no naval experience.

My experience, and the reasoning for entering the engineering profession, was all about what’s under the bonnet

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THE EMERGENCE OF ELECTRONICS

Without doubt one of the most significant changes in the past century has been the emergence of electronics.

In its various guises, electronics is the central feature of all of life today – including the HVAC&R industry.

Devices such as variable speed drives, once only a dream, are now commonplace. Monitoring via building management systems, often remotely through mobile phones, would have been unimaginable in 1920. And nowadays the direct work on air conditioning and refrigeration equipment – one mostly mechanical – is largely related to electronics. For some business operators, most of their service work is electrical failure; service vans now can hold several dozen electronic cards but not one TX valve.

“It’s embarrassing to reflect on my time as a designer having a preoccupation with pneumatic controls and other mechanical devices to provide automation so replacing steam or even manual control,” says Clive Broadbent, AM, L.AIRAH. “Computers in the old days were engineers using slide rules.”

Yet while these advances have brought undeniable gains, Broadbent notes that we have also lost some things along the way.

“We once knew what was happening with the automation,” he says.

“We knew how valve sets worked in a radio and we knew how piping valves in hot- or cold-water systems open or closed from pneumatic controls and sensors. Nowadays it’s like a car wherein few people have a clue as to what’s under the bonnet.

My experience, and the reasoning for entering the engineering profession, was all about what’s under the bonnet.

What makes it work? How do the wheels go round? Nowadays a driver just has to know how to press a pedal – and with driverless cars maybe even that skill will be lost.”

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THE AGE OF DATA

Although big data and analytics may seem like the most modern phenomenon on this list, it can be traced back to the first half of the 20th century.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “information explosion” was first used in 1941. Forbes magazine also notes the early projections of Wesleyan University librarian Fremont Rider, who in 1944 estimated that by 2040, the Yale Library would have approximately 200,000,000 volumes, which would occupy almost 10,000km of shelves requiring more than 6,000 cataloguing staff. By the turn of the century, however, bits and bytes were taking over from bookshelves – and data storage had become more cost‑effective than paper storage.

What has this meant for HVAC&R? Well, although the construction industry is traditionally a slow adopter of new technology, our industry has been among the fastest to utilise data, and embrace analytics and new technology.

“Root-cause analytics, machine learning and data-driven maintenance-based methods have evolved from being bleeding-edge features to now being incorporated into various business-asusual applications,” said Scott Horsnell from Bueno in an Ecolibrium feature in 2017. “These are capable of providing earlier and much more effective and valuable outputs than anticipated.”

The big challenge now is how to make best use of the data – ideally with the help of artificial intelligence.

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COLD CHAIN CHAMPION

Born in 1963, Barbara Pratt grew up on an orchard farm outside of New York City before attending Cornell University, where she studied physics, biology, chemistry, computer sciences and mathematics.

After graduating in 1976 with a degree in physics, she eschewed postgraduate education to join Sea-Land, a shipping company founded by the inventor of shipping containers, Malcolm McLean.

It led her to work in a Mobile Research Laboratory – a modified 40-foot shipping container that was part science lab, part mobile home.

Pratt spent much of her 20s living inside the refrigerated shipping container, travelling the world with her colleagues, and studying the impact of transportation on fresh and frozen products.

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AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2020

These findings led to all sorts of innovations – from reefer container design through to packing methods and customisation to achieve the particular ventilation, airflows and temperatures required to sustain the effective transportation of fresh produce.

The results of Pratt’s research helped to revolutionise the reefer business and led to many advances in both the technologies and methods used to transport refrigerated goods around the world.

More recently, the realisation that many HFCs contribute significantly to global warming prompted the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

Once again, the HVAC&R industry is transitioning as HFCs are phased down, and we move to alternative refrigerants such as HFOs, CO2, hydrocarbons and ammonia. All of this means new equipment, as well as new skills for those designing and working with that equipment.

According to a recent report from the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Energy Agency, improving the efficiency of cooling equipment has the potential to more than double the climate benefits of the Kigali Amendment, with the combined potential to avoid the equivalent of up to 260 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2050. It will also save nearly US$3 trillion dollars in energy generation and transmission costs, in addition to reducing consumers’ monthly electricity bills.

One of the most effective means for achieving this jump in efficiency has been the introduction of minimum energy performance standards (MEPS). Nowadays, such star ratings are instinctively understood and considered normal.

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WORLD-CHANGING ACCORD

Often referred to as “the world’s most successful environmental agreement”, the Montreal Protocol was a concerted response to the realisation that chemicals such as CFCs, HCFCs and halon were depleting the Earth’s ozone layer. Since its inception in 1987, all 197 UN member states have ratified the protocol – a world first for any treaty.

The sector perhaps most affected by the Montreal Protocol has been HVAC&R. “When I started in refrigeration the main refrigerants we used were, R22, R12, R502 and a bit of R500,” says Graham Boyle, F.AIRAH. “When the discussion started about phasing out CFCs, I couldn’t believe it – these were the only refrigerants I knew! That first step to transition away from CFCs was the biggest change I have seen in our industry.”

With this change came the introduction of not just alternative refrigerants such as HFCs, but also the use of synthetic oils and refrigerant recovery units.

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AN EYE ON ENERGY

The first oil crisis in 1973 – which saw the price of oil rise by nearly 400 per cent – came as a rude shock for the world’s big energy users.

Countries such as the US, Japan and the UK had never had to worry about it previously, but all of a sudden, energy efficiency became a major preoccupation.

As one of the biggest users of energy in the built environment, heating and cooling came under immediate scrutiny.

Early efforts to decrease energy use were focused on exhorting occupants to “switch things off” when they weren’t needed. But this soon gave way to energy monitoring and a more considered, datadriven approach, especially with the rise of computers and the introduction of BMSs. More recently, as we have become acutely aware of the need to reduce emissions, we have redoubled our efforts to save energy.

As Australia’s chief scientist Alan Finkel has pointed out, energy efficiency is the “best form of energy generation you could possibly ever hope to have”

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MINDING OUR FOOTPRINT

It can be a nebulous term, and there is certainly a lot of overlap with some other entries in this list, but the concept of sustainability has undoubtedly shaped today’s HVAC&R sector and the entire built environment.

Back in 2008, Ecolibrium editor Matt Dillon interviewed Professor Bill Rees, a pioneer in the field of human ecology best known as the originator of ecological footprint analysis.

“Buildings and infrastructure associated with the built environment use over onethird of the world’s energy resources, and

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account for 30 to 40 per cent of all the material, through waste in our landfills and so on,” he said. “It’s one of the two or three biggest areas of consumption.

Because we’ve been so inefficient in this domain, there are huge opportunities to make major gains.”

Many of today’s building rating systems – such as NABERS, Green Star and WELL – acknowledge the huge contribution that the built environment can make to sustainability and wellbeing, and provide a framework for measuring it. And it’s about much more than just making HVAC&R systems as efficient as possible; it encompasses everything from the refrigerants used to designing buildings to reduce the need for heating and cooling, and even looking at the expectations and behaviour of building occupants.

The invention was inspired by the ancient Arabian zeer. It uses earthenware pots and evaporative cooling.

Fresh food is placed inside a watertight ceramic pot, which is housed within a larger unglazed pot.

The space between the two pots is then filled with damp river sand and the pots covered. As the water in the sand evaporates in the desert air, heat from the contents of the inner pot is drawn away to keep the contents cool.

In 2001, Bah Abba received the Rolex Award for Enterprise and used the US$75,000 award to established numerous pot factories using traditional, pottery techniques. The same year, his invention was named as one of the Inventions of the Year by Time magazine.

By 2005, Bah Abba distributed nearly 100,000 Pot-in-Pot systems across Nigeria as well as parts of Cameroon, Chad, Eritrea, Niger and Sudan.

In 2008, an adaption of the concept was used in Guinea by humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation Doctors Without Borders to store antimalarial drugs for children.

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EVERY BREATH WE TAKE

Over the past century, we have become an increasingly indoor species.

It is now estimated that Australians spend 90 per cent of their day indoors.

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REFRIGERATION SALVATION

Naturally, we have begun to take more notice of the air we breathe inside our buildings – whether that be the home or the workplace. And there is indeed cause for concern: Indoor air pollution

It is now estimated that Australians spend 90 per cent of their day indoors is consistently ranked among the top five environmental risks to public health by the US EPA and its Science Advisory Board. Problems include introduced gases from cooking, as well as volatile organic compounds from painted surfaces and furniture, not to mention organic pollutants such as fungi and microbial contamination.

A new generation of professionals are now questioning the primacy of aesthetics in our built environment.

“Architecture and aesthetics are very important,” says building physicist Marcela Brauner. “But the main purpose of a house is a shelter for people. It needs to serve the occupants, to support the people to have a good rest after work. But how can people have a good rest when you have mould spores and you breathe it every night?

After a year that has already seen intense bushfires in Australia and a global pandemic, our focus on indoor air quality is only going to intensify.

This will have huge ramifications for our industry, especially those working in building physics, ventilation and air filtration and purification. ❚

Living in a developed country, it is all too easy to take our HVC&R systems for granted. According to a recent report from Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), more than a billion of the world’s rural and urban poor still lack access to cooling, threatening their immediate health and safety.

Born in Nigeria, Mohammed Bah Abba was a teacher who hailed from a family of pot makers. He found worldwide fame in 2001 with his Pot-in-Pot cooling system. This simple refrigerator keeps food cool in the desert, where it usually perishes quickly, depriving farmers of much needed income.

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AU G U S T– S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0

THE BRIDGE

The AIRAH-accredited Professional Diploma in Building Services – HVAC&R was designed with a specific purpose in mind: to fill the industry’s training gap between university and the workforce with a rigorous online learning program. Four years on, we assess its report card.

To James Spears, M.AIRAH, the AIRAH‑accredited Professional Diploma in Building Services – HVAC&R (PDBS) was an opportunity to fill gaps in his industry knowledge.

consultant. His background in energy efficiency and HVAC optimisation informs his work, which focuses on improving NABERS performance though energy audits and building tuning.

The engineering graduate had already accumulated several years of on-the-job training by the time he signed up for the course. However, most of his skills and knowledge were limited to his experience working as a sustainability consultant.

“I would strongly recommend the PDBS course to anyone starting out in the industry, or those looking to broaden their HVAC&R knowledge,” Spears says. “The course contains heaps of industry-specific information that you don’t find in other tertiary qualifications.”

“The PDBS helped me to round out my knowledge in other areas of practice, particularly around how the design and construction processes operate,” he says.

“I also picked up skills that have proved useful in my career since, such as how to write better specifications and how to perform heat load estimations.

It has also helped me to build up and maintain my CPD requirements to obtain professional registration.”

Spears was one of the first to complete the PDBS when it was introduced in 2016.

Now based in Canberra as the principal consultant at DeltaQ, he has logged nine years as a sustainability and energy 3 4

industry. It does through comprehensive and practical training for the built services environment.

The course grew out of a training gap that the AIRAH board of directors identified, says Nathan Groenhout, F.AIRAH, who helped develop and establish the PDBS program.

“For many years, there had been talk about the gap left in the market when the Trane air conditioning course changed format,” he says. “Many young engineers had previously done this course to help them transition into the industry. As a board we saw an opportunity to fill that gap and utilise AIRAH’s reputation, members’ skills and technical resources to best effect.

“I have a passion for education, and felt well placed to champion the project on behalf of the board, with support from many staff along the way.”

GAP IN THE MARKET Like Spears, many HVAC&R professionals have benefited from the AIRAH-accredited course. Since its inception, more than 270 individuals have enrolled for the PDBS, which has received positive feedback for its extensive training resource, flexible modular structure – and even demanding curriculum.

Targeting engineering graduates employed in consulting or contracting firms and/or practising trades workers, the program is designed to increase the student’s exposure to the HVAC&R

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As a board we saw an opportunity to fill that gap and utilise AIRAH’s reputation, members’ skills and technical resources to best effect

James Spears, M.AIRAH

STRUCTURING THE COURSE Discussions about the course began mid-2012, resulting in Groenhout and AIRAH’s then professional development manager Carolyn Hughes presenting a business case to the board.

The first steering group meeting was held in March of 2013, followed by the formation of a committee, comprising industry practitioners covering all disciplines, including refrigeration.

“The initial framework was developed over a couple of months, and the steering group worked hard to develop a course structure that covered the fundamentals and underlying science, design, applications and other considerations such as teamwork, contracting, pricing and the like,” says Groenhout.

“It was certainly ambitious of us, but the steering committee worked hard to ensure we covered what we thought a young engineer might need starting out in the industry. It then took a couple of years to get the content written, the platform developed and piloted, and take our first cohort.”

Nathan Groenhout, F.AIRAH

designing, compliance assessment, budgeting, energy reporting and pulling together a tendering document.

Ongoing support is provided throughout the course via the online classroom, question board, assessment schedules and peer-to-peer discussion.

As well as ensuring that the content was broad and balanced, modularity was a key priority, says Groenhout.

“The program was always designed to be modular so we could expand or unpack content and repackage it for different formats – short courses, advanced modules and customised in-house programs,” he says. “The course has the flexibility and structure to allow this.”

TOUGH ENOUGH To date, 87 students have graduated from the course, representing about 31 per cent of the total enrolment. About 77 students (28 per cent) have withdrawn, which underlines the high standards set by the original steering committee.

In addition, students are required to design an HVAC system over 12 assignments.

“We really wanted this to be a showcase for AIRAH,” Groenhout says.

“It needed to be relevant, it needed to be engaging, it needed to be challenging.

We often talked about what we would do if people found it tough to complete, and we were willing to accept students dropping out to ensure the integrity of the program. It needed rigour to ensure employers would invest in the program for their staff.”

With feedback from experienced engineers, they receive practical training based around a mechanical engineer’s job, including: reviewing a site, presenting design options to a client, calculating heat loads (manually, from basic principles), selecting equipment,

The course has proved to be popular despite being challenging, or perhaps because of this. The October 2020 intake is now taking registrations and AIRAH’s education and technical services manager Brendan Pejkovic says places are filling fast.

The content is delivered online, with more than 100 hours of topics divided into four key areas: fundamentals; equipment and components; systems; and practice and performance.

Besides occupying a vital professional training role in our industry, Groenhout says that the PDBS is ultimately about providing a wellrounded education for those serious about building a lasting career in HVAC&R. “The main impetus was the recognition that there is no dedicated HVAC&R course available through any university program in Australia,” Groenhout says. “Many engineers entering the industry have the foundation, but our course brings it all together in one place, and ties together the threads into a coherent story.” ❚

Would you like to know more?

For more information on the AIRAH’s accredited Professional Diploma in Building Services – HVAC&R, go to www.airah.org.au/PDBS

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SPRING 2020

Son rise, A third-generation member of AIRAH, Peter Dobney, F.AIRAH, has enjoyed a career of considerable variety and influence.

After starting professional life as an HVAC engineer, he concluded it by managing energy contracts for major Australian manufacturers.

Ecolibrium editor Matt Dillon spoke to Dobney on the occasion of his retirement, asking him to reflect on the memorable moments and lessons.

Ecolibrium: You have been involved in some landmark projects and fascinating work in energy efficiency. If I asked you to pick out a highlight, could you do that – your finest professional moment?

Peter Dobney: There are several, but two stand out.

First, negotiating Orora’s Power Purchase Agreements with wind farms.

Second, receiving the Australian Energy Efficiency Council’s Leading Energy User Award and also the NZ Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority’s Major Energy Consumer Award.

Eco: How did you go about designing the Antarctic bases – or presumably the HVAC systems they used. Was there anything to model them on – something that inspired you and the architects?

PD: I was part of the original Department of Housing and Construction (formerly Department of Works) design team for the rebuilding of the Australian Antarctic bases at 3 6

Mawson, Casey and Davis. It was decided that there should be a number of separate buildings at each base so that the occupants would have to venture outside even in the middle of winter, as one of the problems with having one integrated building was that the occupants suffered from “cabin fever”. (Ed’s note: No kidding!)

I was involved in the actual building design to minimise heat loss, as we had to design for -40°C. That meant triple glazing, walls constructed from 300mm styrene cool-room-type panels plus an airgap and internal lining.

There were air locks for all external doors.

Central heating was by means of hot water radiators plus a ducted fresh‑air ventilation system, which included heat recovery exchangers and snow melting preheaters.

Air intakes had to be designed to eliminate the entry of snow if possible.

I also was involved in the design of the power houses, which had several diesel generators with radiator and exhaust gas

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heat recovery to supply electricity and heating hot water to the living quarters and other buildings. Ventilation of the power houses was also a bit of a challenge.

Potable water was supplied from large water storage tanks, which had to be kept above freezing, and water was produced by melting snow and ice.

All pipework, including sewerage, had to be heat-traced to prevent freezing.

We worked closely with the Australian Antarctic Division, and they had contacts with the British Antarctic Survey who had extensive experience in building in polar regions; however, much of the work we did was ground-breaking.

There was only a short period of time for outside construction activities over summer, so all components were manufactured and assembled in Australia prior to being disassembled and shipped to the Antarctic bases.

Joe Archibald, another AIRAH member and DHC colleague, took over this project when I moved to Enersonics, a consulting engineering firm.

of Housing and Construction, and that was, “Make sure you design systems for lowest total cost of ownership, not just lowest capital cost.”

sunset

This has stood me in good stead over my career, and it’s very difficult for anyone to argue against.

Eco: Was it a difficult transition from mechanical engineer to energy efficiency expert, or more of a segue, a natural transition?

PD: It was a very interesting transition.

My engineering design and construction experience stood me in good stead for my transition into the energy efficiency field, but that was only part of it.

I was fortunate to be involved in the deregulation of the electricity and gas industries, as a number of Enersonics’ clients needed advice as to how to best purchase their energy.

As I got more and more involved, I saw this as an opportunity to advance my career in this area, so not only was I managing energy efficiency programs for major manufacturers, but I was also managing their energy portfolios.

Lal Lal wind farm, outside Ballarat, Victoria.

Eco: What was the most challenging thing you encountered in your career, and how did you overcome it?

diesel generators when spot prices were above their short-run marginal cost.

PD: The greatest challenge that I have had to face in my career has been at Orora Ltd – a major Australian packaging manufacturer, formerly Amcor Ltd – where I managed their energy supply contracts.

In addition, a waste to energy project was implemented at Orora’s paper mill in NSW whereby a gas engine was supplied with biogas from the mill’s waste-water treatment plant, and this had an output of 1MW. Waste heat from the gas engine was used to pre-heat feed water to the boiler house to reduce gas consumption.

Having knowledge of the Antarctic power-house design was really handy.

Over a period of four years, energy (gas and electricity) costs for their Australian operations increased by $50m/year to over $100m/year.

An energy management plan that delivered energy savings of 15 per cent over four years was implemented.

Instead of purchasing energy from retailers I managed Orora’s transition to enter into gas supply contracts directly with gas producers and also to buy electricity directly from the electricity spot market.

To manage the exposure to the electricity spot market, we utilised an automated dispatch engine to start onsite back-up

Orora’s back-up generators have a combined capacity of over 3.5MW.

This project, which cost around $2m, had a one-year payback and in addition to the reduction of electricity and gas purchased from the grid, its electrical output was renewable energy, and so Renewable Energy Certificates were able to be created and sold.

I soon realised that energy users were not being adequately represented and the supply side was influencing politicians and regulators, so I helped form the Energy Users Association of Australia (EUAA). A significant part of my time was then spent lobbying politicians and regulators for better outcomes in the gas and electricity markets and regulated energy network businesses for all large energy users.

Eco: As GM Energy and Resources for Orora, you negotiated power purchase agreements with wind farms to provide more than 80 per cent of Orora’s power requirements for 10 years at 400GWh/yr.

What is the appetite of Australian manufacturers for green power?

Eco: What was the most important lesson you learned along the way?

PD: Most Australian manufacturers are now very focused on their carbon footprint and sustainability in general; their customers and shareholders are also keen for them to become more sustainable, so they are continuously looking at how to do this.

PD: I learnt this very early on thanks to AIRAH life member Clive Broadbent, my boss and mentor at the Department

One way to significantly improve the carbon footprint of large energy users is to purchase more renewable energy.

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SPRING 2020

This can be done in two ways: either just purchasing more renewable energy certificates than the current target (20 per cent) or by entering into a power purchasing agreement with a renewable energy generator (solar or wind farm).

The first option is very simple but quite costly whereas the second option is more complex but can actually lead to a cost reduction.

Australia’s electricity markets are in a transition period, and going forward it will be necessary to increase energy security and storage as coal-fired generators are closed.

Batteries are only a short-term solution, and so gas-fired generators will be required until alternative energy sources are economically viable.

Eco: Is reasonably priced power supply a problem for Australian manufacturers?

PD: A number of energy-intensive manufacturers have had to close their operations due to high energy prices in Australia.

Eco: What did you make of certain politicians describing wind turbines as “ugly” a few years ago?

they prove to be economically viable.

If the gas shortage occurs before then, the government has no one to blame but itself.

PD: Wind turbines are amazing feats of engineering. The ones installed at the Lal Lal wind farm that Orora has a PPA with are over 100m tall, with blade lengths of 60m and tip speeds of up to 200km/hr.

When the LNG export projects were first envisaged, the EUAA together with the AIG undertook some modelling of the potential impact of higher gas prices on domestic industry. It was very alarming.

They have been designed for operating with dramatically lower noise levels than older wind turbines, and they certainly do not concern grazing animals. They are definitely not ugly although there are certainly scenic locations where they would have an adverse impact on the landscape.

Eco: Gas is featuring in the news a lot at the moment. Do you see it as a feasible “interim” measure?

What do you make of the Victorian government’s decision to allow onshore gas drilling? Can you explain how resources companies are actually allowed to export so much Australian gas (80 per cent is the figure bandied around)?

PD: Gas is essential as a transitional source of energy for power generation until such time as other forms of renewable energy can be relied upon to maintain grid security and stability.

The underlying cause for the high power costs was the large volumes of Australian LNG being exported The underlying cause for the high power costs was the large volumes of Australian LNG being exported.

In fact, three times what’s used in domestic consumption is exported.

Higher gas prices lead to higher electricity prices because of the reliance on gas-fired generation.

At present, COVID-19 has had a major impact on global LNG demand and domestic gas and electricity demand, and so gas prices and electricity prices have recently slumped. It will be interesting to see how long this trend continues.

No doubt once the pandemic is over energy markets will revert.

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Gas is still the cheapest form of thermal energy and until renewable fuels such as hydrogen become competitive with gas, it will remain as a major source of energy, particularly for manufacturing.

The Victorian government has finally come to its senses and ended the moratorium on onshore drilling for gas in Victoria, but they have not allowed fracking of coal to release coal seam gas.

The moratorium has put the Victorian gas market in a precarious position, as the existing Gippsland and Bass Strait gas fields are all now in rapid decline.

The Queensland gas fields that were developed for LNG export have never delivered the volumes of gas necessary to meet LNG export contracts, and so Victorian gas has been used to make up the shortfall. This has led to a tripling of gas prices and a shortage of gas in Victoria and NSW. Had COVID-19 not hit, we may already have been facing real gas shortages.

It could take up to four years to bring on any new gas fields in Victoria, should

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We took this information to Canberra where we met with the Energy Minister and PM at the time only to be told that there was no need to reserve any gas for domestic use, as there would be a surplus of gas and prices would be lower.

Their own gas inquiry forecasted that gas prices would rise to $6.00/GJ (international parity) whereas we have recently had to endure gas prices as high as $12/GJ. The WA gas market learnt this lesson many years ago, and the WA government instigated domestic gas reservation, and now WA has the lowest-cost gas in Australia.

Unfortunately, the federal government did not learn from this.

Eco: In your experience dealing with politicians, do you think the powers that be accept the science of climate change?

PD: The climate change battle has been raging amongst political parties since John Howard was prime minister.

He undertook to implement a Carbon Scheme, but the Greens thought that it was too weak and would not agree to it. Had it been implemented then, later governments – Liberal and Labour – could have expanded it and increased the CO2 reduction targets. Australia would have been a world leader in carbon reduction.

Instead we have had three goes at it and the PM’s office became a revolving door.

One of the major opponents of course was Tony Abbott. Now he is out of politics things may change; however, there are still a number of politicians such as Matt Canavan who sit in electorates where coal mining and coal‑fired generation provides most of the jobs. As Australia is very reliant on coal exports and coal-fired generation, this will remain one of the roadblocks.

Even if they accept that CO2 emissions are largely responsible for climate change, they are unlikely to ban coal exports.

SPRING 2020

Until all countries are signatories to a universal climate change treaty Australia will be at a distinct economic disadvantage if it sets unrealistic carbon reduction targets.

No new coal-fired generators are likely to be built in Australia so CO2 emissions from electricity will continue to decline.

I believe that we will have the technology to achieve much larger CO2 reductions within the next decade and we need to encourage industry to move down this path. But many have long-term investment – 30 years or more – which will require assistance, or we will have to face up to them moving offshore, with the possibility of them generating even large CO2 emissions when they do.

Eco: You stayed an AIRAH member even after transitioning out of the HVAC&R industry. Could you describe the importance of AIRAH to you and the industry?

PD: I joined AIRAH as a student member and was involved in it in the early days as a young boy, and my father and grandfather were both very active members.

I formed many friendships through AIRAH, and I was always happy to contribute at a state committee level.

The Chief Engineer of the Department of Works (Housing and Construction) where I first worked as an engineer after graduating, Frank Wickham, was a great supporter of AIRAH and allowed his engineers to contribute to AIRAH. I have always found AIRAH to be a very supportive association, providing technical information on a wide range of topics. And although I was not directly involved in the HVAC industry, many of the manufacturing processes that I have been involved with utilise steam boilers or direct-gas firing and complex control systems, so there was always some connection.

Having become a Fellow of AIRAH while still involved in the HVAC industry also ensured I remained a member.

Eco: What advice would you give to AIRAH members at the start of their careers?

PD: You should never stop learning. Try to widen your views.

Look at the best way to solve the problem most efficiently on a life-cycle cost basis, keeping in mind the imperative to minimise the carbon footprint. ❚

The 100 faces of AIRAH Peter Dobney, F.AIRAH, is one of the 100 faces of AIRAH. To read more, go to www.airah.org.au

SUMMER 2020

The young ones Ecolibrium speaks to 30 AIRAH members under the age of 30 about a number of issues, including their challenges, dream jobs and thoughts on AIRAH.

Shobhit Shekhar, Affil.AIRAH A dream project for me would be to work for one of the most prominent buildings or a space that is designed for net-zero energy – smart, sustainable, with zero carbon emissions – while working in a team across several disciplines internationally and learning with experts.

The most challenging part of my job is to work on multiple projects at any given time while also managing time to meet strict deadlines and giving due attention to every detail. I am still developing that skillset, and I firmly believe it comes with experience.

AIRAH is undoubtedly the most insightful knowledge hub for any mechanical services engineer to engage with. I see a great potential opportunity for AIRAH to provide more learning resources and opportunities to HVAC&R professionals.

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Kiara Beinart, Affil.AIRAH

Nita Wagh, Affil.AIRAH

I was attracted to HVAC&R while studying Applied Thermodynamics at UWA. I liked how the focus is on the comfort and safety of people as well as the tremendous opportunity to positively impact the environment by reducing building energy consumption through clever designs. The HVAC industry is a great space to develop both my technical and soft skills.

Today, many manufacturing processes require that spaces be designed to control particulate and microbial contamination while maintaining reasonable installation and operating costs. I would like to design clean rooms that are specially constructed, environmentally controlled enclosed spaces with respect to airborne particulates, temperature, humidity, air pressure, airflow patterns, air motion, vibration, noise, viable (living) organisms, and lighting.

My dream project would be to work on the design of a hospital. It would be a great experience to contribute to such a high-impact project, and to ensure the safety of vulnerable patients, staff and visitors.

The most challenging aspect of my job has been starting my professional career during a global pandemic. Many new starters are missing out on learning through face-to-face conversations with colleagues and learning through osmosis.

CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

Meeting deadlines for various projects is a challenge. The HVAC field doesn’t only involve design, sales, estimation and installation of HVAC systems, you will also be required to confer with homeowners, answer questions, and, in some cases, deliver unpleasant news.

AIRAH is an excellent conduit for information sharing. Ecolibrium is a fantastic read, and having access to the articles on the AIRAH website is very convenient.

Jordan Coffer, Affil.AIRAH Growing up with a father who played a big role in the HVAC&R industry was a big influence. Curiosity about how the systems he worked on functioned added to the attraction of the industry.

As an avid sports fan, my dream project would be a large football stadium, prestigious golfing venue, or alternatively, a large resort/hotel/casino precinct.

Keeping up with the evolution of building design throughout the life of a project is challenging.

However, proper time management helps minimise the challenges faced.

I think of AIRAH as a place for the industry to come together as one, and learn from the experiences of one another.

Chris Ikin, Affil.AIRAH I finished my studies with an interest in fluid mechanics and control systems, which led me to the HVAC&R industry. I would love to work on a project with unusual design aspects. Maybe alternative methods of central plant heat rejection or even utilising a district cooling network.

Anything out of the ordinary, really.

The most challenging aspect is balancing workloads with multiple projects at different stages.

The technical aspects get easier with experience and learning from mistakes.

AIRAH has aided in providing the resources to first get me started and then ensure my knowledge is up to date with the industry and best practices. Starting out, I found the design guides key to building my technical knowledge while the events and webinars have broadened my view of the industry and all the players.

Dean Sherrat, Affil.AIRAH The attraction to HVAC comes from no two systems being the same, along with providing comfort to customers where possible.

My dream project would be to fit out and maintain hotel apartments and commercial buildings with the latest and efficient HVAC systems.

The most challenging part of my job is keeping up with new technology and control systems being implemented into new HVAC systems. It’s great to see advancements in the industry leading towards zero emissions targets and zero GWP. AIRAH has been great, from the courses on offer to all members, to keeping up to date with everything happening in the industry, through to Ecolibrium.

Adam Brown, Affil.AIRAH I’ve always been interested in the thermodynamics side of engineering, so HVAC&R seemed the logical career choice.

I’ve been fortunate to work on some great projects so early on in my career; however, my dream project would be either a PC laboratory or manufacturing facility.

The balance of improving my technical skills while maintaining workload across multiple projects is challenging.

AIRAH plays a very important role not only representing and promoting HVAC&R, it also facilitates continued learning and upskilling of the industry.

Jefferson Lee, Affil.AIRAH My thesis project during university was “Energy Efficiency in Building Air Conditioning”, and I really enjoyed working on the simulations. Hence, I was hoping to apply my learning in real life.

My dream project is to create smart cities with the utilisation of data science with HVAC on large architectural projects, along with green concepts.

It can be difficult to have a precise simulation of chillers due to occasional extreme site environments such as in places like mining sites.

AIRAH has an important role in keeping us updated on recent progress in the HVAC industry such as new building codes, technologies, and regulations.

Bella Davis‑Chugg, Stud.AIRAH I have watched my dad work in HVAC&R my entire life.

Some of my best memories are him teaching me about the different parts of his job, visiting his office during the school holidays and watching the crane lifts from a distance at 5am. I love the challenge and problem‑solving required on a daily basis, and the fact that there are endless opportunities to grow and learn within the field.

The most challenging part of my job is the work/life balance aspect.

I am juggling being a mum, working full-time and attending TAFE. When things get busy or my daughter is sick, I cannot press pause. I have to find a way to power through it and keep on the move or risk falling behind in my studies, or in my projects.

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SUMMER 2020

Vlad Lecca, M.AIRAH Having graduated mechanical engineering shortly after the GFC and the end of the mining boom, I was keen to join an industry that was robust enough to maintain jobs through economic down times, and had the opportunities and longevity that you would expect for a lifelong career. With the future challenge faced by climate change and increasing urbanisation of Australian cities, there will be many opportunities and challenges ahead in the industry.

Working in the BIM environment on ever-reducing design timelines and developing HVAC design at the same time the architect is developing the building and the drafters are populating the model is a reality of the job. This provides the challenge of trying to provide a design solution before the problem is fully constrained, with little room for errors.

Max Robertson, Affil.AIRAH My workplace, Applied Air Services, frequently works with various processing plants. I find the work in processing plants to be highly engaging due to the complex and dynamic nature of the clients’ HVAC&R requirements.

It can be challenging to ensure we coordinate and integrate our services in a way that is compatible with other contractors, to ensure the project comes together on time and satisfies the client’s expectations.

Having a strong industry body ensures that our often-hidden industry is recognised in the broader industry.

I am currently completing the AIRAH Professional Diploma of Building Services – HVAC&R, and have found that it has helped develop my technical skills as well as expose me to a variety of industry contacts.

Lachlan Farquharson, Affil.AIRAH I enjoy being involved in delivering industrial refrigeration projects, as they provide a diverse experience and are always presenting new challenges. I would like to gain more experience across the various sectors, from food and beverage to chemical processing, mining and defence.

AIRAH is the national industry body to support individuals and businesses in the HVAC&R sector. As an individual I see it as a way of networking and keeping in touch with the latest developments and practices specific to the industry.

Sarik Amatya, Affil.AIRAH I find this sector full of innovation and challenges, never being afraid to ask the question “why”, and delving deeper to find the reason “because”. In this world of HVAC&R I get opportunities to be creative, a problem solver and understand and apply engineering principles.

A dream project would be being involved with a team for developing HVAC systems for data centres, from design to construction.

I am involved with estimating, engineering and project management.

Time management is challenging.

That is, keeping track of projects and meeting deadlines are crucial.

Along with its CPD programs, AIRAH brings to light various national and international innovations, designs, and other relevant information.

AIRAH has made a major contribution and plays a vital role in the continuous development and improvement of the HVAC&R industry.

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Malik Awais, Affil.AIRAH My interest in building automation and my volunteer leadership work in politics inspired me to make an impact on a global scale. I had been hearing about smart buildings and smart cities since 2011, and was curious to learn more. So, I started my master’s degree at UNSW and took a course in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning with Associate Professor Chris Menictas, M.AIRAH. This was the first time I heard a professor speaking about the real-world application and impact of HVAC&R on smart buildings. This course created the initial fascination with HVAC&R. I decided to join the industry with a commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

My dream project is a 6 Star NABERS, 6 star Green Star, WELL and LEEDcertified smart building enabled by smart experiences, establishing a new standard.

Navini Abeyweera, Affil.AIRAH Having worked as an internal sales engineer, the most challenging part about my role is responding to simultaneous requirements of different customers and stakeholders.

Task prioritisation and effective time-management skills were key in overcoming these challenges.

AIRAH is doing a great job in helping young undergraduates and newcomers to the industry gain real-life knowledge of the ins and outs of the HVAC&R industry. Programs such as the Professional Diploma in Building Services – HVAC&R, which I’m currently enrolled in, through its rigorous case studies provides insight into the design process and documentation involved in the design of HVAC systems. In other words, AIRAH is helping bridge the gap between my engineering curriculum and the expectations of the HVAC industry.

SUMMER 2020

Michael Pickford, M.AIRAH There are three things that attracted me to HVAC&R: Stability, motivation and career progression. There will always be buildings and people/equipment needing to be safe and comfortable, and as such the stability of being in the industry for a long time was a big attraction for me. Variety is the key to motivation, and being in a job that kept me motivated was an important aspect to consider. There is always some kind of new challenge that is thrown my way, and solving that keeps me motivated to come to work, day in, day out.

The third attraction is career progression.

As a young HVAC engineer, there are a lot of different paths to take, and keeping this open gave me a great opportunity to be able to advance my career.

Bilal Babadagi, Affil.AIRAH

Nathan Budarick, Affil.AIRAH A dream job or project in the industry is anything to do with innovation. The idea of being able to work on/be a part of something that could help the future, whether that be energy savings or better for the environment, will always interest me.

AIRAH’s role is to uphold the high standards of knowledge that Australian industry requires.

I also think AIRAH’s role is to embrace innovation and new technology, and share these developments with the ever-changing HVAC&R industry.

James de Salis, Affil.AIRAH

I have always found the characteristics of fluids and how they shape nature and our lives impressive. The HVAC&R industry allows me to discover something new in this field every single day, which makes my work enjoyable.

The dynamics of the industry is another factor that fascinates me.

I’ve always been fascinated by learning how things work, and in particular how buildings keep us comfortable and protected from the elements. HVAC is the main system in the built environment that controls this process, and so becoming a mechanical engineer designing these systems and how they work together was a logical choice.

A dream project would definitely be a large-scale self-powered development with a hybrid ventilation system.

I also feel strongly about climate issues, and as heating and cooling is the biggest user of energy, our primary focus should be reducing this energy consumption.

The biggest challenge is, I guess, achieving great comfort conditions in a sophisticated building with a very limited budget.

AIRAH takes an imperative role in keeping the relationships in the industry active through events, not to mention providing useful technical knowledge for the professionals in the industry via webinars, DAs, and the like.

I love being involved in projects that push the boundaries and do something a little different that hasn’t been attempted before.

And the need to communicate with all the stakeholders in the right way at the right time during the project is what throws up the most challenges.

Jacqui Mercer, Affil.AIRAH My dream project would be a large industrial ammonia installation, aiming for the best efficiency achievable out of various products available on the market. I would love to do this using a two-stage ammonia system design or a critical-charge ammonia to refrigerating medium system.

One of the biggest challenges in the job role is trying to gain and retain knowledge on the vast array of equipment that we may be expected to service, repair or install. I would much rather arrive at a piece of equipment with confidence. However, a lot of the time I find myself learning the equipment as I work, using previous experiences. This is by no means a negative, because it ensures that the job remains interesting, exciting and challenging in a positive way.

Xiaolin Wang, Affil.AIRAH My dream project is a change-making project. It should favour our planet and our daily lives for the long run, as well as bring immediate benefits.

Fortunately, I am able to be doing such a project right now. I am working on a novel material, which enables cold thermal storage for peak demand shifting and energy cost reduction.

It enables carbon capture to alleviate global warming. The short-term and long-term benefits are evident.

I joined AIRAH when I started my PhD in 2013. This is one of the best decisions I’ve made. AIRAH brings me the information about what the nation, community and industry really need, and extends my horizon beyond the textbooks, classrooms and labs.

AIRAH always reminds me to think about research outcomes through its annual workshops, forums and conferences.

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SUMMER 2020

Chathurana Senanayake, M.AIRAH The biggest threat to the world is climate change.

It’s fascinating how my day-to-day design decisions as a design engineer could lead to a positive scalable impact over the next few decades.

This is what attracted me to building services engineering.

To take part in designing a net zero carbon building and a 6 star Green Star building would be a dream job.

AIRAH has played an important role in my career development since I was a graduate. AIRAH DA manuals help us on a day-to-day basis – most of those are available free for AIRAH members.

AIRAH webinars and Ecolibrium keep us updated and informed about the latest regulations, standards and products.

I have also met people in the industry and built connections through AIRAH Industry Nights and other events.

Siti Mustaffa, Affil.AIRAH An industry as ubiquitous as refrigeration, air conditioning and heating needs good representation, and AIRAH ensures that the issues we deal with as professionals are properly addressed. Since first joining as a student member about five years ago, I’ve watched AIRAH really grow its reach and expand its offerings. I really appreciated the online webinars that kept me engaged over relevant topics of interest during the COVID-19 pandemic period, and do hope that this is something that AIRAH would consider continuing. I am sure AIRAH will continue to be the go-to forum for networking and building relationships within the HVAC&R industry. I also applaud the Women of AIRAH initiative!

Engaging and promoting women in the industry through Women of AIRAH will inspire more women to feel confident to enter and thrive in the industry.

Michael Snook, Affil.AIRAH The HVAC&R industry has such a wide scope of works that you are constantly learning in order to improve. I discovered this doing some vacation work over a university break and was immediately hooked.

The next term I was at TAFE starting my apprenticeship, such was the impact of my discovery of the industry.

My dream project would be building a new hospital in a capital city. Hopefully, Royal Perth Hospital gets its long-overdue replacement in the not-too-distant future.

AIRAH plays many functions that are instrumental to the Australian HVAC&R industry. The most important of these are educating the students and apprentices coming through the industry, as well as facilitating training and education for established professionals and tradespeople.

The second important role is to provide a platform where knowledge and ideas can be shared.

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Richard Cloete, Affil.AIRAH

Adam McIntosh, Affil.AIRAH Being able to drive through the city and point to buildings where your designs have been installed provides me with a personal sense of achievement. HVAC&R and the built environment go hand-in-hand, so the industry also provides significant career flexibility to move around, compared with a lot of other professions.

It would be a dream to have the budget to design and maintain a full heating and chilled water system for my own home, with the most economical renewable inclusions to supplement the system.

One of the most challenging and critical things about HVAC&R design is ensuring designs satisfy all of the client and architect’s requirements of being fit-forpurpose and within budget, while also providing the most practical and sensible outcome for the construction team and contractors to implement and maintain.

Lydia Angus, Affil.AIRAH

I didn’t realise there was an entire engineering sector dedicated to HVAC&R. I first became interested in this sector when completing my Honours thesis at the Sustainable Building Research Centre, UOW. I came across the fact that large quantities of energy are being used, not only by HVAC&R, but all other building services as well, and saw this as an opportunity to make a difference in creating a greener future.

I’ve always been interested in how we can live more sustainably.

After attending an Engineers Without Borders talk regarding power distribution, I was surprised by how much HVAC&R contributes to the overall power consumption of a building. This inspired me to help create comfortable and healthy buildings that don’t come at a high capital or environmental cost.

Funnily enough, my dream project would involve little to no traditional HVAC&R systems at all, but rather alternative cooling and ventilation methods such as underground labyrinths, phase-change thermal storage and natural ventilation systems to service a building.

Dream project? I am designing it now! I’m working on an aspirational children’s hospital, aiming to reduce the environmental impact on the future generations. The project will integrate educational elements to teach patients and visitors about the hidden services that make a building run.

I love learning, and the broad selection of critical care areas, cytotoxic and aseptic suites allows me to explore industry innovations and search for the best outcome for the project.

Working on the mechanical contractors’ side, the biggest challenge is trying to maintain a balance between what is best for the client while within the project budget.

CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

SUMMER 2020

Marta Talarska, M.AIRAH A dream project for me would be to work on more energy-sustainable projects across Australia. A shift in client and consultant dynamics is required to take on the initiative to incorporate energy-efficient building design, passive solutions and renewable energy use.

Not only HVAC design, but a more holistic approach to the building design is required. It is time to start looking into our design assumptions, building users’ needs and the response to the environment surrounding us.

The most challenging aspect of my position is finding that balance in the design between architecture, comfort and cost. To meet all three requirements, it takes many hours of research, design and coordination. The results, however, are always worth the effort.

Evan Pratt, M.AIRAH Working in HVAC&R allows me to use a great combination of technical engineering skills along with creativity in coming up with innovative system design solutions.

A dream project? Probably just any project where I could work under leading experts in the field of HVAC&R. I’m working my way up to being involved in Tier 1 projects in the future.

Matthew Hill, M.AIRAH AIRAH membership is a great tool for professional development. The community is close and incredibly knowledgeable.

Having access to so many resources and being able to take part in all the events makes it so much easier to continue to learn new skills and gain new knowledge. ❚

Meeting multiple deadlines for different people on tight turnarounds is a challenge.

Being reliable is a key to success.

AIRAH is a great resource and helps to keep everyone in the industry engaged with each other and the field of HVAC&R, ensuring high standards are maintained around the industry.

There’s a whole other world of HVAC&R to discover in HVAC&R Nation.

Read the digital version of AIRAH’s trade‑oriented publication at www.airah.org.au/nation

SUMMER 2020

REMOTE REVELRY

BEST HVAC RETROFIT OR UPGRADE David Kelly

The restrictions across Australia meant the 2020 AIRAH Awards substituted a glittering gala for a high‑energy virtual ceremony.

It’s of little surprise that Collins Dictionary made its word of the year “lockdown”. With the coronavirus touching every aspect of our lives, it was the obvious choice. Yet the lexicon publishers could well have chosen “pivot” as the focus of its attention.

Everyone pivoted in 2020.

For AIRAH, adjusting to COVID-19 and the measures taken to deal with it meant that the “jewel in AIRAH’s crown” – the Institute’s annual award presentation dinner – became an online event.

Held as the culmination of AIRAH’s Outlook 2020 international HVAC&R conference, the awards celebrated the leading people, projects and products in Australia’s HVAC&R industry across 11 categories.

The winners’ list features some of Australia’s most sustainable buildings and innovative upgrades, as well as young researchers and rising stars of the sector. Phil Carruthers, F.AIRAH, earned AIRAH’s highest honour, the James Harrison Medal, for his contribution to HVAC&R over a career of more than 50 years.

IT Critical Systems IT Critical Systems – BHP Olympic Dam: DR site upgrade

PRODUCT OF THE YEAR

Stephen People

The ceremony was sponsored by Daikin, hosted by comedian Harley Breen, and included messages from industry figures, both local and international.

“We’ve all had to adjust and adapt during 2020,” says AIRAH CEO Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH. “But I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to maintain some traditions – such as the AIRAH Awards. In 2020 we are celebrating our Centenary, so it was especially important we hold the event this year.

“It’s also fitting that we wrap up our major event of 2020 by celebrating HVAC&R, because without our industry, Australia may not have survived the pandemic. Through this year’s lockdowns, we relied more heavily than ever on heating, cooling and refrigeration to keep our cold chains working, keep our data centres running, and keep our hospitals and healthcare facilities operating.”

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CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

SPONSOR: HVAC&R SEARCH

Temperzone Australia OPA Eco Ultra – Temperzone

The AIRAH Awards 2020 host, Harley Breen

DENIS JOSEPH AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE USE OF SOLAR ENERGY IN HVAC&R

EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION

Angela Cooney

Craig McClintock, M.AIRAH

Veolia Australia and New Zealand

McClintock Engineering Group

Veolia and McClintock Engineering Group – Innovative solar thermal water battery

University of Queensland, Gatton Campus

EXCELLENCE IN DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY

SPONSOR: ACTRONAIR

Stuart Fowler, M.AIRAH

Mark McKenna

Norman Disney & Young

Norman Disney & Young

Norman Disney & Young

Norman Disney & Young and Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre – Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre Narre Warren

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SUMMER 2020

FUTURE LEADER

SPONSOR: A.G. COOMBS

Grace Foo, M.AIRAH, DeltaQ

EXCELLENCE IN HVAC&R RESEARCH

STUDENT OF THE YEAR – HIGHER EDUCATION OR RESEARCH

Nima Izadyar, Affil.AIRAH Queensland University of Technology

WR AHERN AWARD

SPONSOR: ECOLIBRIUM

Dr Xiaolin Wang, Affil.AIRAH, Australian National University

James Spears, M.AIRAH, DeltaQ

Carbon dioxide hydrate-based cold thermal energy storage and carbon capture

“Improving pump efficiency: A combination of regulation and good design” (Ecolibrium, July 2019)

JAMES HARRISON MEDAL

T H A N K YOU TO OU R SP O NSO R S EVENT SPONSOR

DA I K I N FUTURE LEADER AWARD SPONSOR

A .G . COOM BS EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY AWARD SPONSOR

AC T RO N A I R W.R. AHERN AWARD SPONSOR

ECOL I B R I U M PRODUCT OF THE YEAR SPONSOR

Phillip Carruthers, F.AIRAH 4 8

CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

H VAC& R SE A RC H

PA S T P R E S I D E N T S A N D C E O s

AIRAH PRESIDENTS

2017–current

1986–1987

1963–1964

2016–2017

1985–1986

1962–1963

Ian Harwood Ania Hampton 2013–2016

Dr Nathan Groenhout 2010–2013

Sean Treweek 2009–2010

John Bosci 2006–2009

Grant Hall 2004–2005

Dave Tanner 2003–2004

Peter Taylor 2002–2003

Phillip Carruthers 2001–2002

Ray Clarke 2000–2001

Peter Williams 1998–2000

Cees Lommers 1997–1998

Syd Foster 1996–1997

Ian Loney

Allan W. Leth Colin Elliott 1984–1985

Robin A. Lyons 1983–1984

Alan M. Brown 1982–1983

Ronald B. Cook 1981–1982

Robin Barr 1980–1981

Peter Wallbank 1979–1980

H. H. Singleman 1978–1979

M.R. Brown 1977–1978

R.W. Skinner 1976–1977

Anthony D. Colliver 1975–1976

Ian S. Dewhurst 1974–1975

JJW (Bill) Siganto 1973–1974

F. G. Hogg 1972–1973

Samuel Hort George B Elliott 1961–1962

HA Cartwright 1960–1961

WH Steadman 1959–1960

JFS Winton 1958–1959

Harry G Goldstein 1957–1958

HJ Stoneman 1956–1957

BM Quin

1955–1956

Alan Pritchard

1999–2006

Jennifer Pelvin 1995–1999

Graham Charlton

1950–1951

WL Patterson

A Robinson

1993–1994

1970–1971

1947–1948

David Budds

J H Liddle

1992–1993

1969–1970

1946–1947

W. R. Ahern

AFE Gibbes

1991–1992

1968–1969

1945–1946

Robert T. McKenzie

RL Hanson

1990–1991

1967–1968

1944–1945

William H. Skinner

RA Quigler

1989–1990

1966–1967

1943–1944

SE Rollinson

GH Coleman

1988–1989

1965–1966

1942–1943

WE Dobney

PE Carpenter

1987–1988

1964–1965

1941–1942

M Farmer

Phillip Pryor

EE Couch

Brian J. Croker

Ross Devereux

2006–2009

1951–1952

1948–1949

Paul Tippett

Ian Scott

J Perry

1971–1972

Doug Elms

2009–2010

1952–1953

1994–1995

John Collins

Phil Wilkinson, F.AIRAH

J Fotheringham

John Shewan

Alan Obrart

2010–2016

1953–1954

1949–1950

Bob Worthington

Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH

FL Goodman

Donald M. Caldecott

Robert Ralph

2016–current

1954–1955

1995–1996

Ray Cooper

AIRAH NATIONAL CEOs

HL Skinner

ER Gordon CEN T EN A RY I SSU E – 2020 • ECO L I B R I U M

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SUMMER 2020

THE LISTENER

The ability to absorb information from various sources before making a decision has served Phillip Carruthers, F.AIRAH, in good stead throughout his 50‑year HVAC&R career.

After 30 years at Norman Disney & Young and a short-lived retirement, he now serves as the Engineering Services Manager of CBRE Building Consultancy Group.

Carruthers’ experience with AIRAH is almost as long as his time in the HVAC&R industry. After joining the Institute in 1972 , he served as National President from 2002–2003.

Carruthers earned AIRAH’s highest honour, the James Harrison Award, as part of the 2020 AIRAH Awards.

Ecolibrium: What brought you to the HVAC&R industry?

Phillip Carruthers: I always wanted to be an engineer! My first idea was to go for automotive stuff, designing cars, but I started with earthmoving equipment such as rippers. We actually developed a ripper for a Caterpillar D9 to cut a swath six feet deep, six inches wide to simultaneously lay a telephone cable for Telecom. It was magnificent to see working.

I moved on from there to air conditioning in July 1969 in Newcastle. I knew nothing, of course, but learnt from some very knowledgeable people.

The biggest thing I learnt was to listen to everyone, then make up my own mind.

Eco: What’s your favourite HVAC&R-related memory?

PC: There are lots of them, but the most gratifying was many years ago when my contracting firm had just finished the air conditioning of a new movie theatre in Newcastle, with all of the usual rush up to opening night.

About 6pm that night the electrical contractor dropped a neutral across three phases in the main switchboard, which took out everything, and the kick-off 5 0

was 7.30pm. I was home getting ready to attend the opening when I got the call.

To his credit the electrical contractor got power back to the building, but the air conditioning would not run.

I climbed to the roof in my suit and tools in hand and methodically checked every circuit. I replaced every fuse in the board, got it running, then settled into my seat while the MC was apologising for the conditions by saying the gremlins are on the roof fixing it just as the temperature began to fall.

This gremlin had a grin on his face.

My role has been predominantly making things go, or go better Eco: What’s something everyone should know about you, your work, or the HVAC&R industry?

PC: What a question! I’ve enjoyed my work and feel I’ve made a difference in some way. My role has been predominantly making things go, or go better, and when it comes together it’s very satisfying. I still do that today, but my key role is helping people buy and sell buildings, which is always satisfying when I find an issue that will affect the sale but can work out a way to deal with it.

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As to the industry today, I think we’re taking the easy way out too often.

Training is the key. I’m astounded that people in the industry don’t necessarily understand the fundamentals of the science we deal with.

Eco: How do you see the HVAC&R industry developing over the next 100 years?

PC: This one is mind-boggling!

We have seen the focus of energy go away from the chillers to fans and pumps, and that was unheard of years ago. Tomorrow’s challenge will be more environmental than anything. What we do consumes energy, can’t get away from that, so the future is going to be driven by events and people outside the industry.

A bit like getting rid of HCFC22 because of a small ozone number and replacing it with a substance with high global warming potential.

AIRAH has a voice with government these days, but we should increase our influence there, so we don’t have impossible legislation imposed upon us.

The industry has a good corporate citizen profile, we just need to make sure we maintain that profile while keeping the industry viable. ❚

The 100 faces of AIRAH Phillip Carruthers, F.AIRAH, is one of the 100 faces of AIRAH. To read more, go to www.airah100.org.au

AIR AH’S LIFE MEMBERS (in alphabetical order)

Joe Archibald, L.AIRAH

George B Elliott, L.AIRAH

WT Morgan, L.AIRAH

Joined 1976

Joined 1944

Joined prior to 1940

John Bosci, L.AIRAH

Doug Elms, L.AIRAH

JC Morrison, L.AIRAH

Joined 1977

Joined 1970

Joined prior to 1940

RJ Brearley, L.AIRAH

Syd Foster, L.AIRAH

Alan Obrart, L.AIRAH

Joined prior to 1940

Joined 1986

Joined 1981

Clive Broadbent, L.AIRAH

AFE Gibbes, L.AIRAH

AV Pattle, L.AIRAH

Joined 1961

Joined prior to 1940

Joined prior to 1940

Alan Brown, L.AIRAH

HG Goldstein, L.AIRAH

AC Pritchard, L.AIRAH

Joined 1971

Joined prior to 1940

Joined prior to 1940

Donald Caldecott, L.AIRAH

FL Goodman, L.AIRAH

JJW (Bill) Siganto, L.AIRAH

Joined 1961

Joined prior to 1940

Joined 1936

PE Carpenter, L.AIRAH

Gwen Gray, L.AIRAH

HL Skinner, L.AIRAH

Joined prior to 1940

Joined 1967

Joined prior to 1940

Phil Carruthers, L.AIRAH

Simon Hill, L.AIRAH

John Smeed, L.AIRAH

Joined 1973

Joined 1987

Joined 1959

AS Chinn, L.AIRAH

Bev Hince, L.AIRAH

WG Thomas, L.AIRAH

Joined prior to 1940

Joined 1962

Joined prior to 1940

Herbert Collie, L.AIRAH

Maurie Hughes, L.AIRAH

CS Trail, L.AIRAH

Joined 1948

Joined 1969

Joined prior to 1940

Ron Conry, L.AIRAH

Rob Irvine, L.AIRAH

AM Warner, L.AIRAH

Joined 2009

Joined 1968

Joined prior to 1940

Norm Cooper, L.AIRAH

Jack Laracy, L.AIRAH

Stan Wesley, L.AIRAH

Joined 1989

Joined 1973

Joined 1974

Professor Paul Cooper, L.AIRAH

J Lee, L.AIRAH

Frank Wickham, L.AIRAH

Joined 1989

Joined prior to 1940

Joined 1960

EE Crouch, L.AIRAH

SM Letts, L.AIRAH

JFS Winten, L.AIRAH

Joined prior to 1940

Joined prior to 1940

Joined prior to 1940

WE Dobney, L.AIRAH

Cees Lommers, L.AIRAH

Joined prior to 1940

Joined 1983

Ernest Donnelly, L.AIRAH

Robin Lyons, L.AIRAH

Joined 1984

Joined 1964

JS Dunmore, L.AIRAH

Murray Mason, L.AIRAH

Joined prior to 1940

Joined 1977

Would you like to know more?

For more about AIRAH membership, go to www.airah.org.au/membership

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