ACR Journal

NEWS 08 Volume 6 No.3 Hybrid VRF at the Strand Palace Hotel HYBRID VRF CHOSEN FOR UPGRADE AT STRAND PALACE HOTEL Hybrid VRF air conditioning from Mitsubishi Electric has been chosen to provide cooling and comfort to guests at the Strand Palace Hotel in London. The hotel, which is close to some of London’s most famous theatres and has been welcoming guests since 1909, needed to modernise its heating and cooling systems. High levels of energy eciency and minimal disruption to the hotel’s operation during installation were also key considerations. The solution came in the form of the unique Hybrid VRF system, which oers simultaneous heating and cooling with full heat recovery. The combination of refrigerant and water used in Hybrid VRF also delivers a much lower global warming potential (GWP) than traditional VRF systems and is said to save around 30-40% in refrigerant use in comparison. The fit-out was designed by Elementa Consulting and installed by Working Environments and has seen units fitted across the hotel’s 790 rooms. The project started in September 2018 and is due for completion in April 2020, making the project the biggest of its kind in Europe. The system also removes the need for leak detection equipment. Refrigerant is only used between the outdoor condenser and the Hybrid Branch Controller box (HBC). From here, water is used to transfer heating or cooling to each room, removing the need for additional equipment or additional annual maintenance regimes. FIRMS RECOGNISED FOR EXPORT GROWTH Refrigeration manufacturer Carter Thermal Industries (CTI), copper specialist Lawton Tubes and refrigerant supplier A-Gas are among the UK mid-market businesses enjoying the fastest-growing overseas sales, as featured in the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table. Ranked 27th is CTI Group, based in Birmingham, which includes Carter Retail Equipment and Carter Environmental Engineers along with Carter Synergy, KB Refrigeration, Franklin Hodge and CPC. The group saw exports grow by 101.59% to £15.7m, from total sales of £129m, in the year ending December 2018. More than half of its overseas sales were in the US, where retailer Target is a key customer for its refrigerated cabinets. Coventry-based Lawton Tubes is ranked 129th, with overseas sales rising by 41.5% to £14.2m, from total sales of £149m. The fourth-generation family business, which celebrated its centenary in 2018, manufactures and supplies an extensive range of copper tubing for many applications. A-Gas is in 139th position after experiencing growth of 40.69%, to £182m, from overall sales of £229m. The Bristol-based company operates in 12 countries and has been boosted by overseas acquisitions, as well as increased demand for its specialist refrigerant reclamation services. Carter Thermal Industries in Birmingham AIREDALE THINKS BIG WITH SMARTCOOL XL Airedale International Air Conditioning launched the SmartCool XL at Data Centre World in London. Airedale’s latest IT cooling oering is a precision Computer Room Air Conditioning (CRAC) unit developed specifically for large colocation and hyperscale data centre applications. An extension of the award-winning Smart Cool range, the XL edition has a cooling capacity of up to 500kW, giving increased benefits of economies of scale to large data centre operators. The supersized cooling system was adapted for the show, with see-through panels and LED lighting, giving visitors an exclusive view of the internal features including the optimised coil design, chilled water delivery system and fan enclosure. SmartCool XL has been developed to meet demand for an ultra-ecient chilled water precision air conditioning system that delivers quiet and accurate climate control to hyperscale data centres across Europe. Controlling temperature, humidity and air quality, SmartCool XL is said to deliver ecient and reliable performance, essential to critical applications. With more cooling for less space and power, SmartCool XL delivers powerful cooling, whilst allowing more space for IT equipment and contributing to low PUEs. With free- cooling capabilities when matched with an Airedale free-cooling chiller, the manufacturer says Smart Cool XL can typically oer up to 98% free cooling in most European data centre hubs. All SmartCool units come with an integrated colour touchscreen user interface, part of the Airedale intelligent helixTM controls package, to further enhance the users interaction with their SmartCool system. The SmartCool XL from Airedale April | May 2020