CCME May 2015

COUNTRY REPORT: QATAR Signs are bullish for the Gulf nation's HVAC market

MAY 2015

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HVAC 360 Connecting the dots‌ raising the bar

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COUNTRY REPORT: QATAR Signs are bullish for the Gulf nation's HVAC market

MAY 2015

HOW GREEN ARE WE? IN VERBATIM

Consultants and manufacturers hash out industry concerns at the 3rd Annual ME VRF Conference

EdiTOriAl CAMPAiGN: iEQ iN SCHOOlS

FEATURE:

THE MECHANICAL HEART

A look at: Spain’s school environments USGBC’s Center for Green Schools programme Thermal comfort and why it matters

An overview of the compressors market in the region

Industry stakeholders assess how the GCC region is faring with its environmental goals

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contents VOL. 10 NO. 5 | MAY 2015

COVER STORY

THE GREEN IDEAL page

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iEQ in

SchoolS page

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page

US school saves USD 400,000 in retrofit costs

Intelligent building control systems can meet the objectives of a well-designed thermal comfort model and, broadly speaking, address every air quality issue plaguing schools, says Moheet Vishwas.

‘On average, green schools save USD 100,000 a year on operating costs’ Marisa Long of USGBC talks about the organisation’s Center for Green Schools, a programme founded in Washington, DC in 2010.

Industry stakeholders reflect on the region’s sustainability goals and the measures in place to achieve them.

CASE-IN POINT

For better physiological ease in classrooms

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‘Childhood asthma and allergies are big issues in Spain’ In a conversation with Fatima de la Cerna, Tomás Higuero, the CEO of Madrid-based Aire Limpio, shares his observations on the health of school environments in Spain.

POST-EVENT REPORT

VariaBLe

page

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Adds to its green mission and serves as a retrofit role model for future dehumidifier retrofits too large to remove

Vantage pOintS

In the second part of our report on The 3rd Annual ME VRF Conference, we bring you a verbatim account of the consultant community’s views on VRF systems and the response from the manufacturer community.

May 2015

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contents VOL. 10 NO. 5 | MAY 2015

PERSPECTIVES

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PAGE 42

WHAT AILS OUR INDUSTRY In the second of a sixpart series, George Berbari turns his attention to what he describes as the lessthan-salubrious state of affairs concerning air-cooled chillers and decorative and ducted-split systems.

PAGE 46

THE WETMESH EFFECT Zafer Ure extols the virtues of adiabatic air inlet cooling in saving energy and in improving the performance of air-cooled chillers, dry coolers and condensers.

it'S ShOW tiMe!

page

THE

PAGE 48

Qatar will be hosting the IAAF World Championship in 2019 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022, with broad implications for the HVAC industry.

Furthermore, HVAC industry players are aligning their strategies with QNV 2030. Overall, the scenario presents an interesting time ahead for the industry, says Rajiv Pillai.

FEATURE: COMPRESSORS

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ULTRA IMPACT Evaluating the energysaving potential of evaporative recovery as fresh air precooling in harsh climatic conditions, Mike Sullivan and Darren Hunt elaborate on the benefits of an ultra-efficient heat-recovery system, replete with a heatrejecter section, which has a patented non-aerosol design.

COUNTRY REPORT: QATAR

PUMPING HEART page

A slew of innovations and government initiatives and targets related to energy efficiency have increased demand for compressors. By Rajiv Pillai | Features Writer

PERSPECTIVE

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...and never the twain shall meet Commercial and industrial refrigeration – are they two different industries? Hasan S Al-Harahsheh elaborates on the topic.

The same technologies that can make an airplane fly day and night without fuel can be used on the ground! #Si2

REGULARS ED'S NOTE

06 Pummelling down the inertia

NEWS

Bertrand PICCARD @bertrandpiccard

70 76 83 84

Regional Global Associations & Societies Marketplace

* HISTORY and DAN MIZESKO'S LICENCE TO CHILL will return in the June issue. — Editor

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China Refrigeration 2015

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Pummelling down the inertia

I

B Surendar Editor @BSurendar_HVACR

COUNTRY REPORT: QATAR Signs are bullish for the Gulf nation's HVAC market

MAY 2015

HOW GREEN ARE Get the next issue Climate Control WE? ofMiddle East early!

IN VERBATIM

Consultants and manufacturers hash out industry concerns at the 3rd Annual ME VRF Conference

EDITORIAL CAMPAIGN: IEQ IN SCHOOLS

FEATURE:

THE MECHANICAL HEART

A look at: Spain’s school environments USGBC’s Center for Green Schools programme Thermal comfort and why it matters

An overview of the compressors market in the region

Industry stakeholders assess how the GCC region is faring with its environmental goals

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

n a recent press conference, His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, the Managing Director and CEO of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), said the utility provider would not be lowering monthly power tariffs in response to the nearly 50% decline in oil prices since December 2014. DEWA levies a monthly fuel surcharge on consumers.

The statement by Al Tayer perhaps signals a step in the right direction towards tackling the issue of power subsidies, which not only impact the emirate’s environmental performance record from a carbon footprint point of view but also hamper pockets of well-meaning efforts towards an energy-efficient regime. His words are also a nod to the need for a cost-reflective approach, given the sophistication of the power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure in the emirate.

Al Tayer’s words should be viewed as a shot in the arm for the HVAC industry, which has for long bemoaned a lack of incentive for building owners to cut down on rampant power consumption, which has made them reluctant customers of energy-efficient products. In seminar after seminar, manufacturers of a wide range of equipment – be they compressors, motors, pumps, fans or air curtains – have raised the issue of subsidies standing in the way of energy efficiency-related innovation. The utility provider's statement of intent will hopefully nudge a change in mindset among all other stakeholders.

Relatively speaking, Dubai could not be in a better situation. With the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy mandating a target of 30% reduction in power consumption by 2030, there is a regulatory framework in place for a frontal assault on inertia.

Neighbouring Abu Dhabi has established similar initiatives in a concerted bid to reduce power consumption, which augurs well for the whole country. Of course, the true measure of success would be when the entire GCC region takes more robust measures to minimise subsidies, despite socio-economic compulsions.

Many in the GCC region have expressed dismay at how the lack of stringent measures is encouraging quite a few global manufacturers to dump certain ranges of their products in the region, because they no longer meet tightening regulations in their home bases. The practice rankles with the region’s thinkers – for them, it is as much a matter of pride as it is about tackling the issue of energy security and of safeguarding the environment. Pulling back on subsidies, in their view, would be a potent counter-punch.

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

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May 2015

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THE

BIG PICTURE

T

he days when colour was the only aspect anyone worried about when it came to selecting paint are all but gone. With microbes presenting a serious threat to IAQ and the health of building occupants, the onus is on paint companies to develop products that do more than satisfy aesthetic requirements. Their response, thus far, has been paints with antimicrobial properties, which – they claim – inhibit microbial growth through the process of lysing. The question is: How solid are the claims?

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May 2015

May 2015

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COVER STORY

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May 2015

HOW GREEN ARE WE? while industry stakeholders admit there’s been considerable transformation in the region, the path to sustainability, they say, though paved with the right intentions, is not without obstacles.

Story by Fatima de la Cerna | Assistant Editor

May 2015

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COVER STORY

CONTEXT In end-November, delegates from the world over will descend upon Paris for the UN Climate Conference. With negotiations underway for a new agreement on emissions reduction, which are expected to be adopted during the conference and set to go into effect in 2020, there is a global clamour for more satisfactory solutions to human-induced global warming and environmental degradation.

Much hope has been pinned on the Paris conference, what with experts claiming that the existing treaty – the Kyoto Protocol – and the efforts in support of it, lack teeth. In this atmosphere of heightened green activity and expectation, it is pertinent to look at how the GCC region is faring with its environmental goals, and whether or not multiple stakeholders are pulling their weight. It is important; hence, we have chosen to ask the question,

“How green are we?”

"The Pentagon says that climate change poses an increasing set of risks for global security."

-President Obama #ActOnClimate

Barack Obama @BarackObama

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May 2015

n a world filled with rampant cynicism, it is easy to be dismissive about green credentials and milestones achieved. In that context, Dubaibased green evangelist, Sougata Nandi is hearteningly positive in his assessment of the UAE’s sustainable development achievements. “The progress in the UAE has been much faster than in any other country, even in the US,” Nandi says. “The way LEED certification and Green Building certification, in general, have picked up in the UAE – it’s much faster. So yes, we are definitely greener now, certainly greener than we were 10 or five years ago.”

Ulysses Papadopoulos, the Founder and Managing Partner of GreenEmirates Consultants, and Satish Adurkar, the CEO for UAE Operations at Energy Automation JLT, agree with Nandi’s assessment. Adurkar says he has noticed a lot of talk about green and sustainability, especially in the last two years. And Papadopoulos says he has no doubts the country is progressing in its green goals. “We’re not bound by the Kyoto Protocol, because we are classified as a developing country,” he says. “But all the stakeholders are conscious of the need to go green, of the need to reduce the country’s footprint.”

A regional effort

Nandi, Adurkar and Papadopoulos are not alone in their views. The general consensus of the industry is that the green movement is heading in the right direction – and it’s not just in the UAE but also in the other countries in the GCC region. Saudi Arabia, for instance, is the site of the largest LEED Platinum project in the world, in the form of the King Abdulla University of Science and Technology. Bahrain is carrying out measures to make its government buildings efficient, including the installing of thermal insulation on windows and switching from fluorescent to LED lighting. Oman is adopting energyconservation solutions and Green Building concepts. In the words of Gella Bharat, Lead HVAC Engineer at Tebodin & Partner, the industry in Oman is trying to adopt solutions that can help save energy and reduce power consumption.

And Kuwait, says Jalal Zaitouni, the General Manager of OThree Electrical and Electronics, is on it, as well. “In Kuwait, where we import our products, the Ministry of Public Works has very strict regulations,” he says. In Zaitouni’s view, all the GCC countries are pitching in. I think we’re in the beginning, but the region has GSO (GCC Standardization Organization) as well as the Qatar-based GORD (Gulf Organization for Research and Development), and each of the countries has its own organisations. They’re all working on it, on getting us there.”

Sougata nandi

ulysses papadopoulos

Satish Adurkar

The enablers

One reason behind the UAE’s rather speedy progress is its size, says Nandi, pointing out: “The UAE is a small country, so any change can be made and felt very quickly. I have seen the transformation begin slowly and then speed up. There are more initiatives happening now than what

Gella Bharat

May 2015

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COVER STORY

we were originally taught in terms of green. We have developers who are voluntarily going green and FM companies who are doing green facility management.

We have Dubai doing Renewable Energy big time – 100-megawatt and 200-megawatt plans. In fact, they’re not only plans; they’re in the process of execution.”

Papadopoulos credits the UAE’s enabling environment as a factor behind the country’s progress in its green goals, elaborating: “We have the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy (DSCE) and the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy (DIES) 2030.

And the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence has launched its Green Jobs programme.

In Abu Dhabi, ADEC is working towards making schools efficient. They’re all massive enablers.”

The UAE is covered in terms of regulations, as well, observes Adurkar.

“The regulations are there, and they are effective,” he says. “DEWA and Dubai Municipality’s Green Building Regulations and Specifications are comprehensive and a good start. And Estidama has implemented its Pearl Rating System, which is even more comprehensive, because it covers three phases of the building process: pre-construction or design, construction and post-construction.”

Sarfraz Dairkee, the Secretary of the Board at the Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC), agrees with Adurkar on the effectiveness of regulations… of a framework. “When we (the EGBC) started out in 2006, things were very different,” he recalls. “I remember talking about Green Buildings and not having many takers.

Faisal Ali rashid

Master Plan 2030. Qatar is guided by its National Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia, through the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME), in 2014 issued a decree giving companies five years to meet ecological benchmarks. In Kuwait, the government is encouraging public involvement in its ecological programmes by way of its online environment portals, like Beatona. And Oman, Bharat says, has released directives through its Green Building Council, which act as a framework for consultants to “contribute to the green revolution”.

In the right direction

Jalal Zaitouni

Sarfraz dairkee

But the day it became a mandate that every building in Dubai has to be green, a change was felt overnight. The entire industry was suddenly talking about building green.”

The scene is similar in Bahrain when it comes to a green framework.

The country has its Economic Vision 2030 and the National Strategic

The confidence Adurkar et al have expressed in the initiatives of governing bodies and where they are taking the region is echoed in policymakers’ assessment of where the region is with regards to its green targets.

“We are in very good shape,” Faisal Ali Rashid, the Director of Demand Side Management (DSM) at the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, says of the emirate.

“Green Building codes were enforced in 2010 for public buildings and in 2014 for the rest of the community. We have already completed many buildings that are in compliance with those codes. As I speak today, based on the permits we have, the emirate has more than 300 units that are in compliance – around, maybe, 25 million square feet that can be described as green.”

Rashid says it is through comparisons that the government develops its KPIs. “We calculate how much green footprint we have in Dubai and compare that with businesses and activities that are not green,” he says.

“That is how we calculate our savings. And we have various programmes, each with its own KPI.” One of the programmes is focused on retrofitting existing

We’ve got a long way to go, but that means we can pursue a lot of serious improvements.

The positive thing is that, nowadays, financial investors and large firms are starting to take into account whether a building is really green or not. Today, there are KPIs that rate buildings differently, and Green Buildings with low maintenance and operating costs are pushing the values up to somewhere between eight and 15%.

– Erick Melquiond, President of Eurovent Certita Certification

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May 2015

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COVER STORY

A GREEN PERSPECTIVE ON THE REGION Climate Control Middle East in conversation with Marisa Long, PR & Communications Director of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), on the region’s efforts to green its builtenvironment and the significance of LEED certification. Excerpts from the interview…

in general, how green is a Green Building a few years down the line?

The quality of a building’s green features over time has a lot to do with how they are utilised and maintained.

Certain types of green technology need to be more carefully maintained and cared for in order to be effective over the lifetime of a building.

The construction industry in the region, particularly in countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the uAE, is enjoying massive growth.

Based on your observation, how would you describe the direction the industry is heading?

The overall trajectory of the Green Building industry in Middle Eastern countries is

from Smart Metering...

... to Smart Community

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May 2015

positive. In 2014, USGBC’s list of the Top 10 Countries for LEED included the UAE. As of April 2014, there were more than three million square metres of LEED-certified space in the Middle East and North Africa. Interest in, and engagement with LEED and Green Building, on the whole, is positive.

Are you getting more applications?

Yes, we’ve seen an uptick in registrations in the region in the past five years. do you foresee the number of Green Buildings growing along with the industry?

Yes, as the economy in the region continues to boom, we expect to see green construction grow, as well.

In Qatar and UAE alone, there are more than 1,700 LEED APs, a strong indicator of the demand for Green Building expertise. At the end of March, Dubai announced that it is switching to green concrete. From April onwards, all new construction in Dubai will have to use green concrete. All signs point to continued growth of the Green Building industry in the region. in terms of Green Building, how would you compare the region with the rest of the world?

The bulk of the projects in the Middle East are new construction; other countries have more existing building renovation, or operations and maintenance projects.

This is probably reflective of the real estate market in the Middle East, where countries such as Qatar, Bahrain and

the UAE are creating a vast number of new buildings and infrastructure, but we believe that the momentum for LEED within the new building market will eventually translate into increasing levels of enthusiasm for greening the existing built-environment in these countries.

What would you say are the major challenges in the Gcc? It is clear that water conservation will be a vital change for the entire region over the coming decades, and designing a built-environment that can help GCC countries to limit water waste and better protect their potable water reserves will become a crucial necessity.

What solutions would you propose to address those challenges?

LEED is a global rating system with regional and local applicability.

The objective is always to design and construct buildings and cities that will last. LEED lends itself to longevity, encouraging architects and engineers to consider the future and plan for long-term prosperity. In every region of the world, the experts are the people on the ground, and we rely on the input of professionals living and working in the region to provide feedback on how best to implement LEED standards in any given locality. The Emirates Green Building Council and the Qatar Green Building Council both have seats at our international roundtable, a body of 40 members from around the world, all discussing how best to make LEED applicable globally.

buildings. The Supreme Council has already started working on some retrofitting projects with Etihad Esco, which was created as an enabler to help push the market.

The priority at the moment when it comes to retrofitting, Rashid says, is public buildings.

“They are old and inefficient, and they represent 10% of the overall consumption, around 3.2 kWh,” he says. “In terms of progress, many MoUs have been signed between Etihad and government entities. So, year by year, we will have more efficient buildings through retrofit and through the Green Building codes.” And then, there’s District Cooling, which Rashid says, Dubai is looking to increase the penetration of.

Stop signs and roadblocks

Despite the positive change he has witnessed, Dairkee believes that a bigger transformation has to take place for the region to truly achieve its goals. “If we talk about the entire HVAC industry, the biggest challenge I see is application engineering,” he says. “Most sell products, not solutions. And when we talk about Green Building and sustainability, the biggest hurdle is product or brand mentality. VRF, for example, is a product. The solution lies in the answer to the question: Why is it needed? To get to the right answers, you must first ask the right questions.”

Identifying the right questions, Dairkee adds, could bring clarity to what the real objective is behind the region’s aspirations for greenness.

“The culture of societies is not changed in days or months. It takes generations. Yes, there’s been a big transformation and an accelerated pace of awareness, but that awareness has to go from a ritual level to the understanding

Many MoUs have been signed between Etihad and government entities. So, year by year, we will have more efficient buildings through retrofit and through the Green Building codes

level, from mere imitation to adaptation. With imitation, you blindly follow. How can there be consistency in that?

But with adaptation, you get to the subtlety of things, and that could bring about a fundamental change.”

Dairkee is not the only one who thinks there’s a need to change society’s mindset.

Nandi expresses the same, saying: “What we have to do is change society, not just people. We have to have the right curriculum, so that the young people graduating would already be sensitised. We need to have the infrastructure in place, so by default people would be using that infrastructure.”

Illustrating his point, Sougata recounts: “Before Dubai Metro, people said that we can’t have

the infrastructure, primarily because of the migrant population. But today, we have a fantastic Dubai Metro. Is the usage fluctuating because the expats are coming? No. There are more people coming, and because the Metro is there, people are using

May 2015

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COVER STORY

A different thinking

T

hough harmonisation of Green Codes is an issue many industry players regard as a challenge, Mario Seneviratne, Director of Green Technologies, holds a different view. Describing it as a diversion from the main agenda of sustainability, he says: “Why should we put so much effort into harmonising? Do we Mario have harmonised signage or road Seneviratne rules? Do we have harmonised cultures or currencies? What is the benefit over true sustainability? I don’t see the advantage. I mean, if we are well into the implementation of sustainability, then harmonies, and as such it should be our main concern. Focusing on the issue of harmonisation is delaying implementation of critical sustainability issues – regulations, which are essential. What is more essential is focusing on the sharing of data and knowledge and of lessons learned, so that we can accelerate those critical sustainability issues” Mario adds that, while it is good to have many ideas, we are always time bound and, thus, must know how to prioritise. “We need to bring a different kind of thinking into the industry, because both our time and finances are limited,” he says. “We cannot afford to waste them on distractions and lose the opportunity of developing more sustainable buildings.”

Another issue he regards as a distraction is the persistent hubbub over LEED certification, its credibility and the lack of monitoring to ensure continuous performance. “It’s a pointless discussion,” he says. “Take, for example, a bachelor’s degree. Once somebody earns it, will you expect the university that awarded it to continue monitoring the student after he graduates?

No. So why should the USGBC monitor a building once it gets the LEED certification it has earned?” Like a student that has achieved a credential, it is the responsibility of the student – in this case, the building owner – to maintain his or her credential and enhance it. In the world of LEED, this would mean to enroll the project for LEED Existing Building Operation and Maintenance Certification (EBOM) – this is continual development in the real world.

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May 2015

it by default.

Similarly, if people had recycling stations on every street, they would be using them.”

Aiming for social change, Nandi claims, can put to rest concerns Zakir Ahmed over the impact an expat-heavy population can have on the region and people’s commitment to attaining sustainability. “Any city that absorbs migrant population has that problem, because to bring everyone on a harmonised platform is not easy,” he says.

Tarek Alsitt As a solution, he recommends making society’s greenness visible. “Greenness is all about visibility, because if it is not visible then how will people follow and merge with that society?”

The forks in the path

In addition to an expat population, the harmonisation of the different standards and regulations in the GCC countries is an issue that a number of industry players also consider an ongoing challenge.

For Zakir Ahmed, the Managing Director of NIA Limited (Gree), harmonisation must be achieved to give stakeholders clear targets to aim for, and by harmonisation, he means not only the unification of GCC regulations but also regional alignment with global standards. “I think the GCC authorities are trying to get ahead of the world and setting targets that are not feasible,” he says. “You have to follow certain global centres for research and excellence.

The GCC has always followed ASHRAE standards,

More and more suppliers are getting the message across the board that we need to develop and design green.

Since HVAC systems consume more power than any other equipment in the region, HVAC manufacturers, in particular, are working towards making more efficient and sustainable requirements available on the market.

- Mohammed Khaja, Product Leader (Unitary Systems), Trane

Greenness is all about visibility, because if it is not visible then how will people follow and merge with that society?

because the climate conditions in certain parts of North America are similar to that of the Gulf’s. So long as they are following ASHRAE, they’ll do fine, but if they come up with local set-points, it becomes unreasonable, and the industry will not really invest to catch up with this territory.”

Tarek Alsitt, Standards Researcher at GSO, agrees with Ahmed’s view on following global standards but to a certain extent, explaining: “It’s well known that you don’t reinvent the wheel. If there are already standards that meet your requirements, why create a new one? What we do in GSO is take an international standard and decide if it matches our requirements.

If yes, we adopt it. If it requires a slight modification, we modify it. Sure, when none meets GSO requirements, we create our own. But, it is better to adopt what’s available out there, because we want to work with the world, not stand alone.”

Achim Steiner: Renewables no longer R&D, pilot stages, it's mainstream. Last year 49% of electricity added to global grid was renewable #ACEnergy

AtlanticCouncil @AtlanticCouncil

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COVER STORY

Rankings to think about According to the Living Planet Report, published in 2014 by WWF, based on 2010 data, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE are the world’s top three countries with the highest per capita ecological footprint.

Again based on 2010 data, the World Bank ranks the six GCC countries in the top 15 with the highest carbon emissions (metric tonnes per capita). Qatar has the top spot, while Kuwait is third on the list.

In the USGBC’s 2014 list of the top 10 countries for LEED outside the US, the UAE is ranked ninth, with 1.82 million LEEDcertified gross square metres of space.

On the matter of hard-to-reach targets, he clarifies, “When a specific standard asks too much, there’s a reason behind it; but in general, we don’t create tough regulations, unless it’s very important for the environment and for consumer health.”

Alsitt acknowledges that variations in standards can be confusing for stakeholders.

“That is what we are trying to reduce,” he says. “For example, we have issued a technical regulation for lowvoltage devices that identifies the roles and responsibilities of the manufacturer, the local representatives, the distributor and the importer, and also defines the minimum safety requirements for the product.

This technical regulation is going to be implemented in July 2016 and will be applied to the whole region. What we are trying to do is create one regulation, and the product that complies with it can go anywhere in the market – taking into account, of course, national deviations. There are always national deviations, such as different ranges of voltages or frequencies.

So, yes, whenever possible, we try to make the regulations uniform. But when there’s no possibility of this, then each country goes with its national standards and regulations.”

In for a long haul

What we are trying to do is create one regulation, and the product that complies with it can go anywhere in the market – taking into account, of course, national deviations. There are always national deviations, such as different ranges of voltages or frequencies 20

May 2015

The region still has a long way to go when it comes to green, remarks Adurkar, but stresses that the length of the journey should not be a deterrent and should instead be seen as an opportunity to participate, to find new and better routes. “If you want to create a green region, you must not be stuck in one area or follow only one path, because it is what’s there,” he says. “You plan and innovate.”

Papadopoulos is just as optimistic. “We still have

#Dubai Supreme Council of #Energy reviews plans for positioning Dubai as global hub for green economy #DSCE

DEWA | Official Page @DEWA_Official

challenges in the industry, but I prefer to think of them as opportunities, because I sense sincerity in people’s keenness to go green,” he says. “And there are so many things we can still do, like promote net-zero buildings here in the Middle East and look into removing oil subsidies to further encourage people to find green solutions.”

In light of his suggestion and his point on opportunities, perhaps “How green are we?” should not be the only question on the table. Perhaps, to keep the region moving towards its destination and motivate everyone to act, contribute and participate more, policymakers and the rest of the stakeholders ought to answer the question, ‘What else can be done to make the region greener?’

After all, as Dairkee put it, to get the right answers, one must ask the right questions.

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

PAIGN M A C L A I R EDITO T S A E E L D OL MID R T N O C E A CLIMAT

iEQ in

SchoolS ENDORSED BY

HEALTH MINISTERS’ COUNCIL FOR THE COOPERATION COUNCIL STATES

May 2015

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IEQ IN SCHOOLS

erhaps I should have written this at the beginning of the campaign, in January, but better late than never.

We as a magazine chose to focus on schools, because children belong to the demographic that is most susceptible to the ill-effects of air pollution.

Respiratory illnesses of a most acute nature constitute one effect; lowered lung function is another. And the scourge of asthma as a chronic childhood disorder is well documented. Indoor air pollution is one of the triggers of asthma, with particulate matter in the air aggravating the condition.

Children are susceptible, because they have a greater rate of respiration, which means they breathe in more pollutants per pound of body weight, in relation to adults. And the fact that they have narrower airways and lungs that are still developing adds to the criticality of the situation. An indoor environment that is polluted can have an acute effect on children owing to their physiology.

The above points are culled from a report published by the US-based Natural Resources Defense Council, titled “Our Children at Risk: The five worst environmental threats to their health�. Reading it was an engrossing and alarming experience.

I

EQ encompasses Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), which focuses on airborne contaminants and other issues, like health, safety and comfort. Indoor air, at times, can be more polluted than outdoor air, mainly owing to inadequate ventilation.

Indoor Air Quality is a significant concern in schools, considering the fact that children spend a good part of their day there; and to make matters worse, schools tend to be at a higher risk of poor IAQ, because they can have higher occupancy levels for the same amount of floor space.

In view of this, in addition to focusing on energy efficiency, it is important to properly design a fresh air system. It is impossible to ignore the fact that good IAQ contributes to a favourable learning environment for students and to productivity for teachers and staff.

- Dinesh Rupani, Divisional Manager - Air Conditioning Equipment, Leminar Air Conditioning Co

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May 2015

So what are we doing about the quality of air in schools in the region? What ought we to do?

In last month’s issue, Paul Schwarz, the Chairman of the Middle East Acoustic Engineering Society, while discussing acoustical comfort in schools, spoke of how the municipal governments of Abu Dhabi and Dubai have schools-specific regulation in place, adding that school developers and architects in the UAE are showing little signs of complying, either because they are unaware of the need to adhere to the code or because they are aware but, disturbingly enough, decide to take the risk of non-compliance, under the hope the authorities will not find out.

While it is logical to suggest that the municipalities ought to strengthen their enforcement mechanisms, the onus is on school developers, architects and other stakeholders to be faithful to their conscience. A healthy balance sheet is important, but not at the cost of endangering the hopes and aspirations of an entire generation.

B Surendar Editor, Climate Control Middle East

N

oise has become a critical issue in schools, as poorly selected acoustic ventilation system affects teaching, performance and learning. Young adults have an undeveloped sense of hearing, making the impact of background noise on hearing, comprehension and learning more difficult for students.

There are a number of sources of noise that are generally considered in any school acoustic design: External Noise, which is transmitted through the building envelope; the noise that is transmitted between rooms and the noise by the HVAC system. As we all know, mechanical ventilation systems are not silent. Hence, the designer needs to consider the noise produced by any proposed mechanical system early in the design process, as it may limit some design solutions. It should also be remembered that mechanical systems must be capable of providing the correct supply of air per person at all times and the indoor ambient noise levels specified for schools is not exceeded when the ventilation system is operating at its maximum specified airflow rates.

- Saad Ali, VP & Group General Manager, Ruskin Titus Gulf

For better physiological ease in classrooms Intelligent building control systems are capable of meeting the objectives of a well-designed thermal comfort model and, broadly speaking, of addressing every air quality issue that is plaguing schools, says Moheet Vishwas.

he degree of physiological ease we feel under our skin in an indoor environment is commonly attributed to the rather nonchalant-sounding term, “Thermal Comfort”. As easy as it may sound, it is hard to define and even harder to achieve.

Most people perceive thermal comfort to be synonymous with air temperature, but as far as engineering concoctions go, there is no single attribute that can accurately define the term in an indoor environmental space. It is, in fact, a culmination of six factors, or indicators, collectively contributing to the cause of ease. The six indicators are classified under two categories: Environmental Factors • Air temperature • Relative humidity • Air velocity • Radiant temperature Personal Factors • Clothing • Metabolic heat The indicators, in conjunction with the principles of heat balance and collected experimental data, are then used to develop one of the most recognised thermal comfort performance indicators – the Predictive Mean Vote, or PMV. The other well-known and popular thermal comfort model, called Adaptive Thermal Comfort (ATC) was created through numerous field studies to address concerns of indoor air temperature in relation to outdoor air temperature and thermal comfort.

In the Adaptive model, a building’s occupants dynamically interact with their environment. The model takes into account the many ways people perceive changes to their environment by applying a degree of control through

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May 2015

fans or insulated clothing. It represents a simple method that relies on the indoor air temperature with respect to the outdoor air temperature as the main performance indicator. The PMV model, in comparison to the ATC model, is widespread in the Middle East region, since it is applicable to buildings that make use of mechanical ventilation systems as opposed to the adaptive model, which is used as a thermal comfort performance indicator in buildings that rely on naturally conditioned spaces. The PMV is essentially a scale that ranges from -3 (cold) to +3 (hot). It’s a mathematical model that was developed

by P O Fanger between 1967 and 1972.

Indoor environments are vital to the well-being and the progress of students in schools. Over the years, extensive research has helped prove the palpable correlation between the six indicators and indoor air pollutants, on one side and their apparent influence on the performance of students in schools, on the other. And while there is overwhelming evidence to prove that students perform better in schools with optimum indoor environmental

conditions, it is important to understand the changing expectations of thermal comfort while evaluating schools for the same.

For instance, high concentrations of volatile organic compounds in schools lower attendance, poor ventilation rates or inadequate fresh air intakes affect academic performance and harmful inorganic compounds perhaps go one step farther in seriously jeopardising students’

ADIABATIC AIR INLET COOLING It is useful to have broad thermal comfort models, like PMV, but it’s about time we developed models that suit the specific needs of schools, and set new definitive standards

It is useful to have broad thermal comfort models, like the PMV, but it’s about time we developed newer models that suit the specific needs of buildings, such as schools or hospitals, and set new definitive standards. What we need is an approach that can couple thermal comfort with air quality to give comprehensive indoor environmental models.

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future. There are studies that establish indirect associations, too, such as microbiological pollutants to the exacerbation of an asthmatic condition and respiratory illness, which results in reduced attendance and poor performance.

It’s time for these issues to be dealt with at a design level by developing energy-efficient thermal comfort models that are not just comfort-centric but also take into account the health of the occupants by factoring in the quality of air the students inhale.

Schools in the Middle East solely rely on mechanical ventilation systems, since the scorching heat of the summer is not conducive to natural ventilation. As per the norms, all mechanical ventilation systems have to comply with such comfort standards as specified in ASHRAE 55 or ISO 7730 for creating adequate indoor environments.

The soaring temperatures during the extended summers in the Middle East mean most building designers resort to over-sizing the air conditioning systems. These systems constantly require energyintensive environmental control strategies at the expense of compromising on climateresponse methods, energyefficient designs or innovative strategies in mechanical designs.

That is why the intelligent building control system is the need of the hour in schools.

To begin with, the system is capable of meeting the objectives of a well-designed thermal comfort model. When implemented properly, it can also address every air quality issue that is plaguing schools.

Modern, well-designed HVAC systems, such as variable air volume units and demand-controlled ventilation regimes, need control systems in order to function in an effective manner. This highlights the need for automation to be

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May 2015

An integrated and adaptive control system with self-learning traits, based on the trends of the collected data, such as occupancy and activity schedules, is

An automated control system for another.dd thermal comfort, based on the PMV and energy efficiency is an example of synergy. An integrated and adaptive control system with self-learning traits, based on the trends of the collected data, such as occupancy and activity schedules, is another synergised with thermal comfort models, indoor air quality and adequate mechanical ventilation systems. An automated control system for thermal comfort, based on the PMV and energy efficiency is an example of synergy. An integrated and adaptive control system with self-learning traits, based on the trends of the collected data, such as occupancy and activity schedules, is another. Also, advancements in data-gathering technologies, such as cloud computing and remote-server applications – accessed through mobile phone applications – mean that teachers can effectively over-ride functions as per the requirements of the students.

Another thermal comfort strategy worth considering in schools is combining active and passive cooling systems.

To maximise energy savings, a mechanical ventilation system must have enough provision to allow for cooling through natural ventilation without affecting the indoor air quality.

Advanced control systems can combine the two by making passive systems actively controlled. A simple control

application that modulates motorised components to adjust shades, windows and louvres to open or close positions under the right ambient conditions can contribute to passive cooling and increased fresh air intake in classrooms.

An optimum air conditioning strategy would be one that doesn’t sacrifice a sustainable future for thermal comfort or indoor air quality.

One cannot exist without the other, and the onus is on the government authorities in charge of regulating schools to bridge that gap and to find the right balance between the two.

Technological advancements will gradually raise the bar to its absolute optimal standard, but firstly, the authorities and, in fact, the other stakeholders must be prepared to embrace

innovations and implement them in existing and new schools.

Provisions for thermal comfort and indoor air quality are critical for the well-being of students, and the teaching and non-teaching staff, but they also have to be energy efficient.

There is irrefutable evidence in scientific literature and enough justification for improving and continuously monitoring indoor environmental standards through intelligent control systems in schools. The measures will help negate the health risks to students, encourage higher attendance in classrooms and improve academic performance. 

The writer has a master’s degree in Energy Engineering and a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Electrical Engineering. He works as an engineer in Dubai and can be contacted at moheet.vishwas@gmail. com. Any ideas or views expressed are his own.

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IEQ IN SCHOOLS

environments. To achieve this overarching objective, the Center works to encourage schools to improve indoor air quality, increase the use of daylighting in classrooms, incorporate alternative energy sources and embed environmental stewardship into the curriculum.

‘On average, green schools save USD 100,000 a year on operating costs’ Fatima de la Cerna of Climate Control Middle East in conversation with Marisa Long, PR & Communications Director of The United States Green Building Council (USGBC), about its Center for Green Schools, a programme founded in Washington, DC in 2010

What underlying factors prompted the USGBC to establish the Center for Green Schools?

The Center for Green Schools was established to drive the transformation of all schools into sustainable and healthy places to live, learn, work and play. USGBC saw the potential to provide significant support to

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the green building movement by focusing expertise and energy on the work already being done in schools, and by creating new pathways to broaden the discussion around sustainability in education and to advance our understanding of what makes a green school such a worthwhile investment.

What are the programme’s objectives? What broad goals do you hope to achieve with it?

The Center works directly with teachers, students, administrators, elected officials and communities to create programmes, resources and partnerships that transform all schools into healthy learning

What positive impact has the programme had in terms of youth development?

The impact of green schools on students, teachers, staff and whole communities is significant. Students are better able to focus and retain information when they learn in an environment filled with natural daylight and fresh air.

Classrooms designed with acoustics in mind make it easier for students to hear teachers and each other. A green school provides an environment that lessens distractions, encourages participation and instils a sense of pride and importance in all of its students.

Students are better able to focus and retain information when they learn in an environment filled with natural daylight and fresh air

If all new US school construction and renovation went green today, the total energy savings alone would be USD 20 billion over the next 10 years What is the framework to ensure continuous vigil and remedial action, as opposed to a one-time effort?

LEED-certified schools allow students and teachers to engage with the systems and components that make their buildings green. The Center for Green Schools also places significant emphasis on the ongoing educational practices that are needed to maintain a truly green learning environment outside of just obtaining LEED certification, because schools are especially important places for teaching young people what good environmental stewardship means in their daily lives.

Are schools required to maintain their facilities, as per the certification criteria, over a certain number of years?

Depending on the rating system for which they achieved LEED certification, some schools are not required to recertify their buildings (although USGBC highly encourages it), but any school that reaches LEED certification for operation and maintenance is required to recertify every five years.

Does it cost more for a school to get a LEED-rated building? If so, is that a deterrent?

There are fees associated with certification, but it does not have to cost more for a school to become certified. Green schools are also healthier and more sustainable, and they can save money over time.

How are the costs justified? How are the benefits communicated to

the different stakeholders?

On average, in the United States, green schools save USD 100,000 per year on operating costs. In many places, that’s enough money to hire two new teachers, buy 200 new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks for students. If all new US school construction and renovation went

green today, the total energy savings alone would be USD 20 billion over the next 10 years. These figures are communicated to communities, parents and voters through public forums, research studies, schoolsponsored events and publications and, of course, the Center for Green Schools’ outreach efforts.

Editor’s Note: Climate Control Middle East follows British English. This story, however, retains American English spelling, where applicable, to ensure compliance with proper nouns.

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IEQ IN SCHOOLS

‘Childhood asthma and allergies are

BIG ISSUES IN SPAIN’ In a conversation with Fatima de la Cerna of Climate Control Middle East, Tomás Higuero, the CEO of Madrid-based Aire Limpio, shares his observations on the health of school environments in Spain Could you share with us your company’s involvement in schools?

Have you been involved in IEQ projects or initiatives that concern or target learning environments?

As a company, we provide ventilation and have been involved in the construction of schools, kindergartens and universities that meet required levels of filtration and ventilation. Those schools have gone through indoor air quality (IAQ) surveys, which measure particulate matter, CO2, VOCs, fungi, bacteria and other airborne chemical and microbial contaminants, with the results proving that the newly built schools have better IEQ than those built before 2008.

What happened in 2008? Why is that year significant?

In 2008, construction codes in Spain were modified in accordance with the EU schedule. It was a general change in Europe, and it

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The situation is improving.

The changes greatly improved indoor air quality in the new schools. Before 2008, there was no air filtration, and ventilation was a concept associated only with open windows.

Tomás Higuero

included modifications to RITE or Reglamento de Instalaciones Térmicas en los Edificios (Spain’s regulation on indoor heating and air conditioning systems). The modified RITE made it mandatory to introduce mechanical ventilation and air filtration in every new or refurbished school.

How has the change in regulation affected school environments in Spain? And how would you assess the country’s general situation with regard to IEQ in schools?

What IEQ hazards have plagued, or are plaguing, schools in Spain?

Like I mentioned, schools traditionally were ventilated just by opening the windows; thus, outside pollutants were able to easily enter the schools, to be breathed in by students.

In Spain, especially in cities, the quality of outdoor air is not good. This means that an open window introduces particulate matter and chemical pollutants into the classroom. Schools in small villages, meanwhile, are challenged by allergens during springtime. It is no wonder that childhood asthma and allergies are big issues in the country.

Could you share with us your opinion on

the importance of maintaining good IEQ in schools? How would you describe the relationship between IEQ and student health and performance?

I think there is no doubt that good IEQ, and good IAQ in particular, is necessary because kids are especially vulnerable to pollutants. Different studies and researches have established that poor IEQ in schools has a direct impact on student performance, absenteeism and health. Some experts even link unhealthy IEQ with increased risk of attentiondeficit disorder.

What are your aspirations for Spain, in relation to its schools?

In our opinion, Spain has gone a long way in providing schools with an above-average IEQ level. But with the country still recovering from the recession, the biggest challenge for the future lies in the retrofitting or refurbishment of the schools built before 2008. And my aspirations, I would say, also lies there. I cannot stress enough the importance of addressing the issue because those buildings lack proper ventilation and filtration.

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May 2015

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case-in point

Instead of a conventional 100% refrigerant dehumidifier, SII chose two NP-Series Protocol models, which together substitute nearly 1,200 pounds of the original systems’ refrigerant with environmentally friendly glycol that’s PVC piped to rooftop dry coolers, 60 feet away for heat rejection. The units do use a substantially reduced charge of approximately 400 pounds of refrigerant R-410A, which doesn’t have ozone-depleting chemicals, such as chlorine.

Michelini estimated the school could have postponed the dehumidifier retrofit another five years; however the refrigerant R-22based units were developing leaks regularly and increasing maintenance costs. Since the R-22’s chemical makeup includes chlorine, a major leak and total refrigerant loss of either unit would have damaged the environment.

Furthermore, replenishing a total charge of R-22 refrigerant would cost a minimum of USD 20,000 just-in refrigerant, because its prices are skyrocketing as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues an HCFC

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May 2015

Besides sustaining a 50% relative humidity, the units use energy recovery to heat the pool water to 80 degrees F, and maintain an 82 degrees F space temperature production phase-out that culminates with a complete ban in 2020.

The strategy of reducing potential environmentally damaging refrigerants enhances the school district’s aggressive green mission, which typically includes annual carbon footprint reductions aimed at cutting energy use by three to five per cent annually.

The 833,000-square-foot school’s ongoing progressive sustainability efforts, such as high efficiency pumps, condensing boilers, and various lighting and plumbing

upgrades, for example, have led to the district’s Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) gold certification. "Reducing refrigerant and chemical use in our building is part of our sustainability mission," Michelini said.

Besides refrigerant reduction, the new dehumidifiers also save 15 to 20% more energy than their predecessors through scroll compressors, direct-drive fans and other comparably higher efficiency components.

Besides sustaining a 50% relative humidity, the units use energy recovery to heat the pool water to 80 degrees F, and maintain an 82 degrees F space temperature.

Another key to the project’s success was the no-down-time regime during the three-month retrofit. One unit operated continually while the other was retrofitted. Thus, the pool, which hosts important swimming events, such as the Illinois High School Water Polo Championships and the Midwest Zone Junior Olympics, remained operational and open during its typical 16-hour days.

Michelini suspects the original dehumidifiers may have unknowingly experienced slowly degrading inefficiencies

in between annual routine service checkups. The new dehumidifiers won't run inefficiently, because they are each outfitted with a command centre and Ethernet connection that relays more than 100 operating parameters to Seresco’s factory engineers for daily review through Seresco’s proprietary webbased WebSentry. An operating inefficiency can be pinpointed and corrected the day it occurs, rather than discovered months later during a service call.

Authorised personnel from the school district or Siemens can also access the dehumidifiers via WebSentry 24/7 with a PC or a smart phone to review operating conditions or emailed alarms. The command centre independently operates the dehumidifiers and also reports monitoring data to

Siemens’ Apogee building automation system. The extensive information includes operational data log histories that factory engineers use to assist local contractors troubleshoot and repair service issues.

Although there were no ductwork modifications, and new dehumidifiers have a similar refrigeration capacity, Michelini said there’s a noticeable difference between the old and new technologies in terms of air comfort, especially during meets within the 240-seat spectator section.

Future replacements of dehumidifiers too large to fit through mechanical room access doors may someday all opt for the value-engineered approach of replacing internal components and leaving the shells in place. 

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discussion

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Vantage pOintS

The 3rd Annual Middle East Variable Refrigerant Flow Conference took place on the 30th and the 31st of March in Dubai, UAE.

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May 2015

able t Vari s a E n ddle betwee the al Mi n u o n i t n c A u ra the inte We bring yo ws on he 3rd t s f a o w s t . e vie ms nc hligh nfere of VRF syste community’s he hig o t f C o e w ‌ t s On sultan r community nt Flo anufacturer n a o r c e e g h ture of t the m Refri anufac ccount s and t a m n e a m t i h l t t u cons from verba -blow, the response y b w d blo ems an t s y s F VR ote: Editor's n to convey the tone mpt In an atte e substance of the s th as well a o you, we took ns t discussio present them in to e a decision mat. The results ar r o h f verbatim and nuances, whic ail depth, det ight not have been em ing perhaps w re through employ ptu able to ca tyle, containing a es sed a narrativ account intersper sed paraphra es. with quot

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37

discussion

George Berbari, the CEO of DC PRO Engineering (speaking on Day 1 of the conference):

“For the last five years, I have been asking for the validation of the super performance of VRFs. And we have no doubt that Eurovent has done certifications at a single point, and are confident that a singlepoint performance may be accurate as we want it to be.

However, Eurovent has not tested at 46 degrees C ambient temperatures; and we shared the point about the complexity involved in validating VRFs and the sensitivity of the piping on the overall performance.

“Two years ago, I started having doubts. I used a friend’s townhouse [for measuring energy efficiency], which had a new insulated VRF system, and [compared its energy efficiency to] my villa, which has a ducted split system of the same brand.

His villa was consuming slightly more [energy] in winter than my villa. The summer performance of my villa was much better.

“There was a study done at the ASHRAE headquarters that measured the energy efficiency of a VRF system and a watercooled, water-sourced heat pump system in their living lab.

They did an actual two-year measurement: what was claimed to have an EER of 20 had an EER of 8.5 when measured.

Now, this translates to 1.4 kW per tonne of seasonal efficiency,

38

May 2015

Excerpts of the verbatim discussions...

which under the UAE weather will translate to 1.8 kW per tonne.

“Engineering is about science. It is not about claims and perception.

We have a condemning report from the highest authority in the world saying that VRF is not as efficient as they [manufacturers] claim. I still design VRFs for bedrooms and for villas; I am not against it.

The biggest selling point is that it saves space on the roof, it has low noise, it has high

quality, but I don’t sell it for high efficiency. And this condemning report requires response.

The industry is coming with a response. The response is the VRW… that instead of pumping refrigerants, they are pumping water and that they are measuring by a BTU meter, and this can be validated. In my opinion, by 2020, VRFs will be phased out in favour of VRW. “The only way to convince me [about the efficiency of VRFs] is to have field data. The only field data we have is ASHRAE’s, and we don’t have any counter field data that says otherwise.

“For my 500-squaremetre villa, with an installed connected load of 144 watts per square metre, the actual average performance from February to September, you

Figure 1: Villa data GB DEWA Bills (March 2014 to September 2014)

will be surprised to learn, was 13.3 watts per square metre. In winter, it was around four watts, and in February, it was 11.9.

(See Image 1) “When I went to my friend’s townhouse, which was insulated at least from one side, and which was 320 square metres in size and had more occupants, the winter data was about 5.4. And in February, it reached around 17.4, with a marginal increase of over six months of 13.2 watts per metre square, which is good for engineers to know; the difference between the actual average consumption was mainly 10% of the connected load. This always shocks electrical engineers more than mechanical engineers. (See Image 2)

Area in m2 = 470 Villa No. 6/8 (470m2, Int'l Brand Ducted Split A/C) ELECTRIC POWER BILL

FROM DATE

TO DATE

NO. OF DAYS

Dh CONSUMPTION

FUEL SURCHARGE

METRE

OTHER

TOTAL DH

kWh

Fils/ kWh

Watt-Hr/ Hr

Average Watt/m2

14-May-14

13-Apr-14

31

322.00

91.00

35.00

0.00

448.00

1,400.0

32.0

1,881.7

4.0

14-Apr-14

13-May-14

30

1,032.80

262.60

35.00

0.00

1,330.40

4,040.0

32.9

5,611.1

11.9

14-May-14

12-Jun-14

30

1,404.00

338.00

35.00

0.00

1,777.00

5,200.0

34.2

7,222.2

15.4

13-Jun-14

13-Jul-14

31

1,532.00

364.00

35.00

0.00

1,931.00

5,600.0

34.5

7,526.9

16.0

14-Jul-14

13-Aug-14

31

1,596.00

377.00

35.00

0.00

2,008.00

5,800.0

34.6

7,795.7

16.6

14-Aug-14

13-Sep-14

31

1,455.20

348.40

35.00

0.00

1,838.60

5,360.0

34.3

7,204.3

15.3

184

7,342.0

1,781.0

210.0

0.0

9,333.0

27,400.0

34.1

6,204.71

13.20

Fils/kWh

26.8

6.5

0.8

0.0

34.1

TOTAL

Total kWh/m2/Period

58.3

Without Metre Charges NOTES: 1. Electric Cooker and 5 Nos. operating electric water heater tanks 50L each during winter season switched off in June 2. Monthly bills include AED 35 electric metre charges & AED 2 water metre charges + .5 fils/Imp.G for sewage charges

Figure 2: Townhouse data NS DEWA Bills (March 2014 to September 2014)

33.3

Area in m2 = 320 Townhouse No. 4G (320m2, Int'l Brand VRF A/C) ELECTRIC POWER BILL

FROM DATE

TO DATE

NO. OF DAYS

Dh CONSUMPTION

FUEL SURCHARGE

METRE

OTHER

TOTAL DH

kWh

Fils/ kWh

Watt-Hr/ Hr

Average Watt/m2

10-Mar-14

8-Apr-14

30

286.81

81.06

4.00

0.00

371.87

1,247.0

29.8

1,731.9

5.4

9-Apr-14

8-May-14

30

595.80

161.53

4.00

0.00

761.33

2,485.0

30.6

3,451.4

10.8

9-May-14

8-Jun-14

31

797.68

208.39

4.00

0.00

1,010.07

3,206.0

31.5

4,309.1

13.5

9-Jun-14

9-Jul-14

31

980.80

250.90

4.00

0.00

1,235.70

3,860.0

32.0

5,188.2

16.2

10-Jul-14

9-Aug-14

31

1,223.52

301.34

4.00

0.00

1,528.86

4,636.0

33.0

6,231.2

19.5

10-Aug-14

8-Sep-14

30

1,020.96

260.20

4.00

0.00

1,285.16

4,003.0

32.1

5,559.7

17.4

183

4,905.6

1,263.4

24.0

0.0

6,193.0

19,437.0

31.9

4,425.55

13.83

Fils/kWh

25.2

6.5

0.1

0.0

31.9

TOTAL

Total Prorata kWh/m2/Period

60.7 Without Metre Charges

NOTES: 1. Electric Cooker and 5 Nos. operating electric water heater tanks 50L each during winter season switched off in June 2. Monthly bills include AED 35 electric metre charges & AED 2 water metre charges + .5 fils/Imp.G for sewage charges 3. DEWA slab rate applies as of 1st March 2008

30.8

30th and the 31st of March in Dubai, UAE

Kandasamy Anbalagan, the Managing Director of Proleed Consultants, speaking on Day 2, in his capacity as the Moderator:

“One of the points that was raised yesterday (Day 1) was for the manufacturers to come out with operational data and to introduce transparency. And we have been struggling to obtain this operational data. Though most of the manufacturers claim they have sub metering BTU facilities within their control philosophy, it is not being done on the field.

They need to provide the data to the consultants and end-users, so as to understand whether it [VRF system]

The 3rd Annual Middle East Variable Refrigerant Flow Conference

really has the claimed seasonal efficiency. Also, one of the points that was brought up, which we as designers look forward to, is to have a consistency in the manufacturers’ claims, at least the kW per tonne at peak loads; some people claim 1 kW per tonne for the system, and some claim 1.38 kW per tonne, which sounds more reasonable [than the former].

“As a starting point for the discussions, we shall talk about George Berbari’s data, presented yesterday, which indicates there is no difference between VRF systems and independent standalone systems. I would like to hear from the manufacturers.

Prasath Sivakaminathan, Area Manager of AHI Carrier, presenting real-time operational data from a field installation, to substantiate his points: “George said yesterday, ‘If you can measure it, then do it accurately. If you have measured it, then report it.’ So, here we have recorded it and we are presenting it. We will give you the exact results obtained from our Toshiba VRF SMMSi system, installed at our AHI Carrier office. This recorded data is up to yesterday – that is, from last April 2014 to March 30, 2015. This system has been supplied by a 14 HP machine outdoor unit. And there are seven indoor units, most of which are compact cassettes and standard cassettes.

Slide 1 POWER CONSUMPTION RANKING FOR EACH UNIT Ranking

System

Floor

Tenant

SELECT AREA 2014

Area

Power Consumption

Unit

CO2 emission

1

AHI

Ground Flr

AHI

Board room

Board room 2

2120 kWh

1177 kg

2

AHI

Ground Flr

AHI

Board room

Board room 1

1859 kWh

1032 kg

3

AHI

Ground Flr

AHI

Board room

Training room

1061 kWh

589 kg

4

AHI

Ground Flr

AHI

Entrance area

Reception

938 kWh

520 kg

5

AHI

Ground Flr

AHI

Entrance area

Passage

548 kWh

304 kg

6

AHI

Ground Flr

AHI

Entrance area

Entrance seating

418 kWh

232 kg

7

AHI

Ground Flr

AHI

IT

IT

100 kWh

55 kg

Slide 2 Month

Hours

Average set temperature (Deg C)

Average indoor temperature (Deg C)

April 2014

1709

23.5

23

May 2014

1601

23.5

23

June 2014

1592

23.5

23

July 2014

1758

23.5

Aug 2014

1509

Sep 2014

Average outdoor temperature (Deg C)

Power Consumption (kWh)

ikW/Ton

29

3350

0.63

32.5

5576

0.90

34.5

5937

0.92

23

36

4363

1.02

23.5

23

35.5

5369

0.99

1542

22.5

22

33.5

5613

1.12

Oct 2014

1577

23.0

22.5

31

6325

1.07

Nov 2014

1475

23.5

22

25.5

5747

0.93

Dec 2014

1789

23.5

22.5

21.5

7922

0.71

Jan 2015

1884

22.5

22

19.5

8004

0.50

Feb 2015

1711

23.0

22.5

23.5

6296

0.88

Mar 2015

1778

23.5

22.5

24.5

5023

0.96

“We have a Smart Manager system. Through our Smart Manager system, our VRF outdoor unit communicates all the recorded data (gathered in a day); all this data is stored in our computer systems. That’s why we were able to generate the data within the stipulated time of 24 hours.

As you can see (see Slide 1), the kWh seems to be less.

We need to multiply by 10 to get the actual result. The value [for Board Room 2] has been shown as 2,120 kWh per year, but actually it is 21,200 kWh recorded for the year. You can see from April to March what the power consumption is (see Slide 2).

“If you see the temperature profile and the power consumption, the relation is directly proportional.

May 2015

39

ata? d l a n o i t opera h c u s t i to subm u o y r o f y is it s a e w o AGAN: H

discussion

ANBAL

Moan Abraham, General Manager (AirConditioners), Hisense Middle East: I think

most of the VRF manufacturers have IT-based control systems, which are very up-to-date; and they have software to record the data on a real-time basis. We have a sample installation in a villa in Jumeirah Village. It was installed around six months ago. And we have been tracking that [data] on a weekly basis and sharing with our factory.

This is part of the field test we are conducting. As far as I know, manufacturers are not going to hesitate in sharing such data, because it also helps in terms of troubleshooting to see if there are going to be any concerns when it comes to pressure or operational reliability.

As I mentioned earlier, we at Hisense are still in the data-collection process. We have one project test site operational right now. We are recording the data not only for our internal verification and validation but also to share with our customers.

The main performance criterion we are trying to look at is to measure during the summer months, so the next three to six months are going to be crucial. It is not only the ambient condition in the Middle East but also the environment, which includes dust and humidity. So there are a lot of factors we want to evaluate. I am hoping to present the data during the next conference.

Faizan Ahmad, Manager - HVAC Solutions, NIA Limited (Gree): He (Berbari) compared a

fixed-speed standalone system with a VRF system, and he concluded that a VRF system consumes more energy. That is totally not possible! I say this, because your connected load itself is 30% less than your standalone system. We have installed a VRF system in a villa in Victory Heights [in Dubai]. We have all the data for that, which we would be willing to share on request. The client is enjoying 30% savings on energy.

40

May 2015

30th and the 31st of March in Dubai, UAE

The 3rd Annual Middle East Variable Refrigerant Flow Conference

Vishal Ate, Consulting Sales Manager, Daikin Middle East: I think we have been very transparent

right from the beginning. The first installation was way back in 1999. It was a hotel in Saudi. Although the field performance data was not taken, because it’s difficult to do so, what we did was to ask for the field results from the owners. The owner had two different hotels, both of which had 120 rooms, one with chiller installations and one with VRV. We have electricity bills, and we have been circulating those bills to a lot of clients, who were initially not ready to understand how 30% [savings in energy] can be the difference between chiller and VRV systems. We can circulate the data to you as well as to Climate Control Middle East.

Secondly, much like the metering systems that AHI Carrier has shown, clients can install their own Smart Managers; all manufacturers have those kinds of devices.

Clients can see how much [energy] they are consuming on their work stations. They can monitor the performance, record it and question the manufacturer. There is a new and advanced software, called Energy Navigator; with it, you can pinpoint a particular FCU that is consuming more power in your entire installation.

In terms of transparency, we have a very big installation that is five towers (G+12). It is a tenant billing system installed for staff accommodation. We have had DM [Dubai Municipality] and DEWA [Dubai Electricity and Water Authority] people visiting the site. They have checked how the electricity billing happens and how the owner is billing it to the tenant, as well. If required, we don’t mind consultants visiting, as well. This was way back in 2011, when we were trying to persuade the utility companies to accept our data as a billing system.

Syed Jafar Imam, Senior General Manager (RLC), AHI Carrier: Let me cut to

the chase. None of the data shown here [referring to the slides shown earlier] is confidential or proprietary. Every one of you sitting here can have access to this data. You just need to purchase the system – the so-called Smart Manager, which records the data. And you can sit and do the analysis, as and when you like, in the comfort of your home, on the Internet. You can record and check what has happened throughout the year. Everything is recorded. Nothing should be left to doubt. This is not confidential data.

May 2015

41

PERSPECTIVE

George Berbari is the CEO of DC PRO Engineering. He can be contacted at gberbari@ dcproeng.com

District Cooling

What ails our industry PART 2

In this, the second of a six-part series, George Berbari turns his attention to what he describes as the less-than-salubrious state of affairs concerning air-cooled chillers and decorative and ducted-split systems.

O

ver the years, aircooled systems have received substantial negative publicity as performing in the range 1.4-2.0 kW/ tonne, with an average value of 1.7 kW/tonne.

They have also received negative reviews owing to their inability to withstand saline weather conditions – the deterioration of air-cooled condenser fins or microchannel condensers, which necessitate a replacement every seven years – has been well-documented.

They also suffer from air recirculation, in instances where the condensers are placed close to one another or close to a high parapet wall. In such situations, an ambient temperature in the low forties (in centigrade terms), say, mixes with the leaving hot air from the condenser and re-enters the condenser coil at temperatures sometime exceeding the high fifties (in centigrade terms), resulting in much higher power consumption and leading to the tripping of the compressor.

The ducted-split market is seeing second- and thirdclass brands claim ultrahigh efficiency performance,

42

May 2015

even superseding the top four brands, and this is causing serious concern related to reliability and sincerity of data. The situation is so serious

The hidden cost, or associated cost, is almost 11 to 12 times more expensive than the cost of the air conditioning unit itself

it requires independent certification bodies, such as AHRI (Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute) and Eurovent to test the units and confirm their performance.

None of the accredited labs are yet present in the Middle East, despite a serious attempt from AHRI to certify equipment at 46 degrees Centigrade with reduced or minimal tolerance; Eurovent allows -5% tolerance on capacity and -8% on EER, while AHRI allows 5% tolerance on capacity, 7.8% on EER

and 10% on kW/tonne.

We have come up with the zero-tolerance test for centrifugal chillers, and I believe it is high time we applied the same to air-cooled ducted splits and chillers.

In my view, Eurovent and AHRI ought to apply more stringent requirements, which would please the planet but, perhaps, not the manufacturers.

On the air-cooled chillers side, BTU meters and kWh meters for every chiller and every pump ought to be an essential aspect of every design, in order to allow for monitoring the performance of the equipment. I don’t see that happening, though, which begs the questions, “Why not, in an energy-conscious society?” and “Why are local regulations not calling for them?”

Despite all these facts and circumstances, aircooled chillers, decorative or unitary systems, ducted splits and packaged units still constitute over 70% of the air conditioning market in the GCC. Is there something wrong in our thinking, or have we failed to find alternatives?

What makes them popular is the low cost associated with them, of course. For instance, a 1.5 TR decorative split costs

as little as USD 400 or 600 per TR to buy and install, making it the least expensive air conditioning system in the world and one that is within the reach of the poor segment of the population. It is for this reason that labour camps, site caravans and even low-cost housing and villas have opted for them.

Affordability is, of course, a virtue from a socio-economic development perspective, but is that the whole story?

Can the region afford to have decorative splits running, from an energy management point of view, not to forget other aspects? For instance, are we not forgetting the associated costs related to the electrical system inside the house and the electrical infrastructure cost at site?

And what about the cost for the electric utility from power generation, electric power transmission and distribution points of view?

Let’s go into the metrics of operating a 1.5 TR nominal capacity (or 1.3 TR actual capacity) decorative split.

It typically requires 2.2-2.6 kW of power input, with an average value of 2.4 kW (1.85 kW/tonne of actual capacity). The internal electrical work inside villas and low-rise buildings is USD 330/kW, while the site-wide infrastructure cost – which includes the 132 or 230 KV substation, 11 or 22 KV distribution, transformers and utility connection fees – is around USD 450-USD 500/kW. The utility cost is around USD 2,200/kW, and this covers the power plant, the high-voltage distribution, the high-voltage transformers station and the typical 10-30% spare capacity required by the utility.

Hence, the humble 1.5 TR split unit, which costs just USD 600, has the following costs associated with it from a macro point of view: • Internal electrical works:

USD 400/kW x 2.4 kW = USD 960 • External site infrastructure: USD 475/kW x 2.4 kW = USD 1,140 • Utility infrastructure: USD 2,200/kW x 2.4 kW = USD 5,280 The total associated electrical cost is USD 7,380 The hidden cost, or associated cost, is almost 11 to 12 times more expensive than the cost of the air conditioning unit itself. The worrying aspect is that very

few engineers, owners or developers fully comprehend the associated cost – simply put, they only see the tip of the iceberg.

And the costs don’t end there. I mean, what about the cost to the environment, where each kW of electricity emits more than 0.6 kilogrammes of CO2 in the GCC. A split unit, typically running for 3,000 hours per year at an average consumption of 1.4 kW/ tonne, emits more than 2.5 tonnes of CO2 into the

DATE

TOTAL TON HR

TOTAL KWH

PCHWP KWH

SCHWP KWH

1-May-04

1,162.83

1,800.00

96.00

101.00

atmosphere of our already suffocating planet!

My obsession with reallife measurement has always led me to monitor performance, and I would like to share with you the data for a typical month (May), which represents the average annual performance of air-cooled chillers. (For the purpose of collecting the data, I considered a utility-grade equipment, which gave an average performance of 1.41 kW/ tonne.)…

PERFORMANCE W/O SCHWP

TOTAL

CHILLERS

1.55

1.46

1.38

2-May-04

1,131.31

1,800.00

96.00

105.00

1.59

1.50

1.41

3-May-04

1,214.92

1,800.00

96.00

105.00

1.48

1.40

1.32

4-May-04

1,159.31

1,920.00

96.00

123.00

1.66

1.55

1.47

5-May-04

1,177.21

1,920.00

96.00

124.00

1.63

1.53

1.44

6-May-04

1,182.22

1,800.00

96.00

118.00

1.52

1.42

1.34

7-May-04

1,221.16

1,920.00

96.00

140.00

1.57

1.46

1.38 1.16

8-May-04

1,346.57

1,800.00

96.00

137.00

1.34

1.23

9-May-04

1,340.53

2,160.00

96.00

139.00

1.61

1.51

1.14

10-May-04

1,183.24

1,920.00

96.00

137.00

1.62

1.51

1.43

11-May-04

1,337.14

2,160.00

96.00

136.00

1.62

1.51

1.44

12-May-04

1,019.56

1,680.00

96.00

151.00

1.65

1.50

1.41

13-May-04

1,143.58

1,800.00

96.00

92.00

1.57

1.49

1.41

14-May-04

1,155.62

1,920.00

96.00

137.00

1.66

1.54

1.46

15-May-04

1,116.42

1,800.00

96.00

156.00

1.61

1.47

1.39

16-May-04

1,026.64

1,680.00

96.00

136.00

1.64

1.50

1.41

17-May-04

1,142.93

1,920.00

96.00

103.00

1.68

1.59

1.51

18-May-04

1,076.20

1,680.00

96.00

104.00

1.56

1.46

1.38

19-May-04

1,523.06

2,400.00

120.00

115.00

1.58

1.50

1.42

20-May-04

1,355.12

2,160.00

120.00

159.00

1.59

1.48

1.39

21-May-04

1,379.78

2,040.00

120.00

150.00

1.48

1.37

1.28

22-May-04

1,525.27

2,400.00

120.00

139.00

1.57

1.48

1.40

23-May-04

1,345.31

2,160.00

120.00

151.00

1.61

1.49

1.40

24-May-04

1,512.13

2,400.00

120.00

130.00

1.59

1.50

1.42

25-May-04

1,418.25

2,280.00

120.00

164.00

1.61

1.49

1.41

26-May-04

1,632.39

2,640.00

120.00

141.00

1.62

1.53

1.46

27-May-04

1,788.76

2,760.00

120.00

152.00

1.54

1.46

1.39

28-May-04

1,812.76

3,000.00

120.00

147.00

1.65

1.57

1.51

29-May-04

1,781.40

3,000.00

120.00

151.00

1.68

1.60

1.53

30-May-04

1,789.80

3,000.00

120.00

126.00

1.68

1.61

1.54

31-May-04

1,761.50

2,760.00

120.00

165.00

1.57

1.47

1.41

TOTAL

41,762.9

66,480.0

3,288.0

4,134.0

1.5918

1.49

1.41

May 2015

43

PERSPECTIVE

Gates Foundation Conducts Landscape Analysis of #Vaccine #ColdChain Equipment Market by Raja Rao http://ow.ly/ LRDXm

Cold Chain IQ @ColdChainPharma

The writing is on the wall and deserves a vibrant response. The process of coming up with new high-efficiency standards, with the consensus of the majority of the heavyweight manufacturers, is taking too long and has soft targets, which will not help in improving efficiency.

A subtext to the drama is the issue of refrigerants. I am deeply concerned by the sight of the high volume of refrigerants that are pumped into air conditioning systems and by the massive leaks that occur during their operational lifetime.

To date, I have not seen technicians carrying a receiver tank along with the pump-out unit. I have also not seen any leak-detection system associated with these units. If that were not serious enough, how many of us have seen technicians using refrigerants to blow open a clogged drain line?

In the West, a technician caught doing so would have faced prosecution; it is high time we adopted such stringent measures and also

District Cooling

insisted that all technicians be certified or trained.

We need to act, and with speed. The GCC region consumes more refrigerant than the entire continent of Africa or the sub-continent

and to a situation where the maximum power demand is 100 watts per square metre for all residential and commercial buildings; that would, in turn, hopefully compel the designer to optimise other system components in the house.

For example, a 1.6 kW/tonne and efficient design of 40m2/ tonne would translate to 40 watts/m2 for the air conditioning system, leaving only 60 watts for the rest of the components (appliances, receptacles, lighting, water heating, etc.), which would force the designer to use solar hot water heating and gas cookers, and reduce the lighting density as an example.

A 1.6 kW/tonne and efficient design of 40m2/tonne would translate to 40 watts/m2 for the air conditioning system, leaving only 60 watts for the rest of the components of India, and we need to see the volume of use come down by a substantial margin.

Overall, I hope we will start seeing an end to our addiction for aircooled systems sooner than later. And I hope we get to see more stringent regulations leading to a marketplace populated with more efficient units,

(To be continued)

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

SNIPPET

A clean environment as a constitutional right Renowned Vancouver, Canadabased environmentalist, Dr David Suzuki wants a clean environment to be a constitutional right in the country, The Vancouver Sun has reported. Dr Suzuki, a recipient of UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize for Science, says the focus on a clean environment is vital, as it is essential for all biological creatures. “No CEO,

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no politician can say, ‘I’m not in favour of a clean environment – clean air, clean water and clean energy’,” the newspaper reported Dr Suzuki as saying.

Dr Suzuki is a popular personality and is the host of CBC’s long-running television programme, The Nature of Things. He is the author of over 50 books, including 19 for children.

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PERSPECTIVE

Zafer Ure is the Chairman of EcoMESH Adiabatic Systems Ltd. He may be contacted at z.ure@ ecomesh.eu

Adiabatic Air Inlet Cooling

ThE WET-MESh EFFEcT Zafer Ure extols the virtues of adiabatic air inlet cooling in saving energy and in improving the performance of air-cooled chillers, dry coolers and condensers.

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ir-cooled heat rejection systems (aircooled condensers, chillers and dry coolers) rely on drybulb temperature, which is generally between 5 degrees C and 15 degrees C (between 8 and 25 degrees F) higher than wet-bulb temperature.

Traditionally, large heat-rejection systems use cooling towers or evaporative coolers to reduce the size of the heatrejection equipment as well as the overall consumption of energy, owing to lower condensing temperatures.

However, water-based corrosion, maintenance and health risks, such as Legionnaire’s Disease, as well as the lack of adequate water resources in the Middle East have moved the industry towards lessefficient, dry heat-rejection systems.

Millennia-old technology

In the face of such circumstances, adiabatic cooling offers itself as a solution. Adiabatic cooling as a concept is several millennia old. Indeed, many ancient civilisations made use of the natural effects of water and evaporation to cool indoor areas.

The Ancient Egyptians are known to have used porcelain clay pots to collect

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water and have their slaves fan the cooler air into their vicinity. In a similar yet slightly more advanced manner, the Romans are noted to have engineered their aqueducts to circulate water throughout the walls of their houses, hence maintaining a cooler air temperature. The Persians went one step farther – they engineered dedicated building structures, which featured a tower in each corner; at the bottom of each tower was a water reservoir, and at the top lay a specially designed roof. The air from outside was captured by the roof’s design and funnelled down and across the water reservoir, below, cooling the occupants within the building.

These instances from the pages of history are truly astonishing; furthermore, they offer an insight into the world’s first true HVAC applications.

Without the shadow of a doubt, cooling represents one of the main sources of power consumption within any modern building application, especially in the Middle East region. With an everincreasing demand from businesses and individuals alike, many buildings and facilities are being pushed to their technical cooling limits.

The domino effect

Increasing energy prices and government regulation, in conjunction with the potential consequences associated with a complete system shutdown or cooling failure, has led to a new breed of building services, where systems must be far more wisely designed and backup facilities put in place. Even with the smartest possible design, it is sometimes unavoidable that issues, such as heat surges, wind direction changes and installation environment affect the system’s efficiency.

In many cases, chillers/ HVAC equipment are

installed extremely close to one another, leading to a domino effect of heat being transferred from one unit to another. This creates an artificial ambient, far higher than the actual ambient, outside. It is in such conditions that the compressor shuts down, leading to complete cooling failure.

In response to these issues, a multitude of methods and technologies have arisen, and they have targeted the addition of evaporative cooling as the solution.

Evaporative condensers and cooling towers were once seen as the best and most economical solutions; they have, however, come under increasing scrutiny not only due to tight regulations to overcome the risks of Legionella but also due to lack of adequate water resources in the Middle East. Concerns over health risks and availability of water opened the doors wide for adiabatic cooling technologies, including plastic drift eliminators, rigid/paper mats, direct water spray on to the coils and various forms of fogging systems.

system, which demands a high maintenance schedule, which ushers in associated costs.

WET PADS

A wet pad as a concept is an alternative option, where cardboard pads are directly placed in front of the condensing coil; water is then dripped throughout the pads by means of a sump pump, allowing for the adiabatic evaporative cooling process to take place on the surface of the pads. Although this system uses less water than an atomised system, the dust and dirt clogging the pads could cause significant pressure drop, leading to decreased efficiency and eventual compressor shutdown. The need to maintain the sump pump as

well as replace the pads on a regular basis makes the concept a rather inconvenient proposition.

THE MESH CONCEPT

The mesh Adiabatic Cooling System is based on intermittently spraying water straight from the mains water without any pump or water treatment onto a mesh placed in front of the heat reduction surface. When the hot air passes across the wet mesh, it evaporates the water and effectively cools the incoming air by as much as 15-25 degrees C (20-30 degrees F).

This reduces power consumption by as much as 30-40% and improves the performance of the air-cooled chillers, dry coolers and

WATER SPRAY

FOGGING SYSTEMS

Atomised fogging systems may provide efficient cooling, but as the water is constantly sprayed at a very high rate through a high-pressure pump, the water consumption is significantly high. As the water is atomised, light water droplets can be directly sucked into the incoming air stream, which may carry over these droplets back to the aluminium and copper coils; inevitably, scaling and corrosion become a serious and on-going threat.

Moreover, since there is a requirement for a highpressure pump and a UV light to minimise the health risk, the end-result is a complex

HOT AIR 45°C

condensers and refrigeration plants. Moreover, the mesh acts as a self-cleaning filter even without any water spray; additionally, it provides year-round shading against direct solar gain.

The mesh system’s simple water-spray concept can be considered as being virtually maintenance-free.

In addition, the system is customisable and lends itself to retrofitting, as it can be applied to any make or model of heat-rejection equipment for new as well as existing units.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Considering the large number of air-cooled refrigeration and air conditioning units produced globally, and the possibility of retrofitting existing units, the opportunities to reduce cooling-related peak electricity consumption by simply using city mains water are significant.

Every country the world over is trying to reduce its CO2 emissions, and any evaporative air-cooling concept ought to be viewed as a powerful ally in the efforts underway. Any form of adiabatic air inlet cooling can be considered as an acceptable solution to achieve not only environmental benefits but also significant energy savings. ď ś

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PERSPECTIVE

Heat-recovery Systems

Ultra impact Mike Sullivan is the CEO of Air2o Middle East.

He can be reached at mikesullivan@air2o.com

Evaluating the energy-saving potential of evaporative recovery as fresh air pre-cooling in hot and humid climatic conditions, Mike Sullivan and Darren Hunt elaborate on the extra benefits to be had from an ultra-efficient heat-recovery system, replete with a heat-rejecter section, which has a patented non-aerosol design.

T Darren Hunt is the Managing Director of Two Fold United Electrical and Mechanical Contracting Company. He can be reached at darren.hunt@ twofoldunited.com

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he fresh air component (ventilation) is a critical aspect in any modern HVAC design. ANSI/ASHRAE standard 62.1-2010 Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality sets minimum ventilation rates and other requirements for residential, commercial and institutional buildings.

LEED certification demands that the building has to have certain ventilation requirements. In the case of our new tight buildings, most have to have a mechanical method to introduce fresh air. Smoking areas, schools, labs, malls, hospitals and positivepressure buildings will have even higher requirements for ventilation. In some cases, the ventilation requirements will be 40% or 50%... or even 100% fresh air.

Now, fresh air is problematic for the HVAC designer, because all its hotness or coldness must be dealt with, to minimise the impact on the building’s air conditioning system.

While providing ventilation and promoting healthy indoor air quality, the building’s heat and humidity will be lost in the winter and gained in the summer, both of which are undesirable for the indoor climate and for energy efficiency. As the building’s HVAC systems must

compensate, the need for heat ventilation recovery (HRV) is an obvious one.

A HRV system introduces fresh air to a building and improves climate control, while promoting efficient energy use.

for air circulation, such as wind energy or electricity for a fan (see Figure 1). When used with central HVAC systems, it would be of the 'forced-air' type.

Basis of HRV

Now, what about the heat exchangers in an HRV? There are a number of types of heat exchanger that can be used in HRV devices. Typically, they are…

HRVs can be stand-alone devices that operate independently, or they can be built-in, or added to existing HVAC systems.

For a small building, in which nearly every room

The heat rejecter design cools the water to 1 degree F or ½ degree C above wet-bulb temperature

has an exterior wall, the HRV device can be small and provide ventilation for a single room. A larger building would require either many small units or a large central unit. The only requirements for the building are an air supply, either directly from an exterior wall or ducted to one, and an energy supply

Types of air-to-air heat exchangers

• Cross-flow heat exchanger, up to 60% efficient (passive) • Cross-plate heat exchanger, a counter current heat exchanger, as diagrammed to the right • Cellular or Thermal Wheel, or rotary heat exchanger (requires a motor to turn the wheel) Whatever the type of the heat exchanger, the heat-transfer process is a function of the difference of the sensible heat between the two air streams, or the difference of the dry-bulb temperature.

Thermal efficiency

The thermal efficiency of a heat-recovery process is defined as “how close the intake air temperature (TI) got to the exhaust air temperature (TE)”. In the example shown in Figure 3, the thermal efficiency can be calculated by the formula: • Thermal efficiency is not to

be confused with enthalpy efficiency (see Figure 2).

• Thermal efficiency could be very deceiving, as it does not represent the actual amount of heat recovered.

• Thermal efficiency could exceed 100%, but that does not mean we recover more heat than it rejects.

• Most manufactures like to use thermal efficiency rather than enthalpy efficiency, because in the majority of the cases it gives a higher reading and, therefore, the illusion that it is more efficient than it actually is.

Figure 1

Enthalpy efficiency

It is the single most important number in a recovery process, and it represents the true added value for any energyrecovery process. It should also be noted that enthalpy efficiency is defined as “how much heating capacity was able to be recovered from the total possible”. The ultimate goal is to increase enthalpy efficiency as much as we can; after all, that’s what we pay for in the form of cooling or heating energy (see Figure 4).

• Enthalpy efficiency should not be higher than 100%.

• If the enthalpy efficiency is 100%, it means there is no need for any additional cooling.

• Ninety per cent of traditional heat-recovery systems at best are 25-30% enthalpy efficient in hot and humid climates.

• The 10% most advanced and expensive energyrecovery systems (ERVs) are at best 50% enthalpy efficient in hot and humid climates.

It should be noted that either the true enthalpy efficiency or the thermal efficiency should be

Figure 2

Figure 3

calculated when the air flow of the exhaust and the intake are equal.

Moisture Efficiency

Moisture efficiency is defined as the percentage of latent

heat from the overall total heat that was recovered. It should also be noted that 99% of traditional heatrecovery systems have zero per cent of moisture efficiency. It should be

noted that the existence of moisture efficiency even by a small percentage (1%-25%) is an indication of an overall highly efficient energy-recovery system.

May 2015

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PERSPECTIVE

7,299 trillion cubic feet of shale gas considered “technically recoverable.” How much is economically recoverable? http://bit. ly/1Gfdn3X

Heat-recovery Systems

Evaporative Recovery

Worldwatch Institute @Worldwatch

Figure 4

Evaporative heat recovery is the term used when a direct evaporative cooler is employed in the process of heat recovery in the upstream of the exhaust air before the heat exchanger.

Advantage

Figure 5

By cooling down the exhaust air (adiabatically – constant enthalpy) by means of direct evaporative cooling, we lower its sensible heat and increase its latent heat, therefore doubling its capacity to absorb more heat. Since the heat-recovery process depends only on the Delta T – hence the sensible heat difference – the capacity of the exhaust air is doubled to recover heat from the intake air. So using the direct/ indirect evaporative-recovery process is nearly twice as effective and comes at a lower cost.

Air-to-air vs water-toair Figure 6

Figure 7

It is a known fact that water is a lot more efficient medium to transfer heat than air, due to its density and noncompressible nature. Based on the premise, let’s now cast our eyes on an ultra-efficient heat-recovery system…

SNIPPETS

Blinds can barely block UV, IR Glass is the weakest link within a building, whether it is your home or office, says Ian Penfold of St Gobain. Even the latest technologies in glass do not always give sufficient protection against the harmful effects of the sun. In particular, infra-red radiation and ultra violet light both create very different but equally destructive situations, Penfold says. Infra-red is the part of the light spectrum that causes heat gain and accounts for the uncomfortable temperatures within a building when the sun shines directly onto a window. Whilst internal blinds will reduce the light levels, Penfold says, they do little to prevent infra-red light entering a building and, therefore, their effect on heat gain is minimal, particularly with double glazed windows.

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The heat exchanger section

The cold water, then, transfers to a high-efficiency heat exchanger, by which the ambient air goes through it (see Figure 6).

AHU & FCU

From the example in Figure 6, which represents UAE design conditions, and by calculating the result based on the performances for the ultra-efficient system (for equal exhaust air and intake), it can be concluded that this number, by any measure, is to be considered the highest performance recovery system available in the world today (see Figure 7).

Use of water

The ultra-efficient system employs a number of technologies for water management control, like TDS control blowdown.

However, one of the most important features is the reuse of the condensation water in the water loop; thus, there is no wastage of water.

Conclusion

The ultra-efficient system represents the new generation of energy-recovery units.

With high enthalpy efficiency – above 60% – it offers a new way to manage and control the fresh air load; and in hot climates, it is the most efficient practical recovery system available in the world today. 

Walmart identifies sustainability leaders among suppliers Saying that customers should not have to choose between affordability and sustainability, Walmart has set up its online Sustainability Leaders shop, which carries over 10,000 items manufactured by companies that have been awarded the Sustainability Leaders badge. According to the retail giant, the recipients of the badge were all assessed using the Walmart Sustainability Index, a supplier scorecard programme, and identified as leaders in categories, like electronics, clothing and toys.

Split Units

As any other evaporative heat-recovery unit, an ultraefficient system (see Figure 5) employs a direct evaporative cooling process in the upstream for the exhaust air (the heat rejecter section).

The heat rejecter is very similar in its operation to a cooling tower; however, its patented non-aerosol design allows it to achieve a much lower wet-bulb approach, due to its large top surface area and low water flow. The water in the heat rejecter is cooled by evaporation by the exhaust-working air stream.

As the exhaust air stream cools, so does the water approaching the wet-bulb temperature of the exhaust air; the heat rejecter design cools the water to 1 degree F or ½ degree C above wetbulb temperature.

Calculation

Ductded & Packaged Units

How does an ultraefficient heat-recovery system work?

The heat rejecter section

Chillers

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May 2015

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ARGONAUT BRIDGING GAPS

Post-event review

ARGONAUT BRIDGING GAPS

Bridging to the future of reliability

Argonaut’s Rental Solutions Division rides notable first-year high, but there’s no resting on its laurels for the company as it identifies new targets for the coming years

O

nly 12 months have passed since the decade-old engineering solutions provider, Argonaut launched its cooling and power rental division, but already the department commands seven per cent of the UAE market – a portion that Ahmed Shoukry, the company’s President and CEO, regards as significant, owing to the division’s relative infancy.

“In early 2014, we started quietly and worked towards establishing ourselves in the market,” Shoukry said, elaborating that in the months that followed, the company succeeded in building a network of business partners and acquiring good clients.

Its success and growth, he

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Carrying the theme, ‘Bridging to the future of reliability’, the seminar drew over 80 participants from various organisations, such as Emirates District Cooling (Emicool) LLC, Stellar Energy, Al-Futtaim Group Company - Cairo Festival City, Imdaad and Petroleum Projects & Technical Consultation Co (Petrojet-UAE), Veolia and Orascom Construction Industries.

“Audience-wise, we met our expectations,” Shoukry said.

“The attendees were who we were looking for. They were either existing or potential clients, or people we would like to work with. And based on the feedback we received, I am optimistic that the seminar will generate results. In fact, we are already looking into the possibility of making the seminar an annual event.”

The primary objective of the seminar, Shoukry said, was to create awareness in the industry of Argonaut’s new department, the current stage it’s at and the goals it’s aiming for. “Like I said, we started quietly, so we wanted people to know that our rental division is not just an untested undertaking promising results. We already have success stories, and we plan to make more.”

Zamil Cooline partnership

Ahmed Shoukry

Essam Nour El Din

states, can be attributed to four key factors: a capable and knowledgeable team, tough and reliable equipment, a young fleet – purportedly the youngest in the region, and high-quality and cost-effective engineering.

As Shoukry reported in his opening remarks at the Climate Control Solutions seminar, which the company hosted on March

9, Argonaut managed to set up its new division “by acquiring quality talents to ensure smooth and reliable operation... backed by large refrigerant tonnage capacity and state-of-the-art, custom-made equipment to fulfil market needs and bridge the market gap with reliable, energy-saving and green solutions”.

The Argonaut Rental Division intends to achieve its plans with the help of select business partners, Shoukry revealed.

One of those business partners is Zamil Air Conditioners (ZAC), which has – through its Cooline brand – made the solutions provider its sole distributor in Egypt.

Commenting on Zamil, Shoukry shared that Argonaut was satisfied with the collaboration with the Saudi Arabia-headquartered company. “They’re the Middle East’s top manufacturer of AC systems, and they’ve given

ADVERTORIAL

Argonaut quality support in the form of custom units equipped with energy-saving features.”

Looking ahead

“At Argonaut, the coming years will be defined by two visions,” said Essam Nour El Din, the company’s Area Director. “We have our three-year vision, which is to more than double our market share in the UAE’s service and rental sector. From seven per cent, we will strive for 20 to 21%. And then, we have the five-year vision of ranking among the biggest engineering solutions providers in the GCC

Towards a sustainable tomorrow with today's solutions and in North Africa. We will add more solutions to our portfolio and offer total building efficiency by offering all the services required by the real estate industry – energy audits, equipment maintenance, spare parts and everything else it might need. Our end goal is to become a total solutions provider.”

Incorporated into both visions, El Din said was the company’s goal of aligning itself with the UAE initiative of reducing energy usage in the interest of sustainable development.

“Development in the UAE is tremendous, and so is its cooling demand,” El Din said.

“A large number of construction

projects are in the works, and we have major events almost every week. But where will the country get the power? We will need to construct new power stations, but that will take years.

The option that is available to us now is to save energy.”

Consumption, he noted, could be reduced by as much as 50%, and that would be possible with the country’s adoption of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which mandates that buildings must meet energyefficiency requirements to get approval.

For its part, Argonaut is confident it can contribute to the achievement of the nation’s efficiency targets through its aftermarket capabilities.

Its chiller plant energy and optimisation services, for instance, promise up to 30% reduction in operating costs. It also prides itself on its range of products that, it claims, are not only designed to perform under high-ambient temperatures but also guarantee more energy efficiency than others in the market.

“When we provide customers with solutions, we don’t just

address existing problems,” El Din said. “We anticipate.

We come up with a strategic and predictive approach to add value to what we are offering. It’s a matter of trust and respect. Our customers trust us, and we respect them, so we work with integrity. We give them the best solutions.

We don’t want them to worry about equipment failures and high operation costs because of energy consumption. It’s about credibility. And it’s about solutions that work for the present as well as the future.”

CUSTOMEr-SPEAK Rick Wagner, the General Manager at Bonar Emirates Technical Yarns Industries, was one of Argonaut’s existing clients present at its Climate Control Solutions seminar. Though he has been a customer of the engineering solutions provider for over two years, he revealed that the company still managed to surprise him during the event.

“I’ve always been satisfied by their professionalism and customer service, and it doesn’t hurt that they also deliver on time and that their prices are competitive,” he said. “But I was impressed with what I heard at the seminar. I think what they are trying to do to capture the market is interesting.”

Wagner also shared that the presentations on the market itself, and the technologies that are being made available to businesses like his, further piqued his interest. “I was astonished by the rate at which the Middle East market – Saudi Arabia, in particular – is growing,” he admitted. “And for me, it’s an important development for companies, like Argonaut, to focus on energy efficiency. I think the seminar really drew attention to the issue and educated those who attended on new, energy-efficient technologies.”

Green technology, Wagner said, should be looked into to save on operational costs. “It is usually the case that the operational cost of the HVAC equipment is higher than its purchase price,” he said.

“Often, you will spend more on energy in three years than what you spend for the system.”

Efficiency, Wagner said, pays off in the long run, not only for end-users of energy-saving solutions but also for Argonaut. “By helping their clients enjoy savings,” he pointed out, “they are earning their clients’ respect and loyalty.”

May 2015

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COUNTRY REPORT

Qatar

Qatar will be hosting the IAAF World Championships in 2019 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022, with broad implications for the HVAC industry. Furthermore, to stay ahead of the game, HVAC industry players are aligning their strategies with the Qatar National Vision 2030. Overall, the scenario presents an interesting time ahead for the industry, says Rajiv Pillai‌

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May 2015

T

he HVAC market in the GCC region is likely to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% until 2016, according to a report by Infiniti Research, a global customised market intelligence firm. The report indicates that one of the main factors contributing to the market growth is the increasing number of construction activities across commercial, residential,

hospitality and retail sectors.

The signs are bullish for the HVAC market in Qatar, in particular. According to the latest statistical update, released by the Qatar Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics in mid-December 2014, the country has forecast a real GDP growth of 7.7% for 2015. In the run up to the hosting of the IAAF World Championships in 2019 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Qatar has unveiled ambitious plans to upgrade infrastructure, including a well-integrated road and rail network, comprising metro rail, roadways, highways and flyovers, and to upgrade airports to accommodate the anticipated increase in tourism and passengers. Construction

The country has allocated USD 20 billion towards the construction of roadways and highways and over USD 32 billion towards erecting eight eco-friendly stadia

contracts have steeply climbed from USD 18.02 billion in 2012 to USD 37.88 billion in 2014 and are estimated to further rise to USD 48.9 billion in 2015. Among the mega infrastructure projects is the seven-billion-dollar New Doha Port project. Also, the country has allocated USD 20 billion towards the construction of roadways and highways and over USD 32 billion towards erecting eight ecofriendly stadia; some of the stadia are being built afresh, while the remaining are to be refurbished.

Given the scope of the projects, it’s a no-brainer that the HVAC market in Qatar is set to rake in huge benefits.

Connecting the dots is a simple and straightforward affair – mammoth events translate to the commissioning of mammoth projects, which in turn, translate to construction activities, which further translates to more demand for HVAC equipment and, once installed, O&M and broad facilities management opportunities.

May 2015

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Qatar

Photos courtesy www.qatar.to

COUNTRY REPORT

Yasser S Al-Jaidah

Al Rayyan Stadium Vasant Kumar

District Cooling has become the preferred choice for cooling solutions for planned and newly established developments in the country

Lusail Iconic Stadium

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May 2015

The situation with District Cooling

Work has already begun on seven of the eight stadia scheduled for the World Cup, at Lusail, Al Wakrah, Al Khor, Al Rayyan, New Airport, the Khalifa Stadium and the Qatar Foundation Stadium. With all the on-going activities, the HVAC industry, and especially the District Cooling industry, has made sizeable inroads into Qatar.

New and large developments in Qatar that have used District Cooling include Lusail City, Barwa Commercial Avenue, West Bay district, The Pearl, Msheireb, Barwa City, Hamad International Airport, Qatar Petroleum (QP) District, Al Waab City, Al Gassar Development and the Qatar Foundation. The portfolio of projects validates the fact that District Cooling has become the preferred choice for cooling solutions for planned and newly established developments in the country. As Yasser S Al-Jaidah, the CEO of Qatar Cool, puts it: “Qatar is witnessing

An invitation to innovation Qatar launches twin projects to encourage VRF and broad HVAC manufacturers to showcase their technologies

D

uring his address at the 3rd Annual Middle East Variable Refrigerants Flow Conference, Dr Esam Elsarrag, the Director of the Doha, Qatar-headquartered Gulf Organisation for Research & Development (GORD-GSAS), spoke of how Qatar had launched twin projects to encourage VRF manufacturers to showcase their technology.

Dr Elsarrag said the country had created two projects – the 800-square-metre Eco Villa project in Lusail City, which was a real-to-scale local villa, and the Innovative Technohub at the Qatar Science and Technology Park – to serve as a platform for innovative VRF and broad HVAC technologies. Throwing open an invitation to VRF manufacturers and consultants at the conference, Dr Elsarrag said: “If you put the challenge, you will have the solution. This is my invitation to you [VRF manufacturers and consultants]. If you would like to work with us, we are providing an invitation to the 6-star GORD Eco Villa. GORD, along with its partners, is investing more than USD 5 million to build a platform to educate people. We are also building a project called the Innovative Technohub at the Qatar Science and Technology Park; it is a sort of showroom that we anticipate will be visited by many people.” Dr Elsarrag said the only prerequisite for participation in the two projects was that manufacturers needed to be open about sharing their results with the public.

He said the Eco Villa would act as a “test laboratory house” that explored multiple solutions, rather than an “optimised house”, which was a single solution. The Eco Villa was intended to be a “show home” that would be a platform to demonstrate, educate and introduce sustainable technologies that could also be adopted by Qataris in existing homes, Dr Elsarrag added.

GORD, he said, had launched the Eco Villa as a landmark project to highlight Qatar’s commitment to sustainable development. The objectives of the project, Dr Elsarrag said, were to reduce energy consumption, reduce heat transfer throughout the building, use renewable sources of power, like solar and wind energy, focus on natural ventilation and improve the efficiency of HVAC systems. Additionally, the focus, he said, was also on enhancing human comfort and productivity by improving indoor air quality, reducing waste and promoting a green philosophy in modern-day building design and construction.

The assessment of IAQ in Qatar is an on-going exercise, and there are 10 ambient air quality stations rapid infrastructure growth, and District Cooling plays a huge role in establishing the interdependent relationship of buildings and infrastructure.

Here [in Qatar], we are

still in the design phase of infrastructure; as a District Cooling provider, this makes our life easier, as opposed to already built cities, where retrofitting is the only option.”

Solidarity with Qatar National Vision 2030

An equally important driver for the growth of the HVAC industry is the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030, which avowedly reflects the aspirations and objectives of the Qatari people. The Vision illuminates the fundamental choices that are available to Qatari society. Simultaneously, it inspires the Qatari people to develop a set of common goals related to their future. It aims at transforming Qatar into an advanced country by 2030, capable of sustaining its own development and providing for

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COUNTRY REPORT

a high standard of living for all of its people for generations to come. Seemingly everybody in the country is synergising to this vision, and the HVAC industry is no different. The fourth pillar of the Vision is Environmental Development, which directly relates to the HVAC industry.

“District Cooling has a big role to play in QNV 2030,” Al-Jaidah says, adding that the industry can help the country in achieving the Qatar National Vision’s energy efficiency and carbon emissions reduction goals under the environmental pillar.

Green codes and regulation

Hand in hand with cooling is the need for good indoor

Qatar

environmental quality (IEQ).

Broadly speaking, the country is building strong environmental foundations through adopting green codes for a wide range of construction activities, including for the infrastructure related to the two sporting events.

Qatar has a strong indoor air quality (IAQ) focus as part of its development plans; the country has established a body entrusted with the responsibility of ushering in good IAQ in the builtenvironment. The assessment of IAQ in Qatar is an on-going exercise, and there are 10 ambient air quality stations, including four in Qatar Foundation, for checking SOx, NOx, HC, O3 and PM 10 levels. Among other areas, the focus is on schools around Qatar. The country will likely start measuring air quality in schools from the next term. Owing to a current lack of regulation for IEQ in the country, the Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) has established the Healthy Building Interest Group (HBiG), the aim of which is to collect data and work towards drafting guidelines for IEQ. The Group will be sharing the guidelines with the government in a bid to contribute towards the establishing of regulation. If the

The hr challenge becomes all the more formidable when project announcements are delayed regulation happens, the Group is hopeful of a regimen, where it will be easy to implement IEQrelated initiatives throughout the country.

Breaking barriers

Be it cooling or IEQ, the magnitude of the potential projects and those in the pipeline is enormous. The contracting industry has quite a task in its hands towards the successful delivery of the projects. The almost coinciding major events in the region – with the 2019 IAAF World Championships and the 2022 FIFA World Cup on one side and the 2020 Dubai Expo on the other side – are expected to present a major challenge for contractors working on the ground in Qatar, the prospect of a shortage of skilled technical work force. This could have a direct upward pressure on the prices of all constructionrelated resources across the Gulf region. Vasanth Kumar, the

CEO of Doha-based Arabian MEP Contracting, says: “We have a surfeit of ‘C’ and ‘D’ grade contractors. In some projects, they want only Grade ‘A’ engineers and certified engineers. This is a major HR challenge.”

Hand in hand with ensuring the influx of new workers to meet the country’s increasing requirements is the challenge of retaining existing employees, such is the expected demand for qualified HVAC technical personnel. The HR challenge becomes all the more formidable when project announcements are delayed or if specific information is not forthcoming, which seems to be the case in the country. The uncertainty is an aspect that contractors would quickly like to see addressed, so that they can plan better and execute as per schedule.

IAAF 2019 is not far away, as an immediate milestone, and though it is an event of a smaller magnitude when compared to the World Cup, the clock is ticking for Qatar.

It will be interesting to see how the country rises to the occasion.

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

Our target in the next five to 10 years is such that we work, develop and innovate in order to help the entire nation and the world. So we need to have a product that can not only transform our SABIC production but also produce a solution that can transform the whole world.

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Refrigeration and air conditioning components

feature

the pumping heart Often referred to as “the heart of the system� by industry players, compressors are in the limelight on the back of a slew of innovations and government initiatives and targets related to energy efficiency, which have increased demand.

By Rajiv Pillai | Features Writer

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he compressors market in the Middle East is expected to grow at a steady rate, thanks to an increase in real estate and construction activity. According to a report by Londonbased research firm, TechNavio, the compressors market will grow at a CAGR of 8.48% in the region over the period 2012-2016. The market, the report has revealed, has also been witnessing the development of application-specific compressors. However, new legislation, new refrigerants and fluctuating raw material prices could pose a challenge to the growth of this market.

Criticality of compressors Needless to say, compressors are important mechanical devices used in air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. Kelsey Poe, the Director of Marketing and Sales at CMP Corporation, says: “If a compressor goes down, a customer can lose thousands of dollars’ worth of food in a refrigeration unit. If the compressor is cooling a building [and if and when it goes down], there could be monetary losses due to work disruptions or unhappy tenants.” Hassan Younes, the Technical Director and Partner at Griffin Consultants, adds that in cooling

systems, compressors account for 70% to 90% of yearly energy consumption.

This may be the reason why Biju Kannan, Senior Sales Manager – Key Accounts, Commercial, Compressor and Refrigeration Controls at Danfoss FZCO, refers to them as “the heart of the system”, adding that it is the compressor unit that carries the major cost in a system.

R22 was there in the market for 25 years. In the future, not all refrigerants will survive for 25 years; they will be phased out sooner

What pumps the heart?

The growing real estate and construction sectors in the region are among the major drivers for compressor demand. Kannan says, “For this part of the world, everything is linked to real estate… more buildings, more demand. Therefore, it is directly linked to [the growth of] air conditioning compressors. And it is indirectly linked to [the growth of] refrigeration compressors; the food chain process would bring in more demand for refrigeration.” Extending the fact a bit farther, Younes says, “On one end, there is the demand on the construction industry for new and existing buildings. On the other end, legislation for equipment efficiency and environmentally friendly refrigerants drive the improvement in the compressors industry.”

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HEART OF THE MATTER Climate Control Middle East in conversation with Biju Kannan, Senior Sales Manager - Middle East, Compressors & Refrigeration Controls, Danfoss…

Some of the refrigerants used in this region have already been phased out in the West.

Why does it take so long to phase-out refrigerants in the Middle East?

The Middle East is always following the Western world.

So whatever new legislation comes in EU or the United States will come here after sometime. We are phasing out R22 only now; as such, there is no independent regulation here. In the Middle East, people wait for [initiatives] to be proved in some other part of the world before it can be implemented here. That could be a reason why phasing out takes such a long time.

Also, knowledge [from the West] comes here late. The majority of development is happening in the Western world.

Do you see a ramp-up in demand for compressors once the blueprint of the EXPO 2020 is released and as we get closer to the other coincidental mega-event, the 2022 FIFA World Cup? I don’t see a big change. Danfoss compressors are relatively smaller in capacity – in the range 1.5 TR to 40 TR. But in some of the mega projects, the cooling capacity required is very large. The projects require 300 TR in capacity, for instance. We haven’t observed any abnormal growth, but maybe that’s because of our compressor profile.

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Kelsey Poe

Hassan Younes

The other driving factors, says Kannan, are energy efficiency and environmentally friendly refrigerants.

Kannan, providing an alternate analysis, says the increase in demand is not owing to the energy-saving benefits of compressors, as people in the Middle East are invariably paying less for energy but owing to various government initiatives. Adds Younes: “The current existing building efficiency is being looked at in the UAE and GCC. Dubai, through its DIES 2030 plan, has announced it will be retrofitting 30,000 buildings. Most of the compressors in those buildings will be replaced with new compressors, which will also boost the compressors market.”

An increase in challenges

The internal components include a set of rotors that require very tight tolerances.

In many instances, the rotors cannot be reused

The increase in demand is bringing about an increase in challenges for manufacturers. While energy efficiency is one of the market drivers, it is also one of the challenges. Environmental requirements and regulations are pressing manufacturers to adopt environmentally friendly and efficiencyinducing refrigerants, which affect the compressor design. Kannan says, “What we have seen in Saudi Arabia in the last couple of years is that when they introduced the legislation to phase out R22, it was quite a challenge, because equipment manufacturers needed to redesign the equipment.” Adds Younes: “Every refrigerant has different pressure and enthalpy characteristic curves and, thus, compressor designs depend on the refrigerant intended to be used in them. However, when refrigerants share similar characteristics, compressor design need not change. For instance, R438A has been designed to replace R22 without the need of compressor adjustments, since both refrigerants share similar pressure and enthalpy characteristics.”

The Kryptonite in compressors So which is the best refrigerant, then? Gella Bharat, the Discipline Specialist (HVAC) at Tebodin & Partners, says, in a general sense, “A zero-ozone-depleting refrigerant with low GWP is the right type of refrigerant to be used.” Talking about the current market scenario about refrigerants, Younes says, “Currently, CFCs are obsolete. HCFCs are being phased out under the Montreal protocol and HFCs are dominant. HFOs are surfacing – the first chiller using HFO was installed in London in 2012. Also, natural

refrigerants, like CO2 and ammonia, are gaining momentum.” However, Kannan outlines the challenge with using natural refrigerants. “Natural refrigerants are flammable,” he says. “They are risky and not so easy to use. To design and develop a compressor [for natural refrigerants], you need to have clear safety regulations, which are not there today.”

Talking about the shelf-life of future refrigerants, Kannan points out that R22 was there in the market for 25 years. In the future, he predicts, not all refrigerants will survive for 25 years; they will be phased out sooner.

CFCs are obsolete. HCFCs are being phased out under the Montreal protocol and HFCs are dominant. HFOs are surfacing – the first chiller using HFO was installed in London in 2012

May 2015

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feature

TURNING UP THE HEAT Climate Control Middle East in conversation with Stefan Leitl, the Managing Director of BITZER Middle East, on the issue of counterfeiting.

What are the challenges facing the compressors industry under the current market circumstances?

Energy efficiency and eco-friendliness are important topics and challenges for the compressor industry.

Introduced in all EU countries in January 2015, the new F-gas regulation requires the use of refrigerants with lower global warming potential. The biggest challenge for companies is the gradual reduction of F-gas volumes to 21% by 2030.

BITZER is taking a closer look at refrigerants (including natural refrigerants), energy efficiency and eco-friendliness as well as the cost efficiency of our products in operation over their entire lifetime. And we will carry on working on the friendliness of our products regarding usability and service.

Counterfeit products are on the rise in the refrigeration and air-conditioning industry. While many compressors look very similar to the original, the quality is so poor that they pose a danger to people. We are taking a more proactive approach to dealing with counterfeiters. We safeguard our developments with patents and registered designs and protect our entire production chain. We get customers involved, inform them about the issue and are available to provide support at any time. We’ll be applying a QR code to all BITZER products worldwide as of April 2015. We’re also confident that quality will prevail in the end. This also includes service, availability and personal contact.

Most companies do not remanufacture screw compressors because of the difficulty level. The internal components include a set of rotors that require very tight tolerances New kids on the block Along with the talk of new refrigerants is the buzz surrounding new technologies. Bharat, Younes and Jayasurya are of the view that oil-free compressors are here to stay, owing to the energy-efficiency benefits they offer. Younes says, “Magnetic-bearing compressors are also gaining popularity due to their higher efficiency and no use of oil. They are still, however, not widespread due to their higher costs.” Poe says CMP is currently focusing on re-engineered screw compressors. “When it comes to re-manufactured compressors, we are developing a new line of re-engineered screw compressors,” she says. “Most companies do not remanufacture screw compressors because of the difficulty level. The internal components include a set of rotors that require very tight tolerances. In many instances, the rotors cannot be reused. At CMP, we do not reuse internal component parts, which means we had to begin manufacturing the rotors.”

Another cutting edge technology, Kannan says, is the turbo compressor. “In turbo compressors, we have frictionless bearing; there is no restriction for the speed,” he says. “At a high speed you get high capacity.”

I am proud to be an Emirati and have lived in the UAE and seen it grow. I am proud and am learning from what is going on and the vision and leadership and how they are treating the people and that I am getting the opportunity in the UAE. The government believes in young people. I need to not merely write my name in this country but to carve it in the UAE for something that would benefit the country. We call it Al Naksha Al Hajjar in Arabic.

H.E. Abdulla Abdulqader Al Maeeni, Acting Director General, Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology

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perspective

Refrigeration

...and never the twain shall meet

Hasan Al-Harahsheh is the Regional Business Development Manager, Industrial Refrigeration (Middle East) at Johnson Controls. He can be contacted at hasan.alharahsheh@jci.com

Commercial and industrial refrigeration – are they two different industries? Hasan S Al-Harahsheh elaborates on the topic.

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F

or many years, it was a given that industrial refrigeration was equal to ammonia systems and that commercial refrigeration was equal to “Freon” systems.

In other words, the relation was not to the application or to the cooling capacity, which was strange, because some “Freon” systems have a very high capacity and, in some cases, can exceed the capacity of many industrial systems. A possible answer for the bizarre situation was perhaps that legislators wished for a clear definition of the two different sectors for legislative purposes.

In recent years, we have been witness to a trend of

wider use of the so-called natural refrigerants – ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons and water – to the extent that they have entered the “Freon” markets. The most notable “invasion” is in the supermarket sector, which for many is synonymous with commercial refrigeration. Indeed, carbon dioxide systems have entered the supermarket sector, and what’s more – they are gaining a bigger market share by the day and are becoming the industry standard in many countries, especially in the cooler climes north of the Alps.

Does that mean supermarkets are synonymous with industrial systems? No, because the supermarket business is very special and has its own norms and standards.

All components are exchangeable in the industrial compressor, which is not the case with commercial compressors

At the same time, we are witness to the deployment of carbon dioxide in systems with higher capacities. In some cases – in warm climates – carbon dioxide is being used in cascade systems.

In cascade systems, one system – the high-temperature side – cools the condenser of the low-temperature side; this procedure can be executed with carbon dioxide. The high-stage system can be any refrigerant, such as ammonia, hydrocarbon or even HFC. Does this, then, make the system a commercial one? Not necessarily, because here, we look at the size and the application. But why the difference?

May 2015

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perspective

Refrigeration

Another approach is to look at the level of application or the customer. If we can apply the word, ‘industry’ at the end of the sector name, would that work? It is possible to some extent – but with some limitations. It will work in the case of the meat-processing industry, seafood industry, dairy industry, ice-cream industry, bakery industry and the pharmaceutical industry, but what about the small systems used for personal cooling, often referred to as mini-splits? Are they now industrial systems?

Splits constitute a separate issue, though, because they are often clearly marked: ‘Not to be used in industrial areas’, but… that does not necessarily stop their deployment.

However, we are getting closer to a viable solution. Let’s consider those systems that cool a production of some magnitude or, perhaps, are even integrated as part of an equipment. Can they be regarded as industrial?

Yes, but there is a lower limit.

An ice dispenser in a smallsized or large store is not an industrial system, because it is in a store. So here, we are discussing the size and the place of use.

Taking the discussion farther, would you classify air conditioning systems found in airports and shopping malls as industrial or commercial?

And what about ammonia or hydrocarbon systems found in hospitals, universities, banks and office buildings? There are

An objective analysis will reveal that all refrigerants have an element of danger to them

always grey areas that make these definitions more or less questionable.

A look at an industrial unit and a commercial unit could perhaps give us some clues of a definition? If we look at a commercial unit, its frame and construction is often less rigid than its industrial counterpart.

Also, the execution of the industrial system is heavier with bigger compressors and with the motors specifically optimised for the system’s requirements.

Commercial compressors are produced by the thousands and are mostly either hermetic or so-called semi-hermetic in design.

The expected useable lifetime of a system can also be a good measurement. If the expected lifetime of a given compressor is more than 25 years and is designated for year-round use, with many hours of operation in a day, it can be considered as industrial in nature. Industrial systems are often also backed up by additional capacity, in case of a breakdown, because the cost of a stand-still in production can be unacceptably high. On the other hand, the average lifetime of a hermetic or semi-hermetic compressor is about 10 to 15 years.

Industrial systems are often more efficient than commercial systems, because they are designed for the purpose.

With proper maintenance, industrial compressors can be in operation for very many years. All components are

exchangeable in the industrial compressor, which is not the case with commercial compressors. For example, if you damage the cylinder wall in a commercial compressor, you cannot change the cylinder liner – the only option is to get a new compressor. In the case of an industrial compressor if you change the cylinder liner… voila, you have a new compressor!

Industrial refrigeration units are often perceived as being very expensive compared to commercial units. This is not always a fair assessment if you consider their lifetime, durability, reliability, efficiency and serviceability. Add to this the fact that industrial systems can be based on any refrigerant of the customer’s choice or legislative limits.

Industrial refrigeration systems are mostly purpose-designed for a hard-working life, with the focus on reliability, efficiency and safety. One may ask if ammonia is not a dangerous fluid. An objective analysis will reveal that all refrigerants have an element of danger to them. Also, there is no evidence telling us that ammonia is any more dangerous than other refrigerants. To state the obvious, the only refrigerant that we can inhale in unlimited volumes is clean atmospheric air at normal atmospheric pressures. However, divers will tell you that under a certain level, atmospheric air is toxic, as well! 

The more honourable soldier is the unknown soldier. I am grateful to be born and to be living in this part of the world. I have travelled all over, but no one has been pampered as much as we. The UAE government supports us like nowhere else. We don’t pay taxes, but we get a lot, and so as a citizen I feel obliged to give back to this country.

Eqbal Al Yousuf, President of Al Yousuf Group

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May 2015

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UAE State of Energy report second edition scheduled for publication Ministry of Energy calls for participation from interested authors

Diginitaries including H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei and H.E. Saeed Al Tayer during the announcement

H

.E. Eng Suhail Al Mazrouei, the UAE Minister of Energy, has announced October 22 as the publication date of the second edition of the UAE State of Energy Report, in time for the International World Energy

Day. According to a press communiqué, the announcement was made in the presence of H.E. Saeed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of DEWA. “In Columbia, the UAE Ministry of Energy presented the report as part of its bidding

du releases fourth Annual Sustainability Report Says it hopes to encourage other companies to practice transparency

M

aintaining that it is among the few organisations in MENA to submit a Communication on Progress (COP) at the UNGC (United Nations Global Compact) Advanced level, du announced in April the release of its fourth Annual Sustainability Report, as per the directions of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4.

“Our aim is to lead by example in such responsible institutional practices and encourage various companies in the region to follow suit by being more transparent with their businesses practices,” said Osman Sultan, CEO of du.

In line with EXPO 2020 objectives, and as an

process to host the World Energy Congress in 2019 in Abu Dhabi,” Al Mazrouei said, “which we have succeeded in achieving because of the efforts of the teams of H.E. Dr Matar Al Neyadi, Undersecretary for Energy, and the contributions of

Emirati telecommunications company, du said that its commitment to achieving the UAE’s Vision 2021 is portrayed through achievements towards Emiratisation, environmental impact and its commitment to nurturing young talent within the community.

Recalling last year, du said that it was among the first companies, and the only telecommunications operator, that adopted the New Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 Comprehensive guidelines, launched in May 2013 in the Netherlands. The company expressed its hope that more companies would be encouraged to adopt what it referred to as the “most contemporary standard of reporting”.

The GRI-G4 standards encourage companies to report only on what matters to them, to review their impacts both upstream and downstream, and require a larger number of disclosures covering the organisation, its governance practices, supply chain and more.

Sustaina bility repo rt 2014

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our esteemed partners.”

The first-ever UAE State of Energy Report, released in October 2014, was the product of a partnership agreement between the Ministry of Energy and Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence to develop a UAEwide CO2 platform and then publish the results in a report, said the communiqué.

"The UAE State of Energy Report documents the UAE’s success stories in the energy sector, and we are happy to share it with the world,” said Waleed Salman, Chairman of Dubai Carbon Centre. “The publication has proven to facilitate the exchange of ideas and to bring together the key players of the energy sector to work towards a more efficient industry.”

As a knowledge-sharing tool, the report purportedly catalyzes innovation and supports the sustainable development of the federal energy sector.

The Ministry of Energy is said to have begun officially inviting sponsors and authors to participate in this year’s edition of the report. According to the communiqué, the editorial will be open until June 2015.

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Limited funding holds back GCC Cx sector Late involvement in the project forces firms to be reactive instead of proactive

By Fatima de la Cerna | Assistant Editor

M

ajor developers and main contractors in the GCC region understand all too well the role commissioning (Cx) plays in the construction industry, says Lee Hewitt, Operations Manager at Core Emirates.

“They know what can be achieved by early appointment, together with sufficient resource,” he says, but indicates that the need to win contracts often takes precedence, resulting in limited funding for commissioning. “The scope of involvement is often eroded during tender negotiations,” he adds.

Hewitt explains that an issue with funding usually means late appointment for commissioning

Lee Hewitt

agencies. “We are generally asked to commence duties at site after installation has significantly progressed and, almost always, after the construction and handover programmes have been finalised; therefore, we end up being reactive rather than proactive,” he says, adding that

this restricts what they can offer.

“In many cases, we simply provide our clients with damage limitation solutions instead of the perfect indoor air quality expected by the end user.”

Hewitt also cites a challenge that several other experts have pointed out in the past, which is the lack of awareness among clients and project managers of the importance of commissioning and their “lack of recognition that the commissioning process should not, and in many cases cannot, be compressed”.

“Historically, the strategies and philosophies adopted on large-scale projects would filter downwards through the industry,” he says.

“Unfortunately, the pace of this change is slow, largely because large-scale projects will usually have a project timescale running into years, typically five to 10 years, from concept design to handover.”

Hewitt, however, stresses that it’s not all bad news for the sector, saying that he has observed an improvement in the commissioning scene.

“The efforts to increase the developers’ and owners’

Oman workshop puts the spotlight on Renewable Energy Draws the participation of both local and international experts

T

he Research Council (TRC) of Oman, the country’s exclusive research funding body, organised a workshop on Renewable Energy in Muscat on the 8th and the 9th of April as part of its Renewable Energy Strategic Research Programme. An objective of the workshop was to introduce the programme and get feedback from all stakeholders on the proposed research themes.

The workshop, which was attended by experts from countries, like Malaysia,

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Jordan, the UAE and Egypt, also aimed to get benefits from global experience in Renewable Energy research and applications, as well as to facilitate a platform of collaboration between local and international researchers in the field.

Oman’s Renewable Energy programme has identified four themes, which are the use of Renewable Energy for cooling and air conditioning applications; its use in water desalination systems; energy efficiency; and power generation and storage.

understanding of the importance of commissioning management can be seen most strongly through the implementation of government strategies to promote a level of commissioning awareness through all stages of the project’s life,” he says and names Estidama as a particularly notable strategy.

“The Estidama scheme includes mandatory requirements for minimum levels of commissioning and awards additional points in recognition of enhanced commissioning options,” he says.

Hewitt, while acknowledging that “the application of commissioning management philosophies and proper commissioning methods is still very much in its infancy” in the Gulf region, points out that at least the need for change is being recognised.

He forecasts that with the shift in approach, benefits will be observed in the coming years in the form of “enhanced built environments and improved efficiencies and life cycles for the projects being developed and handed over during the next five years”.

MCE Saudi to act as conduit for foreign HVAC technology International manufacturers are reportedly keen on making Saudi Arabia a destination for their products.

and expanding HVAC industry have made Saudi Arabia very attractive to businesses.

And the country’s appeal, Pierini observed, is compounded by its aspirations, and those of the entire GCC region, for energy efficiency and sustainability. He added that, in support of the region’s goals, the companies attending MCE Saudi will be highlighting eco-friendly HVAC solutions.

Other than serving as a platform for ecotechnology, Pierini said that MCE Saudi will also seek to help foreign – European, Magazine adv with bleed.pdf

1

especially – businesses penetrate the market. “For European companies, it is not easy to do it on their own," he said.

"The exhibition will give them a chance to showcase what they have and network with local businesses.”

MCE Saudi will be held at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center (RICEC). It is being organised by Reed Sunaidi Exhibitions, a joint venture between Reed Exhibitions and the Saudibased organiser, Sunaidi Expo.

1/8/15

1:58 PM

By Fatima de la Cerna | Assistant Editor Photo courtesy www.mcexpocomfort-saudi.com

A

biennial event held in Italy, the Mostra Convegno Expocomfort (MCE) had its 39th edition in 2014.

In anticipation of its 40th edition, which is scheduled for March of next year, MCE will spend 2015 establishing its presence outside of Europe through its two new international exhibitions: MCE Asia, in Singapore, and MCE Saudi, which will take place from November 30 to December 2 in Riyadh. Massimiliano Pierini, the Business Unit Director of Reed Exhibitions Italia, said that the Saudi show was originally set for May, but the dates were changed to avoid conflict with another event scheduled for the same period.

Pierini clarified, however, that the change was no problem. “2015 itself is an excellent year to hold the event there.”

Elaborating on his statement, he said, “We investigated the HVAC market, and the results told us Singapore and Saudi Arabia are two of the fastest-growing markets.”

A global cause

The research results, he noted, are reflected in the interest expressed by companies in Europe and other regions to do business in the two nations. He explained that the Kingdom’s strong plans for economic cities

May 2015

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CAREL opens office in Dubai New branch will oversee sales activities in the Middle East

I

sells 77% of its systems directly to those who install them. The Middle East region is central to our business, which is why we have allocated a large initial investment. We expect sales to be in the order of EUR three million in 2015, with the objective of doubling this number by the end of 2017.”

CAREL said that the Dubai office will be a commercial subsidiary, with Shaaban supported by two other professionals. The company shared that the development plan envisages a team that will grow to include eight people by 2017 and that its reference markets are those in which CAREL has extensive experience: control systems for air conditioning and refrigeration in a variety of applications.

n early April, the Italy-headquartered group, CAREL, held an inauguration ceremony for its branch office in Dubai. The company, through a press communiqué, mentioned that the new office will be responsible for sales development on the Arabian Peninsula and in the Middle East, extending to Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. It also stated that heading the new subsidiary will be Yasser N Shaaban, who has over two decades of experience in the HVAC industry.

“The opening of our Dubai subsidiary is part of the strategic development plan we have been implementing for many years now,” said Francesco Nalini, CAREL Managing Director. “It is the approach we have chosen to establish an (L-R) Matteo Zanesco, National Sales Manager; Yasser Shaaban, Managing Director; Marco Galluppi, Member of the Board; Luigi Rossi, President; Luigi extensive local presence, Nalini, CEO considering that CAREL

SWEP checks into the region Heat exchanger company sets up ME office on the back of what it describes as an increase in demand for BPHEs

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aying that brazed plate heat exchangers (BPHEs) are quickly winning ground in District Cooling – thanks to space-saving compactness, high efficiency and low maintenance – which has translated into increase in demand for its brand, SWEP in early March announced it was establishing an office in Dubai.

“We are experiencing growing interest in our BPHE as more and more people discover the advantages,” said Carlo Demalde, Regional Manager (Middle East) at SWEP. “With the widest capacity range on the market, we are successfully replacing other technologies for larger installations, too. Our technology is wellproven with over a million SWEP BPHEs operating in district cooling networks around the world.”

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Added Feras Shoumal, Business Development Manager (Middle East) at SWEP: “Our new office in Dubai will enable us to meet the increasing demand for BPHEs and to better serve our existing customers. It also allows us to support the region’s initiatives to create sustainable cities. For example, the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy is promoting District Cooling as a way to reduce energy consumption. We have the expertise and the solutions, based on BPHEs that offer the most energy-efficient way to transfer heat.”

BPHEs have a significantly more compact design than gasket plate heat exchangers, SWEP said, adding that even its largest model, the B649, is half the weight and footprint of competing technologies, saving space and simplifying installation.

AHRI creates flammable refrigerants subcommittee For the resolution of challenges in the area of research

T

he Research and Technology Committee of AHRI recently established a flammable refrigerants subcommittee that will seek to develop a set of application requirements for the use of 2L refrigerants.

As per the announcement from the institute, the subcommittee will determine gaps in existing flammable refrigerant research, identify organisations willing to collaborate with AHRI and develop a roadmap with priorities and a timeline for how to complete the necessary research.

"The industry needs to develop a complete list of research needs in order to provide the scientific results necessary to support the safe use of flammable refrigerants in the future," said AHRI Director of Research, Xudong Wang. "AHRI will play an important role by establishing collaboration within the industry and among relevant organisations, and by conducting research and publishing relevant results."

According to AHRI, subcommittee members will include flammability experts; standard and code experts; representatives from residential, commercial and refrigeration sectors, including products and applications; and experts in installation, operation and maintenance.

FM EXPO to underscore GCC market potential Will also facilitate dialogue designed to bring more stability to FM industry

R

iding on the booming construction

industry of the GCC region, the facilities management sector is set to enjoy immense business opportunities. In the UAE alone, the FM industry is expected to see its worth reach AED 20 billion in the current year, with significant potential for growth. This development is what the coming FM EXPO intends to highlight, said the organising group, dmg events.

The FM EXPO, which will run from

May 18 to 20 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, will address all crucial aspects of the region’s FM sector and current and future industry trends, dmg events said, adding that the EXPO will open up new relevant business opportunities for visitors as well. “Professionals from the facilities management, building maintenance, hygiene, health and safety, energy and environment industries will once again gather for this year’s exhibition,” dmg events said.

Jaafar Shubber, Senior Project Manager of FM EXPO, said: “The upcoming FM EXPO will provide a platform for all stakeholders across the GCC to discuss the flourishing FM industry, its challenges and how they can take advantage of its continuous expansion.

The possibilities are immense given the ongoing construction boom across

the region. Now is the time to examine the industry closely and what better way to do this than to gather all key players and stakeholders under one roof. The FM EXPO will serve as an ideal platform for meaningful dialogues aimed at sustaining and bringing more progress to the regional FM industry.”

According to the organiser, three main events will be co-located with this year’s FM EXPO: Elevators & Access Control (E&AC), Middle East Waste and Recycling; and Commercial Cleaning and Hygiene.

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Kamstrup posts nine per cent growth Turnover and earnings in 2014 the highest in the company’s history

H

aving posted a nine per cent growth in a market purportedly characterised by moderate growth, Kamstrup has declared 2014 a record-breaking year and its (financial year’s) pre-tax profit of EUR 35 million as “very satisfactory”.

Kamstrup revealed that its total turnover increased to EUR 185 million, resulting in a pre-tax profit of EUR 35 million. The level of both turnover and earnings, said Kamstrup, is the highest in the history of the company Attributing the growth it’s enjoying to its investments in product development, Kamstrup said that it has had several successful product launches. The company also indicated that its

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THE THREE FACTORS COMPANY

76

May 2015

Engineering

Energy

Environment

ongoing investment in continued production automation was another factor that contributed to the positive results.

In relation to its increasing investments in the development of new markets and products, and the general market development, Kamstrup said that it considered the year’s results as very satisfactory. “We have increased our sales in all of our business areas, and we’re growing, especially in the international water markets. More and more waterworks have realised that there are major benefits in smart water meters, and we have seen an increasing interest in our water solutions throughout the whole of 2014,” said Per Asmussen, the CEO of Kamstrup.

He added that, in light of Kamstrup’s strengthened sales and marketing activities, the company is optimistic about 2015.

AHr Expo to return to Orlando

F

or its 68th edition, the AHR Expo (International AirConditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition) is returning to Orlando for the first time in six years.

Show Management, which produces and manages the event, relayed the news by way of a press communication.

According to the announcement, the Expo is forecasted to attract more than 35,000 visitors and nearly 2,000 exhibiting companies – covering every segment of the HVACR industry – from 35 countries, and will feature a wide variety of educational sessions. The 2016 AHR Expo will run from January 25 to 27 at Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida.

Ziehl-Abegg wins multiple Stevies Receives five business titles at inaugural German Awards

G

ermany-based Ziehl-Abegg has reported taking home five prizes at the first German edition of the Stevie Awards. The prizes, said the company, were awarded by a jury of 50 and included gold, silver and bronze prizes in the categories of New Products, Manager of the Year and Company of the Year, among others.

Detailing its wins, the company said it received a (New Products) bronze Stevie

Michael Gallagher and Peter Fenkl

for its bionic bio-fan, a gold Stevie for its gearless electric drive for city buses and a (Manager of the Year) silver

Stevie for Peter Fenkl, Chairman of the Board. The statement added that Ziehl-Abegg, as a whole, also earned silver in the ‘Company of the Year’ category.

The German Stevie Awards is an internationally recognised business prize that was presented in Germany for the first time, Ziehl-Abegg said.

The awards ceremony, which also recognised companies, like Hewlett Packard and Deutsche Post DHL or Coca Cola, was held at the RitzCarlton Hotel in Berlin.

"We are delighted that the inaugural German Stevie Awards are honouring such an outstanding group of winners," said Michael Gallagher, President of the Stevie Awards. He described the award ceremony in the German capital as a “historic event”.

CAIRO HEAD OFFICE:

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

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

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

May 2015

77

GLOBAL

ramboll’s 2014 revenue up by eight per cent Company cites highprofile transport projects as a factor behind growth

T

he Denmarkheadquartered Ramboll Group registered an organic growth of three per cent in 2014, which it attributed to the strong organic growth in the UK and Denmark and modest organic growth in Norway, Sweden, Finland and New Markets, as well in

the company’s international business units within Oil & Gas and Energy.

According to the company, its revenue, for the same period, saw an eight per cent increase as measured in local currencies.

The company also shared that, globally, more than 2,000 new colleagues joined after the acquisition of the US-based consultancy, ENVIRON, which was announced at the end of 2014. Ramboll reported that it now has more than 12,300 employees worldwide.

The company said that its operating profit before goodwill amortisation (EBITA) was DKK 413 million compared to DKK 390 million in 2013, giving an EBITA margin of five per cent, on the same level as in 2013.

Ramboll explained that the unchanged EBITA margin was

a result of improvements in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, New Markets and its international Energy business unit. This was allegedly offset by declining margins in the UK, Norway and its international business units within Management Consulting and Oil & Gas. Another factor behind its growth in 2014, Ramboll said, was its success in securing several high-profile transport infrastructure contracts in the Nordics, as well as a number of hallmark projects in other regions, such as the Middle East. Ramboll added that the project wins include a pilot scheme for a new high-speed rail crossing over Vejle Fjord in Denmark, project planning for an express light rail link between Helsinki and Espoo

in Finland, and a signalling scheme for the Oslo-Ski rail line In Qatar, Ramboll is the Design Verification Engineer of The Green Line in Doha, a project comprising 16.6 km of twin-bore tunnels, six underground stations and a number of other constructions.

“By utilising our global competence base more effectively, we have succeeded in winning a number of the largest and most exciting infrastructure projects in the Nordics and the Middle East," aid Ramboll CEO, Jens-Peter Saul. "This includes utilisation of our global engineering centre in New Delhi, India, which is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage when bidding for buildings and transport projects in our traditional home markets.

Systemair acquires Menerga sales company Will keep employees and manage as a separate group

S

weden-based Systemair has acquired Menerga AS, the distributor of Menerga products in Norway. The press communiqué that relayed the acquisition said that the sales company achieved a turnover of SEK 55 million in 2014. Menerga AS, said the announcement, has an office located in Hvalstad, outside MILLION Oslo, including a national service TURNOVER organisation. The distributor, with 17 employees, will continue to be managed as a separate company with current management and staff, Systemair said.

"Norway is one of our largest and most important markets, and with the acquisition of Menerga AS, we will continue to strengthen our position as market leader in ventilation in Norway,” said Gerald Engström, CEO Systemair. “Menerga AS is well-known and well-established in the Norwegian ventilation market and will contribute in improved profitability for the Group."

SEK 55

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May 2015

Neptune Benson acquires Sonitec Vortisand

Commenting on the acquisition, Kenneth Rodi, CEO of Neptune Benson, stated, “We are pleased to welcome Sonitec to Neptune Benson. The acquisition of Sonitec expands Neptune’s presence in the industrial process markets and complements our ETS UV product line with many applications in industrial process water treatment. The addition of Sonitec fits well with our strategy.”

On the matter of the acquisition, Sonitec co-owners, Denis Deschenes and Maurice Piché, conveyed optimism, saying, “The synergies with Neptune Benson sales network… will accelerate the market penetration of Sonitec and provide the company with a strong base in the USA.”

Both companies are expecting stronger market presence to result from the agreement

N

eptune Benson, a supplier of engineered products serving the aquatics, industrial and municipal markets, has announced the acquisition of Sonitec Vortisand Inc. Founded in 1986 and based in Canada, Sonitec engineers and manufactures submicron automatic sand filtration products serving the industrial process water treatment market.

Neptune Benson, by way of a press communiqué, said that Sonitec’s patented H2F Vortisand filter is uniquely positioned to solve filtration challenges on applications with higher flow rates while substantially reducing equipment footprint and providing significant water savings. The company added that with over 2,500 installations worldwide, Sonitec is well positioned to solve demanding filtration challenges across the globe.

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May 2015

79

GLOBAL

CRH 2015

CHINA REFRIGERATION 2015

... IN PICTURES

HC C

H A R T L A N D

Larry Tan, General Manager, Yilida

Julie Chen, International Cooperation and Trading Dept Manager, Menred

Harrison Lee, President, Hailin Energy Technology Inc

Judy Wang, Media Representative in Asia (except in India), CPI Industry

C O N T R O L S

H

eadquartered in Rock Falls in IL, USA, Hartland Controls was founded in 2002 by former Products Unlimited employees who had a goal of developing a company that was focused on the HVAC and related marketplace, and of providing superior products and services. From the beginning, HC was able to provide the right mix, leading to year-over-year growth and success.

Hartland Controls is dedicated to the Middle East HVACR market, with its major OEM customers and master distributors in the region, such as Fadhel alKazemi, the CEO and Founder of Kazema Parts and Supplies in Kuwait. He has been Hartland Controls’ main agent in Kuwait, and since 2002, Kazema Parts and Supplies has been very active with Hartland Controls, catering to the HVACR market in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.

The Hartland Controls management team values the relationship with Kazema Parts and Supplies and the commitment Fadhel alKazemi has shown through the years.

Ala Al Jaber, Middle East Area Manager, Hartland Controls and John Varghese, Director, Kazema Supply and Parts, KSCC WWW.HARTLANDCONTROLS.COM | aljaber@hartlandcontrols.com | GSM: +962 79 5471784

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May 2015

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GLOBAL NEWS BRIEFS AHRI publishes US shipment data on heating and cooling equipment Figures reflect growing market for oil-fired warm air furnace

A

ccording to a report recently released by AHRI, US shipments of gas warm air furnaces for February dipped to 177,007 units, a 2.3% decrease from 181,122 units shipped in the same month last year. Oil warm air furnace shipments, on the other hand, registered a 14.2% increase, going up to 2,557 units from last year’s 2,239.

The report also revealed data on central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps. It indicated that US shipments of central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps totalled 475,926 units in February 2015, up 19.9% from 396,863 units shipped in February 2014.

US shipments of air conditioners increased 22.3%, to 295,479 units, up from 241,546 units shipped in February 2014. US shipments of air-source heat pumps increased 16.2%, to 180,447 units, up from 155,317 units shipped last year.

AHRI said that the industry figures mentioned in its report are estimates derived from the best available figures supplied by a sample of AHRI-member companies and are subject to revision.

Viessmann sees EUR 2.2 billion turnover

T

he Viessmann Group, a producer of heating, cooling and air conditioning technology, has announced that it ended 2014 on a high note, having generated a turnover of around EUR 2.2 billion, which equates to a four per cent increase over the previous year.

The European heating market, the company revealed, shrank by three percent, while the German market gave up four percent. Foreign markets, on the other hand, contributed 56% to the total sales.

"We are content with this development. We were able to improve our market position,” said Martin Viessmann, the company's CEO and President of the Supervisory Board.

The company also shared that the number of its employees, at 11,500, grew around one per cent; whereas, its expenditures for Research and Development remained unchanged at four per cent of the turnover, with a total of EUR 90 million invested.

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May 2015

ADAO holds conference on asbestos awareness Puts the spotlight on global efforts against asbestos exposure

T

he Asbestos Disease Awareness Organisation (ADAO) staged its 11th Annual Asbestos Awareness Conference from April 17 to 19 in Washington DC, USA. The press communiqué from ADAO said that the theme of the event, ‘Where Knowledge and Action Unite’, was debated over and supported with presentations from 40 asbestos experts and victims coming together from across the world.

With asbestos as a known carcinogen, the association said that the latest developments in disease prevention, global advocacy and treatment for mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused diseases were placed at the top of the conference agenda.

The conference, ADAO said, also underscored its new ‘Hear Asbestos. Think Prevention.’ campaign, which is focused on continual global efforts aimed at preventing asbestos exposure to help end the tragedy of asbestos disease.

“Only 55 countries have banned asbestos despite the unquestionable facts and countless deaths,” said Linda Reinstein, ADAO President and Co-founder. “We cannot continue the fight to reduce the exposures and deaths alone... If we all work together, we can achieve a worldwide ban and prevent unnecessary deaths.”

Trane chillers get EcoWise endorsement Products were developed to address GHG emissions challenge, says company

A

t the Energispaning conference in Stockholm, Sweden, the Vice President of Product Management and Marketing for Trane in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Jeff Moe, spoke about the “chillers of tomorrow in light of the new F-Gas regulation” and stressed Trane’s commitment to developing solutions that can address challenges, such as “the unsustainable demand for energy resources and its impact on greenhouse gas emissions”.

A press statement from Ingersoll Rand, the company under which Trane operates as a brand, echoed Moe’s sentiments.

It said that Ingersoll Rand announced a climate commitment in September 2014, which has created a roadmap to significantly increase energy efficiency and reduce environmental impact from its operations and product portfolio by 2020.

The commitment, the statement noted, was followed by Ingersoll Rand creating the EcoWise portfolio for its climate and industrial refrigerant-bearing products. According to the statement, the EcoWise products are compatible with and can use next generation low-GWP refrigerants, reduce environmental impact by lowering GHG emissions, and maintain or improve safety and energy efficiency through innovative design. The first Trane products to earn the EcoWise endorsement are the Trane Sintesis air-cooled chiller and the Trane Series E CenTraVac chiller.

ASSOCIATIONS & SOCIETIES

ASHRAE to hold Annual Conference Technical programme will focus on high-performance buildings, refrigeration and the Research Summit

S

et to run from June 27 to July 1, ASHRAE’s 2015 Annual Conference will be staged at the Atlanta Hilton in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States and will feature a technical programme with a strong focus on the design, construction and operation of high-performance buildings, refrigeration and the annual Research Summit.

Information from the organisation about the conference indicated that the most number of sessions scheduled is on the topic of building operation, maintenance and optimisation/ commissioning track. ASHRAE noted that advanced design guidance, modelling and Indoor Air Quality are also on the agenda, with data centres, weather data and BIM the topics covered in the Modelling throughout the Building Life Cycle Track session.

As for the third annual Research Summit, it will bring together researchers to present and discuss the latest research, ASHRAE

•

•

•

said. It added that papers and presentations describing ASHRAErelated research as well as papers from societies and associations worldwide will be presented.

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• 100+ AHU’s – Emirates Towers – Dubai

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Tel: +971 4 4525623 Fax: +971 4 4525628 Email: info@cheqpoint.com Website: www.cheqpoint.com Contact person: Mr. Harminder Singh & Mr. Jay Deliwala Cheqpoint Certifications: ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007 and a proud member of USGBC

May 2015

83

MARKETPLACE

danfoss intermediate discharge Valves (idVs)

Ecobeam series

Danfoss

esiccant Rotors International (DRI) has announced the launch of its next generation of chilled beams, which – claims the company – were developed in Asia for Asia and other high humid areas around the world. Dubbed the ‘Ecobeam’ series, the new chilled beam range is described

by DRI as the largest range available in the market and an excellent companion to a good DOAS (dedicated outdoor air system).

According to DRI, the product features an innovative design that, combining the nozzle and venturi, offers high induction ratios. DRI further claims that the latest CFD techniques, correlated with the best in shadowgraph techniques, were used in the development of the Ecobeam range of chilled beams.

DRI

H

aving expressed its support for system designs that use low-GWP refrigerants and demonstrate efficient performance, Danfoss recently revealed a new line of Intermediate Discharge Valves (IDVs).

The IDVs, Danfoss said, are located close to the discharge side of the compressor and can reduce excessive compression of refrigerant under part-load conditions while maintaining the same cooling capacity. The company further mentioned that the IDVs open when the discharge pressure falls below the built-in optimisation point and adapt the effort of the motor to the system’s varying load and pressure conditions, thus reducing the effort and electrical consumption of the motor.

IDV technology in Danfoss scrolls enhances system efficiency, on average, by 15% in W/W chillers and by five per cent in A/W chillers with a tandem, dual-circuit configuration, the company said.

BiTZEr software 6.4.3 BITZER

D

W

ith its selection software 6.4.3, BITZER has expressed confidence that users will be able to establish for themselves if the new refrigerants with low global warming potential (GWP) can be used for their existing or planned refrigeration systems, and what effect they will have on the performance data of the compressors.

“BITZER is the first compressor manufacturer in the world to fully test and document the refrigerants R448A, R449A, R450A and R513A,” the company said in a press announcement. “The four new refrigerants are approved for compressors, such as those in the (BITZER) ECOLINE series.”

The company also mentioned that in addition to the ECOLINE series, the semi-hermetic screw compressors of the HSK/HSN series with R448A (N-40) and R449A (XP40) can also be designed in the software.

The main features of the program, said BITZER, include the rapid calculation of performance data and a virtually displayed refrigeration system, where users can modify various components as they wish. It added that users can also set individual parameters by means of input fields and select the individual BITZER compressors, which will be displayed within the system with their respective performance data. This, said the company, provides users with important technical information, calculation results and individually defined performance tables for the compressors, which they can then print out or save in PDF format.

LOOKING FOR HVACR PRODUCTS? 84

May 2015

Sinamics S120 Cabinet Modules Siemens

W

ith its liquid-cooled Sinamics S120 Cabinet Modules frequency converter, Siemens believes air conditioning can be rendered unnecessary. The company describes its product as a converter for use in harsh ambient conditions, offering efficient heat dissipation. This means, says Siemens, that there is no need for air conditioning, thus markedly reducing energy consumption.

The company also claims that the product’s layout is optimised and its cooling is effective, and that both help reduce the module’s

Titan S1864C

LG Electronics

C

laiming that it can deliver optimum performance even during the humid summer months, LG Electronics said the Titan S1864C split air conditioner comes with a tropical compressor that holds verification by TUV Rheinland.

The company, giving details about the verification, shared that the product excelled when tested if it can withstand extreme conditions, such as high temperature conditions up to 58 degrees C. DY Kim, President of LG Electronics Gulf, said, “Our latest

footprint. The liquid-cooled Sinamics S120 Cabinet Modules frequency converter is integrated into commercially available engineering tools, making ordering easier, says the company.

Siemens explains that the Sinamics S120 Cabinet Modules frequency converters are part of a modular cabinet system for multi-motor drives, and that it has extended this portfolio with the intention of making the product available for use in harsh environments, as is the case in the mining or steel industry.

LG Titan S1864C is the ideal air conditioner for every household.”

He added, “We believe that it is important to prioritise convenience and needs, which is why we ensured that the Titan S1864C delivers a durable and power cooling experience.”

According to the company, its Titan S1864C/S2464C split air conditioner promises even air dispersion at high speeds with its jet cool feature, guaranteeing prompter cooler by five degrees C within three minutes. This, said LG, is 20% faster in comparison to other split air conditioners.

LG also shared that its latest air conditioner line boasts a 10-metre windblast, optimised airflow, a new fluid dynamic framework design, an adjustable six-step vertical vane and five-step horizontal louvre, which supposedly allows the air conditioner to cool specific areas much faster.

SG commercial classic GEA Heat Exchangers

T

he SG commercial classic air cooler satisfies complex commercial refrigeration requirements in the production and processing of open and pre-packed food, GEA Heat Exchangers said and described its new product as the optimal air cooler for applications dealing with stored goods.

The company claimed that the product’s parallel tubing system permits less dehumidification of the air than a conventional air cooler with staggered tubing, and that its application range, depending on configuration, extends from medium temperature cooling to freezing, going as low as -25 degrees C room temperature.

“What makes the new SG commercial classic a stand-alone air cooler range is primarily its standardised equipment,” said GEA Heat Exchangers in a press announcement. “The finish of the casing components, with their food-safe and environmentally friendly powder coating, provides a surface structure that is resistant to scratches, impacts, and corrosion.”

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May 2015

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