Products in Action For further information on products and services visit www.eibi.co.uk/enquiries and enter the appropriate online enquiry number
VSDs chosen to control booster pumps
Bristol home for air conditioning first
SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions recently chose 12 Danfoss VLT Aqua AC variable speed drives to control skid-mounted booster pumps. Nevertheless, this project posed two interesting challenges: how to make convenient and costeffective provision for cascade operation of multiple pumps, and how to avoid delays in setting up and commissioning the drives at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic made it impossible for Danfoss engineers to visit the SUEZ site. Danfoss VLT Aqua Drives have support cascade operation but have always required additional hardware and extra connections between the drives to implement it. SUEZ was looking for a simpler option that would eliminate the need for the additional connections between the drives. This was important because the booster pumps are supplied as a ‘plug-and-play’ solution that requires a minimum of on-site configuration and set up. With this in mind, engineers at Danfoss developed new firmware for the drives which supports cascade operation entirely over the Modbus connection that SUEZ uses to provide overall control for its installations. With the new firmware, no additional connections are needed between the drives, which simplifies installation on site and reduces the risk of errors. In addition, this new solution provides full cascade control without the need for extra hardware. In addition, SUEZ wanted Danfoss to help commission the drives. Normally this would have been no problem, but because of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, the Danfoss engineers couldn’t travel to the SUEZ factory.” Working together, engineers from SUEZ and Danfoss devised a solution based on the use of TeamViewer. With the aid of this package in conjunction with the free downloadable Danfoss MyDrive software toolkit and MCT10 programming software, the Danfoss engineers were able to sit at their own desks and view the desktop of a computer connected to the VLT Aqua Drives in the SUEZ factory. The engineers at the two companies also talked to one another by phone while they were configuring and commissioning the drives.
A former tram station in Bristol has become the first building in the UK to benefit from large scale R32 air conditioning. The Art Deco building in Gloucester Road was originally a main station for electric trams, and is now occupied by one of the largest environmental business networks in the UK – Future Economy Network. Renamed the Future Leap Hub, the refurbished ground floor now brings together likeminded companies and acts as a showcase for sustainable businesses. It offers a carbon-neutral, co-working space, meeting rooms and an event space for hire, in which weekly, sustainability themed events are hosted. The F-Gas Regulations are affecting all air conditioning systems and the next step in the phase down of refrigerants with high global warming potential (GWP) takes place in January. The air conditioning industry has been transitioning to R32, which has a significantly lower GWP than previous R410A systems but this has not been possible for larger VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) systems until the launch of the City Multi R32 VRF at the end of 2019. “We looked across the market at a whole host of technologies for our heating and cooling and when Mitsubishi Electric’s R32 system was recommended to us by EnviraMech Services, we quickly realised it was absolutely the right product for us,” said Alan Bailey, director of the Future Economy Group and Future Leap Ltd. “So far, we’ve been really pleased with the end result.” When I first started talking to Alan about his requirements it was obvious that he wanted a system that would help promote energy efficiency and future-proof the building,” explained Terry Macleod, Managing Director of Envira-Mech Services Ltd. The three PURY YNW-A outdoor condensers are installed in a compound in an old storage yard and these serve 14 PEFY fan coil units throughout the ground floor. Although R32 is mildly flammable, and room sizes were considered during the design phase, the level of ventilation mean that leak detection wasn’t required. The Future Leap Hub has been re-opened since July and now offers Bristol businesses 70 socially distanced desks as well as an ethical cafe and lifestyle shop.
ONLINE ENQUIRY 105
University technology building benefits from insulation Coventry University is laying the groundwork for future developments in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with a new, state-ofthe-art postgraduate facility, completed with a building service specification featuring premium performance Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation and Kingspan Therma Duct Insulation. The Beatrice Shilling Building is the third collaboration between Coventry University and designers. The four-storey
facility provides a range of cutting-edge facilities including a specialist rapid prototyping area, laser facility and science and technology labs. Constructed by Speller Metcalfe, the new building is linked to the undergraduate teaching block, ECB1, through a covered bridge on the third floor. As part of its commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 20 per cent relative to a baseline period of 20089, the University has developed a
ONLINE ENQUIRY 106
sustainable building framework which focuses on full lifecycle emissions and costings for new buildings. The Beatrice Shilling Building was the first to be constructed under this framework and this contributed to the specification of over 7,000 m Kingspan Kooltherm Pipe Insulation for all domestic, heating and chilled water service pipework across the building whilst 400m2 Kingspan Therma Duct Insulation was fitted on external ductwork.
ONLINE ENQUIRY 107
22 | ENERGY IN BUILDINGS & INDUSTRY | OCTOBER 2020
EIBI_1020_022_(M)_NEW.indd 1
07/10/2020 16:08
