CCME November 2015

COUNTRY REPORT: GERMANY

Deutschland reinforces ethos of engineering and innovation

NOVEMBER 2015

INTERVIEWS

VISIT US!

JYOTI SHARMA, ADEC ‘We believe in good IEQ, so we push for it in our schools’

HEADLINE HVACR MEDIA PARTNER

23 - 26 November 2015 Dubai World Trade Centre

Concourse Stand 701 (outside hall 7) and at the Media Centre

ARAB HOBALLAH, UNEP ‘The economies of cities make the economies of countries’

OFFICIAL HVACR MEDIA PARTNER

30 November - 2 December 2015 Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre

Hall 1, Stand E-27

In search of the elusive refrigerant In this period of heightened awareness of the effects of global warming, are we any closer to finding the right low-GWP refrigerants for high-ambient countries?

HEADLINES

Samsung launches new range of cooling solutions

Ramboll secures DC contract in Makkah

Systemair acquires Alitis, Traydus PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

US$15

contents vol. 10 no. 11  NOVEMBER 2015

page

12

COVER STORY

The search continues With the global warming potential of refrigerants continuing to be a matter of concern and discussion for climate researchers and global world leaders, is the refrigerant sector any closer to identifying the right low-GWP alternatives for high-ambient countries?

EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN

IEQ IN

SCHOOLS page

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‘At ADEC, we are educated users and builders’ Jyoti Sharma of the Abu Dhabi Education Council identifies the different programmes and standards ADEC has adopted to ensure the emirate’s public schools are meeting IEQ requirements.

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PERSPECTIVES Grey’s the new green Underscoring that if there's an air conditioning unit, there is an opportunity to tap a valuable source of recyclable grey water, Serge Becker of Aspen Pumps explains how it can be done.

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November 2015

IEQ IN

HEALTHCARE page

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IEQ in hospitals – human being is the yardstick How can hospitals achieve good IEQ through the use of HVAC solutions?

TROX Middle East’s Faisal Zaidi offers pointers.

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‘Air in a BSL-3 lab and all other red areas are exhausted’ A Principal at Page Southerland Page, Joshua Theodore shares details of his experience working on a special isolation unit project for a children’s hospital in Texas.

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Adiabatic pre-cooling – going beyond the fog and mist In the context of identifying solutions that can deliver additional efficiency to existing chiller systems, Janis Strelits Strele of Blue Energy examines a few adiabatic pre-cooling technologies.

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page

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82 Excessive oil in centrifugal chiller – a slippery slope to energy loss

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ED'S NOTE 08

headwinds or tailwinds

NEWS 104 116 124 126 128

Regional Global Associations & Societies Comings & Goings marketplace

COUNTRY 86 REPORT: GERMANY

130 hey, let's go to the movies!

page

HVAC retrofit of CNG bus garage saves energy The compressed natural gas industry is creating life-safety and NFPA-compliant equipment challenges for HVAC engineers and contractors. We bring you a case study on how the HVAC retrofit design features of the Central Ohio Transit Authority’s maintenance garage overcame this.

page

Temporary power plants: keeping the cold chain unbroken

HISTORY

case-in point

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REGULARS

Highlighting the importance of a reliable supply of electricity in maintaining the integrity of the entire cold chain in food and pharmaceutical products, Jerome Sanchez of Altaaqa Global CAT Rental Power makes a case for temporary supply plants.

When oil gets into an evaporator, it mixes with the refrigerant and degrades system efficiency and capacity, says Dan mizesko, who offers solutions to obviate the problem.

page

PERSPECTIVE

Deutschland keeps cool Germany remains among Europe’s top HVACR markets, as it reinforces ethos for engineering and innovation.

WORLD

IEQ

Letters to the editor

Thank you very much for publishing the article, “Walking the tightrope” [on balancing IEQ needs with energy-efficiency requirements]. I really appreciate your efforts, and hopefully it will lead to more stakeholders understanding what is needed to make life easier in the Middle East.

– Leo Schuler, CEO, Pro Ace LLC Just got my copy of the October issue of Climate Control Middle East in the mail today. Great article [“Walking the tightrope”]; well done balancing the points of view of consultants, manufacturers and government bodies! Kudos!

– Jordan Baker, Regional Manager - Middle East Gulf, Greenheck Fan Corporation

FORUM

POST-EVENT REPORT Day 1 of the World IEQ Forum 2015 featured an agenda that focused on the healthcare sector as well as on broad issues, including the link between IEQ and energy efficiency; existing regulations on air quality; and retrofitting initiatives in the region. We bring you the first of our twopart comprehensive coverage of the event.

A collection of stories, in anticipation of the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change page

94 page

102

‘COP21 has been useful for raising awareness, for sounding the alarm’ – Dr Arab Hoballah, UNEP

CEOs & mayors committing to #climateaction are promoting economic growth while strengthening local communities.

Why now is the time for Dubai Christopher LaBorde, of TrakRef, explains why Dubai has a big role to play in bringing about HVAC leadership.

Compact of Mayors @CompactofMayors

November 2015

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Headwinds or tailwinds ince coming down from the lofty USD 115 a barrel in mid-June 2014, crude oil has obdurately stayed in the 40s-60s band for 2015. With considerable uncertainty over when – if at all – prices will robustly head north, there is speculation of a general tightening of the economy in the GCC region.

While there is consensus that government spending on construction-related activity in the GCC region will hold its course for now, there is speculation of a contraction in the second half – if not the second quarter – of 2016. And yet, there is a ray of hope for the HVAC industry, with many international observers suggesting to the leadership in the region that the time is ripe to usher in broad energy price reforms.

Their call for an end to the subsidy regime ought to bode well for our industry, long unable to give full expression to its energy-efficiency credentials, because the motivation of buyers of technology to curb power consumption has been weak, which has nurtured a debilitating regime dominated by a price-obsessed ethos.

If subsidies are eased out, giving way to a regime of more cost-reflective power tariffs, building owners will be forced to reach out for real solutions, which hopefully would shift the gaze away from capex to opex. And that could open up an opportunity for our industry to steer its way through the expected period of economic slump. That would likely call for a realigning of strategies, away from a ‘new construction’ mindset to an ‘existing building’ one.

The large inventory of existing buildings in the region presents an opportunity.

While the average lifecycle of a building in the region is 25 years, there is still abundant scope for retrofitting and general refurbishing efforts. The technological solutions are out there in the market and, hearteningly enough, abound with the low-hanging-fruit variety, which ought to encourage building owners to pursue them.

As the cost of energy begins to bite building owners, the prospects brighten for the industry. The question, though, is what is the level of its preparedness to realign business strategies to meet the possible curbing of subsidies? In the best possible answers to the question lie the hopes and aspirations of the industry.

S B Surendar Editor @BSurendar_HVACR

COUNTRY REPORT: GERMANY

Deutschland reinforces ethos of engineering and innovation

NOVEMBER 2015

INTERVIEWS

VISIT US!

JYOTI SHARMA, ADEC ‘We believe in good IEQ, so we push for it in our schools’

HEADLINE HVACR MEDIA PARTNER

23 - 26 November 2015 Dubai World Trade Centre

Concourse Stand 701 (outside hall 7) and at the Media Centre

ARAB HOBALLAH, UNEP ‘The economies of cities make the economies of countries’

OFFICIAL HVACR MEDIA PARTNER

30 November - 2 December 2015 Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre

Hall 1, Stand E-27

In search Get the next issue of the elusive of Climate Control refrigerant In this period of heightened awareness of the effects of global warming, are we any closer to finding the right low-GWP refrigerants for high-ambient countries?

HEADLINES

Samsung launches new range of cooling solutions

Ramboll secures DC contract in Makkah

Middle East early!

Systemair acquires Alitis, Traydus

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

US$15

Visit our website: www.cpi-industry.com/digital Also available at

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November 2015

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November 2015

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The

BIG PICTURE

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November 2015

Photo courtesy paintings / Shutterstock.com

FACILITIES MISMANAGEMENT? Are our FM personnel equipped with the proper training to handle refrigerant technologies? With the global HVACR community scrambling to find answers to the critical need for low-GWP solutions and billions of dollars being poured, annually, into related R&D and capital spending, concern over FM qualifications is growing, and with good reason. After all, how effective could the right solutions be if equipment leaks go undetected or refrigerants are, instead of being reclaimed, vented without care into the atmosphere?

November 2015

11

COVER STORY

12

November 2015

In search of the elusive refrigerant Various industry experts share their views on the current state of the refrigerants sector and their approach towards identifying and using the right low-GWP refrigerants for high-ambient countries.

By Rajiv Pillai | Features Writer

November 2015

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COVER STORY

H

igh global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants have always been a matter of concern and discussion not only for organisations, such as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and AirConditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) but also for the global HVACR fraternity in general.

As per the EPA Web site, GWP was developed to allow comparisons between the global warming impacts of different gases. The larger the GWP, the more a given gas warms the Earth compared to CO2 over that period of time.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) are sometimes called high-GWP gases because, for a given amount of mass, they trap substantially more heat than CO2, the Web site says.

Industry experts are of the view that the search is always on to identify the best refrigerants for low-, medium- and high-temperature applications. Dr Rajan Rajendran, Vice President of Systems Innovation Centre and Sustainability at Emerson

Dr Rajan Rajendran

Dr Veerle Beelaerts

Abin P Kurien

Climate Technologies, says: “In our quest to produce lower-GWP and higher-efficiency products worldwide, Emerson invests a considerable amount every year in research and development. We are also active members of several committees, such as Air

... to Smart Community

November 2015

that Mexichem has had a long history of developing refrigerants that have the best balance of properties across a range of application sectors. “Both safety in use and environmental impact are the key driving forces for the development of refrigerants with energy efficiency being the principle environmental driver,” Corr explains.

Stuart Corr

From Smart Metering...

14

Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Institute’s (AHRI's) Low GWP Alternative Refrigerant Evaluation Program, that work on testing and evaluating alternative refrigerants.”

Dr Veerle Beelaerts, Environment and Compliance Specialist at Daikin Middle East and Africa, believes that there are a number of factors that need to be considered when choosing the nextgeneration refrigerant. She elaborates:

The phasing-down of HFCs has long become an emotive subject for the cooling industry, effectively polarising people into two camps “We assess the chemical characteristics of the gas itself, such as the Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) and GWP value, toxicity and flammability characteristics.

We also look at the impact on the design of the equipment, energy efficiency – also in high-ambient conditions, and safety – also for people installing and servicing the equipment.” She, however, cautions that there is no onesize-fits-all solution for every application.

Stuart Corr, TechnoCommercial Director at Mexichem Fluor, agrees with Dr Beelaerts and says

An alternative view

Keeping safety, environmental impact and energy efficiency in mind, Corr says that there is a range of safe and efficient alternatives to CFC and HCFC refrigerants that are commercially available. He elaborates: “Leading these are HFCs which cover all of the major application areas, including low-, medium- and (Continued on page 20)

November 2015

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COVER STORY

Ammonia mania With zero-ODP and zero-GWP ratings, ammonia is among the eco-friendliest refrigerants available. It is, however, also known for its toxicity, which is why the pros and cons of its use and application have long been debated.

At the 8th edition of The Climate Control Conference, held on June 15 and 16, 2015 in Dubai, UAE, Kandasamy Anbalagan, managing Partner – Proleed Engineering Consultants, remarked: “We were wondering why people are not considering ammonia chillers in this part of the world [Middle East]. Basically, ammonia is considered as an industrial application, and it cannot be used in a commercial environment. But in places like Europe, it’s already in use, and they consider ammonia as a safe refrigerant.

But you need to take care of a lot more aspects in terms of training the technicians and of how to manage an ammonia leak, if at all it happens.”

Suresh n Sharma, Regional manager Industrial Refrigeration, Sales (mEnA), at Danfoss, agrees that ammonia is quite safe, although he cautions that it is toxic. “However,” he adds, “if you see now the development that is going around the globe, we are having critical charge refrigeration systems, where the quantity of ammonia is gradually reducing. In fact, we have designed some systems where there are no receivers. So, there is no practical storage of refrigerants.” He says that such new systems are being developed to increase the efficiency of the use of natural refrigerants and the lifecycle of such equipment, which can go beyond 20 to 25 years.”

Talking about the advantages of ammonia and corroborating on its safety, henrique Pereira, managing Director at Seabra, goes on to list three distinct advantages of ammonia over other commonly used industrial refrigerants: “First, ammonia is environmentally compatible. Having an Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP) rating of 0 and a Global Warming Potential (GWP) rating of 0, ammonia does not deplete the ozone layer and does not contribute to global warming. Second, ammonia has superior thermodynamic qualities and, as a result of that, ammonia refrigeration systems use less electricity. Third, ammonia’s recognisable odour is its greatest safety asset. Unlike most other industrial refrigerants that have no odour, ammonia has a proven safety record, in part, because leaks are not likely to escape detection.” Sharma adds that ammonia is not easily inflammable. “If the heat level goes up to 600 degrees C, only then can ammonia catch fire, which will never happen,” he says.

About the actual and future role of ammonia in the refrigeration industry, Pereira says that he completely shares Bruce Badger’s view. Badger, the President of International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR), asserts: “It may seem odd to call ammonia – a refrigerant first used for refrigeration in the 1800s – the refrigerant of the future.

However, a drastic evolution in equipment, controls and other technologies in recent years is ensuring that ammonia will be at the centre of the new safer, greener and more efficient industrial refrigeration systems to come.”

“So far, we [Dubai] are among the happiest societies in the world. But I want us to be Number One, and we are capable of achieving that, and I think that covers everything. The ultimate goal is to make people happy, and to achieve that, you have to provide them better and faster service.”

Abdullah Al Hajri, Executive Vice President, Customer Service at DEWA, and Head of the Red Team and Head of the “TARISH” initiative

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November 2015

Cool off with AHRI HVACR and water heating performance certification program

AHRI administers certification programs for more than 40 products, including these products: DX-Dedicated Outdoor Air System Units Heat Pump Pool Heaters Indoor Pool Dehumidifiers Unit Coolers Unitary Small Air Conditioners Active Chilled Beams Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners

November 2015

17

COVER STORY

(Continued from page 14)

high-pressure applications.

These HFCs include R410A, R407A and R134A.” He points out that there are a number of low-GWP refrigerants under development that include R32 and the hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) R1234yf and R1234ze, which are at the early stages of commercialisation.

Speaking on behalf of Emerson, Dr Rajendran adds, “In air conditioning for the Asian market, we have announced several R32 products, and in refrigeration, we recently released products for R448A, R449A, R450A and R513A.” Dr Beelaerts believes that more and more alternatives may become available in the coming years.

The burning issue Experts answer the question: Are flammable refrigerants automatically unacceptable?

Dr Rajan Rajendran, Vice President of Systems Innovation Centre and Sustainability at Emerson Climate Technologies: “Flammable refrigerants are governed by safety standards that specify the charge amounts as well as other safety requirements.

These standards often vary in different parts of the world, as well.”

Phase-off

Despite the many alternatives available, high-GWP refrigerants, such as HFCs are still very much in use, with no sight of a phase-out or a phase-down. During the 35th meeting of the Open-

Dr Veerle Beelaerts, Environment and Compliance Specialist at Daikin middle East and Africa: “No, flammable refrigerants can be acceptable and applied safely depending on the application. For example, the flammable refrigerant, R600A has been used in home fridges since many years. It is useful to mention here that there are different types of flammability classes, as defined in the standard ISO5149: lower flammability (class 2L), flammable (class 2) and higher flammability (class 3). The potential application area for lower flammable refrigerants is, of course, broader than that for higher flammable refrigerants.”

henrique Pereira, managing Director at Seabra: “Blended refrigerants that have flammable constituents are being used to mimic the performance of the common HCFC and HFC refrigerants, such as R22, R134A and R404A. These blends are marketed under various trade names and may have flammable constituents, or be themselves classified as flammable. Those refrigerants are mostly used in commercial refrigeration applications, with no common application in industrial refrigeration.”

“We certainly look at the overall sustainable measures and energy-efficiency programmes adopted by the Saudi Government, as a foundation for our future prosperity and development as Saudis. District Cooling will, indeed, play a major role in optimising energy resources consumption domestically. More importantly, preserving our resources for future generations.”

Kamal Pharran CEO, Saudi Tabreed

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November 2015

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COVER STORY

Ended Working Group (OEWG35) of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, held in Bangkok in April this year, Clare Perry, Head of Climate for the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), said that there were oppositions from certain Gulf countries when the HFC phase-down amendment proposal was presented. “The primary opposition seems to come from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait,” Perry revealed in an interview with Climate Control Middle East. “The reason stated for their opposition is the concern over the availability of HFC alternatives that work in the high-ambient temperatures that they typically experience,” Perry said.

“While there is certainly an additional challenge in phasing out HFCs in high-

emissions at the power station, and that the ongoing focus should be on improving containment.” He thinks that the people in this camp argue that the potential cost, training burden and lack of cast-iron data about the alternatives make it too risky to consider a speedy replacement.

“In the other camp,” he explains, “are those who believe that the GWP of HFCs, combined with the industry’s historic inability to keep it in the system, provide too potent a cocktail for the environment, and therefore, the gases should be replaced as soon as is practically possible with less environmentally harmful gases.” This other group, he believes, argues that the potential benefits of the alternatives outweigh the difficulties to such an extent that imposing restrictions on HFCs will spur the industry into solving the problems of training and cost.

Belonging to the former camp is Abin P Kurien, Sales Manager at the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Division at Naser Al Sayer & Company (NASCO), who is of the opinion that refrigerants are only a minor cause for global warming, whereas there are many other sectors that contribute in much larger proportion.

He adds, “While shifting to low-GWP refrigerants, there are many limitations on the refrigerants, like flammability, higher operating pressures, etc, compared to many of the currently prevalent refrigerants. These factors increase the equipment and control costs for new plants as well as for retrofitting. Hence, we prefer to not move as aggressively from the current bouquet of synthetic refrigerants.”

Giving a breakup of which HFCs are used where, Kurien reveals that HFCs like R134A as well as HFC blends like R404A, R410A, R407C are commonly used in the UAE region. “R134A is a common refrigerant in automobile air conditioners, commercial and domestic

What needs to be considered is the total cost of the use of a refrigerant, including measures taken to accommodate flammability or toxicity, as well as energy efficiency

ambient temperatures, there is enormous innovation in technology and increasing availability of alternatives.”

Henrique Pereira, Managing Director at Seabra, explains the issue more clearly. He says: “The phasing-down of HFCs has long become an emotive subject for the cooling industry, effectively polarising people into two camps. In camp one are those that believe we should retain the ability to use the most energy-efficient gases available, thereby minimising indirect

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November 2015

refrigeration etc. R404A is used in commercial refrigeration, whereas R410A and R407C are used mainly in air conditioning,” Kurien elaborates.

Dr Rajendran is of the opinion that HFCs, like all chemicals, when used properly provide valuable cooling, heating and refrigerating effects in a very efficient and cost-effective manner. He thinks the problem occurs when systems leak or when HFCs are vented into the atmosphere. Dr Beelaerts argues that HFCs do not deplete the ozone layer, as they were alternatives for HCFCs. “However,” she says, “they [HFCs] are still greenhouse gases and their growing use is a concern, and this is why the industry is looking for alternatives with a lower global warming impact, such as HFCs with a lower-GWP value or HFOs and non-fluorinated refrigerants.”

Giving a brief history of the evolution of refrigerants, while also supporting Dr Beelaerts’ statement, Corr says that highly toxic and/or flammable refrigerants, such as sulphur dioxide (SO2), ammonia and ether were replaced in large part by halogenated refrigerants, such as CFC12 and later HCFC22, which provided a good combination of safety and performance.

However, he adds that with the recognition that CFCs and HCFCs were responsible for ozone depletion, they were replaced with HFCs, such as R134A. Although SO2 and ether no longer have any role in modern refrigeration, ammonia, hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide (CO2) continue to have a role in specific application sectors, but are not used as extensively as HFCs, Corr points out.

Kurien believes that the development of refrigerants over the next decade will trend towards low-GWP HFC blends to hydrocarbons (HCs) and natural refrigerants.

Naturally speaking

This leads one to wonder if natural refrigerants would be the best bet, both economically and ecologically, in the entire refrigerant scenario. Dr Rajendran does not think so. “Natural refrigerants are too broad a class to make a general statement,” he says. “Higher pressure, poor high-ambient performance (CO2), flammability (propane) and toxicity (ammonia) are associated with natural refrigerants, on a case-by-case basis.

November 2015

23

COVER STORY

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The total cost of ownership will vary depending on the equipment, refrigerant and usage.” Corr concurs with Dr Rajendran, and adds, “There are no inherent economic advantages with natural refrigerants. What needs to be considered is the total cost of the use of a refrigerant, including measures taken to accommodate flammability or toxicity, as well as energy efficiency. Accordingly, we should focus not on the natural versus synthetic aspects of refrigerants but rather on their overall lifecycle carbon emissions.”

Dr Beelaerts elaborates further that hydrocarbons, ammonia and CO2 can provide ecological and economical solutions for some types of applications, such as standalone fridges/freezers, portable air conditioners, industrial refrigeration and large-sized supermarket systems. She, however, highlights that they are not suitable alternatives in other types of applications.

The future of refrigerants

In light of Kurien’s earlier remark, in the future, there could be blends of HFCs and natural refrigerants. “The development of lower-GWP synthetic refrigerants will continue, and the adoption of natural refrigerants, like CO2, propane and ammonia, will also continue to increase,” is Dr Rajendran’s view.

Suresh N Sharma, Regional Manager Industrial Refrigeration, Sales (MENA),

at Danfoss, and Pereira lean towards ammonia [See Box: Ammonia Mania] and natural refrigerants when it comes to the refrigerant of the future. “Looking at the global trend,” Sharma says, “there will be a time when heavy commercial refrigeration will have to come to a standstill and applications of ammonia and other natural refrigerants will go up.”

He optimistically adds, “Such natural refrigerants will totally take over the entire industry.”

However, Dr Beelaerts is of the view that manufacturers of equipment will continue looking for ways to reduce the CO2 eq refrigerant charge, by using refrigerants with a lower GWP, and also by trying to reduce the charge quantity, while still aiming for high energy efficiency, safety and economic viability.

“It is a design challenge,” she says.

“But we already see many new types of equipment on the market, such as air conditioners with HFC32, of which more than six million are already installed around the world.”

With the many varying opinions from market experts, one can surmise that the search for the elusive refrigerant is still on.

HAVE YOUR SAY!

We welcome your views on the article. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

SNIPPETS

‘Photogasoline’ to heat homes

S

cientists at the University of California in Berkeley, along with a research team, have created an artificial leaf that produces methane, the primary component of natural gas, using a combination of semiconducting nanowires and bacteria. This, according to reports, mimics a similar hybrid system that had earlier yielded butanol, a component in gasoline, and a variety of biochemical building blocks. This points in the direction of synthetic photosynthesis, where plants can use sunlight to make gasoline and natural gas for residential heating and to run cars without polluting the environment.

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November 2015

Phones to sniff out Harmful Gases?

V

TT Technical Research Centre of Finland has claimed to have developed a miniature smartphone sensor, which can identify the type and amount of gases in air samples.

Since our work and sleep are affected by carbon dioxide levels in the occupied space, the mobile device connectable sensors can be used on a day-to-day basis to detect the presence of harmful gases and assess the overall Indoor Air Quality, say the researchers.

IEQ IN

SCHOOLS A Climate Control Middle East EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN

ENDORSED BY

HEALTH MINISTERS’ COUNCIL FOR THE COOPERATION COUNCIL STATES

November 2015

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‘The importance of good IEQ has been established – we no longer need to prove it to anybody’ Jyoti Sharma, Senior Specialist for Education Facilities Design at the Infrastructure and Facilities Division of Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC), in this conversation with Fatima de la Cerna of Climate Control Middle East, shares details on the different programmes and standards ADEC has adopted to ensure that Abu Dhabi public schools are meeting IEQ requirements.

I

n the past several months, we have featured stories on organisations like the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) and the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), and the different programmes they have that promote better IEQ in Schools. One such programme is US EPA’s IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) Tools for Schools. Is that an initiative that ADEC might consider adopting?

We have actually looked at Tools for Schools. I’m not the person directly responsible, however, because we have the EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) Department. They are doing the actual monitoring, but we are handling the frontend – the design and the setting of the standards, among other things. So, I should say “yes” and “no”. We’ve been seriously looking at Tools for Schools, and while nothing has been implemented yet, some of its features are in our monitoring programme.

We started introducing the concept of IEQ in new schools, because the old schools were designed pre-Estidama

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November 2015

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The subject of VOCs and ventilation and other related aspects became part of the conversation

Could you elaborate on what those features are?

US EPA’s Tools for Schools programme is primarily aimed at creating awareness within schools, on things to watch out for.

One of its components is a checklist for facilities maintenance, and that’s referred to by our EHS Department when they do a walk-through for IEQ issues. The programme also touches on the testing of certain pollutants and the levels they’re at. So, the checklist is used as reference when EHS conducts reviews of our schools.

Before coming to the UAE, you spent several years in Canada and the United States. Could you talk about the work you did then, in relation to schools and IEQ issues?

I spent around 20 years in Canada and 12 years in the United States, before I came here six years ago. In the United States, I served as the Vice Chair for the LEED for Schools Rating System Committee. LEED used to be just

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straightforward LEED for buildings, but then, we developed LEED for schools – a specialisation where a lot of IEQ-related issues like VOCs and energy use are highlighted.

When you joined ADEC, how did you find its approach to the issue of IEQ? Was awareness already present?

No, there wasn’t any awareness of IEQ issues. We started introducing the concept of IEQ in new schools, because the old schools were designed preEstidama. Back then, everyone was still trying to figure things out.

When I joined, I was brought in as an adviser – I guess because of my background. We made the decision that even though Estidama was not launched yet, we will design our schools according to Estidama standards. Of course, being pre-launch, there was no validation yet, and without that, it was hard to evaluate how much we managed to

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accomplish. But the design followed, as did energy, water and IEQ requirements.

The subject of VOCs and ventilation and other related aspects became part of the conversation.

I came in 2009, and we started designing at that point, and then in 2011, we opened the first of those schools. And from what I’m hearing, from the tests out there, we’re not having any problems when it comes to quality issues.

As an adviser, did you push for IEQ to be a consideration in school design?

I promoted the whole concept of Green Schools, actually. IEQ is only one aspect of Green Schools.

How was the response to Green Schools back in 2009?

It was a good time to be here, because the UAE leadership had already bought into the concept of Estidama, which means “sustainability” in Arabic. It’s just that the details were not worked out, but the concept was already there, making it easy for me to bring in Green Schools.

If I hadn’t brought it along, design work on Green Schools may not have started

at that particular time, but it would have been when Estidama was passed, which was two years later, I think. But the thought was already there, and Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 was already out there; so, it was easy to convince the decision makers here that we should do it.

We believed, at the time, that with the way we designed them, they would have met Pearl 3 or LEED Silver – somewhere there. And after that, once Estidama was launched, we officially did Pearl 3 schools. But, out of the whole Green Building concept, some components were always more important than others to us.

They are energy, of course, and water and IEQ. Those were the three major components, for obvious reasons. IEQ is so critical. But you know that because you’ve talked about it in the magazine.

You know that it’s so critical in schools and in homes – those are the two places where people, the young, in particular spend most of their time.

Several of the stories and information we’ve published on the issue of IEQ are based on international studies linking student well-being and academic performance to the state of

The biggest hazard are particulates. They’re all open schools, and dust just flies right in

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indoor environments in schools. Are there any plans of ADEC partnering with other government bodies, such as the Ministry of Health, to carry out local research on the topic?

At this point, I’m not seeing the writing on the wall, for the simple reason that there’s so much to be done that is directly related to education on a day-to-day basis. I just don’t think we should focus on research. It’s a true-and-tried thing.

The importance of IEQ has been established, and at this point, we no longer need to prove it to anybody.

It’s something that we know; we believe in it and we’re proceeding with programmes related to it. We don’t need to spend our research resources, which are limited, on it.

I did research on Green Buildings in my previous job, but those were the days when we had to justify the concept.

Private schools, on the other hand, are a challenge, because they are bottom-line driven Based on your observation, what would you say are the most common IEQ hazards in old schools in Abu Dhabi?

The biggest hazard, more than anything else, are particulates.

They’re all open schools, and dust just flies right in. Other than that, there’s not much to worry about. We’ve

implemented standards on VOCs and formaldehyde and chemicals from finishes, paints, carpeting and cleaning materials, so those IAQ problems don’t pose much of a challenge. And any maintenance done on old schools is carried out according to current standards and new school guidelines.

I mean, I’m not the one doing the monitoring so I can’t go into details, record-wise. Knowledge-wise, however, I can say that IAQ is not much of a problem, because we’ve got ventilation and filtration systems.

But there are doors that open to the corridors, so if there’s stuff in the air, it comes right in. That’s why there’s an issue with particulates. But I think that’s the only thing, because we do monitor, carefully.

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Mould is not a problem?

No, mould is not a problem, because we watch out for that.

With, as you mentioned, IEQ issues already being monitored and design standards in place through Estidama, what challenges remain when it comes to meeting IEQ requirements and maintaining good IEQ in schools, in Abu Dhabi?

At ADEC, we are educated users and builders. We believe in good IEQ, so we push for it in our schools, which are the public schools. Private schools, on the other hand, are a challenge, because

Inefficient energy use happens because people don’t understand the logic of design standards and elements, and they just go after the points they are bottom-line driven. Some of them are more bottom-line driven than others… actually, they are all bottom linedriven, but some demand higher fees so they can afford to build better and more sustainable facilities. They also have, let’s say, discriminating users. Parents are well educated. Many are from Britain or the United States or other countries where IEQ issues are important. They see themselves as stakeholders, and so those schools are better built than a lot of the schools with lower fees, which only want to do the minimum that they can get away with. Pearl 1 is important in that perspective, because the prerequisites are already there, so the schools have to apply those.

I have also observed lack of awareness among consultants as well as among teachers, school operators and even among parents. And because they are

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not aware of the issues, they are not pushing for more attention to be given to IEQ, which is why I think, ultimately, lack of awareness is the challenge and greater awareness is the answer.

I’ve been looking at this for 35 years – all my professional life, in fact, and even back in my college years. My university thesis was sustainable community, which is why I say I’ve been in this business long before it was fashionable. I’ve seen the whole range. I remember when we first started talking about it in the United States, it was like: “No, we can’t do Green Schools. Green Schools cost money. They require too much money.”

But really, they don’t. You just have to know how to do it right.

In fact, the change that happened in the UK and the United States, over the years, is because of awareness, because of the media and the attention it gave to Green Schools, and because of USGBC. The one thing that they are really good at is creating awareness. They really seem to know how to market Green Building.

LEED, admittedly, has had its gaps, but because of USGBC and LEED, issues dealing with energy and IEQ and Green Buildings have become familiar and commonplace.

Speaking of energy and IEQ, many in the construction industry believe that it’s difficult to balance energy efficiency and IEQ requirements. Do you agree?

That’s not true. When they talk about IAQ, for example, they talk about the amount of ventilation. That is what they mean when they say you can’t have both; but the reality is, without increasing ventilation, you can get pretty good quality of air. The minimum rate indicated in ASHRAE standards is already high, so there’s no need to improve it to get good air quality. What you have to do is identify the risk. If the risk is CO2, then one way you can improve IAQ is to install CO2 monitors. We do that in our schools. You use the monitors, and only if the air quality goes down does the ventilation [system] kick in. So you’re not wasting energy, and most of the time, low air quality is not even an issue. The only time it may become an issue is, say, in an auditorium full beyond its capacity.

Ventilation is designed for full capacity, but if the auditorium does become too

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full, you kick in a little bit more air.

Actually, the system will automatically do that. That’s not a waste of energy.

Inefficient energy use happens because people don’t understand the logic of design standards and elements, and they just go after the points. The engineers think: “I don’t care. The client is paying for it. Put it in.” But really, they should care, because they’re dictating their client’s energy consumption. We need people who are going to ask questions and who are able to understand and say, “Okay, why did they put CO2 monitors as a point in Estidama?” We need those kinds of people, because they realise that we shouldn’t just be dumping air for no reason. Many in this country just thoughtlessly dump cold, conditioned air.

It’s ridiculous. In fact, there should be a penalty for that. You should lose points for that, not gain points.

So, the short answer is no, there is no conflict between energy efficiency and IEQ requirements. Balance can be achieved.

With ADEC’s Future Schools Project, launched in 2008, Abu Dhabi is working towards building 100 schools by 2020.

What do you hope to see happen by the time that project is completed?

I hope that everyone would buy into the

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IEQ issue, because it is a critical one. It is important that there’s awareness and that people buy into it instead of being forced to address it. The problem with forcing people to comply with regulations is that they will just go for points – just for the sake of getting the points, without realising the reasons behind them and how those standards are going to benefit them. For example, you will see thousands of bike racks even though there’s no need for bike racks, and all because of points. I mean, nobody is biking. So that’s a point there, but in most Arabic schools, nobody wants to be biking. Some of the Europeans might want to, but those facilities have to be localised, because people here drive a lot. Nobody wants their kids to be on the road. Let’s get real. Let’s spend the money where it’s needed. I mean, there are cheap points and people take them.

So it’s really important to understand why we are doing what we are doing. Take energy points as another example. ADEC doesn’t need to go for energy points because of cost, because ADEC gets cheap energy, but as a country we don’t.

We recognise that, and we recognise that though the bill may not be that expensive, the infrastructure and the costs incurred by the country are, so you have to reduce energy consumption and you have to reduce water consumption, because water is energy. We need to think of all of those things. Without understanding any of that, there’s no point.

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November 2015

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IEQ in

HEALTHCARE HVAC SOLUTIONS

IEQ in hospitals – human being is the yardstick A hospital needs to be a healthy place, be it for patients, staff or visitors, says Faisal Zaidi, who gives pointers to achieve the goal through HVAC solutions.

H

ealthcare is a highly sensitive field. Small wonder, then, that hygiene and safety must meet the most critical requirements in this sector. But how can investors, consultants, architects and contractors ensure that this goal is met? In today’s healthcare environment, it has become so much about cost and how we can ‘value engineer’ a solution, which often goes with cutting down on quality and compromising the system and its service.

However, at the end of the day, an HVAC solution in a healthcare environment is only successful if the highest hygiene and safety factors are met, and the person sitting in the space feels comfortable.

In the sensitive field of healthcare engineering, therefore, the right HVAC solutions, and the various aspects which come within their scope, is key to good Indoor Environnmental Quality.

Controlling contamination

Air conditioning systems in hospitals must ensure that the contamination of air with microorganisms is reduced to a minimum, and that tight limits are not exceeded. Moreover, dust, anesthetic gases and odorous substances must be contained. This applies, in particular, to operating theatres, intensive care units, and maternity wards, including delivery rooms and neonatal units.

For reasons of hygiene, only a onedirectional airflow should be allowed in specific rooms, that is, from sterile areas with a minimum germ count to less sterile areas where the requirements are not quite as demanding.

A to-do list

An effective and efficient ventilation and air conditioning system not only provides a hygienic and safe environment but also

Air conditioning for areas, such as intensive care units, sterile care rooms and isolating rooms must fulfil special requirements, where the ‘outside world’ needs to be kept outside by means of different pressure levels, airlocks and effective filtration of the supply and extract air

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IEQ in

HEALTHCARE HVAC SOLUTIONS

Studies have, in fact, shown that staff performance levels may increase by up to six per cent if they enjoy good IAQ improves Indoor Air Quality, which helps patients recover more quickly and the staff to perform better. Indeed, these are two aspects that finally pay off. Following are a few of the boxes that need to be checked when it comes to ventilation, air conditioning and smoke extraction technology: • Minimise the level of microorganisms in the air, particularly in protection zones (example, operating table, instrument trolley, lab) • Ensure the necessary air change and maintain stringent room air conditions (differential pressure, temperature and humidity) • Limit the concentration of various substances in the occupied zone • Prevent the spread of fire by means of fire dampers • Prevent the spread of smoke by means of a powered smoke exhaust system

Hygienic practice in aseptic areas

The most critical requirements apply to indoor air in operating theatres. To prevent infections caused by airborne pathogens, and to ensure that standards of occupational medicine are adhered to, special attention needs to be paid to airflow and air filtration, as they play a

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vital role in maintaining good IEQ. In operating theatres as well as in preop and post-op units, ventilation and air conditioning systems are indispensable.

Therefore, near turbulence-free laminar flow needs to be in place to provide a dynamic shield for the special protection zone comprising the operating table and the instrument trolley. Also, filtered and conditioned extremely clean air has to be ensured to reduce the number of microorganisms to lower the risk of wound contamination. Operating theatres should only be accessed via airlocks. They have to be characterised by positive pressure so that no pathogens from neighboring rooms can enter them.

Sterile rooms

Air conditioning for areas, such as intensive care units, sterile care rooms and isolating rooms must fulfil special requirements, where the ‘outside world’ needs to be kept outside by means of different pressure levels (positive or negative pressure), airlocks and effective filtration of the supply and extract air.

Filters play a major role in sterile rooms, as they have to achieve very high efficiency levels at minimum differential pressures.

Areas adjoined the operating theatre

The DIN 1946-4-12-2008 standard contains exemplified definitions of the classes of rooms adjoined operating theatres. The latest version of this standard follows scientific research findings, which state that airborne microorganisms, in reality, pose a rather small risk of infection. As a consequence, the conditions for special protection are maintained only in areas where this is essential. Rooms adjoining operating theatres need not be protected to the same degree as operating theatres themselves. This reduces both the complexity of ventilation and air conditioning systems and the energy consumed in the adjoining areas.

In-patient wards

A sufficient supply of hygienically safe air is the prerequisite for rapid recovery of patients. It is not surprising, then, that hospitals these days prefer perfectly functioning ventilation and air conditioning systems, since they ensure patient comfort. Innovative air terminal devices with adjustable air distribution elements respond fast and reduce the air velocity, since lower velocity means reduced turbulence and, hence, increased comfort for patients.

In many countries, for example, Spain and the UK, air-water systems, such as active chilled beams are also used. Needless to say that they must meet high hygiene requirements, provide efficient filtration and allow for easy cleaning.

The economic benefit of a favourable indoor air climate is up to USD 700 per year per employee

The visitors’ area

Hospitals have long known that it is not only the opinion of patients that count but also the impression carried by visitors. Therefore, in hospital buildings, effective and efficient ventilation and air conditioning in the visitors’ area is no less important.

Staff area

Common rooms, meeting rooms or offices are not required to have a mechanical ventilation system.

However, scientists highlight the efficacy of good indoor air on the hospital staff. Studies have, in fact, shown that staff performance levels may increase by up to six per cent if they enjoy good IAQ. In other words, investing in the refurbishment of existing ventilation and air conditioning systems

pays off because the economic effect of a favourable indoor air climate is an undisputed fact. Renowned scientists* have calculated that the economic benefit is up to USD 700 per year per employee. This sum can be considered as cost saving due to better staff performance and fewer staff reporting sick.

Whether it is the patients, visitors or the staff in a hospital, it is important to remember that the human being is the yardstick, and their wellbeing is our goal.

* Source: William Fisk, Olli Seppänen: Providing Better Indoor Environmental Quality Brings Economic Benefits

The writer is Marketing Manager, TROX Middle East.

He can be contacted at: f.zaidi@trox.ae

CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here.

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IEQ in

HEALTHCARE INTERVIEW

Designing for children in isolation units Joshua Theodore is a Principal at Page Southerland Page, a full-service design organisation headquartered in Washington, DC. In conversation with Fatima de la Cerna of Climate Control Middle East, he talks about the special isolation unit project his firm worked on for Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus.

When did work on the isolation unit start? How did the project get off the ground?

We started design meetings with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and with Texas Children’s Hospital in November of last year. We had a full kickoff in December and finished tender documentation in April. We had a contractor on board from day one, so this was not a designbid-build project. The contractor and subcontractor were all engaged since the beginning of the project. Everybody knew what to do, how to do it and what the intent was. We worked with manufacturers on what types of Air Handling Units (AHUs) to use. We ended up going with Temptrol custom units. And the AHUs all have fan arrays or fan wall technology.

Since it’s an isolation unit and not a standard healthcare facility, what special design considerations did you have to keep in mind while working on the project?

The unit specialises in infectious diseases like Ebola, MERS, SARS and avian flu, among others. The airborne respiratory diseases are the most contagious, and, in some cases, highly fatal. As for Ebola,

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We also used low air returns to keep particulates, viruses and bacteria from being up where we are breathing and pull as much of them down, as low as we can it has gotten a lot of attention because of the high fatality rate, but it’s fluidborne, so it’s not as easily transmitted as most people believe. But if you’re a caregiver in that environment, then you are susceptible to it. That is if you don’t go through the proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) donning and doffing procedures, which is why there’s much emphasis given on the gowning process – putting it on and taking it off – and making sure that everything is done appropriately.

What do you mean by “green or cold” and “hot zone”?

Imagine traffic lights. We have green, yellow and red. Green is go, which means green is good.

In the case of an infectious diseases area, green is cold, meaning that it’s clean. Yellow is warm, which means that the area may have fluid or contaminant. And red is hot. When we’re in a hot zone, there’s a definite possibility of microbes, virus and bacteria within the space.

I understand that ACH (air changes per

hour) is another major consideration when designing facilities intended for the treatment of infectious diseases. What is the ACH rate for the unit in Texas Children’s Hospital?

The minimum criteria, in the United States, for an isolation room or an infection intensive care room, which is where this would fall under, is only 12 air changes per hour, but the CDC guidelines indicate 20 ACH. This means that more air needs to move in the room, that a different design is needed for

Within each environment or section of the isolation unit, we needed to ensure correct air flow. If main corridors are green or cold, then moving deeper into the isolation unit should take us to rooms with negative air pressure. For example, if we go from a main corridor to the anteroom, the anteroom should be negative, and going from the anteroom to the patient room – which will be a hot zone – should mean further negative air. This is to make sure pathogens go into the negative space as the air in the room moves. We also used low air returns to keep particulates, viruses and bacteria from being up where we are breathing and pull as much of them down, as low as we can.

For Texas Children’s, the floor dynamic showed that we could provide mid-level return air where the patient bed is, so that if the patient is in the bed coughing, we could pull the contaminated air into the wall and not let it move around the room. And again, that has more to do with MERS, SARS or other types of airborne transmitted diseases rather than Ebola. With Ebola, you get hemorrhagic vomiting and diarrhoea, which means we’re basically dealing with fluids – beyond the scope of air control. We had to look at products and materials that can handle rigorous cleaning and disinfection.

We also had to make sure we didn’t have seams or crevices that could harbour germs. Thus, we looked at coves, at smooth surfaces that could be easily wiped and disinfected. We also had to look at UV lighting for disinfection and full aerosolisation of a room when it’s emptied out.

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IEQ in

HEALTHCARE interview

We go for 99.95% HEPA filters to ensure that we get very clean return air the AHUs, that most, if not all, of the air in the room must be exhausted and that HEPA filtration has to be looked into.

For this project, the rooms themselves are fully exhausted, but in the main part of the unit, we have recirculated air and HEPA filtration, which means we have a blend of systems. But we did put new air handlers on the roof to handle the BSL-3 (Biosafety Level 3) laboratory itself as well as the BSL-4 hot zone.

A standard patient room has, depending on the code being used, four to six ACH. In the case of the isolation unit for Texas Children’s, we are at five times that number. In the donning/doffing and isolation rooms, the ACH rate is 15 to 20. In the BSL-3 lab, ACH is 30.

We’re really looking at more fresh air coming into the space. Also, depending on the climate that you are working in, you’ll have different levels of humidity and temperature control, so the air you’re bringing in may need to be either dehumidified or humidified.

In the Arabian Peninsula, for example, it gets humid during sunrise and sunset, but is very dry in the middle of the day, so sometimes you actually have to add humidity to the air. That’s an element that you have to take into consideration.

Filtration is, of course, a must, especially if you’re returning the air.

We go for 99.95% HEPA filters to ensure that we get very clean return air. That’s the main thing. But you must also remember that the more fresh air you bring into a space, the more air you’ll have to condition and treat.

So, there’s energy cost to think about, which is another reason we prefer using HEPA filters. They make air reusable within the care environment, which means you can save energy, because you don’t have to exhaust conditioned air immediately.

In this project, air in a BSL-3 lab and

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all other red areas are exhausted. Air in non-contaminated areas, on the other hand, is returned.

Did you have an air quality consultant working with you?

We did. There were consultants on board for that. Also, because this was a renovation project in an existing hospital, even though it involved an empty floor, we had infection control and risk assessment standards. And we measured the air quality, in the construction space and immediately outside it, to make sure that contaminants – even from construction – would not affect the rest of the hospital.

Was any element incorporated into your design solely because the facility is intended for children?

The colour schemes of the rooms are more child-friendly. The main thing, though, is the involvement of the parents.

They can’t be in the same room as their highly contagious child; but, of course, we didn’t want to keep them completely away from their child. The solution was to provide a space where the parents don’t have to be fully gowned, but can still converse with their child. It’s already very intimidating for the child to be in there, as it is, with everybody in a protective suit. The children don’t have to see their parents that way.

It’s reassuring for a sick child to be able to converse with Mom and Dad and to see them looking just the way they normally do. That was part of the reason why, when we designed the isolation unit, we decided against making the whole unit meet BSL-4 criteria. We limited that to the patient rooms. As for the rest of the unit, while it is kept very clean and has proper air flow and protocol in place, it has spaces where you can just be in general scrubs or regular clothing.

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ince being launched in 2013 as the Annual Middle East Indoor Environmental Quality Conference, CPI Industry’s IEQ-focused gathering has widened in scope, going from a meeting of regional players to one that attracts international participants.

Dubbed the World IEQ Forum, this year’s event, which took place on October 5 and 6 in Dubai, UAE, was held for the first time under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water. The endorsement, coupled with the increased scale, reflected the growing awareness of the importance of healthy indoor environments and the need to address IEQ challenges, particularly those that persist in school, healthcare and hospitality settings.

Recognising the reality that work in the direction of highlighting the issue of IEQ in the public consciousness was far from over, the publishers of Climate Control Middle East, in addition to organising the Forum, launched a book, titled IEQ in Schools, which is a collection of articles that have been published in the magazine as part of its ’IEQ in Schools’ editorial campaign.

Eng Fahad Mohammad Saeed Hareb, Director of the Air Quality Department at the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, and Eng Abdullah Rafia, Assistant Director-General of the Engineering and Planning Sector at Dubai Municipality, presided over its launch, with the magazine’s associate publishers, Frédéric Paillé and B

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(L-R) B Surendar, Editorial Director & Associate Publisher of Climate Control Middle East; Eng Fahad Mohammad Saeed Hareb, MoEW; Eng Abdullah Rafia, Dubai Municipality; Frédéric Paillé, Managing Director and Associate Publisher of Climate Control Middle East

Eng Fahad Mohammad Saeed Hareb, MoEW

November 2015

Eng Abdullah Rafia, Dubai Municipality

It is you, the public, the employee, the employer, the resident, the landlord, the student, the principal, who must be aware of your indoor environment

Surendar, assisting them.

After the book’s launch, Eng Hareb delivered his keynote address, in which he underlined the relationship between health and air quality, saying: “I always like to highlight something when talking about air quality: We all eat about one kilogram of food a day; we drink about two litres of water a day; but we breathe in about 20,000 litres of air a day. The air you breathe can have severe impact on your health.”

In his speech, he also acknowledged the limits of the government’s reach and called on the public to do their part in promoting better IEQ. “The government will usually not intervene in your private space, unless there’s been a complaint regarding public

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health concerns,” he said. “It is you, the public, the employee, the employer, the resident, the landlord, the student, the principal, who must be aware of your indoor environment. It is your health and your home, your children’s health and your employees’ health that are at stake.”

Following Eng Hareb and signalling the start of the day’s discussions by delivering the plenary address, Eng Rafia shared details about the retrofitting programme of Dubai Municipality, as well as its Desert Rose Project.

He informed: “The retrofit programme started with the establishment of an ESCO called Etihad, and now Etihad is overwhelmed. We did not think that that many people would come forward, but now we are overwhelmed by the number of buildings that we need to retrofit. People are coming forward. I think that what we need to do is proceed to our next steps. Green Building is there, and we are also coming up with the green sustainable city. Our goal is to go for zero emission, zero energy, so we are building a brand-new city at the outskirts of Dubai, which will be home to 60,000 people. We will build that city based on the principles of happiness, health and productivity.”

With Eng Hareb and Eng Rafia establishing the day’s agenda through their respective addresses, the four panel sessions making up the bulk of the proceedings of Day 1 ensued. The sessions covered four broad issues critical to the topic of IEQ, namely: regulations and vision documents in the GCC region

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Simon Miller

Shabeer Nellikode

Richard Stonier

Syed Taqi Hussain

November 2015

related to the health and well-being of its residents; the importance of balancing IEQ and energy-efficiency needs in the region; the private sector’s response to the need to achieve both good IEQ and economic growth; and the strategies required to improve IEQ in healthcare facilities.

Apart from the panel sessions, Day 1 featured presentations

by Simon Miller, Product Conformity Specialist of the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council; Shabeer Nellikode, Founder and Managing Director of Universal Hospital; Richard Stonier, Managing Partner at GrayWolf Sensing Solutions; and Syed Taqi Hussain, Director for Sales and Services (HVAC) at Eco Evergreen. Miller spoke about improving Indoor Air Quality at the roots through building product qualification, while Nellikode discussed HVAC in modern hospital design. Rounding off not only the presentations but also the day’s programme, Stonier presented on photo ionization detectors (PIDs) and how they can be used to investigate IAQ conditions, while Hussain examined the dangers that gases like carbon monoxide pose in underground car parks and offered recommendations on best practices and ventilation strategies.

We do have occupational health and safety regulations in Abu Dhabi, but basically they don’t cover homes, schools, hotels, areas where there is a need for more analysis and regulations to come into place

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We bring you excerpts of the highlights of each session...

SESSION 1 HIGHLIGHTS, in verbatim Topic: Implementation strategies related to vision documents towards health and well-being in the GCC

Sougata Nandi, Technical Advisor for Sustainable Development at CPI Industry and moderator of Day 1: We have the Dubai Plan 2021, the UAE National Plan 2021 and DIES (Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy) 2030, among others.

Where do the health and well-being of the citizens fit into those strategies?

Eng Hareb: I think they should have been prioritised a long time ago. But as I mentioned, the country does have a lot of pressing challenges. We have been able to overcome a lot of them, and now we have launched initiatives designed to ensure that air quality comes more under the microscope. At a federal level, from our side of the Ministry of Environment and Water, we have two major initiatives under the Agenda 2021. The first being ambient air quality, and the second being waste management.

Targets have been set. In terms of the air quality, we need to ensure we reach levels of green days, according to WHO guidelines, for at least 90% of the days of the year.

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Nandi: I think the new buzzword in Dubai is wellness.

Every corporation is talking about their employees’ wellness.

Is there a way to measure the residents’ level of well-being in this particular emirate?

Wasif Alam, Director, Department of Public Health & Safety, Dubai Health Authority: Comparing what we have with what I have seen in the United States, in terms of health issues, I don’t see any health issues that are a result of IAQ. I don’t believe that anybody in the medical field here would know about multiple chemical sensitivity and reactive airway syndrome, which are very common in the United States, which has the type of environment that suffers from mould and wetness and the air conditioning not being maintained properly. All those issues are there, but I have not

November 2015

heard of such things happening here in Dubai.

Plus everything is new here.

There are no old buildings, so forget about lead and asbestos poisoning.

Nandi: You said there are no health issues here that are related to IAQ. Are there really none, or is it possible that the connection just has not been made?

Alam: It’s possible that our doctors and healthcare providers are not aware of those health issues cropping up, because a group of people could come to our physicians and complain about body aches, nausea, fatigue and loss of interest in work and loss of concentration – those are symptoms of sick building syndrome, of chemical sensitivity – but it is possible that our doctors may not be aware that the conditions are because of the buildings.

Sick building syndrome is really difficult to diagnose, because you have to have

I’m not sure about the relationship between IEQ and achievement, but there are certain studies that present a strong indication that there is a strong relationship between health and achievement

a group of people living in the same environment and complaining of the same issues, and then you can monitor the environment.

Miller: We have a lot of new buildings going according to Green Building regulations and codes and the latest technology, when it comes to materials. Maybe, all these are giving us a sense of complacency when it comes to IAQ. Maybe it’s not an issue now, but it might become an issue later. So, it’s good to address this issue and really understand what IAQ means, and to take into account the scale of development of construction when determining how to address problems. This is a public health issue, so it’s one that the public must be made aware of. They have the power to tell us, as regulators, how the issues affect them. We can’t monitor every room, but they can.

Nandi: What’s happening in Abu Dhabi, in terms of IEQ? Who are the key stakeholders, and how are these roles being coordinated across various departments?

Miller: In Abu Dhabi, a lot of the Green Building regulations are geared towards efficiency,

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and they’re looking at tighter envelopes, less air changes.

But they have a cursory requirement when it comes to air quality. So, they’ll be looking at less CO2, for instance, to ensure there’s enough fresh air, but areas like VOCs and monitoring mould are not sufficiently covered. We do have occupational health and safety regulations in Abu Dhabi, but basically they don’t cover homes, schools, hotels, areas where there is a need for more analysis and regulations to come into place.

Nandi: We’d like to have some insight on what’s happening, where IEQ is concerned in schools, because there’s a lot of captive audience there – young children – and they are more susceptible, because their defences may not be as up-to-mark as adults’.

What’s happening in that field and how big is that a concern across the whole GCC [region] or in Saudi?

H.E. Dr Ali bin Abdul Khaliq Al-Karni, Director General, Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States: The Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States was established before the GCC; that means it’s the first seat of Gulf cooperation. That gives you an indication of how important education is in the region. And we have achieved a lot, but we are still working towards quality.

We have about 35,000 schools in the region, in which about nine million students and about a million teachers go

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It’s a diabolical battle, with two sides: There’s the side that increases energy, and the side that decreases energy…. almost all energyconsuming systems in buildings are there to make us comfortable

every day. In terms of access, we have achieved 100%.

All our children go to school.

Now, we are working towards the quality of our education.

I heard Doctor Alam say that indoor environment is not a threat here in the Gulf. I hope that’s true. But I think we need studies to be done on our schools to see whether there is a problem or not. I’m not sure about the relationship between IEQ and achievement, but there are certain studies that present a strong indication that there is a strong relationship between health and achievement.

Nandi: As the Dubai Health Authority, do you also have a mandate for all hospitals in Dubai to follow certain green standards or certain IEQ standards? Or is it purely as per DM guidelines?

Alam: Hospitals in Dubai have to follow JCI (Joint Commission International) standards. 

November 2015

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SESSION 2 HIGHLIGHTS, in verbatim Topic: Balancing IEQ and energy efficiency needs in the region

Nandi: Let’s start with, what exactly is IEQ? Because, again, when we talk of IEQ, some people would say, “Oh, the schools are very cold, therefore IEQ is bad.” Humidity is high; mould is there. But there are many other aspects of IEQ, which comprise the whole concept of indoor environment – things like views, daylight, number of thermostats, number of light switches – all constitute indoor environment.

Charles Blaschke, General Manager, taka solutions: How I look at it is being in an indoor space that meets the expectations of the person.

Everybody’s expectations are a bit different. I think if you asked people 200 years ago what’s a good indoor environment, they would probably say anything that’s not -5 degrees C; but if you ask them today, they’d probably say 20 degrees C is comfortable to them, because expectation changes with time, so if you want to get technical,

something within the range of ASHRAE 55 for temperature and humidity, and it’s also about being able to control your environment and being in a safe and comfortable environment.

Hans Reinders, CEO, Oxycom: My instinct tells me that it should be as good as outdoor, at least, or even better. That’s basically the target.

David O’Riley, Managing Partner, Britannia International: In the last seven or eight years since I’ve been in Dubai, I’ve inspected maybe 300+ properties for various reasons.

What I’ve discovered is that there are a number of factors within the buildings that are interlinked. There are three of them. First factor is energy consumption. Second factor is fire and safety, and the third

It is a fact that at any given point in time, you waste more [energy] in old buildings than in those that are now under construction

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factor is Indoor Air Quality.

Fundamentally, all those things are linked, because if you correctly address the energy consumption of a building, you are able to resolve the other two issues. The idea behind that solution didn’t come overnight, but something that came about over a number of years, because you identify individual problems, but you don’t necessarily collate those and correlate those. But after a period of time, that’s actually what happens. You build up a picture inside those buildings, and that picture starts to have a common pattern. And when you start bringing those patterns together. What you end up with is a holistic approach to reduction of energy consumption in buildings that addresses the other situations as well.

Nandi: Eng Abdullah, around 2003, Dubai Municipality put in place the building envelope

code. If I remember correctly, the target was to reduce the energy consumption of a building by 40%. Was that the only consideration – the energy consumption? Or were there other factors?

Eng Rafia: At the time, the insulation requirement was very vague, so it was regulated and enhanced, because if you look into what do we really need here, it is simple – instead of keeping hot air inside, we keep hot air outside and cold air inside. So we looked into our system, and we discovered that insulation was the problem.

Nandi: What is happening in Europe and North America?

What regulations are authorities taking related to IEQ? Reinders: In Europe, the regulations are strict on ventilation, but I don’t think they’re high enough, but they’re getting there. They’re also strict

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on energy use. First of all, we need to start looking at the minimum amount of ventilation, not based on ASHRAE recommendations, because that is based on poor, outdated technology.

Svein Magnus Nilsen, Vice President, Systemair: In Europe, we have these European directives that go for all countries in Europe. When it comes to technical regulations, however, each government, each country decides. And in Scandinavia, we have very rigid regulations, and we carry out testing to see if a product abides by regulation. If it is not, the government will fine you or bring you to court.

Christopher LaBorde, Business Development Manager, Trakref MENA: In the United States, California has decided to be super aggressive in the way it is handling emissions. For refrigerants, it’s moving its zero-leakage policy in phases.

Basically, the policy doesn’t state that a unit can’t leak, but as soon as a leak is found, you have two weeks to fix it and to guarantee that it won’t leak again, or you get fined.

California plans on saving, I think if the numbers were correct, USD 77 billion in the next 10 years. Most parts of California are located in the Pacific, so it’s not an extremely hot environment, but it still has

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temperature swings, and a large chunk of that USD 77 billion is going to come from the HVAC. California has kind of set a benchmark in energy modelling, and I think David said it really well on how to balance energy, safety and IEQ, and you dial it in so that all those things work together.

California’s basically doing that right now. It has been carrying out studies for the last 10 years, and it’s famously known for having very little resources, so it’s trying to figure out how to conserve them.

Nandi: Which is interesting because the moment you talk about energy efficiency and IEQ, the immediate impression that springs to mind is that they compete with each other. But is there really a conflict between IEQ and energy efficiency?

Blaschke: It’s a diabolical battle, with two sides: There’s the side that increases energy, and the side that decreases energy. There are positives and negatives about this. If you think about it, specifically in the UAE, almost all energy-consuming systems in buildings are there to make us comfortable. That’s it. Even with water – pumps of water systems consume energy just so we can have water. Water heaters consume energy so we can have warmer water, because that’s what we expect.

Nothing you do for IEQ can be done without affecting energy.

But there are now things that can help reduce energy, so we can improve IEQ with better lighting, which can also save energy. And controls are paramount. So good technology, good controls can

November 2015

We did survey our staff on the unoccupied floors – the old floors versus the new – and satisfaction with the workspace went up from 59% to 88% on the new floors

help reduce the energy demands of a building, while allowing the indoor environment and comfort levels to be maintained.

O’Riley: It is a fact that at any given point in time, you waste more [energy] in old buildings than in those that are now under construction. And it was pointed today by Eng

Abdullah that part of Dubai’s initiative is to address the energy consumption of existing buildings through retrofitting.

If we address the excessive energy consumption of existing buildings, we should be able to improve the IEQ. It’s not an imbalance for most existing buildings; it’s actually a winwin situation. 

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SESSION 3 HIGHLIGHTS, in verbatim Topic: Private-sector response to the need for balancing economic growth and IEQ, and energy efficiency and IEQ

Nandi: On IEQ and economics, how would you measure the Dubai Chamber [of Commerce & Industry] building’s economic performance?

Annelies Hodge, Senior Manager, CSR & Internal Communications, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry: We’re talking about an 18-storey building, with 22,000 square metres of floor space.

We’ve been renovating it over several years, because it’s occupied. We can’t just kick everyone out, renovate and come back in. We did survey our staff on the unoccupied floors – the old floors versus the new – and satisfaction with the workspace went up from 59% to 88% on the new floors. Also, we used to have about 25 people per floor.

Now, we have 50. We have actually doubled the occupancy, but it’s not crowded at all. So we know that our productivity has at least doubled, per metre squared.

And while we didn’t exactly track the impact on absenteeism, there’s a great study in the ASHRAE journal from a Berkeley professor named William Frisk, and he has stated that having good IEQ in the United States would save the economy USD 300 million a year. That’s three per cent of

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the US GDP. And that’s half the annual defence budget of the United States. That’s how much could be saved with good IEQ. I’m sure our IEQ situation is the same with, if not worse than, the United States’. So just imagine what the impact could be on the UAE if we started becoming more aware of this topic and addressing it better.

Nandi: I think Dubai Chamber is a classic example, where neither energy nor IEQ were compromised. And enhancing IEQ obviously led to increased productivity. But there’s another side of IEQ – bad IEQ. Chris, could you tell us about the economic costs of bad IEQ? Christopher Rajamani, Technical and Business Development Manager, Al Hoty-Stanger Laboratories: As Charles said, the marriage between energy saving and IEQ is diabolical. Let me share with you a case study. We had around three clients calling us from an island, and they had three issues: temperature control, humidity and mould growth. For the latter, an engineer probably decided to switch off some of the air conditioning systems during low occupancy. And then going back after two or three months, they found that mould had proliferated on all floors in the hotel. They had to rip out all

November 2015

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about 5.5 days per employee.

We’ve also seen a reduction in our claims costs, at an annual average of about AED 40 to 50 per employee. The amount might seem minimal, but when you calculate cumulatively, it has a huge impact.

the carpets and shut down the hotel for six months to mitigate the whole issue.

Buildings need to be constantly monitored to catch things that weren’t caught early on. Monitoring can save a lot on costs. If you’re from the hotel industry and you have low occupancy, you know how damaging it can be if you shut down your operations for six months. And the impact could extend to the whole country.

You have a place like Dubai that is highly dependent on tourism, and a similar situation could damage the reputation of the country and the economy itself.

Nandi: What is Meraas’ take on sustainability, particularly in relation to IEQ? Do you have specific plans or strategies?

Nandi: So there are economic consequences of bad IEQ that go even beyond the immediate revenue or profitability of your property.

Moving on to du, what have you been doing? You’re one of the five or six companies in the UAE that publish sustainability reports, and you have been constructing LEED-certified du outlets.

Daxita Rajcoomar, HSE Compliance Senior Manager, Human Capital and Administration, du: Firstly, our strategy is focused on wellness and well-being, because our people are our greatest asset.

As much as we implement the principles of IEQ or LEED standards on energy efficiency, the focus is our people. It’s an integral strategy in terms of running wellness initiatives tailor-made to understand the physical conditions of our

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Our measure of success is that we’ve seen a reduction in the absenteeism rate, from about an average of 6.5 days to about 5.5 days per employee employees. We run workshops and campaigns, and measure BMI, cardiovascular, diabetes, etc. And part and parcel of the strategy is ensuring the physical environment that they occupy is also maintained. And that’s where the IEQ elements come into play. We’re looking at it from both economic and energy-efficiency perspectives.

I think the highlight of our IEQ component is our IAQ programme, which we started implementing in 2010. We were

November 2015

proactive enough in not waiting for regulations. Organisations ought to take responsibility.

You have to take a vital role and proactive approach to air quality. So since 2010, with various partners, we’ve measured our air quality and made adjustments to our ventilation systems to accommodate the results. Our measure of success is that we’ve seen a reduction in the absenteeism rate, from about an average of 6.5 days to

Raied Al-Bitar, Senior Manager-Mechanical, Meraas Holding: We have four pillars of IEQ – IAQ, access to daylight and views, acoustic conditions and thermal comfort.

On the question if there’s a conflict between IEQ and energy consumption – when we work on the lifecycle cost and lifecycle analysis for a project, we don’t just talk about the initial cost.

We talk about the running cost, the operational cost and the maintenance cost. Yes, we need to consume energy to maintain accepted conditions. Sometimes, 24 degrees C is best, but at other times, it is 22 or 23 degrees C, depending on the application. We cannot use the same temperature setting inside a healthcare facility or, say, an MRI room in a hospital that we use in a classroom in a school.

We have different acceptable conditions.

With regard to IAQ and maintaining minimum ventilation rates, we apply a lot of energyefficient solutions, where we utilise heat recovery and energy recovery in our projects. We have actually started thinking out of the box. 

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SESSION 4 HIGHLIGHTS, in verbatim Topic: Strategies that need to be implemented for better IEQ in healthcare facilities

Nandi: Is there room for green or sustainable healthcare? Or is green, by default – part of healthcare?

Riaz Khan, General Manager, Prime Hospital: We are using the word green in a very broad way.

As I understand it, it basically means having the least carbon footprint. That is just one, but it is the one that is often talked about. But there are other elements. Green can mean plants, recycling, water recycling, less energy consumption, etc. When it comes to hospitals, there’s not much scope for Green Building. When we talk about infection control or isolation rooms or intensive care units, all those require a lot of product and air conditioning.

The requirements are much higher than in regular buildings. In a normal scenario, a hospital would

consume more energy than any other commercial building of a similar size. So, the challenge of a good design is to manage to bring energy consumption down to the level of a commercial building. That will be an achievement.

LaBorde: The greenest hospital for any community is one that turns the patient out as fast as possible, in the healthiest way, so there’s no return entry to the hospital, because [more] resources are spent, the carbon footprint increases… – all those things happen as soon as the patient comes back. If you have this type of scenario, if you open up the spectrum for what makes a green hospital.... We’re talking about the doctors, who are a big factor, and about staying connected to the outside world.

When patients can’t tell if it’s day or night, they’re said to hit a spiral and when they do, they remain inside for a longer period. So it’s a matter of redefining what is considered green.

The greenest hospital for any community is one that turns the patient out as fast as possible, in the healthiest way

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Ashish Mathur, Vice President, Innovation and Technology, UVDI: There is a connection between IEQ and the length of a patient’s stay.

Of course, the objective is to reduce the length of stay. If you look at the primary modes of infection transmission – you have the air conditioning, water and contact with surfaces. And if you look at the transmission modes and what you can do from an IEQ standpoint, you’ll be looking at air cleaning technologies, such as UV on coil.

Nellikode: The market in the region is pretty mature.

In Abu Dhabi, we go with international regulations.

And as far as equipment is concerned, we have the best tools and solutions available, which are also regulated for energy efficiency.

Nandi: There are two elements that we, as an industry, are always clamouring for when it comes to sustainability. We always need regulations, and we always need the right equipment and the right technology. Now, when you are developing a hospital in the UAE or the GCC region, how challenging or tough is it to

Khan: The regulations are quite straightforward, and the advantage we have is that suppliers of equipment are well aware of our needs in the field.

They don’t look into shortcuts, and we don’t look into shortcuts.

Therefore, if you just follow the regulations, you can get things done faster and easier here than in other places. 

follow the regulations here? Are they tougher than international regulations? Or are you typically stuck to international guidelines?

And in terms of the equipment requirement, is it a challenge to get the right equipment?

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P.O.Box: 121310 SAIF Zone, Sharjah, UAE Tel.: +971 (0)6 55 28 108 Fax: +971 (0)6 55 28 109 E-Mail: office@herz.ae www.herz.ae November 2015

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PERSPECTIVE Serge Becker is the Sales & Marketing Director at Aspen Pumps Ltd. He can be contacted at sales@ aspenpumps. com

GREY WATER

Grey’s the new green Underscoring that if there is an air conditioning unit, then there is an opportunity to tap a valuable source of recyclable grey water, Serge Becker explains how it can be done.

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s water becomes an increasingly precious resource, using it in a sustainable way that minimises waste has become critical. Grey water is the most commonly used type of water in the world, and it is also the most wasted on a daily basis. It is defined as water that is created through wastewater in the home, excluding toilet water (or black water.) We unknowingly generate up to 140 gallons of it every day when we have a shower or bath or use the washing machine or dishwasher.

It is a common misconception that grey water cannot be recycled, when in fact, it can be used to wash clothes, water the garden, keep our cars cool or water a constructed wetland.

When thinking about recycling,

A standard air conditioning unit will produce on average 5,475 gallons of grey water a year. That is enough to fill 110 bathtubs, wash a car 547 times, do 138 loads of washing, or could flush a toilet 2,737 times per year

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what most people don’t realise is that they have an additional source of grey water in their houses that can produce between five and 20 gallons of water per day.

Commercial and domestic air conditioning is becoming more and more commonplace.

Wastewater or condensate water is generated as warm air is cooled by the air conditioning system and humidity in the air forms condensation. This condensate is then collected in the unit, and is traditionally then pumped outside

Correct installation of an Aspen Tank Pump on a ceiling cassette air conditioning unit

into a drain, where other wastewater is sent or drained straight out of the building using gravity. A standard air conditioning unit will produce on average 5,475 gallons of grey water a year. That is enough to fill 110 bathtubs, wash a car 547 times, do 138 loads of washing, or could flush a toilet 2,737 times per year.

With over 80 million air conditioning units being sold in the United States and 50 million in China annually, if every one of those people who bought a unit used a condensate water pump to save water, there would be a saving of over 700 trillion gallons of grey water per year

In the past, removing condensate water from an air conditioning unit was a challenge and was often not viewed as being economically viable. However, as the search to find innovative ways to recycle water has gathered pace, and with more people looking to air conditioning systems to keep their homes cool, the concept of recycling the grey water generated from air conditioning units has become a reality. With the right drainage systems and correct pumping methods, it is entirely possible to have sufficient recycled grey water to significantly reduce water bills and help sustainability.

With water becoming scarcer in many regions across the globe, it is critical that people are offered the tools to reuse

their grey water. In fact, a range of pumps that will lift the water up and into storage tanks, outside water butts and other water drainage systems are already available in the market. This means that the option to reuse and recycle water as appropriate, too, is available.

Traditionally, gravity drain systems have been used to recycle water through drainage into storage tanks, where it can then be recycled. However, gravity drain systems can only work if there is sufficient space when installing an air conditioning unit, or attempting to drain the water into a water recycling unit. Draining the excess water into a bucket or straight out of the window on to the exterior wall was a common installation practice, simply because there wasn’t a better way available. Since then, the development of efficient pumps in this market has allowed installers to fit a pump either in, on or above the air conditioning unit, allowing the water to be pumped up and away from the unit without the need for gravity. They also guarantee flexibility, as air conditioning units can now be placed as desired by the home owner/builder, instead of placing the unit close to an outside wall, which is a requirement for gravity drainage.

In buildings where space is an issue and water recycling is more difficult, air conditioning systems connected to a water recycling tank with a pump implies that an average tower block with 150 flats could recycle up to 22,500 gallons of water per month. That is enough water to fill a 21-foot swimming pool. With over 80 million air conditioning units being sold in the United States and 50 million in China annually, if every one of those people who bought a unit used a condensate water pump to save water, there would be a saving of over 700 trillion gallons of grey water per year.

The newest pumps in the market, in fact, have the ability to pump grey water up to a height of 20 metres, meaning that the water can be pumped into a rooftop storage tank and reused for washing clothes, washing cars and watering gardens. This creates great sustainability opportunities. There are pumps available which can pump up to 12 metres of head and has a flow-rate of 11 litres an hour. This would be more than enough to transport water from an air conditioning unit to a water storage tank ready for recycling.

Whatever the country or environment, if there is an air conditioning unit, then there is an opportunity to tap a valuable source of recyclable grey water. An average person uses 140 litres of water per day with only

approximately five-10 litres of this being used for drinking and cooking. With this in mind, with the right pump, trunking and accessories, the average household will reap huge benefits from water sustainability opportunities and economic savings. ď ś CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here.

HAVE YOUR SAY! We welcome your views on the article. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

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PERSPECTIVE Janis Strelits Strele is Key Account Director, Blue Energy. He can be contacted at: janis.st@blueenergy.us

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ADIABATIC PRE-COOLInG

ADIABATIC PRECOOLInG – GOInG BEYOnD ThE FOG AnD mIST Reducing a chiller’s energy consumption is an important challenge, not only to reduce cost but also to ensure its long-term operational efficiency. In this context, saying that solutions that can deliver additional efficiency to existing systems become especially topical, Janis Strelits Strele examines a few adiabatic pre-cooling technologies.

W

hen assessing the effectiveness of existing cooling technology, we need to be on the lookout for new solutions that can provide more efficiency at a lower cost. This is not just a matter of innovation and keeping up with the times, as it would seem at first glance. In recent years, we have faced rising global temperatures and unpredictable climate changes that put excessive pressure on existing cooling systems. This is

November 2015

made more acute when seen in connection with rising energy cost, water shortage and the call for solutions and technologies that lessen our carbon footprint.

In this context, solutions

that ensure low water and energy consumption, while seeking to provide cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions, are particularly attractive.

Adiabatic pre-cooling system is one of them, which gained significance in the last decade.

It has already proved its effectiveness in the industry by provide energy savings of up to 35%. The technology consists of pre-cooling the incoming air, within which the water evaporation (evaporative cooling, adiabatic cooling) helps to cool the incoming air condensers, thereby significantly reducing energy consumption and increasing the EER compressor efficiency.

At present, the market offers a few options, which complement the existing air-cooled water chillers and dry condenser units to help reduce energy consumption

The chiller fans’ pressure drop should definitely be checked to minimise potential risks before choosing cooling pad panels

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Commitment Beyond Comparison

LEMINAR AIR CONDITIONING COMPANY Dubai Office . Tel: + 971 4 333 8700 Qatar Office . Tel: +974 4 467 3755 www.leminargroup.com

Frese and Leminar - working in partnership in the UAE and Qatar

KNOWLEDGE

QUALITY

INNOVATION

MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE

November 2015

CUSTOMER FOCUS

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ADIABATIC PRE-COOLING

and increase their efficiency. Here are a few options, along with the pros and cons of using them.

Pre-cooling pad

One of the best known industry solutions is the use of cooling pad panels – a technology that has been known for years and tested in practice. It offers energy reduction ranging from 10 to 15%. However, the technology comes with some complications.

One of the risks is condenser corrosion, which most often occurs after about five years of use. The corrosion causes the condensers to start losing their effectiveness.

Also, there is a problem with additional resistance caused by fans. The installation of pad material in front of the condenser can lower the air-flow to the condenser. Therefore, the chiller fans’ pressure drop should definitely be checked to minimise potential risks before choosing cooling pad panels.

The pad technology is based on cellulosic material that needs to be changed every three to four years. Therefore, the longterm operational costs need to be considered. In addition, the cooling pad can be adjusted only for specified chillers and condensers; it cannot be used in all cases.

Misting pre-cooling, and adiabatic condensers

The operation of adiabatic condensers is based on the principle of installing a tube with nozzles that spray water on the condenser to achieve cooling.

This technology works on the similar principle as the cooling pad system, and significantly reduces the cooling equipment’s power consumption. However, adiabatic pre-cooling system is not recommended to be used for more than a month, and only during the hottest period.

If operated consistently, it starts to corrode, becomes covered with minerals, and in the long run loses the heat exchange efficiency, and may have to be replaced.

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Adiabatic misting pre-cooler is an option in certain regions which face heat spells, but is not suitable for a large permanent cooling load Manufacturers recommend the use of water purification by reverse osmosis, but it is an expensive process and leads to wastage of water. Also, spraying large quantities of water damages the condensers. Moreover, the technology is difficult to combine/ connect with W-type chillers to make it work effectively.

Adiabatic misting pre-cooler is, therefore, an option in certain regions which face heat spells, but is not suitable for a large permanent cooling load.

Adiabatic pre-cooling panels and membranes

Also based on evaporative adiabatic cooling technology, the use of pre-cooling panels and membranes is a new cooling solution to emerge in recent years.

The advantage of this technology is that the membranes reduce or exclude the existing technologyrelated risks. Adiabatic precooling panels and membranes, with the help of fog, cool hot air

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ADIABATIC PRE-COOLING

in front of the condenser, spraying the mist to a minimum extent, thus reducing the external air temperature by 10-20 degrees C. This greatly increases the cooling capacity of the cooling process, and reduces energy consumption.

Compared to existing technologies, adiabatic pre-cooling panels and membrane technology offers four major advantages: Condenser protection, energy efficiency and water savings, monitoring systems and water treatment.

Condenser protection

Till recently, condensers were not given any additional protection, and direct contact with the water system significantly shortened their lifespan. By contrast, the adiabatic membrane protects the condenser from direct contact with water, so that it does not accrete with lime and other mineral sediments. It also protects the condenser from direct sunlight, dirt and damage. Thanks to the protective membrane, the condenser is in the shade, thus facilitating more efficient heat exchange.

Efficiency and water savings

Adiabatic pre-cooling panels feature high-pressure fog nozzles that are installed in front of the condenser. When the air enters the condenser, water is sprayed in such a way that very fine 10-40 microns of fog is created, which, when it comes in contact with the hot air, evaporates. The adiabatic process, thus takes place by

lowering the temperature of the incoming air. The adiabatic nozzle panels are designed for mist to be sprayed only in that part of the condenser where the fans are working. This significantly saves water consumption, and also, the water does not come into contact with the condenser. Using the adiabatic process fog technology, the following data is obtained: One gallon of water has ~8,000 BTU of cooling potential (heat of vaporisation).

The control system

The provision of controlling the operation of the system allows effective management of the process of adapting to external factors and system data, using only the most necessary energy and cooling when needed, and with the right amount. The more the control options provided, the better is the result of adiabatic cooling, which is provided by improved processing algorithms.

Therefore, this technology offers control of the water discharge rate with the help of a processor that analyses system data and external factors, and gives a signal to the adiabatic pre-cooling system on the most appropriate mode of operation. For example, the system analyses the air temperature – higher the outside air temperature, the higher is the amount of fog that needs to be vaporised. Also, the system is then instructed to work more intensively. The control system also takes into account other factors, such as air humidity – the higher the humidity of the outside air, the less is the need to spray fog, because the air is

already saturated with moisture.

If chiller fans do not work, or the compressor load is small, the control system takes that into account. Therefore, the pre-cooling system does not have to work, as the controller does not activate the system, and the processor suspends the pre-cooling process.

Water purification

In any adiabatic process that is used for air cooling, water treatment is very important.

Adiabatic pre-cooling technology provides water treatment and filtering, purifying water from the minerals and lime, given that calcification is a major cause of problem in adiabatic systems.

Adiabatic panels and membrane manufacturers, therefore, offer a special water treatment unit and a filter that is based on tablets of biological composition, which change the lime molecules in the water and saturate the water with preservatives, eliminating the risk of corrosion.  CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here.

HAVE YOUR SAY! We welcome your views on the article. Write to editor@ cpi-industry.com

“In line with the aim of this conference [World IEQ Forum 2015], we are looking into the aspirations of Dubai with regards to people’s health, wellness and happiness. We relate health and happiness to productivity. So we feel that we will have a productive population if our social ideals and aspirations – to see people live here and live happily – see fruition.”

Abdullah Rafia, Assistant Director-General of the Engineering and Planning Sector at Dubai Municipality

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P.O. BOX: 5269, DUBAI, UAE TEL. (+9714) 2582855 FAX: 2677658 Email: mail@turnerandmiller.ae

www.turnerandmiller.ae

MEP Turnkey Projects - EPCC o Residential & Commercial Buildings o District Cooling Plants o Factories & Process Plants o Desalination o Infrastructure Services Support Services o Design Engineering o Project Management o Facilities Management o Material Selection & Procurement

Services Covered o MV/LV/ELV o HVAC o Water Supply o Sewerage o Fire Fighting o Fire Detection & Alarm Systems o Structured Cabling o Control & Instrumentation o Storm Water o Security & Access Control System November 2015

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Dan Mizesko is the Managing Partner of Al Shirawi US Chiller Services. He can be contacted at dan@uschillerservices.com

Excessive oil in centrifugal chiller – a slippery slope to energy loss When oil gets into an evaporator, it mixes with the refrigerant and degrades system efficiency and capacity, says Dan Mizesko and offers solutions to obviate the problem.

I

’m sure most of you have encountered this situation. Your centrifugal chiller oil level is low in the sight glass, so the technician or operator, thinking he is doing what’s right, adds oil to the compressor to bring the oil sight glass to normal operating level. He does not enter this action in the log, and to be frank, even if he does, who is reading and analysing the logs in depth?

One month later, the level is low again and the same corrective action is taken. This tech/operator thinks he is helping. However, he may be costing the equipment owner a fortune in increased energy consumption.

The oil inevitably finds its way into the refrigerant charge. When oil gets into the evaporator, it mixes with the refrigerant and degrades system efficiency and capacity. This occurs when the evaporator tubes become coated with oil, creating a thermal barrier. The heat transfer efficiency is retarded and drastically reduces the cooling effect.

Although it is common knowledge that oil buildup occurs, the impact on the system’s capacity and energy costs are only now fully understood. In many talks and conferences that I have presented at, I have highlighted the following studies on the importance for chiller owners and service contractors to recognise and address the problem: ASHRAE conducted a study titled “Effects of Oil on Boiling of Replacement Refrigerants Flowing Normal to a Tube

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Even at one per cent (by weight) oil, the heat transfer coefficient is reduced by 25% from its no-oil baseline. At higher oil content, a 30% reduction has been typically measured Bundle, Part I: R-123 and Part II: R-134a.”

The study concluded: “Flow boiling results have been obtained for the low-pressure refrigerant, enhanced boiling tube in the presence of R-123. This enhanced tube shows a marked decrease in heat transfer with the addition of even a small amount of oil throughout various heat loadings.

Even at one to two per cent oil, the heat transfer coefficient is reduced by one-third from its no-oil baseline.

At substantial oil content (five to 15%), a 40 to 50% reduction (in heat transfer)

is noted.” Part 2 of the ASHRAE study reached a similar conclusion: “Flow boiling results have been obtained for a newer enhanced boiling tube with R-134a. This enhanced tube shows a decrease in heat transfer with the addition of even a small amount of oil throughout various heat loadings. Even at one per cent (by weight) oil, the heat transfer coefficient is reduced by 25% from its no-oil baseline. At higher oil content, a 30% reduction has been typically measured.”

A major OEM has also studied the effects of oil on chiller efficiency.

According to the manufacturer, the oil necessary to lubricate a chiller has the potential to contaminate the refrigerant, degrading energy efficiency. CFC chiller designs typically allow oil absorption of three to seven per cent, increasing operating costs by up to 15%.

If the refrigerant charge in a chiller contains even 3.5% oil, it could mean up to an eight per cent loss in efficiency, which will impact the operating cost. Oil, therefore, as a contaminant, significantly impacts chiller efficiency. The more that oil contaminates the refrigerant, the more efficiency is lost and the more money is spent on energy.

In the ASHRAE study titled, “ASHRAE Research Project 601-TRP, refrigerant samples were taken from 10 operating chillers and analysed for oil content. All contained excess oil in varying amounts, from three per cent (enough to degrade performance) to 23%. This increased energy consumption drastically increases a chiller owner’s

When an existing chiller is oil logged, a refrigerant reclamation unit can recover and reprocess the refrigerant charge onsite to ARI 700-95 standards electric bill. In addition, the system loses a significant amount of capacity, and a harder working system increases its potential for breakdown.

What you can do

• When an existing chiller is oil logged, a refrigerant reclamation unit can recover and reprocess the refrigerant charge onsite to ARI 700-95 standards. When

my team and I find a chiller that has excessive oil conditions, we pull the entire charge, process the refrigerant to remove all oil, moisture (even excess water from a ruptured tube), acid, air and other contaminants and recharge the ARI spec refrigerant back into the machine.

• Install/retrofit an Oil, Acid and Moisture Purger. The unit removes oil from a chiller’s refrigerant charge, returns the oil to the chiller’s oil sump and returns clean refrigerant to the system. Acids and moisture are also removed from the refrigerant and oil during the process. Because the system operates 24 hours a day regardless of chiller operating status, the refrigerant maintains an oil-free state. The company that manufactures this purger states the OAM-Purger has a three-to-four-month payback period because, it will save an average

centrifugal chiller owner approximately USD 24,000 per year in energy cost.

• If you’re contemplating a new chiller, I would urge you to consider magnetic bearing oil-less chillers. These chillers are super-efficient, as they have no oil to cause refrigerant oil mixture/heat transfer issues and (have?) frictionless bearings.

CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here.

HAVE YOUR SAY!

We welcome your views on the article. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

November 2015

77

CASE-IN POINT

By necessity, #ClimateChange is our shared challenge. By choice, clean, secure, accessible energy must be our shared goal. #COP21

Ernest Moniz @ErnestMoniz

HVAC retrofit

HVAC retrofit

of CNG bus garage saves energy The burgeoning compressed natural gas industry is creating life-safety and NFPA-compliant equipment challenges for HVAC engineers and contractors.

In the United States, the Central Ohio Transit Authority’s maintenance garage’s HVAC retrofit design features overcame this, while adding sustainability and safety measures. We bring you the case study.

INTRODUCTION Although it is only 25% completed, the Central Ohio Transit Authority’s (COTA) ongoing USD 75 million conversion to compressed natural gas- (CNG) fuelled buses is already saving more than 2.5 million gallons of diesel fuel and emitting 100 tonnes less bus emission contaminants annually in the greater Columbus, Ohio area. Complementing this, the recent bus conversion project’s accompanying HVAC retrofit of the 400,000-square-foot CNG bus maintenance and garage facility has become an energy-saving showcase, and is now ranked Ohio’s largest CNG fuelling station.

architect, RL Bowen Associates, in Cleveland, Ohio; consulting engineers, Dynamix Engineering, Columbus; mechanical contractor, Kirk Williams Company, in Grove City, Ohio; and Jon Hancock, a former COTA transportation facility manager, who oversaw much of the design.

The solution: Heat recovery air handlers, condensing boilers and 10 environmental-separating air curtains for bus entrances were pressed into service by the project HVAC engineers and contractors.

THE CASE STUDY

The challenge: The Phase II mechanical design portion of the three-phase project was particularly challenging in that specification for all airstream ventilation equipment complied with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) governing standards for compressed natural gases and vehicle fuels, such as NFPA-30A, 52, 70, 88A, plus state and local fire marshal compliances. Consequently, airstream electrical-mechanical components complied with precautionary hazardous location (HL)-grade construction, such as explosion-proof motors, spark-resistant fans, HL electrical components and construction, and other life/safety precautions. In short, therefore, the HVAC retrofit for the maintenance garage, had to comply with spark-proof motors, explosion-proof equipment, gas detectors and a host of other custom design features.

The key players in the project were

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The air curtains also add to the IAQ with optional permanent washable aluminum mesh filters that help remove airborne particulate emission contaminants from the remaining diesel fleet

Methods adopted: In the unlikely event of a bus natural gas leak, a majority of electrical-mechanical devices are constructed to prevent potential gas-igniting arcing and sparking. While unique, these precautions are common specifications for facilities dealing with flammable chemical processing, food grain dust, gases and other ignitable airborne byproducts of some industrial applications. Consequently, Dynamix Engineering’s equipment specifications mandated combinations of energy efficiency and life/safety measures. Therefore, seven 14 (h) x 16-foot (l) doorways complement Dynamix Engineering’s energy efficiency model with the installation of air curtains that retain up to 80% of the building’s heat during perpetual door cycles, as buses pass in and out of the maintenance and garage areas.

Three additional air curtains separate environments at one large interior common doorway shared by the maintenance and garage areas. They are not ordinary air curtains, however. Each 1,600-cfm air curtain from the Hazardous Location Construction (HLC) Series manufactured by Berner International, in New Castle, Pennsylvania, is constructed of nonferrous metals and features three and five-hp. explosion-proof motors as per Class 1–Group D–Division 1.

There are also spark-resistant fans with aluminum blower wheels and other NFPA-compliant components.

Even the special zinc-based gray epoxy powder coat finish on the entire interior and exterior cabinetry is chip-resistant to prevent any metal-to-metal sparkingpotential contact in the unlikely event of a detached part.

Activated by the opening of their accompanying high speed roll-up door, The 16-foot-long air curtains are the longest single construction in the industry and do not create airstream disrupting obstructions as do models with multiple smaller lengths bolted together.

The air curtains also add to the IAQ with optional permanent washable aluminum mesh filters that help remove airborne particulate emission contaminants from the remaining diesel fleet that is scheduled for phase out in several years. The air curtains also include 708,140-Btu/hr hot water coils to provide air comfort to employees working near opening doors.

Also complementary to the LEED goal is Dynamix’s replacement of three gas-fired grade-mounted and several hot water indoor air handling systems that were beyond their serviceable life. Replacements

C2_A5_185x120_EN.indd 1

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CASE-IN POINT

The world’s poorest people should not pay the world’s highest electricity prices. KA #EnergyAfrica

Kofi Annan @KofiAnnan

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HVAC RETROFIT

consist of 10 exterior grade-mounted and 12 mezzanine-level semi-custom hot water and heat recovery air handlers manufactured by Innovent Air, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The units feature two-inchthick insulated double wall construction and fully water-down capabilities. While considerably larger to accommodate up to six air changes per hour versus the previous system’s single hourly air change, the energy use is similar. The energy recovering air-to-air heat exchanger is a cross-flow, flat plate type. It is critical to efficiently maintaining comparatively better 12.77 degrees C to about 15 degrees C and 18 degrees C to 21 degrees C employee wintertime indoor air comfort for the bus garage and maintenance areas, respectively.

The HVAC system is not only controlled by a building automation system by Honeywell, in Minneapolis, Minnesota but also overridden by a 16-zone network of more than 200 combustible gas and carbon monoxide detection sensors, manufactured by Sierra Monitor Corp, in Milpitas, California. The system perpetually monitors combustible gas lower explosive limit (LEL) levels and signals the air handlers for additional outdoor air when contaminant set points are exceeded.

Some of the air handlers have VFDs to provide additional outdoor air until gas levels fall below LEL level set points.

Persistently high levels eventually open all doors automatically, activate exhaust fans and switch mechanical systems to 100% outdoor air to purge the spaces for a complete air exchange in 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the space.

Dynamix Engineering’s design also includes 21 exhaust fans ranging from 3,500 to 21,000 cfm that help evacuate detected gases as well as help controlling building pressurisation.

Adding to the overall energy savings are two high-efficiency condensing and six near-condensing three-million Btu/h boilers by the Hydrotherm and RBI boiler divisions, respectively, of Mestek, in Westfield, Massachusetts. The boilers supply air curtain and air handler heating coils for wintertime heating.

Dynamix’s lighting retrofit consists of replacing pulse-start metal halide with T5HO fluorescent fixtures and whitewashing the ceiling for reflectivity, which has also increased luminosity from 25- to 55-foot candles, while simultaneously improving energy savings by 30%.

The HVAC system is not only controlled by a building automation system but also overridden by a 16-zone network of more than 200 combustible gas and carbon monoxide detection sensors

Other positive outcomes: The project’s IAQ improvement via increased air changes has not overtly spiked HVAC operational costs due to the combined conservation methods of energy recovery and air curtains. Air comfort was also successfully maintained during last year’s frigid Ohio winter near doorways and elsewhere throughout the facility.

CONCLUSION COTA, which also received threestar-certified Green Fleets Award last September from the Clean Fuels Ohio programme, has converted 75 buses to CNG for a savings of more than USD one million in fuel costs and a projected USD four million annually, once the remaining 255 diesel buses are converted in approximately eight years. These savings, when combined with the facility’s operational savings once the third and final phase is completed in 2017, will benefit Ohio taxpayers. Additionally, COTA officials are confident the project will achieve LEED Silver certification and serve as an energy role model, not only for Ohio but also for the trend of CNG-fuelled vehicles in public transportation.

CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here.

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PERSPECTIVE Jerome Sanchez is Communications Head, Altaaqa Global CAT Rental Power. He can be contacted at: jsanchez@ altaaqaglobal. com

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temporary power supply plants

Temporary power plants: Keeping the cold chain unbroken Highlighting the importance of reliable supply of electricity in maintaining the integrity of the entire cold chain in food and pharmaceutical products, Jerome Sanchez makes a case for temporary power supply plants.

T

he cold chain plays a vital role in the safe global production, trade and delivery of food and pharmaceutical commodities. The increased market demand for these products has heightened the importance of keeping them at the optimal required temperature, right from manufacturing to consumption.

Food and pharmaceutical companies strive to ensure the integrity of their refrigerated products, yet real instances of temperature abuse along certain points of the cold chain threaten to compromise their safety and quality.

In the food industry, keeping perishable food products in refrigerated storage facilities is one of the most extensively practised methods of controlling the growth of microbes. Although the microbial growth of food products is affected by a variety of factors, the length of storage time and the temperature at which food commodities are stored have been proven to have the greatest impact on their safety and quality.

Therefore, food manufacturing and storage companies, together with

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their allied entities, like grocery stores and supermarkets, have to constantly monitor and maintain the required temperatures throughout the food continuum

– from processing to storage and distribution.

On the pharmaceutical front, manufacturers and health professionals around the world strive to develop an unbroken cold chain to ensure that critical medicines and vaccines, among other essential health-related requirements, are safely and readily available. These products, just like food, require constant temperature control throughout the production and distribution chain. Vaccines, for instance, are sensitive to both heat and cold,

While a surge in power demand may be indicative of an active and growing economy, it can rein in the economic and industrial progress of a country if the existing power infrastructure is not able to keep up with the electricity requirement

and, therefore, need to be kept at precise temperatures from the manufacturing process to the point of use. Blood has to be properly refrigerated and stored to remain usable, while HIV rapid test kits, pediatric ARV drugs and other testing reagents must all be stored in climatecontrolled conditions.

The real threat of power interruption and consumption limitation

The demand for electricity has been steadily increasing all around the world. Owing to continuous growth in population, expansion in industrial activities and improved standard of living, many countries have been seeing a remarkable spike in energy requirements, particularly during months of extreme temperatures and/or peak industrial production. While a surge in power demand may be indicative of an active and growing economy, it can rein in the economic and industrial progress

Vaccines, for instance, are sensitive to both heat and cold, and, therefore, need to be kept at precise temperatures from the manufacturing process to the point of use

of a country if the existing power infrastructure is not able to keep up with the electricity requirement – a scenario usually witnessed in emerging regions.

When the electricity demand consistently outstrips the supply, power facilities may become overburdened, and as a consequence, load shedding, electricity outage or total blackout may ensue.

Food and pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors are evidently adversely affected by load shedding and regular power interruption, as even a momentary power outage will render an entire batch unsafe and unusable.

When the quality and integrity of products are compromised, they have to be discarded to avoid health risks to consumers, resulting in huge financial and operational losses.

Food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, storage and distribution

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TEmPORARY POWER SuPPLY PLAnTS

facilities have attempted to lobby for the exemption of load shedding or peak lopping for their industries. However, in light of a highly limited power supply, governments and utility providers have found it difficult to grant them such an exemption, since any additional power supplied to these industries would be at the expense of households or other industries. Therefore, several entities in these two sectors have endeavuored to work around the problem by employing electricity generation systems within their facilities. Unfortunately, they have not always been able to sufficiently produce electricity to meet the production load, and are, thus, incapable of supporting the operations of large-scale manufacturing, storage and distribution facilities.

Instances of load shedding, power interruption or consumption limitation can occur at any time. Food and pharmaceutical facilities, therefore, need large-scale supplemental or back-up power systems, which are able to generate the required electricity at any given moment. They could find it beneficial to employ power generation systems that can seamlessly supply power to their industrial operations as soon as the electricity from the grid is interrupted, so that temperature abuse at any point in the cold chain is averted. Also, consumers are spared from health risks, and companies are able to run their operations as usual and avoid losing millions in revenue.

Rental power plants can provide the necessary electricity without the need for food and pharmaceutical companies to spend scarce CAPEX

The benefits of rental power to the cold chain

Rental power plants can provide the necessary electricity without the need for food and pharmaceutical companies to spend scarce CAPEX. Instead of pouring a sizeable initial investment in permanent power infrastructure (which can take several years to complete) or in local power generation systems (which cannot always guarantee the precise amount of electricity required by large-scale facilities), the companies can pay for the electricity produced by hired power plants, from their operating revenues. During peak production seasons, they will also be able to add power modules that increase the rental power plant’s generation capacity.

The other benefits in a nutshell are: • Large-scale rental generators that make up a temporary power plant, are modular and containerised, and can be

rapidly delivered and installed anywhere in the world, and can support the requirement of even the largest production, storage or distribution facilities.

• They are fully able to function even in remote locations, and in sites where traditional power infrastructure is outdated, damaged or absent.

• The investment required to set up a rental power plant has been proven to be marginal compared to the cost of missed opportunities, wasted manhours, discarded products or lost lives.

Keeping the cold chain intact

In times of load shedding, peak lopping or unpredicted blackouts, rental power plants, either as a stand-alone solution or as support to conventional or local power systems, can guarantee a reliable and continuous supply of electricity, so that food and pharmaceutical manufacturing, storage and distribution facilities can conduct business as usual.

CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here.

HAVE YOUR SAY! We welcome your views on the article. Write to editor@ cpi-industry.com

“My personal aspiration is not limited to my beloved country, Saudi Arabia. It is for the member states of the Gulf, for the countries in the GCC region. I believe that our grandfathers strove to live in harsh environments.

So I think that whatever challenges we face in the future, we will survive them. But how well we do will be dependent on how we educate our children. Our future fortune will be dictated by our human capital.”

H.E. Dr Ali bin Abdul Khaliq Al-karni, Director General of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States

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GERMANY

HOW GERMANY KEEPS ITS COOL

Germany has always been synonymous with engineering, with well-known technical universities and a culture and an economy that rewards engineering skills. Rajiv Pillai looks at how this ethos pervades in the HVACR industry in the country.

Anton_Ivanov / Shutterstock.com

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ccording to a report by IHS Technology, a US-based information and analysis firm, Germany was found to be the largest market for Air Handling Units (AHU) in Europe in 2014. The report, titled 'The World Market for HVAC Equipment – 2015', revealed that there were two main factors that contributed to this market: Firstly, the climate of Germany is mild during the summer months, because of which many building owners decide to install ventilation systems with AHUs to deliver fresh air, rather than have central air conditioning. Secondly, the cost of energy deters the installation of central air conditioning equipment. In 2014, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, the cost of electricity in Germany was EUR 29.8 cents per kilowatt-hour (cents/kWh).

This price was the second highest in the region, behind Denmark, with the European average being EUR 20.4 cents/ kWh.

Despite the high cost of energy, building owners have slowly begun to move towards central air conditioning products to increase the comfort of indoor spaces

The market drivers and outlook

However, despite the high cost of energy, building owners have slowly begun to move towards central air conditioning products to increase the comfort of indoor spaces. Subsequently, IHS has forecast a volume growth of 7.4% through 2019 for central air conditioners in new nonresidential buildings.1 Market-wise, Matthias Kasprowicz, Managing Director of TROX Middle East, says that the HVACR market in Germany is the largest in Europe, and that the estimated value of the European market in 2013 was USD 11.470 billion. “The industry globally is set to grow to USD 138 billion by 2018,” he predicts.

Holger Winkelsträter, Press Officer at Caverion, says that there are several factors that drive the HVACR market in Germany, most of them being environmental protection regulations and energy requirements, European regulations, such as Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and a directive that requires member states to ensure that by 2020 all new buildings are nearly zero-energy buildings. Kasprowicz agrees that regulations play a vital role in driving the market and keeping it healthy. “The regulations locally make sure that the highest standards of quality and environmental compliance are met,” he admits.

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GERMANY

Sustainable dvpt starts w/ education & education starts w/ teachers #worldteachersday #SDGs http://ow.ly/ T1LfU

UNESCO @UNESCO

With greater extreme temperatures becoming more common in summer, it seems that advocates of District Cooling could be proved right

Another common demand driver, Kasprowicz says, is reliability. “Manufacturers cannot expect contractors to take all the risks, especially considering the tough programme requirements of projects.” Therefore, he believes that reliability is essential to generate goodwill and that things like customer service and satisfaction are of absolute importance.

Explaining that the everchanging market is a driver in itself, he adds, “Businesses are growing faster than ever before, and [market] leaders are having to adapt their businesses to suit the requirements of the fluctuating markets.”

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Matthias Kasprowicz

Holger Winkelsträter,

Despite these demand drivers, what hinders most HVACR manufactures is the market being flooded with low-quality products. “The efforts of some players in the market is cutting down on quality and compromising the system and its service, just to maintain the cost factor and sell cheaper products to their clients,” Kasprowicz points out. “Cost cutting and a so-called ‘Value-engineering’ are reasons that products with inferior quality are flooding the markets.”

German engineering However, such hindrances

Renewing Germany Germany is a “pioneer” of renewable energy deployment, says Adnan Z Amin, IRENA Director-General …

A

two-day event, Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue – towards a global Energiewende, brought together energy policy experts and representatives of politics, industry and civil society to shape new energy policy and drive future progress. The event took place in Berlin on March 26, 2015.

The Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Adnan Z Amin, delivered the keynote address at the event, highlighting the global impact of Germany’s early innovation and continuing commitment to the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies.

“Germany has long recognised technological innovation as a crucial component of its Energiewende,” said Amin.

“This foresight and commitment has inspired the innovation and investment required for these technologies to become technically and commercially viable in developed and developing economies. Germany has one of the most ambitious renewable energy targets in the world under the Energiewende, promising

60% of renewable energy in final energy consumption and 80% of electricity generated from renewable sources by 2050. IRENA applauds Germany’s leadership in this sector.”

(For more information: http://www.energiewende2015.com/)

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UAE submits #renewables goal to UN aiming to increase energy from renewables 24% by 2021 from 0.2% in 2014. More: http://bit. ly/1jDC6sz

GERMANY

do not stop major HVACR manufactures from innovating, as Germany is all about engineering and innovation. Germany exports more mechanical engineering products than any other country, according to the German Engineering Federation. It is known that in Germany, craftsmanship is combined with quality engineering to achieve widely acclaimed and high-performance products. Kasprowicz claims that TROX has 12 research and development centres that work on developing new, innovative and sustainable products. “We have certified testing labs for functions like acoustics, airflow, fire protection, energy efficiency, etc,” he reveals.

Winkelsträter elucidates that technical innovations in Germany are carried out in small steps. “Prefabrication is a hot topic,” he says. “A good example of this is a modular laboratory, which substantially speeds up installation. Building automation is another key area with remote services and system control.”

UN Environment @UNEP

Low-quality products are being used in high-quality buildings in the region, which is a matter of concern

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The District Cooling scenario

According to a new research report: District Cooling Market by Application (Commercial, Residential, Industrial, and Others) - Global Trends & Forecasts to 2019, published by MarketsandMarkets, an India-based market research firm, the District Cooling global market size in terms of value is projected to reach USD 29.0 billion by 2019, at a CAGR of 11.4% from 2014 to 2019. Winkelsträter reveals that District Cooling has a marked presence all over Germany.

“District Cooling systems with water at a temperature of six to seven degrees C are used to cool large lecture theatres and the central computer at RWTH Aachen University; the head office of Deutsche Bahn; the Bundesrat parliament building in Berlin; and buildings at Frankfurt airport and shopping centres in Chemnitz,” he informs, adding that Germany’s largest District Cooling network is located around Potsdamer

Platz in Berlin.

Winkelsträter says that throughout Germany, there already exist District Cooling networks spanning 90 kilometres. “Experts believe there is considerable potential for growth,” he says. “With greater extreme temperatures becoming more common in summer, it seems that advocates of District Cooling could be proved right. Temperatures are set to rise to up to 35 degrees C again, especially in eastern and southern Germany.”

The Middle East connection

Germany has always been keen to share its innovations and technology with the world. Highlighting this, Kasprowicz says that TROX has been active in the Middle East since the mid-1970s. He elaborates: “This vast experience allows TROX to fully understand the complexities associated with the climatic conditions of the Middle East region and the needs of its customers. We have major expansion

plans in the near future that we cannot divulge at this moment, but the outcome is that we all expect a rise in quality and comfort in the GCC [region’s] indoor comfort and environment, which is deserved by the people who spend so much money on getting a good life.”

Kasprowicz reiterates that low-quality products are being used in high-quality buildings in the region, which is a matter of concern. In light of this, he says, “Increasing the awareness [in the GCC region] for quality in indoor comfort will be the main task for us and all high-quality manufacturers in the coming years.”

HAVE YOUR SAY!

We welcome your views on the article. Write to editor@cpi-industry.com

November 2015

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‘The best technology is technology built on local innovation’ At the Ecocity World Summit held in October in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Dr Arab Hoballah, Chief of the Sustainable Consumption and Production Branch in the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), discussed with Fatima de la Cerna of Climate Control Middle East, the progress of sustainable cities worldwide and the role of technology in the Ecocity agenda. He also shared what he believes is the biggest significance of the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21), set to take place in Paris, in end November.

This year’s Ecocity World Summit may be the first time the event is being held in the Middle East, but it is the 11th edition. Have you been to any of the previous summits? And in your opinion, how has the concept of ecocities developed over the years?

Yes, I have been, and I have excellent memories of the one in Nantes (France). If I think of what transpired at the last Ecocity, and even before that, if we go back to 2012, to the Rio +20 Summit, we can see that the whole concept of sustainable cities – others call them ‘ecocities’, ‘smart cities’ or ‘low-carbon cities’ – has been progressing and gaining more interest.

No longer just an issue for a few mayors who are concerned, it is being included in national policy framework agendas. And it has been taken to the

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highest level in the United Nations, with Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the UN, looking at financing for cities, in the context of climate change.

Furthermore, groups that are working on cities, whether it be UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments), ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives), C40 or the World Resources Institute, have increased capacity of resources and are strengthening their efforts.

It’ll take some time for people to learn how to work together, how to set their priorities and establish effective government systems. But what has definitely evolved over the last three or four years is people’s understanding of what is called the ‘economics of the cities’. Before, a city was perceived as only a place where people can be organised and provided with infrastructure and accommodation. We did not see it as a place where economy was being made, when at the end of the day, cities comprise most of the country.

This means that, at the end of the day, the economies of cities make the economies of countries.

For some people, smart cities are sustainable cities and vice versa, but in certain parts of the world, particularly in developing countries, going ‘smart’ is not yet a practical option, with cities lacking access to the latest in technological innovations. How big a role, would you say, does technology play in the development of sustainable cities?

There is a misconception regarding this issue, with people tending to put technology at the centre of the concept of ecocities and smart cities. This misconception was started by a few companies who wanted to promote their products by

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This misconception was started by a few companies who wanted to promote their products by showing that integrating technology into the management of cities can make them more efficient and liveable. In some cases it would, but you cannot manage a whole city with just technology showing that integrating technology into the management of cities can make them more efficient and liveable. In some cases it would, but you cannot manage a whole city with just technology.

An ecocity is not all about technology, but it does require tech knowledge. It requires a certain level of technology, but not necessarily top technology, not the kind that you need to import from Germany or Japan. Any city can innovate and promote its own level or kind of technology to better manage its resources and have more efficient infrastructure. Cities can invest in universities and research, or they can look outside for the most appropriate solutions, eventually adapting what they find to their own unique needs and making them their own. Because yes, technology is required, but the best technology is technology built on local innovations.

We’re living in a world that is moving quickly with technology, so we have to make the best out of it. For the Lima-Paris Action Agenda, which is being prepared for COP21, Lima is working closely with Paris to identify the action agenda at the conference, and I can say that technology is certainly on the

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agenda – how much, how far and how well we will be using technology – from the most modern and complex to the traditional – and how we can combine them and then use in different cities, so they correspond to different demands and contexts.

Could you elaborate on what you said about combining the modern and the complex with the traditional? And how can doing so help cities become more efficient?

In cities, a third of energy is consumed in buildings, which are also responsible for nearly as much fraction of the total CO2 emissions.

We can talk about high-tech and passive design and even positive-energy houses, because they’re all possible and accessible to us. But how can we replicate them in social or public housing? Social houses are the majority of the houses built around the world.

If you go to Asia and Latin America, you’ll see all these fantastic buildings – LEEDcertified, Gold or Platinum, and so on. But they are but a drop in the ocean. What we need to do is look at the other houses,

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see that integrating technology means redesigning the building architecture so that, for example, exposure to the sun will not require the building to consume more energy; so that the shading and framing will result in less energy requirement and better air circulation inside the house.

All of that is technology. There are many solutions that we can adapt to our specific cultures. In fact, let us look at this part of the world. We’ve given a lot to the world, but we remain backward, because we’ve adopted technology that is not appropriate for this region.

Almost 30 years ago, I worked in Sana’a and lived in one of its Yemeni houses. The climate there is hot, similar to the climate here, but there was no air conditioning in the house where I stayed. Yet, despite it being horribly hot outside, it was fresh inside because of the building materials that had been used, and because the way the windows were positioned allowed for daylight to enter but kept the sun from heating the house. That is traditional technology, from which we need to learn.

Of course, now we cannot build big cities using only old technologies. But we can still

learn from them to better understand, for instance, the importance of shading. When you design buildings like the ones we have – all glass – you’re setting the building up to require more energy. What we can do is innovate, push people to innovate, because that is how we can get to solutions. And solutions are everywhere. People just have to take the lead and use what they know, look at what are within their means, and then see what can be brought in from the outside.

In one of the sessions I attended, a member of the audience pointed out that during discussions on ecocities, nobody seems to acknowledge that people, especially in this region, have grown used to certain comforts, with air conditioning being a key example.

How can people’s comfort, or perceived comfort levels, be incorporated into the whole concept of sustainable and resource-efficient cities?

People have to understand that they need to save energy. This is not about making their lives difficult. This is about them recognising that they are not being responsible citizens

I personally don’t give excessive importance to the agreement per se. It’s symbolic. What is truly important is the changing spirit – the transformative approach

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The problem with ecocities is that they take time. You don’t build them overnight; you can’t even build them in a generation. They take a long time, but we need to place the foundation and then work progressively….

and that they need to step back, look at themselves and accept that they are going the wrong way, that they need to take some action. The problem is that countries, companies and individuals always place the blame on someone else. They also find someone else to point the finger at, saying, ‘Let the others change first, and then I will.’ Everybody does it.

As for people getting used to certain comforts, well, look at how cities are built today – they make it nearly impossible to go around on foot. If you got to the souks or the old parts of the city, because they’ve reproduced or maintained traditional designs, you can walk around even in 50 degrees C, because there’s no direct sun coming down on you. There are trees and shade around.

Of course, try walking from here to the highway and you might as well commit suicide. The infrastructure as it is, does not allow you to behave efficiently. I don’t see people going around on bicycles here, and it’s not because of the excessive heat. You can still bike during six or seven months of the year. It’s not an unreasonable idea, but where would you want to bike? You’ll

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end up being run over like a cockroach, because you won’t know where to go around. On the other hand, half of my staff in Paris comes to office on bikes, because we have bicycles everywhere – at each metro station, at the entrance of schools, at the entrance of supermarkets.

You can do everything and go around everywhere in bikes if you want.

The problem with ecocities is that they take time. You don’t build them overnight; you can’t even build them in a generation. They take a long time, but we need to place the foundation and then work progressively, step by step, and develop them in such a way that the next mayors can pick up the work.

And if a mayor is really serious about sustainability, he will lead by example and ensure that his procurement of goods is aligned with sustainability standards and criteria. He will ensure that people, starting with his own staff, can go to office on public transportation.

He will ensure that people are eating in building canteens and that there’s no food being wasted, that materials are recyclable, food is organic and less meat is consumed. He will see to it that the paint, the carpet and even the wood used

in his own office do not emit harmful substances. That is what I’m doing in my own office.

We cannot repeatedly tell the world to do something if we don’t lead by example. This is essential. If the mayors and the high-level people do not practice what they are preaching, the ideal will be very difficult to achieve. You cannot impose rules on citizens if you yourself aren’t following them.

Personally, what outcome are you expecting from COP21, especially with regard to the conference’s aim of reaching a legal agreement on emissions?

Look, we will have some agreement, but I personally don’t give excessive importance to the agreement per se.

It’s symbolic. What is truly important is

the changing spirit – the transformative approach. Thanks to the preparation, from Copenhagen, on to Lima and then now Paris, there has been increasing awareness that we cannot continue business as usual. Of course, we can still see unfortunate cases, like the United States, for example, with its fracking.

They’re completely going backward, but generally speaking, things are changing and awareness is increasing.

COP21 has been useful for raising awareness, for sounding the alarm, while also providing solutions. For example, in the COPs, from now on, there will be special focus on thematic issues. There will be a building day, a cities day and an accelerators day.

There will be a District Energy day, where every year, government and business leaders will come and look at

solutions, discuss how to work together and how to work on partnerships.

All that will help implement the agreement, depending, of course, on what agreement we will get. But even if the agreement will not be as much as we expect or hope, there are plans that will continue. COP21, together with other initiatives, has put the word out into the world. COP21 comes immediately after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, of the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, and it is just coming one year before Habitat III. This concentration of elements in about one and a half years, with or without good results in COP21, will leave a legacy and give us something to follow on. Better with a good agreement, of course.

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P E R S P E C T I V E HVAC IN THE UAE PART III

Why now is the time for Dubai In part I of this series, Christopher LaBorde reviewed how the global HVAC industry was poised for real change, and in part II, he addressed the reasons why the UAE was the right location for transformational HVAC leadership. In this third and final installment in the series, he asserts that Dubai has a big role to play in bringing about this change.

T

here are five strategic factors as to why Dubai could lead the HVAC change. Many of these factors have influenced each other in their creation and their design. The four drivers that make now the time for Dubai to change the HVAC sector are: Expo 2020; the Dubai 2030 Integrated Energy Strategy; The Dubai Smart City initiative; The United Nations Montreal Protocol Summit Meeting (November 1-5); and COP21 meeting (November 30-December 11).

Expo 2020 – “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” Over 2013, Dubai successfully bid for the Expo 2020. In general, about 25 million tourists travelling to the emirate and spending a couple billion Dirhams

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entertaining themselves, is a good enough reason for a city to host such an event.

However, it’s more than a tourist event. It’s perceived as a direct marketing opportunity. The city is also using the event to accelerate its growth, which is ambitious.

And then, using the event to invite people to visit the city is smart. But then, Dubai is both ambitious and smart.

Dubai’s next major round of ambitious and smart move is making the city sustainable.

To grow Dubai in size, the attitude of “cool at any cost”

had to be adopted. Moving a multi-million person city into a sustainable city to “cool at minimal cost” will require the same kind of ambition and intelligence that Dubai has shown in other areas, and it will happen in the HVAC sector as well. Expo 2020 Dubai will be the right opportunity.

The Dubai 2030 Integrated Energy Strategy The leaders of Dubai are good at seeing where its biggest challenges may be in the future. The Dubai 2030

Integrated Energy Strategy is possibly one such plan currently in place, and three of its goals apply directly to the HVAC sector. The goals that apply to the HVAC aspect of things are to: reduce demand side energy use by 30%; reduce CO2 global warming emissions by 30%; and to move from 15% District Cooling to 40% District Cooling.

The third goal is very clear.

And to achieve this goal, District Cooling technology will have to continue to be optimised further, until it is the clear option for all building owners, moving forward. The first and second goals are also HVAC goals, since the HVAC sector currently uses up to 56% of Dubai’s annual power, and produces 5.5 times the carbon footprint of its cars (39.1 million tonnes of CO2).

To reduce either one of these numbers by 30% will require a significant improvement in both HVAC operation and maintenance, as well as having HVAC technology in place in the country.

The Dubai Smart City initiative Infrastructure is one of the six key pillars of the Dubai Smart City initiative. Part of the strategy of this initiative is to gather high-quality data, and process this data

The goals that apply to the HVAC aspect of things are to reduce demand side energy use by 30%; reduce CO2 global warming emissions by 30%; and to move from 15% District Cooling to 40% District Cooling

Taming the heat with efďŹ cient air conditioning systems, and moving them into the realm of smart infrastructure management will deďŹ nitely be part of the Smart City initiative in a centralised repository.

If you remember, in my last installment of this series, lack of clear communication seemed to be at the root of most of the major challenges cited behind the HVAC problems in The Gulf. The use of a centralised repository could definitely be part of a strategy to create citywide benchmarks on HVAC performance, to then create Gulf operation standards, among other things.

Since the Dubai Smart City initiative aims to make Dubai the happiest place on Earth, taming the heat with efficient air conditioning systems, and moving them into the

realm of smart infrastructure management will definitely be part of the Smart City initiative.

The un montreal Protocol Summit meeting and the COP21 meeting in Paris In December 2014 and March 2015, China and India agreed with the UN that they would be willing to enter into talks to phase out R-22 use and production over the following 15 years.

These two giants, along with a coalition of African countries, also agreeing to do the same, has made this year’s gathering of the members of the

Montreal Protocol largely about refrigerants and their phase-out plans. On November 1, the first day of the gathering, the parties in attendance all formally agreed to phase out HFC refrigerants. This was and is a monumental step in environmental responsibility.

But it now leaves a very serious job to be done, moving forward.

Since Dubai hosted this meeting, it has set the stage for participation in the refrigerant phase-out plans. And now the hard work begins. Between now and the beginning of the COP21 event in Paris, Dubai has to figure out the phaseout schedule that the city can handle economically.

The reason this becomes a matter of economics is because R-22 is estimated to be in roughly 84% of the air conditioning systems in Dubai. And currently, there is not a clear alternative refrigerant gas that can be put into the existing chillers that will produce the same efficiency in

cooling, and in many cases, be compatible with the existing in-place equipment. As a result, an HVAC strategy for technological improvement options will make sense to be paired up with ESCOs to do their best to find ways to reduce demand side power, while trading out R-22 cooling infrastructure for more efficient non-R-22 cooling infrastructure.

In summary, Dubai has set the stage and shown that it has an appetite for solving one of its biggest infrastructure problems. And now is the time for these strategies to come together.

The writer is the Business Development Manager for the MENA Region at TrakRef. He can be contacted at: claborde@trakref.com CPI Industry accepts no liability for the views or opinions expressed in this column, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided here.

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Abu Dhabi Ports sees 41% volume increase Kizad’s new projects represent one million square metres plot size

UAE Ministry of Environment and Water presents Blue Carbon Project report Findings to help reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide

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bu Dhabi Ports, the master developer, operator and manager of ports and industrial zones in the Emirate, has revealed in an official communiqué that it is handling more cargo than ever before, with Khalifa Port Container Terminal, operated by Abu Dhabi Terminals, witnessing an increase in container volumes by 41% in the first seven months in 2015 over the same period in 2014.

Abu Dhabi Ports giving further details, said that bolstered by rapid growth in trade and commerce at Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad), Abu Dhabi Ports saw a total of 19 Standard Musataha Agreements (SMAs) signed this year with national and international investors, involving projects representing one million square metres plot size.

According to Abu Dhabi Ports, to meet new demands, over the past seven months, it has invested heavily in upgrading infrastructure, implementing new technologies and in buying new equipment to expand operations. To date, Abu Dhabi Ports informed, around 80 national and international investors have chosen Kizad as their production or logistics base – nine of these will have completed construction and will be fully operational by the end of this year. Other notable investments, it revealed, include the completion of the halfway mark of Stage1 implementation of Maqta Gateway, a new port community system interlinking all of the relevant parties involved in Abu Dhabi’s growing import and export trade business.

Capt Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO, Abu Dhabi Ports, said: “Our ability to handle record loads across the cargo and transportation market has been facilitated by our commitment to implementing operational efficiencies and adopting nextgeneration technologies.”

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H.E. Dr. Rashid Ahmed Mohammed Bin Fahad

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he UAE Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) has announced launching the National Blue Carbon Project report, marking the first national quantification of the UAE’s Blue Carbon stocks, which will help guide decisionmaking in coastal ecosystem preservation and climate change mitigation.

MoEW explained that Blue Carbon referred to coastal vegetation, which studies have shown can sequester carbon far more effectively than terrestrial forests, and conserving them was a new way to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The project, reportedly a collaborative initiative between MoEW and the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), and implemented in collaboration with the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) alongside the local authorities of the other emirates, was launched at the 11th edition of the Ecocity World Summit 2015 in Abu Dhabi, with Dr Stephen Crooks, one the Project’s two principle investigators, presenting the project findings.

According to MoEW, the project facilitated the quantification of carbon stocks of 18 mangroves of the UAE across three key areas: in the Sea of Oman (Kalba) of Sharjah Emirate (four); in the Arabian Gulf of the Northern Emirates (six); and in the Abu Dhabi Emirate (eight).

On the occasion of the report launch, H.E. Dr Rashid Ahmed Mohammed Bin Fahad, the Minister of Environment and Water, calling the project a landmark in the efforts to transform the national economy into a low-carbon green economy, said: “This project is the first of its kind in the region, and looks towards strengthening the UAE’s leading position in issues concerning the environment, biodiversity and climate change at both regional and global levels.”

H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Secretary-General of EAD, added, “This collaborative project is a reflection of a shared commitment to helping guide decision-making towards environmental sustainability across the UAE, and for generations to come.”

Bin Shafar named CEO of the Year in energy sector Was recognised for his contributions to District Cooling in the region and transforming Empower into a world player

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hmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, has won the CEO of the Year – Energy, in the CEO Middle East Awards 2015, organised by CEO Middle East magazine.

Announcing this, Empower said that Bin Shafar received the award on September 15 at the

InterContinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City.

According to Empower, the award was in recognition of the role played by Bin Shafar in strengthening and expanding Empower and his contributions to the District Cooling sector in the Middle East, as well as his role in transforming Empower into a

Ahmad Bin Shafar

global player, and claimed to be the world’s largest District Cooling services provider. He reportedly turned Empower from a startup with three employees, into a company that commands a market share of more than 70%.

“It is a great honour to be selected as CEO of the Year – Energy,” said Bin Shafar. “I attribute this honour to the inspiring vision of Government of Dubai, led by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, in the fields of energy and sustainability. This award will be another motive for further innovation in District Cooling, and propel Empower to new heights of success. I dedicate this achievement to the Empower’s team that works tirelessly to achieve the vision of the company locally, regionally and globally.”

Belimo reinforces presence in Saudi Arabia Aims to serve HVAC markets in the Kingdom and Bahrain

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elimo Automation, which manufactures and supplies motorised valves and damper actuators to the HVAC industry, has announced expanding its operation in the Middle East by opening its offices and warehouse in Riyadh.

Its new presence in Saudi Arabia, said Belimo, will further strengthen the relationship between the company and its clients in the Kingdom and in Bahrain, with the company having a local stock of its full range of motorised valves and damper actuators, from the Riyadh warehouse.

Belimo informed that a dedicated technical engineer has been assigned to support customers in all technical issues before and after installing any of its products, especially during the testing and commissioning process, as also a regional application consultant engineer to assist MEP consultants to select and specify the correct models and sizes from its product range.

The Belimo team (R-L): Andreas Jost, David Stevenson, Naser Tamimi and Esam Abu Zahra

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Bahrain launches HCFC Phase-out Management Plan Highlights Bahrain’s commitment to the Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol concerning the ozone layer

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he Supreme Council for the Environment (SCE), Bahrain, has announced launching the national strategy to gradually reduce Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC), which cause the depletion of the ozone layer.

Called the HCFC Phaseout Management Plan, it was inaugurated under the auspices of His Majesty’s Personal Representative, (SCE) President

His Highness Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, the announcement informed.

The national blueprint, said SCE, marked the United Nations International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, a multilateral environmental agreement, which was agreed upon at the

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Vienna Conference of 1985 and entered into force in 1988.

Addressing the opening ceremony, SCE Chief Executive Officer, Dr Mohammed Mubarak bin Daina stressed the importance of the HCFC Phase-out Management Plan, which comes within Bahrain’s commitment to the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

On the occasion, Dr bin Daina is reported to have honoured the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the General

Directorate for Clearance and Customs Inspection, the United Nations Programme for the Environment (UNEP) West Asia Regional Office, Bahrain Society of Engineers and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

A workshop was also held on the sidelines of the launch ceremony, bringing together senior officials representing ministries and national companies and institutions, SCE informed, which it said played a key role in drawing up the draft strategy for the coming five years.

Source: BNA

GAMI developing inverter-based RTU Will enable the installation of a compressor smaller by 40% in a unit

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AMI, a regional HVAC manufacturing company catering to the GCC states and international markets, has announced developing a new inverter RTU, which it says is based on standard Copeland Scroll Compressor and is expected to operate in the range of 30Hz to maximum 70Hz, instead of the constant 50Hz operation.

GAMI claimed that the amplified performance will be one of the main highlights of the roof top package unit, which will allow for a compressor smaller by 40% to be installed in it. It added that the new technology will result in reduced electricity costs.

The manufacturer informed that extensive tests will be carried out in its TUV- accredited testing laboratories for checking the stability and sustainability of the product.

EmiratesGBC visits The Sustainable City Delegation attends Dubai’s first fully integrated sustainable community during World Green Building Week

aimed at broadening public conversation of the role that buildings play in creating a sustainable future.

Faris Saeed, CEO of Diamond Developers, said: “We were honoured and delighted to receive representatives from EmiratesGBC at The Sustainable City, as the occasion gave us the chance to showcase the latest developments of our integrated sustainable community. It also opened the floor to discuss potential collaboration opportunities that will benefit

the environment and provide Dubai’s citizens with sustainable options to enhance the quality of their lives.”

Khaled Bushnaq, Vice Chairman of EmiratesGBC, on his part, added: “We were extremely pleased to be invited to see the incredible strides that Diamond Developers have made with The Sustainable City, which is striving to be a net zero energy city that offers the very best facilities and amenities to its residents, while at the same time preserving the environment.”

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he Sustainable City was the location for a special visit from Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) recently, the organisation has announced.

The newly launched development from Diamond Developers, which is touted to be Dubai’s first fully sustainable community, reportedly hosted higher management from EmiratesGBC, aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices.

According to EmiratesGBC, the visit included a brief introduction by Diamond Developers about The Sustainable City, followed by a guided tour of the development, which is purportedly being constructed around the three pillars of sustainability – social, environmental and economic.

The site visit, EmiratesGBC informed, was organised to coincide with the start of World Green Building Week 2015, which ran from September 21 to 27 under the theme ‘Powering Positive Change’,

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Red Team launches three sharedgovernment initiatives Aims to boost real estate and construction sectors

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he Red Team announced the official launch of its three shared-government initiatives, TARISH, QAFAY and TM, at a ceremony held at Grand Hyatt Dubai.

The launch, reportedly part of the City Makers Race initiative announced by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, is a joint effort by RTA, DEWA, Dubai Municipality and MRHE, and aims to introduce a new work mechanism for government authorities to create an environment of cooperation leading to innovative solutions to serve all segments of society.

Inaugurated by Abdullah Al Hajri, Executive Vice-President, Customer Service at DEWA, and Head of the Red Team, the Government of Dubai, the event, said the news release, was attended by H.E. Abdullah Abdulrahman Al Shaibani, Secretary General of Dubai Executive Council; H.E. Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors at RTA; H.E. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA; H.E. Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality and by H.E. Sami Abdulla Gargash, CEO of Mohammad Bin Rashid Housing Establishment, as well as managers, heads of departments and employees from the four organisations that comprise the Red Team, partners and stakeholders.

According to the news release, during the launch, the Red team made three presentations about the initiatives, highlighting their features and benefits. It gave the following details: The TARISH initiative aims to integrate and unify laws and regulations, and conditions of electricity and water services, and construction approvals, and NOCs, and is expected to enhance transparency among landlords, contractors and consultants. The QAFAY initiative, aims to establish a sophisticated Geographical Information System (GIS), which will implement full automisation of engineering audits and NOC issuance procedure, provide extensive data on geographical places in Dubai and integrate the operations of all concerned government entities that are responsible for the issuance of NOCs and government as well as non-governmental approvals. The TM initiative is a smart app, which will provide – in its first stage – all necessary information for real estate owners, contractors and consultants in Dubai, including information regarding the approval status of building permits and construction and connections of electricity and water services in government organisations and concerned entities.

Al Hajri, in his welcome speech, thanking His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for his support, reportedly expressed confidence that the initiative would have tangible effect in boosting the real estate and construction sectors in Dubai.

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Tabreed’s announces yearto-date net profit increase Earnings per share up 12% due to successful completion of bonds buyback

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ational Central Cooling Company PJSC (‘Tabreed’), has announced releasing its 2015 Q3 consolidated financial results.

Giving details, the announcement said that in 2015, the company Waleed Al Mokarrab connected over 15,000 TR to Al Muhairi customers in markets across the GCC region, while bringing to a successful conclusion the repurchase of 28% of the outstanding mandatory convertible bonds held by its bondholder.

Offering financial highlights of nine months ended September 30, Tabreed revealed that its net profit Jasim Husain Thabet attributable to the parent increased by four per cent to AED 253.8 million; core chilled water revenue increased by four per cent to AED 834.2 million; share of results of associates and joint ventures increased by 12% to AED 59.7; million; the group revenue increased by two per cent to AED 891 million; and EBITDA increased by one per cent to AED 414 million.

Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Tabreed’s Chairman, said, “As an organisation, we will continue to benefit from the strength of our long-term customer relationships, as well as from a steady increase in the number of companies across the region that are actively looking to utilise energyefficient and environmentally friendly cooling solutions for their projects.”

Jasim Husain Thabet, Tabreed’s CEO, added, “Looking forward, we anticipate this pattern will continue, as we look to grow our business in a sustainable manner that enhances shareholders’ value and delivers long-term returns to all of our stakeholders.”

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SABIC’s home of Innovation initiative connects with 40 companies Aims to promote regional collaboration and growth

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audi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), through its Home of Innovation growth initiative, has announced strategic marketing relationships with 40 global, regional and local manufacturing companies to promote the introduction of what it called industry-leading technology into Saudi Arabia and the Middle East region.

Participating companies, SABIC informed, self-selected among three engagement levels – Leadership, Performance and Programme – which afford varying degrees of regional exposure, business opportunities, industry connections and market insight.

Representing the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Americas, participating companies illustrated the global, regional and local representation sought by the initiative, said SABIC. According to SABIC, in addition to engaging the local and regional market through industry events and targeted collaboration opportunities, it is building a Home of Innovation facility in Riyadh

Richard Crosby, Vice President, Core Products, SABIC, and Tymon Moore, Marketing Director, Middle East & Africa, sign the first of several formal agreements with industry-leading companies

A front view rendering of the Home of Innovation

to foster collaboration along the entire value chain and showcase advanced product and materials solutions.

“We look forward to collaborating with these companies to seek cost-effective, high-performance solutions that meet customer needs and increase demand for the design, manufacturing and purchase of new products in the Kingdom,” said Awadh Al-Maker, Executive Vice President, Technology and Innovation of SABIC. Tymon Moore, Marketing Director, Middle East & Africa at SABIC, added that SABIC looked forward to exploring longterm, mutual growth opportunities to help advance the local and regional economy.

TROX hVAC supplies products for mall of the Emirates extension Includes HVAC accessories and products by TROX Middle East for 24-screen VOX Cinemas

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ubai’s Mall of the Emirates has chosen TROX HVAC products for the latest extension 10 years after it opened, the company has announced, just as the developer had opted for its products in the past 10 years.

TROX informed that the mall, which opened a decade ago, now has two additional domes, three glass barrel roof lights, nine bridges and three escalators to connect the extension to the existing mall. Giving further details, TROX said that the developer has added 36,000 Square metres of retail, dining and entertainment space to the mall on a new floor, with revamped 24-screen VOX Cinemas. Along with the mall, the VOX Cinemas, said TROX, is part of the company’s loyal clientele, with the new facilities fitted with HVAC accessories and products furnished by TROX Middle East.

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UAE construction sector keeps evaporative cooling sales bouyant Portacool reports maximising inventory to meet project completion targets

Sorbis / Shutterstock.com

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exas-based Portacool, which participated in the 2015 edition of Cityscape Dubai, has expressed the view that the UAE’s infrastructure project pipeline remains buoyant, driving increased adoption of evaporative cooling solutions to maintain efficiency, safety and comfort at construction sites across the Bob Mangiaforte Emirates and elsewhere in the GCC region.

It is estimated that the value of contract awards this year in the GCC region could reach more than USD 194 billion, said Portacool, citing the recently released report GCC Construction Industry – Trends and Challenges for 2015.

Bob Mangiaforte, Vice President of Sales, Portacool, said: “A big portion of Portacool’s business in the Middle East comes from the construction and manufacturing industries, which remain robust despite falling oil prices. With mega-projects on track for

Expo 2020, as well as increased investment in workers’ welfare and site safety, which includes a cool environment, Portacool is demonstrating returns on efficiency and productivity at some of the busiest construction sites across the region.”

Mangiaforte revealed that in light of infrastructure development to build airports, hotels and transportation systems set to continue in the Middle East, Portacool is maximising its inventory of cooling solutions to address the needs of regional construction sites, which have aggressive completion targets.

AShRAE Cairo Chapter shares whitepaper on hVAC in Egypt’s construction sector More information on the subject available at Egypt HVAC Summit

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energy efficiency of their buildings.

According to the Chapter, the report will give an insight into the latest projects in Egypt that require large-scale HVAC solutions, and also what their technology requirements are, including projects like, Majid Al-Futtaim Cairo’s residential neighbourhood centres and shopping malls; five-star luxury hotels, residential houses and villas built by Doha-based

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Qatari Diar; and Arabtec Holding’s USD 40 billion affordable housing project.

Reiterating that with the Egyptian government’s encouragement and the prospect of financial incentives to follow, stakeholders are looking towards the latest HVAC solutions to increase efficiency and reduce utility costs, given the challenges of country’s climate and air quality conditions, the Chapter said Baloncici / Shutterstock.com

SHRAE Cairo Chapter has announced that a whitepaper on the importance of HVAC in Egypt’s construction sector by IQPC (International Quality & Productivity Centre), giving the latest updates on the subject, is now available free to download at: http:// www.hvacegypt.com/state-ofthe-market-the-importance-ofhvac-in-the-egypt-constructionsector.

The whitepaper has been released, the Chapter said, against the backdrop of Egypt’s aggressive targets for its power sector to meet future demand, and in light of contractors and project heads in the country waking up to the long-term benefits of implementing HVAC technologies to improve

that more information on the subject can be gathered at the HVAC Egypt Summit to be held from December 6 to 9 in Cairo.

Endorsed by ASHRAE Cairo Chapter, in attendance at the event will be representatives from the Chapter and Egyptian Green Building Council, along with major construction and consultancy companies, the announcement informed, and gave the following details: The copy of the agenda can be downloaded at: http:// www.hvacegypt.com/ agenda-mc Online registration and fee details are available at: http://www.hvacegypt.com/ pricing More Information is available at: enquiry@iqpc.ae or can be obtained from Pawan Kulkarni, Conference Director (IQPC Middle East & North Africa) at +971 4 364 2975.

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Ramboll secures District Cooling contract in Makkah Project will provide over 500MW of cooling power using 150MWt

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amboll, an engineering, design and consultancy company, has announced winning a District Cooling contract, a part of the King Abdul Aziz Road Project, in the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia.

Ramboll said that it will act as technical adviser, delivering conceptual design and procurement assistance, for the District Cooling project, which will span over 3.6km from the city outskirts to the centre, and includes the construction

of two roads, a metro line, a grand mosque and over 200 plots that will house more than 100,000 people. Umm Al Qura for Development & Construction Company is reportedly the client.

The total construction area, Ramboll informed, covers 6.3 million m2, with the project timeframe being approximately 10 years, and is expected to improve the conditions around the pilgrim activity during Hajj.

Jens Ole Hansen, Head of the International District Energy

Department in Copenhagen, said: “This is simply a grand project. The project will need 150 MW power to produce the 500 MW of cooling, and this has a significant impact on the power network. Our first deliveries will be the design,

location and quantity of the chiller plants, together with the piping design and advice on the buildings’ connectivity to the pipeline network. And in Phase 2, we will assist the client in the procurement of the chiller plants.”

heriot-Watt university honours Wilo Mechanical Engineering lab named Wilo Pump Laboratory

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ilo, a manufacturer of pumps and pumping systems, has announced that Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus has recognised the company for its contributions to the Mechanical Engineering department by naming the Fluid Mechanics section of the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory “Wilo Pump Laboratory”.

The refurbished laboratory was reportedly unveiled at an event on October 12.

As part of the agreement, Wilo said that it will equip the laboratory with a series of its latest pumps, and also provide a number of internship opportunities as well as give priority to Heriot-Watt University students for any potential entry-level openings in the company.

“At Wilo, one of our five core values is ‘sustainable and responsible’ and key to this is ensuring that resources are preserved for the future and that our children will have the same opportunities tomorrow that we have today,” said Dr Amer Mokbel, Managing Director at Wilo Middle East.

About the partnership, Dr Mehdi Nazarinia, Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering – Fluid Mechanics/ Energy, at Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus said: “This is another example of the University tying up with industry

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Signing of agreement between Dr Amer Mokbel, Managing Director at Wilo Middle East (L) and Professor Ammar Kaka, A Vice-Principal at Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus (R)

leaders to use cutting-edge technology and equipment to educate and train our students. The agreement will allow the company to impart its expertise to students based in the United Arab Emirates who plan careers in the Mechanical Engineering fields.”

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Samsung introduces new range of air conditioning products amsung Electronics announced the launch of its new 360 Cassette air conditioning unit, DVM Chiller, next generation DVM S 30HP, and new side discharge VRF unit – the DVM S Eco 14HP – at the Samsung AC Forum 2015 in Korea.

The manufacturer, dubbing the products innovations in HVAC engineering, claimed that, together, they would transform air conditioning by boosting energy efficiency and performance.

injection technology and an optimised bypass valve location, to increase heating capacity by 29%. The addition of a hybrid heat exchanger increases the heat exchange area, while an oval-shaped diffuser application increases the airflow rate by 17%.  The DVM S Eco 14HP, a side discharge VRF unit is engineered to deliver a single outdoor unit solution for apartment and office buildings, and features an inverter scroll compressor and corrugate fin, which improves heating performance by 20% and increases air-flow by 10% compared to standard side discharge VRF units.  The DVM Chiller combines an air-cooled chiller with VRF in a compact unit, to meet the growing demand for watersource HVAC technology. By reducing the system refrigerant levels significantly, it not only complies with current 2015 EU refrigerant quota levels, but also adheres to the further upcoming reduction in levels (35% in 2018).

Samsung gave a few of the product details:  The 360 Cassette unit with a booster fan inside, guides air to form a complete horizontal flow, generating layers of chilled air, while circular air wave provides an even distribution of air in a full 360 direction. It has a bladeless flow control to ensure fast cooling and 100% air volume, compared to traditional four-way cassette units.  The DVM S 30HP, a Digital Variable Multi air conditioner, includes a new Super Inverter Scroll Compressor with flash

“With these new offerings, our target is to reach annual sales of USD 10 billion by 2020 and lead the future of air solutions business,” said BK Yoon, President and CEO of Consumer Electronics Business, Samsung Electronics.

Samsung revealed that its AC Forum will continue till the first half of 2016, at 117 cities in 50 markets, by inviting more than 9,000 global partners and media to share information about the company’s latest products and about Samsung System Air Conditioning.

Claims innovation in HVAC engineering

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BSRIA backs un Chief Environment Scientist’s comments Criticises the cuts in support for renewable energy in the UK

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SRIA has backed the comments made by the UN’s Chief Environment Scientist, Professor Jacquie McGlade, who has criticised the cuts in support for renewable energy made in the UK. Sharing this information through an official communiqué, BSRIA quoted McGlade as saying that the UK was “shifting away from clean energy as the rest of the world rushed towards it”.

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Stressing that cuts in renewables subsidies, coupled with tax breaks for oil and gas, sent a “worrying signal” to the coming UN climate summit in Paris. Professor McGlade reportedly pointed out that the UK appeared to have abandoned its leadership on climate change, while 150 other nations were making unprecedented pledges to shift towards clean energy.

According to BSRIA, she added that it was

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disappointing when countries, such as the UK – that have led the way with getting their renewable energy up and going – then have subsidies withdrawn and the fossil fuel industry enhanced. Professor McGlade believed this sent the “wrong message” to other nations in the run-up to the Paris climate summit next month and to its preparatory meeting in Bonn this week.

Julia Evans

Julia Evans, Chief Executive at BSRIA, agreeing with Professor McGlade’s comments, said: It’s a very serious signal – a very contrary signal that we do not want to create. Since the announcements of subsidy cuts in the summer, three solar firms have collapsed, more than 1,000 jobs have been lost in the clean energy industry and energy investors have started to drain away from the UK. We understand that the government is committed to getting a global deal in Paris and meet its targets on carbon emissions in the most cost-effective way.

BSRIA and its members will, therefore, eagerly await the outcome of the summit.”

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ACREX India 2016 expects record attendance “Make in India” highlights growth opportunities for refrigeration and cold chain industry

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he 2016 edition of ACREX India, South Asia’s industry trade show in HVACR and building services, is set to surpass previous editions, with 75% of the exhibition space already sold, event producer, NürnbergMesse and organisers, Indian Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) have announced. They claim that a record number of 30,000 trade visitors and 500 companies will participate.

ACREX India, which will take place from February 25 to 27 2016 at BCEC in Mumbai, the organisers said, will focus on the opportunities in the Indian construction market and the increasing demand for adequate safety measures.

“MAKE IN India – Infinite Opportunities for HVAC&R and the Building Services Industry” is the avowed theme of the 17th edition of the event, which aligns with “MAKE IN INDIA”, a national programme to attract investment and foster innovation.

The accompanying programmes, the organisers revealed, will comprise workshops, conferences and interactive panel discussions on related topics.

According to market observers, India’s home automation market is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30%, closely followed by the market for refrigeration and cold chain, with a CAGR of 25%. In light of this, ACREX India will reportedly have specialised pavilions for two key areas of growth – smart buildings and the refrigeration and cold chain industry.

Pankaj Dharkar, Chairman of ACREX India 2016 and recently appointed National President of Fire and Security Association of India, said: “The growing middle class is the main driver for the upcoming real estate market in India. This leads to a large number of projects in urban centres and even at the boundaries of villages…. The results are increasingly demanding requirements for services like air conditioning, ventilation, fire safety and plumbing.”

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BSRIA launches white paper on generation Z in reduced carbon buildings Industry needs to offer intelligent and modular solutions

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SRIA has announced launching a white paper on ‘Products and Systems for Generation Z in Reduced Carbon Buildings’.

According to BSRIA the paper, developed for BSRIA’s Diamond Group Forum, specifically examined the following issues: What will be the expectations of Generation Z (those born from the mid-1990s to the present day)?; What does our industry need to do to deliver these expectations and to achieve the reduced CO2 targets over the next 10 years?; and What products and services will be required to achieve these objectives?

Written by Jeremy Towler, Senior Manager, Energy & Smart Technologies, BSRIA Worldwide Market Intelligence, based on data collected at the ISH in March, the white paper also reportedly considered the question: How can the value of buildings be improved in order to raise productivity and well-being for their occupiers, and at the same time generate new revenue streams for suppliers?

The paper purportedly made the following observations about Generation Z when it comes to heating and cooling: They expect devices to work without any effort on their part, want to know immediately when there is something wrong in the building, and, ideally have the problem fixed quickly. Regarding technology, the report went on to say that the ‘smart’ generation wanted simplified, flexible products which are easily manageable.

In light of this, Julia Evans, Chief Executive, BSRIA, said: “Generation Z has also been characterised as the ‘sharing not the owning generation’. Therefore, there will need to be more options for renting and leasing rather than buying, due to higher capital costs. In relation to an uncertain energy future, Generation Z can see the immediate benefit of recycling.

“This generation has requested to ‘keep it simple’ and our industry needs to offer intelligent solutions that are more modular, as well as being capable of being interconnected into a system to provide a global view. Therefore, products must standardise on how they communicate information between themselves. The intelligence should be built in to the controls and software.”

Evans concluded that there was a general consensus that hybrid technologies would become dominant with a focus on service.

BSRIA reacts to Bank of England Governor’s speech on climate change Body says Corey's words endorse warnings that climate change poses risk to global stability

government could and should be doing more to prevent such climate change risk to worldwide stability.

BSRIA revealed getting the impression that energy and carbon reduction issues were being viewed as a burden to government, which was inhibiting not only the industry, but the economy at large, especially those centring on the ending of and reliance on subsidies for energy-saving-schemes.

C

ommenting on Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney’s speech at a gathering of insurers at Lloyds of London, Julia Evans, Chief Executive, BSRIA, highlighted the stark warning issued by Carney that climate change poses a huge risk to global stability, BSRIA revealed in an official communique.

“Mr Carney has pointed out the rapid increase in weatherrelated catastrophes and the jump in both the physical and financial costs,” Evans informed. “He said the challenges currently posed by climate change ‘pale in significance compared with what might come’, and that this generation had little incentive to avert future problems.”

Carney also reportedly underlined that because the cost would fall on future generations, there was little impetus on the current one to fix it, and pointed out that once climate change became a defining issue for financial stability, it may already be too late.

Agreeing with Carney’s warnings, BSRIA added that the

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CxEnergy 2016 moved to Dallas Commissioning, energy management event open for sponsor, exhibitor registration

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xEnergy, a conference and expo dedicated to building commissioning and energy management, is moving to Dallas, Texas, in 2016, the event organisers have announced.

CxEnergy 2016, to be held from April 11 to 13 at the Hilton Anatole, will showcase a range of commissioning and energy management products and services, including controls, instruments and metering devices as well as consultative services in engineering and enterprise energy management, the announcement informed.

CxEnergy’s technical programme, the organisers revealed, will cover topic areas such as, Building Envelope/Enclosure Commissioning; Technology & Innovation, Energy Management; Commissioning Specialty Systems; and Policy & Financial Issues. They added that the event will offer pre- and postconference certification workshops and seminars for Certified Commissioning Authority (CxA) and Energy Management Professional.

Presented by the AABC Commissioning Group (ACG), Associated Air Balance Council (AABC) and Energy Management Association (EMA), the expo will also reportedly feature networking events to connect commissioning and energy management personnel, engineers, building owners and facility managers with manufacturers and energy services providers.

heinz Trox passes away Credited with turning TROX into a global entity

H

einz Trox, the majority shareholder of TROX GmbH passed away on October 1 2015, aged 81.

Sharing the information in an official Communiqué, the company said that Trox, born in 1934, started his professional career as an engineer in the United States after completing courses in Mechanical Engineering and Economics at Munich University. Offering a glimpse of his career graph, the company said that in 1959, he joined TROX in NeukirchenVluyn, where he was first responsible for turning the business into a global entity. From 1969 onwards till now, a Member of the Board of Management, he oversaw International Business, Product Management and R&D. He became Chairman of the Board of Management in 1988, and left the Board for the Supervisory Board of TROX in 2001, whose Chairman he became in 2012.

For his lifetime achievement as an entrepreneur, Trox was reportedly honoured with the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The company said that the management and the employees of the TROX Group mourned the passing of a true citizen of the world, who had his feet firmly on the ground.

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Elsevier announces publication of Global Energy Interconnection Book focuses on clean, efficient and sustainable development of global energy

E

lsevier, provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, has announced the publication of Global Energy Interconnection

by Zhenya Liu, President and CEO of the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC).

Professor Liu, said Elsevier, participated in the Edison Electric Institute’s seminar, “Internet to Interconnections – Global Energy Interconnections”, on September 14, where his new book was launched.

At the seminar, reportedly attended by several United Nations representatives and personalities in the energy community, Professor Liu discussed energy as a core issue in socio-economic development, and indicated that we should be solving energy problems and challenges with longer-term strategies that account for resource constraints, environmental pollution and climate change.

According to the publisher, the book analyses the current situation and the challenges of global energy development and provides readers with objectives, strategy, basic patterns, construction methods and development modes for a global energy network.

Based on the predicted global energy and electricity supply and demand, the publisher claimed that the book offered new solutions to drive safe, clean, highly efficient and sustainable development of global energy through the development of UHV AC/DC and smart grid technologies.

Systemair acquires sales company for Belarus and Kaliningrad Alitis’ local presence expected to strengthen company’s position further

S

ystemair AB has announced acquiring Alitis, which represents Systemair in Belarus and Kaliningrad.

Alitis, the announcement informed, which markets and sells the complete range of Systemair products, achieved a turnover of EUR 5.5 million in 2014.

“Especially Belarus, but also Kaliningrad, are interesting markets for us, and the acquisition of our sales channels there give us own local presence that strengthens our position further,” said Fredrik Andersson, Vice President Marketing for Systemair.

MistAir records 30% increase in sales Credits it to company’s new high-pressure misting system

M

istAir, dealing in servicing and repairing water systems, pressure washers, pumps, motors and water equipment, has announced the increase of its sales by 30% during the last semester, as a result of installing “The Ice Cube”, a new high-pressure misting system product designed for commercial and residential properties within the SouthWest.

Bill Sommers, President of MistAir, said: “Cooling an outside patio was an unbelievable task to accomplish. Attempting to find buyers and places for this show-and-tell was extremely exasperating. Nevertheless, our hard work and research has helped us to conquer and stay on top of the industries’ developments in 2015 by launching this summer The Ice Cube.

We are now celebrating the results of our efforts.”

Systemair acquires Traydus Gains 75% shares of the Brazilian company

S

ystemair has announced signing an agreement to acquire 75% of the shares in Traydus, a Brazilian manufacturer of custom Air Handling Units and fan coils with 75 employees.

“We will initially acquire 75% with immediate effect, and have a binding option to acquire the remaining 25% within a period of six years,” revealed Roland Kasper, CEO of Systemair. He added, “In spite of the current political and financial challenges, we see this as a very interesting opportunity to strategically establish Systemair in Brazil.

Focusing on energy efficiency, Traydus is positioned in the upper technological segment of the Brazilian ventilation market and is a perfect fit for Systemair. This opens possibilities to introduce a wider range of Systemair products from other factories.”

GrayWolf devices used for monitoring China explosions Toxic gas monitoring instruments rushed in response to Tianjin tragedy Photo courtesy www.nbcnews.com

G

rayWolf Sensing Solutions has revealed in an announcement that its portable AdvancedSense toxic gas monitoring instruments were utilised in response to the tragic August 12 explosions in Tianjin, China. Evaluation of the resultant pollutant plumes were critical for residents in the local vicinity, the announcement claimed.

According to GrayWolf, datalogging various parameters with these instruments (including TVOCs and many specific gases) were supplemented with additional units rushed to the site.

The company added that it provides advanced sensor and software technology, employing mobile and embedded computers for portable diagnostic environmental instrumentation.

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Euroheat & Power and AGFW join forces Will host En+Eff Trade Show and Conference

DC PRO CEO urges Thailand to use tri-gen Over 36% of Thailand’s electricity peak demand attributed to AC requirements

E

uroheat & Power (EHP) and AGFW have announced joining hands to create the district energy event En+Eff Trade Show and Conference to be held in April 2016 in Frankfurt, Germany.

With over 2,500 expected attendees from all over the world, including participants from utilities, operators, companies and research centres, the event is an opportunity to meet and interact with potential customers and business contacts, the event organisers claimed.

According to the organisers, Lufthansa Group Partner Airlines is offering special prices to participants, visitors, exhibitors, invited guests as well as employees of the contracting partner and their travel companions.

T

ri-generation District Cooling technology offers a readymade solution to address Thailand’s spiralling air conditioning requirements, believes George Berbari, CEO of UAE-headquartered DC PRO Engineering.

Speaking at the 4th Annual Asia-Pacific District Cooling Conference in Bangkok, Berbari revealed that trigeneration technology – a process where the simultaneous generation of electric power is synchronised with photo voltaic energy to create waste heat and produce cooling – could result in savings of up to 100,000 barrels per day in Thai oil imports.

During a presentation, titled “The Future of District Energy: Tri-generation with Renewables”, Berbari revealed that with 36.1% of electricity peak demand in Thailand attributed to air conditioning, the country’s current market requirement is two million TR per year – attributable to 1.5 million room air conditioners consuming 1.55 million TR, 50,000 package air conditioners using 200,000 TR and another 2,000 water-cooled and air-cooled chillers using 250,000 TR. “The current drawback of tri-generation technology is it still uses fossil fuels,” said Berbari. “This can be resolved by shifting to biofuels or integrating solar and wind energy solutions. District Cooling, integrated with renewables, offers the world’s most cost-efficient cooling solution and is efficient for heightened energy storage, such as for thermal energy.”

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Distech Controls ranks 273 on 2015 PROFIT 500 list

year in this prestigious list, which celebrates the successes of companies across all industries and regions in Canada,” said Jean-Lou Paquet, CFO of Distech Controls. “We look forward to continuing this growth in the future with our outstanding network of partners and employees.”

Attributes its growth to innovation in building automation and energy-efficient solutions

D

istech Controls has announced that it has been placed 273rd in the 27th annual PROFIT 500 ranking of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies by Canadian Business and PROFIT. Ranking Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies by five-year revenue growth, the PROFIT 500 profiles the country’s most successful growth companies, Distech Controls informed.

The company claimed that for the past five years, its sales growth was achieved by remaining at the forefront of innovation with its building automation and energy efficiency solutions, and added that its strategic acquisitions, key investments and international expansion have further amplified this growth.

“We are very proud to be included for a second consecutive

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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.

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ASSOCIATIONS & SOCIETIES

AHRI to present new refrigerant research findings

ASHRAE offers new optional credit for improving filtration

Technical experts will converge in Orlando to report results

Compliance path based on use of filtered recirculated air proposed for ASHRAE Residential IAQ Standard

T

he Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) has announced it will present test results of the second phase of the Low-Global Warming Potential (GWP) Alternative Refrigerants Evaluation Program (AREP) during a oneday conference on January 21, 2016, in Orlando, Florida, the day before the start of the ASHRAE Winter Conference.

The one-day conference, said the announcement, will include nearly 20 technical presentations by leading researchers, who will put forward the results of tests in a variety of applications with different refrigerants.

Giving details about the research programme, AHRI said that managed by a technical committee reporting to the AHRI Executive Committee, with the AHRI Research Department administering it, the programme began in 2011 as an industry-wide cooperative research initiative in response to environmental concerns raised by high-GWP refrigerants. It sought to identify promising low-GWP alternative refrigerants for major product categories, including air conditioners, heat pumps and heat pump water heaters, dehumidifiers, chillers, ice makers, and refrigeration equipment. The first phase of the programme, said AHRI, concluded in December 2013, followed by the second phase in January 2014 to continue research in areas that were not previously addressed, including testing at high-ambient conditions, applications not considered in the first phase, and new refrigerants identified since the first phase.

"AHRI’s research programme is robust and forward-thinking,” said AHRI President and CEO Stephen Yurek. “We are proud to play a part in bringing the industry together to address our most pressing issues.”

A

new optional credit for improving filtration, combined with ensuring sufficient air-flow through filters, is being proposed for ASHRAE’s residential Indoor Air Quality standard, ASHRAE has announced.

According to ASHRAE, ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2013, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Residential Buildings, is the only nationally recognised IAQ standard developed solely for residences, and defines the roles of and minimum requirements for mechanical and natural ventilation systems and the building envelope intended to provide acceptable IAQ in residential buildings. Now ASHRAE has proposed eight addenda to Standard 62.22013.

The addendum, said ASHRAE, would create a compliance path based on the use of recirculated air that has been filtered to reduce exposure in the building interior to particulate matter not exceeding 2.5 microns.

“These particles (PM2.5) have been found to be one of the most important indoor contaminants from a health perspective,” said Paul Francisco, 62.2 Committee Chair.

“This change would provide an optional credit for having improved filtration combined with ensuring that sufficient air flowed through the filter. This would be the first time the standard has focused on a specific contaminant.”

ASHRAE further shared that addendum v sets out requirements for non-continuous ventilation, adding that whereas the standard has included an option for intermittent ventilation, the proposed change provides calculation procedures for a boarder range of potential operation schedules.

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COMINGS & GOINGS

Arcadis appoints Ian Williamson Regional Director of Programme Management Expected to strengthen company’s capability in the region

A

rcadis, a design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, has announced appointing Ian Williamson as Regional Director of Programme Management and Buildings Global Ian Williamson Business Leader for the Middle East.

Williamson reportedly brings over 30 years of experience across many sectors, including commercial, retail, health, aviation and infrastructure in both local and international markets.

“The strength of Arcadis’ programme management capabilities under the leadership of Ian Williamson enables the business to deliver quality and sustainable programme management solutions to clients in the region,” said Wael Allan, Middle East CEO of Arcadis. “Ian has a proven track record in winning work, delivering projects, managing key client accounts and recruiting, building and leading strong teams, and we look forward to seeing our Middle East business grow with his expertise across our core markets.”

Systemair changes Group Management Search is on to find a new VP, Production

S

ystemair has announced that Mats Lund, Vice President Production, Market Director Asia and member of Systemair Group Management, has decided to leave the Håkan Lenjesson company at his own request by December 31. The announcement added that Håkan Lenjesson has been appointed new Market Director Asia and will join the Group Management.

Lenjesson, who is 59, said Systemair, has been working with the company since 2012 as Business Development Manager and Market Director Middle East, and has vast experience in the ventilation industry and has previously worked for Munters in Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Australia.

A search process has been initiated to find a new Vice President Production, the company revealed.

Roland Kasper, CEO at Systemair, thanking Lund for his contribution to the company, especially for its international success, said: “Mats has been working for Systemair since 1982 with IT, purchase and production, among other things. In recent years, he has been responsible for Systemair’s establishment in Asia.

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MARKETPLACE

Beta Industrial

• Also available are 4-inch depth exhaust louvres for rigid environmental conditions.

• The gravity louvres, fresh air louvres and movable hinged-type louvres with aluminum filters meet different types of installation demands.

• They have been tested to meet BSRIA-UK standards in accordance with EN13181:2001.

Louvres

S

aying that they meet the region’s demand, Beta Industrial, dealing in HVAC products, has announced introducing various kinds of louvres, including sand trap and exhaust air louvres.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and benefits: • The single section sand trap louvre can match up to size 2m x 2m, while in the sand trap louvre with chute, the out to out size is up to 2m x 2m.

SkeleCore Pull-Tight fabric retention and suspension system

C

laiming that it helps maintain fabric shape by eliminating fabric sag and droop, SkeleCore has announced introducing Pull-Tight, a fabric retention and suspension system.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and benefits: • Different from FTS, Pull-Tight is suspended from either a tension cable or track suspension system and is tensioned “externally” utilising a tension cable (or track) lock, to pull the sections of the system tight.

• The tensioning baskets are located in multiple positions throughout the system.

• Metallic internal hoops, spaced 5” (1,524 mm) apart are attached to the interior of the fabric duct at five connection points.

• The hoops are factory-installed, allowing simple field installation and can be removed and re-installed during maintenance.

• It is available to accommodate diametres from 8” to 60” (203mm to 1,524mm), porous and non-porous fabrics in a variety of colours and air outlet options, including linear vents, orifices, sg grommets, and fixed or adjustable nozzles.

• All fittings, including elbows, tees, crosses, and reducers are available.

• It comes with all the benefits of fabric ducting, including uniform air dispersion, versatile airflow designs, lightweight, reduced installation times, and fabrics that are non-condensating, noncorrosive, and launderable.

• It comes with up to a 15-year warranty.

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HEY, LET’S GO TO THE

MOVIES! The matinee idols who rule the hearts of millions owe their stardom to air conditioners, which made going to the cinemas cool.

By Pratibha Umashankar | Associate Editor

M

ovie-going wasn’t the favourite summer pastime it is today.

Hundreds of cine-goers crammed into a heated-up cinema hall, made matinee shows unviable, especially when the mercury soared.

Yes, Willis Havilland Carrier had come up with the concept of air conditioning in 1902 and, in 1906, patented the device as “Apparatus for Treating Air”. The same year, Stuart W Cramer had coined the term “Air Conditioning”. Gardner T Voorhees had baffled visitors at the St Louis World’s Fair of 1904 by “magically” reducing the temperature at the expo in Missouri State Building – supposed to be the first public debut of air conditioning.

Alfred R Wolff had used an air-cooling system at the Carnegie Hall in New York City, as also, later, other buildings in the commercial capital. Way back in 1842, Dr John Gorrie had used an air-cycle method of cooling air in hospital sickrooms. Several others in various parts of the country, and in Europe, had experimented with different systems to manipulate indoor air. But theatres were not yet on the radar.

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And then in 1917, York introduced a cooling system, called “air washing”, in the Empire Theater in Montgomery, Alabama in the sweltering South. The same year, Central Park Theater in Chicago, backed by theatre giants, Balaban & Katz, was designed to use air conditioning technology, giving boost to summer-time movie screening. There are contesting claims about which theatre was at the finishing line first. But for trivia buffs, Barney Balaban had earlier worked for a cold storage company, ergo the cool idea.

But World War I had sapped everyone’s energy and resources. So it was only in ‘The Roaring Twenties’ that war-weary Americans began to finally enjoy life with a vengeance. The era saw the birth of grand movie ‘palaces’, where people flocked; but ticket sales still slumped during summer.

Carrier, sighting an opportunity here, installed air conditioning at Sid Gauman’s Metropolitan Theater in Los Angeles in 1922. In 1924, he strode across to Dallas to cool the Palace Theater, leaving the owner, Will Horwitz beaming all the way to the bank. The time was now right and ripe to go big. So in 1925, he talked the Paramount Pictures Corporation into installing the complete centrifugal chiller system he had come up with, at the Rivoli Theater on Broadway in New York City.

After several dummy tests, the Memorial Day – traditionally the last Monday of May – was chosen for the launch with a “real” audience.

Typical of showbiz, the event was heavily advertised. On the crucial opening night, people thronged to the theatre with an admixture of curiosity and scepticism, many armed with fans – a standard accessory of movie-goers.

Quietly sitting in the balcony was Adolph Zukor, President of Paramount Pictures, observing the audience’s reaction. He had probably come all the way from California for the event. For him the stakes were high. Carrier, too, was waiting with bated breath, as people lined up hours before the doors opened. He knew it was an experiment that could go wrong. But the screening was a runaway success.

Carrier heaved a sigh of relief, when people slowly stopped fanning themselves as the temperature dropped. And Zukor, a man not given to hyperboles, gave his stamp of approval at the end of the show with a terse, “Yes, the people are going to like it.”

That night changed the US cinema industry, and the world of movies. Audiences began to come to theatres for all the shows right round the year. For many, the film didn’t matter much. It was an escape from the heat. This heralded the concept of thermal comfort for the general public. Though the country, albeit sparsely, was already beginning to be dotted with air conditioned department stores, factories and pharmaceutical labs, it was the movie houses, which popularised comfort cooling.

In the next five years, Carrier was able to get his climate control technology installed in 300 cinema halls across the United States.

Movie-making and screening had now become an extremely financially viable business proposition. And with box office cash registers ringing the most during summers, studios released their best and biggest movies in this season. And thus began the era of blockbusters!

References: 1. http://www.york.com/residential/why-buy-york/history-of-quality. aspx 2. http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/movie-house-of-worshipchicagos-central-park-theatre-the-first-air-conditioned-cinema-inthe-world.php 3. “Air Conditioning Goes to the Movies, 1925” EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2007).

4. http://www.williscarrier.com/m/1923-1929.php

“Colderising” the planet

B

efore the advent of air conditioners, summer months saw an economic slowdown. New York City, the business hub, emptied out with a month-long vacation in August. Industrial workers felt sluggish in the muggy heat. Even government work slackened, with senators in Washington DC migrating to cooler climes. But air conditioning changed all that.

In 1936, Carrier prophesied: “The average businessman will rise, pleasantly refreshed, having slept in an-air conditioned room; he will travel in an air- conditioned train, and toil in an air-conditioned office, store, or factory – or dine in an airconditioned restaurant. In fact, the only time he will know anything about heat waves or arctic blasts will be when he exposes himself to the natural discomforts of out-of-doors.”

By 1960s, air conditioning had changed the business landscape, not only all through the United States – businesses moved from typically the northern States to the South and the West – but also in many parts of the world.

Incidentally, “colderising” and “mechanical weather” were among a few of the names given to cooling the air.

TRIVIA

Just as elevators made the concept of skyscrapers viable, air conditioning made storage and delivery of foodstuff across the world, pharmaceutical and computer chip manufacturing and data storage centres possible. In fact, it has influenced businesses across the spectrum.

The writer can be contacted at pratibha@cpi-industry.com

November 2015

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This innovative circular design blends harmoniously into any type of interior design.

Circular LED display windows graphically visualize the operation mode of horizontal or vertical.

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