CCME August 2013 by Climate Control Middle East

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happenings at large

Eurovent Certification and Certita merge

Claims to be the first European one-stop-shop for performance certification of HVACR products

ertita and Eurovent Certification Company, product certification companies in the HVACR sector, have announced successfully completing the merger of their certification activities within a new corporation named Eurovent Certita Certification. Effective from July 1, all merged certification activities are being operated by this new entity, having its head office at Paris La Défense, headed by a Management Board, with Erick Melquiond as its President and François-Xavier Ball as its Managing Director, the announcement has added. The combined company has now

become a one-stop shop for European certification body in the field of HVACR, operating 35 certification programmes and generating a turnover of about EUR 9 million the new company claimed. As a result of the merger, Eurovent Certita Certification is now providing voluntary thirdparty certification services on the full range of HVACR products, whatever their final use, either in residential domestic buildings or in industrial facilities, it elaborated. According to Eurovent Certita Certification, it now offers various certification schemes tailored to the needs of manufacturers and

stakeholders on their specific markets, focusing on certifying product performance as well as data needed to implement regulations. “Eurovent certified performance”, NF, CSTBat, and the European Keymark, are the main quality marks it has currently proposed, the new company revealed. It has listed a few of the certification schemes proposed for domestic and industrial facilities:  Thermodynamics: Heat pumps, air conditioners, liquid chilling packages, VRFs, rooftop units  Comfort appliances: Radiators, fan coils, solar collectors and heaters, heating appliances using liquid or solid fuels, mobile liquid fuel heaters, chilled beams  Cooling and refrigeration: Cooling and heating coils, cooling towers, heat exchangers, milk coolers, condensing units, compressors, refrigerated display cabinets  Ventilation: Mechanical ventilation, air handling units, fans, flue pipes, filters, heat recovery systems

Engineering student wins USD 15,000 grant from EPA Will build device to tap energy from ocean currents

aul Delga Delgadillo, a senior student this Autumn, at the Bourns College of Engineering, University of California, Riverside (UCR), will receive a USD 15,000 grant from an EPA national sustainable design competition for his idea to capture energy from ocean currents. He plans to build a smallscale turbine and buoy system and test it in a flow tank to determine the best way to maximise energy extraction. He expects the system will provide as much energy as

an average wind turbine, a UCR news report revealed. Delgadillo’s research comes shortly after the US Department of Energy reportedly said that wave and tidal energy, combined with other water-powered sources, could provide 15% of the United States’

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

electricity by 2030. According to the report, the idea for the EPA P3: People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition for Sustainability, entry came out of a project for the Sustainable Product Design course taught by V

Sundararajan, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering. The report pointed out that current proposals to harness energy from ocean currents requires that the turbine be anchored to the ocean floor using cables or rigid supports, adding a significant cost, disrupting the environment and limiting the mobility of the turbine. Delgadillo hopes to obviate this. However, he expects several challenges, including varying flow rates from ocean currents due to seasonal fluctuations; the fact that depth and contours of ocean floors can affect ocean currents; and avoiding harming marine life, the report elaborated. “The ocean remains an untapped frontier as a renewable energy source,” Delgadillo said. “I’m hoping to change that.”

happenings at large

HOFOR opens new DC plant in Copenhagen Uses cold seawater to produce sustainable air conditioning

news release from DBDH dated June 21 has revealed that HOFOR, the main energy supplier in the Copenhagen area has opened a new district cooling plant, which reportedly uses the naturally cold seawater directly in the cooling production during winter and electric compressors cooled via sea water in summer months

to produce cold air. The sustainable air conditioning is used to ensure comfortable temperatures and cool server rooms in the Copenhagen City Hall, Tivoli Congress Center and many other buildings, the news release elaborated. In this context, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Frank Jensen, reportedly said: “District cooling is one

Triton takes over Logstor Claims venturing into new markets with focus on energy savings

ccording to a news item from the Danish Board of District Heating (DBDH) dated June 24, private equity fund, Montagu has signed an agreement with Triton Fund III to take over pipe manufacturer, Logstor. “We look forward to the partnership with Triton and to embark on the next chapter in our development, where we will continue to offer products and services of the highest quality to our customer base worldwide,” said Martin McCourt, CEO of Logstor. “Our work with the company in recent years, where we have developed new products and have entered into new markets," he said, "has enabled us to meet the needs that have arisen as a result of infrastructure investments and focus on energy savings,” he concluded. 16

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

of the many green, collective solutions, which helps Copenhagen in achieving the goal of becoming the world’s first carbonneutral capital in 2025. In Copenhagen, we are world champions of developing and implementing new and energy-efficient solutions, which are both climate friendly as well as being economical to customers.

ZiehlAbegg bags Plus X Awards ZAplus adjudged best fan of the year

ermany-based company, Ziehl-Abegg, dealing in ventilation and drive systems, has announced that its products, Cpro impeller (centrifugal fan) and ZAplus system unit (axial fan), have won the Plus X awards. Cpro and ZAplus were both awarded four seals: innovation, high quality, functionality

and ecology; in addition, the ZAplus compact fan system also won the title of the “Best product of the year” (Bestes Produkt des Jahres), the announcement elaborated. According to Ziehl-Abegg, the independent award panel comprised over 130 industryneutral jurors from 32 nations, all of them prominent technical journalists and personalities from the sector. The Technical Manager at ZiehlAbegg, Dr Walter Angelis, reportedly received the award in Cologne, and believed that the composition of the jury reflected the quality of the competition. “That the ZAplus unit won the Best product of the Year Award in the fan category is an important sign for

District cooling is a great example of this, and the major cities in the world need these kinds of innovative solutions in order to lower energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. At the same time, the Danish environment solutions and energy solutions have great export potential, which can contribute to create growth and new jobs.” Lars Therkildsen, CEO at HOFOR, is said to have added that his company was pleased that it was now able to offer commercial customers in Copenhagen an even greater security of supply.

(See page 56 for a related story)

our technicians and engineers,” Chairman of the Board, Peter Fenkl underlined. When it came to Cpro, according to Ziehl-Abegg, the jury’s justifications for selecting the product for the award included the fan design, which resembles a water drop. As a result, it is quieter and uses considerably less energy than conventional products, the company pointed out. It highlighted that it was made of ZAmid, a new material, with properties similar to steel, that made a rotational speed of 70 metres per second possible for the first time. Thanks to the material, it claimed, the fan is completely corrosion-free, 100% recyclable and consumes 15% less power in operation that steel impellers.

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ASHRAE UPDATE

ASHRAE guide hits half-million mark AEDG series developed by diverse group of energy professionals

ince being introduced eight years ago to encourage energy-efficient design in a range of building types, the Advanced Energy Design Guide series (AEDG) from ASHRAE and partnering organisations has hit the half-million circulation mark, ASHRAE has announced. More than 500,000 copies of the books have been downloaded or purchased since first published in 2005, the announcement added. According to ASHRAE, in 2008, it began making the AEDG series available for free download at www.ashrae. org/freeaedg, providing guidelines for 30% and 50% energy savings when compared with the minimum code requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings. The series was reportedly developed by a committee

New online discussion platform launched Expected to provide information, generate ideas and comments

aying that through ASHRAExCHANGE it is providing both its members and others in the industry with an online platform for realtime discussion and information exchange for design, construction, operation and support of the built environment, ASHRAE has announced launching www. ASHRAExCHANGE.org. The online platform, which was launched at ASHRAE’s 2013 Annual Conference held in Denver from June 22 to 26, provides a place for users to post and generate discussion on either a general or specific topic without requiring any registration or special software, ASHRAE said, but

representing a diverse group of energy professionals drawn from ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Department of Energy (DoE). The 50% series, said ASHRAE, included books for large hospitals; medium to big box retail buildings; small to medium office buildings; and K-12 school buildings. The 30% series books targets small office buildings; small retail buildings; K-12 school buildings; small warehouses and selfstorage buildings; highway lodging; and small hospitals and healthcare facilities, it elaborated. ASHRAE gave further details about the series: ASHRAE Fellow Don Colliver had overseen the development of the series since it began in 2003 and called for development of the series during his year as president of ASHRAE. During the time, he noted that ASHRAE had found “that a single document, such as a code, could not effectively be used for multiple objectives,” and proposed simplification and increased usability by creating a suite of documents related to energy efficiency. “This is truly a dream come true resulting from a challenge issued during my ASHRAE presidential theme address in June 2002,” Colliver said.

highlighted that users who want to become active participants and be able to post both initial messages and responses to posts are required to register. With thousands of ASHRAE members and non-members checking the ASHRAExCHANGE 24/7, the hope is that the online discussions will generate plenty of thoughts and comments from many knowledgeable people, believed Spencer Morasch, incoming Chair of ASHRAE’s Electronic Communications Committee. “Many ASHRAE members felt there was a need for a place where both ASHRAE members and non-members alike can freely and openly exchange information focused on the built environment. The information exchange is informal and takes place in real time. So if you have a question at 3am on a Tuesday night, you can post that on the ASHRAExCHANGE and, chances are, have a reply posted back to you within 24 hours,” Morasch said, but added, “However, no one should use any information posted on the ASHRAExCHANGE as the basis of a design. The intention is to help get participants pointed in the right direction or open the thought processes.”

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

ASHRAE offers new course

Commercial Building Energy Audits course part of Fall Online Series

SHRAE has announced offering a new course as part of its ASHRAE Learning Institute fall online course series. It gave the following course details: The twopart Commercial Building Energy Audits course takes place on November 4 and 6 and includes a summary of materials essential for performing ASHRAE Level 1, 2 and 3 audits; time-saving tips for energy auditors; how to hire an auditor; what to ask for in a comprehensive audit report; how to build a successful energy efficiency retrofit team; tips to make site visits quicker and more effective; tools to make analysis of billing data and energy savings faster and more accurate; and tools to perform diagnostics using measured data. Courses are instructor-led and participants will earn continuing education credits and qualify for Professional Development Hours for each course completed. “As we work to identify investment opportunities in commercial buildings, we want to ensure that any recommendations are cost effective, technically feasible and result in significant energy savings,” Jim Kelsey, course instructor, said. “Providing the best audits that we can will help move the industry forward to net zero buildings, so this course focuses on how to actually conduct good audits.”

An Ecolab Company

event report

1st Annual Middle East IEQ Conference May 12-13, 2013

THE ROAD TO AN

ADIEQuATE INDOOR ENVIRONMENT It is evident that maintenance of a healthy indoor environment is crucial in hospitals and healthcare facilities, not only for the wellbeing of the occupants, but also in specialised spaces where delicate procedures are carried out. Against this backdrop, we bring you the concluding part of our two-part exclusive coverage of the 1st ME IEQ Conference.

he speakers and the participants at the 1st Annual Middle East Indoor Environmental Quality Conference, held in Dubai on May 12 and 13 at Hall 5 and Al Multaqua Ballroom of the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, shared their insights and perspectives on the increasingly worrisome issue of Indoor Environmental Quality. Several representatives from the government and quasigovernment entities, as well as facilities management experts, end-users, contractors, consultants, master developers, technology solutions providers and healthcare and hospitality

professionals elucidated their views on various key elements that could contribute to the achievement and maintenance of a sound and healthy indoor environment. One of the crucial issues tackled at the Conference was the maintenance of a healthy indoor environment in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Sanjiv Sachdeva, Managing Director, Gulf Engineering System Solutions (GESS), highlighted the importance of high quality HVAC systems to an effective infection control strategy in hospitals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to ensure that the infection does not spread from one source to other sources, and that we provide a suitable environment for patients in the hospital,â&#x20AC;? he said. He added that restricting

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

Air conditioning is actually air treatment. Air treatment includes heating, ventilation, cooling, humidification, dehumidification and air purification or filtration - GHALEB ABUSAA

Sanjiv Sachdeva

air movement in and between various departments was of paramount importance for hospitals and healthcare facilities. “We have to be very careful in designing the system, with very precisely controlled positive and negative pressures,” Sachdeva said. “The general rule of thumb of having five per cent more fresh air does not apply here. Each area needs to be maintained at a specific pressure related to the function going on in that area. There should also be specific requirements for ventilation and filtration to dilute and remove contamination.” To achieve a high level of infection and contamination control in hospitals and healthcare facilities, Sachdeva said, the designers and facility owners, as well as the various stakeholders, should work together with certain guidelines. He added that working out a good facility maintenance programme could help the cause of maintaining a good and

healthy indoor environment. Another factor that should be considered in maintaining a good indoor environment in hospitals and healthcare facilities is acoustics. Paul Schwarz, President, Middle East Acoustic Engineering Society, revealed that appropriate levels of acoustics and the ability of a patient to recover had been found to have a direct link. “If a patient cannot get a good quality level of sleep, it will take him much longer to recover. Hospitals beds are, therefore, occupied for a much longer period of time, and costs for hospitals go up, because patients are staying longer in hospitals,” he observed. Schwarz made the following observation to help remedy the situation: “Architects and engineers play very obvious roles. An acoustic engineer of an acoustic design consultant helps them to work together to achieve the common goal of creating a sound environment in a facility.”

Paul Schwarz

August 2013

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event report

1st Annual Middle East IEQ Conference May 12-13, 2013

FROM THE PODIUM TO THE PAGES As part of the concluding segment of our two-part exclusive and extensive coverage of the event, we bring you excerpts from some of the presentations.

Ghaleb Abusaa CEO, The Three Factors Company (en3 Solution):

“S

ome people think that cooling the air is everything there is about air conditioning. Air conditioning is actually air treatment. Air treatment includes heating, ventilation, cooling, humidification, dehumidification and air purification or filtration…. “Not getting sick means that you have to have the proper air to breathe. It has to have the right temperature

and the right humidity, and it has to be clean as much as possible…. To have a good health and be productive, you probably need a temperature of above zero up to 30 to 35 degrees…. To feel comfortable in the place, you need to narrow the gap. So, you talk about 22 to 26°C, with around 55% RH, and you have a clean air within the contained envelope…. “What is clean air? In general, clean air contains [only] 80 to 120 micrograms of contaminants per cubic metre, regardless of the type…. Dubai Municipality has decided that 300 micrograms of contaminant per cubic metre is in the safe level….”

Tawfiq Attari

Global Sales and Technical Director, DuctSox MENA:

“F

abric ducting is a solution for most of the applications, but they should be open-ceiling applications. Fabric ducting is 24.5% more efficient than conventional metal duct and diffuser systems. Our duct also comes with linear distribution, so you can use

it as a diffuser and a duct at the same time. So, you don’t need diffusers and you don’t need it to be insulated. When you get a uniform distribution, you’ll reach the required temperature much faster than when using galvanised duct. This will increase the product performance and decrease its energy consumption…. “Aeroseal (duct sealing solution) is 50% more effective than sealing the duct by hand, and could result in 70% less labour cost. It could also give you up to 30% energy saving in cooling mode.”

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

Non-fibrous liners are mainly used in buildings with a sensitive population or a sensitive process - STEPHANIE AYERS

Stephanie Ayers Marketing Manager, Evonik Industries:

“T

he industry standard is fibreglass…. Basically, the fibres move as the sound energy goes through, and the sound energy is converted to heat. “When you talk about fibrefree liners, there are two types which are predominantly used in the US: Elastomeric

Michael Walrath

Commercial Product Sales Manager, FreshAire UV:

“T

he UV light basically penetrates the cell wall of microorganisms, disrupting the DNA strand. Due to this, the microbe cannot replicate, and if it cannot replicate, it dies very quickly. We have [two ways of disinfection]:

foams and polymide foams. Polymide foam has excellent fire slope and toxicity characteristics. In the event of fire, the smoke is minimal and the smoke that would be given off has virtually no toxic gases included in it…. It is an open-cell material, and … of the two, this would probably have the better acoustic response, because the sound energy can actually enter some of the cells and, then, be dissipated into the foam…. The elastomeric foam is a closed-cell foam; air will not enter in this type of material. Air will basically

compress the foam a bit, and that would give it some of the acoustic properties that would help it dissipate some of the sound going into the ductwork…. The acoustic response would be limited….” “Non-fibrous liners are mainly used in buildings with a sensitive population or a sensitive process. Sensitive individuals could be people at schools, medical facilities, and nursing homes. Those with sensitive processes include data centres, museums, electronics assembly and in pharmaceutical production…”

airborne disinfection, which requires a high concentration of UVC, and surface disinfection, which requires a much lower intensity…. “Many hospitals in the USA have shown significant reduction in hospital acquired infections (HAI) and odours. [The technology] could also provide your staff with protection against future pandemics…. “The American CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) said that research had demonstrated that UVGI was effective in killing or inactivating tubercle

bacilli under experimental conditions. They basically understand that it is a great way, and they endorsed it…. “There is a dramatic energy savings that can be had by installing UVC lighting on coils and drain pans. Maybe you would ask: How does having a light that takes energy save me money? By keeping the biofilm or the mould that grows in the cooling coil off, the coil is maintained as new and operates much more efficiently…. This could result in approximately 15% to 30% savings….”

August 2013

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event report

1st Annual Middle East IEQ Conference May 12-13, 2013

James Day

Managing Director, Smashing! Cleaning Services:

“P

articles PM 10 could get into the lungs, while particles PM 2.5 could get into the alveoli, the branches in your lungs, and eventually into your blood stream. “The reality is, I personally, spend 99.9% of the time indoors. I spend 15 minutes going from the

house to my car, from my car into the office, and, then, the reverse of that…. The issue there, of course, is that buildings are now getting more efficient and tighter, but the condition of the air is of paramount importance…. “There are companies who are claiming to be following NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaning Association) procedures. Avoid them…. You cannot claim to follow NADCA procedures. You have to approach NADCA, register, take the examinations, do all the course work, take the examinations and be certified….”

George Berbari CEO, DC Pro Engineering:

“A

ll [the new] products are fine. The sensible [energy] recovery is good for dry areas, but it is not good for the coastal areas, where we experience the highest wet bulb temperature in the world. And we proved, by reverse engineering, that they cannot do any recovery at all, because the load is latent. “The ultra film element is introduced in many VRF or VRV DX units, mainly

for villas and residential applications. We have nothing against it. All we are saying is get the validation test and the certification test before implementing. Make sure that they have tested these for crosscontamination and that they have undergone thirdparty independent tests for efficiency. I am glad to see news products, but we have to tackle them carefully, especially during the first implementation. “In heritage conservation, humidity control and filtration are the two key subjects. Probably, you would also like to add carbon filters or some things which can absorb CO2…. I would definitely recommend a double heat recovery and, possibly, the liquid desiccant if you want to push humidity below 50%....”

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

The number of patients suffering from fungus infection in the sinuses and in the nose is increasing - DR HUSSAIN ABDULRAHMAN

PANEL DISCUSSION on IEQ in healthcare facilities Participants at the panel discussion, moderated by Mario Seneviratne (extreme left in the picture above) of Green Technologies, spoke about Indoor Air Quality markers that ensure better IEQ in healthcare facilities. We bring you the highlights….

Dr Tawfiq A M Gordon Sharp Khoja Founder and Director General, Executive Board, Health Ministers’ Council for Cooperation Council States: “In my opinion, for the last 15 years that I have been working in this area of safety, I feel that the leadership is missing here. As a recommendation, we should concentrate on training people and on letting them [acquire] the expertise to perform the job…. The government should take the issue as a serious and an important component in any construction. No construction activity should be carried out, from today, until it fulfills these criteria.... We need to admit that we are far away, so we realise that there is a problem, and then we’ll work.”

Chairman, Aircuity; Member, ASHRAE Standing Standard Project Committee SSPC 170; Member, ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.10; Voting Member, ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.11 and ASHRAEdistinguished lecturer: “In terms of humidity, we have been making some changes to accommodate more energy efficiency, as well as healthcare requirements. We have been reducing some of the RH requirements from 30% down to 20%, because we found out that there is no real impact, from a healthcare standpoint, of going down to those lower levels, allowing humidity to be a little less, thus saving some energy….”

August 2013

Dr Hussain Abdulrahman Director of Medical Affairs, Consultant and Head of ENT Department, Dubai Hospital:

“From the statistics that we have done, the number of patients suffering from fungus infection in the sinuses and in the nose is increasing. Why? Because since the people are always indoor, they could inhale the particles of moulds from the ducts of air conditioning systems. I will stress that the ducts should always be cleaned and the filters should be changed.”

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event report

1st Annual Middle East IEQ Conference May 12-13, 2013

Sebastian Foerster

Nabil Siyam

Civil Engineering Division, Department of Planning and Development, Trakhees:

Business Development Manager, REHAU FZE Middle East:

“W

hat I am talking about is a very simple technology. The only thing we need to do is to install pipes carrying cold water on the floor, on the ceiling or on the walls…. The complete floor area would absorb the thermal

energy which is “visible” to the floor. This would generate a completely homogenous temperature in the room. Even underneath a table or in the corners, the temperature would be the same anywhere. Since it doesn’t have any air movement, it would not have any noise, draughts, dusts, germs or bacteria…. “The best way of doing any cooling in the region is to think about active and passive factors, as well. So, it is very important that you do proper insulation, sun shading or wind blockage…. All of these things together would be the perfect solution for all of your buildings….”

Dr Iyad Al Attar International Air Filtration Consultant:

“S

o, particles will be captured by fibres and as dust loading goes on, particles will capture other particles, then the so-called bridging takes place…. In surface filtration, you need particles to settle on the surface of the material, so the particles themselves become the filtration material. To learn

more about surface filtration, you need to know more about the particles…. This is not what is happening in HVAC. Air conditioning is depth-type [filtration]. “Depth filtration tells us that dust needs to be settling around the fibre, keeping the pores open, maintaining permeability, until the inner spaces are loaded with dust. So, you utilise the depth…. So, we need to know more about the media property in

“A

irflow retarder or barrier should be installed in walls. The airflow retarder reduces both infiltration and exfiltration, and also prevents extrusion by interior or exterior air, depending on the location of the air seal plane. The depth filtration, as opposed to about the particles in surface filtration…. “Air filtration needs you. It needs the government, the industry leaders and the academic institutions. We need to establish correlations between asthma attacks and high dust concentrations due to sandstorms. I believe the standards should be looked at; question their fitness, whether or not they could accommodate our regional settings. The GCC governments should both dictate and regulate how the standards are implemented….”

Air tightness retardant needs to be designed into the building envelope during the initial concept design stage - Nabil Siyam

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

airflow retarder reduces energy use or eliminates moisture condensation…. “The opposite of the term air leakage is air tightness. Air tightness is the resistance of the building envelope to inward and outward air leakage. Excessive air leakage results in increased energy consumption and in a draughty, cold building. Air leakage is a major cause of energy loss, typically around 20% in older houses, from space heating. In modern houses, where heat loss is less through other means, ventilation counts for a higher proportion, estimated at 35-40%.... “The ‘good practice’ air permeability is 5m3/h/m2. The ‘best practice’ is 3m3/h/ m2, based on CIBSE. In a recent survey of 100 new houses, none achieved a ‘best practice’ standard and around a third failed to achieve the building standard. Less than 20% achieved the ‘good practice’ standard of 7m3/h/ m2. Ensuring air tightness is achieved through careful implementation of strategy throughout the design and construction phases…. Air tightness retardant needs to be designed into the building envelope during the initial concept design stage…. “The effect of structural envelope elements, both exterior and interior, becomes increasingly important, whereas the good coordinated foundationdesign entails, not only structural soundness and good installation, but also appropriately controlled moisture, contaminants and indoor quality.”

Christopher Rajamani

Eman Al Madani

the process, the consultants who design and review the process, the contractors who build and handover, the clients who maintain the premises, the school management and the facilities management companies who aim to provide a healthy environment. The laboratory is the one who does the monitoring. We also need to have the parents on board…. It is very important to have integrated management from all stakeholders….”

fter 15 years of operation, we had to renovate our building. So, we used the LEED framework there. The main aspects that we found affecting Dubai Chamber’s indoor environmental quality includes adopting sustainable purchasing guidelines, furniture fittings, paints and adhesives, cleaning products and the way we clean our offices, design and functionality, and airflow circulation and ventilation…. “Throughout the entire renovation project, Dubai Chamber insisted on following strict green building standards. One of the green building standards that we had to follow was to use eco-friendly materials and furniture that emit low volatile organic compounds

Technical and Business Development Manager, Al Hoty-Stanger Laboratories:

“W

e have different participants in the [process of maintaining a good indoor environment]: There is the government which has to issue fair regulations and legislate

Paul Schwarz President, Middle East Acoustic Engineering Society:

“R

esearch shows that, in an average office situation where there are inappropriate levels of noise, excessive amounts of noise from building services, the environment and operational equipment results in a 66% drop in productivity. That is 66% less productivity from your workforce because your offices are inappropriately designed….

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Executive, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry:

“A

and low amounts of toxins…. We also identified the hazardous cleaning materials that we used to use before, and gradually phase them out over time, replacing them with eco-friendly cleaning materials…. We also engaged our staff through a lot of communication. This helped us in having them more involved in our initiatives. Yes, we were able to introduce a lot of technical projects to improve our indoor environmental quality, but we need our staff, tenants and our customers to be involved and be aware of what we do.”

“In learning environments, like schools, it is essential that the reverberation times in a room are kept low. Your average school classrooms are designed poorly in terms of acoustics. Unfortunately, if you are sitting any further back than the third or the fourth row, you are not going to be able to fully hear what the teacher is saying. Some studies show that up to 50% of the words that come out of the teacher’s mouth are lost in a classroom, as they are never heard by the pupils. Half of the child’s education is missing because the classrooms and the educational environment are poorly designed.”

August 2013

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event report

1st Annual Middle East IEQ Conference May 12-13, 2013

Raniel Barroso

Ahmed Hussein

Project Manager, Engineering and Energy, Green Technologies:

“I

t is the HVAC engineers’ responsibility to provide correct ventilation. Our references should be ASHRAE 62 and ASHRAE Fundamentals. Why am I insisting on ASHRAE and not CIBSE? Because LEED talks about ASHRAE. Ventilation, as defined by both the fundamental book and

the ASHRAE standard, is the intentional introduction of air from outside into a building, and the process of supplying air to or removing air from a space, for the purpose of controlling air contaminant levels, humidity or temperature within a space. LEED says: ‘Meet the minimum requirements of Section 4 through 7 of ASHRAE 62.1-2007, with errata but without addenda.’ “Energy and Indoor Air Quality are linked to each other. When you bring down the energy consumption, Indoor Air Quality will go down. When you increase the Indoor Air Quality, energy consumption will go up. That is why, be careful in designing [for ventilation]….”

Director, Facilities Operation Department, du and Member of the Board, MEFMA:

“T

here are four elements for a sustainable operation. These are economic, social, environmental and operational. You have to find a balance among those four elements…. If the four elements are not balanced, you will not have a sustainable operation…. “Twenty-five per cent of the lifecycle cost comes from the design and construction, while 75% of the cost would come from the facility management. Therefore, we need to be involved in the concept design; from the beginning, facility management should be involved….”

Basically, AN MEP design is the most fundamental part of food and beverage hospitality outlet... - Stephen Pakenham-walsh Gordon Sharp Founder and Chairman, Aircuity; Member, ASHRAE Standing Standard Project Committee SSPC 170; Member, ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.10; Voting Member, ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.11 and ASHRAEdistinguised lecturer: 32

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

“B

asically, the first thing that we want to do in terms of providing a good indoor environment is to reduce the sources of contaminants to the extent that we can…. Obviously, there would be some amount of contamination leftover… that’s where you use dilution ventilation. Basically, that’s the outside air ventilation that eliminates those extra contaminants. “The primary standard, of course, is ASHRAE 62.1.... One of the issues around

that is if it is providing good environment. In 2004, there was a major change in the standard … instead of having only a per person requirement, they added a per area requirement. But, even more significant to that, in my mind, was that they changed the requirement from an acceptable level to a minimum level of ventilation…. Is this adapted rate healthy? Is this rate good enough…? “A lot of good evidence says that you should at least try to maintain that 20 cfm/person level….”

PANEL DISCUSSION on IEQ and Food Safety In this session, the participants focused on key procedures one could follow in order to keep a healthy indoor environment in food-related establishments. Here’s what they said….

Stephen PakenhamWalsh Seventeen FZE:

“Basically, an MEP design is the most fundamental part of a food and beverage and hospitality outlet…. It is very important that they get that right from day one. If they don’t do that, irrespective of costs involved, the air quality won’t be there. Therefore, it is going to be detrimental to the staff and their productivity. Also, [since] a lot of concepts that you find in this region are show kitchens, [it] will, then, have an impact upon your guests….”

Richard Sprenger

Chairman, Highfield Middle East and Asia Awarding Body for Compliance: “I think what we’ve got to look at is to make sure that the buildings themselves and the people that are putting them together are fully trained, and that there is a motivation amongst the owners to pay for the kind of standards that they want…. It’s about communication. It’s about telling people what is right and what works and how we can prevent air quality problems….”

Anil Nair

Regional Quality Head, Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods): “Once the products leave the factory … we normally do not have much of control on that. For example, if a product, like cheese, is not handled properly in that part of this value chain, then a consumer who picks up that brand actually gets a lower quality product or, even, an unsafe product…. In my personal experience, I have seen lack of awareness in certain distribution chains in this part of the Middle East…. Sometimes, the transportation company tries to cut corners…so, we have a risk here….”

James Day

Bobby Krishna

Managing Director, Smashing! Cleaning Services:

Principal Food Studies and Surveys Officer, Food Control Department, Dubai Municipality:

“We depend upon people like Bobby (Krishna) and the Dubai Government to set the legislation, which then forces and encourages restaurants, catering facilities and food protection units to take the correct and appropriate action. The recent introduction of the Food Guide (Dubai Food Code) … is a great step forward that the Government has taken in Dubai…. It enables so many of us to jump on the back of that particular guide and improve the facilities by offering our individual services….”

August 2013

“We have some issues now as regards setting up a food business. A lot of people who start a food business do have a very little background. They do not even know about food business; they just come as an investor. All that they need is a license…. The Economic Department doesn’t really want to slow the process down. To make things easier, they request us to make the approvals less stringent. So, what we do is we provide a set of guidelines for them to follow, and they just build them as per the guidelines. But, there is no real inspection or real review of the details that are provided to us…. We’ve been trying to change this, but it proves to be difficult….”

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event report

1st Annual Middle East IEQ Conference May 12-13, 2013

Timothy Eorgan

“W

Manager of Specified Products; Product Manager of Duct Sealants and Adhesives, Carlisle HVAC Products and Member, ASHRAE Technical Committee 5.2 on Duct Design:

hile not part of the calculations, duct sealing directly contributes to the successful implementation of LEED credits IEQ 7.1 and 7.2 by removing hot and cold spots…. Really, the ductwork is the heart of the whole building, because all that air that you breathe is coming through that ductwork. So, you want to make sure that it is sealed properly. You also want to make sure that the mastic is not going to propagate any form of mould or bacteria…. More and more people have been diagnosed with asthma by a health professional during their lifetime, and an average of one out of every 10 school-aged children has asthma….”

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

event report 22-23 May 2013 The Address Dubai Marina, UAE

Scripta manent – what is written remains

To bridge the gap between theory and practice in the food and beverage services industry, Dubai Municipality has released the new Food Code. As a document accessible to both inspectors and the industry, it was seen as a solution to the occasional discrepancy between documentation and interpretation. We bring you the concluding part of our exclusive coverage on Food Chain Dubai 2013.

he sessions and discussions during the fourth edition of Food Chain, held in Dubai on May 22 and 23 at the Constellation Ballroom of The Address Dubai Marina Hotel, included an in-depth presentation on the essence and relevance of the Food Code, released by the Dubai Municipality. Bobby Krishna, Senior Food Studies and Surveys Officer, Food Control Department, Dubai Municipality, made a presentation on the essential features of the Food Code and

the relevant steps one could take to better understand it and reap its benefits before an audience of senior government officials, industry leaders and technical experts, as well as key decision makers and representatives from farms, hypermarkets, supermarkets, restaurants, malls, hospitals, and food safety and consumer groups. Krishna began his presentation with the opening remarks: “Why the Food Code? Because there was no other regulation that the industry could follow.” He then explained that earlier, there were administrative and

Climate Control Middle East August July 20132013

Today, we do not have any regulation which says that we need to monitor the temperature, so there could be many things which are going wrong - PRAKASH KRISHNAMOORTHY

Top Photo (L-R): Michael Wunch, Sultan Ali Al Taher, Jamie Ferguson Left: Bobby Krishna

local orders, but the general public did not have access to them and, more often, it did not contain the information that people required. “We wanted something that could reach them and that could help them make decisions,” he said. Krishna drove home the point that, with the absence of a single document accessible to both the users and inspectors, there were occasional discrepancies between what was written in

the regulations and the way inspectors interpreted them. “We knew there is a problem with inspectors interpreting regulations in different ways, that is why we thought that a common set of regulations is very important,” said Krishna, adding that the Food Code was the first book that would give a clear link between the inspections and what the industry was actually doing. Throwing the spotlight on some features of the

Food Code, Krishna pointed out that the document had additional components, including notes and rationales. He said that the notes provided the users additional information that they might require to understand a particular clause. The rationale, on the other hand, was offered in order to clearly define why a particular requirement was important. One other relevant feature of the Code, highlighted by Krishna, was the flexibility it could provide to its users. “We also specify in the code that processes, materials and methods, other than those specified in the Code may be used by the food business operators if they can provide sound scientific evidence to the Food Control Department, which clearly

August 2013

demonstrate that those processes, materials and methods comply with the regulations.” Krishna concluded by offering some advice to the audience to enable them to maximise the benefits of the Code. “Set a plan for your organisation. If you do not have sufficient information, ask for experts to help you out. Look for alternatives if you have a better way of doing things,” he said. He also cautioned the users to plan for their finances, as there could be requirements contained in the Code that might need capital expenses. “What we want to see are organisations building their own plans. Set your plans and give us a clear timeframe of when you could meet all the clauses,” was his final suggestion.

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event report 22-23 May 2013 The Address Dubai Marina, UAE

From the pODIUM TO THE PAGES As part of the concluding segment of our two-part exclusive and extensive coverage of the event, we bring you excerpts of some of the presentations.

Prakash Krishnamoorthy

“T

Sales Manager, Middle East, Carrier Transicold Europe – Gulf Office:

oday, we do not have any regulation which says that we need to monitor the temperature, so there could be many things which are going wrong. I, in fact, had a quick discussion with one of the inspecting authorities while the company was doing inspection for Dubai

Municipality, passing trucks for food application, and I felt that the checklist is a little too vague, not ‘clear and crispy’. Yes, if it falls within [a certain] range, they probably do it, but when it comes to monitoring the temperature, it is nowhere written. “I was told that there were some companies who monitor it during delivery, and that

they just “write it down”. So, how far is that [from what is] acceptable to the authorities? How far is that [from what is] acceptable to the receiving people? These are the big questions to be answered. There are [pieces] of equipment available, which are independent and which can monitor the temperatures. They can give you delivery slips, which give the suppliers the confidence to tell the people to whom they are delivering to say, ‘Yes, these products have been delivered at the right temperature….’”

The Dubai Municipality inspections are not magic. To change, we need more involvement from establishments and consumers - Sultan Ali Al Taher

Andre Stumpf

“S

Technical Expert, Sustainability Manager, Carrier Transicold:

o, you have data. What are you going to do with the data? You will create certificates … which are mandatory for new equipment … and the validity of these certificates is six years for new trucks. After six years, you have to retest the truck, so you have to send the truck back to a normal test chamber, and you do a pull

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

down test … to measure if the refrigeration unit is respecting a certain pull down time. This gives you the validity of the labelling found on the outside of the truck. You can apply this regulation at an international level through ATP, but you can also apply it at the national level. “ATP is not a solution for everything. ATP was designed for exports, and not enough for city distribution. So what we have done was to form

a working group to work on new standards, which will better focus [on] the testing – on the constraints of city distribution or of local applications…. “Traceability of frozen food is also not very well followed by ATP. We have, at ATP, requested that you have to [maintain] the temperature of frozen food. But, frozen food is something that is very sensitive, so we have advised a period of time when you can go outside the set point [temperature]. The question is how long can we go outside the set point and not have a problem with the product?”

Rakesh Saxena

General Manager, Trimac Inc:

“W

hat is the advantage of this new approach [remote monitoring and management of commercial refrigeration equipment]? The digital input was connected to the doors, giving information on how long the door has been open. The second digital input is connected to the engine, giving information on when the engine was turned off. Another good thing about it is that if something goes wrong

along the way, the driver gets an audio alarm, [so the driver is alerted and is prompted to act]. Moreover, the data logger can hold data up to seven days….”

Mohammad Ali Shah

Supply Chain Manager, Global Shipping and Logistics LLC:

“Y

ou have to maintain the temperature and humidity in the warehouse, as per requirement. For each food there is a requirement. There should not be any exit for the cool air, and you should not allow warm air to come in, because then you will have a fluctuation in the temperature, which may destroy the food products. “Proper material handling equipment is necessary. You can pick up the boxes and place them on the location; however, the safest way is to have a proper material handling equipment. “You don’t want infestation in your warehouse. We are not only talking about rats or other pests that enter, but bacteria, as well. You have to make sure that you have a plan implemented into your system, which takes care of infestation. They try not to have plantation close to the warehouse, as they

August 2013

give birth to bacteria and viruses, which may cause contamination of food in the warehouse…. Every company should have a proper disposal programme, because food has a life, and once the life is gone, you have to discard it…. Periodic inspection and cleaning of dock levellers is also important. You have to make sure that underneath the dock leveller, there is no pest, garbage nor bacteria…. It is suggested to have a lowUV emitter light, because the high-UV emitters attract insects…. Avoid keeping the products on the floor; it is better to keep them in the pallets or slip sheets….”

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event report 22-23 May 2013 The Address Dubai Marina, UAE

Ghaleb Abusaa

Dr Rafiq Al Khatib

CEO, The Three Factors Company (en3 Solutions):

“D

on’t exaggerate and know what you want. Be real: Check your money and the availability of the land, decide what products you want to store, check your market and make the feasibility study and, then, decide. Don’t come up with a 10,000-tonne cold store, and along the way you will

tell your consultant that you have changed your mind and you just need a 2,000-tonne cold store. If you do that, the consultant will have to start the job from zero again, because everything is related to each other…. “For the walk-in cold rooms, those that are attached to a grocery shop or a supermarket, you do not need an engineer for them. There are readymade tables, which tell you the appropriate size of the room and how much it can store for every type of vegetable and fruit…. Do not mix fruits and vegetables in the same place, because each has a recommended storage temperature, relative humidity and air rate by which it spills out the ethylene that can destroy the remaining products and shorten the shelf life.”

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

Managing Director, RMKthe experts:

“W

e found out that training [sessions] are inconsistent and not the same rules are being taught in various training [sessions]. Why the inconsistency? Training materials are changing, trainers are not the same, aids and facilities are not the same, trainers have different backgrounds, knowledge and attitudes towards training. This is why we found out that some training [sessions] are not successful, and are just waste of money and time. Furthermore, 41% of food handlers demonstrated serious gaps between their knowledge

and practice…. There must be a reason why food handlers know what is right, but still do it the wrong way. “Behaviour change does not take place by training alone. If we train the people, [and] then we go home, then they go back to their work, that is definitely not enough to make the change in the performance and in the attitude of the trainees…. [Some reasons are time pressure, inadequate facilities, inadequate supplies, lack of accountability and, surprisingly, lack of involvement of the management]. “One of the problems we face is that we go for generic training…. We have to customise the training. Although we know the basics, we know the syllabus, we still need to do some changes in order to make the training material more relevant to the trainees…. It is very important that we tell them what they need to know, because it is important for their work….”

Abdul Rashid

Sultan Ali Al Taher

CEO, Pillsbury Consulting:

“T

he overall training environment in this part of the world is led by legislation. That’s a challenge, because you are asking people to comply, perhaps, where

The fridges in the supermarket are not chillers to bring down the temperature; they are only holding fridges - Michael Wunch

they don’t feel the need to have that level of training or knowledge. When you have a mature environment, where people understand the benefit of training, then training will be a lot easier. In short, we are trying to provide knowledge through experience to ensure that people change attitude and behaviour…. “Training should not only be directed to legal compliance requirements, but it should [also] be directed to the business operation…. It is about compliance with regulatory requirements and, more importantly, it is about compliance with your business needs…. The customer has to be the key focus…. “Training should be adapted to the nature of the business – it should be on-site training. There may be elements of theory that you can give, those can be given in a quiet room in a dairy plant, or somewhere else where you can take about five to 10 minutes to just give them the knowledge and the principles…. “How about educating the consumers and letting them know what the good practices are? With the advent of social media and access to information for almost everyone, it is very simple to give messages on Web sites, through text messages or marketing campaigns, which one can use to advise the customers. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the municipality; the responsible to the market chain should be responsible themselves. If you bring in the big boys, the smaller units will follow….”

Head, Food Inspection Section, Food Control Department, Dubai Municipality: “The number of complaints in 2011 was 3015, and in 2012, 2372…. We follow up and investigate the complaints, because we are giving fines and penalties to the premises, so we have to be fair with them…. ut of all the “In terms of closure, in [food] outlets 2011 it was 97, and in 2012 it in Dubai in was 191. The closures are just 2012, 55% is temporary, until the premises classified as high-risk. These take corrective action and establishments are restaurants follow the requirements from and coffee shops. Groceries the Dubai Municipality. We and supermarkets are classified will re-open the premises as low-risk [establishments] after our inspectors check if because they sell packaged they indeed comply with the items, and there is no more regulations. preparation involved. In the “Another challenge we are shopping malls, we have 1,010 facing is the educational level premises, and 67% of those and food safety background of are classified as high-risk…. the restaurant staff. We try [to “In 2012, the number of bridge the gap] by publishing B-graded establishments many programmes, like PIC increased. We did many and Food Safety Clinic, to meetings with some malls and improve their hygiene levels, some restaurants to improve or by using photos or videos, on this. The “C” grade is because some of them do not good enough, but we want know how to read or write. restaurants and premises in “The Dubai Municipality Dubai to be excellent and very inspections are not good. In 2011, the number of magic. To change, we B-graded establishments was need more involvement 1077, and in 2012 it became from establishments and 2022…. consumers….”

“O

August 2013

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event report 22-23 May 2013 The Address Dubai Marina, UAE

Jamie Ferguson

Michael Wunch

MENA Regional Manager, Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA):

“I

n Australia, we are one of the [few] countries in the world that have a 100% traceable system for its livestock. Every animal has its own RFID tag…. Our animals are scanned off the farm to the next farm or to the abattoir, and the information

goes all the way down to the carton label on the box…. “HACCP is mandatory in our abattoirs, and every export establishment must have its own micro-labs on site to do their own testing. There are also external auditors that take part in that process…. “I think we have proven to the market and to many countries around the world that we are good at what we do and we are good in supplying food, and we are doing everything we can to do the best thing until the products reach the port of entry. We are doing our best to make sure that the products are received in the best condition….”

Managing Director, Barakat Quality Plus:

“T

he fridges in the supermarket are not chillers to bring down the temperature; they are only holding fridges. So, if a product has already reached a certain point of temperature, [the fridges] won’t be able to

Dr Suheel Ahmed

Bjorn Osbyte

Project Development Manager, EMKE Group (Lulu Hypermarkets):

CEO, Arabian Farms Development Co:

“T

emperature control is very important in poultry because, at every point, we are using the temperature as one of the main [production

factors]. Chicken houses have to be maintained between 22 and 26 degrees centigrade…. [Egg storage is between four and 10°C; egg transportation, four and 10°C; fresh chicken, negative one and 14°C; frozen chicken, -16 to -18]. “Critical limits have to be followed. Normally, if you say four to 10 degrees, others maintain it at 9.9 or 10 degrees. That is not a good practice. Try to go to the lower limit, so that even if the temperature rises by one to two degrees, or you open the door, you are still within the range.”

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

bring it down. Many people overlook this fact and say ‘our fridge is six degrees or four degrees’, but if the product that goes inside is already warm, it cannot cool it down…. “The cold chain is a very important factor, especially for our products, to keep the natural goodness of the juices. We cannot reverse things. If we have a bad product from the beginning, we cannot reverse it. I cannot make a good juice from a bad or spoiled fruit. I cannot make a good tasting juice from an unripe fruit. Whatever you put in the beginning, will come out in the end….”

“A

t Lulu Hypermarket, we are paying AED 18,571,200 for removing the waste from the hypermarkets [and transport them] to the landfills. That is the bill we

get every year. We have decided to start recycling this waste. We have two [options]: one is recycling on the spot, one and a half tonnes per day, the other one is a central 250-tonne capacity…. “We have designed, in Abu Dhabi, a new system called ‘brine cooling’, which means that we are cooling glycol, storing it in tanks, and using this glycol during the peak hours the next day…. That way, we are saving a lot of electricity….”

James Day

Ghaleb Abusaa

Managing Director, Smashing! Cleaning Services:

“Y

ou are expected, as caterers and people working in the food chain, to have an understanding of air conditioning and water quality. The reason for that is it appears on the Food Code….

“[Even if] many of you have restaurants or facilities where you don’t have control of the water, as it comes from the main source…the code still applies to you, and the Dubai Municipality inspector will be looking for compliance to the code…. “On the back page of the Food Code there is a checklist of about 16 or 17 items, which, if you own a restaurant, is expected of you to have…. Those are all pretty basic, and most restaurants owners or caterers know that they have to have that available when the Dubai Municipality inspector comes."

CEO, The Three Factors Company (en3 Solutions):

“S

ometime last February, we had a meeting with the Dubai Municipality where we discussed the possibility of putting some kind of a training programme that will ultimately enhance the efficiency of those involved in the food chain. Those involved are not only the stakeholders – the stakeholders are

August 2013

the inspectors of Dubai Municipality, the engineers involved in the refrigeration system and the operators of the food establishments…. “Our target is to enhance food safety. What is food safety? The food is considered safe when it doesn’t contain chemicals toxic to human beings. Toxic chemicals produced by moulds are not destroyed by heat. This is why we always say that playing with the temperature or abusing the temperature is very bad, because when the temperature rises, all the bactreria, moulds and germs get very active…. And because they are alive, they eat and they dispose…."

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event report 22-23 May 2013 The Address Dubai Marina, UAE

Live Consulting Session A unique feature of Food Chain Dubai 2013 was the Live Consulting Session on common design, installation and O&M challenges faced by food establishments to ensure good FSQA, and possible strategies and solutions. We bring you the highlights…

changes to your MEP facility, and sometimes, you won’t have the space to do so…. Abusaa: If you have a small grocery or a small supermarket, you don’t need chilled rooms nor walk-in chillers or freezers…. If you hardly sell a dozen of chicken or a few kilogrammes of meat, you don’t need all this. We need to define what we are talking about.

Q: What tips can you give so that one can choose the right consultant?

Walsh: It’s the experience in the region that will come to the fore….

Q: How do you clean

the water tanks in highrise buildings like Burj Khalifa?

Day: The issue is not only about water tank cleaning, but also about pipeline disinfection. If you are running a restaurant within a building that has a centralised water supply to you, you are not in control of the water tank nor of the pipeline disinfection programme. It is important from a Food Guide perspective that you ensure that you have the certification in hand….

Q: How dependable are

water filtration systems?

Day: Bear in mind that your filtration systems filter out deposits and they’re not going to treat the bacteria. There are UV systems or ozone

systems, which may help you kill the bacteria. But, most people are not going to have them in place. And, if they are not well maintained, they become a source of contamination…. Abusaa: The water that comes from DEWA is desalinated water, and has everything required for you to drink. But, it doesn’t come to your house directly…. From the desalination plant, until it reaches the main source in your district or city, the water is pure and very good. The problem comes in the distribution network. If you have an old distribution network, then you can expect different kinds of non-organic impurities (rust, sand and dust)…. There is also the danger of having organic

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

impurities….UVs are good in cleaning organic materials….

Q: How can you

overcome cost and space barriers in setting up a cold storage equipment?

Stephen PakenhamWalsh, Seventeen FZE: [One important thing is] to make sure you [have] got an efficient system. The MEP consultants, or whoever is designing it, should make sure that you are using the right equipment for dealing with it…. Day: For retrofitted restaurants or retrofitted facilities, don’t assume that it’s going to fit today the same way that it did yesterday. When you have got design changes in the infrastructure, you’ve got to make design

Joanne Taylor, Course Leader, Msc Food Safety Management, Higher Colleges and Technologies Director, UAE Training and Research, TSI, UK, (as the moderator): Two key messages: Empower yourselves and get knowledge as much as you can and, then, choose very wisely, looking particularly at the regional experience….

event report 22-23 May 2013 The Address Dubai Marina, UAE

Safwan Saifuddin Altikarli

Mohammed Altaf

Senior Animal Product Hygiene Officer, Food Control Department, Dubai Municipality:

Food Planning and Studies Specialist, Food Control Department, Dubai Municipality:

“W

e have a system controlling all imported food to Dubai, called FIRS (Food Import and Re-export System). Many people do not understand the requirement of the label. Also, many people do not read the label properly, and this is causing many problems for them…. “The brand name [to be put on the label] is very important for us to differentiate the items. Products which are coming without brand names are causing a lot of problems for us. If we register one item as ‘no-brand’, it can be used by so many people coming from different places, and it makes it very difficult to distinguish which sources are good and those that are not….

“The name of the product must properly describe the product for us to understand what it is…. “Now, according to the Food Code, it is mandatory to have dates on products that you want to keep. Any product that you want to keep for more than one day should have production and expiration dates…. “Manufacturer, packer or distributor information should also be reflected on the label, so that we can find out who is responsible for the product in the event of any problem…. “There should also be warning on the label if the product contains any allergen…. “The Arabic version of all food labels has been mandatory since 2007. You cannot produce food without Arabic labels. The minimum requirement is to reflect the product name, ingredients and country of origin in the Arabic label….”

The issue is not only about water tank cleaning, but also about pipeline disinfection - James Day

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

“W

ith regards to the food inspection methodology of the Food Control Department, I would

like to inform you that the Department is an ISO 17020-certified organisation. Our department has its own internal inspection guidelines for all inspection officers, which they have to follow and reflect in their reports…. Based on last year’s data, our section conducted approximately 11,000 inspections within our area, and we have about 2,500 premises in our section.”

cover story VRFs

"LOWER LIFE CYCLE COST" "EASE IN INSTALLATION" "INCREASED ENERGY EFFICIENCY" "FLEXIBILITY IN DESIGN"

THE

PARADOX

OF THE

CRISIS

The economic uncertainty had slowed down the growth of the construction sector in the region, which, in turn, impacted the HVACR sector. Through the testing times, however, the heightened urgency for cost saving and energy efficiency in HVAC equipment opened new avenues for VRF systems. Jerome Sanchez has the story.

he HVAC sector in the Middle East is observed to have undergone a substantial transformation in the past three years. For one, the economic pressure that the downturn placed upon the governments has prompted them to legislate and set up regulations, which, in turn, have led HVAC manufacturers to focus their attention on research and development efforts to create more energyefficient and economicallyviable products.

The end-user demand for savings in installation and lifecycle costs, on the other hand, has spurred the HVAC companies to offer products that provide design and installation flexibility and a higher degree of suitability and efficiency despite the region’s harsh climatic conditions. Popularly regarded as an efficient, economical and environmentally friendly technology, VRF systems have been touted by the industry players to be the answer to the region’s growing concern about cost, efficiency and sustainability.

The VRF market in the Middle East

Industry players are all of the opinion that while the technology is considerably new in the region, they can see the growth of the VRF market on the horizon. Michel Farah, Product Department Manager, Daikin, says that VRV technology is entering the GCC market at a higher growth rate than that of traditional systems, and that the VRV market is growing at a fast pace, as the technology is generally offered as an alternative to conventional systems. “Our estimation of the market,” he explains, “is August 2013

that it is growing every year, as customers are becoming more familiar with the technology and its benefits in meeting cooling load and demands without exceeding the required power input at various conditions.” Irfan Syed, Senior Marketing Engineer, VRF Systems, Johnson Controls, attributes the growth of the VRF market to the new energy regulations in the region, the ongoing campaign for zero-ODP refrigerants and to retrofit jobs, where VRF systems are installed as replacement to other aircooled systems. Jones Wu, www.climatecontrolme.com

cover story

VRFs

Regional Manager, Middle East, Gree Electric Appliances Overseas Sales, agrees with Syed when he says that, in his view, the energy efficiency and green building regulations from the government give the VRF technology a push towards growth. “Thanks to the regulations, AC consultants are trying to push the market to shift from normal ducted split units to VRF systems. This trend started in the Emirates, and is now expanding to the other GCC countries very rapidly,” says Wu. Furthermore, he makes a prediction that, with the rate of the VRF market’s growth, the technology may take over the share of the

A separate fresh air system may still be required in most applications

The paradigm shift In an exclusive interview with Climate Control Middle East, Edwin Young, Programme Manager for Estidama, Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC), speaks about which rating systems are applicable to VRF systems and about how the huge government investment in housing in Abu Dhabi impacts the industry. Jerome Sanchez in conversation with Young… be an alternative, more energy-efficient solution.

Edwin Young

In terms of Estidama, which rating systems are most relevant for VRF systems? Both the building and villa rating systems are equally relevant to the use of VRF, and we would actively promote the use of the technology where applicable. Recent statistics gathered within the programme shows that villa typologies are gathering pace in relation to VRF, whilst design teams seem to prefer chillers as a source of cooling in buildings, even when VRF could potentially

How has the large government housing programme in Abu Dhabi impacted the VRF industry? Would you be able to provide us with some statistics to show the housing project’s effect on the VRF marketplace? Government housing has changed significantly with the introduction of Estidama, and it is something we are very proud of in the programme.

ducted split units, and even eat into the share of the wallmounted splits, within three to five years. Though unanimous in indicating market expansion and year-on-year growth of VRFs, the estimated figures the industry players offer on the size of the VRF market are varied. Jafar Syed Imam, Senior Regional Manager, RLC, Middle East and Africa, AHI-Carrier, says that, though market history is not sufficient to extrapolate the trend for the VRF market, it is expected to spiral upwards and grow exponentially. “The GCC market could be anywhere in the range of 12,000 outdoor [units], with

equipment sales touching USD 120 million. The top contributors are UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman,” he observes. Amjad Abu Alika, AE Academy Manager, LG Electronics Gulf, provides a similar figure, as he believes that while the VRF system is still new in the region compared to chilled water systems and conventional DX systems, the market is growing year after year, and is now pegged at around USD 100 million. He shares Imam’s view that the UAE is the biggest contributor to its growth. Mohammed Khaja, Product Leader, Unitary Systems,

The UPC has offered support to design teams in all aspects of the design, but this is particularly relevant to energy resource efficiency. Currently, in the programme, it is estimated that over 6,500 villas are planned to be constructed with VRF over the coming two years. This paradigm shift proves that collaborative working between the designers, the marketplace and the authority can prove beneficial in energy reduction, which is a fundamental requirement in Estidama.

VRF is not a new technology globally, but the marketplace can’t always see that. Going forward, the supply chain has to change this perception, and to this Estidama would like the following:  Better marketplace training for design and system selection  Better marketplace training for installation personnel  Better marketplace training for maintenance personnel  Work with design team and developers to achieve a correct solution matrix  More competitive marketplace versus traditionally installed systems  The institution of a VRF Manufacturers’ Forum

What does Estidama expect from the VRF manufacturers? What are your recommendations?

Current percentage, 10,000,000 m2 GFA Analysis – Estidama VS traditional buildings and villas

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VRFs

“Focus on system stability and energy efficiency” Winning a bid to supply VRF systems to over 400 villa units, American Pro says that the recent feat boosts its campaign to establish good-brand recognition in the Middle East and to promote its digital scroll VRF system.

“T

he government of Abu Dhabi developed plans to build nearly 2,000 units of villas, and allot them to native citizens. The project was divided into two phases, with American Pro winning the bid to supply air conditioning products for the first phase, comprising more than 400 villas. American Pro is now aggressively bidding for the second phase of the project. “The central air conditioning system employs tropical-condition digital scroll VRF outdoor units, with wall-mounted and ducttype indoor units. A sample system was installed in one of the reference villas for a non-stop, long-term reliability test, and a special team of consultants and experts from the UAE was invited to inspect the laboratory testing. “The tropical-application series of products have shown excellent performance, high efficiency and reliability,

even at the highest ambient temperature (up to 54°C). In order to meet the technical requirements of the owners and consultants, the R&D engineers set up a technical team to customise the corresponding control function and cooling system. “The United Arab Emirates, as one of the largest economies in the Middle East, plays a very important role in the region. Winning the government project helps American Pro in establishing goodbrand recognition in the area, in promoting its digital scroll VRF product. Concentrating on system stability and energy efficiency, American Pro has strong communication with its consultants and design engineers during the project consulting, the designing and the bidding. This makes the actual project requirement clear, and allows them to provide the appropriate proposal.”

Michel Farah

Jafar Syed Imam

Irfan Syed

Amjad Abu Alika

Jones Wu

Mohammed Khaja

Trane, gives a higher figure, and qualifies that assuming a 22% year-onyear growth, the current estimated GCC market potential of VRF systems is USD 340 million. Jin Kyu Choi, Director, AC RPM, MENA, Samsung Electronics, computes the highest estimate at USD 540 million, with approximately nine per cent growth compared to figures from the previous year.

suffering a setback. “The economic crisis affected the entire field in the GCC, as well as globally, as the air conditioning business is related, as a main factor, to the construction sector,” Abu Alika points out. He says that numerous projects after 2008 were postponed or cancelled, even those that had gone past the concept design stage. Though some construction projects were not completely cancelled or shelved, the crisis caused the developers and the contractors to tighten their belts. Choi explains: “Most of the projects, originally planned with VRF systems, which were initially looking for more energy-efficient products compared to chillers and ducted splits, were changed to ducted splits, owing to

The push and pull of the downturn

The economic crisis of the recent years had multifarious, and sometimes, contradictory effect on the VRF market. The most obvious offshoot of the downturn was, of course, a slowdown in construction projects, with the air conditioning market 50

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

their cheaper price compared to any other system." He observes that during the crisis years, the demand for the ducted split system increased compared to that for VRFs and chillers. “Due to the economic crisis,” says Wu, “the budget for the projects has shrunk a lot.” This, he explains, resulted in a more stringent requirement on the part of the developers and contractors to look for economically viable air conditioning products for their projects. “Ducted split units will definitely be one of the more economical AC solutions for their projects, compared with VRF systems,” believes Wu. The only factors, adds Wu, that deterred developers and contractors from overwhelmingly choosing ducted split units over VRF systems, considering the difference in initial cost, were government regulations. When one scratches the surface, however, some industry players observe that the economic downturn, in fact, encouraged the growth of the VRF technology. Farah is of the view that the crisis actually favoured the VRV systems over other traditional systems. He explains: “Some applicationrelated targets have favoured VRV design features, such as lower lifecycle cost, individual tenant billing, partload efficiency, fast project completion, long distance between outdoor and indoor [units], reduction in peak load power consumption without affecting comfort, and predictive component failure alerts.” He also shares Wu’s opinion that new energy performance regulations have tipped the scale in favour of VRV systems over traditional systems in some areas. Throwing the spotlight on a specific case, Dharmesh Sawant, Senior Sales Manager, AC B2B, LG Electronics, says that complying with Estidama’s sustainability regulations was one of their main considerations when

This era marked the rise of the VRF technology as a frontrunner rather than just an admired trophy, which remained untouched for a while they installed LG’s VRF system in GEMS American Academy in Abu Dhabi. “Because of the possibility to mix indoor models with various condensing outdoor units, we were able to retain the school’s Arabic design and cut down on the electrical load seen in conventional air solutions…. The overall cost efficiency of these air conditioners is between 25 and 30%, making them a costand energy-efficient solution for building projects.” In addition to regulations, the huge government spending on infrastructure, even during the crisis years, promoted the expansion of the VRF market. “As expected, the global economic slowdown affected the air conditioning business, resulting in sluggish growth,” says Syed. “But we have the advantage of operating in a part of the world where the governments are proactive and have implemented several measures to mitigate the impact of the economic slowdown on local companies.” He says that the government stimulus

and spend on infrastructure, public housing projects, renovation and construction of new schools, construction of healthcare facilities and of other social projects translated into support for the air conditioning business. “The VRF systems, with their lower operating costs, high efficiencies, dependability and environmental sustainability, have, in fact, [experienced] increase in sales,” he reveals. During the crisis years, as mentioned earlier, many of the projects, which were originally planned to be mega-sized ones, were eventually scaled down, and the skyscrapers were resized to half, and turned into many medium-sized buildings and condominiums. “This formed a perfect germinating platform for VRF systems,” says Imam. “Where economy of scale made it hard to justify those

August 2013

mega district cooling projects and centrifugal chilled water systems, there came a perfect fit in the form of VRF systems.” He elucidates that the technology’s design and concept allow phase-wise installation, thereby limiting the burden of cash flow and offering financial flexibility. “As the voice of the green evolution and energyefficient solutions gathered momentum, although crippled with financial limitations, VRF emerged as the most sought-out solution that fit the bill. This era marked the rise of the VRF technology as a frontrunner rather than just an admired trophy, which remained untouched for a while.”

The potential of VRFs in the Middle East The industry players are unanimous in saying that

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VRFs

A separate fresh air system may still be required in most applications the largest market for VRFs in the Middle East is presently the UAE, but that the technology is slowly gaining traction in other significant markets in the region.

Saudi Arabia: “Saudi Arabia, in itself, has a huge potential…. With much of the developments, be it in housing or infrastructure modelled on flat surface rather than vertical, VRF will certainly play a major role when it comes to meeting the energy mandates,” says Ajit Chandraraj, General Manager, RLC, AHI-Carrier. With the Kingdom’s aggressive determination to move away from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, and find an alternative source of power generation to respond to the country’s growing demand, Chandraraj says that there is a conscious effort to adopt smart power generation and smart consumption. “There is an urgency to look at more energy-efficient products … and the need of the hour is to look at ‘smart air conditioning’ – a tag that has been synonymous to VRF

systems in the developed world,” he says. He points out that, in Saudi Arabia, many mega housing projects, like the one in Qurtoba, is being designed with VRF systems. “In the next two years, Saudi [Arabia] will be one of the biggest importers of VRF products. A major shift is about to happen, moving [away] from the traditional ducted splits and packaged units, which are currently used generously throughout the Kingdom,” Chandraraj predicts. Farah seconds Chandraraj’s view and adds that Saudi Arabia has legislated a new minimum energy performance standard, the first phase of which will be applicable from September 2013. “We believe that the energy efficiency regulations will boost the VRV share of the total market.” Khaja, however, voices a different opinion when he says that Saudi Arabia is not as a significant market for VRF systems as some may assume. “It has been gaining some popularity over the last three years, but it still represents only five per cent of their total HVAC market potential,” he points out. Abu Alika supports Khaja’s view and says that the only major market in Saudi Arabia, in his opinion, constitutes commercial projects, and that there is an observed general absence of demand in the residential projects. Qatar: “With growing power demand, Qatar is an ideal candidate for embracing the VRF product line, and has rightfully done so,” says Viraj Vartak, Regional Manager, VRF, AHI-Carrier. He explains that a sizeable portion of Qatar’s oil and gas resource is being burnt to generate power, and with Qatar’s 2030 vision, huge developments are being planned across all sectors. “The World Cup 2022 has already set the ball rolling, and the market is booming in anticipation.

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

Jin Kyu Choi

Dharmesh Sawant

Ajit Chandraraj

The next few years will see nationwide developments, particularly in infrastructure, housing and hospitality,” he says. He shares his view that projects in Qatar are being designed with VRF systems right at the concept stage. “Today, be it governmentaided projects, commercial space, housing and other infrastructure projects, VRF systems have been in the central scheme of things,” he reiterates. Choi and Khaja also regard Qatar a booming market, owing to large development projects in the pipeline, most of them in connection with the upcoming World Cup 2022. Though generally optimistic about the growth of the VRF market in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Wu observes that the markets here are different from those of other GCC

Another pair of eyes Arguing that a performance certification scheme, by providing comparable third-partycertified data, allows for a sound technology selection, Erick Melquiond, President, Eurovent Certita Certification, discusses the status of the certification regimen for VRF systems and sheds light on the testing standards that it follows. Here are the highlights… information needs, such as energy efficiency or performance, as well as noise efficiency.

Viraj Vartak

Erick Melquiond

Peck Zhao

Basil Khayat

Zakir Ahmed

countries. “Things in these two countries always move very slowly,” he says. “These two countries just started to shift from window AC to wall-mounted split units in recent years…. I think it will take more time for these two markets to accept the VRF technology.” Oman: “Oman today has more VRF projects by proportion than any other GCC countries,” says Imam. He reveals that four in every 10 major

During the 1st Annual Middle East Variable Refrigerant Flow Conference, held in February in Dubai, you mentioned that one of the newer certification regimens in place was the one for VRF systems. How is the VRF industry receiving the certification process? Have you seen an increase in the number of participants in the certification scheme in the past several months? The Eurovent Certified Performance for VRF has now started, and the first test campaign is in progress. At the moment, seven manufacturers have completed their preregistration, two have finished registration, and some pieces of equipment are on their way to a lab location for the test to be carried out. First batch of certified data will be published by the end of October. What were the key parameters that you considered in establishing a certification regimen for VRF systems? Key parameters being considered must be according to the selected testing standard and must cover key market

Which equipment is included in the scope of the certification programme for VRF systems? The following are included in the scope: Outdoor units used in Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems with the following characteristics:  Air or water source  Reversible, heating-only and cooling-only VRF systems with data declared and published as combinations, are, however, excluded in the scope. Heat recovery units are included, but the heat recovery function is not certified. In addition, high ambient systems are included, but tested under standard conditions as specified in RS 6/C/008. Which characteristics/ performance indicators of VRF systems do you certify? Which testing standards are followed in the process? The following are the characteristics that we certify:  Outdoor cooling capacity at standard conditions  Outdoor heating capacity at standard conditions  Outdoor energy efficiency ratio in cooling (EER)  Outdoor coefficient of performances in heating (COP)  A-weighted sound power level, outdoor side These are the testing standards that we follow:

August 2013

Performance testing using the calorimeter room method: EN 14511 “Air conditioners, liquid chilling packages and heat pumps with electrically driven compressors for space heating and cooling” Performance testing using the air enthalpy method: EN 14511 “Air conditioners, liquid chilling packages and heat pumps with electrically driven compressors for space heating and cooling” EN 12102 “Air conditioners, liquid chilling packages, heat pumps and dehumidifiers with electrically driven compressors for space heating and cooling – Measurement of airborne noise – Determination of the sound power level” with exception of the duct end correction method described in section 6.2.2 of the standard. In your opinion, what value will certification add to products of participant companies? A performance certification scheme, such as Eurovent Certified Performance, will provide the market with comparable data for a new kind of technology, making a sound product or technology selection possible. Moreover, a performance certification scheme will allow for the possibility to work with third-party-certified performance data, instead of self-declared data provided by manufacturers.

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VRFs

In pursuit of a level playing field Saying that getting products certified instills confidence in customers and ensures a fair playground for different manufacturers, Umair Surani, Senior Certification Engineer, Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) speaks to Jerome Sanchez about AHRI’s VRF certification programme. Here's what he said…

Umair Surani

How is the VRF certification programme of AHRI doing? Are you seeing a continuous interest from the industry? AHRI’s VRF certification programme is one of our most popular programmes. It began in 2011, with five companies: Panasonic, LG, Daikin, Mitsubishi, and Toshiba Carrier. Since that time, Fujitsu, Samsung and Trane have joined the programme. We continue to see global interest in the programme, majority of it originating from Chinese manufacturers. At present, which equipment is included in the scope of the certification programme for VRF systems? The programme includes aircooled and water-source VRF multi-split air conditioners, heat pumps, and heat recovery systems ranging from 12,000 Btu/h (3.5 kW) to 760,000 Btu/h (222 kW). Which characteristics/ performance indicators of VRF systems do you certify? Which testing standards are followed in the process? All testing in the programme is conducted as per AHRI Standard 1230, “Performance Rating of Variable Refrigerant

Flow (VRF) Multi-Split AirConditioning and Heat Pump Equipment”. The certified ratings that are verified through tests are cooling and heating capacities, energy efficiency ratio (EER), coefficient of performance (COP), integrated energy efficiency ratio (IEER), and simultaneous cooling and heating efficiency (SCHE). In your opinion, what value will certification add to products of participating companies? AHRI’s globally recognised, industry-respected programme assists manufacturers in meeting ever-changing regulatory requirements, and helps contractors and specifiers provide assurance to their customers. The performance of AHRI-certified VRF products is measured and verified through rigorous testing at an independent third-party test laboratory, instilling consumer confidence and enabling fair product comparisons. During the 1st Annual Middle East Variable Refrigerant Flow Conference, held in February in Dubai, HVACR industry players, spoke of a meeting with AHRI, which has the scope of forming a regional air conditioning association. Has there been development towards this direction? AHRI continues to discuss the value of an industry advocacy organisation in the region, composed of local and global manufacturers. Those discussions are positive and hopefully will yield results in the near future.

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

projects in Oman are designed with VRF systems. Even the government institutions, he adds, have supported the idea of modernisation and of green evolution envisaged by the Omani leadership. Iraq: “Iraq, on the other hand,” Imam continues, “has been exposed to unlimited challenges in the last decade, from safety and basic amenities to electricity.” Most of the large projects in Iraq, he says, have been designed with VRF systems, which consume much lower power compared with other systems. “With hardly eight to 10 hours of electricity available in many of the prime cities in Iraq, I can say that they made the smart choice.”

Key issues on VRF systems

Though the industry players speak highly of the VRF technology’s benefits, especially in terms of energy efficiency and of lowering installation and lifecycle costs, they also highlight some key concerns in relation to the system. Peck Zhao, Marketing Manager, Commercial Air Conditioner Division, Midea, cites the limitation on the maximum and minimum entering dry- and wet-bulb temperatures in the indoor coil as a reason why the units may be regarded as unsuitable for 100% outside fresh air applications, especially in hot and humid climates, such as that of the GCC. He adds that in such areas, a separate fresh air system may still be required in most applications. He also points out that the piping length for VRF systems is still limited, owing to the issues of oil return and capacity drop. This concern, he says,

continues to make chillers more popular in high-rise and large-scale buildings, such as those with a height of 100 metres or more, or those that have a heat load of higher than 1,000 RT. Another key concern raised against VRF systems is the danger of refrigerant leakage, as the technology uses refrigerants as a cooling and heating medium. “In cases where the refrigerant pipes are more than 500 metres,” explains Zhao, “there is a perceived refrigerant leakage problem, especially in a system with multiple outdoor unit-combinations and numerous indoor units.” Though there have been very few cases of refrigerant leakage reported during the 30-year history of the VRF technology, Zhao says that this remains a concern for the industry. In order to address the issue of the suitability of VRF systems in hot or humid climates, Zhao shares the information that his company has developed a fresh air processing unit, which makes its products capable of operating under temperatures of as high as 45°C. He also speaks of the availability of a heat recovery ventilator, which can pre-cool outside air of, say, 54°C down to 40°C or lower. “This makes the whole system capable of providing fresh air, no matter if the ambient temperature is 54°C,” he claims. He also says that recent technological advancements in VRF systems make it possible to connect a total of 1,000 metres of piping length to the system, with less capacity drop and refrigerant charge volume. It is now also possible, he adds, to have a vertical piping length of up to 110 metres between the outdoor unit and the indoor units. “The integrated pressure sensor will detect the real-

time pressure and, coupled with an intelligent detection programme, the system will give a warning signal once there’s a leakage,” he reveals. Zhao predicts that, in the future, more intelligent programmes and more precise sensors, which could detect a leak point, making it possible to prevent a big leakage in the system, may be available. One other pressing concern for the VRF industry is the perceived lack of information on the part of the market, and of training on the part of installers and MEP engineers. “As a new technology in the region,” says Farah, “the market awareness is still at a low level, and users still have to be educated.” He adds that the VRV technology is constantly growing, and that Daikin is supporting this expansion by training and qualifying installers in its own Academy. Speaking for Trane, Khaja says that as VRF applications need careful designing by trained professionals with genuine experience and system knowledge, his company has formed a team especially dedicated to VRF projects. “We are also conducting various training programmes and sharing our knowledge with our business partners. So, in the case of our current undertakings, we share our knowledge, and our customers have been able to make informed decisions, rather than relying on openended statements,” he claims. Basil Khayat, AC Division Manager, United Electronics, distributors for Mitsubishi, points out that there may also be an information gap on the part of architects and MEP consultants. “In order to overcome this, we constantly update and share with them information about the system. We also arrange factory visits, enabling them to have a better understanding of the system and its applications,” he says. Aside from training and information dissemination, Wu believes that there is also

A close look at the future

It is now also possible to have a vertical piping length of up to 110 metres between the outdoor unit and the indoor units a need to make performance data publicly available. “As a new solution, there are very limited number of reference projects for VRF in the Middle East region.” This, he says, leads to the situation where project owners are still not fully convinced about the performance of VRF systems, especially under the tough climatic conditions in the region. Zakir Ahmed, Managing Director, NIA, during the company’s Dealer Meet in March (For a related story, please see the May 2013 issue of Climate Control Middle East), shed light on why it may be difficult to provide operational data of VRF systems: “In the case of VRF systems as a whole, it is difficult to tell, because there are a number of variables, such as speed, temperature and a varying load all the time.” He, however, points out that VRF systems could give the user operational data at each zone through wall-mounted controls and PC software. The available features, he adds, can tell the user the consumption by the hour and by the zone.

Energy efficiency has become a concern in the Middle East, especially where its extreme conditions pose a continuous challenge to air conditioning equipment. “The governments of the UAE and of Saudi Arabia,” says Imam, “have been engaged in commissioning sustainable design pilot projects, and in one of such prestigious green projects in the UAE, Toshiba has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for partnering in research activities. The research is aimed at studying contributions VRFs can make in the Middle East, when it comes to energy-efficient solutions.” He reveals that his company’s VRF system, equipped with the latest vector-controlled inverter technology, can provide excellent energy efficiency with a COP of 6.42 for a 50% load operation, and a COP of 3.77 for a 100% load operation at high ambient conditions. He adds that his company’s next generation VRF system will be equipped with smart controllers, which can remotely control air conditioners using GSM-based smart phones. Zhao believes that in the future, it will be possible to connect more indoor units to one single system, reducing initial equipment cost and installation costs. He also says that they are looking to introduce outdoor units with capacities of up to 18 HP, which could save on installation space and piping materials. Wu says that his company’s new system will be based on full DC inverter VRF technology with builtin energy-saving control module on the PCB board. “It can optimise the power consumption of each electrical component in order to reach a maximum IPLV of 6.72, which is the leading energy August 2013

efficiency [system] in the industry.” Speaking for Trane, Khaja says that high-ambient operation and energy regulation requirements are the prime consideration in developing new products. He adds that his company is also focusing on advance building management systems. “Daikin has recently introduced new product enhancements, such as the Air Conditioning Network Service System (ACNSS) and the Eco spray,” reveals Farah. He explains that the ACNSS is a VRV installation network that allows operators to monitor and predict malfunctions before breakdown occurs. The Eco spray, on the other hand, is a technology that allows for the reduction of power consumption at peak hours, without affecting user comfort, he says. Choi points out that his company’s new system is equipped with dual smart inverter compressor, making it suitable for temperatures of up to 54°C. He reveals that his company’s system can accommodate a piping length of up to 220 metres and a level difference between the outdoor and the indoor units of up to 110 metres. This, he says, gives flexibility to the system’s design and ease in installation.

Conclusion

VRF has been regarded as a technology that could minimise efficiency losses and offer lower lifecycle costs compared to traditional systems, and that it could provide a sustainable solution to the increasing concerns over energy efficiency and the growing demand for electricity. In these times of economic uncertainty, when reduction of cost and optimisation of energy usage are the top priority for the governments and for the industry and its stakeholders, VRF systems could definitely be the right kind of fit. www.climatecontrolme.com

region report

SCANDINAVIA

Making a

Den-mark in energy efficiency Saying that his company’s R&D efforts remain focused on maximising energy efficiency of heating and cooling systems, Frese’s Global Sales & Marketing Director, Nathan Cooke speaks to Jerome Sanchez about the company’s range of products and its outlook in the Middle East.

What is the general outlook of the HVACR industry in Denmark in light of the prevailing economic crisis? In your estimation, is it still growing amidst the downturn that has heavily hit Europe? As with the majority of markets in Europe over the last few years, we have seen a slowdown in activity in the commercial building sector in Denmark, where the majority of our products are sold. However, over the last 18 months, we have started to see a gradual increase in business from Denmark, particularly, in our core product line of pressure, temperature and flow control products. With a very high level of environmental standards, and in the light of your region’s goal to makes energy systems sustainable by 2020, how has your company ramped up its R&D towards energy efficiency? The pressure, temperature and flow control products we design and manufacture have always had energy efficiency at the centre of product development. Our tag line is 'Energy Saving Valves', and this emphasises our focus and continuous R&D work on developing product solutions to help maximise energy efficiency

in heating and cooling systems around the world. In light of the economic uncertainty, how are your products helping customers save on energy cost? How is the market appreciating these technologies? On average, 76% of the world’s energy is consumed in buildings, with approximately 20% of the world’s electricity being used to pump fluids around. It is also estimated that up to 90% of the whole life cost of a pump is energy related. Therefore, if a pump works less, significant energy savings can be made. Our patented pressure, temperature and flow control products have been proven to provide direct pump energy savings of 35% by ensuring system stability. In addition, a further 50% of cost savings can be achieved through simplified system design using pressure-independent control valves and optimal pump control. In light of these savings, we have seen a significant uptake globally for our solutions, with more customers and end-users appreciating the energy saving benefits of our technology. In addition to product quality, a key factor for the market is application knowledge and expertise. What technologies are available in Denmark to improve on energy efficiency of equipment? Is there a plan to

Climate Control Middle East August 2013

Nathan Cooke

Saudi Arabia was probably the least effected market in the region by the global crisis, and while Qatar remains buoyant, we still feel that there is much more to come from this market in the future sell these technologies in other countries? How about in the Middle Eastern countries? Export sales already form a significant part of our business and we continue to develop both our home and export markets as part of our

ongoing strategy. In Denmark we have concentrated our focus more on our core product line of pressure, temperature and flow control products as opposed to our traditional product range in the Denmark market of general plumbing products, and this has helped us maintain our market position. All our pressure, temperature and flow control products, which are aimed at helping maximise energy efficiency in heating and cooling systems, are sold in all our markets, including the Middle East. In fact, our products have been sold in the Middle East for the last 15 years, and the region continues to be important for us. In this downturn, is there a shift in focus in Middle Eastern countries, particularly in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which were seen to be least affected by the crisis among Middle Eastern countries? Why or why not? Prior to the global economic crisis the UAE was always our key market in the Middle East. But post 2008/2009, the focus in the region, activitywise, certainly changed to Saudi Arabia, in particular. Saudi Arabia was probably the least effected market in the region by the global crisis, and while Qatar remains buoyant, we still feel that there is much more to come from this market in the future.

ERICA

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