Stating that it intends to meet the demand for a product that combines comfort with tight control and high environmental quality, Trane has introduced active chilled beams with integrated controls to its Europe, Middle East, India and Africa markets.

According to Trane, the chilled beams are ideally suited for office buildings, hospitals, schools and airport terminals.

“Trane active chilled beams are designed to combine high output and low energy input,” said Jo De Clercq, air systems portfolio leader for Trane. “Providing comfort with tighter control, Trane chilled beams offer a tailored terminal solution to help meet specific customer needs and maximise their system performance.”

According to Trane, the units are designed to integrate into ceiling systems, as well as exposed surface mounted units that can incorporate lighting. The latest version, scheduled to be released during the first quarter of 2010, will include electrical heaters. The product also allows for site flexibility. Length and width are variable to adapt to different construction standards. Four widths (300, 600, 625 or 675 mm) and 15 lengths ranging from 1,200 to 3,600mm are available. The units, which can be fitted together to ensure aesthetic consistency, are installed in such a way that they do not hinder any future section-wall removals or additions. Also, they can be used in combination with green technologies such as free cooling, heat recovery and ground source water systems. This technology conforms to district cooling and heating distribution requirements, added Trane.

The active chilled beams incorporate the following features:

Compact ceiling or surface-mounted units with two or four pipe coils providing both heating and cooling.

Unlike passive chilled beams, active chilled beams have an integral constant air-flow supply passing through nozzles, which induce air from the space up through the cooling or heating coil.

The filtered air allows for improved control of temperature and humidity, generating better indoor air quality.

Trane’s ZN523 zone controls are factory- mounted onto the chilled beams units, pre-configured and tested to meet the requirements of their specific application. This minimises time spent coordinating control integration before or during installation.

Energy efficiency is inherent to the chilled beams technology, which requires higher chilled water and lower hot water temperatures than conventional terminal units, allowing for primary airflow temperatures closer to ambient.

In combination with a variable speed pump, additional energy savings can be achieved.