ACR Journal

CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai CMYK / .ai acrjournal.uk 15 AIR MANAGEMENT To discuss air management solutions for university science campuses, government research facilities, hospitals or private sector laboratories contact TROX on 01842 754545 or sales@troxuk.co.uk design approach, the supply and extraction of the fume cupboards (or other technical air management devices) is automatically balanced and o set in line with changing requirements, reducing the total supply and extract volumes. Figures 1 and 2, above . Where equipment generates significant amounts of heat, an additional option is to capture it at source with a well-designed capture hood. This prevents the heat from entering into the room and reduces the need for additional room cooling. Reducing energy consumption at the University of Wolverhampton The Rosalind Franklin Science Building at the University of Wolverhampton, accommodates around 2,500 students and approximately 150 sta . The building houses around 50 fume cupboards, so reducing wastage of conditioned air was essential to control the site’s costs and to optimise its environmental performance. The TROX EASYLAB room air management system manages the supply and extract controllers, responding rapidly to changes in extract volumes by the technical extract. By scaling down room exhaust air extraction in line with fume cupboard extraction, the room air management system is able to prevent wastage associated with over-supply of conditioned air, improving energy eŒciency significantly. The fume cupboards also incorporate auto-close mechanisms, which close sashes automatically if they are left open unnecessarily. The installation of TROX EASYLAB has also meant that the energy saving mode on the Building Management System (BMS) can now be utilized e ectively to reduce energy consumption when laboratories are unoccupied. Air change rates can be reduced, without impacting safety, at times such as weekends and evenings, when the laboratories are not being used. The BMS adjusts the mode during ‘Night Set Back’ periods in accordance with a pre-programmed time schedule. A local key switch override is used by the occupants to return to standard air change rates if the lab needs to be used outside the anticipated operational hours. VAV controllers throughout the site ensure that the supply of conditioned air, throughout the building, can increase and decrease automatically in line with building load. Flexibility Today’s laboratories need greater flexibility, to allow multiple scientific disciplines to work e ectively side by side, and to respond to changing requirements. The University of Birmingham’s new Collaborative Teaching Laboratory (CTL), for example, was purposely-designed to promote interdisciplinary engagement across the di erent departments of the university. To achieve this, in one area of the CTL, the TROX air management system, integrated with the site’s BMS, optimises energy eŒciency of 50 fume cupboards. It divides the lab into 5 zones, each with 10 fume cupboards, fitted with TROX EASYLAB TVLK-type fume cupboard controllers. Sash distance sensors control the volume flow rates based on the height of the sashes, and TROX BE-SEG-02 user displays, with traŒc light warning systems and audible alarms, contribute to safe working procedures. Each zone features two supply air VAV units which track the extract air, ensuring the maintenance of correct leakage flows and enabling multiple scientific disciplines to carry out teaching and research safely side-by-side, whilst achieving the optimum level of environmental and financial performance. The resulting levels of eŒciency have contributed to the building’s ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating. Comfort Lastly, the comfort of laboratory occupants is key to productivity. Correct selection of air terminal devices is essential to maintain e ective comfort conditions, ensuring that conditioned air is delivered into the occupied zones in the best possible way. This avoids common problems such as draughts, ‘dumping’ of cold air, or stagnation/inadequate circulation. These devices ensure the e ective control of air velocity, turbulence intensity and temperature di erential. 1 Peter James and Lisa Hopkinson, ‘Carbon, Energy and Environmental Issues A ecting Laboratories in Higher Education - A Supplement to the HEEPI Report on General Regulations and Schemes on the Topic’, August 2011. Figures 1 and 2 The energy consumption of laboratories is often more than three or four times that of offices on a square metre basis Trox air management.indd 15 03/12/2020 11:51

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