Baldor has developed a motor for driving the fans of cooling towers that can be positioned directly beneath the fan in the space required for the gearbox element of a conventional power transmission system with an AC induction motor outside the tower itself and connected to the gearbox by a horizontal drive shaft. The new system makes possible variable-speed control that is optimised for cooling buildings.

Walter Meier (Climate UK) has introduced a glycol-free version of the Blue Box Zeta Echos FC free-cooling chiller. Capable of achieving energy savings of up to 35% over conventional air-cooled chillers, these units are well suited for applications such as data centres that operate 24 hours a day. Free cooling becomes available at 15°C ambient and rises to 100% at 0°C.

Clivet’s Class A chillers have screw compressors and come as water-cooled and air-cooled versions. They use R134a and have stepless capacity control. EER is greater than 3.1 on air-cooled models and over 5.0 on water-cooled units.

Sanyo Air Conditioners offers a VRF system with a built-in option for standard or high-efficiency performance. When the Series 6 ECOi VRF system operates in standard mode, it has a higher capacity. The high-efficiency option give a higher COP and a slight reduction in capacity.

The complex replacement of R22 VRF air-conditioning systems with 410A systems as part of a large refurbishment contract for part of a building on Shepherds Bush Road in London was carried out by Cold Control. Each open-plan office area was heated and cooled by 40 Mitsubishi floor-standing chassis-type fan-coil units. They were replaced with Mitsubishi units.

Hitachi Europe has improved the energy efficiency of its Summit range of wall-mounted air conditioners by 23%. EER for cooling is over 3.2, with COP for heating of over 3.6. Summit units now have an A rating, up from the previous D.

The UK air-conditioning marketplace — for manufacturers, distributors, consultants and contractors — has taken a right old battering, no two ways about that as a fact.

A preventive maintenance agreement for air-conditioning systems ensures a system will not fail just when it is most needed and more than pays for itself through higher efficiency and lower costs. Jody Meek argues the case.

Fujitsu’s Airstage V-II VRF system for large buildings comprises outdoor units from 8 to 48 hp and 11 types of indoor unit as 49 models with cooling capacities from 2.2 to 25 kW. The outdoor units are 20% lighter than the previous equivalent model, and total pipe length can be up to 1000 m.

Solid Air’s bulkhead chilled beam is said to be a quieter, energy-efficient alternative to fan-coil units for hotel bedrooms and similar applications. OKNB units achieve these higher efficiencies by requiring high cooling water temperatures and lower heating water temperatures than equivalent fan-coil arrangements. There is also no need for a fan. They are Eurovent certified, so their capacity is guaranteed.

A popular Wiltshire hotel has selected Samsung air conditionings to provide cost-effective cooling and heating in guest rooms. South Marston Hotel & Leisure Club has installed individual 2.6 kW Samsung console systems to upgrade 40 of its 60 rooms. The inverter-controlled split systems deliver 2.6 kW of cooling and 3.5 kW of heating. EER for cooling is 4.0, and COP for heating is 3.93.

One of the first air-conditioning system to have its R22 refrigerant replaced using Mitsubishi Electric’s Replace Multi system continues to deliver lower energy bills nearly five years on. When the owner of a small office block in Daventry was originally looking to replace the cooling-only air conditioning, various options were considered — including an upgrade of the boiler and heating plant. However, after discussion with installer Chillaire and wholesaler Kooltech, St Clements Services chose to replace the old air conditioning with a heating/cooling City Multi Y Series — using what was then new Replace Technology.

Flakt Woods is using nanotechnology to keep air diffusers and valves permanently clean. The CleanVent range of diffusers and valves have an Avalon coating that makes their surfaces soil repellent, so there is far less need for maintenance.

The offices of Daikin distributor Space Airconditioning in Guildford is claimed to be the first project to install a Daikin VRVQ system to replace a Daikin R407C VRV system without having to replace the interconnecting pipework and ceiling cassette fan-coil units. Only the outdoor units and internal branch selector boxes were replaced. VRVQ can also replace R22 systems without having to replace pipework.

Carrier reports a significant growth in sales for its water-source heat-pump console heating and cooling system. Whereas the latest report from BSRIA shows a decline in sales across the industry, the water-source console market is bucking the trend by continuing to grow. One of the reasons is changes in legislation such as the F Gas Regulation and EN378.

Daikin’s Emura room air conditioner has been awarded an honourable mention by a jury of experts in the International Red Dot 2010 Product Design Award competition, in which 4252 products from 57 countries competed. The Red Dot competition is the most renowned design competition worldwide, its winning entries being recognised for their excellent design, innovative approach and premium quality.

Samsung’s S-Inverter Crystal air-conditioning range combines high-efficiency heating and cooling with superior air filtration and virus elimination in a wall-mounted single split unit. EERs of up to 4.6 are achieved. There are six models in the range with cooling capacities from 2.5 to 6.8 kW and heating from 3.2 to 8.0 kW. The S-Inverter helps achieve energy savings of up to 52% compared with other systems.

Just two weeks after quoting for the job Weatherite Building Services had completed the design and installation of an energy-efficient air-conditioning system for Stockport railway station. The contract was awarded by Dalkia Rail on behalf of Virgin Rail. The system comprises two Hitachi 2-way-blow cassettes linked to a Hitachi conditioning unit with a total cooling capacity of 25 kW.

With a growing market for retrofitting air-conditioning systems with new refrigerants, but retaining existing pipework, Colin Pratt, technical director with Advanced Engineering has warned against taking shortcuts when flushing systems. He says, ‘The most pressing issue is that engineers may try to use vapour-based flushing methods on large commercial systems.’

The efficiency of Turbomiser chiller plant serving the Blue Reef Aquarium and IMAX 3D Cinema in Bristol is made even higher by rejecting heat to water drawn from Bristol docks. The 500 kW plant uses two Turbocor compressors to produce chilled water for cooling the huge salt-water tanks that house Blue Reef’s collection of fish and marine animals. It also cools the lamps for the high-power IMAX projectors used for spectacular underwater features that take visitors on an immersive 3D journey beneath the waves.

Fujitsu’s J-Series VRF system can serve eight indoor units from an outdoor unit with a cooling capacity of 15.2 kW. The outdoor units weigh just 97 kg and are only 900 mm high. They have a high-performance DC inverter. A newly designed larger fan and double casing bell-mouth construction reduce noise emissions.

Using seawater to precool water to the central chiller plant of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton is expected to reduce the annual electricity demand of the chiller by about 20%, saving an estimated 117 t of CO2 emissions a year.

Passive multi-service chilled beams have been installed as part of the refurbishment of a 1930s art deco building in London. The 1720 m of beams were supplied by Trox in a contract worth about £1 million and designed specifically for the building. The beams combine air conditioning, lighting, lighting control and public address.

John Staunton explores the potential of chilled beams and ceilings to reduce energy consumption.