Around the Nation

1 2

4 3 5

Cold Hard Facts 2021

December 2021

Gregor Riese Katanga Mangala

1 COOLEST. CONFERENCE. EVER.

AIRAH is taking a new approach to its Refrigeration Conference this year, with the goal of opening the event to more refrigeration contractors, technicians and apprentices. It will be held in person in Sydney and online on May 17–18. The conference will begin on Monday, May 17, with an education session. This is split between three main topics: the fundamentals of refrigeration; energy efficiency in refrigeration; and a coolroom design workshop. The following day – Tuesday, May 18 – features a full day of conference technical presentations. Attendees will hear from both international and local experts as they review the latest from refrigeration industry. Discount rates apply for students – just $75 to attend the full-day education session. Go to www.airah.org.au/refrigeration2022 ■

2 SWANSON GOES WITH THE ’FLOW

Hydroflow Distributors has appointed Matt Swanson as Senior HVAC Business Development Manager. He will be responsible for business improvement across Australia through specification and sales of the IMI TA (Tour & Andersson) product portfolio. Swanson comes to the role with significant experience in international product management and national sales management. He previously held the positions of National Industrial Business Manager with Crane Distribution Limited (Tradelink Plumbing Centres), and Country Manager for Australia and New Zealand with Frese Asia Pacific. Before moving into business development at 30, Matt was the youngest member of Crane’s Senior Management Team and Tradelink’s Guiding Coalition. Over more than 14 years, Swanson has built up a wealth of experience in HVAC product supply, valve sizing, fault-finding, and system value engineering, and has also spent time working in building automation. He developed an interest in fluid mechanics when completing a mechanical engineering degree at Monash University. “Matthew’s technical knowledge, experience, market contacts, and commercial acumen will support Hydroflow’s growth efforts across Australia,” says National Sales Manager David Clarke. Go to www.hydroflowaus.com.au ■

3 CHOOSE WISELY, SAYS A.G. COOMBS

A.G. Coombs has produced an update on its advice about refrigerant use for commercial HVAC systems. “As the world grapples with rising temperatures caused by the emission of greenhouse gases, refrigerants are under renewed scrutiny,” A.G. Coombs says. “Common refrigerants are classified as greenhouse gases, which can be hundreds or even a thousand times worse from a global warming potential (GWP) versus the equivalent volume of natural refrigerants such as carbon dioxide (CO2).” The Advisory Note provides information on the HFC phase-down and Montreal Protocol, the state of the current refrigerant market, HFC alternatives, refrigerant trends, and an assessment of what the phase-down means for commercial HVAC systems. “With the phase-down of HFC refrigerants, there will be reduced supply, and this is likely to result in increasing cost of the gas over time,” says A.G. Coombs. “This has been observed with an increasing cost of R134a over the past five years.” The note advises keeping an accurate schedule of all assets incorporating HFC refrigerants, speaking with mechanical maintenance providers to identify any HFC plant operating inefficiently, preparing a refrigerant management plan, reviewing chiller plant replacement strategies, and considering systems that can offer both cooling and heating at the same time to leverage cost efficiencies. Go to bit.ly/3tPbdaI ■

4 NEW OPENINGS AT OPIRA

The Opira Group has announced the opening of a New South Wales office with the appointment of a new regional director: Gregor Riese, Affil.AIRAH. Riese joins Opira as an environmental scientist and occupational hygienist with extensive experience in the waste management and recycling industries since 1996. He completed a master’s in occupational hygiene and toxicology and is also an accredited WELL AP and NABERS Indoor Environment Assessor.

Opira has also welcomed a new team member to its Perth Office – Katanga Mangala. Mangala brings more than 10 years of experience in occupational hygiene and environmental consultancy across a variety of industries. Mangala is studying for his master’s in occupational hygiene and toxicology at Edith Cowan University. “We are excited about the new growth across our organisation,” says Opira, “and we look forward to supporting our customers with all their indoor air consultancy requirements.” Go to www.opira.com.au ■

5 JUST THE FACTS

A new version of Cold Hard Facts – Australia’s definitive reference on the HVAC&R industry – has been released. The big takeaway is that Australia has probably passed “peak bank”. In other words, our total quantity of refrigerant is now starting to shrink, and with it, the associated emissions. This shows that Australia’s HFC phase-down and other efforts around the world are having an impact. The rapid transition away from R410A to R32 in air conditioners is continuing. Hydrocarbons are signalled as another growth refrigerant, especially in applications with charge sizes under 150g such as refrigerated display cabinets and portable air conditioners. But the transition to natural or alternative low-GWP synthetic refrigerants is not happening as quickly in other sectors. The report notes that despite a concerted move by major supermarket chains to deploy trans-critical CO2 systems, demand for R404A remains strong. In other words, although Australia has probably passed peak bank, there is still plenty of work to do. “With an existing refrigerant bank in installed equipment that has a total global warming potential of approximately 100 million tonnes (Mt) CO2e,”

6 7 10

8 9

reads the report, “efforts at improved containment and effective recovery of refrigerants will be important to continue to drive down the total environmental impact of RAC services in Australia.” Go to bit.ly/3KDQygD ■

6 MITSUBISHI HEAVY ADDS MASS

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Air-Conditioners Australia (MHIAA) has formalised a partnership with turnkey HVAC solution providers Mass Electronics Group to deliver the local relay model for its latest zoning solution, FlexiZone.

Mass Electronics will provide the MH-4ZRM relay modules to enable FlexiZone to be integrated into Mitsubishi Heavy’s ducted air conditioning systems. It will also allow users to turn off individual zones on or off as needed.

“Our company was in search of a local hardware manufacturer for our four-zone relay model,” says GM Service and Technical for MHIAA John Bolger. “We required a plug-and-play solution and looked for an innovative, cost-effective, quality solution. This solution was specifically developed with the Australian market in mind.”

Mass Electronics is a privately owned, Australian-based electronics design and manufacture group, providing consultancy and new product development services from its facility at the Brisbane Technology Park. Founded in 1984, the company has won numerous awards and has been featured as a Top 400 Company in Queensland. Go to mhiaa.com.au ■

7 VENTILATION VOUCHERS

The Victorian government has launched a stimulus package to support businesses and entice people back into venues and workplaces, with funding aimed specifically at ventilation. A $60 million program will help small businesses purchase equipment and upgrades to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace and improve customer confidence. Business will be able to access $500 ventilation vouchers to buy air purifiers, ventilators and other COVIDSafe maintenance. The government will also offer up to $5,000 for matched grants to eligible small businesses to improve ventilation to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This could include investing in equipment, building works, and maintenance services. “Business and consumer confidence is critical for our continued economic recovery, and that’s why we’re investing in these programs to deliver a boost where it is needed most,” says Victorian Minister for Industry Support and Recovery Martin Pakula. Information and guidance about improving ventilation in rooms and spaces in workplaces is also available through the government’s knowledge hub. Go to www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/ventilation ■

8 MELBOURNE MEGA-EVENT

BE Summit, DesignBUILD, Total Facilities and Digital Construction Week will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre over one week from May 10–13. Covering industries ranging from planning and construction to technology and facilities management, DesignBUILD, Total Facilities, the Be Summit and Digital Construction Week will join forces to create what organisers are describing as “a unique built environment event for Melbourne”.

Commercial Manager Lynn Ormiston says the past two years have allowed time to create a new whole-of-industry style approach. “With the rise of building information management (BIM) systems, the various built environment sectors have become increasingly interdependent, so cross-sector knowledge is more important than ever,” says Ormiston. “We have collected feedback and fine-tuned these events so this year we are confident of delivering an exceptional experience for both exhibitors and attendees.”

The event also brings together major industry groups including the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF), Australian Institute of Building (AIB), Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS), National Precast Concrete Association Australia, Women in BIM, Green Building Institute and the Facility Management Association of Australia (FMA). Go to designbuildexpo.com.au/register ■

9 STRENGTHENING OUR STANDARDS

AIRAH has been granted membership of Standards Australia. As well as regularly submitting proposals to improve and update various standards, AIRAH is represented on 18 Standards Committees. “Standards Australia is delighted to welcome AIRAH, a long-standing and strong contributor to standards development, to the membership of the company,” says Standards Australia General Manager Engagement and Communications Adam Stingemore. “The two organisations have enjoyed a strong working relationship over a number of years now, and official membership for AIRAH in Standards Australia is a natural and logical extension of this. We look forward to the liaison continuing for years to come.” ■

10 AWARD-WINNING FILTRATION

Camfil’s Kaire Unit has been named AIRAH 2021 Product of the Year. The Australian designed and manufactured multi-staged, combination filtration system was designed to control light to heavy kitchen exhaust emissions (smoke, grease and cooking odours) for all types of commercial cooking applications. The Kaire Unit incorporates three stages of particulate filtration using custom-designed mechanical filters to deliver effective filtration of kitchen exhaust emissions with increasing efficiency through each stage at a minimal cost. A final gaseous filtration stage uses activated carbon media to remove odours.

With restricted space in buildings, it can be advantageous to horizontally discharge kitchen exhaust instead of vertically above the roof line. But horizontally discharged kitchen effluent requires an engineered solution to remove particulates and odour, as per Australian Standards (NCC, AS 1668.1:2012 and AS 1668.2:2012). The Kaire Unit achieves this with staged particulate filters and activated carbon media. Go to www.camfil.com.au ■