CCME August 2014

www.climatecontrolme.com

News

Etihad ESCO, DIFC sign energy efficiency agreement p6

Al Futtaim wins FEWA contract p6

Spotlight: The Big 5 Kuwait p12

Focus: Unleashing VPF technology p34

Interview: Adib Moubadder, the CEO of Emicool p22

Licence to chill: O&M of super-enhanced tubes p64

Case-in point: Pool dehumidification in a retrofit project p68

PLUS: Marketplace, ASHRAE Update

AUGUST 2014

INSIDE

VARsity Looking into the world of variable refrigerant flow systems

Special supplement on the VRF industry

CHILL

OUT

Keeping the love of the outdoors alive even in a scorcher of a summer

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

US$15

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contents

Vol. 9 No. 8 | AUGUST 2014 04 from the editor

Plurality in full bloom

happenings

30

06 The region 14 At large 18 Marketplace

INTERVIEW 22 Bull run

Despite the glitches District Cooling faced in its early days, it is the most optimum air conditioning system, given the millions of square feet of buildings in the region, believes Adib Moubadder, CEO of Emicool, and gives an insider’s view of the industry in his chat with B Surendar.

FOCUS 30 CHILL OUT

With temperatures in the Middle East soaring to as high as 54°C during summer months, it doesn’t take rocket science to deduce that air conditioning systems are an absolute necessity in the region. There are certain cases, however, when employing traditional cooling methods makes less economic sense.

We have the report.

VARsity

LICENcE TO CHILL 64 A view through

Looking into the world of variable refrigerant flow systems

What’s next for VRFs? What opportunities beckon in the nascent economic upturn?

49

the tubes

FOCUS 34 Unleashing VPF Technology

Process instrumentation – a critical DC infrastructure

26

Diagnostics and better predictive maintenance ensure the efficient functioning of a District Cooling plant, says Laxman AR of Endress+Hauser, adding that process control instrumentation helps achieve this.

EVENT REPORT IEQual opportunity While Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is not a new issue in the region, the challenge lies in making the stakeholders of the HVAC and allied industries realise that IEQ-related building features are not as dispensable as they think them to be. We bring you the second and final part of our exclusive report on the 2nd Annual Middle East Indoor Environmental Quality Conference.

In Part I of the series on chillers, Dan Mizesco discussed the advantages and disadvantages of enhanced and superenhanced tubes. In this second part, he looks at their monitoring, maintenance and operational issues.

PERSPECTIVE 66 Getting Sensitised We see traction in every country across the Middle East 54

to Sensors

With flexibility, energy efficiency, ease of installation, a relatively small footprint and low maintenance as their perceived hallmarks, VRFs have made inroads into the region. Louis Rompre, Trane, delves deeper into the subject in a conversation with Climate Control Middle East.

Making VRFs work for you 56 Though VRFs have arguably stolen a march over other cooling systems, they still face some resistance due to piping leakage. Dharmesh Sawant, LG, demonstrates that this limitation can be eliminated by making certain modifications at the design stage.

Warning about the dangers posed by sensors that are not calibrated and designed by an authorised professional company, Syed Taqi Hussain offers advice on the maintenance of electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors.

case-in point 68 Re-creating a

recreation centre

Going the retro route 58 Underscoring that our endeavour to green our planet and make systems energy efficient by constructing buildings with breakthrough innovations cannot be successful unless it is coupled with retrofitting existing systems, Jafar Syed Imam, AHI Carrier, makes a case for VRF technology to render them sustainable.

August 2014

Wulf Recreation Center in Colorado needed a renovation that included a new indoor pool dehumidifier and HVAC equipment. Today, the centre saves 32% energy expenditure annually guaranteed by an energy performance retrofit contract. We bring you the case study.

www.climatecontrolme.com

3

from the

editor Publisher Dominic De Sousa

Plurality

Managing Director & Associate Publisher Frédéric Paillé | fred@cpi-industry.com

in full bloom

Editorial Director & Associate Publisher B Surendar | surendar@cpi-industry.com

A

CEO Nadeem Hood | nadeem@cpidubai.com

few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing the CEO of Emicool, excerpts from which appear in this issue. Adib Moubadder is passionate about his assignment and feverishly driven to put District Cooling up on a lofty pedestal. It was, hence, hardly surprising that he responded to an observation about the reluctance shown by certain consultants to District Cooling with the following words: “They (consultants) are giving wrong recommendations owing to a traditional way of thinking. You cannot approach a country that is raising millions of square feet of buildings, with a traditional mentality.”

Contributing Editors Pratibha Umashankar prati@cpi-industry.com Anoop K Menon anoop@cpi-industry.com Senior Business Development Consultant Stephanie McGuinness stephanie@cpi-industry.com

At the same time, Adib was candid enough to admit to certain shortcoming plaguing the industry, before quickly adding that efforts were on to nullify them.

Design Genesis Salao | getty@cpi-industry.com Ulysses Galgo | uly@cpi-industry.com

Adib’s words represent the keenness of several industry players to robustly showcase the virtues of District Cooling. Never has it been as acutely felt as now, in this nascent economic upturn and the revival of construction activity.

Webmaster Troy Maagma troy.maagma@cpimediagroup.com

In my books, the Great Recession had a polarising effect of sorts. With projects happening in painful spurts, post-Lehman, plus the uncertainty surrounding load profiles, as we all saw, the mood swung in favour of standalone chilled water systems and also the variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology. Today, though the overall climate has improved enough for customers to once again consider District Cooling, there is a willingness to explore the other options.

Database/ Subscriptions Manager Purwanti Srirejeki purwanti@cpi-industry.com Advertising Enquiries Frédéric Paillé: +971 50 7147204 fred@cpi-industry.com Stephanie McGuinness: +971 50 5034087

Plurality is good from a macro point of view. It is good for the economy, the environment and for the individual pockets of customers. It spurs efforts to raise the bar on not only energy efficiency but on making cooling more affordable, plus adding to greater physical comfort, well- being and productivity.

stephanie@cpi-industry.com USA and Canada Kanika Saxena Director (North America) 25 Kingsbridge Garden Cir Suite 919

This issue of the magazine represents a plurality of views. In addition to District Cooling, we have visited the VRF industry. For three years running, August has traditionally focused on the VRF technology through a state-of-the-industry report. Given the heightened interest, this time around, we have transformed the report to a supplement, so we can explore the issues in greater depth.

Mississauga, ON, Canada L5R 4B1 kanika@cpi-industry.com Tel/fax: +1 905 890 5031

The revival deserves such a treatment.

Euro Zone and UK Sandip Virk Group Sales Manager Cell 1: +971 50 929 1845 Cell 2: +44 7734 442 526

B Surendar Editor @BSurendar_HVACR

Skype: sandip.virk1 sandip.virk@cpimediagroup.com

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NEWS Etihad ESCO, DIFC www.climatecontrolm FOCUS: sign energy efficiency Al Futtaim e.com LICENCE TO wins FEWA agreement p6 CASE-IN POINT: contract p6 Unleashing CHILL: O&M of SPOTLI GHT: The Pool dehumidification VPF technology Big 5 Kuwait p12 super-enhanced in a retrofit project p34 tubes p64 INTERVIEW: Adib p68 Moubadder, the CEO of Emicool p22 PLUS: Marketplace, ASHRAE Update

AUGUST 2014

INSIDE

VA Rsity Looking into the world

of variable refrigerant

flow systems

Special supplement on the VRF industry

Printed by: Excel Printing Press, Sharjah, UAE

CHILL

OUT

Keeping the love of the outdoors alive even in a scorcher of a summ er

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

US$15

4

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

Head Office PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 375 68 30 Fax: +971 4 43 419 06 Web: www.cpi-industry.com

© Copyright 2014 CPI. All rights reserved.

While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

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happenings the region

Etihad Energy Services and DIFC sign energy efficiency agreement

services throughout the duration of the agreement to ensure the final upgrades conform to international energy-saving standards, Etihad ESCO revealed.

H.E. Saeed Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy

(DSCE), MD and CEO of DEWA, and Chairman of Etihad ESCO, said: “Our strategic collaboration with the DIFC will serve to further solidify partnerships between the public and private sectors through Energy Performance Contracting in Dubai and enable us to provide new business opportunities for joint ventures, encourage international partnerships, and engage budding entrepreneurs in the field. We also aim to support and encourage partnerships within the private sector to strengthen Dubai’s status as a global smart and sustainable city.”

Commenting on the signing, H.E. Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC, said: “We are pleased to be working with Etihad ESCO to promote Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum’s ‘Green Economy for Sustainable Development’ initiative launched in the Emirate. It is essential that any developments within the DIFC district incorporate sustainable, long-term energy solutions in line with global standards and in support of Dubai’s vision to become an internationally-recognised energy-efficient city.”

Subramanya Rao

the announcement revealed.

Subramanya Rao, Divisional Manager – Facilities Management at Al-Futtaim Engineering, said: “We would like to thank FEWA for awarding us this contract and thereby recognising the quality of our services.

This contract is further testimony to Al-Futtaim Engineering’s reputation as a trusted partner in providing high-quality services.”

Launch programme to reduce energy consumption in DIFC facilities

E

tihad Energy Services Company (Etihad ESCO), a DEWA venture established to make Dubai built environment an example of energy efficiency, has announced signing an agreement with the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint of the properties owned by the DIFC. The agreement is part of Etihad ESCO’s mandate to meet the growing need for energy-efficient solutions in Dubai’s new projects, the announcement added.

Under the terms of the agreement, Etihad ESCO, designated as a Super ESCO (Energy Service Company), is reportedly concluding the feasibility study via an evaluation of the existing DIFC-owned built facilities and has identified areas of sustainable energy savings. It said that it will subsequently

Standing: H.E. Saeed Al Tayer and H.E. Essa Kazim; Seated: Stephane le Gentil and Brett Schafer

initiate a competitive selection process to identify the ESCOs that have been tasked with implementing energy saving measures and upgrading the 15 existing DIFC buildings.

It will also provide financing, project management services and performance

Al-Futtaim Engineering wins FEWA contract Will perform annual maintenance of HVAC units

A

l-Futtaim Engineering’s Facilities Management division has announced winning a multimillion Dirham contract from the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (FEWA) for annual maintenance of its HVAC units.

6

The two-year contract will see Al Futtaim maintain FEWA’s air conditioning units above five tonnes across its various offices and sites, including commercial offices, power plants, reverse osmosis plants, MEP plants, main stations, sub-stations and pumping stations,

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

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happenings the region

Empower to build Command and Control Centre Project expected to enhance operations and customer satisfaction

D

istrict Cooling services provider Empower has announced beginning construction for a stateof-the-art Command and Control Centre (CCC) in Dubai to integrate all operations for the company.

With this centre, Empower said that it will have a bird’seye view of all activities in 57, plants including operations, spanning from the efficiency of its cooling towers to consumer consumption patterns.

8

Ahmad Bin Shafar

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

The CCC will be constructed by Avanceon, a manufacturing technology solutions provider, Empower informed, and elaborated that the centre will function on top of virtualised IT environment and PLC systems. Technologies used for this system are Virtualization, GPRS, MPLS, Programmable Logic Controls (PLC) and SCADA, it added.

The technology will reportedly enable Empower to track operations across its one million Refrigeration

Tonne (RT) District Cooling network.

The investment represents a global first, with more than one million parameter tags on a virtualised IT platform for the District Cooling industry, the company claimed.

“Empower’s Command and Control Centre will enable us to deliver secure, reliable services to our ever-expanding customer base,” said Ahmad Bin Shafar, Empower’s CEO. “With the advanced technologies and systems in place in our CCC, information on the demand, supply and consumption patterns in each and every building unit will be available at our fingertips. Our integrated plant room will ensure that we can not only track our services, but [also] spot and address performance issues immediately.”

happenings the region

Photo courtesy www.qatarsolar-energy.com

Qatar Solar Energy signs agreement with Kazatomprom Expected to accelerate Qatar’s renewable energy production

I

n a communiqué, Qatar Solar Energy (QSE) has announced signing an agreement with Kazatomprom, based in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The move will help it secure solar grade silicon, the raw material used to make solar panels, at an extremely competitive fixed cost for the next 10 years, the announcement added.

According to QSE, the agreement, which was signed

by Salim Abbassi, CEO of QSE, and Azat Betekbaev, Chairman of Kazatomprom’s Solar Division, will also contribute to accelerating its solar power purchase agreements (PPA) in Kazakhstan.

About the agreement Abbassi commented: “This

partnership allows QSE to secure the entire value chain from raw material to smart-grid development, and provides a powerful foundation from which QSE will further expand its production capacity to

2.5 GW. The steady supply of quality raw material is crucial to Qatar Solar Energy's mission to deliver on the promise of low-cost and affordable renewable energy for populations across the world.”

Leminar to build ductwork facility at DIC AED 100-million project planned to be largest fabrication factory in ME

L

eminar Air Conditioning Industries (LAI), a part of the Al Shirawi Group of Companies, has announced breaking ground on the construction of their ductwork fabrication facility.

Planned over 325,000 square feet of space with an investment of over AED100 million, the new factory will be located in Dubai Industrial City (DIC), and will include fully automated duct line machines, spiral duct manufacturing and acoustic attenuators production, along with manufacturing fire dampers and other duct-related accessories, Leminar informed. The facility, once

10

completed is set to be one of the largest duct fabrication facilities in the world, the company claimed.

Present at the ceremony were Navin Valrani, CEO, LAI; Dipak Bhadra, General Manager, LAI; Saud Abu Alshawareb, Executive Director, Partner Relation, DIC; Ali Dawood, Executive Director, Operations, DIC; and Pankaj Gandhi, MD of Honest Constructions, the main contractor of the project.

“This new factory will set a new benchmark for duct manufacturing in the Middle East, and will further seal Leminar’s position as the dominant player in the industry,” said Valrani. “Our investment is a reflection of

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

the confidence we have in Dubai Industrial City and in the city of Dubai.”

The project, expected to be completed by February 2015, will host some of

the best manufacturing processes in the field of HVAC duct manufacturing, and will serve customers, both locally and all across the GCC, Bhadra revealed.

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happenings the region

Second edition of The Big 5 Kuwait promises new features Foreign investment-driven construction activity expected to create added interest

T

he organisers of The Big 5 Kuwait have announced that the second edition of the show will be held from September 22-24 at the Kuwait International Fair, with new features.

Looking to play a significant part in the expected growth of the country, the features will target a wide range of stakeholders, such as contractors, consultants, procurement managers and interested visitors, the organisers added.

They informed that HVAC exhibitors will showcase the latest in technology and brands in the sectors of facility management, pipelines, water technology, and thermal and moisture protection, thermal comfort and good Indoor Air Quality.

Other highlights reportedly

12

include: lectures; certified workshops; training courses designed to enhance industry knowledge and expertise; a Round Table Zone featuring some of the region’s leading industry experts debating on current and relevant topics; and the Interiors Product Zone, where exhibitors will showcase their latest products, including kitchen and sanitary ware, plumbing, safety and security equipment and landscaping products and services.

Pointing out that according to recent industry reports, there is a continuing influx of foreign direct investments into Kuwait, resulting in the emergence of more construction and development projects, the Big 5 Kuwait this year will be more exciting than the debut event last year, the organisers claimed.

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

CONSTRUCTION • BUILDING • INFRASTRUCTUR E

22 - 24 September 2014 Kuwait International Fair www.big5kuwait.com

August 2014

www.climatecontrolme.com

13

happenings at large

AHRI launches International Regulatory Information Service

Created to offer value and business intelligence to its members

I

n a communiqué to its members, AHRI (AirConditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute) has announced the launch of its International Regulatory Information Service (IRIS), available only to its members at: http:// www.ahrinet.org/site/899/ Resources/Global-Resources/ IRIS.

The result of a concerted effort by the International Affairs Department at AHRI, IRIS has been created to offer value and business intelligence to its members by helping them track these regulations, the communiqué elucidated.

According to AHRI, IRIS includes the following two

IAQA to become part of ASHRAE Merger expected to benefit IAQ in built environment

A

SHRAE and the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) have agreed in principle to join forces and combine resources to improve Indoor Air Quality in the built environment. Announcing this through an official communiqué, ASHRAE revealed that pending a three- to six-month period of due diligence, IAQA will become part of the ASHRAE organisation while maintaining its own brand and board of directors.

The agreement was reportedly reached between

14

the leadership of the two associations and confirmed at the 2014 ASHRAE Annual Conference in July.

According to the communiqué, IAQA will operate independently within ASHRAE’s organisational structure, however, plans call for IAQA headquarters to relocate from Rockville, Maryland, to ASHRAE’s headquarters in Atlanta.

ASHRAE and IAQA programmes will reportedly be aligned to create highimpact resources for building

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

primary tools: 1) A list of websites that contain information on minimum energy performance standards (MEPS), labelling requirements, etc, for select countries. This tool also includes a detailed summary and status of regulations from US agencies, including the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, updated by AHRI staff.

2) A listing of notices issued by members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) for proposed new regulations or amendments to current regulations affecting the HVACR and water heating industry.

New and updated information would reportedly be added to

professionals around the globe. In light of this, ASHRAE President Tom Phoenix, said: “This merger is beneficial to both ASHRAE and IAQA in that it strengthens the programmes and services of both organisations.

The work of IAQA complements the work of ASHRAE in its standards, research, publications and educational offerings. We now combine our resources

this resource regularly, and AHRI members may subscribe to receive an email notification when new information is available.

AHRI asked those who wish to subscribe to the services to go to: http://www. magnetmail.net/actions/ subscription_form.cfm?user_ id=AHRI&subId=1438.

In case of trouble logging in, AHRI advised its members to reset their password at http:// netforum.ahrinet.org/eweb/ DynamicPage.aspx?WebC ode=forgotpassword&Site =AHRI or contact Freshta Rosario at frosario@ahrinet. org.

Any feedback or questions could be directed to Matt Gardner, AHRI’s Senior Manager of International Affairs, at mgardner@ahrinet.org, AHRI informed.

to ensure the industry receives the best Indoor Air Quality technical guidance and educational programmes possible, which means improved Indoor Air Quality for the world around us.”

Kent Rawhouser, President of IAQA, added: “This merger allows IAQA to maintain its own brand, while also providing its members with enhanced benefits and services.

Our strong history of programmes and products is expected to not only continue, but to grow as the merger allows us to take advantage of the resources and programmes overseen

by ASHRAE. Members of IAQA and ASHRAE will work collaboratively to strengthen Indoor Air Quality programmes for the industry, and most importantly, for the people who occupy homes and buildings around the world.

Mostra Convegno Expocomfort line up two international events

Will take place in Saudi Arabia and Singapore

M

ostra Convegno Expocomfort (MCE), a biennial exhibition dedicated to residential and industrial installations, air conditioning and renewable energy, has announced launching two new events in 2015: MCE Saudi from May 4-6, and MCE Asia from September 2-4.

MCE Saudi will take place at Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center (RICEC), while MCE Asia will be held in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, in conjunction with Building Eco Xpo (BEX) Asia, the announcement added.

The event organiser Reed Exhibitions

Group said that the twin events would highlight energy efficiency and its impact on those countries that have great potential for developing.

Reed highlighted the following reasons among others, for the choosing Saudi Arabia and Singapore as venues: Saudi Arabia is the largest of the six GCC countries with a population that is expected to reach 37 million by 2020. Therefore, over the next few years, demography, economic growth and urbanisation will support the development of the housing market, with the construction industry

being one of the drivers of the country’s economic development.

Singapore is a financial centre with more than 21% of all certified green mark buildings. It will, therefore, help showcase new technologies in terms of energy efficiency and saving for the construction supply chain, from building envelopes to coverings, from plumbing and sanitary ware industries to smart water management installations aimed at Southeast Asian trade professionals.

“In this context, we have planned to launch MCE Asia and MCE Saudi with the aim of offering to all exhibitors at MCE… a valuable opportunity to market themselves locally, where the demand for high level of technical skills and knowledge is growing fastest in the field of renewable energy, ventilation, air conditioning and sanitary hot water, especially in the residential construction industry aimed at ameliorating environmental comfort and energy efficiency,” said Massimiliano Pierini, Business Unit Director of Reed Exhibitions Italia.

August 2014

www.climatecontrolme.com

15

happenings at large

Michael Ziesemer elected ZVEI President

Cites energy revolution and digitalisation as industry’s biggest challenges

A

t its delegates meeting held in Munich on June 25, the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (ZVEI) named Michael Ziesemer, CEO of Endress+Hauser, as its new President, after serving as the Association’s Vice President for seven years, the company announced.

In his capacity as President, Ziesemer is tasked with representing the interests of the electrical and electronics industry at the highest levels of business and politics, the

announcement added.

Citing the energy revolution and digitalisation as the industry’s biggest challenges, Ziesemer said:

, Yo u r t r u s t e d pa r t n e r f o r Yo u r engineering, energY and environment solutions

eng i n e e r i ng

e n e r g y

e n v i ro n m e n t

phone +971 4 445 7131, +971 4 447 4407 Fax +971 4 447 4410 p.o.Box 125787, Jumeirah Lakes towers tiffany tower, 30th Floor - Dubai, U.a.e. info@en3solutions.com www.en3solutions.com

the three Factor company

16

Engineering

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

Energy

Environment

“Assuming the association’s top honorary office will be a wonderful task for me, given that this industry is marked by so many innovations.

The ZVEI represents around 10% of the German manufacturing industry.

Every third innovation from the manufacturing sector has its roots in the electrical and electronics industry.

That’s why it plays such a significant role in creating jobs and prosperity in Germany…. The ZVEI can promote the dialogue and set the processes in motion that will help companies and

society best prepare for this transformation.”

Endress+Hauser informed that in 2013 Nikolaus Krüger, Corporate Director, Sales and Marketing, at Endress+Hauser, was elected to the ZVEI executive committee that is responsible for the area of Measurement Technology and Process Automation. “We’re proud that two of our executive leaders are in a position to share their know-how with this important German industry association,” said Matthias Altendorf, CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group.

Sonitec-Vortisand pre-qualified for Build in Canada Innovation Program H2F Vortisand filtration system selected

S

onitec-Vortisand has announced that it has been prequalified for the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP) offered by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) for its H2F Vortisand cross-flow microsand submicron filter.

Created to bolster innovation in Canada’s business sector, the BCIP helps companies bridge the pre-commercialisation gap by procuring and testing late stage innovative goods and services within the federal government, Sonitec-Vortisand explained.

Since 2010 over 1,200 proposals have been submitted, and in the latest round, 72 proposals have been selected for pre-qualification, among which H2F Vortisand features, the company informed.

H2F Vortisand cross-flow microsand submicron filtration system was submitted to the category of innovations for the environment, and was pre-selected to provide 1,200 gpm (272 m3/h) H2F Vortisand filters for use as side stream filtration on large cooling towers for government buildings, the company revealed.

The newest addition to the Vortisand family, the H2F Vortisand, is engineered for higher flows while maintaining submicron filtration efficiency, as it operates at a speed that is five times faster than traditional filters at 24gpm/ft2 (60m/h) while supplying a higher water quality than any other media filter, resulting in a highly compact footprint for large applications, the company claimed.

“We firmly believe in the improved competitive advantages of this exciting new product line. The first market reactions have simply been tremendous,” said Marco Bosisio, Sonitec-Vortisand General Manager.

comings &goings Dirk Hoke appointed CEO of Siemens Large Drives Business Unit Moves from Customer Services Division

O

n July 1, Dirk Hoke took over as CEO of the Large Drives Business Unit of the Siemens Drive Technologies Division, the company announced in an official communiqué.

Siemens gave further details: Hoke, an engineer by profession, joined Siemens in 1996 and started his career at Transportation Systems Division.

Subsequently, he held management posts in rail electrification, traction technology, and power supplies at Siemens’ locations in Germany and other countries. After serving for several years as CEO of Siemens’

Cluster Africa and Siemens Morocco, in 2011 he took over leadership of the Industry Solutions Division before being appointed to head the Siemens Division Customer Services in October of the same year.

Large Drives Business Unit, which Hoke will head, develops, manufactures and markets products, systems, solutions, and services for drive engineering in industrial and infrastructure applications, as well as sectors, such as marine engineering, mining, cement, pulp and paper, the communiqué informed.

Airedale appoints Nissar Rahman Sales & Applications Engineer Will provide technical and commercial support to company’s business partners

F

ollowing the opening of its Dubai office in February, Airedale International has announced appointing Nissar Rahman as Sales & Applications Engineer for the Middle East, supporting Area Manager, Andrew Walker.

As the first non-UK resident national to be recruited by the business, Rahman’s appointment marks another milestone in the company’s 40-year-long history, the announcement added.

Rahman, who has a background in Mechanical Engineering, reportedly joins Airedale from an Applications Engineer’s position with Dunham Bush, manufacturers of HVACR systems, and will provide technical and commercial support to Airedale’s business partners in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Commercial Director, Mark Viner said: “We’re delighted that Nissar has agreed to join us. He’s a very talented and experienced engineer who will be pivotal to our growth plans in the Middle East.”

August 2014

www.climatecontrolme.com

17

marketplace

This section contains regional and international products information

*For more information on the latest HVAC products, please visit our website, www.climatecontrolme.com

Danfoss

Optyma Slim Pack

S

aying that a year after the launch of Optyma Slim pack condensing units, it has now extended the range to serve more market needs, Danfoss has announced introducing Optyma Slim Pack for LBP applications for refrigeration.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and benefits: n Initially designed for MBP applications, Optyma Slim Pack packaged condensing units are compact and robust. n They are mainly suitable in milk cooling and cold storage rooms in mini markets, supermarkets, convenience stores or petrol stations. n The range extension covers low back pressure applications from 1.5 to 6 HP. n They are easy to install and handle due to their lightweight. n They are available in five models.

RectorSeal

Blue+ lead-free blue pipe

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ectorSeal Corporation, manufacturer of chemical and specialty products, has announced introducing, Blue+, a pipe thread sealant, which it says is approved for use with multiple plumbing and HVACR residential, commercial and industrial applications.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and benefits: n Blue+ thread sealant was developed by RectorSeal’s in-house laboratory chemists and monitored under strict quality control standards to ensure chemical compatibility with Lubrizol Corp’s FlowGuard Gold, BlazeMaster and Corzan pipe and fittings. n Unlike other blue thread sealants, the patented Blue+ formula does not separate during storage due to a technology that homogenously suspends the compound's particles. n It is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resinenrichment and synthetic fibres providing maximum sealing and lubrication performance. n It is designed for all metal, polyethylene, fiberglass reinforced, PVC, CPVC & ABS pipes. n Manufactured in the United States and formulated for pressures up to 10,000-psi (liquids) and 2,000-psi (gases). n It meets lead-free hot and cold potable water requirements of the US Safe Drinking Water Act in the NSF/ ANSI Standard 61, Annex G and also

18

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) n It is approved for use on all metal pipes, including galvanised steel, iron, brass, copper, aluminum and stainless steel. n It is a non-toxic, low odour, non-flammable compound and ideal for working in small or non-ventilated spaces. n It is non-hardening, and requires no curing time and can be pressurised immediately after applying. n It features a smooth, easily-brushed texture. n It has a guaranteed minimum two-year shelf life.

SABIC

LEXAN BIPV panels

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laiming that they are the first polycarbonate buildingintegrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels featuring design flexibility, thermal insulation and energy production in one solution, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has announced introducing LEXAN BIPV panels.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and benefits: n Created through a collaboration between SABIC and Solbian Energie Alternative, a photovoltaic production company, LEXAN BIPV panels combine tough, lightweight, transparent LEXAN Thermoclear PC sheets with PV-laminated crystalline cells from Solbian. n They can be easily cold bended on site to form graceful, curved roofing systems and are easy in install.

n Available in a broad range of structures, configurations and colours, they are ideal for roofing, cladding and glazing applications. n Panel modules designers can create day-lighting features in façade, roofing or skylight systems. n The panels can reduce energy consumption by up to 17% as against traditional high-return, double-pane glass glazing. n They comply with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) EN ISO/IEC 17025, EIC 61215 and IEC 61730-2 standard certifications and contribute to LEED green building certification.

Trend Control Systems

Meter Made sub-meters

H

ighlighting that installing sub-meters to measure selected areas of energy use in a building or estate is an excellent way to find out how consumption is distributed, benchmark an individual building’s performance and identify opportunities for savings, Trend Control Systems has announced developing a new range of electricity sub-meters.

Trend lists the following product features and benefits: n They can be integrated into the Trend BEMS. n They can be supplied with the option of either opencollector pulse outputs or Modbus communications. n They are also available for either direct connection to the measured supply or connection using 5A current transformers.

n They allow energy consumers to collect their own detailed consumption data. n They are easy to install and simple to use. n They conform to the requirements of EN 50470-3 (Class B) and IEC 62053-0 (Class 1). n All meters feature a seven-digit backlit LCD displaying total energy, power, voltage and current for each phase. n They also feature a kWh pulse indicator and dual tariff recording capability.

EIC Solutions Inc

Protector Series pre-packaged thermoelectrically cooled electronic enclosures

A

nnouncing expanding its line, EIC Solutions has launched the Protector Series pre-packaged electronic enclosures.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and benefits: n They come in eight basic pre-packaged sizes, available in powder coated steel or stainless steel construction. A variety of enclosure depths for each size make for a total of over 116 pre-packaged models. n The smaller sized enclosures ranging from 12x12x8 to

n

n

n n

n

36x30x16 inches meet needs in applications where enclosures must be compact or concealed. The larger units measure from 48x30x10 to 72x30x16 inches and are designed to house more sizable electronic and electrical equipment.

Cooling options include thermoelectric air conditioners with a 200, 400, 800 or 1500 BTU/HR cooling capacity.

Power options include either 120VAC or 220VAC modes.

Since the thermoelectric coolers have no compressors, refrigerants, filters or moving mechanical parts other than fans, they provide a low maintenance solution.

They are made for wall-mounted, pole-mounted or floor-mounted applications.

They are available with a variety of options including drop-in rack mount brackets (4U) to house DVRs and other 19-inch rack mount electronics.

They are rated NEMA 4/4X and are shipped as a complete unit with no assembly required.

August 2014

www.climatecontrolme.com

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ASHRAE

For more updates on ASHRAE, visit the News section of our website, www.climatecontrolme.com

UPDATE

ASHRAE publishes User’s Manual for Standard 90.1 Helps users understand principles and requirements of Standard

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SHRAE has announced coming out with a User’s Manual for ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013, Energy Standard for Buildings Except LowRise Residential Buildings, incorporating 110 addenda, reflecting changes made through the public review process.

Guidance on how to incorporate changes regarding building envelope, lighting, mechanical and the energy cost budget in the 2013 energy standard from ASHRAE and IES are included in the newly published manual, the announcement added.

Because the standard is written in mandatory language and is not intended as a design specification or an instruction manual, the User’s Manual was developed to minimise multiple interpretations of Standard 90.1 that may occur, ASHRAE explained.

According to ASHRAE, the manual, with measurements and calculations in both I-P and SI units, making it usable with either edition of the Standard, helps users understand its principles and requirements and how to comply with them.

The manual, ASHRAE elaborated, with sample calculations, application examples and references to helpful resources and websites, is intended for architects, engineers, contractors, code officials and other building professionals, and is also suitable for use in educational programmes.

In addition, purchasers of the manual can download compliance forms and tools from ASHRAE.org, ASHRAE informed.

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ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013 (Supersedes ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010) Includes ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Addenda listed in Appendix F

Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (I-P Edition) See Appendix F for approval dates by the ASHRAE Standards Committee, the ASHRAE Board of Directors, the IES Board of Directors, and the American National Standards Institute.

This standard is under continuous maintenance by a Standing Standard Project Committee (SSPC) for which the Standards Committee has established a documented program for regular publication of addenda or revisions, including procedures for timely, documented, consensus action on requests for change to any part of the standard. The change submittal form, instructions, and deadlines may be obtained in electronic form from the ASHRAE Web site (www.ashrae.org) or in paper form from the Manager of Standards. The latest edition of an ASHRAE Standard may be purchased from the ASHRAE Web site (www.ashrae.org) or from ASHRAE Customer Service, 1791 Tullie Circle, NE, Atlanta, GA 30329-2305. E-mail: orders@ashrae.org. Fax: 404-321-5478.

Telephone: 404-636-8400 (worldwide), or toll free 1-800-527-4723 (for orders in US and Canada). For reprint permission, go to www.ashrae.org/permissions. © 2013 ASHRAE

ISSN 1041-2336

“Including all the forms and instructions together in one location vs. including them in print allows users to download the package for continual use in their business,” Drake Erbe, Standard 90.1 Committee Chair, said.

ASHRAE gave the following purchase

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

details: The cost of the User’s Manual is $115 ($98, ASHRAE members). To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Contact Center at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 678-539-2129, or visit www.ashrae. org/bookstore.

ASHRAE installs new officers and directors

•

Thomas H Phoenix is new President

•

A

•

SHRAE has announced in an official • Region VIII Director and Regional Chair: communiqué that it has installed new William K Klock, PE, Vice President, EEA officers and directors for 2014-15 at its Consulting Engineers, Austin, Texas, USA Annual Meeting held in Seattle from June 28-July 2. • Region IX Director and Regional Chair: ASHRAE informed that the new President is Blake E Ellis, PE, Principal, Burns & Thomas H Phoenix, PE, Fellow ASHRAE, ASHRAEMcDonnell, Kansas City, Missouri, USA Certified Building Energy Assessment and Building • Region X Director and Regional Chair: Energy Modeling Professional, Principal and Karine Leblanc, Sales Engineer, US Air Vice President, Moser Mayer Phoenix Associates, Greensboro, North Carolina. “People, Passion, Performance” is reportedly his presidential theme.

Elaborating on this, Phoenix said: “People, passion and performance are three things that come to mind when I think about ASHRAE. Thanks to our 53,000 members around the globe, ASHRAE is building a worldwide best practices network of innovative people and successful technologies to serve the built environment community. Our membership also has great passion – I see that in how much time and dedication our people give to helping write standards, develop research, guide in policy and procedure, etc. Together, our people plus their passion ensures performance – whether that’s improving the performance of our great Society or improving the performance of building stock around the world.”

•

Conditioning Distributors, City of Industry, California, USA Region-at-Large: Farooq Mehboob, PE, Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, Owner, S Mehboob and Co, Consulting Engineers, Karachi, Pakistan Director-at-Large: Mark W Fly, PE, Fellow ASHRAE, Director of Engineering and Government Affairs, AAON, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA Director-at-Large: Daniel Int-Hout III, Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, Chief Engineer, Krueger, Richardson, Texas, USA Director-at-Large: Mick Schwedler, PE, Manager, Applications Engineering, Trane, La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA

Cleaner air, better performance dripak.aafeurope.com

ASHRAE gave the following details about other officers installed for a one-year term: • President-Elect: T David Underwood, P Eng, Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, ASHRAECertified Commissioning Process Management Professional, Oakville, Ontario, Canada • Treasurer: Timothy G Wentz, PE, Fellow ASHRAE, ASHRAE-Certified High Performance Building Design Professional, Associate Professor, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, Nebraska, USA • Vice President: Darryl K Boyce, P Eng, Fellow ASHRAE, Assistant Vice President (Facilities Management and Planning), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Vice President: Charles “Chuck” E Gulledge III, PE, Member, ASHRAE-Certified High Performance Building Design Professional, Senior Mechanical Engineer, AC Corporation, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA • Vice President: Bjarne W Olesen, PhD, Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, Professor, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark • Vice President: James K Vallort, Fellow ASHRAE, Senior Vice President, Environmental Systems Design, Chicago, Illinois, USA Directors installed to serve a three-year term from 2014-2017 are: • Region VII Director and Region Chair: Larry J Fisher, Founder, ECT Services, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

DriPak® NX - The most energyefficient pocket filter.

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The DriPak NX offers blue A-labels based on the new 2014 Eurovent Energy Efficiency Classification. These are not ordinary A-labels, but bright blue A-labels; the air filter performs up to 35% better than the A-label limit value established by Eurovent. The energy demand of the DriPak NX is therewith extremely low. With AAF as partner, you can deliver top performance with regard to indoor air quality, the environment and Total Cost of Ownership.

August 2014

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www.climatecontrolme.com

21

interview EMIRATES DISTRICT COOLING This seems to be the season of consolidation and expansion in the District Cooling industry. Is that the way forward, do you think?

We at Emicool feel expansion is the way forward to achieve good results. We are working towards having a footprint in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

There are different ways of expanding. If you look at it, expansion is about innovative thinking. For instance, we have worked out a model where you can have a District Cooling scheme of 2,000 TR. We can offer District Cooling to a single building and make it economically viable – it all depends on managing the installation and the cost of building the installation. It is about cost-saving to make it viable. You can build a capacity of 2,000 TR for about USD 1.5 million. I would rather build for less. Of course, I need end-users to be aware that they are dealing with a District Cooling concept. If one end-user is convinced about District Cooling, we would use that as a strength and approach his neighbour and connect. It is about tapping into a network that is available to us. So this is a sort of expansion.

Bull run

Despite the glitches District Cooling faced in its early days, it is the most optimum air conditioning system, given the millions of square feet of buildings in the region, believes Adib Moubadder, CEO of Emicool, and gives an insider’s view of the industry in his chat with B Surendar.

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Climate Control Middle East August 2014

Your approach sounds similar to Distributed Cooling. How viable is it when it comes to execution? Have you factored in issues relating to service corridors? And would there be a disruption of traffic?

Yes, there will be disruption of traffic, but we are asking people to take a bit of pain.

And don’t forget, when we talk of a single end-user, it could be a mall. We see this approach working well with malls in Qatar. We have conducted studies to assess the possibilities.

And if we look at the benefits, there is value in adopting District Cooling.

The cost of transforming can be offset by freeing valuable

We have managed to survive in the Great Recession, because we have strong contracts

Overall, we have always been innovative in our approach to District Cooling. We were the first to do District Cooling for villas. This was in 2003.

So we are adding value to the customers. We have explained to them the benefits of District Cooling.

There is no noise in the neighbourhood, for one.

And there is no heat that is being ejected in the area. In a conventional set up, the heat goes up and crosses a few metres and comes down,

creating discomfort.

So overall, our expansion strategy is three-pronged – going into new geographical areas, a localised District Cooling scheme and buying smaller District Cooling plants and tapping into the existing networks.

How much of idle capacity do you have?

In terms of commissioned and running, we stand at 330,000 TR. Of that, I have energised 250,000 TR in peak summer.

As part of our expansion

drive, it will be 350,000 TR in 24 months, though, so in fact, I will be needing more capacity.

We are still in the market, because we are very conservative; I build on installment basis.

Now that we are seeing a construction boom in Dubai Sports City, which is my jurisdiction, I am optimistic.

Overall, the geographic location I am working in is mature. The DIP area is from Emirates Road to Al Hibab Road, which spans 26

footprint. For instance, the roof can be cleared of all the chillers to make way for a gym. Plus, we would come up with incentives to connect to District Cooling, such as a discounted connection fee.

Another way of expanding is to buy small District

Emicool District Cooling Plant

Cooling plants. I am talking of capacities between 5,000 and 10,000 TR. As part of this type of expansion strategy, we have bought the Uptown Mirdiff District Cooling plant.

In this approach, we would look to raise efficiencies by investing in controls, etc.

August 2014

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interview EMIRATES DISTRICT COOLING square kilometres. I have Motor City, so there is an escalation of square feet.

Our business is square-foot driven.

We have managed to survive in the Great Recession, because we have strong contracts.

What is your customer profile looking like?

Our customers include hotels, labour camps, retail, hospitals and schools. I am working towards a more diverse customer profile that will include more of health and schools. We have very good R&D and are probably the only company that experiments and executes projects.

We also do home service for our customers. I drop prices by 50% and I remove their hitches and glitches though our FM AC service activities.

In terms of efficiency, do you have a scheme of rewarding the good customers?

Consumption has dropped 14.6% in Ewan Residences ever since we started out with sub-metering

We give incentives to customers for lowest consumption across various categories, be they onebedroom or two-bedroom units.

We are pioneers in metering. We take efforts to convince customers to install sub-meters during the design stage. Consumption has dropped year on year. It has dropped 14.6% in Ewan Residences, for instance, ever since we started out with submetering.

In all, we have 17,000 sub-meters. They are all bar-coded through an ERP system. By the way, we have our own ERP system.

We have fibre optic, GPRS, and some of them are on F-signal. I don’t have to enter a building at all; the reading

of the sub-meters is done remotely.

Still there is a general feeling that District Cooling providers are not doing enough to support their customers. There is the nagging thought that some customers have to pay for the relative inefficiencies arising out of the deployment of temporary chillers? How is it with you?

In Dubai Sports City, we have temporary chillers, and that is because the piping network has not reached there. The plant is 2.4 kilometres away from Dubai Sports City. I have built the plant within the Sports City, and within a year the entire Sports City will be linked to the plant.

We are getting 1.2 kW/TR in the case of the temporary air-cooled chillers, but we are subsidising our customers. We are losing, but we are losing for one year, not for 25 years.

We do not impose penalties on our customers for low Delta T, but from a technical point of view, the losses we see, we have to impose it.

If we don’t penalise, there will not be any corrective measures taken. And the penalty is not to make money for ourselves, but to pay to the grid.

At the same time, as mentioned earlier, we are giving incentives for low consumption. You have to be fair. That is why we are proposing that all the secondary networks have to be run by District Cooling providers, because FM companies are not equipped with the technology, expertise or the knowledge.

Coming back to my earlier question about consolidation, do you get a feeling you will be bought over?

Adib Moubadder, CEO of Emicool, receiving the Dubai Chamber CSR Label certification from H.E. Hamad Buamim, Director General, Dubai Chamber

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Climate Control Middle East August 2014

As the CEO, I am not aware of any consolidation, of anyone wanting to buy Emicool. We had a lot of assets. Our debt-to-assets

cannot deviate from a certain fact that District Cooling reduces power consumption and carbon emissions. The entire GCC economy is characterised by very good export of fuel. If the leaders of the region want to reduce domestic consumption, they have to use District Cooling.

And that’s precisely why it’s part of the strategic energy plan of the Government of Dubai.

In Saudi Arabia, they know that District Cooling is the way forward, else there will be serious problems related to costs – I am referring to substation costs, grid network costs and low voltage to buildings.

While there is no questioning the virtues of District Cooling, provided it is done properly, there are consultants who are recommending standalone systems to their clients.

What can be done to bring a change of heart?

Emicool winning the ‘Best Utility Provider in District Cooling’ category at the Climate Control Awards 2012

ratio was not right, and our restructuring efforts helped.

Our company is mature enough to take mega projects.

People love to work with us.

Our decision-making process is quick. We are on the right path.

Where are you from an environmental standpoint?

With HCFC-related phaseout schedules approaching, are you prepared?

About 75% of my equipment runs on R134A and about 25% on R123. We are working with Trane to find a more sustainable solution, and we have recovery units in place to reclaim and re-inject the gas. All our maintenance is on recovery units. We are working on the bearing type and doing carbon balancing.

The mission is to overall reduce carbon emissions.

To specifically answer your

What kind of efficiencies do you get across your plants?

I get 0.9kW/TR on an average. In some plants, I get 0.82.

The level of consulting in some quarters is below the desired standard question, we will phase out R123 within 18 to 24 months.

We are very concerned about the need to safeguard the environment. We have thermal energy storage in all our plants, because I believe in sustainability.

What efforts do you take to conserve water?

We are installing sensors to check for leakages. From a macro point of view, all our plants are on treated sewage effluent (TSE), except in summer, when irrigation water is needed. We use 90% TSE and 10% DEWA water.

All our plants work on RO.

As an industry player, are you concerned about the rather low penetration rate of District Cooling in the country? And more so, in the region?

Sooner or later, people will realise that District Cooling is the most optimum air conditioning system. We

August 2014

The level of consulting in some quarters is below the desired standard. The consultants need to give proper answers to end-users.

They are giving wrong recommendations owing to a traditional way of thinking.

You cannot approach a country raising millions of square feet of buildings with a traditional mentality.

I agree that the cost of District Cooling was massive during the construction boom of the last decade, but costs are coming down. Overall, there is a need to allow the District Cooling industry to be as competitive as possible.

So we need more players and ought not to be limited to one provider. The healthy model will be one where there is competition. I am against the thinking that says we need one company to deliver District Cooling to the whole of Dubai. District Cooling is not like electricity and water; it requires high technical finesse. www.climatecontrolme.com

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eventreport

IEQual opportunity While Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is not a new issue in the region, the challenge lies in making the stakeholders of the HVAC and allied industries realise that IEQ-related building features are not as dispensable as they think them to be. We bring you the second and final part of our exclusive report on the 2nd Annual Middle East Indoor Environmental Quality Conference.

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ustainability has gradually entered the collective psyche of the regional HVAC industry players. Driven by more stringent energyefficiency regulations and stricter requirements from consumers, manufacturers, designers and contractors are innovating with products and methods to fulfil the increasingly discerning and stringent demands of their clients. Technologies on offer are now made with cutting-edge features and state-of-the-art designs, while construction techniques are updated to reflect the best practices applied to some of the most iconic structures in the world.

However, at the 2nd Annual Middle East Indoor Environmental Quality Conference, produced by CPI Industry, the publishers of Climate Control Middle East, in early May in Dubai, a crucial industry concern surfaced. Henning M Bloech, General Manager, Building Performance Programmes, UL Environment, Underwriter's Laboratories, voiced it when he said that when a project was met with several constraints, like budget, time or lack of knowledge, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)related features were typically 26

Henning M Bloech

engineered out. He observed that IAQ commissioning, pressure-testing and contaminant-testing were not really done. “Most of the standards,” said Bloech, “focus on the energy part and are almost rudimentary on IAQ. As there are insufficient requirements, IAQ is not a must have.”

Bloech advocated that there was a need to strike a balance between energy-related features and the ones that concerned IAQ. “People are most exposed to pollutants by

the air that they breathe,” he said, adding that remediation, on an average, was 100 times more costly than a preventive maintenance programme.

“Moulds, for instance,” he said, “could be easily prevented by checking the humidity and moisture levels in buildings.”

In order that IEQ issues attained the equality in attention and action, Bloech made several suggestions: • As buildings are made with tighter envelopes, engineers have to make sure that there is enough delivered fresh air to the buildings to reduce the pollutants.

• One has to pay attention to the materials and pollutant sources that one brings inside a building.

• The concentration of pollutants in a building

IEQ in Commercial Buildings L-R: Salah Nezar, Qatar Project Management; Abdullah Gallioun, IFA Hotels and Resorts; Annelies Hodge, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Robert Boldi, Zayed University; Abdulhadi Alalyak, du and Member of the Board of the Middle East Facilities Management Association and Ashroff Shakoor, Grand Hyatt Dubai

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

THE 2 NDANNUAL MIDDLE EAST INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CONFERENCE 12-13 May 2014 | Hall 5 & Al Multaqua Ballroom, Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Dubai World Trade Centre), UAE

rises when ventilation is brought down.

• The key is proactive management and preventive maintenance strategies.

Bloech also emphasised that when it came to the issue of IAQ, there was no room for amateurs. “It is very important,” he said, “to have a qualification and accreditation scheme for IEQ-related professionals.”

He said that with the right knowledge and training, construction professionals would be able to design and construct the building right. “It is also important to assess the building and collect as much data as you can, say, in terms of moisture mapping, moulds and CO2, among others,” he added.

In conclusion, he reiterated that training building operations personnel on moisture and IAQ management was of utmost importance. “There are issues that could be addressed early without the need for so much money,” he stressed. “Prevention is much cheaper than remediation.”

As part of the second and concluding section of our comprehensive report, we bring you the highlights of Day 2 of the conference.

The first panel discussion for Day 2 revolved around the topic of IEQ in commercial buildings. The panellists comprised: • Abdulhadi Alalyak, Vice President, Asset Management & Corporate Administration, du and Member of the Board of the Middle East Facilities Management Association • Robert Boldi, Associate Professor at Zayed University • Abdullah Gallioun,

Second Panel discussion (L-R) Michael Hoy MBIFM, Facilities Management Consultant; Dr M Ramaswamy, Royal Estates, Sultanate of Oman; Iqtedar Ali Bangash, Canadian Specialist Hospital; Dr Iyad Al Attar, International Air Filtration Consultant; Salah Nezar, Qatar Project Management

MEP Project Engineer, IFA Hotels and Resorts • Annelies Hodge, Senior Manager for CSR and Internal Communications at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry • Ashroff Shakoor, Director of Engineering at the Grand Hyatt Dubai The members of the panel deliberated on the tangible benefits of good IEQ in commercial buildings resulting from key HVAC initiatives in new constructions and retrofit efforts in existing facilities.

The second panel discussion on Day 2 zeroed in on key IEQ expectations of the medical profession and the technical personnel at hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the GCC. Highlights...

Iqtedar Ali Bangash, Director, Facilities Management Support Services, Canadian Specialist Hospital: As regards the operation theatre, we have to maintain the quality of material used, up to the wheels of the trolley, the bed, the lights.... We have to be very conscious about them.

For the recovery area, the temperature set point is dependent on what the surgeon and the anaesthetist recommend. We must remember that hospitals are designed for the patient and not for the doctors.

Michael Hoy MBIFM, Facilities Management Consultant: There is a lot of detail that goes in the design of hospitals.

The HTM standard deals with the design, build and installation and the operation of the building. Although HVAC systems have been August 2014

commissioned, one failure that could happen is in the installation of HEPA filters in operating theatres, resulting in a huge air pressure drop.

This could result in a lot of delay and a lot of costs to mitigate. Our number one priority in hospitals is patient safety, and we cannot run an operating theatre that doesn’t run properly.

Dr M Ramaswamy, Technical Expert – Royal Estates, Sultanate of Oman, former Hospital Chief Engineer, Department of Engineering, Rustaq Hospital, Oman: The engineering department is always the odd man out in hospitals. There is a concept that hospitals are only for doctors and nurses and patients…. Doctors and nurses are not from an engineering background and, often-times, they don’t understand the engineering science. Doctors and nurses www.climatecontrolme.com

27

eventreport do not understand pressure levels, and other concepts.

We arrange seminars and trainings to make doctors and nurses understand the concepts of engineering science in pedestrian terms.

After the discussion, the next day, I could already see changes…. An infection control committee is also very crucial in a hospital.

ICUs are more critical areas than the operation theatres.

From the design stage of the hospital, it is advisable for the contractors to follow the design standards….

Ultimately, a hospital has a different set of requirements compared to other types of buildings, in terms of cleanliness, temperature and acoustics, among others.

Dr Iyad Al Attar, International Air Filtration Consultant: Usually, the AHU may stay the same, but the filtration system is upgraded.

What does that mean to your AHU? You cannot install higher levels of a HEPA filter without adjusting the fans of the AHU. Another point is to make sure of the exhaust air....

We have to transfer the purchasing of filters from the purchasing department to the engineering department.

(In subsequent issues, we will be looking at some of the presentations at the conference in considerable detail.)

Kim Hagström, Development Director, Healthcare & Laboratories Solutions, Halton Oy

Allan Westbury, CEO, S & P Coil Products Limited

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Climate Control Middle East August 2014

Hafeez Sidhique, Concept Manager, Technical Sales Support, Decorative Department, Jotun Paints UAE

THE 2 NDANNUAL MIDDLE EAST INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CONFERENCE 12-13 May 2014 | Hall 5 & Al Multaqua Ballroom, Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (Dubai World Trade Centre), UAE

Frese OPTIMA Compact

Pressure independent control valve Flow, temperature and pressure control in one single valve that:

Frese PICV

• • • • •

Overcomes ΔT syndrome Eliminates overflows Simplifies system design and commissioning Provides system flexibility Achieves proven energy savings

For more information visit our website www.frese.eu

August 2014

www.climatecontrolme.com

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focus

OUTDOOR COOLING SYSTEMS

CHILL OUT With temperatures in the Middle East soaring to as high as 54°C during summer months, it doesn’t take rocket science to deduce that air conditioning systems are an absolute necessity in the region.

There are certain cases, however, when employing traditional cooling methods makes less economic sense. We have the report.

M

ost the buildings, flats and villas in the Middle East have air conditioning units in place.

Be they window units, ducted splits, chillers or VRF, these HVAC systems are a must in a region that experiences almost four months of extremely high temperatures and humidity.

There are instances, however, when installing conventional HVAC systems may not be the right method to adopt for cooling. Take a patio for example. It will surely not be a good idea, cost-wise, to enclose it with glass or with concrete just to be able to use an air conditioning unit to cool it during summer.

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Also, outdoor dining areas of restaurants are usually occupied by smokers and shisha users, and closing them off would not be a good move, health-wise.

For these cases, when using traditional HVAC systems makes less sense, there are outdoor cooling technologies that promise to deliver a considerable amount of temperature decrease and may make occupants feel more comfortable.

“People throughout the Middle East love the outdoors, but it is too hot during half the year to truly enjoy yourself outside.” says Jonathan Marsh, CEO at MistAmerica. “With the right product that meets the needs

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

A properly designed outdoor cooling system using fan-driven high-pressure misting system will consume electricity at a small fraction of a traditional AC system

of hotel, restaurant, and residential clients, the size of the market is quite large.”

Marsh explains that outdoor cooling systems work like sea breeze: “They produce air that is more humid, but cooler.

It is reasonable to expect a cooling level of about 3°C to 8°C in humid climates, like in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.” He adds that in drier climates, like in Riyadh or Al Ain, one can even expect a cooling benefit of up to 15°C. Sam Peli, General Manager for European Sales, Seeley International, says that outdoor cooling technologies can contribute to maintaining healthy as well as a “traditional” lifestyle.

“More exposure to outdoor activities may help fight problems, such as Vitamin D deficiency and obesity. These are quite common in the GCC,” he observes. He adds that utilising outdoor cooling technologies may prove beneficial to those people

who would want to “preserve tradition”, as he believes that technologies on offer are able to cool majlis (Arabic, “a place for sitting”), making them useful throughout the day, as opposed to just in the coolest hours of the evening.

In terms of cooling capacity, Peli is of the opinion that through the continuous production of stream of fresh, filtered air, outdoor cooling systems, like evaporative cooling systems can manage to decrease the temperature by up to 35°C. “Temperature drop will vary through the day and through the seasons.

In the worst conditions, we may see a 5°C to 10°C drop, or up to 35°C in the most favourable conditions,” he explains.

While outdoor cooling technologies find usual applications in residential patios or outdoor eating or relaxation places, larger capacity systems are increasingly being utilised for industrial applications.

“With all the construction projects under way,” says Robert Mangiaforte, Director for International Sales at PortA-Cool, “evaporative cooling can be used to create a safe working environment and increase worker comfort.” He explains that outdoor cooling solutions can be used in virtually any place where air conditioning is not available or is cost-prohibitive.

On water consumption and health issues Jonathan Marsh, CEO at MistAmerica, and Sam Peli, General Manager for European Sales at Seeley International, shed light on the water consumption of outdoor cooling systems and health-related concerns surrounding their operations from the point of view of their companies. Highlights…

Marsh: “Water consumption is minimal.

Remember, evaporating just under six litres/ hour dissipates as much heat as a one-tonne air conditioner. There are several different nozzle orifice sizes, but a typical humid-climate nozzle will use 0.04 litres/minute. Health issues are important to address with all types of cooling systems, as we are breathing this air. Our outdoor cooling systems do not involve any 'changing' of the water. A typical system is tied into a building's potable water lines, and then filtered via reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment. We normally use a closed system RO with no holding tank – so we minimise any chance for bacterial buildup. In addition, we will treat the water for bacterial growth with UV light and chemical injection systems where needed or desired.”

Peli: “There would be water consumption involved in outdoor cooling systems, but from an environmental point of view, that would be much preferable compared to high energy usage and presence of refrigerant gases that pose a threat to the environment. Typical water usage would be below 1 litre/hour per kW of cooling.

“Whereas old style ‘desert coolers’ may pose health issues, the latest generation products are totally safe from this point of view. Water would be automatically monitored and discharged to avoid proliferation of bacteria. The whole system – tank, pads, pump, fan – is designed to avoid stagnation of water when the system is not in use, as well as any presence of air droplets in the air-stream. Air droplets are the main threat, as they are the only medium that may carry contaminants. Note that vapour (evaporated water) does not carry contaminants. Indirect systems are even inherently safer as the air flow doesn’t come into contact with the water at any time.”

Growth areas

Marsh and Mangiaforte agree that the Middle East is the foremost growth area for outdoor cooling technologies.

From Marsh’s point of view, Qatar and Kuwait are excellent markets for his company’s Mist Cooling Systems. He explains: “Qatar is a good market, primarily because it is less humid there than Dubai. Kuwait is also an excellent prospect because the air there is dry, as it primarily comes from the desert.” Marsh reveals that the cooling benefits of Mist

Qatar is a good market, primarily because it is less humid there than Dubai August 2014

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OUTDOOR COOLING SYSTEMS Cooling Technologies are maximised in dry conditions.

He continues: “Every installation of our product is customised to the particular need of the area and the client. Through a site visit, we determine what needs to be done to cool an area, and whether our systems can truly add value to create a comfortable outdoor space.”

Mangiaforte shares Marsh’s opinion: “In case of some of the big projects in Qatar and in the UAE, there is a real need for cooling during the construction phase and once the structures are ready. There is a big role in managing heat stress,” he says.

The quality of the matches will be diminished if played in hightemperature conditions Throwing the spotlight on Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Mangiaforte says that whether the games will be played during the summer or not, the comfort of the players and the spectators should be the focus.

MistAmerica and Port-ACool both have experience in providing cooling to stadia. Mangiaforte shares his thought: “The quality of the matches will be diminished if played in high-temperature conditions. We have had experience in cooling fans’ sections at Hamad Stadium and at Khalifa International Stadium in Qatar.”

Savings: A close look

Outdoor cooling systems are usually employed when installing or using traditional HVAC technologies make less 32

Technologies on offer are able to cool majlis, making them useful throughout the day, as opposed to just in the coolest hours of the evening economic sense. Mangiaforte fleshes out this belief: “There is no question on the energy efficiency attributes of evaporative cooling.

Traditional air conditioning is going to be 20% or 40% more costly than evaporative cooling.”

Mangiaforte shares the fact that most of his company’s units would work at AED 7 a day, and has a lesser carbon footprint compared to traditional systems. “Our endusers find it a very powerful proposition to use evaporative cooling as the cost-savings is huge,” he reveals.

Marsh delves deeper: “A typical outdoor patio space has 60 times the air exchange of an indoor space. In

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

simplified terms, this means that one will need 60 times as much cooling outdoors as would be needed for the same square footage indoors. Clearly, an outdoor space with air conditioning systems is not feasible.”

He says that if one were to partially enclose the area to lower the air exchange, one could find it more reasonable to cool the patio with an air conditioning system. “However, to save a significant amount on electrical usage, a properly designed outdoor cooling system using fan-driven high-pressure misting system will consume electricity at a small fraction of a traditional AC system.”

Chilling outdoors

Enduring extremely hot summer months is part of the experience of living in the Middle East. But keeping cool during this scorching season need not be expensive and energy intensive. Besides offering significant costsavings to end-users, the purported energy efficiency of outdoor cooling technologies can help taper the energy demand during summer months, observed to peak owing to extensive use of air conditioning systems. When installing air conditioning systems is not the most costefficient choice, one could have a look at the outdoor cooling systems available on offer.

focus VALVES

uNLEASHING

VPF

TECHNOLOGY

Centralised air conditioners should ideally provide comfort and energy efficiency. Variable Primary Flow systems coupled with Pressure Independent Balancing and Control Valves deliver on both counts, says Ismail Serhan Ozten of Danfoss, who presents proof to support his assertion.

Infrastructure challenge

It is to state the obvious that most commercial buildings have very low occupancy after office hours or during weekends. This renders operating centralised air conditioning systems during these times wasteful. The challenge is to run them efficiently.

In example 1 the building has 10 floors and all of them are occupied from morning till late afternoon. During evening time, a single floor is open for business. Thus, the centralised air conditioning system that distributes air for the entire building has to work for the sake of cooling only a single floor.

Modern building outlook requirements do not allow an additional air conditioning equipment to be displayed outside the building.

Therefore, running a separate smaller air conditioning system is not an option. In such a scenario, the Variable Primary Flow system could be the answer.

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Variable Primary Flow system: Introduction

Variable Primary Flow (VPF) system was commonly published in the 1990s and is superior to Primary Secondary Flow system in terms of energy efficiency. In the growing interest of energy efficiency, some engineers have now come to think that the VPF system may be employed to work better at very low load condition.

In general, this system has lower initial and operation costs compared to primary secondary flow system.

The following are the saved initial costs: 1) Elimination of secondary pumps 2) No swing chiller needed 3) Fewer pipe connections 4) Fewer electrical connections 5) Less floor space required 6) Smaller bypass size Saved operation costs are: 1) Varying primary pump speed 2) Varying compressor speed/ quantity in compressors/ quantity of chillers 3) Efficient chiller performance even during part load Despite the merits stated above, the system has its limitations which are highly reliant on the hydronic balancing and control performance.

VPF system – implementation

Figure 1: Sample building load demand

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

Key to Figure 2 1) Motorised control valves to regulate room temperature 2) Motorised control valve to allow minimum flow in variable flow chillers 3) Digital flowmeter 4) Differential pressure sensor 5) Water immersed temperature sensor 6) Variable speed pumps 7) Motorised isolation valves to prevent inflow from

For engineers, the biggest fear is under-capacity.

Understanding the basis of the control algorithm helps optimise a chilled water system.

The objective is to fully load the active chillers and shut down some of the redundant ones

Figure 2: Variable Primary Flow schematic

MAKING MODERN LIVING POSSIBLE

1 million reasons to choose the best The Danfoss AB-QM is a pressure independent balancing and control valve in one. This valve, combined with a Danfoss actuator, optimizes HVAC systems in a cost-effective manner, saves energy, and enables a perfect indoor climate.

More than 1 million AB-QM valves installed, really says it all. This valve

offers more than just control and balance. It will save you time when installing, calculating and commissioning. Your customers will benefit from better comfort and energy savings.

Ask for AB-QM at your local Danfoss sales off ice or learn more at our website today.

3 years payback time

Case studies prove that investing in Danfoss PIBCV’s pays itself back in less than 3 years.

www.danfoss.com/ME

August 2014

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Port-A-Cool Hurricane 3600 Port-A-Cool 48” unit

• Fully assembled, one-piece housing • Cools up to 372 m2, depending on model • Water control valve • Lowers temperature as much as 14˚C • Cools anywhere standard A/C is ineffective or cost-prohibitive • Equipped with superior quality KÜÜL® evaporative cooling technology

Port-A-Cool Hurricane 3600

Can’t Stand the Heat? Try Natural Evaporative Cooling With temperatures already over 40 degrees Celsius and record-breaking heat becoming the norm, a solution for keeping your cool is available... straight from Mother Nature.

Natural evaporative cooling is as old as the ancient deserts of the Middle East and was a common practice as early as 2500 B.C. Frescoes and plaster paintings depict fans moving over jars of water to create the cooling effect of evaporation.

Today, evaporative cooling and modern technology combine to create effective, economical, powerful cooling using the same process in a much more efficient package.

Port-A-Cool portable evaporative cooling units are one such product, offering multiple sizes to cool as much as 372m2.

An energy-efficient and cost-effective approach Evaporative cooling is, quite simply, cooling with water. By evaporating water, the temperature of the air in contact with the liquid water will lower as an endothermic reaction takes place. During this reaction, the liquid water changes to a gas and the temperature of the air lowers. In short, by pulling air across water,

the temperature of the air will lower.

A control system within the evaporative cooler operates the pump to assist in creating this effect and the fan distributes the cool air. A good example of evaporative cooling at work is the cooling sensation felt when climbing out of a swimming pool, when your body sweats or even when a breeze blows across the sea.

An evaporative cooler actually works best with a supply of outside ambient air to deliver a temperature reduction by as much as 14 degrees Celsius. While evaporative coolers achieve significant temperature

“Evaporative cooling is, quite simply, cooling with water.” drops in more arid climates and drier spaces, they provide relief from the heat in any climate. For example, in regions where relative humidity reaches 70% at midday with temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius, evaporative coolers have been shown to offer noteworthy relief. Given that relative humidity is lowest in the afternoon when the temperature is at its highest, an effective evaporative cooling scenario is achievable.

Today’s evaporative coolers are not yester year’s coolers While evaporative coolers use the same general principles as antiquated coolers, the technology of today’s Port-A-Cool evaporative coolers has evolved to become much more energy efficient and effective. It can be said that the operation hinges squarely on the pad technology. A quality pad, like KÜÜL® pad technology that comes standard with every Port-A-Cool unit, is an important element to selecting a long-lasting and efficient product. KÜÜL® pads have been treated during their curing process to maximize the interaction between air and water for superior cooling.

Additionally, with improved design efficiency, today’s Port-A-Cool evaporative coolers are among the most energy-efficient cooling methods available, requiring the same amount of electricity used to run standard household appliances and costing just a few cents an hour.

For more information on how evaporative cooling can help you, your customers, and your employees keep cool this summer, call (936) 598-5651 or visit www.port-acool.com.

+971502123099 • www.port-a-cool.com

focus VALVES

other pumps during low load 8) Manual balancing valves/ flow limiters or automatic balancing valves Note: Flow limiters, also known as Automatic Balancing Valves, are not recommended to combine with item #1 modulating control valves, because their characters oppose one another, hence: 1) Modulating control valves = Regulate flow to maintain constant temperature 2) Flow limiters = Regulate orifice to maintain constant flow

If a valve authority is low, it is similar to filling a glass using a fire hose.

As it opens under highly pressurised condition, water will spill over

benefits: 1) Easy to troubleshoot 2) Shorter cable length 3) Less need for ΔP transmitter calibration Note: The longer the cable length, the higher the voltages drop. When the analogue signal drops, the range of the control becomes smaller. It was intended to work from 0-10 VDC for a 0-100% pressure variation. For example, the incoming signal becomes 9V DC as maximum after travelling from a long cable distance. Therefore, a calibration must be done to recognise 0-9V DC as 0-100%.

Liquid ΔP sensor across the variable speed pumps

Figure 3-1: Full load condition

Hydronic balancing and control

Liquid ΔP sensor across the variable speed pumps

This implementation is very commonly applied in most variable flow systems. Especially the hydronic configuration in the distribution circuits have manual balancing and motorised control valves. In large systems, there may be even manual balancing valves installed in the branches, risers and headers to enable proportional balancing method.

The ΔP transmitter located across the variable speed pumps has the following 38

Figure: 3-2 Part load condition

During partial load, even the highest resistance or furthest circuit ΔP becomes relatively close to the pump head pressure.

At this juncture, the control valve’s character is distorted from its desired authority.

When a control valve loses its authority, the temperature response will be unstable and inaccurate. In most cases, it will constantly hunt for the desired temperature. While it is constantly hunting, the average flowrate pumped will be higher than needed.

When a system has huge overflow, then the energy transfer across the coil will be inefficient. Most liquid will pass through the coil at high velocity, attributing to less heat transferred. This phenomenon is known as low ΔT syndrome.

Low ΔT syndrome will cause the incorrect leaving temperature and quantity of chillers.

ΔP transfer in relation to flowrate

Figure 3-2-1: Pressure transferred to control valve during part load

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

When the cooling load is 70%, the required flow is 40%. When the flow is 40%, then pressure drop across the control valve is 84% with 16% left in the system fittings.

A small change of cooling

load causes a large pressure transition from system fittings to control valves. Most of the time, the cooling load varies from 80% and below, depending on the size and efficiency of the coil. The reason it is not always 100% is because it is oversized for extreme circumstances.

(No energy transfer) 3) Digital flowmeter 4) Differential pressure sensor 5) Water Immersed temperature sensor 6) Variable speed pumps 7) Motorised isolation valves 8) Manual Balancing Valves / Flow limiters aka Automatic Balancing Valves

Liquid ΔP sensor across the highest resistance unit

A ΔP sensor is installed across the circuit of the highest resistance unit in the system. This unit is sometimes perceived as: 1) Critical unit 2) Index unit 3) Reference unit This practice will enable the speed of the pump to vary proportionally against the pump head pressure.

Note: Item (8) is no longer required because PIBCV is a self-balancing valve. Refer to Figure 2.

Figure 3-2: Full load condition

Unleashing an innovative technology

Figure 5-1 shows a construction of extremely innovative technology that performs balancing and control. This control valve has a built-in pressure controller that keeps the control valve character constant. Thus, the good valve authority is close to 1.

In combination with its actuator, it has the ability

Liquid ΔP sensor across the highest resistance unit

Now that we know the pressure head will vary at the pumps against the system load, it is not possible for manual balancing valves to react to these variations.

For example, circuit 1 manual balancing valve is required to create a resistance of 230 kPa during full load. During part load, the available ΔP across the circuit is only 80 kPa. Hence, a manual balancing valve creates more resistance than needed when this terminal requires full flow. It is attributing under-capacity during part load.

For engineers, the biggest fear is under-capacity, which is in direct relation to their goals – comfort and efficiency.

In this scenario, the VPF system offers the most desirable implementation option.

Key to Figure 4: 1) PIBCV – Logarithmic character (water to air energy transfer) 2) PIBCV – Linear character

Figure 3-4: Conventional setup at part load

Figure 4: Variable Primary Flow schematic August 2014

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focus VALVES

If a valve authority is low, it is similar to filling a glass using a fire hose. As it opens under highly pressurised condition, water will spill over. If a valve authority is high, it is similar to filling a glass using a tap – a full range of control that precisely provides the exact flowrate that is needed.

to change the curve of the character to match the coil’s non-linear character; the results of the control will be linear. Linearity signifies stability and accuracy.

Combining PIBCV with other components

Every separate entity in the system has its own characteristic. Combining each component correctly with a properly set and tuned controller elicits a good control response.

Not only does it have a good response, but it is also energy efficient.

Understanding the basis of the control algorithm helps optimise a chilled water system even further.

Example: Chiller leaving temperature setpoint: Decrease the temperature to decrease the overall flowrate. A load analysis of the chillers can be used to determine the leaving setpoint.

In a plant that has four identical chillers in parallel, the average load of three operating chillers is around 60% each. The chiller setpoint can be lowered to collect and consolidate the loading of the chillers to decrease the average flowrate. Having lower flowrates would require one set of the chiller deducted from the operation. Now, two chillers are operating with 90% load each. The objective is to fully load the active chillers and shut down some of the redundant ones.

Figure 5-1 Pressure Independent Balancing & Control Valve (PIBCV)

Figure 5-1: ACMV Closed-loop control

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The control valve authority is sized with respect to 0.5 minimum commonly as a guideline. Equation 1 has a common expression used, based on Figure 6-2: Equation 2 is not a complete expression, because the system fittings have not

Figure 5-2 shows the flexibility changing the curve in the actuator that could be matched to the coil character.

Most actuators in the industry have linear control signal and logarithmic valve character. If different water temperature is fed to the heat exchanger, then its character cannot match.

Figure 5-2: Part of control loop from Figure 5-1

Most of the time, chilled water systems operate two per cent full load and 98% part load

Control valve authority

Most manufacturers produce typically two different valve characteristics based on Figure 6-1. The green colour character denotes the most desired character, which has no ΔP changes and, therefore, has no distortion.

A stable and accurate control will require valve authority closer to 1.

Control valve authority in practice

Figure 6-1: Common control valve characters

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

The formula for control valve authority can be expressed as:

Figure 6-2: Terminal circuit pressure drop

Equation 1

Equation 2

been taken into account.

Most of the time, chilled water systems operate two per cent full load and 98% part load.

Let us consider the worst-case scenario based on terminal unit 4 in the two diagrams: Figure 7-1 and Figure 7-2.

In essence, the denominator can be expanded, summarised and translated as in Equation 3.

PIBCV independent of pressure variations

Built-in pressure controller, DPC, takes away hydraulic influences from other parts of the installation.

Regardless of different load conditions, it maintains a good valve authority.

Hence, it can be expressed, as in Equation 4.

Equation 3

Figure 7-1: Full load condition

PIBCV — a closer look

The primary task of a DP controller is to maintain constant ΔP across the control valve. When the pressure increases in P1, it inflates the bottom part (high side) of the DP controller’s chamber through capillary tubing.

During inflation, the DP controller’s orifice becomes smaller to absorb pressure from P1, thus causing pressure in P2 to increase.

For pressure transition chart refer to (Figure: 3-21).

The DP controller will shave off extra pressure applied to the control valve not only when removing hydraulic interference from other parts of the installation, but also when the control valve itself is closing. As long P1 increases, DP controller will instantly react to maintain pressure equilibrium.

We notice the DP controller’s chamber is connected to two capillary tubings that are taking both the high and low side pressures. The PIBCV is subjected to atmospheric pressure. Hence, it requires a low side capillary tubing to also achieve atmospheric pressure equilibrium.

It doesn’t matter if the DP controller is in front or behind the control valve, as long the capillary tubings are placed correctly across the control valve.

Figure 7-2: Part load condition

Equation 4

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focus VALVES

Figure 8-1: full load condition

Figure 8-2: Part load condition

Figure 9-1 Without hydraulic interference

Figure 9-2: With hydraulic interference

PIBCV made compact

Nothing is better than a happy union of these two components. However, an in-depth understanding will show that valve authority is not just about pressure independence. It is also subject to the actuator’s abilities to make a smarter move.

Figure 11-1: Full stroke control

Full stroke weakness

Figure 11-1 Shows that stroke 2 was reduced from 20mm to 10mm. Stroke 1, control valve, remains 20mm as full stroke control. As shown in Figure 11-2.

Stroke 1 is only effective when it is less than 50%.

If flow presetting is in a separate valve and not in the control valve itself, then the presetting will take away the control valve’s authority, reducing the control range and control authority almost to half, even though it is pressure independent.

Strokes 1 and 2 are a direct relation of (Figure 3-2-1: Pressure transition charts).

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Climate Control Middle East August 2014

Figure 11-2: Control valve character at Full Stroke

Selected alpha value to match the cooling coil character

Figure 12-1: The comparison of control valve characters

Full stroke versus stroke limitation

The diagrams shown here is to demonstrate the stroke limitation strength against full stroke. If the flow presetting is done within the control valve itself, then a good control authority can be achieved. The actuator maintains full control signal of 0-10VDC vs 0-100% flow control range after performing self-calibration

Matching the coil character

We now know that most heat exchanger’s character deviates from application to application. The next step is to determine the heat exchanger’s character and select the correct alpha value. There is a knob setting in the actuator that performs this function.

Figure 13-1: Alpha values available in the actuator August 2014

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Variable primary system optimised with PIBCV

Unlike manual balancing valves (Page 8), it does not compensate pressure changes when pump speed is varying. Thus, the biggest fear of under-capacity may occur in such operations.

With PIBCV (Figure 14-2), we can rest assured that the DP controllers will perform self-balancing throughout different pump speeds. This installation will allow the system flowrate to vary in proportion to pump pressures.

Figure 14-1: Full load condition

ΔP sensor near to pump

Figure 14-2: Part load condition

ΔP sensor installed near the pumping source does not allow the pumps to run at the most optimum speed. In the diagram illustrated below, the pump pressure is constant even though system flowrate keeps varying.

Figure 15: Variable speed pump character with ΔP sensor near pumping source

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Climate Control Middle East August 2014

Figure 16: Variable speed pump character with P sensor at critical unit

ΔP sensor at critical unit

When we place the ΔP across the most critical unit, it allows the pump pressure to vary proportionally to the system curve as the flowrate reduces.

Most engineers call this proportional pump control. It is illustrated in Figure 16.

http://www.systemair.ae

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focus VALVES

PIBCV improves comfort

Comfort zone: 1. Very dependent on individual 2. Varies based on activities

Natural human reaction: 1. Adjusting lower setpoint 2. Higher energy cost

Discomfort attributes: 1. Complaint cost 2. Lower employee productivity 3. Loss of clients/tenants/business

Good control: 1. Increase setpoint without compromising on comfort 2. Each 1°C costs 10-16% energy cost

PIBCV eliminates low ΔT syndromes

It is evident that not only is the flowrate reduced without compromising on the cooling capacity, but there is also an improvement in the comfort level.

Figure 17-1: Conventional technology

Figure 17-2: PIBCV technology

In both Figure 17-1 and Figure 17-2, the chilled water ΔT is improved by more than 200%.

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Climate Control Middle East August 2014

Figure 17-1: Conventional technology

Figure 17-2: PIBCV technology

It is evident that not only is the flowrate reduced without compromising on the cooling capacity, but there is also an improvement in the comfort level.

Let’s count PIBCV’s blessings

• • • • • • • •

Increases comfort Saves energy Eliminates extra valves in the system Saves time Saves manpower Simplifies installation Increases the lifespan of the actuator Increases the lifespan of pumps, chillers, boilers and heat pumps • No complicated conventional control valve sizing required

Ismail Serhan Ozten is Area Sales Manager (MEA) at Danfoss Heating Solutions – District Energy. He can be contacted at serhan@danfoss.com.

Disclaimer: Danfoss believes the facts and suggestions presented here to be accurate. However, final design and implementation decisions are your responsibility. Danfoss disclaims any responsibility for actions taken on the material presented.

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VARsity Looking into the world of variable refrigerant flow systems

What’s next for VRFs? What opportunities beckon in the nascent economic upturn?

Going the retro route August 2014

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VARsity

overview

Looking into the world of variable refrigerant flow systems

What's next for VRF?

The market is becoming increasingly conducive to the proliferation of the VRF technology.

As the region recovers from the recent economic downturn, the great number of construction projects underway and in the pipeline represents a tremendous economic opportunity for the industry. Stringent sustainability regulations and a more judicious market add to the current observed buoyancy of the sector. The questions, however, are: ‘Where is the VRF technology heading?’ ‘Where are the new innovations and applications taking the industry?’ We have this report…

T

he issue of energy security in the Middle East is looming large.

With the region’s economy’s remarkable recovery from the effects of the recent downturn, infrastructure- and industry-related projects have picked up, attracting more people to the region. The frenetic pace of economic activities and the spike in population, however, are taking their toll on the region’s energy supply. There is an urgent need to taper the region’s exponentially increasing energy demand, and industry stakeholders are heeding the call by introducing stricter regulations and efficiency assessment programmes, and innovating and engineering sustainable systems.

As a response to the exigency of the efficiency and conformity assessment schemes, and to satiate the demands of an increasingly discerning market, HVAC manufacturers in the region have intensified their drive to promote a technology reportedly known for its flexibility, modularity, efficiency and suitability to the Middle East – the variable refrigerant flow technology or VRF.

A favourable market?

The market for VRFs in recent years has been expanding, owing to several factors, including its purported efficiency, increasing market familiarity, aggressive campaigns to move away from 50

windows ACs and ducted splits and the return of investment confidence in infrastructure projects. Industry players suggest that the market came to know of the salient benefits of the technology during the crisis years, when stakeholders needed to tighten their belts and look for alternative, more cost-efficient solutions to existing, more rooted systems.

Customers started looking for systems that offered lower lifecycle cost, ease of installation, lower power consumption, flexibility, modularity and, most of all, lesser capital expenditure than, say, District Cooling systems.

Jafar Syed Imam at AHI Carrier observes that there is a worldwide clamour for technology to be sustainable and eco-friendly, and that different government bodies

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

and entities are currently defining parameters for technologies to achieve the desired efficiency. This, he says, is in light of a considerable need for energy and housing.

“The main thrust and sweet spot in VRF is its part-load efficiencies, while the other technologies take into account full-load efficiencies,” says Imam, and adds that as the temperature profile in the GCC requires air conditioning units to run at full load for only nine per cent to 11% of the time, part-load efficiencies cannot be neglected.

Another factor that paved the way for VRF systems during the crisis years was the unrelenting expenditure by governments and private entities on infrastructure and housing projects and the renovation and construction of new

schools and hospitals, all of which translated into business for HVAC companies. Couple opportunities with solutions that fit the requirements of the day, and you have a technology that is sure to gain traction.

Imam expounds: “The VRF market in the Middle East is growing at lightning speed.

From the third quarter of 2013, there has been a plethora of projects and a large number of residential and commercial complexes, say in Abu Dhabi, Oman and Qatar, that have been specifically designated as VRF projects.” He says that taking all the projects into account, the “billable” GCC VRF market in 2014 should reach 16,000 CDU and could grow to 20,000 to 25,000 CDU in 2015.

In addition, the profile of projects during the downturn

years gradually changed.

From what were originally mega-sized buildings, emerged scaled-down facilities, reduced to almost half of what was planned and designed.

Industry players welcomed this development, as VRF systems found fertile ground in areas where it was difficult to justify mega-District Cooling projects and centrifugal chilled water systems.

On technological challenges and solutions

Though heralded as a technology that had myriad advantages that responded to the needs of the time, VRF systems were subject to criticism and scepticism. The concerns about the system range from technological deficiencies to lack of familiarity and training among installation and maintenance personnel.

VRF systems are said to have a limitation on the maximum and minimum entering dryand wet-bulb temperatures in the indoor coil, making them unsuitable for 100% fresh air applications, particularly in hot and humid climates, like in the GCC. In most cases, VRF systems cannot not stand alone, as separate fresh air systems may still be required.

Another perennial talking point is the limitation of the systems’ piping length, owing to issues of oil return and capacity drop. This apprehension, say the industry players, tip the scale in favour of the use of chillers in highrise and large-scale buildings, say, of 100 metres or more.

For systems with refrigerant pipes more than 50 metres, industry players say that there is a perceived danger of refrigerant leakage. Though there are only few cases reported in the entire history of the system, this concern remains to linger in the minds of customers.

HVAC manufacturers are continuously developing the

technology to address the above-mentioned anxieties. For example, fresh air processing units that make various HVAC products suitable for regional conditions are already available.

Heat recovery ventilators are also on offer, capable of reducing outside air of, for instance, 54°C to around 40°C. The latest technological innovations are now making it possible to connect a total of 1,000 metres of pipes to VRF systems, with minimal capacity drop and refrigerant charge volume. In recognition of the danger of refrigerant leakage, the latest systems now have pressure sensors and detection systems that alert the users when there is leakage.

“VRF is a relatively new technology and is improving at a faster pace,” says Imam.

“There is a need for a paradigm shift in our outlook towards this industry. Knowing that VRF is a highly sustainable and efficient system, it should be supported and allowed to develop further.” He calls for consultants, designers and contractors to keep VRF in mind at the outset of a project. “In countries like China, architects and designers are already familiar with the VRF technology, and they are designing buildings with

provisions to accommodate VRF systems. The same philosophy should be adopted here in the Middle East to take full advantage of this technology.”

Louis Rompre, Portfolio Manager, Unitary, EMEA at Trane, says that VRF systems are recommended to be designed and installed by qualified and experienced personnel. “The key is for the designer to carefully consider each facility on its merits, liaise with the client and the manufacturer and, then, select the most appropriate system to meet the requirements and that specific site.” There are times, he adds, when the appropriate choice will be a packaged unit or a watercooled chiller, and for other occasions, a VRF system. “Given the rapid acceptance of TVR systems (Trane’s proprietary VRF system),” says Rompre, “it is clear that the technology has already established itself as an affordable and viable air-conditioning system.” (To learn more of Rompre’s insights, please read his full interview on page 54.)

Taking the technology further

Many industry insiders say that there are manifold opportunities and applications August 2014

waiting for VRF systems, but there are only a handful of qualified technicians that are trained and experienced to address some projects’ particularities. A number of consultants, therefore, appear to be hesitant to recommend the system in their projects.

Consultants say that there are grey areas and guesswork involved in dealing with VRF systems, because till now, their performance cannot be measured in the field. With this, consultants say that the observed lack of benchmark from which they can judge the performance of VRF systems can prove to be discouraging.

Stakeholders are unanimous in saying that the HVAC industry will benefit if the consultants, manufacturers and contractors work together to provide satisfactory installation and commissioning for customers to enjoy the apparent full advantages of the system.

A step towards this goal, say the consultants, is for manufacturers to share post-occupancy data on the performance of VRF systems.

The consultants are clamouring “to close the feedback loop”, and to do this, they need to be informed if they have properly designed the system or if there are areas for improvement or www.climatecontrolme.com

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VARsity

overview

Looking into the world of variable refrigerant flow systems

remediation. As regulatory authorities, like GORD-GSAS, ESMA and UPC-Estidama are now requiring manufacturers to share energy consumption data, consultants say that the resolution to this challenge may be at hand.

Imam cites a possible solution to this challenge: “Each manufacturer has a different technology or logic used in its system, hence different operational data.”

He says that manufacturers may be able to find a common platform if there is a rating standard specifically for the Middle East, like IEER in the US and SEER in Europe.

Supporting Imam’s suggestion, manufacturers in the region suggest having a region-tailored efficiency evaluation scheme that considers various temperatures throughout a given year, as opposed to looking at a single point. They support a unified set of standards for the region but recognise the amount of work that needs to be done before achieving the feat. They also prefer to be involved in the drafting and in the implementation of the regulations.

To address the perceived lack of training and expertise among installation and maintenance personnel, manufacturers advocate regularly conducting seminars and product-awareness and software training at all levels to ensure that the designs and the processes being followed remain relevant as the market evolves. As a first step, they are sharing design, installation and maintenance guidelines on their respective Web pages for the information to remain accessible to everyone who may need it.

“It is imperative to educate people on the advantages of the VRF system,” says Imam. He says that though the technology has shortcomings, the faults fail in comparison to the immense benefits that the technology offers. “We have specially constructed a training centre 52

Is a more inclusive set of regulations possible in the region?

A

t this year’s Middle East Variable Refrigerant Flow Conference, in Abu Dhabi (31 March1 April), officials from the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (ESMA), GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) and Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD-GSAS) discussed how their respective agencies were dealing with the observed market resistance and implementation challenges that were facing the sustainability standards. Highlights…

To encourage energy efficiency and conservation best practices, the governments of the Middle East, particularly of the GCC states, have introduced stringent regulations and quality assessment programmes. While conformity schemes, such as Estidama (Abu Dhabi) or GSAS (Qatar), have resulted in tangible positive results in recent years, regulatory and assessment authorities still agree that there remain obstacles to achieving the full potential of the set measures.

The overarching theme of what was discussed was the need for a more inclusive drafting of standards and for a keener look at their applicability to the regional setting. To avoid any resistance from the stakeholders, Abdullah Abdelqadir Al Maeeni of ESMA suggested involving them from the inception of the standards. He shared the fact that ESMA’s regulations were mainly developed in collaboration with the stakeholders, who were properly oriented of the reasons behind the requirements. He also advocated that manufacturers and allied entities had to be informed in advance of the desired results so that they could adjust their designs and, thus, comply with the standards.

Abdessalam Benyaich, Conformity Assessment Specialist from GSO echoed Al Maeeni and added that conformity authorities should make sure that they develop a framework that allows for participation of other entities, like manufacturers and allied stakeholders.

Authorities should make sure that their schemes are applicable, up-to-date and, where possible, non-restrictive. The representatives agreed that technology had to have some breathing space and should be allowed to develop. One manner to possibly achieve this end was to veer away from the “traditional” method of imposing rigid standards for manufacturers to inflexibly comply with. The authorities reiterated that in order for compliance schemes and standards to be accepted and smoothly implemented, industry participation was a key requirement.

where we conduct more than 4,000 hours of training and approximately 800 hours of customer visits.”

In the opinion of some manufacturers, brand-neutral training courses have the potential to catapult the technology even further. Some industry players also suggest standardising methods of publishing performance data and of testing VRF systems.

They see it as a necessary step in achieving a unified, impartial industry.

Imam opines: “Every brand has a definite but distinct go-to-market strategy. Every brand, through its research, has incorporated elements specific to that brand, and each brand has made its own effort to spread this among the professionals and stakeholders.”

This model, he says, has helped

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

to spread the knowledge of VRF on various platforms to more number of people and in a shorter span of time. As for being brand-neutral, Imam says that manufacturers can harness the power of social media platforms and create a common forum where all aspects concerning VRF can be discussed and solved.

The roadmap ahead

Industry players are unanimous in saying that though VRF systems have made inroads into the psyche of the region’s HVAC market, their full potential is yet to be tapped.

Manufacturers, contractors, consultants and end-users alike recognise that what the VRF industry needs is more transparency in reporting performance data on the part of the HVAC companies and more

training and familiarity on the part of contractors and service personnel.

The technology, moreover, is evolving, as new features are introduced and groundbreaking applications explored. For instance, prompted by legislation that aims to reduce the amount of refrigerant per tonne of refrigeration, manufacturers are now looking at developing VRF systems that run on chilled water.

Consultants who have had experience with the new system observe that watercooled systems can achieve efficiencies of up to 0.8 kW/tonne.

The challenge for manufacturers now is how to promote this breakthrough and explore all possible options for improvement.

VARsity We see traction in every country across the Middle East interview: Louis Rompre, Portfolio Manager (Unitary-EMEA), Trane

Looking into the world of variable refrigerant flow systems

With flexibility, energy efficiency, ease of installation, a relatively small footprint and low maintenance as their perceived hallmarks, VRFs have made inroads into the region. Louis Rompre, Portfolio Manager (Unitary – EMEA), Trane, delves deeper into the subject in a conversation with Climate Control Middle East.

W

ith flexibility, energy efficiency, ease of installation, a relatively small footprint and low maintenance as their perceived hallmarks, VRFs have made inroads into the region. Louis Rompre, Portfolio Manager (Unitary – EMEA), Trane, delves deeper into the subject in a conversation with Climate Control Middle East.

In your estimate, what is the size of the VRF market in the Middle East? Which countries in the region do you consider the biggest markets for VRFs? It is estimated that the size of the VRF market in the Middle East would be in the range of USD 300-350 million with a CAGR of 20% in the last five years.

We believe the biggest market for this product lies in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. However, we see traction in every country across the Middle East region, which is growing considerably.

See table below – source independent:

54

What, in your opinion, are the drivers for the growth of the VRF technology?

VRF system is perceived as a modern, energy-efficient alternative to more traditional package-rooftops, split systems, etc. However, their benefits can be experienced right through the designbuild-operate cycle. The capability to use multiple indoor units (which are available in many types) with a single outdoor unit provides

Country/Region

2014 VRF Market size in millions US$

Middle East and Africa

432.52

Saudi Arabia

36.5

UAE

39.6

Qatar

8.2

Turkey

183.3

South Africa

46.5

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

tremendous flexibility to the designer. Other benefits include energy efficiency, ease of installation, relatively small footprint and lowmaintenance requirements The systems also have options for sophisticated,

The systems also have options for sophisticated, yet affordable, energy management, including the ability to monitor individual installations

yet affordable, energy management, including the ability to monitor individual installations; this is popular with owners of multi-dwelling facilities.

Q

How do the prevailing sustainability regulations help/suppress the cause of VRF systems?

That is, are the regulations beneficial or detrimental to the VRF technology?

In Europe, significant attention is given to the level and type of refrigerant used. Subsequently, any decision and outcomes will eventually be reflected in our region. The regional HVAC industry forecasts regulations for VRF systems. Regulatory authorities, such as Estidama, ESMA and SASO would favour high-efficiency splits for

A

residential units. We keep all these considerations in mind to future-proof our products with the best efficiency for the category.

Q

What new technologies were introduced to the new line of VRF systems available in the market?

What are these new innovations aiming for?

In general, end-users demand comfort at affordable levels. Designers look for reliable energyefficient systems that are easy and quick to develop, and contractors require systems that are competitively priced, readily available and easy to install. In addition, there is increasing social and regulatory pressure to bring to market products that are more environmentally responsible.

At Trane, for instance, we continue to investigate appropriate technologies to meet evolving market conditions.

With the introduction of the TVR 5G, Trane provides a full inverter technology, heat recovery system.

Multiple range and types were introduced including all DC Inverter (Mini TVR, Standards range for Cooling/Heat Pump and Heat Recovery models).

We are aiming to expand our regional scope through these higher efficiency systems and cater to consultants who require inverter technology.

The water-cooled VRF is a recently introduced concept, which may eventually expand across the range, as with the chiller business.

A

Q

What do you say are areas in the entire VRF scheme of things that still need improvement?

With VRF systems, it is recommended that they are designed and installed by qualified and experienced personnel. The same can and should be said for almost any other type of air conditioning system, except perhaps window units. The key is for

A

the designer to carefully consider each facility on its merits, liaise with the client and manufacturer and, then, select the most appropriate system to meet the requirements and that specific site. Sometimes, the appropriate choice will be a package unit or a watercooled chiller. On other occasions, TVR system will better suit the client’s facility.

Given the rapid acceptance of TVR systems, it is clear that they have already established themselves as an affordable and viable air conditioning system.

Training is a continuous and integral element. Educating all the stakeholders involved in the sales cycle (from our own sales engineers and technicians, to the maintenance company, end-users and contractors) has seen the VRF products develop tremendously in the last three years.

Q

How would you assess the opportunity for retrofitting in the region? Is there a market for retrofits?

We see a clear focus on new buildings. The VRF

A

business is relatively new in the region. Hence, the lifecycle of most installations has not crossed the estimated lifetime yet.

Q

At the last two VRF conferences organised

by CPI Industry, participants mentioned that one of the foremost challenges to the proliferation of the VRF technology was the lack of expertise and training among installation and maintenance personnel.

How is your company addressing this issue?

There is increasing social and regulatory pressure to bring to market products that are more environmentally responsible August 2014

A

Trane is developing a VRF technical training centre in Dubai with a complete setup and classroom to provide hands-on experience for our distributors and clients in the MEA. The centre will be ready and operational soon.

Q

Another point that is usually mentioned in connection with the previous question is the perceived lack of operational data available.

Your thoughts on this?

We are working closely with our technical and product development teams to improve this point and how we should work in the future to streamline our communication with all the stakeholders in the sales cycle to ensure everybody is able to have the right information at the right time. During the last three years, we have installed and operated a number of jobs in the Middle East, including those with controls and metering devices. Tracking operation and efficiency is usually done by the O&M company or consultants, who then, give us their feedback. Â

A

www.climatecontrolme.com

55

VARsity Making VRFs work for you perspective

Looking into the world of variable refrigerant flow systems

I

s there a paradigm shift in the DX market from conventional 1:1 ducted splits to VRF system? That is the question. Well, nobody knows the answer to it. But yes, VRF is definitely one of the preferred systems today for villas, low-rise buildings, mid-rise towers of up to 20 floors, schools, retail outlets and so on.

Why VRFs?

What is the reason for this shift? I see the following key factors: 1 High COP above 4.5 gives flexibility for MEP and green building consultants to earn higher credits easily.

2 VRF systems reduce the footprint on the roof by almost 60%.

3 Lower power input (by almost 30~35%) leads to saving in transformer cost.

4 It offers easy connectivity with home automation and BMS.

Why not VRFs?

Now, let me focus on one particular application – villas – where we see this trend shifting to VRFs. However, the system has certain limitations, because of which it is facing resistance from conventional 1:1 units. One of them which I come across quite often is that in case of leakage in the piping, it leads to shutdown of the entire system. Fortunately, this can be easily addressed by implementing certain measures during the design stage.

In case of villa application, 56

Though VRFs have arguably stolen a march over other cooling systems, they still face some resistance due to piping leakage. Dharmesh Sawant demonstrates that this limitation can be eliminated by making certain modifications at the design stage.

it is usually observed that the entire ground floor is connected to one system and the first floor is connected to another system, as shown in Scenario 1 in the figure on the right-hand page. In case there is leakage in the piping system, it can lead to shut down of the entire floor. Just imagine the VRF system serving the ground floor being shut down due to leakage or some main power supply issues.

Overcoming limitations

This issue can be addressed during the design stage by carefully selecting a combination of indoor units to outdoor units. I usually recommend that consultants divide the two systems vertically instead of horizontally, as shown in Scenario 2 in the figure on the righthand page. In other words, instead of connecting the entire ground floor to one system and the first floor to another system, it would be better to connect a few of the indoor units of the ground and first floor to one system and the remaining to another system.

VRF systems reduce the footprint on the roof by almost 60%

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

In case there is leakage in the piping, it leads to shutdown of the entire system The division of the indoor units can be achieved depending on the location of shafts to reduce the piping length. This gives higher redundancy in case of any leakage, issues in VRF or electrical faults.

This ensures cooling in some rooms on the ground floor connected with the other system.

Another advantage of dividing the system vertically is savings that can be accrued in the operating power consumption due to higher part-load efficiency. Now, how does it happen?

When the VRFs that are outdoors are divided floor-wise, due to application, it will run most of the time towards full load. For example, as shown in Scenario 1, the outdoor VRF unit serving the first floor bedrooms will be operational most of the time during night due to occupancy, and vice a versa for the ground floor.

Looking at the capacity simulation in case of a majority of VRF manufacturers, it is observed that VRFs that are outdoors have

relatively lower KW/TR power consumption at part-load towards 50% load for the same design ambient temperature of 46°C, as shown on the right-hand page. Leading VRF players like LG, Mitsubishi and Toshiba are moving towards all inverter compressors.

This makes part-load efficiency much better.

For example, at 100% load, the KW/TR is 1.25 and at 50%, the KW/ TR is 0.78 for the same ambient temperature of 46°C. Therefore, it always makes sense to combine the indoor units with the outdoor units in such a way that it operates towards partial load as shown in Scenario 2.

Scenario 2 will also help consultants to achieve higher credits from energy simulation because of lower annual energy consumption.

This is thus useful in the projects which are designed for Estidama 2 Pearl or LEED Gold or Platinum rating.

Conclusion

The conclusion of this study is that limitations of VRF systems can be eliminated by paying careful attention to details during the design stage. For this, I recommend that consultants liase with manufacturers regularly to be in the know about the best practices followed globally.

Scenario 1 – Both VRF systems divided horizontally Floor wise

Scenario 2 – Both VRF systems divided vertically

LOAD

LOAD

Scenario 1 – Majority of time, VRF system operates towards Full load.

Scenario 2 – Majority of the time, VRF system operates towards the Part load.

Characteristics –

Characteristics –

1. Lower redundancy in case of Leakage, Main Electrical fault and VRF unit fault.

2. Operating power consumption is high as the systems are operating towards full load majority of time.

1. Higher redundancy in case of Leakage, Main Electrical fault and VRF unit fault.

2. Operating power consumption is much lower as the systems are operating towards partial load majority of time.

The writer is Senior Manager - B2B AC, LG Electronics Gulf FZE. He can be contacted at: dharmesh.sawant@ lge.com.

August 2014

www.climatecontrolme.com

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Looking into the world of variable refrigerant flow systems

Going the retro route

Underscoring that our endeavour to green our planet and make systems energy efficient by constructing buildings with breakthrough innovations cannot be successful unless it is coupled with retrofitting existing systems, Jafar Syed Imam makes a case for VRF technology to render them sustainable. projects. While the focus on the future is understandable, it still leaves a lot of the old and existing systems working and consuming energy voraciously.

Why green retrofit with VRF?

The effort to make our planet green and systems to be substantially energy efficient cannot be successful without converting these already installed systems into more modern and more efficient ones. And what better way than to use the energy efficient and highly flexible VRF technology to convert them into sustainable energy systems?

With respect to sustainable buildings, there are various factors to justify why there

T

he vast majority of the world’s governments accept the need to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and consumption of the world’s non-renewable resources. In the GCC countries, energy consumption is driven largely by home use (47% Vs 25% globally). Among these, air conditioning of private households account for 70% of the energy consumption.

(See Figure 1) With a slew of big events like Dubai Expo 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the world’s largest green building project in Saudi Arabia, energy consumption is poised for a high jump.

Towards this end, we see a lot of effort and research in adopting systems with higher efficiencies.

58

Figure 1: Energy consumption in the GCC countries as against other regions

There is a growing emphasis on using highefficiency systems and concepts like Green Buildings and Star Efficiency rating systems for new and upcoming

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

is a demand for more sustainable buildings.

1. Occupants are increasingly focused on their total property occupancy costs.

This goes beyond rent and rates and includes service

charges, utility costs and maintenance costs.

2. From the owners’ point of view, with a growing demand from occupants to reduce environmental impact, efficient buildings which have higher sustainability credentials need to become more attractive.

3. Investors and fund managers are becoming increasingly interested in the sustainability performance of property funds in which they invest.

4. Many organisations now have aspirations or requirements relating to the environmental performance of the building they own and/or occupy, for example, LEED/Estidama/ GORD-GSAS

5. Sustainability can be a powerful marketing tool.

6. Consideration of costs over the lease period is an important factor.

7. Operational performance is more important than design.

Guideline for green retrofit

As a general guideline, we can approach green retrofit with the following steps: Determine your baseline/ current status This category includes the comparison between the existing building energy consumption and a target to achieve certain percentage of saving by keeping in mind the social and health issues of occupants. Various software tools are used to perform building energy simulation. The energy saving methods have to be in accordance with local building codes and regulatory requirements.

Figure 2: Performance grade

Table: Level of refurbishment vis-Ă -vis degree of intervention

Review maintenance

A maintenance and purchasing audit should be implemented on an existing building, which doesn’t cost much but can lead to signiďŹ cant performance improvements.

Establish your targets and goals

For any retrofit project, some target has to be set in mind to

Investors and fund managers are becoming increasingly interested in the sustainability performance of property funds in which they invest

save potable water use, thermal comfort, lighting system, mechanical system, etc.

intervention are defined by an international organisation as in the table, below.

Crunch time

Select your optimal upgrade initiatives

Refurbish or demolish?

This time is defined as the next to last schedule time of completion of work. Different levels of refurbishment and degree of

a. Set energy and water consumption targets. b. Modify air conditioning set points to provide a wider control band

August 2014

and ensure controls are working correctly, within acceptable comfort boundaries. c. Install vestibules at main entrances to the building(s) to reduce air conditioning. d. Provide sub-metering of electricity and water, and link metering to Building Management System (BMS). Consider installing a BMS if one is not already installed. e. Review Operations and Maintenance (O&M) manuals and building user guides to make sure they are up-to-date, or create them if they do not exist. f. Also, make sure user guides have been distributed to all tenants.

Advantages and benefits of green retrofit with VRF 1. Part-load efficiency: Lower carbon footprint and legislative compliance In the GCC region, air conditioning capacity is www.climatecontrolme.com

59

VARsity

perspective

Looking into the world of variable refrigerant flow systems

Figure 3: Discrepancy between temperature and load

often specified for maximum load, which for highambient conditions is at 46 degrees C. However, for the majority of the time, the system will only operate in partload conditions. The data given below for Abu Dhabi illustrates the point.

It is essential, therefore, that any air conditioning system be able to modulate its capacity output to match the requirements of the cooling demand at any given time.

VRF systems in the market are able to deliver higher part-load efficiencies. As can be seen from the below, 50% part-load efficiency of a VRF system is 21.6 (as compared to a range of eight-nine for a conventional system).

Temperature data in Abu Dhabi. 1st Jan -31st Dec, 2013

Figure 4: Part-load efficiency ratings for VRF systems Operation Hours of an air conditioner

88.4 % on part load

Part-load Performance (VRF)

Maximum Operating Zone - Part Load

60

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

Condition: MMY-MP2014HT8 Estimated EER for 100% Cooling load @46C, 75% cooling load @38C, 50% cooling load @ 31C, 25% cooling load @ 24C Indoor temp condition: DB 27C/ Wb 19C,

2. Lower lifecycle cost: Increasing overall sustainability and profitability Lifecycle cost is the total cost of ownership of machinery and equipment, including its cost of acquisition, operation, maintenance, conversion and/or decommission.

The right tables give a rough comparison of lifecycle costs of a rooftop system and a typical VRF system, for instance…

3. Design and use flexibility: enhancing customer experience By using the latest design in control systems, VRF systems nowadays allow architects, consultants and contractors to design and install systems to match the customer’s needs.

With their easy-to-operate

Figure 5: Payback period = extra purchase price/annual operating expense

customer interface, they allows the customer innumerable ways to run the system, as per his requirements. (Examples: Zoning, eco-function, peak demand control, scheduling, return back and set

temperature, permit/prohibit functions, etc.)

feature, the Toshiba VRF system, for instance, can provide up to 32 login web user accounts. These users can remotely access all system parameters and error messages. Thus, a service

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61

VARsity

perspective

Looking into the world of variable refrigerant flow systems

provider can track all the installed systems from a central location. In case of failure in any system, the provider receives information on the nature and location of failure instantly. Thus, he can send a technician to the site forearmed with the necessary tools and parts to rectify the failure.

A sustainable building enjoying all the above advantages and benefits will naturally raise the building value and encourage customer retention. Thus, it ultimately benefits the owner in the form of increased rental value for such a sustainable building.

already initiated steps in this direction.

Qatar in its National Vision 2030 development plan has included retrofit projects as one of the focus areas.

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In concurrence with new sustainable buildings, retrofit projects have a huge potential

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CHILL

A view through the tubes

In Part I of the series on chillers, Dan Mizesco discussed the advantages and disadvantages of enhanced and super-enhanced tubes. In this second part, he looks at their monitoring, maintenance and operational issues.

It is unfortunate that enhanced tubes are not being maintained properly in the region, and thus most centrifugal chillers are consuming greater energy than they should be, leading to exponentially higher catastrophic tube failures. I would, therefore, encourage chiller owners to adopt the following recommendations:

System surveying, monitoring and troubleshooting

A chiller specialist professional should inspect the present condition of the tubes at least once annually.

There are two basic nondestructive test procedures that need to be followed:

Eddy Current Testing and Fiberoptic Scoping.

Eddy Current Testing: Eddy Current Testing (ECT) has been in use for many years, and is widely employed to determine the condition of tubes by professional, independent chiller specialist service companies.

ECT has positive features, such as the ability to do a rapid internal and external tube surface and wall thickness inspection. Its sensitivity is a direct function of the calibration of the equipment and the identical nature of the calibration standards used by an ECT operator.

The primary benefit of ECT is that it examines the entire thickness of the tube wall, not just the inner visual surface.

The primary benefit of ECT is that it examines the entire thickness of the tube wall, not just the inner visual surface However, the disadvantage of ECT is that it cannot determine the root cause of imperfections on the tube surface. For example, if a deposit is detected, this method cannot identify its origin. The same issue arises

with a crack or a pit – it is difficult to ascertain why they have occurred.

Here, it is important to note that the services of only experienced and certified technicians should be used to conduct this type of testing in order to distinguish between pitting and deposit formations in the tubes. This is because an uncertified and inexperienced technician can misinterpret results leading to misinformation.

Fiberoptic Scoping: Fiberoptic Scoping (FS) is a modern technique of visual observation that uses a small optical device with a light source attached to a video monitor via a fiberoptic cable.

The advantage of FS is that it is a visual technique that helps see colour and can identify and distinguish between deposits, bio-fouling or other external material, such as epoxy coating, dirt or debris from the tower that have been causing heat transfer losses within the tubes.

It needs to be noted that FS cannot quantify how deep pits or cracks are. However, some units claim that through digital depth measurement capabilities it is possible to measure the thickness of the deposit or the depth of a clean depression or a pit.

As with ECT, the FS procedure should be performed by trained and experienced technicians, because: a) It is a visual technique b) The magnification properties and examination of the internals via a unidimensional monitor could sometimes lead to misinterpretation c) Having different angled lenses and a proper light source is important to help identify the problems, which only trained personnel can handle

Need for regular monitoring regimen 64

Climate Control Middle East August 2014

Techniques such as ECT and FS should become part of a routine chiller inspection regimen to verify how well the water treatment programme is doing its job.

These NDT (Non-destructive Testing) inspection techniques should be performed at least annually unless other problems or operational conditions indicate the need for more frequent monitoring.

Monitoring of corrosion, scaling and bio-fouling

Monitoring of corrosion, scaling and bio-fouling are extremely important for the efficiency and longevity of a chiller. Here are a few of the methods of combating them: Corrosion coupons and total dissolved metals analyses can provide the chiller specialist information about potential for corrosion.

Scaling indices and elemental mass balances that require complete water analyses can provide indicators of scaling or deposition. Deposit monitors can be used to verify that the water treatment programme is working. When scales or deposits do get formed, it is important to determine where the water treatment programme is failing or the root cause of the deposition.

Dip slides, Biological Activity Reaction Test (BART), serial dilutions, and Adenosine Tri-phosphate (ATP) technology should all be deployed and crosschecked to verify that biofouling is not occurring.

Additional testing using removable spool pieces and slime monitors are recommended to ensure that there are no hidden biofilms.

It is important to note that chiller service professionals cannot rely on any one test to establish if there is a biological problem. Crosscheck verification with another test is always helpful to ascertain if corrosion is occurring and/or if there are

any operational problems.

The above-mentioned monitoring techniques should be standard tools employed by chiller specialists and water treatment professionals and must be applied in their entirety to determine if typical water problems can pose serious issues for enhanced tubes.

Mechanical recommendations

It is evident that the less the particulate matter circulating, the better the system will perform and the more effective the water treatment programme.

However, because cooling towers function to some degree as air scrubbers, particulate contamination of the recirculating water always occurs. Many enhanced tube failures occur due to particulates or debris contamination. To reduce debris and its potential settling in the tubes, chiller owners should consider the use of side stream filtration, especially where enhanced tubes are in use.

Bag, cartridge, disk or sand filtration can aid in removing particulate, old corrosion by-products, microbiological components, dirt and debris, etc from the cooling water.

The probability of galvanic corrosion on tube sheets can be controlled by installing sacrificial anodes on tube sheets to prevent corrosion attack on the tube sheet or water box metal.

Alternatively, an epoxy coating, which acts as a barrier layer, could be used to limit corrosion on the tube sheet. However, while a high quality epoxy coating can be beneficial to the system, a poor coating can be just as detrimental as it generates corrosion by-products. Also, epoxy coatings require proper preparation of the tube sheet surface and precise and careful installation.

Proper surface preparation guidelines, such as SSPC-5,

While a high quality epoxy coating can be beneficial to the system, a poor coating can be just as detrimental as corrosion byproducts which include achieving a clean metal surface and a minimum attachment profile should be adhered to, or else, the coating will not be adherent enough to protect the surface of the tube sheet.

Tubes should be cleaned at a scheduled frequency.

Specialist rotor mechanical brushing of the tubes can remove deposits or fouling before severe problems develop. It needs to be remembered that enhanced or super-enhanced tubes require special procedures and special brushes that must be used for cleaning them.

Using a straight tube brush can scratch the enhanced tube and lead to a more severe corrosion problem.

It is recommended that all units containing enhanced tubes be cleaned annually at a minimum.

and corrosion.

Stagnant water is especially prone to the hazard of increased microbiological growth, settling of waterborne solids, and generation of gas bubbles that get separated from the water and get trapped in the rifling of the tubes. These conditions can lead to localised corrosion of the tubes.

Consideration should be given to lead/lag timing, recirculation with load, or draining and flushing.

Typically, if a condenser is to be left full and is not operating for more than two to three days, it should be recirculated every six hours for one hour to replace stagnant water.

Some experts also recommend that if this condition is to exist for more than one week, the system should be drained, flushed and allowed to dry.

In conclusion

The use of enhanced tubes to increase heat transfer rates is an effective technology to reduce energy consumption and greatly benefits the chiller owner through significant operational cost reductions. However, they are efficacious only if proper evaluation, water treatment, and system maintenance programmes are scrupulously followed.

Operational recommendations

One of the biggest operational issues is how to handle the off-line chiller, as off-line status could result from alternating operational chillers to achieve uniform service life patterns.

In comfort cooling systems, special attention needs to be paid to units that cycle off at night. An offline chiller, even when kept full, invites fouling August 2014

The writer is Managing Partner, Al Shirawi US Chiller Services Int, HVAC & Energy Services. He can be contacted at: Dmizesko@aol.com

www.climatecontrolme.com

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perspective

CARBON MONOXIDE SENSORS

Carbon monoxide is an odourless, tasteless, invisible gas primarily produced through a combustion process. It is highly lethal in humans, and even small concentrations of CO can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and fatigue. It is often referred to as “the silent killer�.

Therefore, it is extremely

GETTING SENSITISED TO SENSORS Warning about the dangers posed by sensors that are not calibrated and designed by an authorised professional company, Syed Taqi Hussain offers advice on the maintenance of electrochemical carbon monoxide sensors.

Introduction

The purpose of this article is to provide an instructional and informative document regarding gas sensing technology, primarily the electrochemical sensor, its principles of operation, maintenance and typical lifespan.

What is a gas sensor?

A gas sensor measures the concentration of gas in its vicinity. The sensor interacts with a gas to measure its concentration. Each gas has a unique breakdown voltage, ie, the electric field at which it is ionised. The concentration of the gas can be determined by measuring

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the current discharge in the sensing device.

Electrochemical sensing technology

Gas sensing devices are available in several technologies or principles of operation. Most common are the electronic, electrochemical and metal oxide semiconductors.

The selection of a specific sensing technology is usually determined by their purpose – to sense a toxic gas or to sense a combustible gas.

Here, I will deal specifically with electrochemical sensing technology used for the purpose of measuring the carbon monoxide (CO) gas.

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Regularly scheduled recommended maintenance procedures should extend the lifespan of the sensor if properly followed

temperature, humidity, and pressure. Typically, an electrochemical gas sensor should operate as designed for one-three years as the electrolyte within the sensor cell will eventually get used up. Regularly scheduled manufacturer’s recommended maintenance (calibration) procedures should extend the lifespan of the sensor if properly followed.

It is recommended that CO detectors be recalibrated at a minimum annual schedule and preferably every six months in order to ensure accurate and proper operation, given the potential detrimental or fatal consequences which could occur without the required monitoring or indication of harmful CO concentrations present.

The duration of the recalibration process will depend on the amount of target gas the sensor is exposed to, or the extent of deterioration of the sensor, whereby one sensor can have its calibration re-established quicker than another, depending on the installation location. In doing so, I advise that a typical CO detector should have an operational lifespan of fiveseven years.

Figure 1: Nemoto NAP-505 3-Electrode CO Sensing Element

important that CO sensing devices are installed in close proximity to all sources of combustion, like boiler rooms, industrial kitchens and enclosed car parks.

The typical electrochemical CO sensors consist of chemical reactants (electrolytes or gels) and two terminals – an anode and a cathode. The anode is responsible for an oxidisation process and the cathode is responsible for a reduction process. As a result, current is created by way of positive ions flowing to the cathode and the negative ions flowing to the anode. The output is directly proportional to the concentration of the carbon monoxide.

A more superior three terminal configuration consists of the anode or “working” electrode, the cathode or “counter” electrode, and a third, “reference” electrode.

The “reference” electrode maintains the healthy operation of the cell. It is surrounded by electrolyte, sees that no gas and no

current is allowed to be drawn from it. Therefore, its electrochemical potential remains constant at a level referred to as “rest air potential”. It is used to regulate the potential of the working electrode, regardless of the current generated during operation. Some of the benefits achieved with a three-electrode sensor are extended range, improved linearity and other

performance advancements.

(See Figure 1) As with all gas detectors, their operation and accuracy will deteriorate over time to an extent dependent on their installation and environment.

The life expectancy of an electrochemical CO sensor will depend on several factors, such as the specific gas detected, the total amount of target (CO) gas the sensor is exposed to,

August 2014

The writer is the Director – Sales & Services (HVAC) at Eco Evergreen.

He can be contacted at taqi@ ecoevergreenuae. com

www.climatecontrolme.com

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case-in point

INDOOR POOL DEHUMIDIFIER

CODEX HACCP

Re-creating a recreation centre Wulf Recreation Center in Colorado needed a renovation that included a new indoor pool dehumidifier and HVAC equipment. Today, the centre saves 32% energy expenditure annually guaranteed by an energy performance retrofit contract. We bring you the case study.

The background

Wulf Recreation Center in Colorado needed energysaving improvements.

Monitoring retrofit projects can sometimes be a challenge, as delivering on promise is not easy.

However, the energy performance contract by the Golden, Colorado offices of McKinstry, Seattle, Washington, guaranteed a 32% reduction in energy expenditures amounting to more than $18,000 annually.

Thus, the contract took out the guesswork of the return-on-investment for the 40,000-square-foot Wulf Recreation Center’s $540,000 renovation.

Case study

Aim: Reducing energy consumption and thereby reducing energy costs was the prime focus of the recreation centre’s retrofit project. Although the recreation centre includes a gym, gymnastics room, weight/cardio room, racquetball courts, child care, dance studio and other spaces, the pool is the centre’s anchor activity hub, because it serves the local 68

high school and community for both competitive and family recreational swimming.

Method employed – sustainable initiatives: McKinstry, which was led

by Steve Ruby, Project Director and Caroline F Traube, PE, Energy Engineer, functioned as the energy service company (ESCO) on the project. The seven-year energy performance contract is using a measurement and verification process overseen

by McKinstry’s Jaymes McMullin, Performance Assurance Specialist.

Based on a preconstruction energy audit completed during the summer and fall of 2011, McKinstry’s recently completed improvements guarantee an annual reduction of 109,000 kWh of electricity and 18,804 therms of natural gas, which equates to cuts of Wulf's carbon dioxide emissions by 182 metric tonnes.

Cutting HVAC operational costs: Integral to the energy performance contract’s savings was the replacement

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of two 40-year-old 100% outdoor air HVAC systems that controlled the 7,000-squarefoot pool space’s temperature and relative humidity (RH).

McKinstry and installing mechanical contractor, Murphy Co, Denver, replaced the system with two 6,500cfm NV Series indoor pool ventilation units manufactured

by Seresco USA, Decatur, Georgia, with less than a twoday downtime.

Equally important as the short downtime was the minimum of $4,995 in operational savings and 12,704 in reduced therms annually that the new system would provide versus the original gas-fired make-up air systems.

The NV Series uses several new technologies that include heat recovery, direct drive fans, an on-board microprocessor controller and other energy-efficient features. Unlike the original supply/exhaust system, heat from the space’s exhaust air is now recovered via a glycol run around loop (GRAL) for pre-heating outdoor air.

Using the recovered heating energy, versus gas-fired equipment to help raise outdoor air temperatures from

0°F to 45°F reduces heating costs significantly. After maximising the pre-heating potential, the space’s 82°F set point temperature is completed through the NV Series units’ on-board gasfired heaters.

The HVAC system’s dedicated duty, direct drive fans also reduce fan power consumption versus the old system’s belt-driven design, which is estimated to be as much as15% in typical application comparisons.

Combined with variable speed controls that help tailor the ventilation operation to occupancy rates, the fans save significant amounts of fan energy versus the original units’ 1970’s fan technology.

Unlike the original supply/ exhaust system, heat from the space’s exhaust air is now recovered via a glycol run around loop (GRAL) for preheating outdoor air Other positive outcomes: McKinstry also specified an optional purge fan feature.

Instead of the typical mix of outdoor and re-circulated air during common operation, the 100% outdoor air purge fan mode can complete a total pool space air change in an adjustable eight to 15

case-in point

INDOOR POOL DEHUMIDIFIER

minutes. This is a strategic Indoor Air Quality benefit in the event of rising CO2 levels during heavily attended swimming competitions or in the case of excessive chemical odours during and after water shock treatments affect.

Another advantage of the new HVAC technology is its use of outdoor air modulating controls. The units don’t have a mechanical refrigeration circuit for dehumidification or space cooling, but instead use free cooling from Colorado’s mountainous climate, which is inherently dry and cool nine to 10 months of the year. By monitoring indoor and outdoor air conditions precisely, only the required amount of outdoor air is introduced to maintain the best possible pool space IAQ, save energy and comply with codes.

Before these controls were developed by the HVAC industry, natatorium ventilation systems typically provided more cool outdoor air than necessary during the winter, which potentially resulted in substandard RH levels. Low RH levels typically create uncomfortable chilling effect on wet skin.

A critical control feature of the indoor pool

Combined with variable speed controls that help tailor the ventilation operation to occupancy rates, the fans save significant amounts of fan energy versus the original units’ 1970’s fan technology ventilation system is an on-board, Ethernet-based microprocessor that senses, tracks and transfers daily machine operating statistics via Seresco’s proprietary WebSentry system to the factory for daily monitoring and recording. The system, which senses compressor

What a key player says: “We needed the improvements anyway, so McKinstry’s energy performance contract provided the expertise, guarantee and best possible value for our renovation budget.” – Ellen O’Connor, Manager of Recreation and the Wulf Project’s Team Leader for Evergreen Park & Recreation District (EPRD), Evergreen, Colorado.

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liquid and suction pressures, temperature, space humidity, outdoor conditions and dozens of other parameters, also sends operational alarms via email or telephone. Besides factory technicians, other responsible parties, such as McKinstry’s Josh Harwood, Programme Manager for commissioning services, and Ellen O’Connor, Manager of Recreation and the Wulf Project’s Team Leader for Evergreen Park & Recreation District (EPRD), Evergreen, Colorado, can receive email alarms and review real-time data from a computer or smartphone. This eliminates the possibility of a machine operating inefficiently for months between annual service calls, which can raise energy costs.

Since Wulf's budget didn’t allow for the purchase of a digital building automation system, McKinstry used Hobo data loggers by Onset, Bourne, Massachusetts, to perform its pre-construction energy audit throughout the building. During the subsequent performance review, McKinstry took advantage of the WebSentry, which comes free from the manufacturer on all its equipment, and its ability to sense, track and record real time and historical

data of the two indoor pool ventilation units.

Another major source of energy savings was converting the building’s mix of T-12 fluorescent, metal halide and high-pressure sodium light fixtures to a combination of more efficient T-8 and T-5 lamps manufactured by Philips Lighting, Cleveland, or Osram Sylvania, Danvers, Massachusetts. Wulf’s lighting is also now controlled more efficiently with occupancy sensors by Sensor Switch, Wallingford, Connecticut.

McKinstry also replaced old stand-alone room thermostats with a Viconics Technologies, Saint-Leonard, Quebec, networked, web-interfaced thermostat system that allows the facility manager to set schedules and temperatures from a single source dashboard and minimises unauthorised tampering.

Insulation was also installed in several room additions that had been built with only concrete block walls.

The insulation improved the walls from an R-2 to R-10 rating and consisted of twoinch-thick rigid wallboard insulation by Dow Building Solutions, Midland, Michigan, and EcoBatt roof insulation

by Knauf Insulation GmbH, Shelbyville, Indiana.

Conclusion

The Wulf Recreation Center in Colorado, which needed today’s new proven technology, including a new energy-saving indoor pool ventilation unit, lighting, digital controls and other upgrades, can save significant operational and energy costs.

The Wulf upgrades will not only save energy and money, but also improve IAQ and reduce EPRD’s carbon footprint. Annual utility savings combined with a $15,300 rebate from the Colorado utility Xcel Energy will deliver an 18-year payback for Colorado taxpayers.