CCME June 2012

www.climatecontrolme.com

Special Focus The role of compartmentation in fighting fires p69 Country Report Saudi Arabia: Scripting a success story p25 Perspectives London Olympics D-Code: Water-based vs. Spotlight A and Natural Refrigerants p52

solvent-based

that is the question! p66

Event Round-Up: C3 Doha p40

To motorise or not to motorise – adhesives p24

microscopic view of particles p72

News Empower roots for DC at hotel show p9

JCI launches Panoptix in Middle East p16

Plus: Marketplace, Comings&Goings

JUNE 2012

www.climatecontrolme.com

Special Focus The role of compartmentation in fighting fires p69 Country Report Saudi Arabia: Scripting a success story p25 Perspectives London Olympics D-Code: Water-based vs. Spotlight A and Natural Refrigerants p52

solvent-based

that is the question! p66

Event Round-Up: C3 Doha p40

To motorise or not to motorise – adhesives p24

microscopic view of particles p72

News Empower roots for DC at hotel show p9

JCI launches Panoptix in Middle East p16

Plus: Marketplace, Comings&Goings

JUNE 2012

The way the wind blows

A reading of wind direction reveals that there is no major storm brewing in the fans and blowers sector in the region.

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

US$15

Vol. 7 No. 6 | June 2012 04 from the editor

For better health and nutrition

happenings

06 The region 18 At large 20 Marketplace 24 d-code

Sticking points

John Guthrie draws a comparison between the use of water-based and solvent-based adhesives in ducting.

contents

44

cover story The way the wind blows A reading of wind direction reveals that there is no major storm brewing in the fans and blowers sector in the region. The market is whirring at a regulated speed, with no sudden gusts threatening to blow away the status quo.

40 EVENT ROUND-UP

A time to retrospect... and act

Participants and delegates at The Climate Control Conference (C3) Doha agreed on the need for an integrated approach to district cooling, cost-effective technologies and regulations on water use and enforcement.

perspectiveS 50 How safe are air cleaning

25

appliances?

Growing awareness about the importance of IAQ has elicited an increased interest in air cleaning products in the HVAC industry.

Chante’ White Maurio evaluates the options available.

64 Dampers can save lives

Dampers play an important role in making a building safe from fire and smoke hazards.

Saad Ali explains how they work and cites the recent incident of fire in a Doha mall as an example to highlight the need for strict building codes and fire safety measures.

66 To motorise or not to motorise – that is the question!

David Stevenson takes an in-depth look at the role of fire dampers in reducing smoke and heat from spreading from one fire compartment to another through HVAC ductwork and believes that motorised actuators ensure greater efficiency and safety.

69 Ensuring safe compartmentation

Containing or delaying the spread of fire in a building by restricting its flammability or combustibility can help mitigate hazards and loss of life and property. Noman Qamar illustrates how compartmentation can go a long way in achieving this.

56

Revisiting flammable refrigerants – Tread with caution In this third and final part, Thomas Blewitt concludes his review of the current status of standards and codes relevant to flammable refrigerants. VAC equipment and appliances.

COUNTRY REPORT Saudi Arabia: Scripting a success story As government-backed mega infrastructure projects and real estate initiatives go into full swing, the HVACR sector is poised to tap the gold mine.

Giving natural refrigerants a sporting chance

52

Eurammon demonstrates with case studies how natural refrigerants can be innovatively used in sports and leisure facilities to make an appreciable difference to the environment.

72

SPOTLIGHT A microscopic view of particles Dr Iyad Al-Attar explains the importance of defining critical parameters, such as particle size, which affect the performance of air filters.

June 2012

www.climatecontrolme.com

3

from the

editor

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

For better health and nutrition

Editorial Director & Associate Publisher B Surendar | surendar@cpi-industry.com COO Nadeem Hood | nadeem@cpidubai.com

n what is becoming an annual exercise, Climate Control Middle East magazine, as part of its editorial coverage of the refrigeration industry, gathered a set of regional and international food establishments and refrigeration equipment companies in end-May to discuss common issues concerning both camps.

While food establishments raised the need for better support from the refrigeration industry in terms of better installation and after-sales support, and best practices in design of cold stores, among other issues, the refrigeration industry spoke of challenges related to cost-conscious food establishments, which often came in the way of providing cutting-edge solutions that would help the food establishments achieve high food safety standards without compromising on energy efficiency. Cutting corners, the refrigeration industry felt, did not help from a long-term perspective.

The end-May meeting, Food Chain, not only attracted the food establishments and the refrigeration industry but also the various Municipalities in the UAE. Significantly enough, at the behest of Dubai Municipality, the event was an occasion for an inauguration ceremony to mark the formation of a committee consisting of food establishments and the refrigeration industry to produce a draft proposal containing recommendations related to refrigeration. In the time to come, Dubai Municipality will likely consider the recommendations to draft legislation on food safety from a cold chain perspective.

The committee, led by Dubai Municipality, will go through a detailed exercise lasting several months to identify important considerations in key areas of refrigeration. The mandate in front of the members of the committee is to arrive at a set of checklists for compressors, chillers, power back-up systems, transport refrigeration units, insulated panels, holding freezers, walkin freezers and display units, to name a few. They will also draft checklists on specialised refrigeration consultants and contractors. The checklists, according to Dubai Municipality, will likely enable food establishments to make informed decisions at the time of buying refrigeration equipment or while seeking the services of consultants for the purpose of building cold storage facilities. In the end, the exercise can mean only one key direction – an improvement in food safety standards in the emirate, which could mean better health and nutrition for all.

Switching to another topic, this issue contains a rather detailed look at fire safety. The May 28 fire at Villaggio Mall in Qatar, which left 13 children and six adults dead, is a stark reminder that much more needs to be done to protect lives. According to initial reports, the sprinkler system did not work and the two exits of the fire-engulfed area were blocked by smoke.

According to an official source, thick smoke and heat hindered the rescue efforts.

We await more details and hope to share them with you in the next issue.

Assistant Editor Valeria Camerino | valeria@cpi-industry.com Contributing Editors Pratibha Umashankar prati@cpi-industry.com Anoop K Menon anoop@cpi-industry.com Business Development Consultant Stephanie McGuinness stephanie@cpi-industry.com Design Genesis Salao | getty@cpi-industry.com Ulysses Galgo | uly@cpi-industry.com Webmaster Troy Maagma | troy@cpidubai.com Database/ Subscriptions Manager Purwanti Srirejeki purwanti@cpi-industry.com Advertising Enquiries Frédéric Paillé: +971 50 7147204 fred@cpi-industry.com Stephanie McGuinness: +971 50 6679359 stephanie@cpi-industry.com USA and Canada Kanika Saxena Director (North America) 25 Kingsbridge Garden Cir Suite 919 Mississauga, ON, Canada L5R 4B1 kanika@cpi-industry.com Tel/fax: +1 905 890 5031 Euro Zone and UK Sicking Industrial Marketing Wilhelm Sicking 45130 Essen - Emmastrasse 44 Tel: +49 (0)201-779861 Fax: +49 (0)201-781741 Andreas Sicking 59872 Freienohl - Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 16 Tel: +49 (0)2903-3385-70 Fax: +49 (0)2903-3385-82 sicking-media@email.de • www.sicking.de China Sean Xiao Hui China Business Media Group Room 403, Block 17, Wuyimingzhu, No 6 Jinshan Road, Fuzhou, Fujian, 350008, China Tel: +86 591 8386 3000

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Special Focus The role of compartm

Perspectives London

entation in fighting

fires p69

D-Code: and Natural Refriger Olympics Water-bas ed vs. Spotlight A To motorise or not to ants p52 solvent-ba microscopic view motorise – adhesives sed that is the question p24 of particles p72 ! p66 Event Round-Up: 3 C Doha p40

www.climatecontrolm

Country Report

for DC at hotel show

JUNE 2012

The way The wind blows

Head Office PO Box 13700 Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 375 68 30 Fax: +971 4 43 419 06 Web: www.cpi-industry.com Printed by: Excel Printing Press, Sharjah, UAE © Copyright 2012 CPI. All rights reserved.

A reading of wind reveals that there isdirection no major storm brewing in the blowers sector in the fans and region.

US$15

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

p9

in Middle East p16

Comings&Goings

PUBLICATION LICENSED BY IMPZ

4

e.com

Scripting a successSaudi Arabia: story p25

News Empower roots

JCI launches Panoptix

Plus: Marketplace,

While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

Many pairs of hands craft a Daikin VRVIII system

then support the one pair that continues the good work

happenings the region

Siemens, Qatar University and KAHRAMAA sign MoU

Will tap key skills and strengths of the three parties for energy efficiency R&D

S

iemens has announced signing an agreement with Qatar University and KAHRAMAA to carry out joint efforts on researching and developing energy-efficient systems and solutions to support the rapid development of Qatar’s infrastructure. The memorandum of understanding, signed on May 8, is a two-year agreement that will draw on the key skills and strengths of each of the parties, with Siemens cooperating with Qatar University and KAHRAMAA on a case-by-case basis in carrying out R&D activities in the field of energy efficiency, the announcement revealed.

According to the MoU, KAHRAMAA, the local utility for electricity and water, will bring expertise in the development of energy-efficient systems for power generation, transmission and distribution systems. Specialists from Qatar University will work in tandem with KAHRAMAA, using their knowledge and expertise to assist in the development of new efficient

systems.

The latest partnership highlights Siemens continued support of Qatar’s National Vision 2030, which aims to develop a solid foundation built on education, scientific research, technology transfer, and community development, Siemens claimed.

Discussing the MoU, Martin á Porta, CEO of Siemens WLL, the Qatari unit of Siemens AG, said: “I believe in strong cooperation with our local partners and offering our expertise to develop long-

term relationships; this is part of our commitment to support Qatar’s infrastructure plans. As Qatar continues to enjoy rapid population and industry growth, it is important for us as a responsible corporation to make the effort of strengthening the local competence by encouraging and enabling research, development and knowledge transfer.”

Qatar is currently beginning preparations for the 2022 World Cup, which will see the country investing some $60 billion in infrastructure upgrades, including projects for the developments of clean power supplies. In the light of this, Siemens said that its continued dedication of its resources follows its partnership with Qatar Foundation, signed in 2011, which focuses on the advancement of Qatar’s infrastructure capability and competence, including establishing a service headquarters in Qatar for the company’s regional power transmission and distribution business.

WORLD LEADING VALVES

Connection and DN-sizes

FOR DISTRICT COOLING PIPELINES

Welded

… ISOLATION, CONTROL AND MEASUREMENT

Steel:........................................DN 10 - DN 600 Stainless steel:..........................DN 10 - DN 250

Due to the welded body construction the valve is light and easy to insulate

Ball valves

Spring-loaded PTFE ball seals are confirming complete tightness in the whole range of use

Long stem ball valves

Balancing valves Butterfly valves

female thread-female thread Steel:..........................................DN 10 - DN 50 Stainless steel:............................DN 10 - DN 50 Welded-flange

Ball and stem are of stainless steel

Steel:.........................................DN 15- DN 600 Stainless steel:...........................DN 15- DN 250

Blow-out safe construction of the stem is tightened with two o-rings, the upper can be changed

Flange-flange

Long working life and maintenance free design

Stainless steel:..........................DN 15 - DN 250

Steel:........................................DN 15 - DN 600

Available with welded, thread and flanged connections

Water metering

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6

Welded-female thread and

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

Tested in accordance with EN 488 ISO 9001 certificated

Fullbore models also available.

Butterfly valves welded and flange Steel:....................................DN 350 - DN 1200

COOL INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS Ltd. C Dubai www.coolinternationalsolutions.com w

finest air products Built for lasting value.

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Greenheck, the world’s leading manufacturer of nonresidential ventilation equipment, is very proud to offer our wide selection of top-performing products in the Middle East through our network of independent representatives. We have been helping engineers like you deliver effective air movement and control systems for all types of buildings since 1947 and now manufacture and ship our products all over the world. We design and test our products to ensure years of energy-efficient and quiet operation. For superior indoor air quality, specify the ventilation equipment building owners all over the world value. Specify Greenheck.

Learn more at greenheck.com Greenheck Middle East P.O. Box 18107 • Dubai, United Arab Emirates +971-4-8811-230 • Email: gme.service@greenheck.com

Office representatives in the Middle East: BAHRAIN Manama Awal Products Co. Spc +97317813535 malcolmg@shaheengroup.com EGYPT Cairo Contact +20227941517 hwaly@contact-egypt.com IRAQ Ankawa FJ Electrical Engineering and General Trade +964662252917 fjtrdg@emirates.net.ae JORDAN Amman Sources For Engineering Supplies Co Ltd +96265525255 sources@sourcesjo.com

KUWAIT Ras Salmiya Gulf Facilities General Trading +96525757630 samjau@gft-kw.com

QATAR Doha Gulf Facilities Trading Co WLL +97444501152 milad_gft@hotmail.com

TURKEY Istanbul ATC Air Trade Centre Ltd Sti +902122834510 atc.turkey@airtradecentre.com

LEBANON Beirut Air Distribution Center S A R L +9611353823 sales@adclb.com

SAUDI ARABIA Al Khobar Al Saadeh Trading Establishment +96638674958 alsaadeh@alsaadeh.com

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Abu Dhabi Faisal Jassim Trading Company LLC +97126219772 m.abulwafa@fjtco.com

OMAN Muscat Khimji Ramdas - A/C Division +96824852760 s.vishnu@kr.om

SAUDI ARABIA Jeddah Al Saadeh Trading Establishment +96626620886 alsaadeh@alsaadeh.com

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Dubai Western Technological Equipments +97142994124 wtech@emirates.net.ae

PAKISTAN Karachi Khan Brothers +922134526002 / 3 / 4 / 5 amankhan@khanbrothers.net

SAUDI ARABIA Riyadh Al Saadeh Trading Establishment +96614780643 alsaadeh@alsaadeh.com

YEMEN Sana’a Al-Rashed Trading Centre +9671680770 rashed7@y.net.ye

happenings the region

EmiratesGBC organises networking event Energy-efficient solutions for air conditioning and refrigeration systems highlighted

E

mirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent forum aimed at conserving the environment by strengthening and promoting green building practices in the UAE, put the spotlight on air conditioning and refrigeration systems and their energy consumption patterns at its recent monthly networking event held at Media Rotana International. Sponsored by GERAB Energy, the event was open to both members and non-members of the Council. Announcing this, the communiqué said that the session featured Cas Khoo, President of

Articmaster, USA, as the guest speaker, and added that the discussion on “Energy Efficient Solutions for air Conditioning And Refrigeration Systems” highlighted different technologies that are currently available to address the massive energy consumption accounted for by the two

sectors.

In a brief on his topic of discussion, Khoo reportedly said that new patented energy efficiency solutions help address new as well as installed air conditioning and refrigeration equipment with retrofits that help to reduce energy consumption. He was of the opinion that equipment manufacturers are today using improved technology of compressors, microprocessor controls and BMS to address energy efficiency.

On the occasion, Adnan Sharafi, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, said: “It is estimated that air conditioning and refrigeration systems contribute up to 70% of the total energy load of buildings. Additionally, their operations also contribute to greenhouse gases that cause environmental degradation.

Adapting energy-efficient solutions for air-conditioning and refrigeration thus have the twin benefits of saving on energy costs and also helping develop environmentally sustainable built environments. EmiratesGBC is committed to introduce topics that are of great importance to the entire construction sector supply chain. Our networking events have now evolved as dynamic discussion forums that encourage our members as well as other industry stakeholders to take an active role in promoting environmental sustainability in line with the green vision of the UAE.”

Ecotherm participates in Project Qatar E

cotherm, an Austria-based provider of individual solar, hot water and steam systems, has announced exhibiting its products at Project Qatar, a fair dedicated to products and services in the field of design, construction, environmental technology and materials, which was held in Doha from April 30 to May 2. Presenting its new fibre-fleece insulation solution for the

8

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

first time to the public was the highlight of its participation in the exhibition, Ecotherm revealed. The insulation system with polyester fiber-fleece offers up to 30% less heat loss in standby mode compared to conventional foam insulations, and the patented aluminium closure strip allows simple and quick opening of the outer cover by only one person, the company claimed.

In addition to the fiber-fleece insulation solutions, it also presented its new product range, photovoltaic solutions, Ecotherm revealed, and added that it had been providing photovoltaic solutions of up to 7,000 kWp since February this year. “Our engineers select the optimal combination of photovoltaic modules and inverters for each project,” said Herbert Bremstaller,

Empower roots for DC at hotel show

Claims registering 30% increase in customers for DC services and reducing carbon footprint considering the growth rate of hotel rooms in the UAE during this period, Empower’s growth in the segment exceeds the hotel industry rate.”

Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce (DTCM) has reportedly mandated that all hotels must reduce their carbon footprint and opt for environment-friendly amenities and supplies. This is where DC fits in, Bin Shafar pointed out, and emphasised that DC was ideal for hotels as it was hassle-free, environment-friendly and cost-effective, as it helped save on cost of cooling, maintenance, installation and capital expenditure.

Bin Shafar added: “The current market tendencies give more room to adopt DC technology for hotel buildings, especially where initial capital investment is a deciding factor.

District Cooling saves the customer from investment on plant room, chillers and equipments, water tanks, cooling

Launches fibre-fleece insulation and photovoltaic product range at the exhibition Managing Director and owner of Ecotherm. “We can simulate the performance of the plant during the year and offer our customers the possibility of visualisations, animations and options for monitoring the system in operation.”

Pointing out that Ecotherm had been active in Qatar for more than 10 years, Bremstaller shared the

Ahmad Bin Shafar

towers, sub stations, additional drainage facilities, civil structure, cabling works, control and instrumentation, additional space, manpower requirements and maintenance. This will enable hotel financiers to divert more initial funds to other areas of the venture.”

The Hotel Show 2012, touted to be the largest hospitality supplies event for the MENA region, reportedly attracted over 14,800 hospitality professionals for three days of intensive business networking, industry awards, conferences and hospitality functions.

Project Qatar 2011

information that the company had recently delivered the entire hot water and steam system for the Sidra Medical and Research Center in Doha.

“Sidra is scheduled to open in the coming months and will be the first seven-star hospital in the world,” he said. “Additionally, there is continuous great interest in our high-capacity shell and tube heat exchangers.”

Photo courtesy of www.projectqatar.com

O

n the occasion of The Hotel Show 2012, an exhibition for the hospitality industry in the region held from May 15 to 17 at Dubai World Trade Centre, Empower announced that it had registered a 30% growth in hotel customers at the end of April 2012, compared to the same period last year.

The company called for greater awareness in implementing District Cooling by hotels in the region, as it believed that it would benefit not only hotels, but also its customers, society and the economy, in general.

In this context, Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO Empower, said: “We support specialised exhibitions like this one, in order to spread awareness on DC to hotels. To date, 26 hotels in Dubai use DC services from Empower. We are optimistic that more hotels will move towards this emerging technology, which offers great advantages over conventional cooling offerings. While

June 2012

www.climatecontrolme.com

9

happenings the region

EWS-WWF conducts household carbon audits and retrofits Results highlight potential savings of over 30% of electricity and water in UAE households

T

hree families in the UAE took part in home carbon audits, funded by an Emirates Foundation for Philanthropy grant, to help reduce their Ecological Footprint and tackle climate change as part of EWS-WWF’s Heroes of the UAE initiative, launched in 2009 in partnership with Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD). Announcing this in a joint communiqué, EWS-WWF said that the main contributor to the country’s ecological footprint is households, which contribute 57%. It also revealed that the sector has the potential to significantly reduce its energy and water consumption and help in the fight against climate change.

The audits conducted in three households in Abu Dhabi, Fujairah and Dubai, had the avowed objective of finding out how much energy and water UAE households are using and what measures can be taken to reduce their consumption, the two agencies explained.

The retrofits, which were also carried out as part of the initiative, included shifting from traditional bulbs to LED lighting, installing Eco3 devices to improve air conditioning efficiency, installing water-saving devices and using a thermal roof coating.

According to EWS-WWF, results indicate that with the technological changes alone, households have the potential to reduce electricity consumption on an average by 37% and water consumption by 30%. On an average, each participating case study has the potential to save more than 11,000 kilogrammes of CO2 per year, saving 34% of the total carbon emissions from the three households, the report added.

The agencies pointed out that the financial savings from these audits is significant, as all three households have the potential to reduce their bills by more than AED12,000 per year by saving 54,000 kWh and the equivalent of about half million 1.5 litre-water bottles annually. The audits emphasised the fact that households could achieve additional electricity and water savings of at least 10% through implementing simple behavioural changes, such as turning off taps and switching off lights and appliances when they are not in use.

Tamara Withers, Heroes of the UAE Programme Manager at EWS-WWF, who was reportedly one of the driving forces behind these audits said: “The main thing these audits bring to light

is what a huge difference a few changes can make. Technical changes in lighting, air conditioning, and water faucet devices lead to significant savings in energy and water consumption, which will not only help the environment, but also help save money as well. Many of these technical changes are available and affordable, such as energy-efficient lighting and water saver devices. These audits also help to highlight how shifting our behaviour patterns can also make a huge impact on energy and water conservation.”

The agencies believe that households in the UAE can learn more about these audits by watching the Heroes of the UAE Household Audits video at: www. youtube.com/wwfuae The report also revealed that 76% of the UAE’s high per capita ecological footprint is due to carbon emissions mostly associated with energy and water consumption. Identifying the benefits of conserving these resources, the national campaign, Heroes of the UAE, was launched with a focus on energy and water conservation Continued on Page 12

Empower advocates DC for real estate

Urges Gulf developers to move from conventional AC systems towards new cooling technologies

I

n line with its commitment to new cooling solutions, Empower has urged local and Gulfbased developers to adopt district cooling technologies and gradually move away from conventional air conditioning systems to save environmental resources.

During the launch of Cityscape Abu

10

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

Dhabi 2012, held from April 22 to 25 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Ahmed Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, said that the time had come when adopting district cooling in the real estate units was no longer an option, but a critical necessity.

Stressing on Empower’s firm belief that district cooling has a huge

potential in the region, he said: “The real estate sector is still in its early stages in most of the Arab countries, and it is regarded as one of the most dynamic sectors. This makes it critical to disseminate awareness of the winning features of district cooling technologies which reduces power consumption significantly.”

THE SECRETS ARE INSIDE: INNOVATION THAT OUTPERFORMS

At the heart of the Multi V lll Tropical is the V scroll compressor, improving efficienty with its unique structure.

An innovative Cyclone Sub-cooling Circuit significantly reduces the internal pipe pressure loss, supporting the longest piping length of 1,000m and the highest level difference of 110m. Ingeniously designed Wide Louvers maximize heat transfer performace while its Uniform-Distributor optimizes the heating exchanger path balance. That’s how LG Multi V lll Tropical outperforms the competition in every way.

COP 4.29

*Data mentioned are the results compared to LG Multi V Plus II

for outside split unit

on Average

for 8HP model

happenings the region

EWS-WWF conducts household carbon audits and retrofits across all sectors of society – from individuals and households, to corporations, government and schools.

More information about the campaign, can be obtained by visiting www. heroesoftheuae.ae In its endeavour to raise awareness among people and corporate fraternity, the joint communiqué has added the following information: Emirates Wildlife Society is the UAE’s environmental non-profit organisation established under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan: Ruler’s Representative in the western region and Chairman of EAD. EWS works in association with WWF. EWS-WWF has been active in the UAE since 2001 and has initiated and implemented several conservation and education projects in

the region. The mission of EWS-WWF is to work with people and institutions within the UAE and the region, to conserve biodiversity, tackle climate change and reduce the ecological footprint through education, awareness, policy, and science-based conservation initiatives.

Heroes of the UAE is an initiative established by EWS-WWF in partnership with EAD. It is a national campaign focusing on energy and water conservation across all sectors of society. The campaign was launched to help address the country’s ecological footprint through its four programmes: Energy, Water, School and Corporate.

The initiative encourages companies to be proactive in reducing their energy and water consumption as the private sector is accountable for 30% of the country’s ecological footprint.

Eros Group launches Hitachi refrigerator Claims that Ultra Big2 series reduces 15% more energy

E

ros Group has announced launching Hitachi’s Ultra Big2 series refrigerators in the UAE, featuring, in what it claims to be advanced features like a large moisture-guard vegetable compartment, intelligent inverter compressor, advanced minus zero cooling, eco-thermo sensor and a two-way humidity controller innovation, which helps maintain high humidity up to 90% and retains moisture in vegetables stored. It is also equipped with special dual fan cooling which provides two dedicated fans, one

12

each for the freezer and refrigerator compartments so that chilled air can be delivered only to the refrigerator compartment or only to the freezer or both as required, to provide 10% more cooling power and reduce 15% more energy consumption, the announcement added.

Speaking on the occasion, Deepak Babani, CEO of Eros Group, said: “Eros Group is committed towards bringing the latest and finest of products to its consumers in the UAE. We are proud to launch Hitachi’s latest offering, the Ultra Big2 Refrigerator, which has a

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

Through its carbon audits and retrofits, downloadable business toolkit and Corporate Hero pledges, businesses can learn easy-to-adopt tactics to help them achieve a lower carbon footprint and a better bottom-line. Other initiatives under its aegis are: Energy Programme, which motivates individuals to act to reduce their energy consumption; School Programme, designed to educate and engage school children to be part of the solution through a competition and quiz, as well as making a pledge to save the environment; and Water Programme, which addresses the UAE’s per capita water consumption, which is three times the global average. The Heroes of the UAE website allows visitors to pledge to reduce their water and electricity consumption, as well as access information to help them reach the pledge.

(From L-R) MA Khan, Senior DGM, Eros Group; Deepak Babani, CEO, Eros Group; Haruki Hirose, MD, Hitachi Consumer Marketing Middle East Office; Niranjan Gidwani, Deputy CEO, Eros Group; and Rajat Asthana, Deputy GM, Eros Group

(From L-R) Unveiling the new Ultra Big 2 Series Refrigerator: Deepak Babani, Haruki Hirose, Niranjan Gidwani and MA Khan.

cutting-edge technology that will truly enrich the living experience. The product will be a breakthrough and we are confident that it will appeal to all.”

Haruki Hirose, Managing Director for Hitachi Consumer Marketing Middle East office, endorsing this,

added, “At Hitachi, we believe in inspiring others to live a good life by offering those products with latest and innovative technology.”

The newly launched refrigerator series will be available at all its outlets across the country, Eros Group revealed.

Estidama Compliant

happenings the region

Technical presentation at QP Prime-Focus Group of Companies give talk on air conditioning equipment components and accessories on offer

W

ith ‘Made in GCC for GCC’ as its catchline, PrimeFocus Group of Companies, comprising six members, namely, Prime AC Industries, UAE; Focus AC Industries, UAE; Gulf Duct Industries, UAE; Qatar Air distribution & Network Manufacturing Company, Qatar; Ventilation Experts, Saudi Arabia and Prime-Focus, India, organised a technical presentation for Qatar Petroleum.

Announcing this in a communiqué, the Group said that the objective of the presentation held in Ras-Luftan Hall at the Qatar Petroleum (QP) Headquarters in Doha, was to discuss QP’s HAVC

14

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

product requirements.

The Group claimed that it was involved in manufacturing of air conditioning equipment components and accessories under brands like Crayflo, Aerovac, Filtraire, Supaflex, Crayflex, Aspen, Crayflange, Craystick and Safeair, and has technical collaboration with BJC Enterprises, Perth, Australia; Safe Air-Dowco, Chicago, USA; Commercial Acoustics, Phoenix, USA; Crayford Technic, UK and Flameshield, UK, and has a strong presence across the MENA and India regions.

According to the communiqué, Siraj Virani, Managing Director of Qadnet,

a Group company, gave the welcome address and Amiruddin Thanawalla, Group Managing Director, made a presentation on the technical aspects of grilles, diffusers, non-coated LPCBcertified fire-rated ducts, conventional ducting, insulated flexible duct connectors and acoustic flexible ducts.

Javed Tejani gave a presentation on mechanical and motorised fire dampers and a combination of fire and smoke dampers. Two new products – Acoustic Flexible Ducts and Insulated Flexible Connectors – were also introduced. The presentations were followed by a Q&A session.

happenings the region

JCI launches Panoptix in Middle East

Region second in the world to receive the cloud-driven solution

J GESS conducts BAS seminar in Dubai Event spotlights energy savings potential in buildings

G

ulf Engineering System Solutions (GESS) in May conducted a building automation systems seminar in Dubai, with the focus being on the Dwyer range of products from the United States.

Bradley Chapman, General Manager (Europe, Middle East, Africa, India and Pakistan regions) for Dwyer spoke on the occasion, as did Nick Malby, the Middle East Sales Manager of the company.

In his presentation, Malby said that BAS was key to saving energy in buildings, adding that owners would do well to invest in BAS, because energy savings would help the bottomline.

Pointing to the increase in energy costs and the decrease 16

in cost of sensors and supporting equipment, Malby said the owner was staring at a reduced payback time.

In his presentation, Chapman zeroed in on Dwyer’s mission, which he said was to design sensors that were simple to install.

Chapman said the company aimed to keep installation costs down. He spoke of removable connectors, back plate and electronics in separate parts and simple tools as the other features of the Dwyer system.

BAS was the way forward, Chapman said, adding that it enabled building owners to measure humidity, temperature, differential pressure, CO, CO2 and occupancy, and thus, better understand the building’s profile.

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

CI on May 22 launched its clouddriven solution, Panoptix, in the Middle East.

The launch marked the introduction of the solution in the second region of the world; two months earlier, the company launched Panoptix in North America.

Speaking on the occasion, David R Clark, the Vice President of the Panoptix programme at JCI, said, “We think the market opportunity is right in the Middle East.” Added Farhan Qureshy: “Besides the market opportunity, the government is taking the right initiatives.

Dubai Municipality’s green building legislation is a

case-in point.” Qureshy is the Regional Director, Communications (Middle East) for the Building Efficiency division of JCI. JCI has timed the launch of Panoptix to go with the current market trend.

In today’s world, 20% of software, Clark said, was delivered by cloud.

Panoptix will access data from a gamut of HVAC components in buildings, analyse energy trends and track energy consumption and reliability of the equipment. Through this, according to JCI, it will seek to drive up their efficiency and create savings in the range of seven per cent to 15%.

comings &goings Unigulf Kishore DEOTARASE

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ishore Deotarase has joined Unigulf as the company’s General Manager (Sales). Prior to this, he was the General Manager for HVAC activities at Bin Dasmal Group.

In his new role, Deotarase will be responsible for developing sales activities in the various Unigulf showrooms in the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.

He will be consolidating the portfolio of existing products and introducing an array of new products, with an enhanced focus on

developing the after-market business of the company.

Among products that Unigulf wants to introduce are controls and compressors, in the range of 1 HP and 25 HP. Unigulf is also working with a select few companies in Saudi Arabia to develop a market for preinsulated panels, which it manufactures.

Deotarase has a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Pune, in India. He lives in Dubai with his wife.

MAKING MODERN LIVING POSSIBLE

with best-in-class components

happenings at large

Sipos secures retrofit orders

Involved in district heating project in Finland and power plant in Mexico

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ipos Aktorik, the German-based manufacturer of electric actuators, has announced in Sipost, its newsletter (Issue 1/2012), that it has secured a contract to supply valve control technology to a district heating network to Seinäjoki in Finland, via its local partner, Aumator. According to Sipos, the actuators were commissioned in the summer of 2011, to provide actuators equipped with Modbus Rtu-Interface.

Drawing on its track record of supplying actuators for district heating in Europe and district cooling applications in the Middle East, Sipos claimed that it was able to secure the community heating project order to provide field devices and field bus communication technology required to support modernisation of the 250-kilometre-long district heating system. The project has replaced an existing system that used hand-controlled valves with a radio-controlled solution, Sipos revealed.

In another project, as part of retrofit measures for a power plant located in the PEMEX oil refinery in Salina Cruz, Mexico, old Siemens actuators were reportedly replaced by Sipos 5 Flash devices. According to the news report, the actuator division of Siemens, Sipos Aktorik was formerly established as

Sophisticated district heating technology at Seinäjoki in Finland is supported by Sipos’ variable speed actuators

an independent company in 1999.

With its roots in Siemens, Sipos had access to test certificates dating back over 40 years and to documentation for original series of Siemens products, thus ensuring that PEMEX employees gather before training on Sipos’ new generation products customers who placed early orders continued to receive correct replacement Mexico to replace the existing actuators products, spare parts and service support and to provide operator training for its from Sipos, the report explained. The new generation actuator technology, it company worked with its partner IESS de added.

WEG awarded ISO 50.001 certification

Conformance certificate given for energy management in electric motor manufacture

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EG, manufacturer of electric motors and related control equipment, has announced that WEG Equipamentos Elétricos sa, one of its electric motor factories engaged in the manufacture of large electric motors, was recently awarded ISO 50.001:2011 certification for its energy management system, following an audit by the Bureau Veritas Certification (BVC). ISO 50.001 is a voluntary international standard that gives organisations in both, private and public sectors, strategies to increase energy efficiency, reduce costs and improve their general energy performance.

According to WEG, the conformance certificate is valid until January 2015 and covers the manufacture of the company’s HGF line of electric motors, 315-400 (220v up

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Climate Control Middle East June 2012

to 13800v) and W22 -355 (220v up to 1000v), with power ratings from 175 up to 1100 hp. Also covered is testing of three phase electric motors, with voltage ranging from 220v up to 7000v, and power ratings from 150hp up to 1250 hp.

WEG claimed that it is the first company in the electronics sector in Brazil to receive such a certification and that the energy management system was one of the company’s latest environment friendly initiatives. The system was installed as a pilot project in one of WEG’s electric motor factories in Jaraguá do Sul, with the implementation being part of an overall initiative to improve energy performance of the plant, it added. This included setting objectives and targets for reducing consumption and adopting actions for improvement, WEG said.

marketplace

This section contains regional and international products information

Trane

CLCF Climate Changer AHUs

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ubbing them the next-generation Air handling units (AHUs), Trane, a brand of Ingersoll Rand, has introduced two versions of CLCF Climate Changers. Trane claims that the AHUs deliver customised performance, offer more comfort, low operational costs, reliability and ease of installation for office buildings, hotels, schools and other commercial buildings. It adds that the CLCF Climate Changers are also suitable for hospitals, laboratories and pharmaceutical applications and meet the healthcare industry’s most rigorous air quality requirements while keeping energy consumption at a minimum.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and advantages: n Result of customer-driven research and development n Eurovent-certified and available in airflow ranges from 1,000 m3/h to 45,000 m3/h n Have factory-installed controls n Come with the coil and fan options to meet individual customer requirements regarding acoustics, energy efficiency and other key criteria n Innovative casing and a unitised, structured panel design minimise the potential for air leakage n EPDM seamless gasket seals integrated into the door panels and 50 mm polyurethane foam-injected insulation provide additional

energy savings and reduce units’ operational costs n A unique tool-less connection system together with integrated gaskets deliver maximum air-tightness integrity n For hospital and laboratory applications, feature smooth interior panels, a silicon-free antimicrobial sealant and rounded corners and have a fully enclosed and robust unit base frame to prevent water, dust and bacterial traps n The unit casings are watertight to allow for disinfecting procedures with liquid products n A four-point inclined floor and a centralised vertical drain is available on all sections of the unit to ensure proper condensate management n In addition, a wide range of component options (class 3 dampers, antimicrobial copper coil fins, etc) ensure the capability to deliver reliable, clean air n In combination with options such as heat recovery wheels, plate heat exchangers and coil loops, energy consumption can be reduced up to 90% under certain conditions n Lifting lugs are integrated on the base frame to facilitate handling n All units come with a skid for forklift transportation n Can be equipped with fully integrated, factory-installed Trane controls to maintain peak performance and ensure lower cost of

SABIC Vestolen

A RELY HDPE pipes: A RELY 5922R and A Rely 5924R

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aying that they cut energy bills, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) a petrochemical company manufacturing polyethylene, polypropylene and other thermoplastics, has introduced HDPE bimodal high-density polyethylene grade pipes – Vestolen A RELY 5924R and Vestolen A RELY 5922R. The two grades are typically suitable for producing pressure pipes that meet the PE 100 standard, SABIC claims.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and benefits: n Vestolen A RELY 5924R delivers good low-sag performance for large-diameter pipes and pressure pipes with a low standard dimension ratio (SDR) n Vestolen A RELY 5922R helps customers meet the stringent slow crack growth requirements for pressure pipe, enshrined in PAS (Publicly Accessible Standard) 1075. n Certification to PAS 1075 enables the grade to be used for pipes intended for installation using the most demanding techniques, including new trenchless methods, such as guided boring and horizontal directional drilling – the methods that have a reduced impact on the environment. n Apart from their good mechanical properties, SABIC

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Climate Control Middle East June 2012

Vestolen A RELY 5924R and 5922R have rheological and morphological properties – created through a combination of proprietary catalysts and fine-tuned reactor and extrusion technology which could provide processors with considerable energy savings. n A RELY grades are currently available in black. n For customers demanding fully coloured pipe, SABIC is working on the development of two coloured grades possessing enhanced resistance to slow crack growth propagation, commercially available in 2013.

Jean Engels, Business Manager for HDPE, SABIC, explains that a company already operating a line at full capacity would be able to increase output by as much as 16% (compared with commonly used bimodal HDPE) while reducing electricity consumption. “On the other hand, a pipe producer that does not need to raise production can realise energy savings by running at the same speed,” he says. “Pipe size will also play a part in determining exactly how big the savings are. These are features requested by the market. We asked our customers what their most important problems were, and we have now come back with materials that we believe will enable them to better handle those problems.”

ownership throughout the life of the units n A segregated cable channel built into the panel and quick-connect wiring between sections avoid on-site case drilling and maintain machine integrity n An open-protocol communication design allows for communication with building management systems n Software tool is available for engineers and consultants to visually design the CLCF and the userfriendly application in multiple languages can be downloaded from www.engineer.trane.com Further emphasising the merits of the new products, Cary Collins, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing for Trane and Thermo King brands of Ingersoll Rand in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa, said: “With the CLCF Climate Changer, managers of healthcare buildings, offices, hotels, schools and other commercial buildings achieve increased operating and energy efficiency. The two dedicated versions of the CLCF Climate Changer ensure that both customer groups receive an AHU that is fully optimised to their individual requirements, ranging from compliance with rigorous indoor air quality standards to lower sound levels.�

Hygenic - Air Handling Unit

Comfort - Air Handling Unit

June 2012

www.climatecontrolme.com

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marketplace

This section contains regional and international products information

Pulse Technologies

Reference design for heating for smart thermostats

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aying that it includes all the hardware, firmware, software, and cloud services needed to create endto-end connected HVAC solutions for residential and commercial buildings, Pulse Technologies, which offers home and building automation solutions and cloud services, has announced launching a new reference design for HVAC systems.

The company claims that the Pulse platform has been under development for more than seven years, with a proven track record of five years of commercial deployment in projects around the world.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and advantages: n The smart thermostat reference design enables manufacturers in the HVAC industry to fast-track development of an extensive array of advanced features, such as two-way remote control, mobile apps, energy monitoring, and cloud-based performance optimisation to their air conditioning and heating products, n The new reference design can be used to create smart thermostats for upgrading conventional HVAC systems in existing homes and buildings, or for integration directly into next generation residential and commercial climate control products. n Licensees can expand beyond smart thermostats for HVAC control, as the Pulse platform has support for intelligent

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Climate Control Middle East June 2012

lighting, motorised window treatments, energy metering, fault management, scheduling, scenes, multi-protocol integration, and rich application programming interfaces (API). n Licensees can offer rich control, monitoring, and integration capabilities at a price that appeals to consumers and professional customers alike. n Products integrating multiple building automation protocols, such as Z-Wave and KNX have already been developed based on the Pulse platform, and Pulse continues to expand protocol support in its reference designs to address the requirements of its partners.

“With the current industry hype about the ‘Internet of Things’ and smart appliances, manufacturers are looking for proven solutions to immediately address the very real need for intelligent climate control systems,” said Jimmy Grewal, co-founder and CEO, Pulse Technologies. “Many HVAC manufacturers find the task of developing software and cloud services both expensive and time consuming, but we are here to provide them the building blocks they need to get to market quicker and cheaper than if they were to build it themselves.”

D-Code

A Climate Control Middle East campaign on demystifying the world of ducting

Sticking points

John Guthrie draws a comparison between water-based and solvent-based adhesives and gives a few handy tips on adhesive selection.

Selecting the right adhesive is an important

aspect of a ducting job. The broad options are: waterbased and solvent-based adhesives. There are several factors that need to be kept in mind when you compare the two types of adhesives.

The difference in VOCs, the thaw cycles, bonding times, application and region are factors which play an important role in ducting and need to be considered while selecting the most suitable product for the job. Choosing the right adhesive can lower application time and decrease installed cost.

Water-based adhesives versus solvent-based adhesives By viewing the two product bases, you can observe

Solvent-based adhesives will adhere easily in more humid climates compared to water-based adhesives, which will take longer to fix on the duct 24

Non Flammable Solvent Based Adhesive PHOTO COURTESY OF WWW. alibaba.com

that the level of VOCs vary significantly from several hundred grammes per litre in solvent-based adhesives to under 100 grammes in water-based ones. Waterbased adhesives go through a five freeze thaw cycle test in which the product can freeze up to five times and still continue to be useful. When analysing the two products, we need to be aware of the climate of the region in which the product is going to be used. Solvent-based adhesives will adhere easily in more humid climates compared to water-based adhesives, which will take longer to fix on the duct. However, one advantage a water-based adhesive has over a solvent-based one is that it is not flammable.

Consequently, one need not worry overmuch about how to store the product or about precautionary measures in case of a fire.

There are quick-setting water-based adhesives that are significantly low in

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

VOCs. These non-flammable adhesives have a faster bonding time, which make them very useful when applying the adhesive on L-shaped duct sections. But this comes with a caveat.

One needs to be aware of the true chemical makeup of each adhesive. This implies that you need to review the MSDS sheets for each product looking for “exempt” solvents, as this could make the product hazardous for the applicator while disguised as being “environmentally friendly.” It is, therefore, important to always request for a full disclosure about the chemicals used in the adhesives.

applied to the ductwork, and then put in an oven at 150ºC for 90 days. This test shows that the glue can withstand variable amounts of heat for any number of days.

The SMACNA “HVAC Duct Construction Standard” requires that the adhesive must be applied to 90% of the insulation’s surface. Also, any duct eight inches wide or more requires a mechanical fastener to help secure the insulation.

Choosing the right adhesive is of paramount importance for a successful and sustainable HVAC installation. The right product and the right base can save you time, money and avoid a costly call-back. Be informed about the finer points of the adhesives you use. And remember, though there may be differences in products, there is a right adhesive for every job. 

Adhesive selection

An important factor to be noted while choosing an adhesive is that there are certain codes and certifications that are necessary before an adhesive can be applied. For example, ASTM C916 is a testing procedure in which glue is

The writer is Regional Sales Manager, Carlisle HVAC. He can be contacted at john.guthrie@ carlislehvac.com

country focus SAUDI ARABIA

Scripting a success story

When the rest of region is trying to get back on its feet in the post-global economic slowdown scenario, Saudi Arabia stands tall with an expected growth rate of about 10% this year and the next. As government-backed mega infrastructure projects and real estate initiatives to meet the housing and commercial needs of the kingdom’s burgeoning young population as part of a $130 billion package of handouts, goes into full swing, the HVACR sector is poised to tap the gold mine. The Kingdom is the new Eldorado where major players are rushing. By Pratibha Umashankar

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Buoyed by high oil revenues and rising non-hydrocarbons exports, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is riding on the crest of success. According to research by Standard Chartered, the economy is expected to expand by 4.7% in 2012, well above the 2.9% projected earlier this year. It is, indeed, enjoying a period of sustained growth with the

country’s robust economy set to touch the 10% mark in 2012 and 2013, backed by the government’s massive investment programmes.

The government has reportedly approved an SAR690 billion-budget for 2012, with a huge chunk of it earmarked for mega housing and infrastructure development projects. SAR250 June 2012

billion has been allocated by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency to finance 500,000 housing units.

Despite this, with a 26 million-strong population at an annual growth rate of 3.2% (2004- 2010), Saudi Arabia is facing a huge housing shortage in the residential sector, pushing property prices high, as demand continues to outstrip supply, bucking the regional real estate trend. The government is vigorously encouraging nonoil industries and small and medium enterprises to generate new jobs for the country’s young population.

This is corroborated by a Standard Chartered report, which affirms: “Investments in transport, industry, health, housing and education should serve to strengthen GDP, as the boost in the construction industry will generate more employment opportunities and increase the flow of cash into the economy.” (Oxford Business Group, May 1, 2012) Tawfiq M Attari, Technical and Sales Director for the MENA Market, DuctSox, a ducting system manufacturer with a major presence in the Kingdom, seconds this view: “KSA was one of the few countries which didn’t face a noticeable slowdown www.climatecontrolme.com

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country focus SAUDI ARABIA in most of the sectors, in the number of projects or in growth. But a few of the sectors and investors were hesitant to invest in new projects in 2009 owing to the global economic crisis.

However, the government’s heavy investment has encouraged private investment.”

Regional players, too, are willing to invest in projects where they can secure guaranteed off-take to minimise investment risks.

Despite the global financial crisis, Saudi Arabia enjoys high credit worthiness to raise the required finance, which has helped implement new projects.

The growing confidence of the financial institutions in new developments has had a positive spillover effect on the HVACR sector. “We can see the appetite of Saudi banks and investors to fund new projects in the KSA with higher gearing than other markets,” says Ahmad Abushama, Director, Business Development, Dalkia Utilities Co, Dubai. “In the last few years, many district cooling plants have been implemented in the KSA. We have witnessed the banking sector’s willingness and support to meet the required fund/debt.”

He cites Hadeed, Aramco, Jebel Omar and KAFD DC plants as examples. “We are sure that we are going to see more similar projects to come in the near future,” he adds.

All this spells good news for the HVACR industry, as new real estate and infrastructure developments translate into greater demand for the sector’s products and services.

Quoting Khaled Daou, Project Manager, Saudi Energy, a recent report said that the Saudi Arabian HVAC sector is expected to achieve between 30% and 50% growth over the next two years. With the Kingdom remaining a major market for air conditioning due to its hot climate and high individual purchasing 26

A few of the sectors and investors were hesitant to invest in new projects in 2009 because of the global economic crisis.

However, the government’s heavy investment has encouraged private investment power, growth is expected to hit $1.19 billion by 2014.

“HVAC is not just a luxury in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; it is a necessity for key sectors, such as hospitality and food,” Daou said. “Given its geography, vibrant business environment and growing population, the Kingdom is constantly in search for advanced air conditioning systems that can provide comfort while supporting economic growth.”

Daou explained that the domestic market for air conditioners continued to boom due to four major factors: a growing population; the establishment of new businesses; continuous decline in equipment prices due to technological advancements; and a year-round hot climate.

“These all combine to make Saudi Arabia the world’s biggest air conditioning

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

market,” he added.

“Individual and corporate purchasers are currently on the lookout for products that are more energy efficient and eco-friendly.”

This implies that central units, split and window units, ducting and ventilation systems, refrigeration and cooling and industrial fans, vents and grills, instruments and controls, as well as district cooling, in fact, the entire range of HVACR equipment and services will continue to be in demand.

“No doubt, that the cooling

system will experience a significant positive impact to meet the cooling expectation of the new developments,” agrees Abushama. “Due to the willingness of the KSA government to allocate a significant budget on new projects, HVAC suppliers, contractors, consultant and developers should expect a good post. We are seeing many companies in the region positioning themselves in the Saudi market, looking for further potential growth.”

It is evident, therefore, that Saudi Arabia being the

biggest market in the region, this boom period will not only boost the HVACR sector in the country but will also act as a buffer for contractors, suppliers and developers in the region. The recent migration of many companies in the sector to the Kingdom, seeking secure and long-term operations is a testimony to this. Diversification is another strategy companies are adopting to remain ahead of the game and make inroads into the country’s expanding, but highly competitive market.

Abushama’s company, which has a registered office in the Kingdom, is targeting upcoming district cooling projects there. “We are looking for opportunities in industrial utilities,” he reveals. “We got awarded Saadiyat DCP 1, 2 and 3 in Abu Dhabi last year, to provide 50,000TR capacity.

Our international experience, along with our local/GCC presence has given us the thrust to look genuinely at new projects, and we hope to become a key player in Saudi market soon.”

THE DC DEBATE

The general consensus is that the district cooling market in the Middle East is projected to achieve an annual revenue of US $2 billion during 2013, and Saudi Arabia is considered to be the strongest district cooling market in the region with over US $100 billion being awarded for construction and infrastructure projects. By 2013, the Middle East district cooling market is expected to have an additional capacity of 4.5 million tonnes of refrigeration, mainly owing to demand from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The urgently felt need to optimise energyefficient air conditioning has resulted in the need to implement district cooling systems over traditional methods. This assertion

Investment in district cooling is likely to remain high due to lack of local manufacturers, with the sector having to import the equipment from overseas, which adds to the cost

brings into sharp focus, the significance of district cooling, which appeared to have lost its edge, after the initial euphoric welcome the technology received in the region. It also highlights the debate regarding the efficacy of district cooling in real, measurable/calculable terms, as opposed to theoretical claims of its many advantages.

“The current market penetration share of DC in the Kingdom is minor, but there is significant development expected in the coming few years, which will attract new DC plants. However, the main challenge for the DC sector now is to restore trust from all stakeholders and specially from banks,” says Abushama, highlighting the DC dilemma. He presents both sides of the argument: “District cooling will be a key solution for the increased cooling demand in light of general power shortage across the kingdom. We believe that it stands a good chance to acquire more market share over the conventional system in the coming years. DC utilises up to 50% less power compared to the conventional one. Thus, a significant

saving will be made from the government side in reducing the capital investment on power stations. On the other hand, significant amount of green gas emissions will be eliminated, which will reduce the carbon footprint per capita and achieve better environment targets.”

However, Abushama, while arguing that the faith the region reposed in district cooling has been justified, concedes that over-sizing and building redundant capacity is a widely accepted problem that the sector is facing. “The key mistake many DC plants made was, indeed, building a large capacity for no sufficient offtakers, which has affected many DC projects,” he says. “But having said that, DC still has a clear edge over conventional systems,

June 2012

when we apply correct and genuine measures.

There are many DC success stories when you see master developers work closely with DC providers to generate a cooling capacity based on genuine phased demand. We cannot keep building for the ultimate capacity phase. This has to stop. We need to build to match the consumption and gradually increase the capacity as per the real requirement. If we do so, the end users will get a competitive tariff, the utility providers will get their return on investment and the banks will get the right cash flow to cover their loans.”

Speaking for Dalkia, he adds: “We are a utility provider. We develop projects under Build Operate Transfer (BOT) scheme.

We operate projects for

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country focus SAUDI ARABIA long-term duration – for 20 to 25 years. We also undertake DBO and O&M projects. We work closely with master developers and appoint qualified contractors to undertake the construction side of the project. Our engineering department conducts a vigilant study at the construction site and for equipment selection to assure that we meet our obligation during the concession term.

We operate our plants under stringent KPIs to provide the optimum designed efficiency, which directly reflects on electricity and water consumption.”

While this might be a utopian model, there is room

for both district cooling services and conventional air conditioning systems in a vast and rapidly growing HVACR market like Saudi Arabia.

Abdullah M Abdul-Kareem, Managing Director of Alessa, a big player in the Saudi HVAC equipment sector, gives credence to this view when he says that District cooling does not pose a notable threat to the traditional HVAC segment in the region. Given the rate of growth and the introduction of new energysaving HVAC technologies, Abdul-Kareem said that he remained unconcerned about the challenge district cooling represented to his industry.

“The (district cooling)

technology itself requires heavy investment at the start; the savings come through better usage of this type of air conditioning,” AbdulKareem points out, referring to the weak link in the DC chain. “The savings will only happen for the contractors who are building the houses, skyscrapers, malls and large commercial buildings, so they don’t have to worry about installing central units or local split units. As a result, it is unlikely that end users will see the benefits of these savings due to the fact that they will have to bear the cost of the initial investment through high utility bills and uneven payment schemes,

Looking to the sun According to a news release, Saudi Arabia plans to derive 10% of its electrical supply from the sun, and eventually emerge as the world’s largest source of solar energy. The Saudi government hopes that the country will be able to generate 5 gigawatts of solar energy by 2020.

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he news release goes on to say that the government expects the move will create up to 15,000 jobs and encourage the development of solar farms and plants for processing of raw materials and assembly, and other related facilities. Investors have already pledged more than three billion US Dollars to fund solar panel component plants in Al Madinah province’s Yanbu port and in Jubail city in the Eastern province, the report revealed. (“Solar energy to generate 10 per cent of electricity production in Saudi Arabia by 2020”, January 8, 2012, http://www.saudi-energy.com) Tawfiq M Attari, Technical and Sales Director for MENA Market, DuctSox, believes that the aggressive move to harness solar energy will give a boost to the country’s HVACR sector. “This is because logically, electricity will become cheaper, and consequently, installation of air conditioning units and ducting systems will increase,” he said. “In fact, I think it will increase the entire quantum of investment in the Saudi market, not just in the solar energy sector, but in the industry subsidiary, which will increase the number of factories, which, in turn, will increase the HVACR requirement for them.”

Ahmad Abushama, Director, Business Development, Dalkia Utilities Co, Dubai, thinks that this spells good news for his company. “Dalkia has over than 100MW of installed capacity for solar power plants using PV technology,” he reveals. “We have executed several solar plants in Europe and are looking to apply the same here in the GCC market.

Recently, our consortium was shortlisted to undertake the feasibility study of 50MW CSP plant in Jordan. Though solar power is not yet mature in the GCC region, yet I believe it will be a very good alternative, which can partially offset the large dependence on using fossil fuels. The effect of solar energy on the HVACR sector is indirectly positive. We will see more studies regarding having DC powered by hybrid systems – conventional Power and solar.”

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Climate Control Middle East June 2012

which charge users a fixed rate divided among the users in a building, a practice that is flawed in principal,” AbdulKareem argues.

Fresh water scarcity is another issue which affects the viability of district cooling projects. Though the use of treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) as make-up water does offer a solution, the question that George Berbari, the CEO of DC PRO Engineering, asked during The Climate Control Conference (C3) held on October 16 and 17 in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, remains to be answered: “Potable water is 10 times more expensive than TSE. Yet, we need a law for people to use it (TSE). So, is it complexity that is driving us away (from using any technology)?”

However, Abushama affirmed his allegiance to district cooling. “I am optimistic about the future for DC market in the KSA,” he says. “The commitment of the government to allocate high budget for large development, beside having robust and healthy banks which can fund new DC projects provide us with clear positive signals.

I believe the DC sector still possesses a strong edge over standalone solutions. Having said that, many criteria should be met to achieve this edge, such as: • Proper construction phasing of the DC plant, which meets effective cooling demand • Master developers to build the DC network as part of infrastructure works • Proper equity/debt gearing • The ability to raise funds • Secure, guaranteed off-take Without these, a DC project will never meet viability parameters.”

Abdul-Kareem highlighting another obstacle, says that investment in district cooling is likely to remain high due to lack of local manufacturers, with the sector having to

import the equipment from overseas, which adds to the costs. His verdict, which is echoed by others in the sector in the Kingdom is that the benefits of district cooling warrant a more rigorous scrutiny.

THE RETROFIT SEGMENT

Interrogating the general perception that the practice of retrofitting has not taken roots in the region, as the construction sector is relatively new, Attari believes that there is a lucrative retrofit market in the GCC and in Saudi Arabia. “We have a special department following the retrofit market, as there are a lot of supermarkets and shops which have approached us for our services,” he says. “And they usually change the entire establishment from inside.

This gives us an opportunity to give the fastest and cheapest solution by using our ducting system.”

Abushama agrees, and says: “The retrofit segment has a good potential for major industrial players, such as Aramco and SABIC and others.

We see more interest from those clients to outsource the utility services to specialised companies, while focusing on their core business. Energy performance contract is one area that starts to attract more attention from major industrial players. Dalkia has extensive experience in this field, and we have a lot of success stories, where we have managed to save significant amount of energy.”

RENTALS

Abushama believes that the rental services is a good solution for small cooling capacity, and can be used as an intermediate solution till a permanent cooling plant becomes ready. “The challenge we face today with rental solution is to get a good diesel fuel price when power is not

We have a special department following the retrofit market, as there are a lot of supermarkets and shops which have approached us for our services available,” he says.

Attari thinks that rentals have a limited scope in the country. “It can be used only in some applications like wedding and exhibition tents,” he said.

This coincides with the general opinion of experts.

The participants at The Climate Control Conference (C3), on October 16 and 17 in Al Khobar were of the opinion that long-term rental solution was not viable as it was not feasible to develop a mobile heat-recovery system.

“Green” paints

L

ast June, Jotun launched ‘Jotashield Extreme’ to address increased demand for heat reflective and ecofriendly paints in Saudi Arabia. In a news release dated June 27, the company said that Saudi Arabia continued to be the GCC’s largest and most dynamic infrastructure market with over $100 billion-worth of infrastructure projects underway and $80 billion-worth of pledged housing projects, according to the latest edition of the Saudi Arabia Infrastructure Report for the Third Quarter of 2011 from Business Monitor International (BMI). In this light, Jotun believed that there was a demand for heat reflective and ecofriendly paints. To help address this, the company revealed that launch of ‘Jotashield Extreme’, had been introduced into the Saudi market, as it provided thermal indoor comfort.

Paint products could ably reflect heat and the damaging effects of the sun, the news release said and pointed out that the continuing development in urban areas in Saudi Arabia is expected to produce an Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect – a phenomenon where metropolitan areas become slightly warmer than its surrounding rural areas. “Studies have shown that the temperatures in urban air domes in Saudi Arabia can run up to 40C warmer than the surrounding countryside,” Jotun said. “The UHI effect prompts an increase in air conditioning costs and also creates more air pollutants.” The company claimed that Jotashield Extreme provided significant temperature reductions upon application.

This is evidence of the fact that the paint segment is becoming a part of the HVACR sector.

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The Saudi HVACR market looks upbeat, riding as it is, on the promise of an ever-growing property and infrastructure sector. But there are a few niggling worries which might threaten to metamorphose into a fullblown crisis, as it did in the UAE on the eve of the global economic meltdown.

The country is facing a huge shortage in the residential sector that might keep prices high, despite increased government

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country focus SAUDI ARABIA

A cogen(t) discussion

R

esidential, commercial and mixed-use buildings account for a large share of the power consumption in Saudi Arabia, with HVAC systems consuming nearly 70% of a building’s total power load.

In such a scenario, district cooling and cogeneration systems appear to be viable solutions to reduce the strain on the country’s power grid and, at the same time, significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions through reduced burning of fossil fuels.

According to global data, district cooling can reduce HVACR-related power consumption by 50%.

Given the energy dilemma that Saudi Arabia is facing, cogeneration could play a significant role in alleviating the problem in the Kingdom. To begin with, a myth that needs to be dispelled is that cogeneration is not a feasible option for the country. This came to light during the Climate Control Conference (C3) held in Al Khobar on October 16 and 17, 2011. The participants said that, contrary to popular belief, cogeneration was happening in several parts of Saudi Arabia, and that micro-turbines in the country were a reality.

Cogeneration made sense, they said, considering the losses experienced in the country during generation and during transmission and distribution.

Substation losses in Saudi Arabia were in the region of 10%, where T&D losses came to about 15%. Against this backdrop, they said, cogeneration was much more feasible and appealing than a combined cycle regimen.

The experts at the conference asked and answered several valid questions.

Their relevance to the country’s HVACR sector warrants highlighting them here: What is the impact of doing the either centrifugal or absorption on capex, IRR and maintenance?

The experts were of the opinion that: Wherever water and steam are involved in the region, salt and other impurities cannot be avoided as also chemicals.

If absorption is the way forward, should we opt for double-effect or single-effect?

The experts were of the opinion that: • It depends on the application, availability of funds and the availability of technology to produce

30

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

During C3 Doha

the double effect.

• As long as it is financially feasible, double-effect is better. If not, singleeffect is better.

• The advantage of double-effect is a better COP. • The disadvantage is cost and availability of technology to produce lower-vacuum vessels.

• If Delta P is high, you need thicker steel plates to make the vessels.

• If you have thick steel, you need a machine to roll it. Indeed, if steel becomes very thick, you might not be able to find a rolling machine that can roll very thick steel. Even if you find a special machine to do it, the cost goes up.

• Double-effect needs three different levels of pressure vessels rather than two.

What is the capacity of absorption chillers that can be produced?

The experts were of the opinion that: • Knowing the electrical power output of a gas turbine (MW), you can approximate the capacity of your absorption machines by multiplying the MW power of the gas turbine by 0.7 or 0.6 to get the MW cooling of the absorption machines.

• In the case of diesel generators, you produce about 50% of the absorption cooling from a gas turbine due to lower exhaust temperature.

Can we zero in on a formula to establish a relationship between power generation and cooling capacity in centrifugal chillers?

The experts were of the opinion that: It is possible, but hard to pinpoint specific figures due to variations in equipment efficiency.

Trigen using diesel engine – is it ideal for small capacity? What is the maximum capacity of diesel engine?

The experts were of the opinion that: If choosing the diesel option, the flow depends on how big the diesel engine is.

• Trigen using diesel engine is a viable option.

• The most crucial aspect for selecting an engine manufacturer are: o Good track record in Saudi Arabia o Strong after-sales support If opting for the steam turbine approach, is it recommended to go for a double-stage steam turbine? And what power can be generated from a doublestage steam turbine?

The experts were of the opinion that: High-efficiency steam turbines driving centrifugal compressors constitute a good alternative.

What is the highest COP possible?

The experts were of the opinion that: Double-effect absorption chillers have a COP of 1.25 to 1.35.

Another expert speaks …

How should the country/sector make use of power plants to recover waste heat in power generation? Should it opt for centrifugal or absorption chillers in a bid to create a cogen regimen?

When we posed these questions to Ahmad Abushama, Business Development Director, Dalkia Utilities, had this to say: “The industrial parties still focus on core business, and very little has been done to utilise the wasted heat.

The selection between centrifugal or absorption chillers depends on feed fuel availability. If we have adequate amount of waste heat with the right temperature, absorption chiller would be, for sure, a better choice.”

When asked whether district cooling could reduce peak demand by 55% with TSE, his response was: “It depends on the end user’s profile. If DC serves different types of buildings or multiuse development, where each building meets its peak at different times, then we can achieve high peak reduction. TSE plays a key role in reducing the peak demand, which has a direct effect in reducing the plant power capacity.”

Data centres

– a window of opportunity

A

s the global output of data is growing exponentially, so are data centres, which need to keep pace with the demand for processing, storing and delivering huge quantities of data through a vast global network of several billion devices. Consequently, the number of server units has been growing annually. According to Pike Research, a business intelligence and research firm, global revenue of data centre infrastructures is expected to jump from $7.5 billion to $41.4 billion in 2015. The increased density of servers brings with it challenges in terms of accumulated heat load ‘hotspots’.

Sophisticated IT technology is needed for uninterrupted business continuity. Data centres, therefore, need to factor in energy costs.

Thus, metering, monitoring and controlling energy use has gained importance.

It is imperative that data centres need to be kept cool – maintained at a well-regulated temperature deploying high quality and reliable cooling systems – given the sensitive work handled by them. The HVAC industry, therefore, plays a pivotal role in ensuring that data centres function smoothly, with the cooling equipment performing efficiently.

In addition to cooling, data centres require state-ofthe-art air filtration equipment to ensure a dust-free environment. This is a critical need, given the valuable data stored and transferred by data centres. Energy benchmarking is key to improving energy performance, providing a top-level indicator of potential savings.

With rapid all-round growth of Saudi Arabia, the country’s data centres play a crucial role in the seamless functioning of governmental and non-governmental sectors. In this regard, the country’s HVAC equipment and services have an onerous task of creating a clean environment at the required temperature for the country’s data centres in a cost-effective manner. It is, indeed, a challenge, given the levels of heat and dust in the region.

With the Kingdom facing an impending energy shortage, data centres are investing in new technologies. In this regard, “green” data centre infrastructure investments are expected to grow rapidly, which help cut energy costs, but still provide superior protection for highly sensitive equipment. This presents both an opportunity and challenge to the HVAC market in the Kingdom. Data centre energy efficiency retrofits is also another niche market the sector can explore.

Active energy management is an important aspect which is gaining ground. In this regard, integrated systems not only monitor cooling efficiency, but also many other features, which can have an impact on the overall energy usage. Current consumption and power flows need to be analysed through power-monitoring devices, E-counters and communication-capable circuit breakers, to achieve energy efficiency. In fact, many data centers, including one in Riyadh, reportedly use free cooling at certain times of the year, as a cost-reduction and sustainable strategy.

However, a holistic approach is needed for better energy use. This can be achieved via communication interfaces, through which, devices can be integrated into high-level building automation and energy management systems to get the total picture.

spending on infrastructure and housing schemes. An Oxford Business Group report pegs it at 8.9% for the 12-month term. Concurrently, there is a steep increase in fuel and other real estaterelated services. This, along with rising food costs could contribute to further upward pressure as demand fuelled by higher incomes and stronger spending power continues to rise, warns the report. (Oxford Business Group, May 1, 2012) This will adversely affect the HVACR sector.

According to the Saudi Economic Survey, there is a demand-supply mismatch in the residential sector, with only 35% of locals reportedly owning homes, of which, low and middle-income households make up 80% of the current unmet demand. (“Saudi property prices to

rise as ‘demand grows’”, Saudi Economic Survey, http://saudieconomicsurvey. com/2012/01/saudi-propertyprices-to-rise-as-demandgrows/) This, too, will have a ripple effect on the HVACR sector.

Lending a different perspective to the scenario, Dubai-based contracting company, Arabtec Holding, which operates in Saudi Arabia, has said that the Kingdom’s real estate market would be the growth story of the region, but has sounded a caveat that prices will not rise too much, “as supply will increase greatly” in the country. (“Saudi property prices to rise as ‘demand grows’”, Saudi Economic Survey) If this prediction comes true, Saudi Arabia might find itself in the same predicament Dubai is in

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Climate Control Middle East June 2012

– being a victim of the reversal of the supplydemand mismatch. This will, once again, have a spillover effect on the Saudi HVACR sector.

Continuing regional instability might prove to be a chink in the Saudi armour. A fertile “oasis” market amidst an arid regional desert could lead to overcrowding, unhealthy undercutting and ergo, fierce competition. The Kingdom cannot continue to be a low-hanging fruit which the regional players can help themselves to for long, without the market showing the strain.

But by far, the real and immediate challenge to the mega projects, and thereby to the HVACR sector, is the power crisis the Kingdom faces.

This is, indeed, ironic because, the country has the world’s largest oil reserves, the 5th largest proven gas reserves and the world’s largest swing capacity for oil production.

However, the country has an insatiable thirst for energy. It produces 11 million barrels of oil a day, of which, above three million barrels a day goes towards domestic consumption, mostly for generating power. By 2030, the country will use an estimated eight million barrels a day for domestic consumption.

At the current rate of domestic consumption of fossil fuels, it is expected to nearly triple by 2030.

As a corollary (at the current rate), energy peak demand is expected to exceed 120 GW by 2032, analysts say. Given the alarming forecast of energy demand growth, power security is very much on the government’s radar. Tapping alternative energy sources, especially

solar and nuclear power, and increasing the Kingdom’s share of global oil production are seen as possible solutions.

The country is, in fact, perusing an aggressive policy of moving towards alternative sources of energy, with an avowed plan to derive 10% of its electrical supply from the sun by 2020. (See Box: Looking to the sun) Along with its commitment to sustainable energy, the country also needs to usher in tough policy reforms in areas, such as domestic pricing of energy.

In this context, the verdict of the industry insiders who participated in the C3 2011 at Al Khobar is instructive.

Acknowledging the power challenges facing the Kingdom, the delegates and participants believed that electricity subsidy remained a barrier to district cooling and cogeneration. Fifteen years ago, it was 15 Halalas/ kwh, they said. Today, it has come to five Halalas/ kwh, which surely is not a normal pricing policy.

Subsidy and over-sizing, they said, were two bad words in the region. The objection to cogeneration and district cooling, they thought, was the slab rate system and also subsidised power. Subsidies, they agreed, were not tenable, considering the substantial shortage of electricity.

CONCLUSION

Saudi Arabia is poised for growth. At least in the foreseeable future, the country’s mega projects and the HVACR sector will enjoy a healthy symbiotic relationship. The HVACR market has provided the much-needed lifeline for the region, and is expected to continue to play the

24 - 25 SEPTEMBER 2012 | DUBAI, UAE WWW.REFRIGERANTSREVIEW.COM ROUND 1 OF REFRIGERANTS REVIEW, in March 2012, thrust different types of refrigerants into the spotlight from a Middle Eastern perspective and, at the same time, gave an international overview on the state of affairs.

ROUND 2 will continue the assessment process, with a heightened involvement of end-users. Also in the picture will be government agencies, investigation bodies and enforcement groups, especially considering that there will be considerable focus on counterfeit refrigerants.

KEY ACTIVITY: Assessment and rating of refrigerants KEY TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION INCLUDE:    

Natural refrigerants, HCFCs, HFC, HFOs Reclaiming and recycling of refrigerants Counterfeit refrigerants Toxicity concerns  Tumours, liver damage and other health concerns  Is it as simple as pointing the finger at only natural refrigerants?

Natural refrigerants and district cooling

FOCUS

SPOTLIGHT

End-user case studies

WHO WILL ATTEND?

    

Implementation bodies Government agencies End-users Suppliers Service providers

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FOR SPONSORSHIPS / EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES: Frédéric Paillé Managing Director & Associate Publisher

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Events & Marketing Manager

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country focus SAUDI ARABIA

I think the market is promising and has potential.

All the reputed suppliers will get a good market share in Saudi Arabia

leading role. This might encourage overconfidence and overspending. What it needs to be wary of is the possibility of sudden, steep rise or fall in real estate price, both of which could prove detrimental to the HVACR segment, with Dubai being the case in point.

There are too many players trying to elbow each other out in an overcrowded arena.

While this could lead to better technology and an improved product range, cost considerations could dictate market trends, leading to substandard equipment and services.

Attari voices this worry when he says that one of the challenges is the poor quality of equipment from fake suppliers, which tarnishes the reputation of the industry in the market and adversely affects the prices. “But when it comes to mega projects, manufacturers of spurious or substandard products cannot compete, because government consultants and investors will not accept low-quality goods,” he assures.

34

“In the final analysis, what developers demand in terms of energy efficiency, reliability and capital costs are as follows: a) For commercial applications – price and energy efficiency b) For industrial applications – energy efficiency, quality and price c) For the government – quality, energy efficiency and then the price,” Attari says, listing customer priorities.

“End users – homeowners and facilities managers – have become quality conscious, and have an array of players to choose from. Consequently, they demand products with optimum efficiency at the lowest possible cost or tariffs,” Abushama adds, and explains that a company like his has to tick several items on a checklist: “As a developer, we look at the lifecycle assessment of our projects. We evaluate the CAPEX and OPEX along with applying stringent KPIs. Hence, we go through stringent criteria to evaluate which product and equipment we should use. At the end

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

of the day, we have to make sure that we achieve a good return on investment to our shareholders while we deliver reliable and efficient services to our end users.”

The major worry, however, is the country’s looming power crisis. The Kingdom needs to earnestly and aggressively address the issue, and find sustainable solutions and effective energy management, as registering the world’s highest energy consumption per capita does not bode well for the economy and the market.

Despite the challenges, the general mood in the HVACR street is upbeat. Attari echoes this when he says: “I think the market is promising and has potential. All the reputed

suppliers will get a good market share in Saudi Arabia.

The government is strong and financially healthy. It has taken appropriate and wellconsidered steps to boost the economy. I think the HVACR sector should be optimistic about the market.”

Yes, indeed, the Saudi domestic market is booming, and it augurs well for the region. But it is still suffering from the after-shocks of the global and regional economic crisis.

No one wants to take the country’s robust growth for granted, as a lot of hope and faith is riding on it. Things, somehow, seem too good to be true. The unasked question in everybody’s minds is: How long will it last? n

ERRATUM The photo of Azaam Messaykeh of JCI in the May 2012 issue of Climate Control Middle East (cover story:The Energy Champions) appeared with the caption, Samer Tabbara.

The error is deeply regretted. --Editor

Awards 2012 Wednesday, November 7, 2012 · Dubai, UAE WWW.CLIMATECONTROLME.COM/AWARDS

THEME:

Self-actualisation – aiming for the sublime in HVACR innovation and business practices 8 broad categories | 25 specific categories THE BROAD AWARD CATEGORIES ARE

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Architecture Building performance District cooling Food safety Carbon and HVACR HVACR personality of the year Standalone systems Refrigeration (food & beverages industry)

AREAS OF FOCUS: Consultancy, contracting, AHUs, FCUs, large-tonnage chillers, controls, cooling towers, piping systems, multi-splits, RACs, small chillers, DX systems, compressors, insulated panels, transport refrigeration, ventilation, ducting, fire safety, thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, paints, lighting, glass/film

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FOR SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES, CONTACT: FRÉDÉRIC PAILLÉ Managing Director & Associate Publisher T: +971 (4) 375 6833 | M: +971 (50) 714 7204 F: +971 (4) 4341906 | E: fred@cpi-industry.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: MEHWISH HILAL Events & Marketing Manager T: +971 (4) 3756840 | M: +971 (55) 478 5011 F: +971 (4) 4341906 | E: mehwish@cpi-industry.com

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MP3 at the vanguard of the HVAC sector Today’s savvy customers not only seek ambient comfort but also demand that it is packaged as a cost-effective sustainable solution. This is where MP3 scores, as its products embody a seamless blend of the art and science of air diffusion, says Michele Paccagnella

A peek into the workings of MP3

F

luid dynamics simulation – the three simple words encapsulate the MP3 mantra that defines its air diffusion systems and has transformed the technology of air distribution. This is at the core of the MP3 technology that differentiates its products from others. At MP3, a dedicated team of engineers studies air motion on the basis of the physical laws of fluid and thermal dynamics to provide to its customers world-class products that serve them well.

36

The MP3 philosophy

Established in 2002, MP3, Italy’s number one manufacturer of diffusers and aeraulic components, and one of the world’s leading companies in the field, chose to focus on research and development from the very outset.

Today, backed by a decade of experience, it boasts of an array of highperformance products.

Standing firmly on its four pillars – product innovation, production, automation and quality solutions – MP3 is known,

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

not only for products that are the result of advanced research and know-how, but also for adhering to strict efficiency parameters.

Diffusing air to achieve the required thermal comfort demands in-depth knowledge of air engineering. With this as the goal, at MP3, a team of experts study air motion on the basis of the physical laws of fluid and thermodynamics, as the company believes in approaching air diffusion from a technical perspective.

In fact, this has proved to be the key to the company’s success.

The atmospheric air has to undergo several stages in order to reach a quality which is fit for humans to breathe. The common approach to conditioning the air is filtering it and removing heat from it. The general erroneous assumption is that the job is done once these two conditions have been achieved.

However, air distribution is an important and final segment of the process.

MP3’s team is aware that mere conditioning of the air is not enough. It is the proper diffusion of air which completes the entire process.

This requires appropriate air diffusion solutions that are both environmentally friendly and practically applicable.

This presupposes selecting suitable air diffusion products, which requires an understanding of the underlying parameters of air diffusion techniques.

This is achieved by an effective and efficient tool, such as the integrated CFD program, which makes it possible to ascertain the exact effect of the flow of air by allowing the simulation and distribution of the speed of air injected from the diffusers inside a room, no matter what its dimension and shape. The simulation ensures a scientific dry run to calculate and perfect the process of air distribution and, thereby, comfort, before the product finally

reaches the customers.

But today’s discerning customers do not gauge a product’s quality by the criterion of comfort alone. Cost effectiveness and sustainability are two other stringent parameters that need to be met. It is, therefore, crucial for designers and contractors to consider the impact of air diffusion selection on power consumption and the overall performance of the HVAC system. This is where MP3 meets expectations and surpasses it by walking that extra mile to offer intelligent solutions for green buildings.

Advanced CFD simulation technologies facilitate appropriate product selection by virtue of conducting necessary optimisation tests on systems at the planning stage itself.

This guarantees improved performance and substantial time and costs savings.

The decision to use simulations with CFD, integrates the commitment that MP3 has made in the past years in the area of noise analysis by carrying out numerous tests and evaluations at prestigious international laboratories.

The entire process of production at all stages is choreographed as a flexible and seamless sequence.

The high level of process computerisation allows detailed monitoring, so that customers can be constantly updated on the status of their order.

It is thus evident that the technical and design departments allow the creation of customised solutions to meet and surpass the needs of customers and consultants.

Today, MP3 is a

benchmark in the world of aeraulic components, not only for its size and production volumes, but also, and above all, for the superior quality of its products, the high level of attention to detail and its customer-centric approach.

MP3 and Energo join hands to prove that unity is strength Started a few years ago, and driven by its R&D endeavours, MP3 has been involved in an innovative line of research to obtain and publish technical data for the selection of its own products. In collaboration with Energo Research Centre, it has developed an exclusive aeronautics- derived test protocol to precisely test the behaviour and performance of its products, especially in the prototyping phase.

According to MP3’s design team, the integrated CFD program allows building diffuser models in all types of environment. The collaboration between MP3 and Energo, has therefore, proved that studies simulating the exact installation environment of the products while at the same time taking into account all the necessary variables, like the arrangement of the extraction points, furniture layout, presence of heat sources, heat conduction of glass surfaces and seasonal changes, indeed, pays rich dividends, both to the manufacturer and the customer.

A glimpse of MP3 products…

The Thermostatic Diffuser

It is an adjustable diffuser in all directions with a maximum inclination of ±30º. It comes with automatic regulation (without electric feeding help) by a thermostatic actuator set up of special shape memorising material in nickel-titanium.

When the inlet air is warm (heating condition) the actuator moves the flow towards the lower part.

While when the inlet air is cold (cooling condition), the actuator moves it towards the upper part, following the deflection angle previously calculated.

The KV-CT

This does not require to be pre-regulated in the beginning. It can be mounted on duct, wall or plenum and can be regulated later. The deflection angle regulation is simple and intuitive through mechanical halts assisted by a coloured scale placed inside the connection.

The diffuser works in a temperature range between l5ºC and 40ºC. At an average temperature of 25ºC, the deflection angle is 0º. Figure 1 A shows that in case of cooling, the thermostatic actuator moves the flow upward, while Figure 1 B shows that the actuator moves the flow downwards as far as the temperature increases, which favours hot air inlet in the occupied zone.

Figure 1A: Flow in cooling

To learn further about mp3 products, please contact Michele Paccagnella Managing Director and Partner, MP3 E-mail: m.paccagnella@mp3-italia.it URL: http://www.mp3-italia.it

Air distribution in airports

MP3 provides intelligent designs to serve the air diffusion needs of airports, considering they include such variables as differing heights of indoor spaces, installations and human occupancy.

Figure 1B: Flow in heating

June 2012

www.climatecontrolme.com

37

THE BENCHMARK IN CROSSLINKED POLYOLEFIN INSULATION Since its introduction in 1986, Thermobreak Thermal insulation has become the benchmark in crosslinked polyolefin insulation.

Manufactured by the Sekisui Chemical Group, the world’s largest polyolefin foam manufacturer, Thermobreak utilises Sekisui’s own Physically Crosslinked technology, which offers many advantages over conventional chemically crosslinked technology such as lower thermal conductivity and vapour permeability. All plants operate under ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 Standards.

Since its introduction in the Middle East in 1996, Thermobreak has been setting the standard in quality, reliability, performance and safety standards. It has proved its performance with over 500 projects in the Middle East, including the landmark projects such as Dubai Health Care City, Sidra Hospital, and Hamad Medical City at Doha, Qatar.

Testing & Certification As part of Sekisui’s corporate policy, all tests performed on Thermobreak are done with ISO 17025 accredited laboratories. This assures clientele of verified certification and results performed by laboratories that are accredited to perform such tests and do so under strict guidance to the test procedures. Whilst many test certificates are circulated by insulation suppliers, not all are performed by reputable and accredited laboratories and not all are performed according to the relevant Standard.

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Third party certification such as FM (Factory Mutual) and UL are a further guarantee and reassurance of the high safety standards pursued by Sekisui, due to the follow programs and verifications that are involved. Large scale fire tests such as FM 4924 are extremely demanding and only a handful of insulation manufacturers have been successful. Thermobreak tube has been granted FM approval.

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PHYSICALLY C R O S S L I N K E D SEKISUI TECHNOLOGY Thermobreak has been tested to most international smoke and fire standards including BS 476, AS1530.3, ASTM E84, ISO5659, and BS 6853. It complies with NFPA 90A and 90B including the latest requirement to ASTM C411, a test requiring the insulation to be exposed to 120C for 96 hours. Fire and smoke test results are affected by the thickness of the material. Passing a test at 10mm thickness, does not mean that 25mm will also pass. Thermobreak testing is done on highest and lowest thicknesses of the product, thus providing safety assurance for any thickness used.

Thermobreak is tested on low and high thickness to reassure that a higher thickness like 25 mm should also pass.

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Green Product Sekisui’s commitment to green products, protection of the environment and Indoor Air Quality are evident in the properties of Thermobreak. It offers a number of advantages that can accumulate points under the LEED system. It complies with Green Star requirements in terms of VOC content and has been recently approved for Masdar projects (www.thefuturebuild.com). Indoor Air Quality requirements under the Green Building Guide are assured by Green Star compliance as well as ASTM G21 tests for Anti Microbial properties.

Insulation properties for long term performance Thermal conductivity and Vapour permeability are at the heart of any insulation material and should be key considerations in any selection of insulation. Thermal conductivity is a measure of how good an insulating material is. Thermobreak offers the lowest thermal conductivity of any flexible insulation material. Despite certain claims, Physically crosslinked polyolefin ALWAYS offers better thermal conductivity than chemically crosslinked technology. This is due to the smaller cell size of physically crosslinked foam.

As any other building material, its properties are affected by the environment over time. Thermal conductivity (k) is one such property. Thermal conductivity is affected by vapour permeating into the insulation. Insulation performance and therefore energy costs will be affected over time if the thermal conductivity of the material changes from design data.

Thermobreak exhibits very stable thermal conductivity over a 10 year period due to its physically crosslinked structure, as well as use of thicker reinforced aluminium foil composite. Its vapour permeability surpasses even the conventional canvas and coating systems.

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Eros Group PO Box 1184 Dubai, UAE T: +971-4-2666216 F: +971-4-2694778 www.erosgroup.ae www.sekisuipilon.com.au

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Event Round-Up C3 Doha

A time to introspect ‌

40

d n a act

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

Around 700 million people in 43 countries suffer from water

scarcity. The alarming situation is closer home than we think.

Awareness campaigns to educate people about water savings

is not enough. The assessment system is not enough. We need regulations and we need to enforce them. Aggressive policies

need to be implemented. And when it comes to district cooling, an integrated approach, taking into account cost-effective

technologies and environmental impact mitigation is the need

of the hour. These were the points hammered home during The Climate Control Conference (C3) Doha on April 10 and 11.

V “Very soon, we will see a desalination plant every 200 kilometres in the GCC region,” said a participant, adding, “every year, we are going to increase the salinity of water. So, it is time to take stock of water.” Literally. And take stock the participants and delegates did. Held against the backdrop of water shortage in the world, across the region and Qatar, where the event took place, The Climate Control Conference with its avowed theme: “Optimising water use in district cooling, exploring macro-directions”, squarely faced up to a few pertinent questions: • What are the lessons learnt so far?

• What are the challenges

ahead?

• What macro directions

should the industry take, vis-à-vis water usage?

• Out of the current and future expected water consumption of the country, what is the percentage needed by district cooling?

• Is it worth the exercise?

• If yes, would the possible savings, using latest technologies and available options, also be worth the exercise?

The two-day conference, which saw technical presentations and panel discussions, with a spotlight on challenges and recent advancements in cooling towers, endeavoured to answer a host of questions by examining the various technologies and options, and listened to the received wisdom offered by the experts in the industry.

With the tagline: “This time around, we are talking water!” C3 Doha had the avowed mission of some soul-searching. The tagline and the theme reflected the

subtext – water is going to be a scarce commodity in Qatar and something needs to be done, and soon.

According to estimates, water demand in Qatar will go up from 1.1 million m3/ day in 2011 to 2.1 million m3/day in 2020. A large part of this increase is attributed to the needs of a growing population. Currently, the country depends largely on seawater desalination. But it evidently comes with a fine print – endangering the marine ecosystem.

The various presentations and panel discussions addressed these and related topics and came out with pertinent observations and recommendations. Fadhel Al Kazema, Tekneen Utilities, Kuwait clubbed the twin issues water and district cooling under discussion and hit the nail on its head when he said: “There is need to lower domestic oil consumption. You might reach a stage when there is no oil to export. And district cooling can help in reducing power consumption, which is generated through burning

June 2012

fossil fuels.” It was, indeed, time to face up to the water situation in Qatar and the region, especially in relation to district cooling.

The recommendations and observations of the delegates and participants painted a stark picture of the ground reality. It was also a wakeup call: The time for procrastination is over. It is time to act.

By 2025, we will likely end up in very bad state: 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with “Absolute Water Scarcity”. And twothirds of the world’s population could be living under “Water Stressed” conditions

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Event Round-Up C3 Doha

Excerpts Salah Nezar, Qatar Project Management (QPM), listed the following facts:

• Around 700 million people in 43 countries

suffer from water scarcity.

• Water stress is defined as the situation where annual water supplies drop below 1,700 m3 per person.

• In the case of water scarcity, the annual water supplies drop below 1,000 m3 per person.

• In the case of absolute water scarcity, annual water supplies drop below “500 m3 per person • By 2025, we will likely end up in very bad state: 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with “Absolute Water Scarcity”. And two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under “Water Stressed” conditions.

• According to Kahramaa, water demand in Qatar is expected to double from 1.1 million m3/day to 2.1 million m3/day by 2020.

• In the GCC, average rainfall varies between 70 and 140 mm a year.

Fadhel Al Kazema, Tekneen Utilities, Kuwait:

• There is need for implementation of

integration of infrastructure to include production of electricity in new cities, allowing exchange of power between the city energy production and the national grid, to be utilised in case of emergency or both.

• All GCC countries subsidise power. Cost of producing electricity in Kuwait is 38 fils per kilowatt hour, and they sell it for 2 fils. This is not realistic. When you opt for district

Ali Sleiman, ADC Energy Systems, said:

More than ethics, the issue really is with the subsidising of water and power, which is affecting the habits and cultural view of water resources, in general. Unless we take efforts to find where the leakages are and fix them, we will not achieve what we want.

Ghaleb Abusaa, The Three Factors Company, believed that:

• It is not fair to blame the cooling tower

manufacturers, because the design could be at fault, and also the O&M could be a problem. Improper cleaning of the cooling tower, for instance, can have an impact on its performance.

• The owner wants the cooling tower to be the best in the world, the engineer will put all the precautions in the world to ensure it will work in any conditions, and this is not the best approach. In Qatar, they design it at 32 for throughout the year. Why this practice?

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Climate Control Middle East June 2012

• Water consumption is increasing by eight to 10% every year.

• Very soon, we will see a desalination plant

every 200 kilometres in the GCC region, which is a cause for concern. Every year, we are going to increase the salinity of water.

• The next time you put up a desalination plant, you will be forced to desalinate 8,000 ppm water instead of 4,000 ppm water, which means you will need to put more energy towards the desalination process to accommodate the additional ppm in the water.

• The year-on-year growth in production of water in Qatar is 9.7%, which is quite alarming.

• Equally of concern is NRW (Non Revenue Water) – leakage – which is quite high in Qatar; Kahramaa is trying to reduce the figure.

• According to Kahramaa, water leakage is estimated at 20%. cooling, you can deal with these things.

• It is important to address district energy and not district cooling.

• Let owners, construction managers and

consultants provide outcome managements and refrain from exaggerated project input management. It is important to increase the integration of infrastructure services to lower fossil fuel usage and to increase alternative energy and technology and wastewater treatment.

Antoine Stephan, Hamon CTC was of the opinion that:

• There is no data on

losses or damages on cooling towers, because it really is a case-bycase basis, depending on the application and depending on the age. Of course, you have to go by CTI recommendations and ensure proper servicing of electromechanical equipment. It is important to check on the fill, empty spaces, etc. If you ensure proper maintenance, you can easily reach a life expectancy of 25 years. You have to monitor the operations, and that is according to the first design conditions we have.

Radhia Mchirgui, 3E – Energy and Environment Engineering, Qatar:

• The per capita water consumption in Qatar is 310 litres.

• The water network loss (leakage) is evaluated at 35%.

• The existing infrastructure for re-

use of treated sewage effluent (TSE) is very poor in Qatar; almost 40% of TSE is thrown away.

• Qatar now re-uses 24% of total freshwater supplies; In contrast, it is only 16% for the whole of the GCC. • Qatar is implementing a sustainability assessment system for getting energy efficiency (24% of the score) and water saving (16% of the score). In this context, Qatar has a National Strategic Plan 2030, including goals for sustainable water. One of the targets is to reduce water use by 83 litres per capita per day by 2030. This will be achieved as a first step by a Qatar National Development Strategy 2011-2016, published in March 2011, targeting a comprehensive Water Act. • An integrated approach is needed to take into account cost-effective technologies for cooling towers and environmental impact mitigation: actual standard limit for Delta T = 3C. • Awareness campaigns have to be conducted to educate people about water savings.

Hassan Sultan, President of ASHRAE Oryx Chapter and the Director of Mechanical Department, MZ & Partners (Architectural and Engineering Consultancy), made the following observations:

• There are leakages underground.

And metering should be considered for main lines, branches and sub-branches to detect the leakages.

• ASHRAE is ready to take up the subject and to assist in minimising leakage. ASHRAE Oryx Chapter would like to engage Kahramaa.

• The assessment system is not enough; we need regulations and we need to enforce the regulations.

There is need to: • Reduce network water losses • To replace single-pass • To use polymers for cooling towers in order to save 30% of make-up water through more than 50 cycles • To change water regulation and tariff – some studies showed Qatar nationals can consume up to 1,200 litres/ day per person, while expatriates consumed only 150 litres a day per person (because water cost for Qatar nationals is very low); and to put incentives for water and energy efficiency.

June 2012

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Cover Story A report on the fans and blowers sector in the GCC

The way the

wind blows A reading of wind direction reveals that there is no major storm brewing in the fans and blowers sector in the region. The market is whirring at a regulated speed, with no sudden gusts threatening to blow away the status quo. This is good news and bad news. Getting used to the comfort zone does not augur well for business. But it is better than the windless trough created by the double dip, believe industry insiders.

By Pratibha Umashankar

T The fans and blowers market is quiet, but stable.

It is moving at an even pace. This would have been labelled “Average” on the report card a decade ago.

But with the robust allround growth experienced at the beginning of the new millennium making way for the global economic downturn in 2008-09, the market slump has now become the accepted frame of reference against which all progress must now be gauged. Judged in this

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context, the sector appears to have steadied itself. But the recovery is not spectacular.

Company, Systemair Middle East and Maico Gulf is that things have stabilised.

THE STORY SO FAR …

SLOW AND STEADY IS THE KEY

Taking a quick recap, the economic slowdown, undoubtedly, hit the fans and blowers industry hard.

The demand declined across most business sectors in the region. The petrochemical industry, the construction sector and, as a corollary, the HVACR sector saw cutbacks on new orders, and in many cases, there were no takers for the stock of components.

Global MEP packages were reviewed downwards. There was a drastic reduction in the once frenetic pace of work.

But now, the unanimous verdict of the main players in the fans and blowers market in the GCC, represented by Leminar Air Conditioning

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

Aboobacker Aslam, Technical Sales & Marketing Manager, Systemair Middle East, Dubai, believes that the market is recovering from the impact of recession. “It is compensating for the reduction due to the downturn by spreading out in more territories,” he says.

Rakesh Mistry, Assistant Manager, Leminar Air Conditioning Company, Dubai, dealing with Casals and Twin City brands, corroborates this view and adds, “In the post-global financial downturn scenario, the market is gaining some kind of stability, and so, we see the fans and blowers market becoming more

steady and growing.” But he warns: “With a market getting more cautious towards investments, there are only a few pockets doing okay. But the competition is fierce. Strangely, rent, cost of electricity and other overheads have not come down despite the slow pace of things. But a fixed cost is better to work with than the sudden rise or fluctuations, as it happened earlier. The market has become more predictable. In terms of business, this year appears more or less similar to last year. But we can work with that. Predictability and stability is good news after the unexpected slump.”

Amit Ahuja, General Manager, Maico Gulf, (Dynair and Elicent), Dubai, gives a detailed analysis of the situation: “As the

The working life of the fan is drastically reduced when the right fan is not chosen for the right application

June 2012

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cover story global financial crisis took hold, the GCC countries which thought they were decoupled were affected in trade and financial channels.

The crisis triggered a collapse in asset prices and increased the spread on sovereign debt. The GCC countries witnessed a sharp decline in oil prices, and the recession, therefore, had an adverse impact on new investments, including in the hydrocarbon sector. Aside from planned investments in downstream oil projects, several large private projects were cancelled or stalled indefinitely. But in the second half of 2010, we started seeing projects springing back to life. There were movements in the construction industry in the UAE. In 2011, because of the strong growth in oil prices, the governments have started spending again.

Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia have been leading the way in terms of spending relative to the size of their economies.”

The general feeling is that the sector in the region has now managed to recover from the substantial blow it had earlier sustained.

But when it comes to an assessment of the size of the fans and blowers market in the GCC, the industry insiders think that it is difficult to get a clear picture due to different types of fans and different manufacturers and distributors. Also, there are various methods and approaches which can be deployed to evaluate market size, believes Ahuja.

“However, we feel that the market size of fans and blowers in the GCC today is close to around $85 to $90 million, with the area under consideration being the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait,” he says. He gives a rough breakup – Qatar pegged at close to $20 million, Saudi

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The recovery has been uneven across the countries in the region, as governments have tapped their sovereign wealth to varying degrees to cushion the blow to their banking systems and are trying to compensate for the weakness in private sector demand and investment” Arabia about $50 million and the UAE (Dubai + Abu Dhabi) at $20 million.

Mistry estimates the present GCC market to be worth around AED1 billion, with the UAE worth more than AED200 million and Qatar and Saudi Arabia over AED150 million each.

The figures, as can be seen, are not conclusive and are at best, ‘guesstimates’.

But it is interesting to note that Mistry, like others in the market, clubs Qatar and Saudi Arabia together – one a mere speck on the map, and the other, a vast geographical entity.

The common denominator

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

between the two is that they are seen as target markets showing growth in business opportunities. The big players have tried to tap this by either setting up shop in these two countries or upgrading an already existing base.

“Seeing the opportunities in Qatar, we have set up fully Systemair-owned office there and we have our distributor with a strong presence in all the regions of KSA,” Aslam reveals.

“The construction markets in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman have been picking pace, and there are several new government-funded projects that are being tendered and are currently under execution,” Ahuja says. “Leminar has a stronger presence in Qatar with an office, a showroom and a warehouse, as we see an upcoming boom in Qatar due to FIFA 2022,” Mistry affirms. “Leminar has also opened up its new operations in Oman, with a warehouse and an office facility to meet the demand in the country, which is being perceived as a stable market.”

The term “stable” being

reiterated and Oman being added to the list of potential markets is indicative of a new trend – it is better to invest time and money in a slow and steady runner than someone who fizzles out after the initial spectacular fireworks. “Yes, the excitement has gone from the market. But the excitement was unreal. This is a realistic and, perhaps, a better picture. This is the reality we have to live with and easier to deal with,” Mistry advocates sagely.

STRATEGIES

New realities in the region warrant a change of game plan. Both manufacturers and dealers have decided to tread cautiously into uncharted territories, but have tried to remain nimble, hoping to inject life into the market. Adapting their products to meet customer demand, adding new product lines like AHUs and air distribution products while laying stress on products like air curtains and heaters and a more expedient after-sales service are few of the measures the major players have adopted

the strategies at a time when everyone is vying for a wedge of a substantially shrunk market pie.

view that price plays a major role in the GCC market. But Ahuja takes a stronger line.

“Markets are governed by price is an understatement; the markets are ONLY governed by price,” he asserts. He thinks it is a cause for concern, as energy efficiency could become a casualty in the bargain.

Experts sound a general caveat that it is important for designers to understand that cutting corners can have a huge impact on the total energy usage, as chiller loads have the single biggest effect on energy costs in any building. They believe that it could be a proverbial case of penny wise, pound foolish in the long run. Also, undercutting could lead to an unhealthy competition and substandard products surreptitiously making inroads into the market.

CHALLENGES

Aboobacker Aslam, Systemair

in response to the changed market scenario.

Speaking on behalf of Systemair, Aslam says: “We have spread up further in other growth markets.

Adding new product lines like AHUs and chillers is another strategy we have adopted. The applications we have catered to are, car park ventilation, tunnel ventilation, kitchen

Yes, the excitement has gone from the market. But the excitement was unreal. This is a realistic and, perhaps, a better picture.

This is the reality we have to live with and easier to deal with

Rakesh Mistry, Leminar

ventilation, staircase pressurisation, general ventilation and air curtains.”

Leminar has supplied its two leading brands mainly to commercial and residential buildings, warehouses, logistics facilities, pumping stations, electricity substations, sewage treatment plants, district cooling plants, schools, hospital and hotels.

“After-sales service is the key behind the success of Leminar,” Mistry claims.

“We have factory-trained technicians, spare parts for all the fans and a thorough knowledge of our products.”

This, according to him, is why his company has been able to woo customers and keep them happy.

Maico Gulf, on its part, has ensured that it maintains a strong distributor network in most of the GCC countries, as it believes that it can serve its customer base and clients best this way, along with a diverse product range which caters to industrial, domestic and commercial ventilation segments. “We have the right strategies and resources in place for different markets in the GCC to counter and combat the current scenario, and we are executing them over time,” Ahuja says cryptically, not wanting to spell out

Cost is king Keeping the prices competitive, while offering high quality products, has been the biggest challenge for the fans and blowers sector. Cost is the first criterion for MEP contractors, is the general impression. “Stress on efficiency and reliability is seen only on select quality projects; typically, it solely depends on cost,” concedes Aslam. Mistry seconds the

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June 2012

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47

cover story How green is green?

With global focus on sustainability, it is an important element that needs to be factored into the equation. Cutting costs while offering energy-efficient products is, therefore, a balancing act for the sector, leaving very little wriggleroom for innovation.

Given the current market climate, “green products” and “sustainability” are often mere buzzwords being bandied around, as they are the flavour of the month. Since sustainability and innovation go together, the GCC market also needs to address the problem of resistance to change.

Mistry stresses that the market is open and ready for new technology when it comes to fans and blowers.

“Today, when the whole world is shifting towards green buildings, energy efficiency and reliability are the key issues,” he says.

“Energy-efficient motor is now a standard feature for all our fans.”

However, Ahuja points out that consultants and designers have their own parameters within which they have to work. “Despite the fact that energy conservation and Green are the most extensively used words these days, a lot more needs to be done to create awareness and educate clients regarding energy-efficient products,” he astutely observes. “Our R&D and design teams are constantly working to make our products suitable to meet the demands of green building projects,” he claims.

Lack of awareness On the issue of customer responsibility, the experts cry foul. They believe that while manufacturers and suppliers, on their part, are expected to follow stringent product certification standards, customers are not always

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It is significant that business has become even more competitive on price, which raises the concern that energy efficiency might become the victim, which offers longterm gains, when what the sector wants is a quick-fix solution held accountable and, hence, don’t do their bit. They point out that basic norms are routinely bypassed, product manuals are not read and compromises are made in the installation process. They bemoan lack of awareness, lack of maintenance and improper fan selection as other problem areas.

“In many cases, we have come across wrong wiring connection, and in some cases, wrong static pressure calculation,” Mistry reveals.

He believes that fan design and the right selection are important. “Instead of going for two-speed motors, VFDs are a better choice in terms of energy efficiency,” he

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

adds.

Low/high airflow due to improper ESP calculation, noise due to wrong installation practices, incorrect system design and inefficient control systems are few of the challenges that Aslam lists. Highlighting the issue of over-sizing, he observes that in the days of the real estate boom, it was a practice to allocate large safety margins, which led to over-sized fans that operated at flow rates far below their design values. He now sees a move to rectify this.

Ahuja, alluding to the problem of improper fan selection points out that this could not only lead to an overuse of energy, but also to the ductwork getting seriously damaged, and in the long run, affect the entire system balance.

“The working life of the fan is drastically reduced when the right fan is not chosen for the right application,” he warns. He stresses that lack of good and recommended installation practice is the major cause for performance-based issues. “We find contractors installing fans based on the limited space that they have at sites, resulting in lack of performance of the units,” he says. “Our trained engineers visit such sites and educate the clients to help them install the fans as per the recommended standards to achieve the desired performance.”

Space and design constraints are generally cited as excuses. Experts believe that these two aspects have to be factored in by architects at the tendering stage itself, which, unfortunately, does not always happen.

In a nutshell, following are a few of the challenges the fans and blowers sector faces: Many designers do not incorporate fan efficiency

requirements in their design in a clear statement.

• Incorrect installation practice is due to lack of experience of contractors and improper fan selection.

• The suppliers are blamed for bad performance of the equipment.

• Designs that have a negative effect on energy usage due to unnecessarily high static pressure requirements and lack of timely maintenance could have an adverse effect on the cost and environment.

Leminar, Systemair and Maico Gulf use seminars, trade exhibition platforms and ASHRAE events in the GCC region to educate designers and clients on the benefits of choosing the right product for the right application. Visiting designers, consulting engineers and end-users to raise awareness about energy-efficient products is another route they follow to raise awareness. Though these have yielded positive results, Ahuja, Aslam and Mistry concede that it is unrealistic to expect a positive transformation overnight.

REGULATIONS AND STANDARDISATION

When it comes to quality, the three spokespersons agree that equipment in the sector is manufactured to international standards and there are new and more stringent environmental regulations in place, Regarding certification of products, they adhere to a strict testing regimen, based on either American or European standards. The ASHRAE standards are the most commonly used for design.

While Leminar follows ISO, BS, EN, Dubai and Abu Dhabi Civil Defense and Applus Standards for Casals fans, Systemair products

go through their testing facilities in Skinnskatteberg, Sweden, and Windishbuch, Germany, and are checked for flow, pressure drops, power consumption and noise/vibration. Maico Gulf claims that since ambient conditions in the GCC are different from Europe and the rest of the world, its products are designed and tested to withstand these harsh conditions. Though the spokespersons of these companies think that having region-specific testing would be welcome, they are not sure if it is possible or practical, at least at present.

They do see European and US standards being tailor-made to suit the GCC countries in future.

RETROFITTING

The three spokespersons echo the view that the concept of retrofitting has not taken roots in the region.

This is possibly because the

market has till now focused on new constructions. “The retrofit market is a very small percentage of the total market,” admits Ahuja.

“We have been involved in some retrofit projects in the GCC. However, most of the replacements do not involve choosing energy-saving units.

The trend is to go for similar older replacements.”

Aslam believes that energysaving retrofit assignments involving changing of the impeller or incorporating VSDs might happen in the next couple of years.

CONCLUSION

The general mood in the fans and blowers sector is that the worse seems to be over and the best way to keep afloat is by cautiously expanding the customer network, enhancing product range, and improving service and raising awareness.

The trade winds seem to be blowing in the direction

of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

But though things might look good on paper, it needs to be remembered that the mega projects in these two countries are working on a long time-frame. So, be it the Doha World Cup which might bring cheer or the massive housing projects in Saudi Arabia, they are not the instant panacea the market is looking for. While its gaze is set on the distant future, a market can collapse in weeks.

It is significant that business has become even more competitive on price, which raises the concern that energy efficiency might become the victim, which offers long-term gains, when what the sector wants is a quick-fix solution.

“But the potential of this region is amazing, as it is the third biggest HVAC market after the United States and India,” Aslam says, optimistically surveying the scene. Ahuja, while agreeing

June 2012

with him, warns: “Private sector spending continues to be slow and cautious. Banks have been quite reluctant to extend credit to this sector.

The recovery has been uneven across the countries in the region, as governments are tapping their sovereign wealth to varying extents to cushion the blow to their banking systems and to compensate for the weakness in private sector demand and investment.”

“Yes, nobody is willing to burn their fingers anymore,” concedes Mistry. “The golden period of big investments is over. It will, perhaps, not come back. But that was a fairy world of make-belief.

We lived in a fool’s paradise.

It was unrealistic. Now that we have woken up to the reality, we are better equipped to deal with it.

Thankfully, we have entered a more stable phase, which is a healthy sign. It is poised to become even more stable in the coming years.” n

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perspective INDOOR AIR QUALITY

How safe are air cleaning appliances?

Growing awareness about the importance of Indoor Air Quality has elicited an increased interest in air cleaning products in the HVAC industry. Though there is a wide array of appliances which employ sophisticated technologies, they also come with caveats and safety considerations that need to be addressed, says Chante’ White Maurio. She evaluates the options available.

In recent years, Indoor Air Quality has become increasingly important in residential, commercial and industrial environments due to allergies, respiratory concerns, pollution, and

regulations. With greater focus on indoor air quality comes an increased demand for air cleaning products.

Electrical appliances that address indoor air quality can be loosely grouped into four primary categories: air filtering appliances, UV germicidal air cleaners, ionisers, and electrostatic air cleaners (definitions provided in Table 1). These products may be portable (provided with a cord and plug) or dedicated to one location by being wallmounted, ceiling-mounted, duct connected or plenum connected.

Table 1 – Air cleaning product types1

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Air Filtering Appliance

Air cleaners which operate with an electrical source of power and which contain a motor and fan for drawing air through mechanical fitration media.

UV Germicidal Air Cleaners

Air cleaners that employ Ultraviolet lamps. Such devices may include a fan and/or filters.

Electrostatic Air Cleaners

Air cleaners which operate with a fan and incorporate electrically charged plates or wire to electrostatically collect particulate matter. Such devices may include a filter(s).

Ionizer

Air cleaners which incorporate an ion generator. Such devices may include a fan and/or filter(s).

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

The category of air cleaning appliance determines the safety standard used for evaluating a product. Table 2 shows the US, Canadian and International electrical safety standards applicable to these appliances. In the US, media provided as a part of an air filtering appliance connected to or within the duct or plenum space are additionally required to comply with a fire safety standard, UL 900, “Air Filter Units.” In Canada the Standard is ULC S111, “Standard Method of Fire Tests for Air Filter Units.”

In addition to the Table 2 products/standards, and due to increasing demand, UL is currently developing a US standard for commercial and industrial indoor air quality systems of the ozone generating type. It will initially be published as an Outline of Investigation, UL 867A “Commercial/ Industrial Indoor Air Quality Systems, Ozone Generating Type” until it has completed

the consensus standards development process.

Technical considerations Air cleaning technologies typically have, in addition to the usual fire, electrical shock and mechanical hazard considerations, unique technical considerations related to the technology employed in the design and the expected use.

These include, but are not limited to, ozone generation, high voltage arcing, and UV radiation exposure. Each of these items is discussed below from a US market perspective.

Ozone Ozone can be naturally produced by a variety of sources and often has a background presence in the air we breathe. In electrostatic air cleaners and ionisers, ozone is produced as an unintended by-product of the electrical discharges associated with the operation of the high

user exposure is limited to 0.1 µW/cm2 over an eight-

Table 2 – Applicable safety standards UL Standard Air Filtering Appliance

CSA Standard

UL 507, The Standard for Electric Fans

IEC Standard

CSA C22.2 No. 113, Electric Fans

IEC 60335-2-65, Particular Requirements for Air-Cleaning Appliances

UV Germicidal Air Cleaners

UL 507, The Standard for Electric Fans

CSA C22.2 No. 113, Electric Fans

IEC 60335-2-65, Particular Requirements for Air-Cleaning Appliances (other IEC Part 2 Standards would be referenced for UV guarding and irradiance requirements)

Electrostatic Air Cleaners

UL 867, The Standard for Electrostatic Air Cleaners

CSA C22.2 No. 187, Electrostatic Air Cleaners

IEC 60335-2-65, Particular Requirements for Air-Cleaning Appliances

Ionizer

UL 867, The Standard for Electrostatic Air Cleaners

CSA C22.2 No. 187, Electrostatic Air Cleaners

IEC 60335-2-65, Particular Requirements for Air-Cleaning Appliances

These products will also be required to monitor ozone and signal an alert if ozone concentrations occur and may potentially exceed allowable values within an occupancy voltage circuit used to help capture air particles. User exposure to ozone may affect the central nervous system, heart and vision. However, ozone predominantly affects the respiratory system. For this reason, the appliance safety standards include requirements to limit the ozone produced.

In the US, UL 867 limits the ozone produced by portable products to 0.05 ppm (50 ppb) measured near the appliance. The

ozone produced by duct and plenum-mounted products is not limited, provided ozone is not intentionally generated and not the primary air cleaning mechanism. For these products, ozone at the appliance is diluted by the relatively large volume of air moving through the duct or plenum. By contrast, products that purposely generate ozone are outside the scope of the US Safety Standards cited.

As mentioned earlier, UL 867A is currently pending publication. Once published, this document will include requirements for Commercial and Industrial duct and plenum applications. The requirements will take into account ozone emissions measured near the source and the calculated dilution for a given installation and occupancy. These products will also be required to monitor ozone and signal an alert if ozone concentrations occur and may potentially exceed allowable values within an occupancy.

Hardware and software reliability of the monitoring and alert system will be part of the requirements.

High voltage arcing In recent years, air cleaning appliances have

been designed to include electrically charged filter media to enhance capture of airborne particles. Due to the increased fire ignition risk associated with the presence of high voltage within air cleaning products, UL 867 has been updated to include an arcing resistance to ignition test for these product designs. The test causes arcing to appear across the filter media surface. The arcing shall not ignite the materials nor create a carbonised path that increases the risk of fire.

UV radiation It is a generally known fact that prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation generated by the sun poses health risks and that it is prudent to take appropriate precautions. However, the risk of UV exposure from appliance sources is not as well appreciated.

To limit user exposure to UV radiation, products are classified by their Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices (published by the American Conference for Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Table 2 “Permissible UV Exposures”).

Under this classification,

June 2012

hour period. UV radiation in excess of this value shall not be emitted from the appliance • before, during or after installation • during operation • during maintenance • during cleaning • during replacement of the UV emitter (example, lamp).

UV degrades exposed polymeric materials, such as those used to insulate electrical conductors and enclose moving parts. For this reason, all polymeric materials exposed to direct or reflected UV radiation are required to be suitable for this UV exposure. Electrical components not suitable for UV exposure are required to be suitably shielded by a non-reactive material.

Conclusion In summary, air cleaning products are now often much more complicated than the simple fan/filter units of the past. They employ technologies that help improve Indoor Air Quality, but also come with safety considerations that need to be addressed. An informed safety evaluation of these products can provide peace of mind when using the air cleaning appliance.

REFERENCE ANSI/AHAM AC-1-2006, Method for Measuring the Performance of Portable Household Electric Room Air Cleaners.

The writer is Manager, Principal Engineer, Appliances, Underwriters Laboratories (UL LLC).

She can be contacted at Chante.W.Maurio@ ul.com

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perspective

INDOOR AIR NATURAL REFRIGERANTS QUALITY

Giving

natural refrigerants

a sporting chance Eurammon, the European initiative for natural refrigerants, demonstrates with case studies how natural refrigerants can be innovatively used in sports and leisure facilities to make an appreciable difference to the environment.

The background The year 2012 is being swept by the Olympic wave.

The whole world is waiting to see which records will be broken in the individual disciplines and which new idols will emerge from the Games. But the focus is currently not just on the sporting aspects. The general public also expects the Games to show “Olympian performance” when it comes to climate protection. They would like to see the Games and sportspersons making a mark in sporting history but leave no negative ones on the environment.

This call to leave the environment unharmed is already being heeded and has been factored in, in the construction of stadia

52

and sports halls. There is scope for a sustainable approach, particularly in the construction method and supply concepts for the facilities. For refrigeration and air conditioning, natural refrigerants, such as ammonia, offer an environmentally compatible solution. “Ammonia is not only highly energy efficient, but also very environmentally friendly to use,” explains Monika Witt, Chairwoman of Eurammon, the European initiative for natural refrigerants.

“In contrast to synthetic refrigerants, ammonia has no global warming potential and, therefore,

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

makes no contribution to the greenhouse effect.”

Ammonia will also be used as refrigerant for the Olympic Games in London. A large-scale Energy Centre is responsible for supplies to all the facilities of the Olympic Park. Necessary refrigeration is generated by combining an electric compression refrigeration system with an absorption unit that uses the waste heat from the Energy Centre.

It needs to be stated that regardless of the Olympics, operators of sporting and

leisure facilities have long since discovered the advantages of natural refrigerants.

Combined refrigeration and air conditioning system in Kitzbühel Sport Park The 4,500 m² MercedesBenz Sport Park in Kitzbühel in Austria, not only offers scope for daily sport and leisure but is also a venue for school sporting events, training camps and professional contests, together with other sporting, cultural and corporate events.

The architectural planning concept for a new ice

rink to be erected on the Sport Park premises entailed combining the already existing indoor tennis centre with the new skating rink.

To this end, the town of Kitzbühel called for tenders including planning the complex. The refrigeration system was to supply the refrigeration capacity for an ice hockey pitch (1,800 m²), a curling track (600 m²) and a mobile outdoor ice surface (600 m²).

In addition, the client wanted a refrigeration system to take care of the entire air conditioning for the sport complex – skating and curling, skittles, climbing, tennis and restaurant. The curling track and the air conditioning had to be rated for operation all year round so that the complex could be used as a national curling training centre – the only one of its kind in Austria. Together with an energetically optimised, climate-neutral rating, the requirements included in particular a very low-temperature spread across the entire curling track. Curling is a very sensitive sport that is also called “chess on ice” on account of the refined tactics involved, and makes highly specific temperature requirements of the refrigeration system.

Haas Anlagenbau won the tender for the entire refrigeration technology, including cooling the ice rinks. The company planned and built an ammonia refrigeration system with direct evaporation for the ice hockey and curling facility. The system has two GEA Grasso reciprocating compressor units with a refrigeration capacity of 750 kW. Around 30,000 metres of evaporation piping was installed for the system. Together with the energy and climate-

Curling is a very sensitive sport that is also called “chess on ice” on account of the refined tactics involved, and makes highly specific temperature requirements of the refrigeration system neutral advantages of ammonia, direct evaporation in particular warrants a low temperature spread across the entire ice surface of the curling track. A secondary glycol circuit, which is also integrated in the central ammonia system, is responsible for air conditioning of the sport complex. The mobile outdoor ice surface is also connected to the circuit.

In addition, Haas Anlagenbau installed two different temperature levels to recover heat from the refrigeration process. The waste heat is used for air conditioning tasks and for melting the snow pits.

In addition, refrigeration professionals equipped the refrigeration plant with a remote monitoring system for on-line support in addition to maintenance on site. As the sport complex is located right in the heart of Kitzbühel, the system engineers also worked together with the Austrian authorities and Kitzbühel

fire brigade to develop a corresponding safety concept for the ammonia refrigeration plant. The refrigeration plant has now been running for four years to the utmost satisfaction of the operator.

Underwater worlds cooled with natural refrigerants The Ozeaneum in Stralsund was opened in mid-2008 by the Stiftung Deutsches Meeresmuseum. The spectacular new museum with its huge seawater aquariums, the largest of which encompasses 2.6 million litres of water, offers visitors a unique journey through the underwater world of northern seas that is unrivalled in Europe.

Altogether the Ozeaneum’s aquariums contain six million litres of water. One key aspect in planning the

June 2012

underwater museum on Stralsund’s harbour island consisted in environmentally friendly construction and operation of the entire building.

The refrigeration system needed for cooling the water for the aquariums and for air conditioning the building also had to meet the high ecological demands.

Accordingly, SWS-Energie GmbH, a subsidiary of Stralsund municipal utilities and responsible for the project, contracted Johnson Controls Systems & Service GmbH to draw up the concept and proceed with installation of a sustainable, energy-efficient refrigeration plant. The system was to avoid plumes of steam caused by evaporation as far as possible, while reducing noise to a minimum level.

Altogether, the museum requires refrigeration

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perspective

INDOOR AIR NATURAL REFRIGERANTS QUALITY

To warrant reliable, sustainable refrigeration supply for the museum, the refrigeration experts at Johnson Controls opted for a singlestage ammonia refrigeration system with flooded evaporation capacity of 900 kW, with 400 kW for the aquarium systems and 500 kW to air condition the building.

Refrigeration is provided by cold water at a flow temperature of 6째C and a return temperature of 12째C. To warrant reliable, sustainable refrigeration supply for the museum, the refrigeration experts at Johnson Controls opted for a single-stage ammonia refrigeration system with flooded evaporation. The system consists of two separate Chill-Pac chillers and two hybrid evaporative condensers to chill the cold water. To warrant high refrigeration capacity even in the event of a disruption, the refrigeration experts rated the two Chill-Pac chillers with an output of

54

the modern facilities at the Mercedes-Benz Sportpark have launched ice hockey in Kitzb체hel into a new era.

PHOTO COURTESY OF http://regionaut.meinbezirk.at

730 kW each and installed them together with the main switchboard in a separate machine room on the ground floor of the energy centre. Direct condensation takes place using the two J채ggi hybrid chillers installed on the roof of the building, each with an output of 850 kW. The two Sabroe reciprocating compressor units can be operated independently if necessary so that if one compressor fails, a good 80% of the total needed refrigeration capacity can be provided by the other unit.

Each compressor is equipped with a power control to warrant particularly energyefficient operation of the system. The power stages

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

Ozeaneum in Stralsund PHOTO COURTESY OF http://www.radtour-ruegen.de

are triggered and actuated by corresponding power solenoids. In addition, each compressor has a frequency converter for speed control.

In this way, the power stages are added constantly and the speed is increased when the system demands more power.

When output is reduced, the power stages are switched back accordingly and the

compressor speed is reduced.

As the total refrigeration capacity of 900 kW is already generated when the two Chill-Pac chillers work at a capacity of 60%, the refrigeration experts managed to considerably reduce the noise levels. In addition, this power buffer permits dry operation of the hybrid chillers at nominal

The British retailer, Marks & Spencer has built a new store in the Olympic Village that uses only natural refrigerants, carbon dioxide and propane for refrigeration load up to an outside temperature of 21.5°C so that no plumes of steam are emitted over the building as a result of evaporation. refrigerants for Europe’s only elevated ice track On October 1, 2011, the new Lent Park opened its doors in Cologne with ice rink and indoor swimming pool.

Europe’s only 260-metrelong elevated ice track is a special attraction which runs around the building as a gallery on the first floor, offering skaters views of the lower 1,800 m² ice rink, the swimming pool and the restaurant.

Energy-efficient refrigeration was the main demand made by KölnBäder GmbH for the new building to be erected on the grounds of the old ice skating and swimming stadium. Accordingly, the Gesellschaft für KältetechnikKlimatechnik mbH (GfKK

mbH) designed both the elevated ice track and the ice rink as a direct evaporation system with ammonia. A central refrigeration plant was installed with total refrigeration capacity of 819 kW and a refrigerant charge of 7,000 kg NH3. The system operates with three GEA Grasso reciprocating compressors. The waste heat is put to energy-efficient use for heating process water and melting the snow pits, as well as antifreeze protection.

The remaining waste heat is emitted to the outside with an air-cooled condenser that operates with EC ventilators.

Refrigeration supply for the elevated ice track is designed to maintain a constant ice quality even under differing framework conditions and heat loads. The plant itself is equipped with a central GfKK control unit with visualisation.

Medal-worthy initiatives Natural refrigerants are producing Olympian performance in other applications, too: The British retailer, Marks & Spencer has built a new store in the Olympic Village that uses only natural refrigerants, carbon dioxide and propane for refrigeration. And Coca Cola uses only drink chillers that operate without fluorocarbons (FCs) that would boost the greenhouse effect.

“Not every natural refrigerant is suitable for a certain application,” says Witt, “But today, it is possible to find the right solution for energyefficient, environmentally friendly refrigeration with natural alternatives for all application areas, thanks to the various properties of ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons,” she explains. “As refrigerants, they are definitely worthy of a gold medal.” 

June 2012

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perspective

refrigerants and fire safety

Revisiting flammable refrigerants –

TREAD WITH CAUTION

In this third and final part, Thomas Blewitt concludes his review of the current status of standards and codes relevant to flammable refrigerants. He points out that as the drive towards more environmentally friendly refrigerants and greater energy efficiency gains ground, it is also important for stakeholders of the US safety system to take a holistic look at the potential impact of such use, and take steps to ensure the continued safety track record of HVAC equipment and appliances.

Refrigerant standards

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34, designation and safety classification of refrigerants According to the standard, “ASHRAE Standard 34-2010 is intended to establish a simple means of referring to common refrigerants instead of using the chemical name, formula, or trade name.

It establishes a uniform system for assigning reference numbers, safety classifications, and refrigerant concentration

56

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

limits to refrigerants.”34 Most notable in the context of this paper is the ASHRAE 34 designation of HC refrigerants as A3 – high flammability, lower toxicity (see Table 3 for illustration of classification scheme).

A significant inclusion in the latest edition (Clause 6.1.3) is the optional 2L subclass added to the existing Class 2 flammability classification, signifying Class 2 refrigerants with a burning velocity less than or equal to 10 cm/s.

Class 2L refrigerants include R32 and the newer HFO 1234 yf, which is being promoted for use in motor vehicles.

The potential market for 2L refrigerants in HVAC equipment and appliances is currently unknown and further equipment standards development is needed. Otherwise, a 2L refrigerant will simply be handled as a Class 2 (eg, A2) refrigerant. Proprietary studies done to date have suggested that equipment and installation requirements that result in ignition sources being kept a distance above the floor (or not directly below wall mounted equipment) may facilitate introduction of such refrigerants.

This requirement effectively means that self-contained, permanently installed (not “portable”) commercial and large household refrigerators and freezers may employ A3 refrigerants only with permission

ANSI/UL 2182, standard for safety for refrigerants This standard contains test procedures and methods to evaluate refrigerants and to authoritatively mark containers according to the extent of the refrigerant’s flammability. The refrigerants covered in this standard are those used as components of air conditioning and refrigeration

equipment.35 The standard was created in 1994 as a supplement to ASHRAE 34, and is intended for use in conjunction with end product appliance standards. It enables the characterisation of flammable refrigerants (blends, in particular) with respect to fractionalisation, flammability and autoignition. The requirements do not yet address the additional characterisation needed for Type 2L refrigerants.

ANSI/NFPA 58, liquefied petroleum gas code This code applies to the storage, handling, transportation and use of LP-Gas. It indicates that “refrigeration cycle equipment and LP-Gas used as a refrigerant in a closed cycle” is outside the scope of the code.36 However, the 2008 Handbook for NFPA 58 states that the scope exclusion for refrigerant cycle equipment does not include the storage of LP-Gas, which would include gas in cylinders such as may be used by service personnel. For small HVAC and appliances, the cylinders are likely to be DOT cylinders.37 It would seem likely that the well-established practice for handling LP-Gas cylinders used in barbeques and similar applications would be appropriate for the filling, transport and

storage of cylinders used for servicing household and smaller commercial HVAC equipment and appliances.

However, NFPA 58 does not specifically anticipate refrigerant recovery/recharge in clause 6.2.2, where it lists applications where containers may be brought into buildings, nor in clause 6.19 where specific uses are cited. Temporary use for training and demonstration purposes (clause 6.19.9) is limited to 20 lbs. of propane in a cylinder, although the cylinder may have a larger capacity.

Equipment standards

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15, safety standard for refrigeration systems ASHRAE Standard 15-2010 is directed towards the safety of persons and property on or near the premises where refrigeration facilities are located.38 While the standard covers installations involving the full range of potential refrigerant charges in equipment, it defers to the listing of equipment complying with appliance safety standards for charges of less than 3 kg, with some restrictions. For example, institutional occupancies are permitted only up to 50% of the refrigerant concentration limit (RCL)39 permitted for other occupancies.

Group A3 and B3 refrigerants are not permitted except where approved by the authority having jurisdiction. One exception to the restriction is “listed portable-unit systems containing no more than 0.331 lb. (150g) of Group A3 refrigerant, provided that the equipment is installed in accordance with the listing and the manufacturer’s installation instructions.”40 This requirement effectively means that self-contained, permanently installed (not “portable”) commercial and large household refrigerators and freezers may employ A3 refrigerants only with permission. Typical household refrigerators, dehumidifiers and other cord and plug connected appliances meeting the charge restriction would be permitted.

ASHRAE 15 includes a general prohibition on the use of Group A2, A3, B1, B2 and B3 refrigerants for comfort cooling (Clause 7.5.2). There is an exception for sealed absorption (ammonia) systems and unit systems (eg, window air conditioner), provided that the refrigerant quantity is no more than 3 kilogrammes or 10 kilogrammes for residential and commercial occupancies, respectively. [Note that ANSI/UL 484 is expected to restrict room air conditioners employing flammable

June 2012

The ASHRAE committee responsible for Standard 15 (SSPC15) continuously maintains the standard and has formed an ad hoc group to address the new 2L refrigerant sub-class created

by SSPC34 (committee responsible for ASHRAE 34) refrigerants to A2 and A3 refrigerants.]

The ASHRAE committee responsible for Standard 15 (SSPC15) continuously maintains the standard and has formed an ad hoc group to address the new 2L refrigerant sub-class created

by SSPC34 (committee responsible for ASHRAE 34).

ANSI/UL 207, Standard for safety for refrigerantcontaining components and accessories, nonelectrical These requirements cover non-electrical, refrigerantcontaining components and accessories (eg, accumulators, driers, evaporators, condensers, etc.), intended for field installation in accordance with ASHRAE 15 in refrigeration systems, air conditioning equipment, or both, charged with the refrigerants identified for use in the component or accessory. The requirements also apply to components and accessories intended for use by manufacturers in factoryassembled systems or units, in which case the component

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perspective refrigerants and fire safety or accessory is also judged under the requirements for the individual system or unit.41 Primarily addressing strength of materials and mechanical assembly, the standard includes consideration of flammable refrigerants. ANSI/UL 207 Table 11 specifies the minimum design pressures for common refrigerants. Data for flammable refrigerants is excerpted from that table and

58

reproduced in Table 4.

ANSI/UL 250, standard for safety for household refrigerators and freezers This standard applies to self-contained household refrigerators and freezers for use in residential occupancies in accordance with the National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70.42 Supplement SA of the standard documents the requirements for refrigerators (freezers, etc) having flammable refrigerants. It addresses concerns regarding the flammability of the refrigerant by limiting the amount of charge according to auto-ignition temperature or heat of combustion, and controlling for design and construction variables that can contribute to the risk of fire. See Table 5 for a summary of the requirements.

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

ANSI/UL 250 will be superseded in 2016 by ANSI/ UL 60335-2-24, the Standard for Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Refrigerating Appliances, Ice-Cream Appliances and Ice-Makers.43 With respect to flammable refrigerants, the IEC requirements are modified or replaced such that the requirements are effectively the same as the current ANSI/UL 250 standard.

The scope of ANSI/UL 60335-2-24 is not identical to that of ANSI/UL 250. ANSI/ UL 60335-2-24 also includes ice makers and household ice cream makers, which are covered by ANSI/UL 563 (Ice-Makers) and ANSI/ UL 621 (Ice-Cream Makers).

Should such appliances use flammable refrigerants, ANSI/ UL 60335-2-24 would be applicable for that aspect of their design.

ANSI/UL 471, standard for safety for commercial refrigerators and freezers These requirements cover unitary (self-contained)

With respect to flammable refrigerants, the IEC requirements are modified or replaced such that the requirements are effectively the same as the current ANSI/ UL 250 standard and remote commercial refrigerators and freezers intended for connection to circuits rated not greater than 600 volts AC. Commercial refrigerators and freezers include equipment, such as display cases, reach-in cabinets, meat cases, frozen food and merchandising cabinets, beverage coolers, beverage cooler-dispensers, food service carts, ice-cream cabinets, soda fountain units, door panel assemblies and processing water coolers.45 Flammable refrigerant

requirements of this standard (Supplement SB) are virtually identical to those of ANSI/ UL 250, with the notable exception of a higher allowable refrigerant charge and the particulars of required markings and instructions.

Clause SB3.3 of the standard limits

flammable refrigerant charge as follows:

• 225 grammes (8.0 oz) - ASHRAE

• 150 grammes (5.3 oz) - ASHRAE

34 Class 3 “Higher Flammability” White Paper: Revisiting Flammable 34 Class 2 “Lower Flammability” refrigerant.

It has limitsRefrigerants of refrigerant. It has limits of flammability and heat of combustion flammability, and heat of combustion greater than 19,000 kj/kg (8,174 Btu/ less than 19,000 kj/kg (8,174 Btu/ lb). lb.).

The current standard further

Table 5 — Summary of Additional Requirements for Household Refrigerators and Freezers Employing Flammable Refrigerants

Charge

The charge size for refrigerators or freezers shall be as follows for the kind of refrigerant used: • No charge limit - Has no limits of flammability, has either an auto-ignition temperature less than or equal to 750°C (1382°F) or no auto-ignition temperature.

• No charge limit - When the blend (does not fractionate).

• 225 grams (8.0 oz.) - Has limits of flammability, and heat of combustion less than 19,000 kj/kg (8,174 Btu/ lb). When the leaked amount of refrigerant during leak scenario testing of the refrigerating system, does not exceed 225 grams (8.0 oz.), a larger amount of charge is not prohibited from being used.

• 50 grams (1.7 oz.) - Has limits of flammability and heat of combustion greater than 19,000 kj/kg (8,174 Btu/ lb). When the leaked amount of refrigerant during leak scenario testing of the refrigerating system does not exceed 50 grams (1.7 oz.), a larger amount of charge is not prohibited from being used.

Construction

The requirements distinguish between protected and unprotected cooling systems, the difference largely based on the level of access the user has to refrigerant containing components via the refrigerated storage area.

• No dead spaces anywhere within the appliance where flammable gas mixture can accumulate.

• Refrigerant tubing must be protected or enclosed to avoid mechanical damage.

• No quick-connect refrigeration fittings or packed-stem valves.

• Refrigeration joints shall be brazed or welded and protected from mechanical damage.

• Refrigeration circuit shall be protected from corrosion.

Leakage

For a protected cooling system, refrigerant leakage simulation at most critical point in system, which would be one of the joints in the refrigeration circuit.

• 80% of the refrigerant charge, or quantity capable of being discharged in a prescribed way within 1 hr., is leaked in a controlled manner at a joint.

• For an unprotected cooling system, refrigerant leakage simulation at prescribed location in food storage compartment • 80% of refrigerant charge is discharged within 10 min.

• Where accumulation of refrigerant may occur outside the food storage area, leakage simulation at that location.

• 80% of refrigerant charge is discharged at a constant rate over a period of 1 hr.

• For each of the simulations, the refrigerant air mixture shall not exceed 75% of the lower flammable limit (LFL) for the flammable gas at any time and not exceed 50% of the LFL for a period exceeding 5 min.

Ignition

If exposed to the refrigerant during the leakage testing, electrical switching components are tested to determine whether they are capable of igniting the flammable refrigerant / air mixture.

• Tested in accordance with ASTM E681-98 (Standard Test Method for concentration Limits of Flammability of Chemicals (Vapors and Gases)) at room ambient and again at 50oC

Temperature

Surface temperature of parts that may be exposed to a leaked refrigerant shall not exceed the ignition temperature of the refrigerant reduced by 100 oC. • R290 (Propane) – ignition temperature: 470 oC, LFL 2.1% • R600 (n-Butane) – ignition temperature 365 oC, LFL 1.5% • R600a (Isobutane) – ignition temperature 460 oC, LFL 1.8%

Scratch

Accessible surfaces of protected cooling system components are scratched in a prescribed way as preconditioning of the Strength Test applicable to all refrigerant pressure containing systems. [Typical strength test pressures are comparable to those of CFC’s]

Markings and Instructions

Permanent markings on the appliance are required: • “DANGER - Risk Of Fire or Explosion. Flammable Refrigerant Used. Do Not Use Mechanical Devices To Defrost Refrigerator. Do Not Puncture Refrigerant Tubing”.

• “DANGER - Risk Of Fire Or Explosion. Flammable Refrigerant Used. To Be Repaired Only

By Trained Service Personnel. Do Not Puncture Refrigerant Tubing”.

• “CAUTION - Risk Of Fire Or Explosion. Flammable Refrigerant Used. Consult Repair Manual/Owner’s Guide Before Attempting To Service This Product. All Safety Precautions Must be Followed”.

• “CAUTION - Risk Of Fire Or Explosion. Dispose Of Property In Accordance With Federal Or Local Regulations. Flammable Refrigerant Used”.

• “CAUTION - Risk Of Fire Or Explosion Due To Puncture Of Refrigerant Tubing; Follow Handling Instructions Carefully. Flammable Refrigerant Used”.

The refrigeration system processing tubes shall be color-coded to indicate the refrigerant used.44 Cautionary statements shall be repeated in the instructions and packaging. They shall emphasize that servicing shall be done by factory authorized service personnel.

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perspective refrigerants and fire safety indicates that, when the leaked amount of refrigerant during leak scenario testing of the refrigerating system does not exceed the 225 or 150g value, a larger amount of charge would not be prohibited from being used.

ANSI/UL 1995, standard for safety for heating and cooling equipment The standard is applicable to stationary equipment for use in nonhazardous locations rated 7200 V or less, singleor three-phase, and remote control assemblies for such equipment. Cooling equipment examples include heat pumps, air conditioners, liquid chillers, condensing units, heat pump water heaters and fan coil units.46 Currently, the standard does not address the subject of flammable refrigerants, which should be construed to mean that flammable refrigerants (aside from ammonia47) are not permitted – an interpretation consistent with ASHRAE Standard 15.

There is an active, trinational harmonisation effort being conducted under the auspices of the Council for the Harmonization of

60

Electrotechnical Standards of the Nations of the Americas (CANENA)48 to update parts of ANSI/UL 1995 (and completely replace UL 484 and UL 474) with a standard based on IEC 60335-2-40, Standard for Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Electrical Heat Pumps, Air Conditioners and Dehumidifiers.

Draft UL 60335-2-40 deals with the safety of electric heat pumps, including sanitary hot water heat pumps, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers incorporating motor compressors and hydronic room fan coils.

Though the IEC standard also addresses electric heat pumps, air conditioners and

dehumidifiers containing flammable refrigerant, the Standards Technical Panel developing the draft standard has not itself addressed flammable refrigerants in its work. For this reason, the draft UL standard has a US national deviation that would currently preclude use of flammable refrigerants.

IEC 60335-2-40 uses the ASHRAE 34 refrigerant classification system (also used in ISO equivalent standard, ISO 817). For mechanical strength of the refrigeration system, the standard refers to ISO 5149 requirements.49 Many of the construction requirements for equipment employing flammable refrigerants are

Currently, the standard does not address the subject of flammable refrigerants, which should be construed to mean that flammable refrigerants (aside from ammonia47) are not permitted – an interpretation consistent with ASHRAE Standard 15

Figure 2

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

similar to those described for ANSI/UL 250, with the addition of specific construction requirements for equipment charged at the installation site, and of requirements addressing transport, storage and service operations. The most significant difference between the standards involves how charge limits are determined.

Rather than a fixed charge limit, IEC 60335-2-40 correlates refrigerant charge, volume of the space (room) for equipment installed indoors, and installation height (floor, wall, window, ceiling). Smaller amounts (eg, ≤152 g propane) of flammable refrigerant in products, such as portable dehumidifiers are addressed in a manner similar to that of a refrigerator (minimum room size not specified, mechanical ventilation not required).

For more than these amounts (eg 152 < g ≤ 988 propane), the equipment must be marked with a minimum room size, calculated in accordance with Annex

Though the IEC standard also addresses electric heat pumps, air conditioners and dehumidifiers containing flammable refrigerant, the Standards Technical Panel developing the draft standard has not itself addressed flammable refrigerants in its work

x for o S t c ng Du ceSSi o r P fooD

GG of the standard (see Figure 2 for example results).

This requirement will typically affect portable air conditioners. Larger amounts (up to 4.94 kilogrammes) of refrigerant will require mechanical ventilation operated by a leak detector/ sensor. These amounts are limited to fixed equipment only.

Equipment having very large amounts of refrigerant is not covered by IEC 60335-240, which states that national standards shall apply (eg, ASHRAE 15).

ANSI/UL 484, standard for safety for heating and cooling equipment These requirements cover room air conditioners rated not more than 600 Vac. Room air conditioners include packaged terminals (PTACs), special purpose and

recreational vehicle type air conditioners.

Flammable refrigerant requirements have recently achieved consensus in the UL 484 Standards Technical Panel and will be published shortly. These requirements are similar to the requirements described above for IEC 60335-2-40, in that the maximum charge is correlated to the size of the room in which the air conditioner is intended to be installed. However, they do not include an allowance for larger amounts of flammable refrigerant when there is mechanical ventilation.

ANSI/UL 474, standard for safety for heating and cooling equipment This standard details requirements for movable, household, self-contained dehumidifiers employing

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UL 984, standard for safety for refrigerant motor compressors This is the legacy standard applicable to hermetic refrigerant motor-compressors rated 7200 V or less, for use in air conditioning and refrigerating equipment that comply with the standards applicable to such equipment.

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perspective refrigerants and fire safety normal and abnormal conditions. Specific reference to flammable refrigerants is not made in the standard; instead, it defers to ASHRAE 15.

The basic requirements are the same for all types of refrigerants, except that leakage around gaskets and seals is not permitted during Strength Testing of compressors intended for refrigerants other than A1 (or A1/A1 blends). The flammable refrigerant, lubrication and the compressor motor electrical insulating system must also be compatible. The standard prescribes a test to establish compatibility, though there are alternative means to do so.

Going forward, UL 984 will only cover motorcompressors that are outside the scope of ANSI/UL 603352-34.

ANSI/UL 60335-2-34, standard for household and similar electrical appliances, part 2: particular requirements for motor-compressors In late 2009, revisions to the previously published UL 60335-2-34 were completed so that the standard could be declared as harmonised with UL 984. Designation as an American National Standard (ANS) was then transferred from UL 984 to UL 603352-34.

ANSI/UL60335-2-34 is based on IEC 60335-2-34 whose scope “deals with the safety of sealed (hermetic and semi-hermetic type) motorcompressors, their protection and control systems, if any, which are intended for use in equipment for household and similar purposes and which conform with the standards applicable to such equipment.

It applies to motorcompressors tested separately, under the most severe conditions which

62

Water heater

The basic requirements are the same for all types of refrigerants, except that leakage around gaskets and seals is not permitted during Strength Testing of compressors intended for refrigerants other than A1 (or A1/A1 blends) may be expected to occur in normal use, their rated voltage being not more than 250 V for single-phase motorcompressors and 480 V for other motor-compressors.”51 There is no difference between ANSI/UL 60335-234 and UL 984 with regard to how refrigerants are handled.

Other appliance standards Other standards potentially affected by the introduction of flammable refrigerants are ANSI/UL 412, Standard for Safety for Refrigeration Unit Coolers, ANSI/UL 399, Standard for Safety for Drinking Water Coolers,52 and ANSI/UL 541, Standard for Safety for Refrigerated Vending Machines.

“Reverse-cycle” heating, long the staple of heat pumps, is also making an appearance in products such as clothes dryers and water heaters. With their experience in the use of HC refrigerants in household refrigerators and freezers, European manufacturers have expanded the application to

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

these newer energy saving technologies (eg, clothes dryers53).

The water heater application is currently covered by ANSI/UL 1995 for conventional refrigerants. There is no current mechanism within that standard to address a flammable refrigerant.

Similarly, clothes dryer requirements (ANSI/UL 2158, Standard for Electric Clothes Dryers) do not anticipate the heat pump technology (conventional or flammable refrigerants). For this reason, there is an effort underway at UL to re-purpose an existing Standard for Refrigerating Units, ANSI/UL 427, to be a general source for refrigeration circuits employed in appliances where the relevant appliance standard does not already include such requirements.

Conclusion

In the 1990s the US market was not ready for the introduction of flammable refrigerants in many HVAC and appliance applications when CFC phase-out began to take effect. However, much experience with equipment using HC refrigerants has been gained around the world in the intervening years. As the drive towards more environmentally friendly refrigerants and greater energy efficiency continues, it’s time to revisit the use of flammable refrigerants in the US.

Anticipating that these refrigerants can very quickly attain more widespread use, it is important that the stakeholders of the US safety system take a holistic look at the potential impact of such use, and take the necessary steps to ensure the continued safety track record of HVAC equipment and appliances.

UL believes that raising awareness and facilitating dialogue among stakeholders is an important first step in this direction. n

References

[34] ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 34, Designation and Safety Classification of Refrigerants, Scope.

[35] Standard for Safety of Refrigerants, ANSI/UL 2182, Scope.

[36] ANSI/NFPA 58-2011, Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code Clause 1.3.2.

[37] DOT cylinder specifications are provided in 49CFR178, “Specifications for Packaging.”

[38] ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15-2010, Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems, Scope.

[39] Refrigerant concentration limit (RCL) is the measure of complete discharge of each independent refrigeration circuit into a volume of space.

[40] ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 15-2010, Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems, Clause 7.5.3 Higher Flammability Refrigerants, Exception c.

[41] Standard for Safety

for Refrigerant-Containing Components and Accessories, Nonelectrical, ANSI/UL 207, Scope.

ANSI/UL 1995, Scope.

[42] Standard for Household Refrigerators and Freezers, ANSI/UL 250, Scope.

[43] Tri-national (US, Canada, Mexico) standard based on the eponymous IEC 60335-2-24.

[44] The U.S. EPA is proposing that equipment must have distinguishing colour-coded hoses and piping to indicate use of a flammable refrigerant. They indicate that one unspecified color would be sufficient for both household refrigerator and freezers and retail food refrigeration (stand-alone units).

(Federal Register/Vol. 75, No. 89/ Monday, May 10, 2010 / Proposed Rules p. 25808).

[45] Standard for Commercial Refrigerators and Freezers, ANSI/UL 471, Scope.

[46] Standard for Safety for Heating and Cooling Equipment,

[47] “In general, ammonia can be used in unlimited quantities in direct systems for industrial occupancies; however it must be used in indirect (secondary) systems for commercial and public occupancies, while its general use in small absorption equipment is unrestricted.” “Ammonia as a Refrigerant,” Position Document Approved by ASHRAE Board of Directors January 17, 2002, Reaffirmed by ASHRAE Board of Directors January 26, 2006, http://www.ashrae.org/ docLib/200622793710_347.pdf.

[48] According to the CANENA website (http://www.canena. org/about/about.aspx#canena), “CANENA provides a forum for harmonisation discussions and; upon agreement, the draft harmonised standards are then processed by the respective standards developer in each country, in accordance with that SDO’s procedures.”

[49] ISO 5149, Mechanical

refrigerating systems used for cooling and Heating – Safety requirements.

[50] Standard for Hermetic Refrigerant Motor Compressors, ANSI/UL 984, Scope.

[51] Standard for Household and Similar Electrical Appliances, Part 2: Particular Requirements for Motor-Compressors, ANSI/UL 60335-2-34, Scope.

[52] Rockwell Industries Ltd of India claims to be able to produce water coolers using hydrocarbon refrigerant (http:// www.rockwell.co.in/aboutus. html).

[53] Patent application filed by Agent BSH Home Appliances, Intellectual Property Department: HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE CONTAINING A HEAT TRANSFER FLUID, Publication date: 08/26/2010, Patent publication number: 2010-0212178. The patent is described to be “for a household appliance includes a drying chamber, a process air loop and a heat pump. The heat pump includes a heat transfer loop

containing a heat transfer fluid, an evaporator heat exchanger, a liquefier heat exchanger, a compressor, and a nozzle. The heat transfer fluid has a critical temperature above 60°C – a nominal heat of vapourisation at boiling point of at least 220 kJ/ kg, a GWP index of less than 150 and a lower flammability level of at least 0.1 kg/m3. Preferably, the household appliance is a dryer for drying wet laundry.”

(Description obtained from http://www.faqs.org/patents/ app/20100212178 where the refrigerant was further described to be R152a).

Copyright Thomas Blewitt is Director of Primary Designated Engineers, Underwriters Laboratories and can be contacted at: Thomas.V.Blewitt@ ul.com

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perspective DAMPERS

Dampers can save lives Dampers play an important role in making a building safe from fire and smoke hazards. Saad Ali explains how they work and cites the recent incident of fire in a Doha mall as an example to highlight the need for strict building codes and fire safety measures.

Massive construction transformation has been taking place in the Gulf Arab States in general, and the UAE in particular, with the tallest building in the world, enormous shopping malls and beautiful resorts. It is, therefore, natural that safety

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of people has become the prime objective in case of danger, such as fire in these structures.

It is typically easy to get away from a fire unless an explosion has occurred, but as smoke inhalation is usually the culprit for

most deaths, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to have an HVAC system capable of delivering the proper amount of air and, at the same time, contain the smoke migration, to minimise property damage and, most importantly, save lives.

If smoke is introduced into an HVAC system supplying conditioned air to virtually every area of a building, the entire occupants’ area can be contaminated. Residential apartments, businesses, schools, banquet facilities – any such structure provides the opportunity for smokerelated casualties or property damage unless the building is properly equipped with smoke detectors and fire/ smoke dampers.

In recent years, various new designs in fire/ smoke dampers have been introduced to prevent casualties in a fire accident and to also increase designer and installer flexibility.

Therefore, the right kind of fire/smoke dampers installed properly, along with the knowledge of current codes and standards can go a long way in saving lives and property.

Fire, smoke and combination dampers Smoke dampers are operated by either a factory-installed electric or pneumatic actuator. They are controlled by smoke detectors and/ or fire alarms. Smoke dampers are qualified under UL Standard 555S, Smoke Dampers, and are designed to resist the passage of air and smoke.

Smoke dampers have two general applications: • Part of a “passive smoke control system” in which they close upon detection of smoke and prevent the circulation of air and smoke through a duct, transfer, or ventilation opening • Part of an “engineered smoke control system” designed to control smoke migration using walls and floors as barriers to create pressure differences Pressurising the areas surrounding the fire prevents

the spread of smoke to other areas.

Section 101.3 (Intent) of the 2000 International The Building Code states: “The purpose of this code is to establish minimum requirements to safeguard the public health, safety and general welfare through structural strength, means of egress facilities, stability, sanitation, adequate light and ventilation, energy conservation, and safety to life and property from fire and other hazards attributed to the built environment.”

By definition, inhalation injury is the aspiration of superheated gases, steam, hot liquids or noxious products of incomplete combustion that cause thermal or chemical injury to the airways and lungs Smoke – the main culprit Since smoke inhalation is usually the cause of most deaths, installing the correct HVAC system that can deliver the right amount of air but, at the same time, is capable of containing smoke through its system, plays an important role in saving lives and minimising damage to property.

By definition, inhalation injury is the breathing in of

superheated gases, steam, hot liquids or noxious products of incomplete combustion that cause thermal or chemical injury to the airways and lungs. The combustion of all natural and manmade products results in the production of various chemicals, including hydrogen cyanide, aldehydes, hydrochloric acid, and acrolein, which produce the changes in the airway and lungs, that is characteristic of inhalation injury.

The injury can occur above or below the vocal cords, or in both locations at once. Injuries above the vocal cords are typically caused by inhaled heat, while those below the cords are usually caused by toxins and particulate matter.

“Because dry heat does not easily penetrate as far as the lower respiratory tract, true thermal damage of the lungs is rare. The presence of inhalation injury doubles the predicted mortality rate associated with any size of burn in all age groups,” warns Tom Edwards, President, Ruskin Co.

The wakeup call On May 28, more than 20 people were killed, 14 of them children, in a blaze at the Villaggio Mall in Doha.

This tragedy raised questions over the entire region’s building codes and whether or not proper measures were implemented to contain the poisonous combustion migrating through the building’s HVAC system. The mall fire incident is a wakeup call for the authorities concerned and building owners. They need to make sure that such scenarios are not repeated. The need for adopting fire safety measures in buildings, especially places like crowded malls, can never be overstated. 

An airfoil multipleblade smoke damper

June 2012

The writer is General Manager, Ruskin Titus Gulf Manufacturing LLC. He can be contacted at: Saad. ali@ruskintitus.com

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perspective DAMPERS

To motorise or not to motorise â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that is the question!

David Stevenson takes an in-depth look at the role of fire dampers in reducing smoke and heat from spreading from one fire compartment to another through HVAC ductwork and believes that motorized actuators ensure greater efficiency and safety.

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Climate Control Middle East June 2012

The use of fire dampers in compliance with various codes of practice is generally considered to be a mitigating factor which prevents spreading of fire through the ductwork. The prevalent codes recognise various qualities of dampers and their method of operation, but regulatory guidance states that all alternatives are equally acceptable. This obviously leaves the specifier to go for the cheapest option, such as the thermally operated fire curtain damper, for regulatory compliance. However, this is not an effective method of preventing the spread of cold or even warm smoke, and certainly would not always be 100% effective, even against the spread of hot smoke, depending upon the efficiency of any thermal triggering device.

Furthermore, the efficiency of any fusible link could be seriously reduced in a sprinklered environment, where the smoke temperature may be lowered to below the device’s operating temperature.

Despite a sprinkler suppressed fire having the potential to generate more than a normal amount of smoke if the thermal devices fail to operate, there is a greater risk of uncontrolled smoke spread.

Contradictory maintenance guidance There is a further potential conflict between the regulatory authority, whether it is a local authority or a building

control officer and the risk assessor. This once again brings the issue of maintenance into sharp focus, thanks to the wooliness in the guidance.

The guides state that in “dust-laden” and similar atmospheres, the operation of the damper should be confirmed by testing at intervals suited to the degree of pollution. It has long been recognised that checking of damper operation is more easily carried out with motorised actuators than with manual operation. The risk assessor will normally take frequency of checking into account and may well require an enhanced level of checking over and above that which is sensibly achieved by manually checking fusible link-operated dampers.

However, if the minimum specification has been accepted by the building control authorities, the risk assessor’s expectations may be deemed incompatible.

regarded as fully effective in resisting smoke. But it does state that the “integrity only” damper will “assist” in reducing or retarding the movement of smoke.

Without qualification, such a statement could be seen as highly optimistic.

A greater level of guidance is given on the activation of fire/smoke dampers by smoke detectors.

Indeed, there are positive advantages in life safety terms in actuating fire/ smoke dampers by smoke detectors (in addition to) thermally activated devices, particularly in buildings presenting a high or special life hazard, such as hotels, hospitals and other nondomestic buildings like entertainment premises, involving a sleeping risk.

The catch 22 situation is that building control has no mandate to ask for a higher standard, and the risk assessor is not duty-bound to accept a lower standard.

Regulatory guidance and risk assessment The important question to ask is: Does regulatory guidance satisfy a life safetybased risk assessment?

BS5588: Part 9, for example, states that “all fire dampers should be simple in their operation with the minimum number or moving parts”.

In fire performance terms, the code only requires the dampers to satisfy the integrity requirements of BS476: Part 20: 1987, and whilst it recognises the enhanced insulation that an intumescent damper can provide, and even acknowledges the existence of intumescent dampers with integral, detectoroperated smoke blades, the basic recommendation is for fusible-link operated “integrity only” dampers.

Such dampers are recognised as not generally being

Are the concerns supported by fact?

It is a fact that in these litigious days, society is no longer permitted the luxury of an accident. Invariably, on the occurrence of death or injury, somebody will be

The efficiency of any fusible link could be seriously reduced in a sprinklered environment, where the smoke temperature may be lowered to below the device’s operating temperature looking for compensation.

The principle of “no-winno-fee” engagement of solicitors makes it almost risk-free to take an action against anybody who may be at fault. In the event of an employee being injured, or even worse, dying as a result of a fire incident in a building that has recently

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perspective DAMPERS

Indeed, there are positive advantages in life safety terms in actuating fire/ smoke dampers by smoke detectors (in addition to) thermally activated devices, particularly in buildings presenting a high or special life hazard

68

been identified as being safe, it would become a very high profile target for such an action.

Taking that to be the case, one needs to look at the guidance to see the area where the spread of smoke is most compromised.

Air handling ducts that link enclosures and, indeed, compartments together for the purpose of creating tolerable working environments must be an obvious potential route for the spread of fire and smoke.

Codes of practice, such as, BS5588: Part 9 heavily promote the concept of dampers for isolating the duct between the separate compartments which handles the risk of fire spread. However, very little guidance is given on their

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

specification or performance.

Dampers dividing compartments will invariably be fairly simple, robust, mechanical dampers that are operated by a fusible link if the regulatory guidance is followed. Such dampers do not react to smoke ingress into the duct until the smoke has a temperature sufficiently elevated to operate the fusible link. As a consequence, in a slowly developing fire, significant volumes of smoke can spread through the ductwork, potentially putting people at risk in remote positions before the damper begins to operate.

In the light of this, the fact that dampers are not generally designed to provide smoke resistance is of a lesser concern than

the fact that they will not operate early in the event of a fire. The important question that needs to be asked is: How can a damper be installed, in such a way that it does get activated early enough to make a contribution to the control of smoke spread? The only sure way to ensure this is to have the damper so that it operates from a smoke detector, preferably closing in a controlled manner using motorised actuators. ď&#x20AC;ź

The writer is the Managing Director of Belimo Automation. He can be contacted at: david.stevenson@ belimo.ae

Ensuring safe compartmentation Containing or delaying the spread of fire in a building by restricting its flammability or combustibility can help mitigate hazards and loss of life and property. Noman Qamar illustrates how compartmentation can go a long way in achieving this. in order to isolate a fire at birth and to improve safety of people. Here are a few cardinal steps to ensure a safe compartmentation.

Dividing a building into discrete fire zones or fire compartmentation is regarded as the most effective way of limiting fire damage. In this regard, it is important to understand the basics of compartmentation. While constructing a building, it is important to establish correct compartmentation

Basics of compartmentation Definition: A fire compartment is defined as an area of a building which is totally separated from the rest of the building by continuous construction. This area could be a single room or a series of rooms or even an entire floor area.

Objective: The purpose of compartmentation is to subdivide a building into fire compartment(s) to isolate the fire at birth in a small

volume and to limit spread of fire, smoke and heat through HVAC ductwork.

How to achieve it: Fire dampers need to be installed in fire separating walls and floors to prevent fire and to reduce smoke and heat spreading from one fire compartment to another through HVAC ductwork.

Fire dampers A fire damper is a device installed in an air distribution system with blades open, but designed to close automatically upon detection of heat or close through remote signal from fire alarm panel in order to interrupt the airflow and to restrict the passage of flame, smoke and heat. A fire damper can be

As this smoke is cold, a manual fire damper will not close automatically, and therefore, smoke could easily spread through the HVAC ductwork to other areas of the building manual or motorised.

A manual fire damper, typically also known as a curtain fire damper, closes automatically via melting of fusible link when temperature exceeds the temperature rating of fusible link.

A motorised fire damper is connected with Fire Alarm Control Panel (FACP) and Building Management system (BMS). It can be closed through remote signal from FACP in the early stage of fire, upon detection of smoke (to avoid spread of cold smoke to other areas through

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perspective HVAC ductwork). It is also equipped with fusible link or Thermal Responsive Device (TRD) to close automatically on detection of heat, thus ensuring dual safety.

In case of fire…

develops rapidly as compared to the rise in temperature.

As this smoke is cold, a manual fire damper will not close automatically, and therefore, smoke could easily spread through the HVAC ductwork to other areas of the building.

The first priority – limit the spread of smoke The first priority when fire is detected is to limit the spread of smoke through the HVAC ductwork. This is because, at the start of fire, smoke

Examples of incidents of fire MGM Grand Hotel fire in 1980 According to the “Investigation report on the MGM Grand Hotel fire – Las Vegas, Nevada – which

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occurred on November 21, 1980 (Best and Demers 1982)”, available on NFPA website, “the HVAC systems operated during the fire and contributed to smoke spread through the highrise tower. The equipment was not equipped with smoke detector arranged to shut down the systems upon sensing products of combustion. In addition, some fire dampers were arranged so that they could not close when the fusible links melted and others did not close completely”.

Consequently, “the fire was limited to the first floor, but smoke spread throughout the building.

Some occupants on upper floors were exposed to smoke for hours before rescue. The death toll was 85, and the majority of the deaths were on floors far above the fire.”

(Source: Design of smoke management systems, J Klote J Milke, ASHRAE Special Publications, 1992.)

Hilton New York Hotel fire in 2005 “A fire in an electrical shaft at the Hilton New York hotel forced the evacuation of the 45-storey Midtown building, sent 33 people to the hospital with smoke

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The principle causes of ignition and fire spread inside ducts are fluff, dust, food residue and grease contents inside ducts

inhalation […]. No one was seriously injured. The fire started about 4pm […]. The smoke spread throughout the 2,017-room hotel through the ventilation system. Hotel guests from the eighth to the 33rd floors said that the hallways were thick with smoke.” (Source: http://www.iklimnet.com/ hotelfires/case52.html) Conclusion To stop the smoke propagation through the HVAC ductwork needs to be the first priority of any compartmentation system with quick activation through a smoke detection system. Therefore, fire dampers need to be: • Motorised with a quick or instantaneous (1s) operation via a fire alarm control panel (FACP) connected to smoke detectors • Airtight at low as well as high temperatures to stop propagation of smoke, preferably with intumescent seal to seal gaps • Installed in an HVAC system with fan shut-off quickly after the start of the fire The second priority – stop flame heat transfer On the basis of the report, “Examination of the fire resistance requirements for ducts and dampers”, made in 2005 in the UK by Building Research Establishment (BRE), the principle causes of ignition and fire spread

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The UAE Fire Code

Below is an extract from the new UAE Fire Code (Chapter 10), which also explains that a fire damper should not only stop flames, but should also ensure that no smoke leakage and no heat transfer takes place, especially in sensitive buildings.

“10.6: Fire dampers used in any sensitive buildings as healthcare facilities, hotels (ie, occupancy with sleeping risk), education buildings, and any buildings where habitable height exceeds 23m shall be controlled by an automatic alarm initiated device, and shall ensure no smoke leakage and no heat transfer.”

SOFT START…

Principle causes of ignition involving systems lfb data  Electrical wiring/ insulation  Fat/oil/food residue/ soot/grease/dirt  Fluff or dust or airborne particles  Extractor fan casing/ vent casing/fan components/grille  Insulation

Principle contributors to fire lfb data spread of fire in ducts  Fat/oil/food residue/ soot/grease/dirt  Ventilation components  Building construction  Furnishings, fittings, room contents

inside ducts are fluff, dust, food residue and grease contents inside ducts. All these can have an impact on both fire ignition and fire spread inside the HVAC ducts.

Heat transfer through fire dampers, even with blades in close position, could ignite any fluff or dust on the opposite side and, then, spread the fire throughout the building.

The main danger due to the heat transfer comes from the pyrolysis of any material and dust. For example, the pyrolysis of a piece of wood starts at 200°C, and the pyrolysis of the products (gases...) starts to burn (with flames) between 500°C and 700°C, leading to the fire propagation.

Conclusion To prevent flames and heat transfer from one compartment to another is the second priority of any

compartmentation system.

Therefore, it is essential that: • Fire damper blades are made of refractory material to avoid heat transfer to the unexposed side of the damper • No flame should be allowed to transfer to the unexposed side through the closed damper It is evident that limiting the spread of smoke through the HVAC ductwork and stopping flame heat transfer need to be top priorities. In this regard, it is important to establish a correct compartmentation to isolate fire at its onset. n The writer is with the Marketing Department of Aldes Middle East. He can be contacted at noman@aldesme. com

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June 2012

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spotlight Air filtration

A

microscopic view of particles Dr Iyad Al-Attar explains the importance of defining critical parameters, such as particle size, which affect the performance of air filters. He also strongly advocates the view that we need to take strides in the field of air filtration today to make a positive impact on the health of generations to come.

A Aerosols influence our daily lives through the role they play in the chemistry of the atmosphere. Aerosols are defined to be liquid or solid particles suspended in a gaseous medium long enough to be observed and measured, generally about 0.001 to 100 Âľm.1 Their ability to impair visibility and penetrate into the deepest segments of the respiratory system

72

makes them capable of causing health hazards.

Silicosis, for example, is an occupational lung disease caused by inhaling silicon dioxide (silica) dust, usually in crystalline form as quartz.2 There is an abundance of Silicon (Si) in the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crust, as it is the second most common element next to oxygen. Generally, the effect it has on our health depends on the dose and the type of dust inhaled, the size of particles reaching the lungs and exposure time in the dusty environment.

Particle size in engineering terms Once again, as has been reiterated in this series, the size of the particle is of

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

Particle density, concentration and shape are equally important and need to be given due attention importance. Particle size is regarded as a crucial parameter is every aspect of Aerosol Science. However, in order to quantify aerosol effects on human health,

it is essential to enhance our understanding of the atmospheric aerosols properties, specifically particle size. The first step towards building a solid knowledge in aerosol filtration, is establishing engineering definitions to the significant parameters influencing the process at hand. While particle diameter stands as the greatest nominee since it has several definitions depending on the criteria at which it is defined, other parameters, such as particle density, concentration and shape are equally important and need to be given due attention.

Clearly, an important parameter to be addressed is the location of dust

deposition in the lung, which largely depends on the particle size. Motion descriptions of airborne particles require a definition to encompass their often irregular shapes. But the question is, can such a definition make particle size describable in engineering terms?

Aerodynamic diameter versus Stokes’ diameter

Particle size or diameter is usually associated with our perception of spherical particles and our sight limitation down to a human hair (See Figure 1) or a cloud of smoke [50100µm]. Particle diameter measurement is critically an important parameter in filtration and in other fields.

In general, particles have irregular shapes (See Figure 2) with actual geometric diameters that are difficult to measure. However, when considering irregular geometries of particles, an equivalent diameter that can

be physically determined to characterise the particle property and behaviour is required. A common description of the particle diameter is the aerodynamic diameter, which is a physical property of a particle in a viscous fluid, such as air.

Aerodynamic diameter is an expression of a particle’s aerodynamic behaviour, as if it were a perfect sphere with unit-density and diameter equal to the aerodynamic diameter.

Such a model has the same terminal settling velocity.

Aerodynamic diameter is commonly applied to particulate pollutants and inhaled drugs to predict where in the respiratory tract such particles will get deposited.

Another related diameter is Stokes diameter ds, which is defined as the spherical particle that would have the same density and settling velocity (VTS) as the particle. The Stokes

Aerodynamic diameter is commonly applied to particulate pollutants and inhaled drugs to predict where in the respiratory tract such particles will get deposited

When filter fibres collect dust particles and, then, particles collect one another, a dust cake is formed. A dust cake acts as another layer of filtration, and with time, its great fragility and variable thickness makes the filter performance analysis more complex. Therefore, knowledge of dust cake properties, such as particle size, dust cake porosity and permeability are imperative for better prediction of the

Stokes’ equivalent sphere

de = 5.0 µm ρP = 4000 Kg/m³ χ =1.36

ds = 4.3 µm ρP = 4000 Kg/m³

da = 8.6 µm ρP = 1000 Kg/m³

VTS = 2.2 mm/s

VTS = 2.2 mm/s

VTS = 2.2 mm/s

Figure 1: SEM of a human hair

Figure 2: SEM image of an atmospheric particle

Dust cake formation – filter clogging

Irregular particle

Figure 3: A comparison between different particle diameter definitions [Adapted from Hinds, 1998]3

diameter is less common and the Aerodynamic is widely used to represent the particle diameter. Figure 3 illustrates the differences of particle diameters.3 The performance of air filters is highly affected by particle size, and its distribution. Particle size, shape and density can determine the dominating

filtration mechanisms.

Figure 4 shows various sizes and irregular shapes of atmospheric dust particles existing in the GCC atmosphere.

Figure 4: Various sizes and shapes of the GCC atmospheric dust particles

June 2012

Aerodynamic equivalent sphere

filtration performance.4,5 Filter clogging is the last stage of the lifespan of a filter, and is also highly affected by particle size.

Therefore, particles of different sizes, shapes and phases are a major point of interest for researchers in the air filtration field, since it allows designers to determine the lifetime and the pressure drop at which the filter should be replaced.

The filter structure may change internally if particles deposit within the media, or externally if particles deposit on its surface to form a new layer of dust. Such a change in structure affects the

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spotlight The filter structure may change internally if particles deposit within the media, or externally if particles deposit on its surface to form a new layer of dust pressure drop response of the filter, which also depends on air velocity. As far as the size of the particle is concerned, finer particles cause higher pressure drop and are considered more clogging than larger particles.

Reducing particle concentration – ventilation and filtration

When we think of improving the Indoor Air Quality, typically, our focus merely shifts towards air filtration. However, ventilation is another means used to reduce particle concentration by either supplying air to or removing air from an indoor space with the intention of controlling air contaminant levels, humidity or temperature within the space. Ventilation is considered to be one of the most common engineering mechanisms used to control emissions, exposures and chemical hazards in the work environment.

It is absolutely essential in many applications, both residential and industrial, to install air filters for several reasons. Initially, air filters

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protect the HVAC equipment and provide improved Indoor Air Quality for human occupants. Further, filtration is application-specific, providing certain cleanliness to meet the requirement of each application. In installing filtration stages, particle concentration is reduced, which will have a great impact on the system performance at hand. The reduced concentrations of particulates in indoor air have a great impact on human health and productivity.6

Conventional wisdom

Conventional wisdom tells us that in order not to pass judgement, facts need to be gathered. By the same token, prior to making any air filtration selection, fundamental knowledge on the subject needs to be gathered.

This article has addressed how important it is to define critical parameters, such as particle size, which affects the performance of air filters.

It would certainly be an endless list, if I were to enumerate the names of the great scientists, chemists and engineers who spent their lives researching Aerosol Science and working towards its advancement. The technology brought about in the light of their findings and the underlying theories they established are being taught in universities worldwide.

However, a compelling question remains: Are we endorsing or even suggesting any scientific initiatives that can be taken today to make advancements in the field air filtration science, technology and research to positively impact generations to come? As a corollary, are we building on the great advancements made by the pioneers in the field?

Although there is so much more that needs to be done in the field of aerosol filtration, collaborative endeavours could be the first step in the right direction towards bringing our far-reaching goals, within our reach. n

A tribute to aerosol scientists Looking back at the historical achievements made by science in the past two centuries, we would certainly be remiss if we do not acknowledge the names of great scientists who shone the light of learning to eradicate ignorance, and laid the foundations of aerosol science.

A deserving applause goes to John Aitken (1839-1919), a Scottish meteorologist, physicist and marine engineer, who was one of the founders of Aerosol Science and builder of the first apparatus to measure the number of dust and fog particles in the atmosphere.

In 1959, air filtration by fibrous filters was one of the main branches of aerosol research organised by Prof Nikolai Albertovich Fuchs (1895-1982) in the Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry in Moscow. Fuchs’ name is associated with the establishment and the advancement of aerosol filtration, through his ability to theoretically interpret results of experiments. He was the founder of the Aerosol Science in Russia and an important cofounder of this scientific discipline globally. I strongly doubt if there is a single aerosol physicist, chemist or engineer who is not familiar with the great contribution of Prof Fuchs to the field of Aerosol Science. His book, The Mechanics of Aerosols stands tall as a great reference work in libraries worldwide.1, 7, 8

Climate Control Middle East June 2012

REFERENCES 1 Analytical chemistry of aerosol, edited by Kvetoslav Rudolf Spurny, Lewis Publisher, 1999.

2 Pathology by Rubin, John L Farber, MD (Editor), Emanuel Rubin (Editor), [1988].

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

3 Hinds WC, 1998. “Aerosol Technology”, Wiley, New York.

4 Schmidt E, 1997. “Theoretical investigations into the compression of dust cakes deposited on filter media”, Filtration & Separation, 34(4), 365-368.

5 Neiva ACB and Goldstein L Jr, 2003. “A procedure for calculating pressure drop during the build-up of dust filter cakes”, Chemical Engineering and Processing, 42(6), 495-501.

6 Fisk W and Rosenfeld A, (1997), “Improved productivity and health from better indoor environments”, Center for Building Science Newsletter, Lawrence-Berkeley Labs.

7 Advances in aerosol filtration, edited by Kvetoslav Rudolf Spurny, Lewis Publisher, 1998.

8 Fuchs NA, 1964. “The mechanics of aerosols”, Pergamon, Oxford.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Unless otherwise referenced, the images used in this article are copyright of the author.

The writer is Regional Director, Middle East, and International Consultant, EMW Filtertechnik, Germany. He can be contacted at iyad. al-attar@emw.de

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