Acroct17 web

VOLUME 3 No9 ISSN 2058-4407

Essential Information for the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry

POWER SUPPLY ISSUES? NOT A CHALLENGE FOR THE PANASONIC GHP SYSTEM!

New ECO G GE3 series - providing eco-friendly heating, cooling and hot water

OCTOBER 2017

Ideal when electrical supplies are limited

Generating heating and cooling to meet high DHW demand

With a gas driven compressor that consumes 9% of the power of the ECOi VRF, the GE series is perfect for projects with limited electrical supply.

The GE series utilises exhaust heat to help produce a constant flow of DHW which is perfect for hotels and other housing development applications.

Open and flexible design

Continuous heating down to -20Â°C

The GE series connects to a wide variety of indoor units and controllers from the ECOi range. A pump down system is also available.

Recovery of waste heat stabilises the heating capacity to eliminate the need for the defrost process, even at very low temperatures.

www.aircon.panasonic.eu

For more details, call us on 01344 853182

PROFESSIONAL AC SMART CLOUD

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CATEGORIES ACR Project Heat Pump Product Refrigeration Product Domestic Air Source Project ACR Ancillary Product Domestic Ground Source Project ACR Contractor

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FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO

WWW.ACRHEATPUMPAWARDS.UK

* For only the second time, the RACHP Woman of the Year will be awarded via the ACR & Heat Pump Journal. It recognises extraordinary things that women have done over recent years. Any nominations/suggestions please contact Juliet on: julietl@warnersgroup.co.uk

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21/09/2017 09:38

CONT E NTS

Essential Information for the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry

Guiding you through the F-Gas phase down

Uncertainty still surrounds the F-Gas phase down, so the e�orts of Wolseley Climate Center, in partnership with A-Gas, to cut through the confusion are very welcome. Alongside the ACR Journal this month you will find the RAC Engineer’s Guide to F-Gas, which addresses many of the concerns preventing some people from taking the next step. It pulls together all the relevant information in one handy package and should become an invaluable point of reference throughout the decision-making process. The guide incorporates the views of refrigerant manufacturers, looks at flammability and leak detection, and features an easy-to-understand timeline. There is a comprehensive product overview and the intention is to give readers a full understanding of the options available. Find out more, and how to download the digital version, on page 24. Elsewhere, we look at significant changes to the air conditioning distribution landscape, following Panasonic’s decision to acquire AMP and the news that Oceanair has begun a distribution partnership with Daikin UK. There are also features on Data Centre Cooling and Energy Efficiency, plus a look at reaction to the long-awaited RHI update.

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R EG U L A RS

Enjoy the magazine.

David Editor David Todd 01778 392094 david.todd@warnersgroup.co.uk

06 News 15 Mitsubishi Electric

When is pressure testing appropriate?

Co�ee Break Win great prizes with Refcom

Tools Talk Javac Altima-A2L recovery unit

Chilly Chatter & Chilly Van Long service awards at Williams Refrigeration

Changing Faces Who’s new and who’s moved

DOWNLOAD THE ACR JOURNAL APP

FOR YOUR SMARTPHONE OR TABLET PC

Women in ACR Hayley Nunn of Acorn Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

GET THE LATEST NEWS, FEATURES, UPDATES AND OFFERS OCTOBER 2017

ACR_Oct template_17.indd 4

21/09/2017 11:25

CO N T EN TS

VOLUME 3 No9

ISSN 2058-4407

Essential Information for the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry

POWER SUPPLY ISSUES? NOT A CHALLENGE FOR THE PANASONIC GHP SYSTEM!

New ECO G GE3 series - providing eco-friendly heating, cooling and hot water

OCTOBER 2017

Ideal when electrical supplies are limited

Generating heating and cooling to meet high DHW demand

With a gas driven compressor that consumes 9% of the power of the ECOi VRF, the GE series is perfect for projects with limited electrical supply.

The GE series utilises exhaust heat to help produce a constant flow of DHW which is perfect for hotels and other housing development applications.

Open and flexible design

Continuous heating down to -20°C

The GE series connects to a wide variety of indoor units and controllers from the ECOi range. A pump down system is also available. www.aircon.panasonic.eu

Recovery of waste heat stabilises the heating capacity to eliminate the need for the defrost process, even at very low temperatures.

For more details, call us on 01344 853182

PROFESSIONAL AC SMART CLOUD

acrjournal.uk UK AD ecoG for ACR Oct17_Cover.indd 1 cover.indd 1

11/09/2017 13:37 15:03 15/09/2017

About our front cover: www.aircon.panasonic.eu

Multimedia Account Manager James Knight 01778 395029 jamesk@warnersgroup.co.uk

What's New

F E AT U R E S Air Conditioning

12 Panasonic swoops for AMP 16 Easy does it for Fujitsu Comfort Club

Chillers

17 LG launches new range in UK Data Centre Cooling

20 The impact of

Artificial Intelligence

Theresa Geeson 01778 392046 theresag@warnersgroup.co.uk

Editorial Design Development Design

Advertising Design Natalie Reynolds

Production

Energy Efficiency

36 Zoning in on destratification 38 HVAC key to laboratory design Wholesale

50 RW spreading the word Heat Pumps

44 Questions over heat network

design practices

Refrigerants

26 Supply and demand

Sue Ward 01778 392405 production@warnersgroup.co.uk

Subscriptions Single copy £3.00; Annual UK subscription £35.00 Overseas £65.00

Publishing Editor Juliet Loiselle CompCIPHE 01778 391067 julietl@warnersgroup.co.uk

Refrigeration

28 Ammonia: Do it right and reap

the benefits

30 Cutting lifetime compressor costs

ACR_Oct template_17.indd 5

CMYKCMYK / .ai / .ai CMYK / .ai

46 Life’s a beach for Kensa

PRINTED BY WARNERS 01778 395111

acrjournal.uk 21/09/2017 09:45

NE W S

TESCO CONVERTS THAI STORES TO SOLSTICE N40

Thai retailer Tesco Lotus is converting 900 Express stores to Honeywell’s Solstice N40 refrigerant to reduce carbon emissions. It is the first implementation in Asia of Solstice N40, the non-flammable replacement for R404A, in the supermarket industry. Tesco Group — the global parent company of Tesco Lotus in Thailand — is upgrading its supermarket refrigeration systems worldwide to lower-GWP refrigerants as part of its commitment to reduce its carbon footprint. By converting all of its 1,500 Express stores in Thailand over the next two years to Solstice N40 (R448A), the retail giant aims to achieve energy savings of up to 10%. This is equivalent to removing more than 67,000 cars from the road. The Thai government’s national Energy Efficiency Development Plan (EEDP)

targets long-term (2011-2030) energy conservation, both at the national level and within specific energy-consuming sectors including the transportation, commercial and residential sectors. Supermarkets are the most energyintensive type of commercial building because of their large refrigeration systems, which can account for as much as half of their total energy use. Miroslav Friml, Property Director, Tesco Lotus, said: “Tesco Lotus is committed to being a green retailer. We are proud to be the first retailer in Asia to switch to a more environmentally friendly refrigerant. Honeywell’s Solstice N40 meets our key criteria for energy efficiency and performance.’’ It is also an easy replacement for our current refrigerant, ensuring no disruption for the 15 million customers we serve on a weekly basis,” said Miroslav Friml, Property Director, Tesco Lotus.

BITZER PAYS TRIBUTE TO MAURICE KING BITZER UK has paid tribute to Maurice King, a former long-serving employee and industry stalwart, who has died aged 72. Maurice, who passed away on 1 September, joined Thermotank as an apprentice in 1960, at the age of 15. He retired from BITZER UK in January 2010, after 50 years’ service with the company during its many transitions. During his long career he became an expert in BITZER technology and its application, progressing from apprentice to draughtsman, Admiralty Contracts Engineer, Commercial Engineer, Sales Engineer and Sales Oﬃce Supervisor. Kevin Glass, Managing Director of BITZER UK, said: “Maurice spent his entire career working with BITZER in its many forms over ﬁve decades. His long service is a testimony to his loyalty and commitment. Maurice will be remembered by colleagues and industry peers for his outstanding technical knowledge, good humour and indefatigable character. On behalf of all at BITZER UK, we wish to express our gratitude for Maurice’s many years of service and send sincere condolences to his family and many friends.”

Earn CPD hours with Waterloo Designers, speci�ers, contractors, consultants and building engineers can earn CPD hours through the Waterloo Air Products course, ‘An Introduction to Air Distribution’. The course covers the basics of air distribution including typical air movement e�ects, cooling systems, the e�ect of heat gains, alternate systems and selection guidance.

“It’s so important to share knowledge and information with industry peers,” says Rick Edmondson, chairman at Waterloo. “Working collaboratively doesn’t start or end with each project. It’s an ongoing process to ensure people who work in our industry have access to the best information possible.” The presentations will be followed by a Q&A and the course is free to attend at Waterloo’s oﬃces in Kent or Manchester. They can also be arranged at customers’ premises.

www.waterloo.co.uk

OCTOBER 2017

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19/09/2017 13:45

NE W S

HUMIDITY KEY TO IAQ Businesses have been urged to pay attention to humidity in buildings to maintain good indoor environmental quality. BSRIA says it is well documented that humidity plays an important role in assuring the wellbeing of building occupants. People in the UK spend over 80% of their time indoors and, with around 90% of the associated costs of a building being staff related, providing good indoor environmental quality is essential. Blanca Beato-Arribas, asset performance team leader at BSRIA, said: “Humidity extremes are undesirable and affect human comfort, productivity and health. Controlling the humidity levels and regular maintenance of the systems in an office building will avoid future costly problems related to mould growth and also contribute to the wellbeing and productivity of the occupants.” www.bsria.co.uk

OVERCLEAN FIRST TO EARN LPCB APPROVAL

Specialist ventilation hygiene company Overclean has gained approval to the new BRE Loss Prevention Certi�cation Board standard for inspection, cleaning and maintenance of ductwork systems.

Fri-Jado chilled counter

FOR M&S

Uxbridge-based Fri-Jado has installed a 5m chilled counter alongside further cooking and merchandising equipment at a new 10,000 sq ft Marks & Spencer (M&S) Foodhall in Chichester, West Sussex. The chilled counter runs on a CO2 system, which is not only energy e�cient, but also demonstrates zero ozone depleting characteristics and a negligible global warming potential.

A feature of the counter units is their one piece square glass design, which eliminates the need for a metal framework, providing an unobstructed view of food for increased sales. Internal illumination further enhances product visibility. The glass fascia lifts up within its own space for ease of cleaning and customer safety. Fri-Jado’s sister company, TEC Line, worked closely with the contractors at the store in the installation and commissioning of the equipment supplied. In addition, Fri-Jado personnel spent several days on site, before and after the store opening, providing handson training to ensure that M&S employees were fully familiar with the equipment used. www.frijado.co.uk

CSR treat for pet supplies �rm

Cold Store Rentals has helped a pet supplies company to keep its raw food products in prime condition… and reduce the �rm’s carbon footprint.

Scruﬄes Pet Supplies, based in Tewkesbury, stocks raw and natural based products and, until this year, was using 29 individual freezers to store the products. Working with Steve Prior, Managing Director of Cold Store Rentals, owners Melanie and Rob Lees were guided through the diﬀerent options and decided on a walk-in freezer to replace the separate units. The 36m2 freezer currently stores around 15 tonnes of pet food but has a much bigger capacity, if required. It uses less energy and enables the business to maintain better temperature control. Rob said: “We strongly believe that feeding your pet the natural way with no additives or preservatives gives your pet the best diet possible – and to do this you need to have the right quality chilled and cold storage equipment in place.’’

Overclean is the first company to be audited and approved to this standard, being listed on the Red Book Live website. Chief Executive Peter Reid said: ” We are immensely proud to receive this approval. This is the first time in our industry we have a third-party approval giving clients peace of mind in their selection of a company” Inspection, cleaning and maintenance of ductwork has become an important part of building facility requirements in the search for better indoor air quality and building energy efficiencies. Insurance companies are aware of the essential requirement to undertake cleaning ventilation systems to prevent the build-up of grease and dust in ducts to prevent fires. OCTOBER 2017

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N EW S

AIRFLOW HELPS DELIVER UK’S LARGEST PASSIVE HOUSE SCHEME

Air�ow Developments has helped deliver the UK’s largest Passive House development in Leicester. The Heathcott Road social housing project comprises 68 new dwellings, all benefitting from a Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) unit, including DV96 Adroit from Airflow Developments. The site is also the largest housing scheme of its type in Europe to receive the status. Robert Dennis, product marketing executive at Airflow Developments, said: “With all buildings now fully occupied and Passive House approved, we believe Heathcott Road represents an example of what all future housing developments both private and social should aspire to be.” Passive House certified buildings are required to provide a high level of occupant comfort while using minimal

energy for heating and cooling. As such, the Heathcott Road dwellings have been designed for optimum thermal efficiency and exceptional air tightness – ensuring residents will not use excessive energy heating their homes. To achieve Passive House certification and meet airtightness criteria, each dwelling at Heathcott Road could not exceed 0.6 m3/hr/m2 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals pressure (ACH50). In fact, many of the dwellings were air tight to an exceptional infiltration level of just 0.2 m3/hr/m2 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals pressure (ACH50). As such, the DV96 Adroit MVHR units were specified to prevent the build-up of indoor air

pollutants that can prove to be harmful to human health and the building fabric. The Passive House certified DV96 Adroit recovers valuable heat that would typically be lost as part of the ventilation process and uses this energy to prewarm fresh, filtered air that is constantly brought in from outside and circulated within the home. This process helps to maintain the property’s temperature and reduces energy consumption. Adroit MVHR units incorporate low energy EC fans, a unique triple filter system that prevents airborne pollutants as small as carbon from entering the property, frost protection, an automatic 100% summer bypass facility and also feature an intelligent inbuilt temperature and humidity sensor. www.airflow.com

F-GAS Guide: Everything you need to know before 2018. CMYKCMYK / .ai / .ai CMYK / .ai

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NE W S

STAR REFRIGERATION BACK ON THE ROAD Star Refrigeration’s national roadshow is hitting the road again this month, with free CPD sessions in Sheffield, Bristol, Glasgow, and London as part of the tour. Offering free industry advice, the free event aims to raise awareness of the most common issues affecting the refrigeration and heating industry today. Engineering experts from Star Refrigeration will address topics such as F-Gas regulations, energy efficiency, natural refrigerants , waste heat and regulatory updates. The 2017 roadshow kicks off on 17 October in Sheffield at the Magna Science Centre, then travels to Bristol at the

Aerospace Museum on 18 October. The Star team will then deliver seminars in London on 19 October at the Canada Water Culture Space before completing the tour at the Science Museum in Glasgow on 25 October. Each event will start at 8.30 am with breakfast followed by five CPD presentations and Q&A sessions. The seminars will aim to finish by 11am and there will then be an hour for customers to arrange meetings with members of the Star team for further discussion. Register at:

www.2017roadshow.eventbrite.co.uk

Oceanair appointed Daikin distribution partner Oceanair has been appointed as a distribution partner for Daikin in the UK.

Tony Evanson, Oceanair Managing Director, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Daikin. The company’s strong market share reflects its vast range of equipment and allows us to enter new markets, offering customers state-of-the-art solutions. “With our current product offering, we already know how to be competitive and develop innovative, energy efficient solutions. By expanding our range to include Daikin products, we aim to grow the business by adding new technologies to target new business areas.” Mark Dyer, sales director for Daikin UK, said: “We have been particularly impressed by Oceanair’s dedication to providing a top quality service to their customers. The Oceanair team is highly focused and has already completed product training, led by Daikin UK experts, to understand how Daikin products can be best applied to create the most energy efficient solutions.’’

From left, Martin Krutz, Managing Director at Daikin UK, Lee Nicholls, Branch Director at Daikin UK Tony Evanson, Managing Director at Oceanair UK Ltd. and Mark Dyer, Sales Director at Daikin UK

OCTOBER 2017

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NEXT IOR PRESIDENT CONFIRMED

Kevin Glass will be the next President of the Institute of Refrigeration.

The BITZER UK Managing Director was proposed by the IOR’s executive council in July from a list of 15 potential candidates and, as no other nominations have been put forward by the membership, there will be no ballot this year. He will support the existing president, Steve Gill, until his term of oﬃce ends in November 2018. Kevin has been with BITZER UK for more than 30 years, the last six as MD. He is a member of the IOR’s board of trustees and sits on the membership committee. Three candidates are standing for election to the IOR’s Board of Trustees. Rob Lamb of Star Refrigeration, John Austin-Davies of Epta or Graeme Fox of BESA are candidates for the two places available on what is also known as the IOR Council. Voting closes on 1 November.

Nominations time for J&E Hall Gold Medal The IOR is seeking nominations for the J&E Hall International Gold Medal. Now in its 40th year, the award is given in recognition of outstanding technical achievements in refrigeration and related ﬁelds. The presentation will take place at the 118th Institute of Refrigeration Annual Dinner in London and the winner will receive a gold medal to hold for one year, a silver replica to keep and a cash award of £5,000. Information about the award and a nomination pack is available at www.ior.org.uk/awards or email ior@ior.org.uk All nominations must include a contact address, email address and a few words about the nature of the achievement of the nominee. Nominations are requested by the 15 October 2017.

Titan’s HDB now in stainless Titan Engineering has launched a Witt stainless steel oil drain vessel, the HDB3, which can also be used as an oil distribution vessel.

This type of equipment is usually produced from carbon steel but Titan says that despite the improved quality of stainless over carbon there is very little price difference and the reason for this is that in modern systems as well as an oil connection vessel it can alternate the process and collect oil. Another advantage claimed for the HDB is that it does not require maintenance or insulation. It is normally sufficient to use ambient heat to evaporate any liquid refrigerant that accumulates but an electrical heater element can be fitted to the thermowell if necessary. Additionally all required nozzles are incorporated into the HDB3 – connections are provided for min/max level control and with the optional oil sensor a demandactuator can be activated. It can be installed suspended from above or supported from below by means of threaded mounting pads top and bottom, using standard mounting brackets. The settlement of any dirt or sludge has been taken into account and its subsequent carry-over is mitigated by the design. Total volume is 39 litres and useable volume 30 litres. www.titan-engineering.co.uk

EMERGENCY RENTAL RESPONSE LEADS TO LONG-TERM CONTRACT Carrier Rental Systems has supplied a long-term rental cooling solution exceeding 1 MegaWatt (MW) to one of the UK’s leading window manufacturers, following a chiller breakdown that halted production at its factory.

The failed unit provided all chilled water requirements for the window manufacturer. Following the breakdown, Carrier Rental Systems responded to an emergency call from the company to advise on a solution to enable production to resume as quickly as possible. Carrier Rental Systems completed an onsite survey to assess the cooling requirements, and recommended a solution to meet the tight temperature control requirements of the production process. Carrier Rental Systems supplied and installed three high-performance CRS 402 chillers to replace the failed factory chiller. With a nominal cooling capacity of 395 kilowatts (kW), the chillers provide a combined capacity of 1.19MW of cooling, offering additional capacity to cater for peak loads and future expansion, plus increased resilience to protect against loss of cooling due to planned maintenance. The system proved to be highly efficient and reliable, and following further evaluation of the financial and logistical case, the end user opted to retain the chillers on a long-term five-year hire contract. Carrier Rental Systems installed a permanent pipework arrangement between the chillers and factory. www.carrierrentalsystems.co.uk CMYKCMYK / .ai / .ai CMYK / .ai

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AI R CONDI TI O N I N G

PANASONIC SNAPS UP AMP Acquisition of independent distributor viewed as key part of expansion plans for UK and Europe. Martin Michaelson, Makoto Takahashi, Polly McConachie and Enrique Vilamitjana

anasonic has announced its ambitions for growth in the UK with the acquisition of leading independent distributor AMP.

In a move which surprised many, Panasonic said the deal would provide an opportunity to expand its presence in the UK air conditioning market. AMP, based in Welwyn Garden City, was founded in 1989 and has had long distribution partnerships with Fujitsu, Toshiba and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Toshiba and Fujitsu announced they had terminated their agreements with AMP within days of the acquisition. Toshiyuki Takagi, President, Panasonic Air Conditioner Company, said: “Europe is a key region for our global air conditioning business. Panasonic is committed to being a strategic partner for AMP and we aim to expand our business in Europe through this collaboration.” Panasonic said the acquisition – its ﬁrst worldwide in terms of a distributor

- is part of its overall strategy to grow sales, particularly of its commercial and industrial heating & cooling solutions, and strengthen its aim to provide the most energy eﬃcient systems to the market. Makoto Takahashi, Chief Executive Oﬃcer, Panasonic Appliances Air Conditioning Europe, said: “With AMP’s know-how, Panasonic’s strategy is to expand our business and services to their customers and provide even more comprehensive solutions. We look forward to welcoming AMP and its employees into the Panasonic family.” Polly McConachie and Martin Michaelson, co-managing directors of AMP said: “This is a great opportunity for AMP to expand our air conditioning business in the UK. With the strength and support of Panasonic behind us, we are now able to pursue an exciting growth strategy whilst at the same time supporting Panasonic in their longer term commercial goals in the UK.”

2018 marks Panasonic’s 100th birthday and Enrique Vilamitjana, Chief Operating Officer of Panasonic Home Appliances Air Conditioning Europe, said the next year would see investments of $100 million in manufacturing and a similar amount in R&D. He said: “Europe and the UK have been identified as key areas for growth and we want to be a major player in the UK.’’ He added that the acquisition of AMP had ‘huge potential’ in the bid to become ‘a good No3’ in the UK market and felt that the move would complement Panasonic’s existing partners in the UK. As the leading residential air conditioning manufacturer in Asia/Pacific and Japan, Panasonic is now looking to double commercial air conditioning sales by 2020. Panasonic views the UK as the largest commercial air conditioning market, and expansion here is an important part of European plans to increase sales by 60% between 2016 and 2018.

AMP staff meet their new partners from Panasonic at Brocket Hall in Hatfield

OCTOBER 2017

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ECOLINE

EVEN GREATER EFFICIENCY. FOR EVEN MORE APPLICATIONS.

The multipurpose reciprocating compressors: the expanded ECOLINE series has now been optimised for numerous other refrigerants alongside R134a. These compressors stand out with higher cooling capacity, increased COP as well as extended application limits. What this means for you is even greater efďŹ ciency for even more applications. Learn more about our products at www.bitzer.de

p13_acroct17.indd 1 A.PS.1404_K-ECOLINE_basic.EN_C4_210x297+5.indd 1

19/09/2017 09:53:42 03.03.14 15:27

THE BESA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2017 THE BESA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2017

ROUTES TO COMPLIANCE ROUTES TO COMPLIANCE Thursday 19 October 2017, Park Plaza Riverbank, London Thursday 19 October 2017, Park Plaza Riverbank, London VENT HYGIENE VENT HYGIENE SKILLCARD SUSTAINABILITY

SKILLCARD

SUSTAINABILITY HEAT PUMPS HEAT PUMPS

TECHNICAL STANDARDS INCLUDING TECHNICAL RAC80 & STANDARDS RAC70 INCLUDING RAC80 & RAC70

SFG20 SFG20

TALL BUILDINGS TALL BUILDINGS

BIM BIM

INDOOR AIR QUALITY INDOOR AIR OFFSITE COSHH QUALITY MANUFACTURING COSHH HIUs HIUs

OFFSITE MANUFACTURING

REFCOM REFCOM

WHY ATTEND? WHY ATTEND? ranging from service management

Find out more about the latest to aidout compliance Find more about the latest

through interactive discussions

software, to controls, to heat See innovative exhibitions interfacefrom unitsservice and more ranging management

with leading experts

software, to controls, to heat

to aid compliance

Discover routes to compliance through interactive discussions with leading experts Discover routes to compliance

See innovative exhibitions

BESA developments and products BESA developments and products

interface units and more

Join us at a black tie gala dinner following the conference to celebrate the brightest talent in the sector at the BESA National Awards Join us at a black tie gala dinner following the conference to celebrate the brightest talent in the sector at the BESA National Awards Tickets start from £50 and discounted packages are available to attend both the conference and the awards gala dinner Tickets start from £50 and discounted packages are available to attend both the conference and the awards gala dinner

Visit www.thebesaconference.com for information or to book tickets Visitmore www.thebesaconference.com for more information or to book tickets

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MI TS U BI S H I E L ECT R I C

I DON’T NEED THIS

PRESSURE ON Ben Bartle-Ross looks at when it is appropriate or even necessary to pressure test an air conditioning system.

s a trainer covering our complete range of air conditioning products, I am amazed at how many engineers I see coming through my training courses who have been told by an (often) older colleague that when they are servicing air conditioning, they have to put a pressure gauge on a system to ‘test the pressures’.

No. No. No. You simply don’t need to … and worse than this, you have now introduced moisture to the system that wasn’t there and will shorten the working life of the equipment. Whilst this might have been best practice ‘back in the day’ it is simply not necessary with today’s modern air conditioning systems.

Highly engineered

These are highly engineered to perform superbly and in the vast majority of cases will do so for years, reliably and eﬃciently, with an appropriate annual service and maintenance regime. Yes, there will be occasions when you might want to check the pressure of an aircon system but most manufacturers have now introduced ways of doing this without breaking into the system and introducing a new ‘hole’ that needs re-sealing. In the case of equipment from Mitsubishi Electric, system pressures can be read via the dipswitch settings and request codes. So, to reiterate, getting the right pressure is important to ensure that any system works as required when in heating or cooling but checking this these days is much quicker and much more straightforward than it used to be – without any need to break the seal of the circuit. If you’d like further advice or to discuss this further, feel free to email me or the editor of The ACR Journal.

Ben Bartle-Ross is a Technical Trainer at Mitsubishi Electric. Ben.Bartle-Ross@meuk.mee.com

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AI R CONDI TI O N I N G

EASY DOES IT...

Fujitsu’s relaunched rewards scheme growing in popularity for customers and distributors thanks to simple format. Damian Knapp says simplicity is the key to success for Fujitsu’s Comfort Club

ore than 600 members are now enjoying the rewards of Fujitsu’s relaunched Comfort Club, and it’s easy to understand why.

By making life as simple as possible for customers and giving distributors more opportunity for building relationships with the end user, the decision to take the Comfort Club in-house has been more than justiﬁed. Making the scheme voucher-only has further streamlined the way it works. In essence, for every £50 a customer spends on Fujitsu splits, multi-systems or VRF systems, plus options and accessories, they receive £1 in vouchers. So spending £5,000 earns £100 in vouchers

Simplicity is certainly the key according to Damian Knapp, customer service administrator at Fujitsu, who has been managing the club since it was relaunched in July 2016. He said: “Essentially the Comfort Club is a rewards scheme that works in a simple way compared to how it worked before. We have put the focus on customer ease - that was the biggest driver. We also wanted to make it as inclusive as possible for distributors and their customers.

Fantastic feedback

“Previously the customer had to enter all the invoices and manage the points online. Now that we handle this in

partnership with the distributor, all the customers have to do is claim their rewards.’’ The new system sees the distributors involved throughout the process and Damian believes this is helping them to develop relationships with their customers. He said: “The distributor is involved from the outset now. They are supplied with dual-branded registration forms and they also hand over the vouchers to the customers when the claims are made. They were previously almost completely out of the loop but now they get more chances to catch up with customer and build the relationship. “The distributors don’t get points, or rewards, but they get access to a scheme which is ultimately very rewarding for them in terms of positive interactions with customers. The feedback we have had from distributors has been fantastic’’ There has been a steady stream of new applicants each month since the relaunch, with members ranging from sole traders to large-scale installers and building services companies. The vouchers available are from a wide range of retailers and the biggest claim to date has been in excess of £5,000 of vouchers. For more information email comfortclub@fgac.fujitsu-general.com or visit www.fujitsu-general.com/uk

F-GAS Guide: Everything you need to know before 2018. OCTOBER 2017

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CH I LLERS

INVERTER SCROLL CHILLERS ADDED TO LG’S UK LINE-UP

G has showcased the first UK installation of its new range of air-cooled inverter scroll chillers.

The new heat pump and cooling only options are available in 60kW, 123kW and 185kW (cooling capacity) models, with four 123kW units retrofitted at the Thorpe Park Hotel and Spa in Leeds. The low-noise (68dBA) range offers EER of 2.65, ESEER of 4.79 and COP of 3.2, all from a footprint area of 4.9m2, making it suitable for installations where space is restricted.

Common structure

Andrew Slater, Technical Research and Development Senior Manager at LG UK, said: “The introduction of air source inverter scroll chillers equipped with our quality proven VRF technologies, complements our current product lineup. Moving industry-leading seasonal efficiencies into a variety of applications has never been easier. With a common structure of control logic and both electrical and mechanical components, we have made the transition for service and design engineers currently working with our air conditioning products to our new chiller range a simple process.” LG says its inverter scroll compressor boasts higher energy efficiency in overall operation range, especially in part-load, reducing costs for the end user. The compressors include LG’s own HiPOR technology (High Pressure Oil Return) and

LG’s Andrew Slater talks about the new inverter scroll chiller range at Thorpe Park Hotel in Leeds

vapour injection compressor return. The system is designed to cut compressor energy wastage, providing savings and an operating range of 15-125Hz. The range also features LG’s Ocean Black Fin anti-corrosion coating, which consists of a black epoxy resin, providing the resistance, and a hydrophilic coating to minimise the accumulation of moisture. The modular design means the system can be easily extended. A single unit of 185kW can be added up to a maximum of 925kW operating from one controller, or a combination of 10 units from a centralised control.

Continuous heating

The 5” touch controller can be installed at a distance of up to 500m from the chiller if needed and one controller can be used to control up to 5 units of chillers. A

maximum of 10 chillers can be controlled remotely by the central controller and direct BMS communication, up to 1,850kW. Continuous heating minimises the decrease of water outlet temperature during defrosting for multi circuit models. The back-up operating system helps the entire system to continue to operate by removing compressors or system circuits from operations until repair or diagnosis is complete. Andrew Slater added: “A lot of the technology and controls logic is already tried and tested in our VRF products. Transferring this across makes it easier for engineers to install, maintain and service the new chiller range.’’ CMYKCMYK / .ai / .ai CMYK / .ai

For more information, visit partner.lge.com/uk or email LG at uk.aircon@lge.com

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ADV E RTOR I A L

CROWNE PLAZA, GERRARDS CROSS The Crowne Plaza, Gerrards Cross is a 147-bedroomed hotel and conference centre which has undergone a complete refurbishment.

pecialist air conditioning contractor, Turn Key Air Conditioning Ltd, has installed a Mitsubishi Electric City Multi heat recovery system into the hotel, to o�er guests the ultimate in modern complete comfort and style.

“We needed to provide a solution that met legislation, gave the hotel complete control and delivered the comfort levels guests expect” explains Mitch Swirles of Turn Key. Under EN378 legislation, which is particularly applicable for hotels, leak detection equipment must normally be provided if, in the case of R410a, a concentration of 0.44 kg/m3 refrigerant could be exceeded, if all of the refrigerant from a system were to leak into a single room. Turn Key has developed an on-going relationship with The Cairn Group since providing maintenance service and advice on the Newcastle International Hotel. Swirles and his team have extensive hotel experience and this gave the Cairn Group the conﬁdence to bring Turn Key in at an early part of the design process. “We worked closely with The Cairn Group from day one to design a system that meets all requirements in terms of

guest comfort, energy eﬃciency and legislation,” added Swirles. In close association with Mitsubishi Electric Value Added Reseller (VAR) PACAIR, Turn Key designed the system with the minimum amount of refrigerant in each bedroom to comply with EN378. PACAIR also helped ensure that the equipment design was modular to allow the hotel to continue trading during the refurbishment and minimise the disruption to both the business and its guests. This is where the unique two-pipe, heat recovery City Multi system comes into its own as it provides much more ﬂexibility of design and installation.

The hotel has been refurbished to the highest standards and the entire project was completed in 2016. Turn Key also fitted the infrastructure to the ground floor and designed the installation process to allow it to be completed in five distinct phases to minimise disruption. In addition to ducted fancoil units in the rooms, City Multi ceiling cassettes are being installed in all public areas, whilst Lossnay mechanical ventilation with heat recovery units are being used to energyefficiently maximise the amount of fresh air within the building. “When we were asked to help with this project, we saw it as ideal opportunity to design out the need for leak detection,” explained Swirles. “We are now looking at how we implement this in other situations with The Cairn Group.” For further information on the solutions available from PACAIR and Turn Key visit their websites: www.pacair.co.uk www.tkac.co.uk

“Each room was fairly unique so we also had to ensure that the design was flexible enough to cope with the different sizes and layouts”. PACAIR Managing Director, Nigel Palmer. PACAIR also used its specialist knowledge of the complete Mitsubishi Electric range to advise on the installation of a Melcotel hotel control system which links each individual room to the Ving cards, so that systems will not operate when unoccupied.

OCTOBER 2017

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19/09/2017 09:58:44

D ATA C E N T R E C O O L I N G

TAKING THINGS TO THE

NEXT LEVEL Dr Stu Redshaw, Chief Technology Officer at EkkoSense, explains how AI-enabled thermal optimisation is changing the data centre landscape. Too much focus on AI – not enough on machine learning

rti�cial Intelligence (AI) has been a key theme for many data centre industry events this year – and many speakers particularly have referred to how Google has been applying AI thinking from its acquisition of Deepmind to help cut total energy usage across its data centre estate by some 15%. That’s clearly a signi�cant saving – and one that’s sounding increasingly attractive to data centre operators, especially as data centre tra�c on a global scale is projected to grow at a 27% CAGR from now through 2020.

However, it’s worthwhile thinking about what people actually mean when they talk about Artiﬁcial Intelligence in the data centre. While many of the ‘hyperscale’ data centre providers such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple and Amazon are already experimenting with AI systems for energy eﬃciency improvements, most observers still see AI as a kind of miracle data centre infrastructure management plugin – one that can suddenly monitor, manage and optimise all their data centre or power, cooling and capacity requirements.

While theoretically achievable, this perception overlooks the fact that eﬀective AI solutions rely on massive amounts of data and smart algorithms to be able to solve problems on their own. So when commentators are discussing AI, they often tend to de-emphasise the key process – machine learning – that makes it possible for an AI system to learn and adapt when exposed to new data. Eﬀective machine learning - an approach that is capable of analysing information from very large data sets, and then detecting and extrapolating patterns from that data in order to apply them to evolving scenarios – is a prerequisite for a successful data centre AI strategy. Today’s IT platforms clearly have access to massive computing power, and consequently are ready to process complex big data sets in order to identify, analyse and act on data. However, the key question still remains: What data are they actually going to process in order to get the AI insights they require?

Identifying the right AI data sources

To keen AI watchers, this uncertainty around AI source data shouldn’t really be surprising. Only last month, the success of IBM’s Watson machine learning system was called into question due to perceived lack of progress in some of its key healthcare projects. At its heart were delays in the requirement for key machine learning source data to be ‘trained’ in readiness to support AI programmes. IBM is clearly not unaware of this challenge, and has been investing signiﬁcantly in

data sources to fuel its AI engine for the past few years. So what’s the answer when it comes to AI in the data centre? And, more speciﬁcally, what should data centre cooling vendors and experts be doing to support the transition towards AI in the data centre?

Data centre thermal performance – ripe for optimisation

Earlier this year when EkkoSense surveyed some 128 UK data centre halls – and more than 16,500 racks – we found that there was clearly a requirement for a more thermally-optimised approach to data centre management. Our research showed that, collectively, UK data centres were achieving poor levels of cooling utilisation – with an average of 66% of installed cooling equipment not actually delivering any active cooling benefits. Perhaps of more concern was the fact that almost 8 out of 10 data centres weren’t actually compliant with best practice ASHRAE thermal guidelines that offer clear recommendations for effective data centre thermal testing. Even though just 11% of IT racks overall were outside of ASHRAE’s 18-27º C recommended rack inlet temperature range, having just one rack outside of range was effectively taking a data centre outside of most operators thermal compliance. While ASHRAE suggests that, as a minimum, temperature data should be collected from at least one point every 3m to 9m of rack aisle, they also acknowledge that unless individual data centre racks have their own dedicated thermal sensor there realistically is no way for data centre operators to stay within target limits.

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D ATA C E N T R E C O O L I N G

Without access to more precise monitoring technologies – and the software to manage them – data centre operations will always remain at risk from individual racks that lay outside ASHRAE’s recommended range. These are exactly the kind of performance exceptions that AI solutions would need to identify and manage for greater optimisation – but until now there has been no practical way of resolving the issue.

Laying the foundation for AIenabled thermal optimisation

But to really get hold of the 24/7, real-time rack-level data that effective AI solutions demand, you need to be continually polling each rack for regular thermal updates, cooling performance load details and capacity information. You could collect the data manually, but realistically that’s never going to be a practical or costeffective solution. Given that UK data centre operators continue to invest significantly in expensive cooling equipment, I believe the cause of ASHRAE non-compliance is not one of limited cooling capacity but rather the ongoing poor management of airflow and cooling strategies. That’s why at EkkoSense we’ve been working to combine the latest 3D visualisation techniques and real-time inputs from Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to provide data centre operators – for the first time – with an intuitive, 3D real-time snapshot of their data centre environment’s physical and thermal dynamics.

By tracking rack-level temperatures using our thermal monitoring technology and applying an optimisation process, we’ve been able to restore ASHRAE noncompliant data centres to a compliant state. However, once compliant, the key - of course - is to maintain that status through a programme of regular ASHRAE audits. That’s where we see AI fitting in. With our EkkoAir thermal sensors in place on every cooling asset, data centre operators can now track data centre cooling loads in real-time – effectively generating the thousands, then millions of granular data points that machine learning engines require to build out the next generation of data centre thermal performance models. Whether you’re an end-user organisation, a data centre operator, or a provider of IT racks or cooling equipment, the ultimate goal of any data centre AI initiative should be the same: a better balancing of thermal profiles so that only those cooling units that need to be working are actually active. This is the game-changer that today’s data centres need if they’re to withstand the escalating duty loads anticipated for

the next ﬁve years’ of data centre growth. While in the past building a cooling strategy based on nominal main plate ratings might have seemed smart, it’s increasingly looking like an outmoded approach that has systematically led to both undercooling or over-cooling. However, thanks to innovations in low-cost sensor technology, Internet of Things connectivity, 3D visualisation and cloud deployment, it doesn’t have to be that way any longer. We’re now working alongside AI specialists at Nottingham University to take things to the next level with an AIenabled thermal modelling, visualisation and monitoring approach that can really take advantage of our EkkoAir-sourced data centre machine learning data. Through eﬀective data centre thermal optimisation, we’ve already seen overall data centre cooling energy levels reduce by around 30% – however with a truly AI-led approach in place, we think there’s an opportunity for data centres to go much further.

CMYKCMYK / .ai / .ai CMYK / .ai

www.ekkosense.co.uk

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15/09/2017 14:35

D ATA C E N T R E C O O L I N G

EC FANS UPGRADE PAYS OFF FOR UBS Daniel O’Connell, Business Development Manager Upgrade with ebm-papst, explains how the leading fans and motors manufacturer collaborated with Vertiv and CBRE to review energy efficiency at three of global financial services company UBS’s London data centres. The motor and control technology in GreenTech EC fans from ebm-papst has enabled UBS to benefit from proven efficient upgrades to its data centre cooling systems.

he simplest way to reduce the energy consumption in buildings is to ensure that all heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment is fitted with the highest efficiency EC fans. Those involved in the data centre industry are quickly realising the energy reduction potential in their buildings through upgrading HVAC equipment to innovative Electronically Commutated (EC) fans.

ebm-papst undertook an initial site survey to review the types of units being used and the potential solutions that were needed; along with an estimation of the payback period for any new kit. The units that were in place before the project were chilled water, with an optional switch to lower performance and utilised AC fan technology. In order to improve efficiency, ebm-papst recommended upgrading the equipment with EC fan technology. Based on the survey results, a trial was then agreed on a single 10UC and 14UC CRAC unit to establish actual performance and energy savings. Data was logged before the upgrade and again once the trial units were converted from AC to EC. Post upgrade trial data revealed that less power was absorbed by ebm-papst’s EC fan motors than by

their ACpredecessors. Based on this information, UBS decided to proceed with the conversion of all units, installing 191 fans within 76 CRAC units. Three different unit models were installed: 39x14UC units; 21x10UC units and 16xCCD900CW.

Savings

Vertiv then worked with CBRE (who project managed the upgrade) both to UBS’s satisfaction and without causing disruption to the live data. The main element of the upgrade project was the replacement of all fans, with ebm-papst’s EC technology direct drive centrifugal fans, including the installation of EC fans within a floor void that required modification. Since completion of the project, the following savings have been made: • Energy saving – 10,657 MWh • Financial saving - £667,836 after payback of total install costs • CO saving – 5,229 tonnes On average, UBS has seen a 48% energy saving across all units and a

OCTOBER 2017

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D ATA C E N T R E C O O L I N G

payback period of under two years. Other project paybacks include a CO reduction of 5,229 tonnes. In addition to these savings, new control strategy software was put in place; which controls the EC fans on supply air temperature. This saw a further reduction of 14% in energy usage. UBS’s data centres are now also benefitting from reduced noise levels, increased cooling capacity and extended fan and unit life.

Project challenges

UBS operates a 130,000 sq ft data centre in west London, which is fundamental to the operation of the firm’s global banking systems. Within this site there were a number of Down Flow Units (DFUs) operating around the clock, making them crucial to sustaining the required operating conditions for the computer equipment in the data centre. The challenge was to improve the energy efficiency of the data centre, freeing up additional electrical capacity to use on IT resource. In addition, the task was to improve the airflow and improve controllability of the cooling units in the data hall. Project restrictions were extensive given the live data environment and the upgrade teams were only allowed access to three halls, with only one unit switched off at any one time. However the upgrade

was delivered on time and to budget, without disruption. Work took place while the data centres were live; the project managers had to factor in working space and access around constraints from existing equipment and infrastructure. ebm-papst replaced the existing DFUs in the data centre with high efficiency direct drive EC fans in the Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) units. UBS’s objective for the project was to reduce the drawn-down power by up to 30%, resulting in a 180kW power reduction load to be allocated to IT equipment.

Solution

The solution resulted in a load reduction of 250 kW. This resulted in an annual power saving of 48%, which allowed UBS to increase IT power consumption in addition to reducing CO emissions and energy costs. Nearly five years since the project took place, UBS has seen the below key metrics: • 191 fans installed • 76 CRAC units • Three different models installed • Energy saving -10,657MWh (4 years and 10 months) • Financial Saving - £667,836 after payback of total install costs (payback period of 23 months) • CO Saving - 5,229 tonnes

The energy savings from the EC fan replacement project were exactly as predicted and there was no need to perform any additional analysis due to monthly energy reports being dramatically lower. The EC fans have continued to deliver energy savings, through increased reliability, resulting in a reduced maintenance burden for CBRE and UBS. HVAC systems can be responsible for over half the energy consumed by data centres. In cases where energy is limited, improving the energy efficiency of HVAC equipment will result in an improved allocation of energy resource to IT equipment. Whilst many new data centre facilities built in the UK already incorporate EC fans in their HVAC systems, many older buildings continue to use inefficient equipment. Rather than spending capital on buying new equipment, often the more cost-effective option is to upgrade the fans in existing equipment to new, high efficiency EC fans. With ebm-papst GreenTech EC fans, the impeller, motor and electronics form a compact unit that is far superior to conventional AC solutions. The UBS project is an excellent example of how upgrading from AC to EC technology can impact on energy savings, carbon and CO reduction. www.ebmpapst.co.uk

CMYKCMYK / .ai / .ai CMYK / .ai

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15/09/2017 14:31

ADV E RTOR I A L

WOLSELEY AND A-GAS STRESS SIGNIFICANCE OF 2018 IN NEW F-GAS GUIDE WHEN: F-Gas HFC phase down against quota & expected price increase

unaware and buy high-GWP equipment in 2019, they will be unable to service it the following year — and that could prove to be very expensive indeed. And in the meantime, further changes will take place; with a huge 44% cut in the HFC quota in 2018, the time to retrofit lower GWP systems, and to plan capital investment in light of the new legislation, is definitely upon us. One of the reasons Wolseley Climate Center and A-Gas have published their F-Gas guide now, is the desire to help their customers avoid these costly oversights. Anybody using refrigerants needs to have changed their approach by 2018 at the latest, to be ready for the official bans that come into effect at the new decade. The guide, which contains a wealth of information from manufacturer and industry expert viewpoints, product overviews, infographics to show all key events in the legislative change, flow diagrams on change options, case studies and supplier information, has been designed to support engineers and others in making these crucial changes in a timely way. In short, it is about making everything as simple as possible to deal with, so that industry experts like Wolseley Climate Center and A-Gas can help clients to run their businesses efficiently.

F-Gas regulations will phase down HFCs to 21% of the 2015 baseline by 2030, but with a product shortage of 44% in 2018, prices are expected to then increase by 60%.

addresses most looming While 2020the is an important touchpoint of 2018. deadline in the timeline of F-Gas,

Why? Because, between now and the end of it’s imperative that the industry 2018, we’re about experience the most addresses thetomost looming dramatic drop in percentage of HFCs available touchpoint of 2018. on the market against the EU quota. If RAC Why? Because, between now andstart the end engineers and contractors don’t the of 2018, we’re about experience the most conversation with to F-Gas users across the dramatic drop corner in percentage of HFCs country (from shops and largeravailable on the market against the EU quota. If RAC engineers and contractors don’t start the conversation with F-Gas users across the WHY: Refrigerant F-Gas country (from corner shops and larger GWP level comparison

QUOTA

2021 2030 100% 40% 21% F-Gas regulations will phase93% down HFCs to 21%56% of the 2015 baseline by 2030, but with a product shortage of 44% in 2018, prices are expected to then increase by 60%.

supermarket chains to pubs, hotels and restaurants) and educate around the changeover solutions available, businesses will end up with excessive outgoings on refrigerants. supermarket to pubs, Here you will chains find a series of hotels visualsand which restaurants) and educate around changeeach utilise data from across thethe industry over solutions will end up to help put theavailable, changesbusinesses into context and with excessive outgoings on refrigerants. highlight this urgency. It outlines why Here will find a series ofhow visuals HFCs you are being phased out, thewhich market each utilise fromof across the when industry will suffer a data shortage product, the to helpdown put the into context phase willchanges hit and exactly what and you highlight this urgency. It outlines why need to change in relation to servicing HFCs areequipment. being phased out, how the market and new will suffer a shortage of product, when the phase down will hit and exactly what you need to F-Gas change quota in relation to servicing HOW: and new equipment. market availability

2015 100%

2017 93%

2018 56%

Sources: Gluckman Consulting, The Oko-Institut.

WHAT: Timeline for banning of HFC; service/maintenance & new equipment

However, progress to date has been slow, and with some important deadlines looming, the industry has to wake up and take action now, to avoid costly losses and capital expense when the rules change. That is why Wolseley Climate Center, in partnership with A-Gas, is publishing the comprehensive RAC Engineer’s R-404A have gone through the roof in the Guide to F-Gas, which you will find past three months, and purchasers are included with this issue; the aim is coming ever closer to some important to help anybody who currently uses deadlines. Unfortunately, many seem HFCs to understand why and how unprepared — but if they are to meet they can — and must — change their those deadlines without risking financial refrigerant policies, now. loss, they need to act now. But if this is so important, why has January 2020 is a particularly important change been so slow? The answer is date. It is the deadline by which all new complex. Ray Gluckman, of Gluckman equipment containing HFCs that have Consulting, has worked in refrigeration a GWP of 2,500 or more, is banned. for over 30 years and contributed to the However, it is also the point at which the guide. He says: “A key problem is that servicing of most existing refrigeration the price of refrigerants didn’t really equipment that uses gas of GWP 2,500 or change much between the time the more, is banned. So if purchasers remain F-Gas legislation was published, in July 2014, THE RAC EN GINEER’S GU and the end of 2016. IDE TO THE RAC ENGINEER’S GUIDE TO This resulted in a lack of action.” He also points out that some companies stockpiled refrigerants before the new quota system came into place, and with a lot of the oldtype gas being bought, the price stayed low. Nothing seemed to change. Now, however, things are changing, dramatically. The price of ‘traditional’ gases like If the current mix of F-Gases continues, the market will suffer a 44% shortage by 2018.

WHY: Refrigerant F-Gas CFC HFC CO level comparison GWP

HOW: F-Gas quota 2015 availability market

HFO 1 - 10

Baseline 400 124 Like CFCs, HFCs have a GWP of nearly 1 15,000 than 14,800 15,000 times greater the baseline of CO2. CO2 Baseline 1

CFC 400 15,000

HFC 124 14,800

HFO 1 - 10

2018 100% 44% If the current mix of F-Gases continues, the market will suffer a 44% shortage by 2018. 2015 100%

2018 44%

Sources: Gluckman Consulting, The Oko-Institut.

2020 is the next point in the legislation where we see a ban, both in new equipment and service and maintenance applications.

WHAT: Timeline for banning of HFC; service/maintenance &2020 new equipment 2022 2015

2025 2020 is the next point in the legislation GWP > 2500 where we see a ban, both in new equipment and>service 40 tonneand maintenance applications. SERVICE & SERVICE & NEW NEW MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT

Like CFCs, HFCs have a GWP of nearly 15,000 times greater than the baseline of CO2.

2021 40%

QUOTA

F-Gas in time; why, how, when F-Gas in time; and what. why, how, when While 2020 is an important deadline in the timeline of F-Gas, and what. it’s imperative that the industry

WHEN: F-Gas HFC phase down against quota 2015 price increase 2017 2018 & expected

EXPECTED EXPECTED PRICE RISE PRICE RISE

he recent EU legislation around refrigerants, and in particular the phase-down of HFCs, has been extensively covered in the press, and those affected should be aware.

CO2e charge Not military or 2020 Op. Temp < -50°

2015

GWP > 150

Domestic Refrigeration

GWP > 150

Domestic Refrigeration

GWP > 2500

Commercial Refrigeration GWP > 150 Stationery Mobile Air-Con Equipment

Op. Temp < -50° GWP > 2500 Commercial Refrigeration Stationery Equipment Op. Temp < -50°

18 ❯ Refrigerant Guide

18-19 Centre Spread.indd All Pages

F-GAS F-GAS

2030

GWP > 2500

Reclaimed HFCs existing equipment

2022

2025

GWP > 150

GWP > 750

GWP > 2500

> 40 tonne CO2e charge GWP > 150 or Not military Mobile Air-Con Op. Temp < -50°

2030 21%

Commercial Refrigeration or Centralised Refrigeration >GWP 40kW> 150

Commercial GWP < 1500 Refrigeration Cascade or Centralised Primary Circuit Refrigeration > 40kW

GWP < 1500

Cascade Primary Circuit Refrigeration

2030 Recycled HFCs

Single Split Air-Con < 3kg Fluorinated GHG

existing GWP > 2500 equipment Reclaimed HFCs existing equipment Recycled HFCs existing equipment

GWP > 750

Single Split Air-Con < 3kg Fluorinated GHG

Refrigerant Guide ❯ 19

21/09/2017 11:40

Download the guide now at www.acrjournal.uk/refrigerant-guide

FC and BC.ind

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21/09/2017

10:23

OCTOBER 2017

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21/09/2017 13:22

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JAVAC ACR Journal Manifold Ad 145x210.indd 1

31/08/2017 14:03

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p25_acroct17.indd 1

21/09/2017 10:07

R E FR I GE RA N TS

TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING

A-Gas Refrigerants Product Manager Roger Smith explains how investment in a new separator and a low GWP refrigerant can make a difference in the industry.

new £1 million refrigerant separator is up and running at our Portbury plant near Bristol. The o�cial opening took place last month and we see this as a signi�cant investment in an area of the business which we believe will grow as the F-Gas Regulations further restrict the supply of high GWP refrigerants on the market.

The new separator, one of three which we now have operating around the world, will more than double the company’s reclamation capacity at Portbury. As the F-Gas Regulations have a greater eﬀect on the market, supplies of reclaimed refrigerant are critical to ensure that there are enough refrigerants to meet demand. As my colleague John Ormerod explained in a recent issue of ACR Journal, next year a 37 per cent reduction in the quota of virgin gases will become a reality. This is only a matter of weeks away and so this investment in separation technology highlights our commitment to

A-Gas Group Chief Executive Andrew Ambrose officially cuts the ribbon to open the new separator. Watching is A-Gas Managing Director John Ormerod and fellow A-Gas employees Jimmy Holmes and Paul Sunshine

providing the industry with the necessary capacity and infrastructure to support the F-Gas phasedown. A continued reduction in the use of HFCs will put signiﬁcant pressure on the supply of high GWP refrigerants, particularly in the years beyond 2018 when there are further large stepdowns in the amount of virgin refrigerant that can be placed on the market.

Increasing role

Users of refrigeration and air conditioning equipment have a variety of options to move away from high GWP refrigerants – these fall into three main areas: replace the equipment, retroﬁt the gas with a lower GWP alternative or rely on reclaimed refrigerant. All three need to be considered because there is no magic bullet for the high

GWP challenge but the latter will play an increasing role in the supply mix. The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE) estimates that roughly a quarter of the 2018 shortfall will need to come from reclaimed sources – otherwise there simply won’t be enough refrigerant on the market to meet demand. This type of waste we are handling at A-Gas has changed over the years as refrigerant mixtures get more complicated and we start to see much higher quantities of mixed gases. Several diﬀerent refrigerants combined together in one mix sets us new challenges and without the latest separation technology it is almost impossible to return the gas to the same kind of quality as virgin material. A further sign that A-Gas is looking to reclaimed refrigerants to help make up the shortfall in supplies has been our

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R EF R I G ERA N TS

“

new acquisition in Europe. As readers of ACR Journal will no doubt be aware, A-Gas has bought the Dutch reclamation business BTC and will be investing several million pounds in the operation to strengthen the reclamation side of our business across Europe. The deal was completed in the summer and will result in A-Gas further increasing its capacity to handle, clean and return waste gases to the market for resale. A-Gas is planning to add to the workforce and invest in new equipment. BTC is based at Eygelshoven near the German border which makes it ideally placed to access markets across Europe which, compared with the rest of the world, is leading the way in reclamation.

Practical use

These are changing times for the refrigerants’ market as reclamation grows in popularity and new products emerge to replace high GWP gases. It can be diﬃcult for engineers and end users to get a handle on all that’s happening but a tip for the top when looking to make the switch is Solstice®ze (HFO R1234ze), one of the best medium-pressure, low GWP refrigerants on the market.

SUPPLIES OF RECLAIMED REFRIGERANT ARE CRITICAL TO ENSURE THAT THERE ARE ENOUGH REFRIGERANTS TO MEET DEMAND”

R1234ze is a sustainable, energyefficient option for different medium temperature uses and has been selected by a number of equipment manufacturers for applications with a capacity range from several kW to 20MW and with large variations in charges. This includes installations involving large chiller applications and sizeable commercial air conditioning systems in supermarkets and commercial buildings. R1234ze has also been employed to handle medium-temperature jobs featuring heat pumps and CO2 cascade systems in commercial refrigeration. As an HFO it does not fall under the remit of the current F-Gas phasedowns which gives it a lengthy commercial life and in turn enhances its green credentials. In our view R1234ze is a good fit for large chiller applications and manufacturers

have been putting this gas to practical use with equipment designed specifically for this refrigerant. As the gas is a single component, and therefore has no glide, due to its differing properties to R134a, it is not a retrofit alternative. In many instances you will need a larger swept volume compressor for the system but this should not be a barrier to make the switch. The GWP figures are excellent – dropping from 1320 to seven ¬– and R1234ze also has a higher Co-efficient of Performance (CoP) than R134a, so in this respect too you are getting great value from the refrigerant. If you are involved in a large job and want to choose a new refrigerant with a long commercial life, with the green credentials to go with it, this could be one that ticks the boxes for you. www.agas.com

New refrigerants are emerging to replace high GWP gases

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R E F R I G E R AT I O N

AMMONIA

DO IT RIGHT AND REAP THE BENEFITS Ed Whinyates of Stonegrove Refrigeration Services separates the fact from the fiction when it comes to choosing ammonia as your next refrigerant.

mmonia refrigerant (also known as R717 and its chemical formula NH3) has been used as a refrigerant in industrial applications for more than 150 years. As a natural refrigerant it o�ers a number of signi�cant environmental and operational bene�ts with zero ozone depleting potential (ODP) and zero direct global warming potential (GWP).

When talking about ammonia as a refrigerant it can be a divisive subject, mainly due to perceptions about safety. Rather than overlook or dismiss these perceptions it is better to acknowledge and oﬀer sensible and proven facts to alleviate concerns.

Safety

Ammonia’s very nature probably makes it the safest refrigerant to operate. Due to its acute toxicity, safety forms

a major part in design and operation of refrigeration systems that contain ammonia. Despite these hazards ammonia has an excellent safety record when installed and maintained correctly. Installers of ammonia refrigeration systems are legally required to conform to strict regulations including but not

limited to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), the Pressure Equipment Regulations 1999 (PER), the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR) and the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002(DSEAR). There is also easily accessible guidance from specialist bodies like the Institute of Refrigeration. Serious incidents involving ammonia are thankfully rare, however on the very few occasions when they do occur it is normally an accident rather than system failure. The design of ammonia systems has advanced to a point where smaller refrigerant charges are required for maximum performance. (Note; The refrigerant charge refers to the amount of refrigerant contained within a sealed pressure system). For example, using ammonia as a primary refrigerant with food-safe glycol as the secondary

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R E F R I G E R AT I O N

refrigerant - so charge of ammonia is very low and is contained within the plant room. This in turn means a greatly reduced chance of serious injury should an accident occur. With its distinctive odour in minute quantities ammonia can be quickly and easily detected. Coupled with a comprehensive leak detection and monitoring system as well as strict maintenance regimes with specialist trained engineers, any potential issues can be both prevented and quickly dealt with. Outside of the safe design and installation of ammonia equipment, there are other safety mechanisms in place including clear documented emergency procedures / risk assessments. In and around the plant room there are alarms, wind-socks, respiratory and protective equipment, room ventilation, warm water showers and eye wash, as well as the expected ﬁrst aid access.

Benefits

An ammonia installation offers far more benefits than just all the aforementioned safety features. Ammonia refrigeration is the most cost-effective and energy efficient method of processing and storing frozen and chilled foods. As a refrigerant, ammonia offers distinct advantages over other commonly used industrial refrigerants. It is environmentally compatible so does not deplete the ozone layer or contribute to global warming. Because of its zero GWP it will not have

to be replaced with any alternative refrigerants – unlike a lot of current HFC refrigerants that are being phased out. Ammonia installations tend to be slightly more expensive due to, for example, the requirement for steel piping and the additional safety devises. However, ammonia has superior thermodynamic qualities so as a result uses less electricity and lower energy costs. Reduced operating costs in turn lead to a far quicker pay-back on capital outlay. The properties of ammonia make it perfect for refrigeration use. With ammonia having a greater cooling capacity than other refrigerants the system does not need to work as hard. A correctly installed and maintained ammonia system will also offer far greater longevity of the life of the refrigeration plant than systems using other refrigerants like HFC’s – in some cases it can last over twice as long. The technological advantages of ammonia systems include volumetric efficiency, built in safety features such as leak detection, floats on oil within the system to make it easy to reclaim the oil as part of planned maintenance. It requires only small-dimensioned piping and throttle cross sections, and typically the compressors are smaller – all of which benefit installations. Ammonia itself is also an inexpensive and abundant refrigerant, so the cost to charge a system is far less per kg than HFC’s.

Applications

Ammonia is suitable for use in a temperature range from -50°C to +10°C. Because of this, ammonia is primarily used in industrial refrigeration applications for perishable goods storage and distribution centres, food processing plants, food manufacturing, dairies and breweries, as well as other non-food applications like ice rinks and water chillers. Having passed the test of time over more than a century as one of the best choices for industrial applications, ammonia is now receiving attention in areas of application where before it would not have been considered. The commercial refrigerant landscape is changing, so much so that some in the commercial refrigeration industry are looking at new ways to use ammonia as a refrigerant. The key to ammonia’s accepted use is that it be used in a safe, welldesigned system, and maintained to the highest standards.

For further information about how Stonegrove Refrigeration Services can help you with your refrigeration requirements: www.stonegroverefrigeration.co.uk 01279 408690 ed@stonegroverefrigeration.co.uk

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R E F R I G E R AT I O N

CUTTING LIFETIME COSTS ON INDUSTRIAL SYSTEMS Thomas Lergenmüller, Product Manager Screw Compressor Packages at GEA Grasso, looks at bringing down the all-important total cost of ownership.

homas Lergenmüller, Product Manager Screw Compressor Packages at GEA Grasso, looks at bringing down the all-important total cost of ownership. Cost and competitive pressure on companies keeps growing in almost every industry where industrial refrigeration or air conditioning cooling is concerned. Eﬃcient refrigeration systems are vital for economic, safe and sustainable production and storage in this area. The focus of planners and investors aiming at modernisation or new construction of systems has long changed to encompass more than just low investment costs. The total cost of ownership (TCO) for the entire service life of a facility has become decisive instead. Special attention must be paid to the energy costs at full and partial load, which are usually a multiple of the investment costs when viewed across the service life. Life-cycle costs are adjusted by reducing operating, service and spare parts costs through optimisation of components such as screw compressors, variable-speed drives, oil separators and control units.

GEA Grasso M screw compressors, with and without coupling housing (back and front)

Engineering motto: redefine your TCO

Machine manufacturers like GEA have reacted to market needs, developing redesigned and new models in the area of industrial refrigeration and air conditioning: The GEA Grasso M series (types H, L, M, N) for screw compressors and screw compressor units was revised completely in the scope of the “Redefine your total cost of ownership” project in 2015. Users can enjoy optimised compressor technology at high availability to considerably lower costs, among others by significantly improving energy and working efficiencies under full and partial load and by reducing the complexity of parts and, as a result, the effort needed for maintenance and wear. Frequency inverters can be added to the units, and new motors with a larger speed range of up to 4,500 rpm increase peak capacities by up to 35% (max. 879 kW, ammonia [R717], -10/+35 °C). The compressor units were redesigned to make them even smaller, which helps planners working on facility modernisation within existing premises.

Model expansion: four smaller output levels for the GEA Grasso M series

GEA recently supplemented this compressor family downwards with four smaller output levels (types C, D, E, G) based on the re-designed GEA Grasso M series for screw compressors and screwcompressor units. The performance range of the screw compressors now starts at a displacement of 231 m³/h at 2,940 rpm, instead of the previous 471 m³/h at 2,940 rpm. The upper end of the range is at 870 m³/h at 2,940 rpm and 1,332 m³/h at 4,500 rpm respectively in the largest models of type N. Planners and investors now have additional options if they wish to implement customized but cost-eﬃcient refrigeration system concepts where lower and medium output levels are needed. The unit solutions of the GEA Grasso M series clearly reduce the TCO across the entire life-cycle of the system as compared to conventional screw compressors.

GEA Grasso M screw compressor The eight screw compressors of the GEA Grasso M series oﬀer a number

GEA Grasso M screw compressor, type G

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CO M P R ESS O RS

of technical innovations and special characteristics that have a positive effect on the overall operating costs of the refrigeration system. The first among these is their very good energy efficiency under full or partial load. GEA engineers ensure this by providing a variable speed range of 1,000 to 6,000 rpm (compressor type C, D, E, G) and 1,000 to 4,500 rpm (type H, L, M, N) respectively, as well as by integrating a number of other features. A tandem slider smoothly adjusts the output between 10 and 100 percent and just as smoothly adjusts the internal volume ratio (Vi) in an expanded range, automatically implementing energyoptimized system operation even at fluctuations of the evaporation and liquefaction temperatures. The screw compressors of the GEA Grasso M series also are the first industrial compressors with a gas-pressure-activated check valve that minimizes expensive pressure loss on the intake side.

Less maintenance, lower costs

Maintenance and wear also raise the costs in system operation. An economically working refrigeration system must not fail. Eﬃciency is guaranteed decisively by long service lives at the least possible maintenance and spare parts eﬀort. GEA has consistently implemented these system requirements in redesigning the GEA Grasso M series: The screw compressors have been made less complex, e.g. by integrating a central oil connection to avoid use of an oil pump

GEA Grasso M Size

GEA Grasso M - C

GEA Grasso M - D

GEA Grasso M - E

GEA Grasso M - G

GEA Grasso M - H

GEA Grasso M - L

GEA Grasso M - M

GEA Grasso M - N

Motor speed (rpm) 2,950

GEA Grasso M compressor unit

in most cases. Axial bearings and shaft seals are built to be replaceable without removing the motor when maintenance is required on site. Simple and quick integration in a refrigeration system are ensured by an integrated compact suction ﬁlter and adaptive clutch housing with easy access to the clutch. High operating safety and a long service life have been ensured, among others, by a gas oscillation protection for small output ranges and a compensation piston for the axial bearing. The GEA Grasso M series screw compressors also stand out with their compact build and space-savingly constructed components: The smallest Dimensions 1) Screw compressor unit (mm)

Cooling output (kW) Displacement m3/h

R717 -10/+35 °C

R717 -40/-10 °C

R134a -10/+35 °C

231

140

4,500

354

219

126

2,950

265

167

4,500

406

262

150

2,950

321

200

115

4,500

491

313

180

2,950

372

238

137

4,500

569

372

111

213

2,950

471

305

174

4,500

721

471

147

269

2,950

544

352

109

201

4,500

833

544

169

311

2,950

708

463

144

264

4,500

1,084

715

222

408

2,950

870

569

177

325

4,500

1,332

879

274

502

Weight 1), 2)

(kg)

2,200

1,120

1,725

875

2,200

1,120

1,725

975

2,200

1,120

1,795

1,075

2,200

1,120

1,795

1,175

2,200

1,150

1,850

1,275

2,200

1,150

1,850

1,325

model of type C weighs 392 kg and is only 852 mm long, 660 mm wide and 660 mm high (including the clutch housing).

GEA Grasso M screw compressor units

In addition to the eight screw compressors, the GEA Grasso M series also contains eight single-stage screw-compressor units that are delivered as installed and wired ready for connection as complete plugand-play solutions. Components include a screw compressor of the GEA Grasso M series, a drive motor and oil management with oil separator, cooler and ﬁlter, as well as the GEA Omni™ control with sensors and safety devices each. The refrigeration output of the diﬀerent types covers the area from 140 to 879 kW (R717, −10/+35 °C).

Clear reduction of life-cycle costs

Like the screw compressors, the compressor units from the GEA Grasso M series stand out by bringing down operating costs. Optimizing plant performance and design, they permit signiﬁcant savings in energy consumption as well as in the costs for service, maintenance and equipment.

Using saving potentials

The engineering team consistently used any remaining savings potentials when redesigning its compressor units: the drive power required has again been

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2,300

1,250

1,950

1,475

2,300

1,250

1,950

1,550

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COM PR ESS O RS

Installed compressor units

reduced by three to five per cent as compared to previous models. Optional variable-speed drive motors have a speed range of 1,000 to 4,500 rpm. Energy-saving operation at improved efficiency is possible even in the smallest partial-load areas by gradual adjustment of revolutions with frequency inverter, combined with an automatic control of the optimal Vi. The efficient oil circuit with filtration, automatic pressure control and minimized leakage risk to reduce oil consumption is another cost-saving component of the

GEA Grasso M units. Its horizontal 3-level oil separator with level display, oil heating and micro-separation stage only needs a small oil volume and minimizes the oil discharge rate to 5 ppm at most. Costs are further reduced because the screw compressor units usually do not even need an oil pump (unless they operate at very low differential pressures), saving additional drive output, maintenance and spare parts, while increasing availability. Optional economizer operation can increase efficiency in applications with high temperature increases and pressure differences by interim cooling.

Optimised system control with GEA Omni

In control with GEA OmniTM

A demand-oriented, safe and economically eﬃcient system process needs more than state-of-the-art components. They also must interact optimally. GEA Omni gives the screw compressor units an industryleading open control and regulation system to ensure power-saving, stable plant operation at high availability. It integrates and coordinates all the relevant system components, ensures simple commissioning and eﬃcient system management. The operating interface is a high-resolution 15.6” HD colour

display (1,366 x 768 pixels) to support simple, intuitive work including single- and multiple-finger gestures. The integrated GEA OmniLink and GEA OmniHistorian programs permit quick remote access with a view and analysis of the entire recorded data history. System communication can be configured by Modbus/TCP and Ethernet, as well as optionally by Profibus DP or Profinet.

Long service intervals, high system availability

Just like their screw compressors, the GEA Grasso M units are charactersied by their high reliability and low maintenance requirements. All relevant components, such as motors with ﬂange connections, drive shafts, bearings, seals, oil circuits and tubing, are designed for the highest stress and work reliably in permanent operation as well. This ensures high plant availability thanks to long service intervals. All parts are easily accessible for maintenance and can usually be replaced on site. The units are compact with a very small footprint: even the largest model of type N is only 2,300 mm long, 1,250 mm wide and 1,950 mm high in the standard conﬁguration, at a weight of 1,550 kg (drive motor not included).

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CLIMALIFE HELPS GUIDE ROMANIAN CONVERSION C limalife has helped Romania’s leading supermarket chain to choose Honeywell’s Solstice N40 (R448A) refrigerant for the conversion of its stores from the high GWP R404A.

Mega Image, part of the Delhaize Group, has a chain of 410 local stores across Romania and asked Climalife to provide possible solutions for the change. Bogdan Toma, Climalife’s development manager in Romania, worked with the company’s technical support team and picked Solstice N40 as the best option for a system operating at low temperature. Within the operating range covered using R404A, and compared to the alternatives, the discharge temperature measured with R448A proved to be lower for low-temperature applications, reducing operating costs and the amount of energy consumed. Mega Image was happy with this theoretical feedback and, for its first conversion, called upon Frigotehnics, a growing company offering comprehensive solutions for the commercial refrigeration and air conditioning market. A small supermarket with an area of 200 m² was selected in Obor, close to the centre of Bucharest. The R404A refrigeration unit was mainly supplying the frozen food cabinets in the store and the frozen storage facility in the back room.

Better performance

To avoid disrupting the company’s sales activity, the conversion was performed one evening after the shop had closed. The frozen products were placed in refrigerated cabinets before the work began on a mild June evening. For food safety reasons, the team had to work very quickly. The first step involved removing the 45 kg of R404A from the system. The filters and used oil were then replaced and the Solstice N40 was loaded without any practical constraints.

The quantity required was smaller than the amount of R404A originally in the system, as a surplus had been injected initially. The entire conversion was completed in four hours and the supermarket was able to open at the usual time the next day. The successful conversion, expected to be the first of many, concluded that Solstice N40 provides a better performance coefficient than R-404A for this type of installation. Pierre-Emmanuel Danet, Technical Support Manager at Climalife, said: “The advantage of R448A is that it can be used directly as a drop-in replacement for R-404A, without changing any equipment. R-448A has similar

pressure requirements to those of R-404A (equivalent LP and slightly higher HP (+1b)), but its cooling capacity is 10% higher on average, and its coefficient of performance is 6% better in comparison.” Bogdan Mascas Radu, co-owner of Frigotehnics, said: “Climalife gave us the technical support we needed to undergo this conversion, enabling us choose the most appropriate solution.” Maintenance manager Petre David Iulian added: “Working with Climalife provided an excellent opportunity to learn more about innovative solutions in the refrigeration sector.’’

Before conversion

After conversion

6.5 kW

8.78 kW

Condensing power

16.26kW

16.26 kW

Compressor type

Bitzer–3x4EES–4Y

R-404A

Solstice® N40 (R-448A)

45 kg

30 kg

BSE 32 - 10 L

Evaporating temperature

-38OC

Condensing temperature

+45OC

Relative evaporating pressure

0.5 bar

0.25 bar

Relative condensing pressure

19 bars

17 bar

246 kg/hr

138 kg/hr

7.48 kW

5.52 kW

Cooling capacity

Number of compressors Refrigerant Load Oil type and quantity

Mass flow Instant power input

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E NE RGY E FF I CI EN CY

INVEST AND SAVE Richard Metcalfe, sales director at ICS Cool Energy, explains how companies can benefit from The Carbon Trust’s Green Business Fund, offering potential grants of up to £5k on eligible equipment.

ur focus on energy efficiency as a nation continues to grow as a result of rising energy bills and of course government legislation, placing increasing pressure on businesses to reduce consumption and become more efficient. While some aspects of our rising energy use are linked to technology, such as the growth of global communications and IT networks, others such as space heating and process cooling remain a necessary evil. Or so it seems.

Thanks to the evolution of new technologies over recent years, businesses can achieve significant savings from the upgrade of their existing heating and cooling systems and there are incentives and funds available to support businesses in equipment replacement. This is particularly pertinent for those businesses where issues with temperature control, both in terms of process and facility cooling is pivotal to the operation, such as the food and beverage industry. In environments like these, savings could easily translate into thousands of pounds each year. For many however, there remains a reluctance to invest, due to the upfront cost required for new equipment. In fact, in many instances, the capital expenditure

for the equipment and its installation will be recovered through a reduction in energy consumption throughout its operational life.

Potential suppliers

Aware of the issues facing businesses, and designed to help accelerate take up in energy efficient technologies, The Carbon Trust is currently operating a scheme called the Green Business Fund. Available for a limited period and on a first come, first served basis, businesses with eligible projects are able to receive a 15% financial contribution, of up to £5,000, towards selected energy saving equipment including energy saving assessments, lighting and process cooling equipment. To be eligible, businesses must be based in England, Scotland or Wales, be a small-to-medium sized enterprise and the project must be intended to deliver fossil fuel savings. A number of other criteria also apply, including the fact that a business must meet at least two of the following criteria; have no more than 250 employees, an annual turnover that does

not exceed £25.9 million and finally an annual balance sheet assets total that does not exceed £12.9 million. The application process is relatively simple and a key requirement of which, is for companies to choose an accredited supplier within the Carbon Trust’s Green Business Directory – something ICS Cool Energy has recently been added to.

The process in brief:

1. Identify potential suppliers that are eligible within the scheme, via the Green Business Directory. 2. Request a formal quote from your chosen supplier. You will also require an electronic copy of the supplier’s quote but be aware that the format must meet The Carbon Trust’s guidelines. 3. Begin the application process - with quotes in place, businesses can now begin the application process on The Carbon Trust’s website.

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EN ERGY EF F I CI EN CY

Have to hand the following:

• Organisation details including turnover and value of gross assets • Project details – equipment currently installed and what is to be replaced. In this section, it is necessary to provide details of the energy consumption, current kWh consumption and projected usage of the new equipment. Much of this information will be available on the energy bill, but the supplier providing the quote should also be able to provide you with a steer. • Supplier name – as detailed in the directory • Energy saving – a completed Energy Savings Assessment. A template is

available via The Carbon Trust, again this is something that the supplier will be familiar with and can therefore support you on. While cost may be one of the greatest barriers to the purchase of energy efficient equipment, it isn’t the only factor. With so much choice in terms of technology and in choosing a suitable partner, it can put some companies off. This is a major advantage to schemes such as the Green Business Fund, as The Carbon Trust removes some of the barriers

businesses face during the research and specification phase. Offering clear and independent advice around its accredited suppliers, businesses are potentially just one click away from sourcing information on the latest equipment, and efficiency opportunities. www.icscoolenergy.com info@icscoolenergy.com 0800 774 7426

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E NE RGY E FF I CI EN CY

TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT

DESTRATIFICATION Richard Johnston, National Business Development Manager at Elta Group Building Services, outlines the benefits of a traditional approach.

or many facilities managers, service operators and heating engineers, the large cavernous spaces typically found in entrance halls, warehouses and manufacturing sites present a challenge in terms of ensuring effective heating of the zone of occupation. While the implementation of advanced technologies including heat pumps, solar thermal and thermal storage have helped offset the costs of generating and storing heat, latest developments in a more traditional technology are resulting in major reductions in heat usage at a fraction of the cost.

Traditional approach

Thermal destratification, or the effective redistribution of heat and air through large spaces, isn’t new, and anyone who has visited a manufacturing site or warehouse will be aware of the large number of box fans used to recirculate air. While used widely, the effectiveness of this technology in achieving its frequently stated 15% energy savings has been called into question. The concern lies with the fact that the air flow is released at an angle and spread over a wide area, rather than being directed to the area of occupation.

Despite this, with a typical floor to ceiling differential of 10 to 20°C in high ceilinged spaces, the ability to harness and redistribute hot air has long been seen as a key way to reduce energy consumption. As a rule of thumb, the temperature increases by 0.5 to 1°C for every metre in height. In practice this means that to achieve a temperature of 21°C at the ground, or occupied level, the ceiling of a 10m by 10m room would need to be heated in the region of 26 - 31°C. As well as reducing heating bills and wear on HVAC equipment, effective redistribution of this wasted heat energy could increase thermal comfort of workers by eliminating hot and cold spots, as well as reducing condensation on equipment through better air circulation.

towards the zone of occupancy (ZOO). The latest ZOO Fans available from Elta Group Building Services create a gentle column of hot air that is directed towards the floor. This allows previously wasted heat to be channelled to the area that it is needed most. As a result, thermostats switch off quicker and heating systems cycle off sooner, reducing wear and increasing the lifespan of HVAC equipment through reduced use. Additional benefits of this approach include the elimination of hot and cold spots, as well as reductions in condensation on concrete, chillers and windows, as a result of the fans delivering one air turn per hour, all of which has the added benefit of improving the comfort level for customers and employees.

Technological advances

Cutting costs

Thankfully, through advances in the technology, it is now possible to achieve a temperature differential as low as 0.5 to 1°C from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. More importantly this has led to typical savings of 30 per cent on annual heating bills in even the most energy efficient buildings, with additional reductions in air conditioning requirements of up to 30 per cent. In the case of industries where heat is generated as part of the production process such as bakeries and printing presses, which have even more need of suitable destratification, savings of up to 50 per cent have been achieved. Overall, the greater the temperature difference from floor to ceiling, the bigger the savings. As a result destratification is now recommended as one of the Carbon Trust’s effective energy-saving strategies. The step change has been realised through optimisation of design and operation of destratification focused

The United States provides a number of good examples to UK practitioners in terms of energy savings. Pespi Co’s 1 million sqft facility in Wytheville, Virginia is one such example.

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EN ERGY EF F I CI EN CY

The site was Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Rated, one of the United States’ highest energy efficiency ratings and the equivalent to the more commonly used BREEAM here in the UK. Despite also having been classed as the most energy-efficient bottling plant in the world, heating costs dropped by 30 per cent within five weeks of installing ZOO Fans, with an added productivity gain of 5 per cent thanks to a more comfortable working environment. Energy efficiency has been key to maximising returns. The typical destratification fan in Elta Group Building Services’ ZOO Fans range uses the same amount of energy as a 40 or 50

watt light bulb. Compared to the higher powered motors needed to power rooftop mounted Air Handling Units, or big plate fans conventionally used to push air through a building, destratification fans achieve a better result at a fraction of the operating cost. As the result of the technology’s low energy usage, small upfront cost and reduced heating bills investment pay back periods are typically under two years. The Centre for Advanced Energy Systems at Rutgers University in the U.S. examined 700 projects designed to “improve air circulation with destratification” under the U.S. Department of Energy and The Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Industrial Technology Program found an average payback period of 1.6 years.

Non-invasive installation

The installation of destratification fans is also a lot less invasive than traditional air movement methods. Using a simple cable and grip method, ZOO Fans can be fitted in minutes and the self-contained design means that the fan won’t interfere with lighting or sprinkler systems. With limited pressure on the fan, it is also a

fit and forget solution, with little to no maintenance requirements other than occasional cleaning of the blades in high pollution environments. The effectiveness of destratification fans has even seen the technology start to replace outdated and inefficient ducting. Cleverly positioned fans help to redistribute heat and air at a fraction of the cost. This is increasingly being used to great effect where obstacles are preventing the effective distribution of heat, such as warehouses with large racking systems, where heat needs to be channelled down aisles to warm operatives. With energy consumption a continuous battleground for building and facilities managers, and contractors tasked with reducing CO2 emissions, the effective use of destratification is an opportunity that cannot be missed. Taking into account low upfront costs, short payback periods and significant reductions in heating bills it is perhaps time the whole industry reassessed the potential impact of destratification. 01384 275 809 www.eltafans.co.uk/zoofans

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E NE RGY E FF I CI EN CY

HVAC’S CRUCIAL ROLE IN EFFICIENT LAB DESIGN As some of the most sophisticated man-made environments on the planet, laboratories are essential in a range of industries, from pharmaceuticals to food and medicine to robotics. However, as the complexity of these facilities grows, so does their energy usage. Here, John Rush, HVAC and mechanical services SME (Subject Matter Expert) at Boulting Environmental Services, explains how to make laboratories more energy efficient.

aboratories are energy intensive environments, consuming between four to six times more energy per square metre than standard office or commercial buildings. This is mainly due to the energy intensive heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems necessary to ensure correct airflow and temperature. Because of this, any energy saving in HVAC can result in significant improvements in overall energy efficiency and impressive carbon emissions reduction. In fact, because the overall energy spend is so large when compared to other kinds of commercial buildings, even the smallest percentage saving could be valuable. In our experience, good laboratory design can reduce energy consumption by an impressive 30 to 50 per cent. One of the key reasons for this is that more than 60 per cent of a laboratory’s energy consumption can be attributed to the HVAC system. According to a recent S-Lab audit and report, the UK’s major university laboratories consume over 730 Kwh/m2/year. Laboratories normally use 100 per cent fresh air to meet safety requirements,

which demands between eight and 30 Air Changes per Hour (ACH). By comparison, in a typical commercial building as few as four ACH may suffice. It follows that safely and compliantly reducing the amount of air changes per hour in a laboratory, without impinging on performance, can significantly contribute to that 30 to 50 per cent energy reduction. So how do you make some of the most energy intensive facilities in the world more efficient?

Control contaminant sources

Designing a lab is a top down process that works hand in hand with good day to day practice to lessen contamination risks. A good design team can reduce the number of ACH if the contaminant sources can be successfully limited, which in turn reduces the amount of energy used by the HVAC system. Small behavioural changes, such as ensuring that each fume cupboard sash is closed when not in use, reducing the quantities of contaminants stored in the laboratory and introducing good handling practices to minimise contaminant release - such as keeping containers sealed or removing empty containers from the lab - significantly lessens the strain on the HVAC system. This allows the designer to identify the right volumetric flow rates and create a low energy HVAC design, bringing the facility closer to the lower end of the ACH scale.

Direct digital controls

To reduce energy use in laboratories further, designers can introduce Direct Digital Controls (DDCs), linked to variable air volume (VAV) dampers, for supply

and extraction systems. DDCs provide variable flow control for fume cupboards, depending on their occupancy and overall variable flow control of the air supply. Presence detection at fume cupboards can also reduce face velocity, or the velocity across the sash opening. This further improves energy efficiency. Automatic occupancy controls can reduce the air change rates down to an absolute minimum at night or at weekends when labs are empty. This significantly reduces HVAC related energy usage. The US standard NFPA 45, - which regulates fire protection for laboratories using chemicals, advises a minimum of four ACH per hour for unoccupied labs. However, in labs that don’t have a large number of contamination sources, designers can safely go even lower than that.

Energy recovery

Like any well-designed building, laboratories can make use of energy recovery technologies such as plate heat exchangers or run around coils. Heat exchangers are likely to need protection against dilute chemicals in the airstream using stainless steel, vinyl coated surfaces or tinned coils. Low pressure loss, high efficiency heat exchanger design will ensure that the heating and cooling energy gains are not compromised by the additional fan electrical energy needed.

Extract fan energy reduction

Minimising the air charge rate and recovering energy provides the foundation for an energy efficient laboratory. Designers should then consider reducing the amount of energy

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EN ERGY EF F I CI EN CY

used by the extraction fan itself. For example, introducing a variable stack orifice or multi stack discharge, rather than fresh air make-up, means that, when the flowrate reduces, stack discharge velocity is maintained. In contrast to this, the traditional use of fresh air make-up, to maintain stack discharge velocity, uses much more energy.

Humidity control

Contrary to popular belief, humiditycontrol in a lab is mainly required to increase the user’s comfort and rarely serves any other critical purpose. Humidity control requirements can be more relaxed in labs than in commercial buildings. Because of the amount of air exchange in laboratories, it is not economic or energy efficient to control relative humidity.

Continuous improvement

Apart from the technical considerations essential for lab design and planning, there are a number of operational considerations to be addressed.

The soft landings framework ensures the client works closely with designers, constructors and contractors to deliver buildings that achieve energy and environmental performance ambitions, while also focusing more on meeting the needs of occupants. The aim is to bridge the gap between predicted and achieved performance that can result from limitations in the brief, design and construction processes or from poor operation once the laboratory has been handed over to the user. A designer’s job does not end with the build. Once the laboratory is up and running, the lab owner should establish energy goals, track performance and share results for continuous improvement. Just because a lab was designed with energy efficiency in mind, it doesn’t mean the efficiency rating can’t be improved further using insight from day to day use. It is important to keep the designer in the loop as part of this process so that best practice can be updated. Such learning can be used to develop the current facility and contribute to best practise in the design of new facilities.

Similarly, existing laboratories can be made more energy efficient. Every laboratory is different, but they all have relatively long life spans that can run over 25 years or more. A lot can change in that time, so it’s important to keep in contact with the designer and consult with them about possible improvements. Best practice for laboratory design and usage is changing all the time, but by working with an experienced specialist companies can ensure their facilities achieve high performance with lower energy usage, while still complying with all the relevant industry and building regulations. About the author: John Rush, Chartered Engineer (CEng) is a Member of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (MCIBSE) and a CIBSE Certification Registered Energy Assessor. He has been working at Boulting Environmental Services for over a decade and is currently Principal Engineer. www.besltd.org

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COM PET I T I O N

SEPTEMBER WINNER & RUNNER-UP

Winner of a health club and afternoon tea delight was Nicola Collyer of Jac Air Conditioning LTD. A river cruise & bellini afternoon tea for two at Searcy’s 1847 Champagne Bar was won by Donna Bond of Easy Cooling Company.

Welcome to our word search competition, sponsored by Refcom,

the UK’s leading F-Gas company certification scheme. Find out how to apply for your company certification, or renew your existing certification, online at www.refcom.org.uk/f-gas. To demonstrate best practice, Refcom also operates Refcom Elite. To find out more visit www.refcom.org.uk/refcom-elite. There are some great competition prizes this month from Refcom, the UK’s leading F-Gas register.

Simply find the 10 words we’ve hidden in the word search for your chance to win. S

ACR

ACRIB

DEFRA

ELITE

GLOBAL

HFC

JOURNAL

OCTOBER

RAC

WARMING

The winner of this month’s competition will win: ONE-NIGHT BREAK FOR TWO AT A HALLMARK HOTEL

One runner-up will win:

COMEDY TICKETS AND THREE-COURSE MEAL AND GLASS OF WINE FOR TWO AT ZIZZI.

CLOSING DATE IS FRIDAY 6 OCTOBER 2017

*Prizes may vary from those pictured.

Send your entry to: Competitions Department, ACR Journal, Warners Group Publications, The Maltings, West Street Bourne, Lincs, PE10 9PH or complete online: www.w2u.en/RefcomComp Name ...................................................................................................................................... Company .......................................................................................................................... Job Title .................................................................................................................................. Business Address ........................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................ Post code ...................................... Tel ...................................................... Daytime/evening (please circle) .............................................................................. Company email address ..................................................................................................................................................................... Please sign here if you wish to receive or continue to receive a regular

FREE copy of The ACR Journal

FREE e-newsletter

Signed ........................................................................... Date ................................................................... In relation to air conditioning and refrigeration products, please tick the most relevant box below. Purchase Specify Use Install Maintain Manufacture None of these Do you: Warners Group Publications plc will automatically provide you with relevant direct mail and/or telephone information. If you do not want to receive this information tick here . We may also e-mail you with information about relevant products/services. If you do want to receive e-mail please tick here . Warners Group Publications plc will occasionally allow selected third parties to contact you about their products/services. If you do not want to receive relevant direct mail and/or telephone information from third parties please tick here . If you do want to receive relevant email from third parties please tick here . All prizes are subject to availability and may change.

OCTOBER 2017

COMP.indd 40

21/09/2017 10:36

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p41_acroct17.indd 1

19/09/2017 10:02:15

WOME N I N ACR

WOMEN in the

ACR industry

H A Y L E Y

N U N N

This month, the ACR Journal talks to Hayley Nunn of Acorn Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, based in Bury St Edmunds. Where did you study?

Economics at the University of East Anglia.

What was your first job?

Major loss insurance claims handler for AXA Insurance.

What attracted you to the industry?

In a way I was forced to enter the industry in order to support my husband when he was made redundant. The company he worked for as a senior refrigeration engineer went into liquidation when our son was just two weeks old and I was on maternity leave. We had both always liked the idea of running our own business and so we bit the bullet and set up Acorn on our own within 24 hours.

Needless to say my maternity leave was cut very short as we needed to survive off my salary for a time while we built the business. I would not wish to relive those first few years as it was extremely hard to build a business from nothing with a small family and my own career at the time too. I remember when my son needed an operation and my husband could not be by my side at the hospital as he was working on a refrigeration emergency. There were countless occasions where refrigeration came first simply because it had to. When customers need you, you just cannot let them down in this industry. As we grew, we were able to take on more engineers and the pressure of the 24 hour breakdown service eased

off my husband. It also became apparent that I had to choose between my career in insurance and refrigeration, as we were growing and I could no longer stretch across both industries. I remember crying as I handed in my notice at AXA Insurance, as although I loved having a refrigeration business, I also loved my career and my colleagues. I knew I would miss them all terribly and I was a little scared of working in an industry within which I had little technical knowledge, but I listened to my husband and fed off his experience and rather enjoyed the learning curve. I would go out with him in the van so I could appreciate an engineer’s day and learn about refrigeration. In the summer, hopping in his van and going to breakdowns was the only way I would get to see him! My father tells me not to look backwards, only forwards and that is what I do, but I do not forget those early days or where we came from.

What excites you about the industry? Oddly enough, what excites me now is the very thing I resented to start with – the pressure of getting to customers who need you quickly! I love that Acorn can send an engineer to an emergency knowing that he will do his utmost to help them and that feeling you get when they solve the problem and you’ve actually saved someone money in lost stock and thus helped their business. In the insurance industry, in essence you are

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WO M EN I N ACR

offering peace of mind and that is similar to what we are doing in the refrigeration service industry. We offer peace of mind to those customers that really rely on their refrigeration, yes it is pressure but it is also rewarding. All our engineers are very skilled and have years of experience under their belts so I can really rely on them to help our customers. I believe that a refrigeration service company is nothing without its engineers and to that end I value and respect them all enormously– even if I do nag them for their paperwork!

Development and challenges in the industry

I would like Acorn to become involved in training apprentices so that we can develop as a company and pass on the experience of our current engineers. I do feel that certainly in East Anglia, there is not enough by way of college-led refrigeration training and apprenticeship schemes. With the recent changes to apprenticeship scheme assessments, refrigeration is becoming an unrecognised and forgotten trade in our area, with local colleges seemingly tagging it on to electrical courses with insufficient emphasis on refrigeration. There is nothing wrong with learning the electrical side, far from it, but there should be college-run courses tagged on for refrigeration study and likewise the assessment process should not be purely electrical focussed, as it is currently.

This makes it harder for refrigeration companies to take on apprentices in East Anglia, given that we are not as geared up for the assessments, which are more relevant to the electrical industry. Sadly I understand that the local colleges have little say in the assessment processes. That for me is a challenge for the industry as we all want to see good engineers coming through and developing, yet sadly government schemes need to adapt for refrigeration to be as recognised as other trades are at the further education level.

What’s the best piece of advice you were ever given?

One of my university lecturers once told me that if you could combine a degree with a trade, you would be more likely to have a successful business with longevity – turns out he was quite right. People will always need refrigeration engineers and having a degree in economics certainly helps when it comes to running the business side.

What are the benefits of being in your role?

I love being a woman in this industry. When I turn up to a building site for a survey and I am the only woman on site, I honestly feel proud. I have never bumped into another woman from another trade on site, although I am sure they do exist.

I am proud that our industry supports women in a predominantly male occupied industry. My role is very diverse, from paperwork, specifications, health & safety, through to tax and supplier and customer management. This diversity gives me the opportunity to develop very close relationships with our suppliers and customers, as I have an appreciation for all areas of the business. My role definitely does not fit into one box and I rather like that.

What would you say to other women who are considering coming into the ACR industry?

Grab a job in this industry with all the gusto you would a job in any other industry, embrace the fact that it accepts women and enjoy being one of a minority – I certainly do! acornref.co.uk 01449 737906 info@acornref.co.uk Are you a candidate for our Women in ACR feature? Or do you know someone who is? Please contact David Todd, david.todd@warnersgroup.co.uk, 01778 392094. CMYKCMYK / .ai / .ai CMYK / .ai

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H E AT P U M P S

QUESTIONS RAISED OVER HEAT NETWORK DESIGNS Oversizing can be a major barrier to building efficient schemes, according to Bosch technical chief.

onsultants and contractors responsible for the design of heat networks and district heating schemes are being urged to avoid unnecessary oversizing by an industry spokesperson.

Pete Mills, Commercial Technical Operations Manager at Bosch Commercial and Industrial, is calling for designers to pay close attention to the sizing of the main heating source and pipework in order to maximise efficiency gains. He said: “Unfortunately, it has become relatively common for heat network schemes in the UK to fall short of industry expectations through oversizing of appliances and pipework. Oversizing a heat network from the outset can have huge ramifications for the long-term efficiency, overall performance, and return on investment of a system. This is before we consider the reputational damage that incorrect design is having on heat networks’ credentials as efficient and cost-effective heating and hot water solutions for multi-residential and commercial buildings.”

Best payback

According to the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE), there are currently more than 17,000 heat networks in the UK, of which around 91% are located in England and 6% in Scotland1. With the Government’s £320 million Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) set to provide ﬁnancial support to up to 200 district heating projects by 2021 and lever in up to £2bn of wider investment2, uptake of this heating approach is showing no signs of slowing.

Pete Mills, Commercial Technical Operations Manager

Pete Mills added: “Many heat network designs we are seeing are not incorporating any renewable energy, waste heat, or low carbon technologies, which should be the foundation of a good scheme that is to provide heat and carbon savings for tenants. We are still lacking a wide base of design experience in the UK and this is something we must start to improve upon. Building developers, too, have a role to play in ensuring their

developments will deliver good value for their tenants with fair priced heat that starts with a well-designed heat network. “Heat pumps can be used for heat networks, particularly gas absorption heat pumps. Oversizing can still be an issue, but here it is more about the capital cost against coverage of the annual heat demand profile. “Essentially you have to weigh up the cost/payback benefit from having an expensive plant sitting there just to cover a few days of very cold weather when there is high demand. We usually recommend somewhere in the region of 40% to 60% coverage from the heat pumps against the calculated peak demand. The remaining heat requirement on very cold days can be met with condensing boilers. This generally achieves the best payback periods. “The UK, particularly its local authorities and housing associations, has the potential to benefit greatly from district heating schemes. It is therefore paramount that plants and pipework are correctly sized according to heat demand. Smaller pipes, shorter pipework runs and good insulation practices will keep heat losses in a network to a minimum, while benefitting the end-user from the word go. “Those in doubt should remember that no two heat networks will ever be the same, and that manufacturers will often prove to be an invaluable source of help during the design process.” www.bosch-industrial.co.uk 1 https://www.theade.co.uk/ resources/what-is-district-heating 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/heat-networksinvestment-project-hnip

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H E AT P U M P S

SO GOOD, THEY CHOSE

AIR SOURCE TWICE Impressed couple opt for second heat pump installation as they move into new home.

couple in Norfolk have completed their second heat pump installation with renewable heating experts Finn Geotherm, to enable them to continue enjoying heating and hot water at reduced energy bills in their new home.

The four-bedroom detached property near Garvestone was previously heated using ineffective and expensive wall mounted electric panel heaters. When owners Mike and Ellie moved in, they soon set about changing it to an air source system, having already had one installed by Finn Geotherm in their previous home. Mike explains: “We’d had an air source heat pump installed at our old home and were aware of the great benefits and cost savings of the system. In fact, it was our heat pump and the accuracy with which we could show how much cheaper our heating bills were, that were the deal clinchers for our potential purchaser. “As soon as we viewed the new house, we called Finn Geotherm again and asked

them to quote for installing a heat pump for us. The wall panels weren’t adequately heating the entire building and it was very costly too – we knew that either ground or air source would be an ideal replacement. We loved the house and wanted to be one step ahead with the heating system costs should we be successful in purchasing it.”

No cold spots

The sale went through and on moving in, Mike and Ellie installed a complete wet heating system with new radiators and pipework. Finn Geotherm recommended an air source heat pump would be best suited to the property and the needs of the homeowners. The company specified and installed a Dimplex A12 air source heat pump along with a 250 litre Dimple EC-Eau Smart cylinder including a combined 40 litre buffer, which connected directly into the new heating circuit. With the heat pump installed outside the house, the cylinder is neatly tucked in a hallway cupboard. The new air source system also enabled Mike and Ellie to remove a 250 litre water

tank in the bedroom wardrobe which was now redundant, providing them with more storage space. And, as the system is pressurised, they no longer need any noisy shower pumps. “Our air source heat pump is working just as well as we’d expected,” said Mike. “The system is very efficient at tracking the weather to deliver the heating and hot water we need. Our house is always warm throughout – we have no cold spots or draughts and the walls have a gentle warmth. We can now enjoy our new home and make great savings on our bills, with the added benefit the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). We’re pleased to have an air source unit in our new home – and, although we’ve no plans to move again, it would definitely always be our first choice for heating any others in future too.” The installation is benefitting from the seven year Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, a government financial incentive which rewards people for opting for renewable heating. www.finn-geotherm.co.uk

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H E AT P U M P S

HPA WELCOMES REVISED RHI REGULATIONS T he Heat Pump Association (HPA) has responded to the longawaited government reforms to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), first announced in December 2016.

While the unexpected laying of part of the RHI Reform package may have caught many by surprise (in that it arrived a little earlier than expected), Mike Nankivell, President of the HPA, has welcomed it. He said: “It ensures the continuum of the scheme by ensuring the degression triggers have been revised to take account of growth in the scheme.

The increased tariffs for ASHP & GSHP underscore the importance of these technologies in the government’s carbon reduction commitments and makes investment in such technologies attractive to end users and consumers.” The revised regulations also introduce heat demand limits intended to reduce the rate of return for ‘large’ heat demand projects. Whilst the HPA did not fully support the limits suggested, the reasons for their imposition is understood. The revised regulations came into effect on 20 September.

The RHI Reform regulations 2017 in brief:

Domestic

Technology

Tariffs (p/kWh)

Heat Demand Limits (Gross)

ASHP GSHP & WSHP

Old 7.33 19.44

New 10.18 19.86

Non-Domestic

20,000 kWh 30,000 kWh

Tariffs have seen inflationary rises. ASHP tariff increased by inflation (CPR) to 2.61p/ kWh and GSHP to 9.09p/kWh (Tier 1, with Tier 2 at 2.71p/kWh)

Mike Nankivell, President of the HPA

How do the Heat Demand Limits work?

There is a little confusion over when and how these changes apply, so some scenarios may assist:

Scenario 1: A Domestic ASHP Project was installed in 2017 and an application for RHI was made on 10 December 2017. The application is accepted and payments will be made at 7.33p/kWh, regularly adjusted for inflation. Scenario 2: A domestic GSHP project with an EPC of 35,000kWh gross pa and an SCoP of 4.00 made an application to Ofgem for RHI after 16 December 2016, but before 20 September 2017. The application is accepted and payments will be made at 19.44p/kWh for all of the eligible period before 20 September 2017, and 19.86p/ kWh thereafter. Payments will be based on the 35,000kWh which is adjusted by the SCoP to reflect the net renewable energy contribution calculated by (1 – 1/SCoP), which in this case is 0.75; hence 26,250 kWh (35,000 x 0.75) will be eligible. Scenario 3: In the same scenario as above, the application for the project is made after 20 September 2017. In this case the Heat Demand Limit will come into force and the gross eligible heat demand will be capped at 30,000 kWh. This too will be adjusted for the renewable heat component by the same factor; hence only 22,500 kWh net is eligible for the same payment structure. Because of the potential increase in tariff for ASHP, but the imposition of a Heat Demand limit, there is clearly a point at which the benefit of one cancels out the increase in the other. Because the increase in tariff is 39% the breakeven point is circa 20,000 kWh + 39% i.e. 27,800 kWh. www.heatpumps.org.uk

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SIMON LOMAX OF KENSA HEAT PUMPS REACTS TO RHI ANNOUNCEMENT On 30 August, Government surprised industry by publishing Statutory Instrument (SI) 2017 857 which makes clear select changes to the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will came into force on 20 September 2017. The most critical change is the introduction of ‘caps’ (Regulation 15) which will limit tariff payments for ground source heat pump (GSHP) installations with an annual heat demand exceeding 30,000kWh/year. As a consequence, for installations at properties with an annual heat demand above this 30,000kWh threshold, there is a financial advantage if the RHI application is submitted to Ofgem before SI 857 comes into force. Unfortunately, that leaves little time to conclude the installation and RHI application work. To be clear, the introduction of heat demand caps was expected: it was clearly communicated in the Government’s December 2016 response to the RHI consultation and was included in the draft RHI regulations which were published in the spring. Industry just expected Government to adopt a different approach to the implementation and provide more notice.

Different approach

As background, all the proposed changes to the domestic RHI were included in a single Statutory Instrument that was published in the spring. At the time, Government advised the SI would come into force after processing through Parliament, a process that was estimated to take around 6-8 weeks. Shortly afterwards, and without any explanation Government withdrew these regulations and industry has been awaiting a further update ever since. It came yesterday and without any warning. It is now clear Government is taking a diﬀerent approach and splitting the changes amongst two (or more) Statutory Instruments with the ﬁrst having a swifter implementation period. This will impact some installations unexpectedly and we apologise for any issues. Government, no doubt, will argue that the implementation date is well beyond the original schedule so the market can have few complaints but that is rather missing the point. Government needs to communicate clearly so those engaged in the renewable heat sector can share accurate and up-to-date information with customers. Anyway, nothing can now be done. The key point is the clock is now ticking and the schedule for the introduction of heat demand caps has been set. Simon Lomax, Managing Director of Kensa Heat Pumps

HPA on RHI reforms.indd 47

GROUND SOURCE BOOST FOR ‘GREEN’ HOLIDAY PROPERTY

National Trust property in South Wales is using heat pump technology to provide heating and hot water.

Gupton Farm recently underwent a major renovation project to become an activity centre and National Trust visitor base at Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire. The site also features camping, farmhouse accommodation and community facilities. During the renovation, Haverfordwest-based renewable energy specialist Green Warmth installed a Stiebel Eltron WPF 35 G ground source heat pump, to provide heating and hot water for the farmhouse accommodation, new reception area with warden accommodation and activity centre. The renewable heating system was delivered as part of the National Trust’s Renewable Energy Investment Programme which is well on the way to halving the use of fossil fuels in the Trust by 2020. A 1,200m ground loop solution was installed with the heat pump to extract required heat from the ground to supply heat to the above buildings, linking back to a central plant room 70m away. Green Warmth also upgraded the heating distribution system within the farmhouse and provided a new underﬂoor heating solution to the renovated reception and warden’s accommodation. The farmhouse was also upgraded with insulation within the loft to improve heat loss and to meet current regulations

Special place

Elgan Roberts, National Trust renewables project manager, Wales, said: “Our latest green holiday destination at Gupton Farm in Pembrokeshire is part of our commitment to reducing environmental impact, using less energy, with appropriate renewable technology where possible. So far, we have reduced our energy use by 35% and are well on our way to halving the use of fossil fuels by 2020. “The state-of-the-art, ground-source heat pump at the farm that provides all the heating and hot water in the bunkhouse and the visitor reception, is a fantastic way to be energy eﬃcient, environmentally friendly and aesthetically allows visitors to enjoy a special place where you reconnect with nature and breathe in the salty sea air.” Michele Bromley from Green Warmth said: “The client is extremely happy with the system. We will continue to monitor its performance to provide the National Trust with data on running costs and energy eﬃciency.” www.stiebel-eltron.co.uk CMYKCMYK / .ai / .ai CMYK / .ai

acrjournal.uk 21/09/2017 10:48

TO O L S TA L K

POWER OF RECOVERY The versatile Javac Altima-A2L recovery unit is designed to meet the needs of engineers in a changing environment.

ith the F-Gas regulations now in full e�ect, there are serious repercussions for the HVAC industry. Engineers may now be aware that R32 made up 50% of the existing R410A refrigerant found in many current air conditioning systems. As R32 becomes more and more common it is vital that engineers have the correct tools to safely and e�ciently do the job. The Javac Altima-A2L has been designed to recover R32 and A2L gasses.

Despite being built for R32, the Altima-A2L can also be used with R1234YF, CFCs, HCFCS, HFCS with blends and A&B variations, as well standard refrigerants. Purge and self-cleaning is ‘on the fly’ so there is no need to shut down and the Altima-A2L is prepped for the next recovery. You can also push, pull and sub cool by using this advanced feature. The flammable properties of R32 and A2L gasses were a constant thought during the design, development and manufacturing of the unit. A simple spark from an IEC lead being kicked out could potentially cause a spark with huge consequences. This potential safety risk would not be acceptable on any site. To combat this, Javac designed the Altima-A2L to have a built-in 5-metre 240 volt glanded power lead. This averts any chance of a spark occurring in the unit from the power source. To further prevent any chance of a spark, the unit also comes fitted with UL listed switches.

Safety features

The Javac Altima-A2L features a high torque AC motor and V-Twin compressor with electronic starter. This allows the Altima-A2L to achieve fantastic recovery rates (liquid 216kg/hr, vapour 30kg/hr and push/pull 660kg/hr) At the end of the refrigerant recovery process, activating the LP over-ride switch will allow the system down to pump down into a substantial vacuum, enough to out-gas the system compressor oil. With built-in safety features such as refrigerant connections that point downwards away from the user’s eyes, thermal overloads and circuit breakers, the Altima-A2L is ergonomically designed with the safety of the engineer the top priority. Overall, the Javac Altima-A2L is a versatile, ergonomic recovery unit designed to meet the needs of engineers in a changing environment.

For more details please contact the Javac sales team: sales@javac.co.uk www.javac.co.uk 01642 232880

OCTOBER 2017

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ADVERTISE HERE IN

3TS TRAINING CENTRE S Introduction HC D O & s F-Ga o t rants e ons g i i t r a f l e u n R g o i e R at Refriger

9 C&G 207

s of Principleation RefrigerAir and ning Conditio

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...just a few of the Training Courses we run throughout the year. Please contact us for further details.

VOLUME 3 No9 ISSN 2058-4407

Providing Training Courses for our hard working sole traders, right up to the largest companies in the business.

Essential Information for the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry

POWER SUPPLY ISSUES? NOT A CHALLENGE FOR THE PANASONIC GHP SYSTEM!

TRAINING CENTRE

e: training@3tservices.co.uk t: 01928 898 191 www.3tservices.net

New ECO G GE3 series - providing eco-friendly heating, cooling and hot water

OCTOBER 2017

GET YOUR COMPANY SEEN!

Ideal when electrical supplies are limited

Generating heating and cooling to meet high DHW demand

With a gas driven compressor that consumes 9% of the power of the ECOi VRF, the GE series is perfect for projects with limited electrical supply.

The GE series utilises exhaust heat to help produce a constant flow of DHW which is perfect for hotels and other housing development applications.

Open and flexible design

Continuous heating down to -20°C

The GE series connects to a wide variety of indoor units and controllers from the ECOi range. A pump down system is also available.

Recovery of waste heat stabilises the heating capacity to eliminate the need for the defrost process, even at very low temperatures.

www.aircon.panasonic.eu

For more details, call us on 01344 853182

PROFESSIONAL AC SMART CLOUD

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Call James on 01778 395029 or email jamesk@warnersgroup.co.uk

"QQSPWFE $FOUSF

“the wisest mind has something yet to learn”

Call us now on 01474 338705/338725 www.ashburyassociates.co.uk Email: info@ashburyassociates.co.uk

PROJECT MANAGER

INSTALLATION ENGINEER

CHILLER ENGINEERS

North West c£neg + bonus + Car allow This specialist refrigeration contractor has a requirement for a project Manager. You will be responsible for overseeing the installation of refrigeration systems in the pharmaceutical process sector. You will be predominately office based but you will be expected to travel to sites in the UK and Overseas. Ref: T3418

North West to £38k + o/t+ bonus + Veh allow You will be responsible for the installation of refrigeration systems in the pharmaceutical process sector. The ideal applicant will have 5 years experience of installing refrigeration pipework on supermarket applications. The position will involve extensive travel in the UK and Overseas. Ref: T3417

South East to £46k+ o/t + veh This major manufacturer of air conditioning chillers is looking to appointment an engineer based in the South East. You will be responsible for the service, maintenance and commissioning of a wide range of chillers including recip, and screw. Ref: T3386

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS North West & South East to £50k + com + bens + car Dynamic sales professionals required to join this international manufacturer of specialist components and systems for the HVAC and refrigeration sectors. You will be responsible for calling on consultants, contractors and OEMs. The ideal applicant will have experience of selling into the Building services sectors. Ref: T3411

SERVICE MANAGER South East to £50 k + bonus + bens + car Excellent opportunity to join an air conditioning& refrigeration contractor. Your main Responsibility will be to maintain and develop the profitable growth of the service business in the South East. This would encompass service and maintenance contracts, general service calls and small works projects. Ref: T3415

CONFIDENTIAL CAREER ADVICE We are always happy to discuss specific positions with you or to have an informal chat about your career. All candidates receive a friendly, professional and confidential service and as part of this we are available to advise you on what potential career options are available to you. We take into account your current skill set and qualifications and the steps you need to take in order to achieve your ultimate goal.

REFRIGERATION DESIGN ENGINEER

DESIGN ENGINEER - INDUSTRIAL

Hampshire to £50k + bens This well established manufacturer of bespoke refrigeration systems including pack systems and condensing units is looking to employ and experienced design engineer. You will be responsible for the design and selection of compressors (recip & screw) and associated equipment for a wide range of applications. Ref: T3406

South East to £50k + bonus+ bens + car Experienced industrial refrigeration design engineer is required by this leading contactor. You will be responsible for the design, selection and pricing of industrial refrigeration Systems, Including ammonia systems for food and manufacturing process applications. A strong technical background is essential. Ref: T3407

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INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATION ENGINEERS Nationwide to £32k+van+o/t+t/t Industrial refrigeration contractor requires an additional engineer to be responsible for the service and maintenance of a wide range of industrial refrigeration systems within food process applications. Industrial refrigeration including ammonia experience required. Ref: T3390

SERVICE ENGINEERS North London c£42k + o/t+ van Our client a leading air conditioning company is looking to recruit 3 service engineers to work on the service & maintenance of a wide range of air conditioning equipment and systems. The successful applicants bust have a good technical background matched with good communications skills. Ref: T34166 For Forfurther furtherdetails detailsplease contactcontact either TERRYWHITE WHITEororROGER ROGERPRICE PRICEat TERRY Ashbury The Old Rectory, Springhead Road, AshburyAssociates, Associates Ltd., Crown House, Home Gardens, Northfleet, 8HN Dartford, Kent DA11 DA1 1DZ t 01474 338705/338725 f 01474 338749 t 01322 424636 f 01322 424637 ee info@ashburyassociates.co.uk info@ashburyassociates.co.uk

19/09/2017 10:03:30

W H OL ESA L E

RW BRANCHES OUT TO WIDEN REACH Investment programme sees five new managers helping to spread the word.

hen Ian Shawcroft took over as Head of RW at the turn of the year, he made no secret of his ambition to establish the brand across the UK.

Having moved from a similar position at HRP, one of Ian’s first moves was to open a new branch of the wholesaler in Stockton, saying: “This is the start of a heavy investment programme for RW.’’ Two more new branches – in Leicester and Basildon – have taken RW’s UK network to 13 and Ian says the changes are being reflected in sales. He said: “I planned this year on strengthening the brand, initially in the north with the opening of Stockton then the Midlands with Leicester, followed by Basildon. “I am delighted with the progress to date from both the new and existing branches and more openings are planned for the future. “RW’s strength is built on good local stocks of top-brand products such as Danfoss, Searle and Daikin, at a good market price. “The business cannot be driven forward by bricks and mortar alone, people are key. With this in mind we have appointed five new managers to bolster the experienced team.’’ Jonny Davis heads up the RW Stockton operation while Colin Gyford is back with the business at RW Basildon after working for Daikin, among others, since leaving the RW Bow branch in east London. Mark Nagel, formerly of Climate Center and FSW, is manager at RW Acton, with Kyen Le (ex-Climate Center) now in charge of RW Bow. Jamie Fulda has been promoted from a trade counter position to manager at RW High Wycombe. Ian added: “The dynamic, motivated team will continue to develop sales and gain market share. I have many new ideas to assist them… watch this space!”

Ian Shawcraft, pictured at RW Birmingham, says the brand’s strength is built on good local stock of top-brand products

RW BRANCH NETWORK ₀ Basildon ₀ Birmingham ₀ Bristol ₀ Crayford ₀ Dorset

₀ ₀ ₀ ₀ ₀

Edinburgh Exeter High Wycombe Hull Leicester

₀ London Acton ₀ London Bow ₀ Stockton www.rw-wholesale.co.uk

OCTOBER 2017

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BOOK YOUR PLACES NOW! This popular awards lunch is again being held at The Belfry, near Birmingham on

Thursday 7th December 2017 This not-for-profit event invests in the training companies to enable them to provide the best skills to trainees and apprentices in the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration sector.

www.acrtoty.uk To book your places please contact Juliet Loiselle on 07786 336606 julietl@warnersgroup.co.uk Sponsored by

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Chilly Chatter sponsored by

ESEER UP TO 8.17

Heat Recovery VRF with industry leading efficiency and enhanced capacities BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

COMMUNITY SPIRIT FROM ENVIROVENT

EnviroVent staff lending a hand with the Horticap project

Communities in the Harrogate area were boosted by the e�orts of more than 200 sta� from ventilation manufacturer EnviroVent.

Staﬀ were given a day away from work as part of an ‘In it together’ initiative where they volunteered to help out on 12 community projects. This included assisting with the set-up of Urban Beach Party at Henshaw’s Society for Blind People in Knaresborough, taking part in community singing with Dementia Forward and a charity car wash to raise funds, whilst another team took on the task of clearing grounds and the garden at St John’s Church in Bilton. Volunteers also helped to give local carers a break supporting The Carer’s Resource in Harrogate, whilst another team of staﬀ took part in helping Horticap, a unique garden for adults with learning disabilities, with maintenance work. The volunteers also helped to transform the space behind Woodlands Church into a community garden. Other volunteers cut back hedges and carried out general ground maintenance for Pannal Ash Junior Football Club and Fountains Abbey. The teams also helped with odd jobs, gardening and decorating for people who are losing their sight and being supported by Vision Support and for the Help at Home Service on behalf of Harrogate and Ripon centres for Voluntary Service. The volunteers also helped to cook and serve breakfast at Harrogate Mind, as well as helping the charity to organise a pool tournament. Andy Makin, Managing Director of EnviroVent, said: “It is fantastically motivating for our team to get involved in something so far removed from everyday working life but that impacts on the community in such a positive way.” www.envirovent.com

ADVANCED ENGINEERING BACKING

TOMORROW’S ENGINEERS

Trainee air conditioning and refrigeration engineers at Eastleigh College in Hampshire are bene�tting from £12,500 of new tools and equipment, thanks to a donation from Advanced Engineering’s ongoing support programme for ACR colleges in the UK.

Advanced has given the Hampshire college £2,500 worth of Imperial Tools manifolds. The gift follows a £10,000 donation of Promax Recovery machines last year. Sales Manager Luke Levens said: “Our partners at the college have been doing some really great work training our next generation of air conditioning and refrigeration engineers, so it was very important to support their eﬀorts in any way possible. “And what better way than ensuring they have the right tools for the job from the outset?” Pictured above, Luke Levens with Eastleigh College lecturer Shaun Creech. www.advancedengineering.co.uk

FESTIVE GOLFING FUN WITH HRS

Hampshire Refrigeration Society’s annual Xmas Golf Fun Day is at Old Thorns on Tuesday 12 December.

The day begins with a bacon bap with tea of coﬀee on arrival, followed by 18 holes of golf on the Championship Course. The evening entertainment features a three-course festive dinner, with prize presentation and Xmas raﬄe. The cost is £48 per person and this includes the price for a shared buggy per team. The event is a 4 ball Stableford but individual players are welcome, with teams made up on the day. HRS Chairman John Emm said: “This is always a very popular event and places are limited so we would urge people to book as soon as possible.’’ For more information, to make a booking or discuss sponsorship opportunities, email. hrsevents@outlook.com

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