Category Archives: Energy
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JS Air Curtains Fit in At 1Rebel Gym
Added protection where needed from Crittall MW40
JS Air Curtains Sales Team Expansion
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JS Air Curtains has expanded its team with the appointment of Loredana Groza as its new technical sales advisor.
Loredana will be providing support and assistance in all aspects of air curtain design, specification and installation to consultants, contractors and specifiers.
Commenting on the new appointment, Kerry Jones, UK and Ireland Sales Manager said, “We are delighted to welcome Loredana to the JS Air Curtains sales team. The company has experienced considerable growth in recent years and Loredana’s appointment will help us maintain the responsive technical assistance our customers rely on.”
Loredana, originally from Romania, has three degrees in Engineering, Environmental Science and Geology, from studying in Romania and Spain.
JS Air Curtains has been supplying a comprehensive and competitive range of air curtains for all commercial and industrial applications since 1999. The company offers professional advice on air curtain projects, system design, supply, service and after-sales support. More information is available at www.jsaircurtains.com.
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New Study: Dry Air is Flu’s Best Friend
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A recently published scientific study1 by Yale University has shown that breathing air with a low humidity reduces our immune system’s capability to fight off flu infections. The research results showed that using humidifiers in the winter to increase the moisture content of air in occupied buildings, such as offices, schools and hospitals, is a potential strategy to reduce the seasonal impact of flu on society.
It is estimated that in the UK influenza causes six million working days to be lost every year, accounts for 400,000 GP consultations, 600 deaths directly and an estimated 10,000 further deaths from flu-related causes. Even though many scientific studies, such as the recent one from Yale, have shown the importance of humidity in relation to combatting flu, no legal requirement exists in the UK for public or commercial buildings to maintain a minimum indoor humidity level for health.
The Yale study, carried out in the laboratory of Dr Akiko Iwasaki, used mice that respond to flu in a similar way to humans. The mice were infected with flu and kept in either low humidity or mid-level humidity conditions. Their physical reactions to the flu virus were then examined, including weight loss, temperature changes, their ability to clear the virus from their respiratory system and heal resultant inflammation, and ultimately their mortality rate.
The scientists found that the mice kept in low humidity (10-20%RH) suffered a much worse disease course than the mice kept in mid-level humidity (50%RH). They suffered more rapid and greater weight loss, were unable to maintain a normal body temperature and experienced a higher mortality rate.
Dr Iwasaki commented, “What we found was that low humidity impairs the ability of the respiratory tract, lung and nose to get rid of the flu virus. In the airway cells, hair-like projections called cilia, are constantly moving inhaled particles along to get rid of them. However, in low humidity we found that this cilia movement, as well as particle removal, was impaired. This is particularly important for people who are very susceptible such as the very young infant or the older person over 65, as mortality from flu mostly occurs in this age group.”
The researchers also observed that low humidity reduces the ability of cells in the lungs, damaged by flu, to repair themselves. A third effect of low humidity identified in this study, was that infected cells stopped signalling for help from neighbouring cells. The ability to recruit additional immune cells to fight invading viruses or bacteria is an essential part of the body’s natural defence system, and is key to limiting disease from infections.
Commenting on the study, Dave Marshall-George, UK Sales Manager at humidity control specialist, Condair, said, “This study is yet further evidence for a regulatory minimum humidity level to be set for public places to reduce the impact of seasonal flu. It is relatively simple to maintain a healthy indoor humidity of 40-60%RH in public buildings using commercial humidification systems. However, unlike temperature, humidity is not easily perceivable by occupants. This results in building operators saving money by not installing, or even turning off, their humidifiers and allowing indoor humidity to drop dangerously low in the winter.”
Dave continues, “The problem is compounded by legislation that requires building operators to reduce energy consumption. Building owners and designers are forced to minimise building services to become more efficient. However, the result is necessary services, such as humidity control, are being sacrificed at the expense of occupant health. Given the massive impact that flu has on society, both on the economy and the health service, it is time the governing bodies took notice of the science and introduced minimum indoor humidity levels.”
Commenting on the results of the study, Dr Stephanie Taylor, 
Infection Control Consultant at Harvard Medical School and an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer, said, “Dr. Iwasaki’s research shows that balanced humidification increases our overall immune defences and therefore can be applied to both viral and bacterial diseases, not limited to seasonal influenza. This study clearly shows the need to maintain indoor relative humidity at 40–60% in homes, schools, offices, hospitals, aeroplanes and all other occupied spaces.
“ASHRAE must recognize this excellent study as evidence to support a minimum RH level in occupied commercial buildings.” Dr Stephanie Taylor concludes.
The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidification and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair is represented in the UK by Condair plc, which offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.
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Condair ME helps EDPAC cool at CIX
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The Condair ME evaporative humidifier is providing adiabatic cooling in an innovative indirect cooling system from EDPAC at the Cork Internet Exchange (CIX) in Ireland. EDPAC’s indirect air-to-air evaporative cooling system will be maintaining the temperature across CIX’s data halls without using any chillers and with 75% less energy than a traditionally cooled data centre.
The installation of the new low energy cooling system was part of a €6M extension at the family–owned 2,800sqm data centre, partly funded by the Excellence in Energy Efficient Design (EXEED) programme.
The EDPAC air handling system cools without chillers by creating two airstreams; one internal and one external. The internal airstream circulates air to and from the data halls and the external airstream draws in, then vents, ambient outside air. Both airstreams pass through a series of heat exchangers to transfer cool thermal energy from the external to the internal airstream, without either physically mixing.
In order to boost the cooling capacity of the system, and keep the data halls at 24°C all year round, evaporative cooling is used to reduce the temperature of the external airstream below that of the ambient outdoor air. A series of Condair ME evaporative humidifiers are located in the walls around a penthouse ventilation area, created across the top storey of the building. As air is drawn into the building through louvres, it passes through these Condair MEs, before entering the penthouse ventilation area where the EDPAC AHUs are located.
The Condair ME consists of an evaporative matrix section, which sits across a duct, and a hydraulic module that continually pumps water up to the top of the matrix to keep it moist. As air travels through the Condair ME’s wet matrix, it absorbs water and is cooled by several degrees.
Noel Lynch, managing director at EDPAC, comments, “By reducing the temperature of the outside air entering the penthouse ventilation area with the Condair MEs, the air being drawn into the external airstream of the air handling units is significantly cooler than the outside air. This enables the indirect cooling system to maintain the desired data hall temperature of 24°C, even in the hottest months of the year.”
Noel continues, “The complementary technologies of air-to-air heat exchange and humidifier-based evaporative cooling is a considerable improvement to existing indirect data centre cooling systems. The strategy offers very low energy climate control while being easy to manage, as it doesn’t have a wet spray section with the onerous administrative obligations that this can place on a building operator.”
Four AHU modules, each delivering up to 400kW of cooling, have been installed above the data halls at CIX, alongside four Condair ME evaporative humidifiers. While the outside Cork weather remains below 21°C, air-to-air cooling alone is sufficient to maintain the required data hall condition. When the outdoor temperature rises above this, the Condair MEs operate to provide up to 300kW of cooling to each AHU.
Donal Deering, energy consultant at Smart Power, the Dublin-based energy consultancy that worked on the project, commented, “The expected electrical demand across the year is just 12kW per 400kW AHU module, including the electrical consumption of the Condair ME evaporative humidifiers. Typical PUE values across Irish data centres is 1.5-1.7 but the use of adiabatic cooling at CIX will lower the facility’s overall PUE to less than 1.4. The energy savings are expected to be 75% of that which would otherwise be used in a traditionally cooled data centre.”
Donal concludes, “The CIX evaporative cooling project is an exciting, innovative project and credit must go to Jerry Sweeney, Chief Executive at CIX, and Noel Lynch at EDPAC for their pioneering efforts.”
The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares.
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Condair expands dehumidifier range
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Humidity control specialist, Condair, has extended its dehumidifier range to include more desiccant models, wall and ceiling-mounted systems, units that control temperature as well as humidity, and swimming pool units.
Tim Scott, head of sales at Condair plc, comments, “Having successfully launched Condair dehumidifiers to the UK market just a few years ago, it is very exciting to be able to further strengthen our portfolio of dehumidification systems. Condair now boasts one of the most extensive ranges of dehumidifiers available from a single supplier, as well as offering fully customised solutions for unusual projects or extreme control. Whatever application, capacity or humidity level is needed, Condair has the dehumidifier to perfectly meet the requirement.”
The new Condair DA desiccant dehumidifier range now includes capacities from 0.6 to 182 litres per hour (@20°C/60%RH) from its standard models with customized units being able to meet any larger drying requirement. Features include the ability to operate down to -30°C and consistently maintain an air humidity as low 1%RH. Units can incorporate on-board touch screen controllers and BMS connectivity, with Modbus as standard. AC or EC fans are available and are positioned in a push configuration prior to the desiccant rotor on the regeneration airflow. This avoids contact between the fan and the hot humid exhaust air, prolonging the life of the fan.
Condair’s new wall-mounted condensing dehumidifier range offers attractive in-room units with a sleek, minimalistic design. Alternatively, wall-mounted systems can be remotely located in a room adjacent to the area being dehumidified. Humid air is circulated to the dehumidifier and dry air fed back to the room via ducting through the wall. New ceiling-mounted models enable installers to either integrate the unit in a suspended ceiling system or simply fix it overhead to avoid taking up floor space. All of these new fixed condensing systems are available in standard capacities from 49 to 190 L/D (@30°C/80%RH).
For applications that need very tight control over temperature as well as humidity, the Condair DC-N dehumidifier will deliver dry process air as well as cooling to an area or duct. It incorporates a remotely located compressor unit to dissipate heat generated during the dehumidification process, similar to a split air conditioning system. Dehumidifying capacities range from 263 to 940 L/D (@30°C/80%RH) and cooling outputs from 13 to 43kW.
To complete Condair’s range of dehumidifiers, swimming pool models are now available that incorporate a range of features specifically for pool areas. Heat exchangers recover thermal energy from the supply air and the dehumidification process, which can either be introduced to the dry air being returned to the pool area or used to heat the pool water. Condair’s swimming pool dehumidification systems can also introduce outside fresh air to help improve the internal atmosphere. Units are offered in free-standing, wall-mounted, ceiling mounted, in-room or in-duct and in capacities up to 940L/D (@30°C/80%RH).
The Condair Group is the world’s leading specialist in humidity control and evaporative cooling, with energy efficient, hygienic and innovative technologies for commercial, industrial and heritage applications. Condair offers system design, manufacture, supply, installation, commissioning, maintenance and spares. More information is available on the company’s website at www.condair.co.uk.
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JS Air Curtains warm welcome at the National Army Museum
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JS Air Curtains has supplied two Zen air curtains for the recently refurbished National Army Museum in Chelsea, London, to provide a warm welcome to visitors in its reception foyer and gift shop.
The air curtains seal the entrances while the doors are open with an invisible barrier of air, preventing cold air entering in the winter and cool air escaping in the summer. The Zen air curtain was selected to architecturally fit in with the design of the interior and, in the case of the foyer, match the colour of the doorway.
Mike O’Connor, Deputy Director at the National Army Museum said ‘‘The air curtains blend in perfectly, due to matching the RAL colour of the entrance, and are helping to maintain a very comfortable internal temperature for visitors and staff to the museum. They have been running very well so far with no operational issues’’.
The Zen air curtain is offered with front and rear panels that can be made in a variety of materials and colours, and can even incorporate signs and elements such as clocks, lighting or digital displays. This makes the model a very popular choice for architects and designers. At the National Army Museum, the Zen above the main entrance was supplied in a matching RAL colour while the shop had the standard finish.
The units are available in a choice of sizes from 1.0m to 2.5m in 0.5m increments and can be mounted horizontally above the doorway or vertically to the side, with the possibility of joining two or more units together to cover wide entrances. Heating can be via electric or LPHW, as was the case at the National Army Museum, or it can be supplied without heating as an air only model. Low noise, double inlet centrifugal fans with external rotor motors can provide up to 2,7000m³/h of airflow per metre of air curtain (as tested to Amca 220-05) making the Zen ideal for doorways up to 4.2m high.
A manual controller is included as standard alongside 7m of telephonic cable with RJ45 (Plug & Play) connectors and a hand-held infra-red remote. The National Army Museum selected an optional advanced ‘‘Clever’’ controller to regulate the air curtains as it includes a temperature sensor that automatically adapts to the entrance conditions.
The National Army Museum is the leading authority on the British Army and its impact on society past and present. It displays thousands of pieces across five themed galleries with a special temporary exhibition gallery, event space, a café and children’s area, Play Base.
JS Air Curtains, the UK’s leading air curtain specialist, supply an extensive range of air curtains for all commercial and industrial applications. You can find out more by visiting the company’s website at www.jsaircurtains.com.
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Crittall launch innovative thermally broken steel window
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Crittall, the originator of the steel window and the sector’s leading manufacturer, has launched T60 – a highly innovative thermally broken steel window and door system.
T60’s slim profiles replicate original Crittall steel windows, combining traditional aesthetics with 21st Century levels of performance. T60 features an advanced high density polyurethane isolator as a thermal barrier. This, together with housing high performance double or triple glazing up to 37mm wide, ensures the system surpasses the requirements of current regulations while at the same time providing contemporary levels of comfort, particularly in harsher weather conditions where traditional steel windows may not have previously been sufficient. Market-leading weathertightness performance has been tested to European and ASTM Standards.
As with all Crittall products, T60 is corrosion protected and finished with Duralife, an architectural grade polyester powder coating. Its slim sightlines maximize the benefit of natural daylight thereby reducing reliance on artificial lighting. Each frame is fully welded enhancing strength and durability. The inherent strength of steel gives peace of mind in respect of robustness and security, boosted by optional multi-locking. A wide range of opening configurations are available.
Traditional aesthetics ensure T60 can be specified with confidence for Listed buildings or properties in Conservation areas.
The clean, slender design is ideally suited both to restoration work and new build projects and T60 is expected to be specified for a full range of market sectors, including offices, health, education and hotels.
