CCME July 2014

www.climatecontrolme.com

News

Emicool, Empower Empower showcases best practices in DC and Tabreed win workshop p6 IDEA awards p6 UAE Armed Forces and Tabreed sign MSA p10

DEWA achieves reduction in demand for energy and water p12

post-event report: 2nd Annual ME IEQ Conference p28

PROCESS COOLING REPORT: Cooling applications using selfcontained process chillers p26

PLUS: Marketplace, ASHRAE Update

JULY 2014

inside:

Valves and VPF systems

r e d n p U u n y w a Do its w on s dustrie ok n i g n i n lo burgeo stry players ’s a i l a r u t .

Aus . Ind nturn, ied products pecial report w o d t en as all the rec HVACR and e bring you f o s e .W ash for m the rowth areas h much hope o r f g n cg wit Risi trategi lian market s t n e s repre t the Austra a

Special guest column: Dan Mizesko, Al Shirawi US Chiller Services, on enhanced and super-enhanced tubes

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Proud Winner of Two Awards From the International District Energy Association (IDEA) Annual Conference 2014 Seattle, Washington

The World’s Largest District Cooling Provider

Vol. 9 No. 7 | JULY 2014 04 from the editor

Are we ready yet?

happenings

06 The region 21 At large 24 Marketplace

contents

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THE PROCESS COOLING REPORT Cooling applications using self-contained process chillers

FOCUS

34 Unleashing VPF technology

Saying that operational efficiency and profits are directly tied to process chiller performance, Imran Ali of Argonaut gives a glimpse of specially designed chillers for different process cooling applications.

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.

INTERVIEW 48 “Customers want products to talk to them”

Satish Jamdar, Managing Director, Blue Star, and Director of Blue Star Electro-Mechanical Ltd, in conversation with Climate Control Middle East

LICENCE TO CHILL 52 Tu be or not tu be…

42

COUNTRY REPORT: AUSTRALIA

Down Under on its way up Rising from the ashes of the recent downturn, Australia’s burgeoning industries represent strategic growth areas for HVACR and allied products. Industry players look at the Australian market with much hope.

We bring you a special report.

Dan Mizesko of Al Shirawi US Chiller Services discusses the advantages and disadvantages of enhanced and super-enhanced tubes.

PERSPECTIVE 54 Process instrumentation – a critical DC infrastructure

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.

56 Beware of counterfeiters!

Bitzer warns about the dangers of using cheap imitations and shares information about his company’s ongoing initiative against fraudsters.

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EVENT REPORT

58 Reflections on the Codex HACCP Colloquium

Dr Joanne Taylor of TSI UK discusses the Codex HACCP Colloquium held in Finland recently.

SPOTLIGHT 62 Finger on the DC pulse

DC Serve, dealing in District Cooling equipment and services, is looking to take advantage of the improvement in market sentiment in the wake of the nascent economic upturn. Rennie Sequeira, Division Manager of the company, shares his views on the industry.

Taking a close look at the discussions at the 2nd Annual Middle East Indoor Environmental Quality Conference

July 2014

www.climatecontrolme.com

3

from the

editor Publisher Dominic De Sousa

Are we ready yet?

D

Managing Director & Associate Publisher Frédéric Paillé | fred@cpi-industry.com Editorial Director & Associate Publisher B Surendar | surendar@cpi-industry.com CEO Nadeem Hood | nadeem@cpidubai.com

espite Ukraine, despite Iraq, there seems to be a stubborn optimism in the air when it comes to discussing the economic fortunes of the region. However, though it may be true that we are in the midst of a nascent economic upturn, which has engendered this optimism, there are several underlying factors that will determine the extent to which we can capitalise on the mood and bring about significant change.

Contributing Editors Pratibha Umashankar prati@cpi-industry.com Anoop K Menon anoop@cpi-industry.com

Engineers find themselves facing a unique opportunity – a second chance, so to speak – to breathe best practices into the projects they suddenly find forthcoming. Consultants, who speak of their order books never being so full since the Great Recession, have a chance to wring out the frustrations of the past few years – in a telling fashion; and so do other stakeholders.

Senior Business Development Consultant Stephanie McGuinness stephanie@cpi-industry.com Design Genesis Salao | getty@cpi-industry.com

The mind goes back to the frenzied mid-noughties, when buildings were springing up seemingly overnight and which required the full complement of HVAC services – in an instant. More times than not, the client wanted quick solutions, which in retrospect, required more than manic late nights spent poring over yellow-bathed drawing boards. The chickens came home to roost even before Lehman happened, though. Today, consultants, pointing out to buildings, candidly speak of IEQ and energy efficiencies gone wrong. Horribly wrong, in some instances.

Webmaster Troy Maagma troy.maagma@cpimediagroup.com Database/ Subscriptions Manager Purwanti Srirejeki purwanti@cpi-industry.com

Against that backdrop, the questions to ask ought to be: Are we truly prepared for the nascent upturn? Have we bulked up on adequate resources – to name one critical and basic need – to soak up the pressure of unreasonable deadlines, so that we don’t jettison fundamental engineering approaches, leave alone best practices? Have we the courage, conscience and the balance to ensure structures that help people, the society and the region’s economy progress through better IEQ and resource conservation?

Advertising Enquiries Frédéric Paillé: +971 50 7147204 fred@cpi-industry.com Stephanie McGuinness: +971 50 5034087 stephanie@cpi-industry.com USA and Canada Kanika Saxena

The destination of thermal comfort, moisture control, noise and vibration reduction, power savings and GHG emissions reductions require more than cookie-cutter approaches. They need the right investment of thoughtfulness and the luxury of time to take a step back so as to anticipate and prevent the oft-seen sad scenario of two steps forward and four steps backward.

Director (North America) 25 Kingsbridge Garden Cir Suite 919 Mississauga, ON, Canada L5R 4B1 kanika@cpi-industry.com Tel/fax: +1 905 890 5031

To state the obvious, the revival of construction activity is welcome and great for the economy. No doubt, the cranes will soon enough fly in and settle down. It’s a tough proposition to strike a balance in the midst of all the buzz and thrill, but the right mindset will yield rich dividends.

Euro Zone and UK Sandip Virk Group Sales Manager Cell 1: +971 50 929 1845 Cell 2: +44 7734 442 526 Skype: sandip.virk1

B Surendar Editor @BSurendar_HVACR

Get the next issue of Climate Control Middle East early!

Did you know that Climate Control Middle East is also available electronically? Get a digitised copy of the magazine every month, before the issue goes for print! As a bonus, the digital version includes such features as a keyword search, annotation, highlight, note-making and hot links. For more details, please access www.cpi-industry.com/digital

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Published by

NEWS

Emicool, Empower Empower showcase tecontrolme.com and Tabreed win best practices in DCs DEWA achieves IDEA awards p6 PROCESS COOLIN reduction in workshop p6 G UAE Armed Forces demand for energy REPORT: Cooling and Tabreed sign applications using MSA p10 and water p12 contained process selfPOST-EVENT REPORT chillers p26 : 2nd Annual ME IEQ Conference p28 PLUS: Marketplace, ASHRAE Update

INSIDE:

www.clima

JULY 2014

Valves and VPF syste

ms

Undyerup n w o D its wa on s ng industrie look ’s burgeoni stry players n, Australia nt downtur allied products. Indu ial report. of the rece and a spec the ashes for HVACR bring you Rising from egic growth areas h hope. We with muc strat n market represent ralia at the Aust

SPECIAL GUEST COLUMN: Dan Mizesko, Al Shirawi US Chiller Services, on enhanced and super-enhanced tubes

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

US$15

4

Climate Control Middle East July 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 Printed by: Excel Printing Press, Sharjah, UAE © 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.

happenings the region

Emicool, Empower and Tabreed win IDEA awards

International recognition for UAE’s District Cooling prowess

I

n what can be viewed as an endorsement of the UAE’s achievements in the District Cooling industry, three UAE District Cooling giants in the region, Dubai-based Emirates District Cooling (Emicool) and Empower, and the Abu-Dhabibased National Central Cooling Company PJSC (Tabreed), walked away with multiple honours at the 105th annual International District Energy Association (IDEA) Conference and Trade Show in Seattle.

The awards were won through competitive nominations from around the world.

Emicool received the Gold Award for the “Greatest number of buildings committed to district energy

beyond North America” – its fourth consecutive win at the event, the company informed.

Adib Moubadder, CEO

Adib Moubadder, Emicool

Ahmad Bin Shafar, Empower

Empower showcases best practices in DC workshop

Event hosted to boost stakeholder engagement in preparation for summer

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mpower recently announced that it had shared the operational features, worldwide benchmarks and industry trends for the District Cooling sector during its first Customer Workshop held from May 26-27 at Media Rotana, Dubai.

Organised with the aim of boosting interaction between Empower and its key stakeholders at the onset of summer, the inaugural workshop targeted Empower’s

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Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

customers in Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Lake Towers (JLT), Ibn Battuta Mall, Discovery Gardens and Jumeirah Village, with more workshops planned

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

for customers in other districts, the announcement added.

According to Empower, the event included presentations

of Emicool, said: “We are redefining market norms in the local and global District Cooling industry. Emicool has rapidly gained market share as a top-tier District Cooling service provider in the region.

It is a great honour that IDEA has recognised our efforts in providing chilled water for more than 17,000 customers.”

Empower, on its part, Continued on page 8 >>

Jasim Husain Thabet, Tabreed

highlighting its technical and operational efforts to maintain its network across Dubai, and open discussions hosted by senior officials from across the organisation’s operations, maintenance, technical, sales and marketing teams.

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower, said: “Our growth over the last decade demonstrates that District Cooling technologies are a viable option for infrastructure development in the United Arab Emirates. As District Cooling services supports our leadership’s vision of a sustainable future, this sector is primed for many opportunities. Stakeholder engagement between service providers, clients in the real estate sector and end-users will be critical in ensuring that District Cooling technologies reach their potential.”

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happenings the region << Continued from page 6

announced receiving the Gold Award in the “Total square footage committed to District Cooling services beyond North America” category and the Bronze award in the “Total number of buildings committed to district energy beyond North America” category, the latter, for the ninth time at the event, the announcement highlighted.

In another communiqué, Empower shared the news that Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, received the Unsung Hero Award at the event. He was reportedly recognised for his contributions in transforming Empower from a startup to the world’s largest District Cooling services provider over the last decade.

Bin Shafar was instrumental in one of the largest acquisitions

in the international District Cooling industry recently, as the company acquired Palm District Cooling in January, the communiqué added. The company’s portfolio now stands at an estimated one million Refrigeration Tonnes of cooling capacity, which is the largest of any single company in this sector, Empower claimed.

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, speaking about the company winning the awards, said: “This milestone reflects Empower’s successful strategy to maintain the perception of real estate developers regarding high standards of District Cooling services.

District Cooling services have become environmentally and economically optimal solutions to be used in residential and commercial buildings, hotels and offices due to their significant

efficiency in operational costs, maintenance and preservation of energy and environment protection.”

In the wake of the international recognition, Empower reiterated that Dubai hosting the next IDEA conference, bringing together 600 experts in December, would prove to be the ideal platform to showcase the district energy industry’s achievements.

Tabreed announced the news of it winning a Silver award each, in the “Total building area committed outside of North America” and the “Number of buildings connected to District Cooling outside of North America” (during the same year), category.

On the occasion, Jasim Husain Thabet, Tabreed’s CEO, said: “We are

Tabreed signs contract with UAE University for 17,500 TR

Will provide cooling to present and additional projects

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abreed has announced that it has signed a new agreement with the UAE University (UAEU) to provide it with 17,500 tonnes of cooling for the institution's existing and future projects.

Tabreed said that it began providing cooling to the UAEU main campus in 2009, and that the new agreement paves the way for the university to make further connections to Tabreed’s dedicated plant, once its future projects are completed.

The projects under construction by the UAEU reportedly include storage facilities and student

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accommodation, which are expected to be connected to Tabreed’s District Cooling plant at the end of the year.

Commenting on the agreement, Jasim Husain Thabet, Tabreed’s CEO, said: “We are proud to provide critical infrastructure support to the leading educational institution in the country. We have been partnering with the UAE University for more than five years, and this

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

agreement further bolsters our strong relationship.

“During this period, we have focused on delivering energy-efficient and

honoured to be recognised by the world’s leading district energy association for our achievements last year; 2013 saw Tabreed continue its strong performance and connect over 70,000 tonnes of cooling, including high-profile projects, such as Yas Mall, World Trade Center Mall and Saudi Aramco.

“In addition to delivering reliable year-round cooling to these critical projects, we were likewise able to make a significant contribution to our nation’s effort to reduce its carbon footprint.

In 2013 alone, Tabreed's energy savings reached 1.2 billion kilowatt hours, which translates into the elimination of approximately 570,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions – the equivalent to removing over 110,000 cars from the streets.”

environmentally friendly cooling solutions to the UAE University, which has enabled them to reduce their energy consumption by about 26 million kWh annually.

This saving translates into the elimination of over 11,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere.”

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happenings the region

UAE Armed Forces and Tabreed sign MSA

Renewed agreement valued at AED 6 billion

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abreed has announced the renewal of its master services agreement (MSA) with the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces (UAEAF). The new contract is valued at AED 6 billion, Tabreed revealed.

According to the announcement, under the

new agreement, which builds upon the MSA signed between the two entities in 2000, Tabreed will continue to supply the UAEAF’s existing and prospective facilities with District Cooling services for the next 20 years.

Additionally, new projects are currently under discussion

between Tabreed and the UAEAF. Tabreed’s first District Cooling plant was commissioned by the UAEAF in 1998 to service its facilities in Abu Dhabi.

In this context a spokesperson for the UAEAF said: “We are pleased to extend our agreement with Tabreed, who have been a strategic partner to the UAE Armed Forces for more than a decade. We are excited to continue working with Tabreed to acquire reliable and energy-efficient District Cooling services to support

Dubai Chamber achieves LEED Platinum

First existing green building in Arab world to achieve the accolade

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he Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has announced receiving LEED Platinum – the highest possible rating. Calling it another first in the Arab world, the announcement highlighted that the Chamber had also achieved the basic level LEED as the first existing building in the region in 2009.

Giving further details, the Chamber said that earlier, it was certified LEED pre-renovation to demonstrate that existing buildings could be greened without major investments, and that soon after its renovation, which was necessary to upgrade the building’s systems and fittings after 15 years of operation, it achieved LEED platinum, the highest level of the US Green Building Council’s globally recognised standard.

The Chamber claimed that it succeeded in reducing energy and potable water consumption per person by 63% and 92%

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Climate Control Middle East July 2014

Dubai Chamber team

our commitment to greater sustainability, enabling us to make significant reductions in our energy consumption and, thereby, lower our carbon footprint.”

Jasim Husain Thabet, Tabreed’s CEO, added: “It is a source of great pride for us to renew our long-standing partnership with the UAE Armed Forces, a key supporter of Tabreed since the company’s inception 15 years ago. This long-term collaboration is a clear endorsement of the energy, environmental and economic benefits of Tabreed’s District Cooling services.”

respectively, accumulating an estimated USD 5.8 million of savings between 1998 and 2013.

While the majority of these gains, said the Chamber, came from simple low-cost initiatives, such as turning off the air conditioning and lighting after hours, a number of innovative practices with attractive payback periods were also applied, which included using recycled water for landscaping and washroom flushing, using the outdoor fountain as a heat exchanger to cool the server room, and capturing condensate for the fountain and washroom systems.

Such initiatives, the Chamber pointed out, led it to receive an energy star rating of 91%, implying that it is more energy efficient than 91% of comparable buildings in the United States.

HE Hamad Buamim, President and CEO, Dubai Chamber, pointing out that this global honour came after many years of hard work, said, “This achievement reaffirms the Chamber’s commitment towards sustainability and being a role model for the business community.”

He also underscored that this was in line with the strategic vision of the Dubai Government, which emphasises the adoption of sustainable practices through green buildings and other measures.

Knauf seminar highlights HVAC insulation technologies

selected and installed in the new buildings. This is where we play a significant role, as our products contribute to efficiency of energy and, improved indoor environmental performance of the buildings.”

Dr Yasemin Nielsen, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at Abu Dhabi University, who was

a guest speaker at the event, said that the building code for the emirate of Abu Dhabi will create better, safer, greener and more economical buildings in which to live and work. “Estidama,” she added, “will lead to longer lasting and more energy-efficient buildings that offer long term cost savings.” she added.

Claims to meet Abu Dhabi’s Green Building regulation

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t a seminar hosted for architects, developers and building consultants in Abu Dhabi, Knauf Exeed Insulation showcased its HVAC and building Insulations made with patented ECOSE binder technology for glasswool insulation.

Announcing this in an official communiqué, the company said that it highlighted its sustainable insulation products that it claimed could strengthen Abu Dhabi’s initiative to build a greener city according to Estidama guidelines.

Daniele Cerutti, General Manager, Knauf Exeed Insulation, said: “We are committed to meeting the increasing demand for energy efficiency in new and existing homes, non-residential buildings and industrial applications.

There is a significant improvement in demand for insulation materials and applications since the Estidama code was introduced. Developers, consultants and contractors need to consider the overall sustainability of the materials

July 2014

www.climatecontrolme.com

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happenings the region

DEWA achieves reduction in demand for energy and water

Reflects Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 goals

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ubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has achieved considerable success in reducing the demand for energy and water in Dubai through a series of initiatives to meet the goals of the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030, launched by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy to reduce energy demand by 30% in 2030.

Announcing this through an official communiqué, DEWA elaborated that it has

H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer

, 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

succeeded in reducing the annual per capita consumption of electricity to 15,346 kW in 2013 compared with 16,022 kW in 2010, while the annual per capita consumption rate of water was reduced to 40,777 gallons in 2013 compared with 44,631 gallons in 2010.

In light of this, H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, said: “In line with our goal to become a sustainable world-class utility, we at DEWA work to achieve the Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative launched by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Our strategies for reducing energy and water demand also complement the national agenda launched by His Highness as part of the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy 2030 to position Dubai as a model internationally in energy security and efficiency.”

Elaborating on this theme, Al Tayer added: “DEWA is implementing the strategy for energy demand management that was formulated by the Supreme Council of Energy, which has eight programmes to manage energy demand.

These include specifications and regulations for green construction, retrofitting the existing buildings, District Cooling, wastewater reuse, regulations to raise the standards and efficiency of devices and lighting, and working with private companies to retrofit 30,000 buildings in Dubai. We have also launched a company specialising in water and electricity consumption in buildings (Etihad ESCO), the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, and the Clean Coal project and initiatives to raise awareness about an ecofriendly lifestyle and the importance of reducing carbon emissions.”

KSA-based consultant earns unique ASHRAE certification Certified as Healthcare Facility Design Professional

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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

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Climate Control Middle East July 2014

Engineering

Energy

Environment

uhaimi Design – Protecooling, a company dealing in District Cooling and HVAC projects, has announced through a communiqué that its Chief Consultant Mohamed R Zackariah, CPMP, BEMP, has been certified as Healthcare Facility Design Professional (HFDP) with a high score.

Zackariah is already a holder of CPMP (Commissioning Process Management Professional) and BEMP (Building Energy Modeling Professional) from ASHRAE, the communiqué added.

HFDP certification with CPMP is a potential combination to deliver high-quality service to healthcare facility projects, including design, design review and commissioning consultancy, Suhaimi Design – Protecooling highlighted.

happenings the region

Kizad signs agreement with Al Khaili Group

The Group to build manufacturing facility and food processing plant in Khalifa Industrial Zone

Spinneys to open cold storage and distribution centre in Abu Dhabi

Breaks ground in Khalifa Industrial Zone

S

pinneys, a fresh food supermarket chain, has announced breaking ground on May 31 in the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad), marking the beginning of construction of its new cold storage and distribution centre.

The centre, which is planned to be operational

by Q1 2015, is being built on a 382,905-square-foot plot of land in Kizad’s logistics cluster, for food and non-food products and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) for both the

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UAE stores and international markets, the announcement added.

The proposed facility will have highly insulated exterior cladding, double airlock systems for the truck receiving and further insulation within the building to ensure that different temperature zones in the storage spaces are kept low and stable, Spinneys informed.

According to Spinneys, while 70% of these spaces will be kept below 10°C, the other 30% will be kept below 4°C to guarantee adequate storage environments and quality and

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

fficials from Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (Kizad) and Saif Al Khaili Group, a privately owned UAE business group with headquarters in Abu Dhabi, have announced signing the Musataha Agreements for setting up two manufacturing facilities in Kizad, representing an initial investment of more than AED 280 million.

The agreements were signed by Khaled Salmeen, CEO, Kizad, and H.E. Saif Al Khaili, Chairman, Saif Al Khaili Group, in the presence of Ralf Schroer, Deputy Head Mission, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Sayed Mohammed Aumir, General Manager Lower Gulf, Siemens, the announcement said.

According to Kizad, the factory, whose agreement is valid for 50 years, will be set up in Kizad’s mixed-use cluster, with the production plant envisaged to be the first of its kind in the UAE,

O

and produce caustic soda and other chlorine derivatives for industrial sectors.

The second agreement, valid for 30 years, is for a food processing plant to be built in Kizad’s food cluster on a 284,435-square-foot plot of land. The manufacturing facility will produce readymade meals for industrial catering, capable of producing 70,000 meals per day, Kizad revealed.

“We are very proud to welcome such a high-calibre industry player, such as Saif Al Khaili Group to Kizad, said Salmeen at the signing ceremony.

“We chose Kizad to be the place of production for both of our facilities, because it offers an excellent logistics infrastructure coupled with highly competitive operating costs. Our proximity to Khalifa Port will also be of great benefit, allowing us to access new markets outside the UAE,” added Louai Kasem, Vice President, Saif Al Khaili Group.

freshness of the stored goods.

“After having successfully completed phase one of the Kizad Logistics Park (KLP) a few weeks ago, today’s ground-breaking ceremony of Spinneys marks a further move of our vastly developing logistics cluster,” said Engineer Khaled Salmeen, CEO, Kizad, at the ceremony.

“Being located in Kizad will give us the opportunity to further grow our business by enabling us to get our products from international markets faster and more efficiently,” Jannie Holtzhausen, CEO, Spinneys Dubai, added.

happenings the region

Tyco conducts seminars in KSA

Focus on fire detection and alarm systems

Rodger Reiswig, Director of Industry Research, Simplex Seminars

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yco Fire Protection Products has announced completing a series of educational seminars in the Saudi Arabian cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.

Entitled “Simplex – Building Safety”, the seminars were part of the company’s ongoing support for specifiers, design engineers and end-users in the Kingdom,

and focused on fire detection and alarm systems from the team of Simplex brand from Tyco, the announcement added.

Over 200 industry professionals participated in the event, where industry speakers shared their knowledge on the latest technological developments in the field and gave an international perspective on National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Codes and Standards, Tyco informed.

The topics reportedly included the latest updates and realignments of NFPA 72 codes, such as new documentation requirements, the adoption of new class definitions and pathways, new test, inspection and maintenance requirements and changes under the review for the 2016 edition.

Peter Ryan, Senior Commercialisation Manager, responsible for the Simplex brand, commented: “Saudi Arabia is a key market for Tyco. The focus on encouraging growth in the private sector and government’s far-sighted programme of investment in education, healthcare and infrastructure is driving construction projects across the Kingdom. The value and complexity of these projects demand highly flexible, highly reliable firedetection solutions and Simplex is ideally suited to these applications.”

Al Mafraq wins SaintGobain award

Gyproc material for hospital expansion project contributes to Level 1 Pearl Rating

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bu Dhabi’s US$870 million Al Mafraq Hospital expansion has been voted one of the world’s top drylining projects in an international awards competition organised by Saint-Gobain Gypsum.

Announcing this, SaintGobain Gypsum said that the project, which relied on over 800,000m2 of Gyproc plasterboard and one million linear metres of Gypframe metal profiles from Gyproc Middle East,

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was selected from 87 shortlisted projects in 33 countries to receive the President’s Prize in the 9th SaintGobain International Trophy Competition.

The President’s Prize is a discretionary award presented every two years, which recognises the most outstanding new installation of Saint-Gobain plasterboard systems in the world, and was presented to joint venture contractors, Al Massa and International Décor, at a special ceremony in Berlin,

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

Safid to supply air distribution products to Presidential Palace Selected by main project contractor, Drake & Scull

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afid, dealing in air distribution systems in the region, has announced being awarded a contract to supply air distribution products to the new Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi.

Safid has been selected as supplier to Drake & Scull International, the main contractor of the palace project, the announcement added.

The selection criterion was based on its high-quality dampers recognised

by UL certification, the company claimed.

Apart from dampers, Safid will reportedly be supplying sound attenuators with SRL (Sound Research Laboratory) certification.

Germany, on June 6, SaintGobain informed.

The company gave details of the award-winning project: Undertaken for client, The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, the expansion of Al Mafraq Hospital regenerated the existing structure by lining it with a range of Gyproc plasterboards to meet exacting levels of sound performance in treatment rooms, operating theatres

and corridors; moisture resistance in patient bathrooms; fire resistance in corridors and other vulnerable areas and to provide impact-resistance in high traffic areas.

The sustainable systems also contribute to the building’s Level 1 Pearl Rating under Abu Dhabi’s ESTIDAMA Sustainable Building Code, the company claimed.

Tick

TALK

KEY INSIGHTS ON WHAT'S MAKING NEWS

Sweetening the partnership Michele Bedin, Managing Director of Euroklimat, the Italy-based chiller manufacturer, speaks to Climate Control Middle East about the recently signed partnership agreement between his company and Andrews Sykes Climate Rental. Here are the highlights….

When was the partnership agreement signed? Could you give us a background of events that led to the partnership?

The partnership agreement in Dubai was signed in January 2014. In finalising the agreement, we took into consideration the long history of our relationship with Andrews Sykes in Europe since 1999. We have been able to provide around 500 chillers for the Andrews Sykes Group in Europe. These chillers were employed in various uses, such as comfort cooling, data centre cooling, process cooling and refrigeration. Our long-term relationship with them has led to this partnership.

Are you opening a new office here in the Middle East?

We have opened our office in January 2014 in Sharjah, UAE, which has ample space for keeping our chillers and spare parts. The management of Andrews Sykes Climate Rental heads the office and our sales and service team is handling our operations.

mechanical, chemical, pharmaceutical and oil & gas industries. We have the capability to serve this market.

Our latest project involved the installation of chillers in Abu Dhabi ice rink, and our next three chillers are going to be installed for the biggest ice rink in Doha, Qatar. We see ourselves well established in this region very soon.

In light of this partnership, will you be offering new products or services to the region? Is there any region-specific product that you will only offer to the Middle East or will all the services be the same across all regions?

We will offer the Middle East similar products and services like we do in Italy.

However, keeping in mind the Middle East weather conditions, we have designed a new range of chillers, which work smoothly in high temperatures. These chillers with screw compressors and R134A gas have the capability of easily providing cooling even when temperatures soar up to 55° C. We also have the capability to design custom chillers based on client requirements. STOCK IMAGE ONLY

What kind of partnership will this be?

We were looking forward to present Euroklimat’s products and services in the Middle East, since our company has been active in the Italian chillers market since 1963. For this purpose, we decided to start operations in Dubai with a strong sales and service team. This isn’t a joint venture, and no new company will be formed. Khansaheb Sykes, which has a successful history in the UAE for renting out de-watering pumps, have agreed to provide us with the logistics support. Andrews Sykes Climate Rental, a sub-division of Khansaheb Sykes, would be distributing and promoting our products in the Middle East.

What market challenges is your company hoping to respond to with partnering with Andrews Sykes?

Our biggest challenge was being able to distribute our units in the Middle East and having a consistently improving sales and service team. With our partnership with Andrews Sykes Climate Rental, we have been able to tackle both the above challenges effortlessly.

Do you, then, consider the Middle East as an important market for your business?

What do you think are the drivers for growth for your business in the region?

Middle East is one of the most important markets that we are looking at, not only because of the climate conditions but also because this region is growing a lot in terms of infrastructure, real estate and logistics. Seeing the development pace of the Middle East region, there are diverse industries investing and advancing their business here. We believe that we will be able to introduce our chillers for process applications in plastic moulding, food,

July 2014

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happenings the region

CHRVI ME in pictures...

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Climate Control Middle East July 2014

May 26-29, 2014 Qatar National Convention Centre

CHRVI Middle East

July 2014

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happenings the region

May 7-10, 2014 Istanbul Expo Center

ISK-SODEX in pictures...

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Climate Control Middle East July 2014

happenings at large

ISH China & CIHE 2014 attract 41,238 visitors

Attendees commend the show’s 50 informative events

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SH China & CIHE – the China International Trade Fair 2014, held from May 13-15 at Beijing’s New China International Exhibition Center, witnessed a recordsetting visitor attendance and exhibitor participation.

Announcing this, event organisers, Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) and B&D Tiger Exhibition, said that the fair attracted 999 exhibitors from 18 countries and regions, with a 13.4 % and 6.3 % increase in both exhibitors and exhibition space respectively from 2013, with visitor attendance totalling 41,238, an 11.8% increase from 2013.

The top 10 visiting countries were reportedly Germany, Hong Kong China, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia, Taiwan and Turkey.

According to the organisers,

50 events held concurrently during the fair, categorised into four major themes – technology exchange, idea innovation, match-making and technology display – where the sector’s leading players from business and academia shared their views on current industry developments and future trends, proved to be highly popular.

Speaking about the event, Richard Li, General Manager, Messe Frankfurt in China, said: “With factors such as higher energy conservation and greater efficiency dictating the goals of China’s HVAC and plumbing sectors, the Beijing show’s significance has never been greater.

We are delighted to have gathered an astounding group of HVAC and plumbing experts and suppliers

ODE wins award

Recognised as “The most competitive company in Turkey” in its category

O

DE, claimed to be the largest 100% domestic insulation manufacturer in Turkey, has announced winning the 2013 prize for the LargeScale Enterprise Category in Turkey in its field, at the Fourth Competitive Power Prize event.

Kemal Direk, Deputy General Manager, Financial

Affairs, ODE, received the prize from President of the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation, Süleyman Onatça, on behalf of ODE, the first company to receive the award in the insulation sector, the announcement added.

The Competitive Power Prize, in which 30 companies contested, was reportedly

from around the world, particularly from Germany and Italy to showcase their environmentally friendly and state-of-the-art products.”

Li Hongbo, General Manager, Beijing B&D Exhibition remarked: “I am more than pleased with the

organised by TÜSİAD (Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association), SEDEFED (Federation of Industrial Associations) and the Sabancı University Competition Forum.

The competition process was based on the evaluation of components, such as growth, export, added value, human resources, financial resources, innovation design, technology, leadership and sustainable strategy, ODE said.

On the occasion, Direk, expressing his joy on his company’s achievement, said: “ODE, since its foundation,

July 2014

performance of the show’s 2014 edition. Not only did we record our best figures for exhibitors and visitors, but they (sic) have also overwhelmingly expressed positive views regarding the organisation and professionalism of the show.”

has always looked out for the development and progress of its employees, its sector and its country, and adopted to actualise the innovations without hesitation. These esteemed awards … have exalted us and given us strength and courage for our future objectives.”

Orhan Turan, Chairman of the Executive Board, ODE, stated that the company perceived the success as a responsibility and that it would work hard to represent Turkey in similar forums abroad.

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happenings at large

Altaaqa Global opens office in Johannesburg

Will be hub for company’s operations in Southern Africa

A

ltaaqa Global CAT Rental Power, a global provider of temporary power solutions, has announced opening a new branch in Johannesburg that will cater to countries in Southern Africa, including the Republic of South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Madagascar, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The company will bring its expertise, innovative

technologies and rapid deployment to the region, known for its oil and gas, industrial manufacturing, and mineral and coal mining industries, the announcement added.

Peter den Boogert, General Manager, Altaaqa Global, informed that the company would provide the Southern African region with advanced power plant packaged systems, remote monitoring, and fuel-efficient gas, diesel

Fresh-Aire UV bags Ameristar Award Blue Tube UV First HVAC product to win packaging industry’s honour

F

resh-Aire UV has announced that its Blue Tube UV germicidal light system has won the Ameristar Award for packaging design, becoming the first HVAC industry product to win the recognition.

The company received the award at a June 10 ceremony held during the 2014 EastPack packaging trade exposition in New York, the announcement added.

The Ameristar Award

22

winners are typically Fortune 500 consumer product corporations, Fresh-Aire UV revealed.

Designed by Plastics Ingenuity (PI) Cross Plains, Wisconsin, the Blue Tube UV packaging is a 27-inchlong, elliptically shaped, clear polyethylene terephthalate (PET) thermoformed tube with a back panel featuring detailed graphical explanations of the system’s

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

or dual-fuel-powered generators. “Altaaqa Global and its sister company in Saudi Arabia have a total combined fleet of 1,400 MW rental power plant generation readily available to serve the Southern African region,” he said. One of the flagship innovations that Altaaqa Global will offer, he revealed, was the flexible operational mode that can switch from island to grid

importance for disinfecting airborne and interior surface biological contaminants in HVAC systems for optimal indoor air quality (IAQ), Fresh-Aire UV informed.

“We've never had an HVAC industry member win an Ameristar Award,” said Carole Schiller, events manager, IoPP, a Naperville, Illinois-based packaging industry trade association that judges the packaging entries on vision, leadership, differentiation, savings and growth.

“The packaging’s aesthetics and design offers HVAC wholesalers multiple display merchandising possibilities, while service technicians can use the back panel’s UV information to enhance

mode in seconds.

Steven Meyrick, Board Representative, Altaaqa Global, claimed that with this recent achievement, the company was on its way to fulfilling, and exceeding the objectives it had set itself at its inception in 2012, and that it would conduct educational campaigns on energy conservation and environmental stewardship in the region.

Majid Zahid, Strategic Accounts Director, Altaaqa Global, on his part, said, “Southern Africa has a promising economic outlook within the energy, engineering, production, oil and gas, and mining sectors, and we are delighted to open our new office in Africa to provide our wide range of highly innovative interim power plants.”

their sales presentations to homeowners,” said Chris Willette, President/Founder of Fresh-Aire UV’s parent company. Willette is also reportedly the inventor of the Blue Tube UV, which is claimed to be the HVAC industry’s best-selling UV light system.

The Ameristar Award now reportedly qualifies the Blue Tube UV packaging design for worldwide recognition and entry in the international WorldStar Packaging Awards sponsored by the World Packaging Organisation next year in Milan, Italy.

ASHRAE UPDATE

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

DOE updating national reference standard for commercial buildings

Belimo ZIP Economizer recognised Chosen as Money-Saving product by Buildings magazine

Standard 90.1-2013 could become frame of reference

B

elimo has announced that Buildings magazine has selected its ZIP Economizer as a 2014 Money-Saving Product winner, as part of a group of 97 products showcased in the magazine’s June 2014 issue.

The finalists were reportedly evaluated by the magazine’s editorial staff for the money-saving qualities they offered to building owners and facility managers in areas, such as energy consumption, water savings, lighting, envelope improvement and maintenance.

A

preliminary analysis from the US Department of Energy (DoE) shows that the ASHRAE/IES’s 2013 energy efficiency standard contains energy savings over the 2010 standard of 8.5% source energy and 7.6 site energy. Revealing this in an official communiqué, ASHRAE dubbed it the first step by the DOE in issuing a ruling that could establish the 2013 standard as the commercial building reference standard for state building energy codes.

Giving details, ASHRAE said that in an announcement in the May 13 edition of “The Federal Register,” DoE had attributed greater energy savings to improvements in ANSI/ ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, related to better lighting, fans, commercial refrigeration, boilers and controls.

ASHRAE said that DoE was presently receiving comments on the preliminary determination, and that more information could be found at http://www.energycodes. gov/regulations/determinations.

In light of this, ASHRAE informed that if the preliminary determination was finalised, then the states would be required to update their codes to meet or exceed the 2013 standard. Currently, they must reportedly meet or exceed the 2010 standard, which served as the commercial building reference standard for state building energy codes under the federal Energy Conservation and Production Act.

UL

July 2014

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marketplace

This section contains regional and international products information

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

Trend Control Systems Energy Manager

C

laiming that it is a powerful tool for highlighting and investigating energy waste within a building, Trend Control Systems has announced developing Trend Energy Manager – a webbased energy management package for users of BEMS. The manufacturer lists the following product features and benefits: n Trend Energy Manager enables energy and facilities managers to monitor gas and electricity consumed by their building services and its effect on their organisation’s carbon footprint. n Based on Trend’s iMAT M&T software, it can provide automatic reporting of incidences

of energy overuse and can even be configured to suggest probable causes. n As it can be scaled to suit the size of application, it is viable for small single buildings as well as large campuses. n As a web-based package, it can be accessed by authorised users from any location. n It comes on a CD with its own installation program and requires no knowledge of programming or databases to set up. n Once connected, it will browse the BEMS and produce a list of system meters/sensors from which the data collection points can be selected. The maximum number of data points will usually depend on which one of four standard versions of the

Sonitec-Vortisand

VortiJet series of injectors

H

ighlighting that all Vortisand (vertical design) and H2F Vortisand (horizontal design) models are now equipped with patent- pending VortiJet injectors, Sonitec-Vortisand has introduced the VortiJet series of injectors for Vortisand cross-flow microsand filtration systems.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and benefits: n VortiJet injectors allow for an energetic sweeping action while preventing media bed disturbance which occurs with other cross-flow filtration designs. n This results in better filtration capacities and increases filtration runs by five to 10%. n It also leads to more efficient backwash, resulting in less water required during the backwash cycle, as it can capture the dirty backwash water at a 360 degree angle. n It is located at the top section of the vessel, which allows for a plug flow design which increases the efficiency at which the dirty backwash water is evacuated from the Vortisand. This results in water savings between 20 and 50% compared to the traditional injector design.

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Climate Control Middle East July 2014

software – 50, 100, 250 or 500pts – has been purchased from the VAR. n Readings from meters that are not connected to the BEMS can be imported into the Energy Manager in CSV file format or entered manually. It is also

possible to import historic data recorded on a ‘963’ supervisor. n It is available through Trend’s network of VARs or can be hosted on an end-user’s behalf by the company’s Energy Support and Solutions Team.

NEW VORTIJETTM INJECTORS All Classic Vortisand® (vertical design) and H2F Vortisand® (horizontal design) models are now equipped with exclusive, highly efficient patent pending VortiJetTM injectors that allow for an energetic sweeping action while preventing media bed disturbance which occurs with other cross-flow filtration designs.

INTRODUCING THE NEW VORTIJETTM SERIES OF INJECTORS FOR VORTISAND® CROSS-FLOW MICROSAND FILTRATION SYSTEMS

BETTER FILTRATION CAPACITIES

With the former single injector system, only a single area of cross-flow filtration is created, and inevitably only a portion of the filter is thoroughly active in the filtration process. On high solid loading situations, this may cause a hydraulic imbalance which could result in the formation of preferential channels in the media, or “channeling”. The VortiJetTM injectors, by optimizing the Vortisand® sweeping action, greatly minimize the risk of this phenomenon without compromise. Furthermore, the unique and patent pending VortiJetTM injector will typically increase the filtration run by 5 to 10%.

OLD INJECTOR

NEW VORTIJETTM INJECTOR

OLD INJECTOR: ONLY 1 SECTION OF THE FILTER BED IS ACTIVE RESULTING IN IMBALANCED FILTRATION CAPACITY.

NEW VORTIJETTM INJECTOR: USE OF THE FILTER BED IS OPTIMIZED RESULTING IN BETTER FILTRATION CAPACITY.

WATER VELOCITY AT FILTRATION SURFACE TOO SLOW

OPTIMAL

FAST

TOO FAST

BETTER BACKWASH The VortiJetTM injector increases the efficiency of the backwash process as it can capture the dirty backwash water at a 360 degree angle. Being located at the top section of the vessel, this allows for a plug flow design which increases the efficiency at which the dirty backwash water is evacuated from the Vortisand®. This results in water savings between 20 and 50% compared to the traditional injector design. The chart to the right shows just how much more efficient the backwash process has been further improved.

Sonitec-Vortisand Inc. | www.sonitec.com | info@sonitec.com | 866-876-9655 | 514-335-2200 |

http://www.systemair.ae

THE PROCESS COOLING REPORT

Cooling applications using self-contained process chillers Saying that operational efficiency and profits are directly tied to process chiller performance, Imran Ali gives a glimpse of specially designed chillers for different process cooling applications.

Introduction

There is a need for end-users to understand the concept of higher cost process chillers as against lower cost HVAC chillers

Factors to be considered

• When downtime is more critical than breakdown of an AC system • When required chilled water parameters cannot be compromised, ie, flow, pressure and temperature • Round the clock operations 26

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

within a wide range of ambient conditions are needed, ie, 15°C to 50°C • Onboard tanks, pumps and controls should also play a vital role • When anomalies in parameters and fluid quality cannot be compromised • Integrated supervisory controls ie, remote monitoring/control, auto changeover, system bypass etc

Since traditional HVAC chillers are not designed for rigorous process duty, loss of production even for a short period is usually much higher than the equipment cost difference.

Applications of process cooling

Process cooling can be divided into three major segments: • Light industrial applications • Heavy industrial applications • Commercial and institutional applications The following are the areas of application: Light industrial applications • Bakeries – dough mixing cooling • Dry cleaning – cooling of dry cleaning machines • Printing – cooling of heated printing rollers due to friction • Potable water cooling • Machine/oil cooling in small-scale industries

STOCK IMAGE ONLY

Process cooling chillers, unlike cooling for comfort (air conditioning), provide cooling or extract heat mainly from a fluid required for a process to maintain a particular temperature during a process. It could also be used to cool equipment or its components.

Process cooling chillers are often compared to their equivalent tonnage of standard HVAC-type chillers within different applications.

Therefore, there is a need for end-users to understand the concept of higher cost process chillers as against lower cost HVAC chillers.

The cooling processes vary from one HVAC application to another. A significant fact to be noted here is that operational efficiency and production profits are directly tied to process chiller performance and reliability.

Consequently, there are basic design differences.

• Multiple circuits and technologies for large turndown ratio

Heavy industrial applications • Emergency safety showers and eyewash facilities • Concrete batching plants • Plastic industries • Die-casting plants • Food & beverage industry • Sewage water treatment plants • Reverse osmosis plants • Machine/oil cooling (several applications) • Quenching applications Commercial and institutional applications: • Medical applications (X-ray, MRI, CT Scan, etc) • Laboratories • Drinking water systems • Swimming pools • Cold plunge pools

Practical process cooling – a concrete batching plant There is a demand for temperature-controlled concrete for large construction projects around the world. The strength of the concrete is accompanied by the evolution of heat. The phenomenon of curing and hardening of cement (heat of hydration) is not of much importance in small structures, but very significant in a mass concrete process. This is because, here, the heat of hydration raises the temperature during the

Figure 1

curing process by up to 25°C, causing an increase of volume.

After the concrete is cured, it cools down again, reducing its volume, thus causing cracks. The initial pouring temperature, therefore, should be lowered to such a degree that the maximum temperature during the curing process does not exceed a certain degree determined by the consultants. Even though the required pouring temperature of the concrete varies from site to site and from country to country (from 4°C to 15°C), there is always a requirement for a sophisticated chilled water system.

Figure 2

STOCK IMAGE ONLY

Overview of the layout for process cooling chillers

Process cooling chillers can be assembled on: • Single skid, uniform enclosure • Single or dual skids – integrated on field, not fully enclosed • Multiple skids integrated and piping inter-connected on field (multiple single or duplex chillers may be provided) The above can be understood from typical illustrative schematics in Figure 1 and Figure 2. July 2014

The writer is General Manager at Argonaut Rental Division – GCC Region. He can be contacted at imran. ali@argo-naut.com

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eventreport

Is environmental quality a Catch-22?

The threat of being exposed to pollutants and harmful environmental elements is always present, be it outdoors or indoors. Stay outside and risk inhaling dust, sand and particulate matters. Remain inside and be vulnerable to VOCs, harsh odours and re-circulated airborne viruses.

What, then, can be done? The first panel discussion at the 2nd Annual Middle East Indoor Environmental Quality Conference in Dubai revolved around these issues. Here is our report.

A

nyone who has lived in the Middle East through the summer months will tell you that it may not be a bad idea to run for cover and stay indoors during sandstorms and when the mercury rises to 50°C. During this season, for instance, an average person is observed to spend more than 90% of the time indoors, be it inside the office, his car or his home. In doing so, he may be keeping himself safe from external forces, but, as discussions and presentations at the 2nd Annual Middle East Indoor Environmental Quality Conference, produced

by CPI Industry, publishers of Climate Control

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Climate Control Middle East July 2014

Middle East magazine, revealed, he may be subjecting himself to harmful elements that he may not know of.

Dr Yousuf Noman, Co-Chair of the Healthy Building Interest Group at the Qatar Green Building Council warned that exposure to pollutants was 25% greater indoors than outdoors. In relation to this, Noman shared the fact that the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 20% of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population is exposed to indoor air pollutants 100% greater than the recommended level.

Owing to indoor air pollution, he said, nearly 2,000,000 people die every year.

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

Salah Nezar, Corporate Sustainability Director at Qatar Project Management added that exposure to indoor air pollution was not the only downside of staying indoors. “Another problem,” he said, “is thermal shock.”

With outdoor temperatures in the Middle East reaching as high as 50°C, Nezar said that immediately entering a room with a significantly lower temperature might present a grave danger, particularly to children and the elderly. This, he said, could increase the probability of respiratory illnesses, which could also result in cardiac complications.

The situation, however, is not at all Catch-22 – where no one is safe no matter where he one stays.

Dr Ahmad Al Shatti, Consultant, Occupational & Environmental Medicine and Director of OHD at the Ministry of Health, Kuwait said that in order to address the manifold contexts of the issue at hand, there must be a synergy among different stakeholders, including the government, the healthcare industry and the engineering fraternity. “We have to come forward and create a venue where we can discuss these issues,” he said, adding that the stakeholders must bear in mind that the issue represented more than plain statistical data. “Workers are not numbers, they are people.

The government and the companies have to realise that every dollar they spend on promoting health will yield more profit than invested elsewhere.”

Dr Ahmad Al Shatti, Consultant, Occupational & Environmental Medicine and Director of OHD at the Ministry of Health, Kuwait said that in order to address the manifold contexts of the issue at hand, there must be

a synergy among different stakeholders, including the government, the healthcare industry and the engineering fraternity. “We have to come forward and create a venue where we can discuss these issues,” he said, adding that the stakeholders must bear in mind that the issue represented more than plain statistical data. “Workers are not numbers, they are people.

The government and the companies have to realise that every dollar they spend on promoting health will yield more profit than invested elsewhere.”

H.E. Abdullah Rafia, Assistant Director-General of the Engineering and Planning Sector at Dubai Municipality agreed with Al Shatti and added that in order for the synergy to be possible, awareness programmes needed to be extensive.

“Awareness in this part of the world is more difficult," Rafia said. "Awareness programmes can be expensive, but we cannot do without them.” He cited the example of how his office worked to promote the Green Building Regulation in Dubai. “For the Green Building Regulation, we have launched an extensive programme for all levels, including consultants, contractors, suppliers and manufacturers,” he revealed.

Rafia also shared his opinion that green and sustainable practices should not stop after the construction of facilities.

“We should continue [the best practices] through the operation and maintenance," he said. "This is where our programme’s benefits have to been seen – from the beginning of a building, through occupancy and maintenance.”

Noman agreed with the two preceding speakers, and said that in Qatar, sustainability is promoted as a responsibility July 2014

Dr Yousuf Noman

Salah Nezar

Dr Ahmad Al Shatti

H.E. Abdullah Rafia

of all sectors of society.

To cap off the discussion, Al Shatti shared his view that health should be at the centre of all sustainable development initiatives. He urged all those present, particularly the engineers, the hygiene experts and the doctors, to work together and tackle the issue of health and safety and environmental quality from a multidisciplinary perspective.

“We have to remember,” said Al Shatti, “that the human beings are the most precious elements in the world.” www.climatecontrolme.com

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eventreport As per tradition, we are bringing you the highlights of the conference that was, in words and pictures. Here are some of the key takeaways from the presentations and panel discussions that transpired….

Dr Simon Miller, Product Conformity Senior Analyst, Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council

• The Abu Dhabi government is presently developing an IEQ strategy, through which it aims to develop a baseline in relation to IEQ and a governance level for regulatory authorities.

• For paints, adhesives, sealants and carpets: The

Paul Schwarz, President, Middle East Engineering Society

• Acoustics and sound affect us psychologically, physiologically, cognitively and behaviourally • Our ears can hear 10 octaves of sound. Our ears are always on. They are working all the time, so when you have a noisy air conditioning system, it may

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Climate Control Middle East July 2014

VOC limits are based on Estidama requirements. The test methods are chiefly based on ISO standards, and the levels are adopted from the ones used in Europe and in the US. • Our conformity schemes are voluntary. We interact with the industry, and we have to make sure that our standards are testable in the Emirates.

• For paints and adhesives

and sealants, we found out that more than half of what is being sold in the market does not meet our standards. Therefore, there is more work to be done in this regard.

• Products should be certified yearly. We continuously try to develop the standards.

We receive feedback from the industry on how to develop the standards.

affect your sleep at night.

• Experts observed 66% per cent less productivity from workers that are subject to excessive noise.

• Twenty-five per cent of Europeans have shown reduced quality of life and health from sleep deprivation.

• Sleep deprivation can lead to increased risk and extent of heart disease, resulting in 200,000 deaths in

Europe annually.

• Acoustics also affect patient recovery and learning in classrooms. It has been shown that a poorly designed classroom can cause children sitting towards the back to miss about 50% of what the teacher says.

• Acoustic design is not optional. Let us make it mandatory and every building has to conform to acoustic design standards.

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

Raed Mohamed Al Marzouqi, Head

of Occupational Health and Safety Section, Department of Public Health and Safety, Dubai Municipality (DM) • Legionella grows in temperatures of 30°C to 50°C. • A big challenge is the climate conditions in Dubai.

The temperature of water increases the likelihood of Legionella growth.

Humidity is also a catalyst to the growth of Legionella.

• DM has various types of devices for inspection:

VentureClad

Thermal cameras and samplers. Where are we monitoring for Legionella?

Cooling towers, swimming pools, hot and cold water systems, water sprayers, etc.

• There is also a webbased tool for reporting.

Establishments need to report several issues, such as IAQ reports and water quality. The system itself is equipped with artificial intelligence to tell the customers if the numbers comply with the standards.

• When one registers in the system, one needs to attach

JACKETING SYSTEMS

VentureClad® is a zero permeability, self adhesive jacketing product which delivers significant advantages over traditional jacketing techniques.

Mad

®

n USA ei

s 10 yearty warran

the required drawings and specify their methods, how they are doing and who are the people conducting the test, etc.

• Future programmes: One of the main concerns is accreditation of laboratories.

We are also about to finalise the IAQ guide and also the safety strategies.

• We also deem to increase environmental awareness.

We are also looking to set performance targets of buildings, and we try to make the parameters more challenging than the previous years.

• 100% Vapor Barrier & Aluminum Cladding • Application Temperature -23 oC to 149 oC • Zero permeability/Weatherproofing Jacket • UL 723/ASTM-E84 Flame and Smoke • No Primers, Activitors, or Heat Guns • Ideal Internal or External Use • Neat, Clean and Dependable Material • MOLD Guaranteed

with ller Clad i h C t u re g Ven acketin J

with ller ional i h C dit Tra cketing Ja

E-mail: info@unigulf.ae

Website: www.unigulfdevelopment.ae

HEAD OFFICE Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharjah Al Ain Doha Bahrain Oman

: : : : : : : :

Tel: +971 4 2862100 Tel: +971 4 2223697 Tel: +971 2 6338748 Tel: +971 6 5397099 Tel: +971 3 7610712/13 Tel: +974 4369485 Tel: +9731 7746826/27 Tel: +968 24491666/24614408

July 2014

Fax: Fax: Fax: Fax: Fax: Fax: Fax: Fax:

+971 4 2858001 +971 4 2281435 +971 2 6338749 +971 6 5397088 +971 3 7610714 +974 4373805 +9731 7746849 +968 24493522

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eventreport Chris Rajamani, Technical and Business Development Manager, Al Hoty Stanger Laboratories

• Legionella is mostly transmitted by aerosols.

The main sources of Legionella are fountains, baths, showers and taps, etc.

• When Legionella bacteria is inhaled by humans, it affects the respiratory system.

• We follow the DM

Dr Iyad Al Attar, International Air Filtration consultant

• A particulate matter affects people more than any other pollutant. Fifty-five per cent of a sandstorm is PM 10. Is your HVAC system protecting you from or exposing you to pollutants?

• Clean air is important in power generation to protect the turbine blades. In HVAC, you need to protect your coils.

• A lot of focus is on the intake air cleaning and not on the exhaust air cleaning.

• Cooking, in general, is

M Rajkumar, CEO and Director, BestPro presented on air distribution and related challenges in the GCC, and best practices in selection, installation, operations and maintenance for optimal air quality.

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Arne Kranenburg, Technical Sales Engineer, Vianen Kitchen Ventilation spoke about about the latest trends in commercial kitchen ventilation – the “user-central” approach to going green.

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

guidelines for testing water for Legionella.

ASHRAE has also their own guidelines.

Eurovent also has its own standards.

• In the case where Legionella bacteria count is greater than 10,000, we recommend re-sampling.

There is also an urgent need to inform the competent authority with the lab documentation and the steps taken to remedy the situation.

• Legionella risk assessment in this part of the world is new, and we recommend that you run risk assessment programmes.

• For sensitive installation, we tend to follow the PCR systems, which can provide the results much faster. This method is also more effective. Now, the conventional system is a time-tested method and most organisations in the world recommend the traditional method.

one of the most significant sources of airborne particles that are so small, they can affect your DNA. • Depth filtration is the type of filtration used in HVAC systems. You can’t wash a depth filter, because then the media can be damaged.

• Characteristics to consider in filtration: Particle size, particle shapes, collection mechanism, face velocity and filter surface area.

• The roadmap for professional filtration: We need to provide training for maintenance and installation teams and professionals, so that

inappropriate practices can be eliminated.

• We need students to study IEQ so that knowledge in this field could expand. We need to elevate the area of filtration from practice to science. I also advise companies to invest on their teams, in terms of education and training, safety equipment and clothing.

• We are trying to save cost, but we can’t do it at the expense of air quality, because most of what we do here is invisible. If we want to save cost, we need to think of saving lives.

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

Shedding light on the emerging developments in monitoring and in combating pollutants was Syed Taqi Hussain of Eco Evergree.

A panel discussion involving Dr Iyad Al Attar, Ghaleb Abusaa, CEO, The Three Factors Company and Kandasamy Anbalagan, Managing Partner, Proleed Engineering Consultants revolved around the threat of outdoor pollutants from allergic rhinitis and asthma perspectives. Salah Nezar (extreme left) moderated Day 1 of the event.

CAIRO HEAD OFFICE:

Cairo, Egypt Tel: (202) 25161610 25163737 Fax: (202) 27549849 E-mail: admin@alliedco.org Web: www.alliedco.org

DUBAI, UAE

Tel: 0971 4 297 8500 Fax: 0971 4 2652 192 E-mail: alliedae@eim.ae Burj Khalifa, Downtown Dubai, UAE

Empower, Business Bay, Dubai UAE

Winner of Best Consulting Firm District Cooling in the Climate Control Awards 2011

BRAnCHEs:

â&#x20AC;˘ Jeddah, KSA â&#x20AC;˘ Toronto, Canada

FOUNDED TO LEAD

Allied has grown into one of the leading Engineering and Project Management firms in the Middle East, boasting offices in 3 major Countries in the Middle East (Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Kingdome of Saudi Arabia).

Allied offers full range of Engineering and Project Management services provided by nearly 140 dedicated professionals distributed among Egyptian, UAE and KSA locations.

The company is a multidisciplinary consulting firm and has a track record and specialization in Buildings, Industrial Works and District Cooling and Power Generation Plants.

July 2014

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focus

VALVES | Part I

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, who presents proof to support his assertion. This Part 1 of the article.

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.

34

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 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; implementation

Figure 1: Sample building load demand

Climate Control Middle East July 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 other pumps during low

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

Figure 3-1: Full load condition

July 2014

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focus

VALVES | Part I

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

Figure: 3-2 Part load condition

Liquid ΔP sensor across the variable speed pumps

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

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 benefits: 1) Easy to troubleshoot 2) Shorter cable length 3) Less need for ΔP 36

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. In 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%.

Figure 3-2: Full 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 3-4: Conventional setup at part load

Climate Control Middle East July 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

Providing innovative HVAC valve solutions for your balancing needs

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

Unleashing an innovative technology

Figure 4: Variable Primary Flow schematic

Liquid ΔP sensor across the highest resistance unit

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

Figure 5-1: ACMV Closed-loop control

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.

Liquid ΔP sensor across the highest resistance unit

A ΔP sensor is installed across 38

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.

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

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 undercapacity 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 (No energy transfer)

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 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

Control valve authority

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

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.

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.

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.

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

July 2014

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focus

VALVES | Part I Control valve authority in practice

Figure 6-1: Common control valve characters

The formula for control valve authority can be expressed as:

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 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 Figure 6-2: Terminal circuit pressure drop

Equation 1

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 2

Equation 3

Figure 7-1: Full load condition

40

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

Figure 7-2: Part load condition

Most of the time, chilled water systems operate two per cent full load and 98% part load 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: 3-2-1).

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. (To be continued in the August 2014 issue of Climate Control Middle East)

Equation 4

Figure 8-1: full load condition

Figure 8-2: Part load condition Figure 9-1 Without hydraulic interference

Figure 9-2: With hydraulic interference

July 2014

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countryreport

australia

Down Und on its wa Rising from the ashes of the recent downturn, Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s burgeoning industries represent strategic growth areas for HVACR and allied products. Industry players look at the Australian market with much hope. We bring you a special report.

42

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

der ay up

A

ustralia has certainly made its mark on the HVACR industry. One of the earliest pioneers of modern refrigeration was an Australian named James Harrison. He demonstrated and patented a commercial ice-making machine in Geelong, Victoria, in 1851.

The insights he revealed and the principles he demonstrated with his early vapour-compression systems are, to this day, referenced by refrigeration manufacturers.

With many burgeoning industries, such as mining, construction and transportation, Australia is considered one of the foremost growth areas

by HVACR industry players. Though market studies suggest that the Australian economy has experienced a slowdown in recent years owing to the recent global economic downturn, many

The market for residential, lightcommercial and VRF units in Australia is worth approximately USD 1.25 billion, with around USD 550 million attributed to the residential sector alone HVACR companies in the country were kept afloat by local and foreign investments in the resources and infrastructure markets, as also due to a steady growth of the apartment construction sector and sizeable government spending on education- and healthcare-related infrastructure.

Ajit Chandraraj, General Manager of AHICarrier, distributors of Toshiba air conditioning systems, agrees with this observation, and shares his companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience in Australia: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The market for residential, light-commercial and VRF units in Australia is worth approximately USD 1.25 billion, with around USD 550 million attributed to the residential sector (duct-free systems) alone.â&#x20AC;?

July 2014

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countryreport

australia

Chandraraj, whose company has been operating in Australia since 2009, has experienced a six-fold increase in residential sales from the time they set up shop there, and a 40% increase in turnover in the first half of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013.

He, however, warns that the market has not always been this rosy. “The market was flat for three years owing to a slowdown in growth in the mining, oil & gas, hospitality and education industries,” says Chandraraj.

“The situation was worsened

Most of the HVAC products in demand in Australia are inverterbased by the government-initiated imposition of carbon tax on refrigerants used in HVAC systems.” He, however, adds that the future is not all that bleak: “After the installation of the Tony Abbott Government, there is a possibility that they will withdraw the carbon tax on a retrospective basis. If this happens, it will bode well for the HVAC industry.”

(For more information on the Legislation to Repeal the Carbon Tax, see box 1).

Samuel Peli, General Manager for Sales at Seeley International, says that despite the reduction in investment and overall business confidence during the crisis years, Australia was not severely affected by the 44

Legislation to repeal carbon tax The Hon Tony Abbott, Prime Minister and the Hon Greg Hunt, Minister for the Environment, Australia, issued a joint communiqué on the release of the carbon tax repeal bills for public consideration. Excerpts…

“I

n line with our clear election commitment, the Government’s first item of parliamentary business will be the legislation to abolish the carbon tax.

“This will lower costs for Australian businesses and manufacturers, boost growth, increase jobs and ease cost of living pressures for households.

“On average, households will be around $550 better off in 2014-15 than they would have been with the carbon tax in place. This is about taking the pressure off of electricity and gas bills.

“While the carbon tax will be gone, the household assistance already provided will remain to help families with the cost of living.

“The repeal bills will remove the carbon tax, end the carbon tax on fuels used in shipping, rail and air transport and on synthetic greenhouse gases. The Climate Change Authority will also be abolished.

“Abolishing the carbon tax will improve Australia’s international competitiveness, which was being undermined by the unfair hit on business.

“The legislation will give the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission further powers to take action against businesses that engage in price exploitation following the repeal of the carbon tax.

“Repeal of the carbon tax represents a major contribution to the Government’s deregulation agenda by removing around 440 pages of legislation and reducing business compliance costs by about $100 million annually.” *The document is available for the public through www.pm.gov. au

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

Ajit Chandraraj

Samuel Peli downturn. In fact, says Peli, many market experts predict a complete recovery of the Australian market by 2015.

A close look at the market

Most of the HVAC products in demand in Australia are inverter-based, and, unlike in the Middle East, the Australian market notably requires heat pump inverter products. “At Toshiba,” says Chandraraj, “our VRF systems running on allinverter compressors allow us to meet the energy-efficiency standards and requirements in Australia.”

In terms of refrigerants, he says that Toshiba has maintained its focus on R410A, though the company is in the process of evaluating the merits of other alternatives, like R32.

“Daikin and Fujitsu have gone ahead with using R32 in their products for sale in Australia, but the refrigerant is yet to gain widespread acceptance,” he says. “In fact, it is still not a prerequisite to

Demystifying DRS Ajit Chandraraj shares information on the Demand Response System, which he says, may be an effective way to manage electricity demand. Highlights….

“P

eak demand prompted by extreme weather events result in major spikes in electricity usage. These peak events create a problem, as they require expensive investment to increase network capacity.

“There are a variety of ways to respond to this problem and manage electricity demand.

Demand response through direct load control may allow certain household appliances to be remotely controlled, reducing the demand for electricity at peak times. The approach would be facilitated by mandating that key appliances must be equipped with a demand response interface.

This interface would allow the establishment of communication links between appliances and the electricity network.

“There are different possible technologies which can allow an appliance to be remotely controlled, and currently many appliance manufacturers are unwilling to risk investing in a particular communications approach unless they know it will be used by other market participants. Mandating compliance with the Australian Standard for demand response interfaces would overcome this and allow sufficient market aggregation to occur.”

use R32 in Australia.”

Seeley International also has its gaze trained on energy efficiency to help research and develop its latest products.

“For instance,” reveals Peli, “we have developed an Air Handling Unit that uses an indirect evaporative heat transfer core that provides hyper-efficient cooling of outside air.” Peli adds that as it took his company more than a decade to develop the technology, it is confident that the product will offer exceptional cooling and energy efficiency performance.

For several years now, Australia

has been employing energy efficiency regulations to pave the way for the development of less power-consuming and more cost-efficient systems.

“Australia is a place where most of the products are launched, then adopted throughout the world," says Chandraraj.

"The country follows the highest MEP (minimum energy performance) standards in the world, and it is raising the bar every year, since a few years ago.” He says that MEP standards were originally only applied to wallmounted, ducted, ceiling and cassette

Maxwell magazine adv with bleed.pdf 1 02-Jul-14 9:40:49 AM

July 2014

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countryreport

australia

units. “This year, however, the authorities are contemplating and studying the inclusion of VRFs and packaged systems to the scheme of the MEP standards,” he says.

Peli adds: “MEP standards have been in place in Australia for over 10 years now. Throughout the existence of this regulation, we have noticed a 50% energy efficiency improvement among HVAC products on offer in the Australian market.”

In addition to MEP standards, Australia is also reported to be looking at implementing a Demand Response System (DRS) among residential products.

“DRS,” says Chandraraj, “will allow regulators and power companies to control the operation of units from a remote location.”

In response to the abovementioned initiative, Chandraraj shares the fact that the Toshiba AC lineup for 2014 has already been equipped with DRS (for

46

more information on DRS, see box, right).

While the country is making an aggressive push towards energy efficiency and power consumption suppression, it is also considering harnessing the potential of alternative sources of energy.

The roadmap ahead

The stringent energy efficiency

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

and environmental stewardship regulations in Australia are challenging HVACR industry players to develop products that will satisfy the stringent requirements. While this may be daunting for some entities, HVACR manufacturers in Australia see the introduction of strict regulations as an opportunity to push the

envelope of technological and methodological innovation. As Australia’s economy continues to recover from the effects of the financial correction, HVACR products that promote cost-efficiency and energy and environmental conservation are expected to enjoy higher levels of consumer demand in years to come.

interview BLUE STAR

“Customers want products to talk to them” Satish Jamdar, Managing Director, Blue Star, and Director of Blue Star Electro-Mechanical Ltd, has spearheaded many projects for his company and was responsible for the Service Business, International Operations. He speaks to B Surendar about a wide range of subjects concerning the industry, including VRFs, best practices and business opportunities in the region in light of a palpable market recovery.

India right now. In Muscat, last year, we supplied small units and some in Dubai. In terms of our VRF evolution, we designed digital-scrollbased VRF systems in 2006-

Are you looking for a larger footprint for your VRF technology in the region?

What distinguishes your VRF system from that of others in the market?

I feel VRF is good, and we are in it. But I think, sort of a blind application of VRF is not necessarily correct.

We are able to provide multiple solutions – plain ducted, chiller-cum-AHU….

Depending on energy efficiency, application, and diversity, a horses-forcourses approach is the best.

An excessive slant towards any product is not the way forward. It can kill or remove the ability of some of those product lines.

I spoke of us being able to provide multiple solutions.

In this regard, one-toone inverter technology is becoming popular. Inverterbased ducted units and inverter-based split units in India are very energy efficient, and the fact that they use less refrigerant is good. Inverters are not coming here [into the GCC] 48

Overall, the world is at an experimental stage as regards refrigerants in a big way, and I’m surprised that inverter-based technology has not taken off here, because it can replace splits. Our inverter systems match the five-star rating requirements of ESMA. VRFs of Blue Star are the only ones being sold in

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

Mumbai, India

2007. Then, we launched a revised version that ran on R410A. And now we will be launching an inverter-based VRF system in the next twothree months.

ESMA in the UAE and SASO in KSA are raising the bar on energy efficiency. In a recent interview to Climate Control Middle East, one of the senior directors at ESMA spoke of relegating the current top-star rating standard to a three-starrating status, essentially signalling ESMA’s intent to raise the energy-efficiency standards of products being sold in the UAE. What initiatives is Blue Star taking towards innovations leading to energy efficiency?

The internal guideline for any product of Blue Star is that it has to comply with T3 conditions. And internally we test for 55°C, and we have declared up to 52°C without tripping.

We have pushed VRF technology into the GCC with four-five projects in Oman and two-three projects in Dubai. Once our inverterbased VRF system is ready in three months, maybe we will be here in full force next year.

All the compressors we are planning are inverterbased. We have an in-house psychrometric lab to test at

design conditions. We can simulate up to 52°C and demonstrate on site. It’s a certified lab.

Coming to regulations in the GCC region, regulations need to be consolidated, though. JAFZA, Dubai Municipality, Estidama are examples of different sets of regulations within the same country. Why have so many different approaches if the purpose is the same?

What are Blue Star’s plans and strategies for exporting to the region?

We were getting aggressive in 2009. In fact, in 2008-2009, we opened an office here.

India was also growing. We at Blue Star grew four and a half times in this period.

Obviously, it was a strain on our human resources, and at the time, all of the GCC was booming. In fact, all the countries around the world were seemingly booming.

And the problem of the “Great Recession” hit India in 2008. But India as a country is big, with a large mass. The GDP growth was five per cent. But the Middle East fall was precipitous, and I know there was a lot of turmoil here. So, our ambition to push more products into the Middle East took a backseat.

We recently found that the UAE and Qatar have started showing signs of sustainable growth. So we have recaptured our thoughts.

For the last six months, things have been getting better. We are seeing a lot of internal investments here and possibly another boom. And whether it sustains or not, time will tell. This region, including Africa wants to come up. So in the Middle East, Dubai could be a good base, especially with EXPO 2020 and FIFA 2022. You have something to sustain with the two events. I think something’s going to happen.

There is a decent growth (1520%) on the cards from the base level, and even 40%.

Africa will grow, and the Middle East, therefore, will be a hub. On the flip side, it seems volatile. Iraq has cropped up, and if anything happens, [market] sentiment could drop.

We are looking at how to reorient, and this time around, we are going into Africa. We have appointed dealers in Kenya, Sudan and Tanzania. Nigeria is our next target. And so is Uganda. It’s part of a three-year plan.

Before that, we looked at SAARC countries. We officially launched in Sri Lanka last year. Maldives, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar – that’s also part of the three-year plan.

In India, after 20032008 boom, certainly we witnessed a slowdown. It became generally a more

July 2014

consumer-oriented business rather than investment and infrastructure-oriented business. Sentiment is more positive with [Prime Minister] Modi. We are looking at revival of Blue Star growth in India.

Yes, there are hiccups like Iraq, but overall, we should see three to five years of growth. India, the Middle East and Africa are all growing. So we have multiple prongs for growth.

We need to get distributorship right in all these countries. Every country has its own standards. So customising the products is essential, and so there is a lot of load on R&D. We might have to add capacity on that front. We are also thinking of options of an assembly line here;

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49

interview BLUE STAR it’s on the drawing board.

Having an assembly line in the Middle East will give us flexibility.

Often-times, the issues that keep cropping up in the region have to do with lack of engineering best practices as a standard approach. A few consulting and contracting firms with a fastidious approach does not mean the entire industry is at a certain acceptable standard.

What is Blue Star doing to empower and foster engineering excellence, be it related to installation or O&M? R&D, innovations in products, services and manufacturing processes are key strengths. Revival of business sentiment in India has propped up everyone in India.

Secondly, we are challenged by regulatory requirements, as we are manufacturers and designers. At the core is the need to look for more

50

the world is at an experimental stage as regards refrigerants, so the challenge is for us to have multiple prototypes energy efficiency and the need to align with the rest of the world… inverters and Turbocor are the result.

Thirdly, we need to

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

consider the work that has gone into the choice of a refrigerant. For four to five years, the pressure was on ODP, and so we moved with 410A and 407C. But soon, people said there is more to it. The auto industry and HVACR industry are driving the change. I can see a move towards a more natural refrigerant, like CO2 or ammonia. Then, there are the hydrocarbons, like HC 290. At an R&D level, we have built a prototype and will be ready to launch in three to four months.

And we have signed up with Daikin on the R32 front for incorporating it in inverter split systems. Those we will launch next year in India.

Overall, the world is at an experimental stage as regards refrigerants, so the challenge is for us to have multiple prototypes. When everyone is guessing what the next refrigerant is going to be, we are ready with multiple prototypes. ,Some of the refrigerants

that are being used as interim refrigerants now have disadvantages compared to R22. The de-rating of some of the gases is a concern. There is no choice but to be flexible. If two streams of refrigerants are coming up, we would want to straddle both. We want to be refrigerant-agnostic.

Customers are intelligent – they want products to talk to them, have automation, remote monitoring of big chillers, which is something we have already accomplished. When sophistication enters the field, we need to be ready with expertise and also smart thinking. Remote monitoring allows us to have fewer experts handling 10-15 projects. Blue Star also has an electronics division, whose concerns include intelligent use of remote, CCTV, video, etc.

We are trying to marry these capabilities with the air conditioning side of things.

LICENCE TO

CHILL

Tu be or not tu beâ&#x20AC;Ś Starting from this issue, we bring you a column dedicated to chillers

by Dan Mizesko. We begin with the first of a two-part series, where the writer discusses the advantages and disadvantages of enhanced and super-enhanced tubes.

The concept of utilising enhanced tube technology to reduce energy consumption, thereby reducing utility costs has been in use for over 30 years. The most recent breakthrough in heat transfer tube technology has been the use of a combination of internal rifling with roll-worked external enhancements to increase heat transfer. This practice has resulted in a significant reduction in energy consumption.

Challenges

As this new technology expanded into different areas of industry, new challenges had to be overcome. New designs, such as enhanced and super-enhanced tubes, require that the heat transfer medium, ie, water, be of a higher quality than ever before. These changes demand exceptional water treatment programmes, as well as operational and maintenance practices.

Based on my experience

For best results, your specialist chiller service company should be actively involved in your water treatment programme

working throughout North America, Mexico, South America, the Caribbean and the MENA region, I believe that the condenser tube conditions in the MENA region is by far the poorest I have seen. The reasons for this are many, but the main factors are misinformation and varying and incorrect opinions regarding proper water treatment, CoCs, how the chillers are operated, how offline chillers are addressed, and tube maintenance.

I am not going to address water treatment or water treatment technologies in this article. However, I would like to caution that for best results, a specialist chiller service company should be actively involved in your water treatment programme.

Why enhanced tubes to superenhanced tubes?

Enhancing of tubes to increase heat transfer rates have been promoted since the 1970s, mostly based on the following mechanical engineering principles: 1. Making a thinner wall with structural integrity can provide more efficient overall heat transfer by reducing the resistance through the tube wall.

2. Increasing turbulence of flow close to the heat exchanger surface can turn over the fluid faster, providing increased heat transfer.

3. Increasing the surface area on either side of the heat transfer surface will provide increased heat transfer.

The first enhancements of straight bore tubes came with the insertion of internal vanes to improve flow characteristics. These design modifications were only moderately successful in increasing heat transfer efficiency. However, these devices were more prone to

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Climate Control Middle East July 2014

fouling, which decreased their functionality.

The next generation of enhanced tubes was a rifled barrel effect with fins, both on the outer and inner tube surfaces. The fins, depending on the manufacturer, varied in height, width, numbers per inch, and change in pitch.

These factors changed the velocity profile of the water on the interior surface of the tube.

Most of these tubes had a decreased wall thickness (up to 50%). Their increased surface area over the straight bore tube (by about 50-70%) resulted in claimed improvements in energy efficiency up to 40%.

The most recent generation of tubes (super-enhanced) have a rifled barrel effect

with fins on the internal part of the tube and a waffled-type structural effect (roll-worked external enhancement) on the outside. The external structure has been referred to as external fins or external enhancements. The fins on the inside vary in height, width and number per inch, while the waffling effect provides an even greater surface area and reduces the wall thickness in some areas by up to 70% from the straight bore tubes.

It is evident that the main advantage of enhanced and super-enhanced tubes is energy savings. All new centrifugal chillers have this technology in their chillers.

The disadvantages of the technology According to the AWT

reports, a representative of a major chiller OEM indicated that his major concerns were with water quality. He stated that a side-by-side comparison of a system with enhanced tubes to a system with straight-bored tubes would show a significant difference in the amount of heat transfer efficiency lost due to a thin layer of scale in the enhanced tubes.

The straight-bored tube system may lose about 10-15% heat transfer efficiency, whereas the enhanced-tube system could lose as much as 20-30% heat transfer efficiency. Because of this greater susceptibility to scaling in the enhanced tubes, water quality and the associated water treatment programme need to be first

rate. If not, the efficiency gained from the purchase of an enhanced tube system will be lost in a few months.

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

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perspective

PROCESS INSTRUMENTATION

Process instrumentation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a critical DC infrastructure Diagnostics and better predictive maintenance ensure the efficient functioning of a District Cooling plant. Laxman AR posits the view that process control instrumentation helps achieve this.

T

he early years of the past decade saw an upsurge in the District Cooling concept as an alternative to traditional air conditioning methods in the Middle East. The infrastructure boom in Dubai during this period tested the sustenance of the concept. After the intermittent cool-off period, post 2013, the market has once again started to warm up. As per estimates, a capacity of approximately five million TR is expected to be added in the next fiveyear period, mainly in Saudi

Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. Over the years, one of the major contributors towards this success has been the role of process control instrumentation, which is classified among the critical infrastructures in a District Cooling plant.

With the earliest plants, the control philosophy adapted a more conventional approach of the analogue signals from the discrete devices hooked on to the controls. However, with PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) gaining more acceptability in the control domain, open digital communication, STOCK IMAGE ONLY

Water treatment tanks

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Climate Control Middle East July 2014

Advancement in the instrumentation technology related to District Cooling plants has paved the way for reduced engineering costs like PROFIBUS, heralded the arrival of newage technology to the instrumentation and control domain of the District Cooling architecture.

Advancement in the instrumentation technology related to District Cooling plants has paved the way

for reduced engineering costs, complexity of cabling, increased process diagnostics and better predictive maintenance. New generation devices, with their modular electronic concept, have enabled easy replacement of devices, improving plant availability and a more safe and reliable performance of the plants.

In a typical plant lifecycle, OPEX costs are estimated to be more than 70% of the initial CAPEX; this is also true for a District Cooling plant.

Water constitutes nearly 25% of the operating costs in District Cooling, and it is imperative to monitor both the quantity and quality of this resource, which is used in a closed loop. With the advancement of new trends in water treatment, and with local legislations keen on promoting the use of treated water, polishing plants have now been included in the existing infrastructure. This trend has added to increased instrumentation assets.

Judicious selection of a partner who can bring in innovative products and solutions along with a proven track record complementing with local competence and service support plays a pivotal role in reducing the overall cost ratio for this critical infrastructure.ď&#x20AC;ź

The writer can be contacted at laxman.ar@ ae.endress.com

perspective

PRODUCT PIRACY

BEWARE OF COUNTERFEITERS! Product piracy is a menace plaguing the HVACR industry the world over. Bitzer, Kühlmaschinenbau, warns about the dangers of using cheap imitations and shares information about his company’s ongoing initiative against fraudsters.

C

ounterfeits have become a mass phenomenon. In addition to complete compressors, using counterfeit compressor spare parts and fake refrigerants is on the rise worldwide. This is unacceptable because, unlike with counterfeit watches or handbags, technical applications can be very dangerous when pirated products of poor technical quality are used. Apart from safety, the issue of performance clearly takes centre stage. Cheap copies lead to poor performance and play a key role in the customer’s purchasing decision.

Particularly in Asia, unscrupulous product counterfeiters now even go as far as copying the catalogue data of companies, which misleads buyers.

However, in the long run, the supposedly cheaper copies prove to be much more expensive than the originals, as they conceal another risk for users – the low-quality components significantly reduce both the service life and reliability during operation.

More significantly, all these factors negatively impact the entire industry.

Unfortunately, product

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piracy has achieved highly professional results in the industry. Experienced counterfeiters copy originals with a level of perfection that makes it nearly impossible to tell them apart from the original.

We are dealing with a network of counterfeiters and distributors who sell very authentic-looking copies all over the world.

The criminals pretend to be partners of reputed

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

companies and, thus, harm both the company and the customers.

However, while they make fakes look the same as originals, when it comes to quality, the poorly constructed components cannot withstand the high demands and will likely experience limited functioning after a short period of time or be completely defective and require repair.

The use of fake compressors, spare parts and refrigerants has already led to personal injury and death in the transport cooling industry. What’s more, there’s a risk of motor damage, liquid slugging, heat damage and short circuits, which are often irreparable and can only be identified with in-depth analysis.

What is important, when copied spare parts are used, the warranty becomes void for the entire product.

The Bitzer Group, manufacturer of refrigeration compressors, has decided to wage war on product piracy by taking a more proactive approach to dealing with counterfeiters, especially compressors, spare parts and pressure vessels.

The Bitzer Green Point offices are expert contact representatives when it comes to issues of compressor repair and provide customers worldwide with professional support in service, maintenance and training.

As such, we can monitor the entire lifecycle of our compressors and pressure vessels all over the world.

Also, we are increasingly taking legal action. Suppliers of fake products are always thrown out of trade fairs and have to remove our logos immediately.

Because it’s difficult to differentiate between an original and a copy visually, we are now introducing a diverse range of measures to make it possible to clearly tell them apart. This will help to protect people’s lives and the commercial interests of both the company and the customers.

Finally, we strongly advise against accepting unusually cheap offers for compressors, spare parts or refrigerants.

perspective

CODEX HACCP

HACCP and/or HACCP texts • A draft project document for new work by CCFH (Source: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/ wcm/connect/fsis-content/internet/ main/topics/international-affairs/ us-codex-alimentarius/archives/codexnews-022114)

GHP and HACCP

Reflections on the Codex HACCP Colloquium Dr Joanne Taylor was invited to present at the Codex HACCP Colloquium, held in early June in Finland. It was a platform for experts across the globe to come together to discuss the Codex Food Hygiene Text and recommend changes to the Codex Committee. Dr Taylor shares with us a few of the salient points raised there.

The background

The Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) invited Codex members and observers to participate in a scientific colloquium, sponsored by Finland, in Kirkkonummi, Finland, from June 4-6. The colloquium was avowedly in response to Finland specifically asking

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during the last session of the CCFH, held in Hanoi, Vietnam, last November, to consider an update of the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CAC/RCP 1-1969), and especially of its Annex on HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point), and regard it as new work.

To clarify which parts were

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

most in need of an update, and what might be missing from the Codex texts, Finland proposed to host a scientific colloquium for a limited set of experts with the following likely outcome: • An outline for a discussion paper on the need to update the General Principles of Food Hygiene

It would be useful to focus on a “Food safety management system” with GHP (Good Hygiene Practices) and HACCP as two interlinking parts. Here, flexibility is important, as some businesses may only need GHP or need a gradual approach to HACCP. However, all approaches must be validated.

Hazard analysis is the most difficult step, but the least understood It needs to be noted that the Codex text is written with a manufacturing bias, and needs to better reflect SLDBs (Small and/or Less Developed Business). It must be re-emphasised that GHP/PRP (Prerequisite Programme) must be implemented adequately prior to HACCP, or there is no HACCP system.

It must be highlighted that non-Critical Control Points (CCPs) still require control.

Chemical and physical hazards should be separated and more emphasis placed on chemical hazards.

It needs to be pointed out that many countries take the Codex text and follow it directly, which leads to problems, as different systems are needed

perspective for different types of businesses. You can comply with the HACCP principles without a HACCP plan, and you don’t need to call it HACCP. Also, the document does not need to be linear; there could be links forward and back.

•

•

Hazard Analysis

Hazard analysis is the most difficult step, but the least understood. It would be a good idea to add Hazard Analysis to the general text, as well as the HACCP text. A new document could, thus, be created, similar to the validation document.

The following are a few of the recommendations made during the sessions: • Training is essential, for the competent authority, as well as businesses.

• Effective hazard analysis

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• •

•

•

is essential prior to CCP decisions.

Greater support is needed for SLDBs (eg, the competent authority undertaking hazard analysis, generic/evolving HACCP).

More information, guidance and tools are needed for deciding the significance (which is not necessarily a Codex responsibility).

Guidelines are needed on the scale of severity and likelihood [of hazards].

It is not the listing of hazards that should be the focus; prioritisation needs to be the focus.

Clarity of terminology is needed, for example, Risk Assessment, Risk Analysis, Hazard Assessment and Hazard Analysis.

Greater explanation is

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

CODEX HACCP

needed of the role of microbiological sampling, including when it is NOT appropriate.

CCPs

In the case of Critical Control Point, there is a misconception that you have to use it, because it is in the document. The Decision Tree is a tool, but it is not essential to apply it, as it is not the case of “one size fits all”, and doesn’t always work.

GHP as well as HACCP. The Validation document is a good guide and is useful.

However, it needs to be cross-referenced and added to FHBT. Finally, greater explanation of auditing is needed – both internal and third party – which can include regulators.

Validation/ Verification

Validation/Verification are vital steps, but not well understood. It is, therefore, important to separate the two terms with better explanation of each term.

Also, it is important to look at validation of critical

The writer can be contacted at joanne@ taylorshannon.com

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spotlight

district cooling

Finger on the

DC pulse DC Serve, dealing in District Cooling equipment and services, was formally launched during The Big 5 2013. It is now poised to take advantage of the improvement in market sentiment in the wake of the nascent economic upturn. B Surendar has the story...

“D

C Serve was born out of an integration of products and services to give District Cooling customers a onestop-shop,” says Rennie Sequeira, the Division Manager responsible for the District Cooling initiative.

DC Serve is a part of the Faisal Jassim Trading Company and is backed by a group that specialises in

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Rennie Sequeira

Climate Control Middle East July 2014

engineering, manufacturing and trading of building services equipment.

“At Faisal Jassim, we trade in heat exchangers, cooling towers, filtration systems and balancing and control valves,” he says. “With an increase in demand for District Cooling services and the fact that several District Cooling projects are being revisited (during this nascent economic upturn) that we are seeing, it is very important to offer all these services under one umbrella to showcase our sales team and our specialised supply, installation and maintenance capabilities,” she explains.

DC Serve serves MEP contractors, consultants, utility providers and FM companies, and is at present focused on the UAE and Qatar.

The company evidently means business, going by its list of clientele: Emicool, Empower, ADC Energy Systems, Stellar, TransGulf ElectroMechanical and SNC Lavalin.

“We have diversified into infrastructure, as well, and we have reputed manufacturers supplying us,” Sequeira elaborates.

With its present product range, the company can service projects of up to 40,000 TR. “For instance, we would have limitations on valve size when it comes to projects of 300,000 TR, but of course, we can handle it if it were to be broken down into distributed cooling schemes,” Sequeira claims, and adds: “When we sell our products and services, we take a holistic view. We do system design and value engineering and do not have a mere product focus.”

The avowed twin objectives of the company, apart from, of course,

being a viable commercial entity, is to demonstrate to customers the value of using reliable products and how to save water and energy and reduce Opex.

“One of our products even has an ROI calculator, and we can demonstrate and convince the need for quality products and not to compromise on quality,” says Sequeira.

"When it comes to services, we can overcome the Low Delta T Syndrome only if there is good hydronic balancing,” he explains. “And when it comes to evaporation loss or drift loss, we look at how we can save water.”

The company also maintains cooling towers, does maintenance work to improve heat transfer and performs gap analysis.

“Overall, our focus of services includes ETS (energy transfer stations), hydronic distribution and cooling towers,” Sequeira reveals.

Can the industry begin to revive its faith in District Cooling and afford to be sanguine about it? Sequeira believes that there is great potential for the industry, especially with Dubai winning the EXPO 2020 bid.

However, to increase the penetration of District Cooling in the overall cooling market, he believes the way forward is to make people more aware of its benefits. “Currently, I agree, the monetary savings of District Cooling are not being passed on to clients,” he concludes.

Positioning itself as a company that deals in marketing, installation, after sales service and maintenance, DC Serve hopes to overcome this lacuna, while targeting a bigger share of the District Cooling pie.

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