Standards Shape the Future for RTUs | 2017-02-27 | ACHRNEWS – ACHR NEWS

LAS VEGAS On Dec. 17, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)finalized new negotiated energy conservation standardsforcommercial air conditioners and heat pumpsandcommercial warm-air furnaces, also known as rooftop units (RTUs). According to DOE, the new efficiency standards for RTUs will save businesses $167 billion in energy costs over the lifetime of the equipment more than any other efficiency standard issued to date.

The new RTU standards will take effect in two phases, increasing minimum efficiency by about 10 percent as of Jan. 1, 2018, and by 25-30 percent as of Jan. 1, 2023. Standards for new warm-air furnaces that are typically installed as a unit with a commercial air conditioner will also become effective in 2023.

Furthermore, the ANSI/AHRI 920 standard, Rating Standard for DX Dedicated Outdoor-Air Units, has added efficiency minimums to the ASHRAE 90.1 standard, so manufacturers are adjusting and preparing. Therefore, its not too surprising that the biggest trend with rooftop units and chillers this year was energy efficiency. Manufacturers are also increasing their products connectivity to ease the installation of chillers and rooftop units for contractors.

Rooftop unit manufacturers focused their attention on meeting or exceeding these new energy efficiency targets with their newly developed equipment.

Pushing equipment efficiency higher has gone from a trend to the norm, said Mike Schires, senior product manager, Modine Mfg. Co. Manufacturers are continually looking to either keep pace or stay ahead of the curve when it comes to constantly changing efficiency regulations, both current and future.

Modine updated its Atherion system at this years show. There has been a trend in the HVAC industry of shifting the focus from full-load efficiency (EE) to part-load efficiency (IEER) minimums, and MOdine followed that trend with the Atherion 20-ton model. The Atherions part-load efficiencies are the result of the use of modulating digital scroll compressors, electronic expansion valves (EXVs), modulating head pressure control, backward inclined airfoil plenum fans, and the selection of components that reduce air-side pressure drop.

Theres a shift from a focus being on full-load efficiency (EER) to part load efficiency (IEER) minimums, Schires said. This requires manufacturers to look differently at their designs. Fortunately, for Modine, we had this forward thinking from the initial stages of design for Atherion, and we have been highly focused on maximizing part-load efficiency, because we know that is where the equipment operates through most of its life.

Tranes Precedent Light-Commercial rooftop units with eFlex technology include 6- to 10-ton sizes of energy-efficient light commercial packaged rooftop units. Trane eFlex variable-speed compressors and fans precisely match output to the cooling demands of the space.

Another trend found in rooftop units is easier connectivity. Johnson Controls Inc.s York XY 04 to 09 Direct Fit Packaged Heat Pump was updated this year and is now more efficient. This heat pump meets the ASHRAE 90.1 standard and is powered by Johnson Controls Smart Equipment, which allows contractors to connect to the unit through various smart devices with tools, such as their Mobile Access Portal (MAP) Gateway.

Smart Equipment provides contractors with the ability to access, control, and troubleshoot HVAC issues without traveling to the site. They can see what a unit is doing from anywhere in the world using just the smart devices already in their possession, said Jason Beke, commercial product manager, Johnson Controls Inc.

Daikin Applied, a member of Daikin Industries Ltd., shared that its remotely connected rooftop Rebel, Trailblazer, and Pathfinder units are now Intelligent Equipment-enabled, which provides customers and contractors greater visibility into their HVAC equipment.

The Trailblazer is designed for low-install costs and high performance, easing the installation process for contractors, while the Pathfinder, which was the winner of this years AHR Innovation Award in the cooling category, features variable volume ratio (VVR) technology that allows the chillers compressor to optimize performance for every condition, at every hour of the day, while improving efficiency levels.

Being able to take that combination of rooftop unit and variable air volume (VAV) and the controls associated with it is a trend were seeing, Jim Macosko, product general manager, air handling, Daikin Applied. At the contractor level, being able to install without necessarily bringing in a full-blown controls contractor is a great perk. Trying to get that dream of a plug- and-play VAV system with controls is something contractors want and have wanted for years. That is something were striving to do with our rooftop products and intelligent equipment funneling it all into one system, said

Updates to ASHRAE 90.1 standard are going to increase efficiency requirements for chillers and are expected to significantly alter the future of chillers. However, a lot of companies are making a conscious effort to stay ahead of these requirements.

ASHRAE is coming out with a new standard that is going to increase chillers efficiencies it looks like 10 percent. Efficiency is usually our No.1 design requirement, so were on the higher end of the scale as a lot of our products already meet the standard today, said Ross Miglio, president, ClimaCool Corp.

ClimaCool debuted a simultaneous heating and cooling water to water heat recovery chiller with an integral air cooled condenser, which allows for energy savings. Each module contains individual brazed-plate evaporators and brazed-plate condensers for maximum chilled water and hot water output in heat recovery mode. Integral air-cooled fans will only operate when there is an unequal cooling or heating building load for the operating modules. The fans act so heat can be added or taken out of the refrigerant loop, eliminating the need for geothermal well fields or other sources.

Trane is also looking to be efficient with its latest Trane Series S CenTraVac chiller Series, which has expanded again with the CVHM model. Providing a small carbon footprint as well as a quiet sound level, the Series S line of chillers is part of the Ingersoll Rand EcoWise portfolio, designed for high-efficiency operation and lower environmental impacts with low-GWP (global warming potential) refrigerants.

Another common trend chiller manufacturers are following is to make the installation process easier on contractors. Whether its making it easier to break down, adjust, or fit into tight or small places, manufacturers are simplifying the installation process for chillers.

Aermecs new water-to-water chiller, the WWM, was designed to make it easier to install chillers. Due to its modular design, the installation can be adapted to suit specific development needs while guaranteeing improved safety and reliability. As a result, the cooling capacity can be easily increased over time and at a limited cost.

Weve designed the product to have access only through the front, and because all of the service access is in the front, we then have the ability of the modules going back to back in a single line against the wall or stacked. That allows us to put as much cooling tonnage in a square foot as you would see the large centrifugal chiller manufacturers being able to do, said Richard Gerbe, cofounder, Highmark NY LLC. Theres features contractors love about this chiller. One, is this can go through a standard door when you remove a piece. The owners love that its a very, very small footprint. And, in addition, the redundancy you get with all of the standard compressors is great. You could work on one of these modules while not impacting any of the other cooling in the plant.

Carrier Corp.s new AquaEdge 19DV Centrifugal chiller provides greater insight about the performance of the commercial heating and cooling system to building owners and facility managers due to its product integrated controls. Carrier SMART Service provides remote connectivity and advanced analytics so building owners and facility managers can get the best return on their heating and cooling investments.

This option provides improved oversight of energy and maintenance expenses and supports initiatives that promote good environmental stewardship through reduced resource consumption, said Mark Rabbia, product business manager, Carrier Corp.

Geoclima exhibited its new adiabatic chiller for the first time at the 2017 AHR Expo. The new adiabatic evaporative system ensures a greater airflow toward the condenser coils, both on (closed pads) and off (opened pads) mode, which makes it possible to eliminate a great amount of unnecessary material, in favor of more compact and efficient structures, and allows easier access and maintenance for contractors. The chiller reduces installation costs for contractors because its smaller in both weight and carbon footprint and the size is suitable for truck transportation.

Publication date: 2/27/2017

Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!

Read the original post:
Standards Shape the Future for RTUs | 2017-02-27 | ACHRNEWS - ACHR NEWS