Seeks the best scientific thesis on the subject

In an announcement, Eurammon, a joint European initiative of companies, institutions and individuals, who advocate increased use of natural refrigerants, has called for submission of entries for the fourth time, for the Natural Refrigeration Award. The award will be presented to the best scientific dissertation in the field of natural refrigerants. Eurammon will also invite the winners to present their dissertation to an international audience during the award ceremony. For the first time, the organisation has also associated itself, vis-à-vis the Award, with the social media platform, Facebook, and offers international participants an opportunity to network with each other, the announcement added.

According to the announcement, for this initiative, it is joining forces with the technical faculty of Rijeka University, Croatia, and the Russian trade magazine, Refrigeration Business, to award the prize of € 5,000.

Eurammon has listed the following criteria and other details for the submission of papers:

• The Award is open to all graduates from universities, colleges and similar educational institutions, whose scientific work has been acknowledged as a Bachelor’s/Master’s dissertation or comparable qualification.
• The dissertation must be devoted to the issue of refrigeration with natural refrigerants, such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons or water.
• The paper should have been assessed between January 2010 and June 2011.
• The closing date for submitting applications for the award is June 30.
• The submission must consist of an English abstract, the completed application form and the dissertation.
• An international jury of representatives from science, business and the media will decide on the winning entry.
• The prizes will be awarded during the autumn of 2011.

More information and application forms can be found on www.eurammon.com or on Facebook.

Speaking about the significance of the award, Monika Witt, Chairwoman of Eurammon, said: “With the Natural Refrigeration Award, we want to support young scientists and give an international incentive for further research work into refrigeration with natural refrigerants. In the context of the current climate debate, the aim must be to make refrigeration more sustainable and promote the use of natural refrigerants. Natural refrigerants are not only environment friendly, but also energy efficient, and will, therefore, assume a more significant role in the future.”

According to Eurammon, since 2005, it has been presenting the Natural Refrigeration Award every two years.

Agreement continues Al Jazirah’s excellent relationship with Emerson, Saudi company says.

Al Jazirah for Home Appliances on February 22 signed an agreement with Nidec, thereby renewing its contract for a period of five years for a geographical zone that will include the entire Middle East and Africa.

Al Jazirah produces evaporative coolers, whereas Nidec has stepped into the niche to offer evaporative motors under the Emerson and US Motors brand names.

Wael Enani, the Marketing & Business Development Manager of Al Jazirah, said that Al Jazirah has enjoyed a 30-year relationship with Emerson and sees in the signing a continuation of the special bond with the American major.

Left to right: Eng Mohammed Al-Shammari, GM, Al Jazirah for Home Appliances; Eng Abdul Aziz Al Aboudi, Chairman, Al Jazirah for Home Appliances; Mr Kei Pang, President, Nidec Motors Corporation

Speaking to Climate Control Middle East, Enani said the signing ceremony was significant, because it saw a confluence of key stakeholders, which included three presidents – one from Nidec and two from Emerson – motor dealers and those that deal with completed evaporative cooling units. In addition, he said, the event also attracted export agents representing 18 countries in the region.

Enani said he was enthused with the warm association the company enjoyed with Emerson, adding that Emerson reciprocated the sentiment. “Emerson told us we are their number one business partner in the world,” he said.

Speaking broadly about Saudi Arabia, Enani said that the Kingdom was a hub for not only the GCC but also for the entire Middle East and Africa. “Saudi Arabia can be a prominent hub for multinational companies,” he said. “The general feeling among multinational companies is that they can trust us to go ahead not only in the Middle East but also the whole of Africa.”

New compressor comes with the promise of highest COP in the market, company says

Danfoss on March 6 conducted a product seminar in Dubai to spotlight its Performer H Series commercial compressor, which is manufactured in China.

The seminar was led by Manohar S Reddy, the company’s Global Marketing Product Manager for air conditioning compressors, who started off his presentation by saying that the Performer was the company’s next-gen scroll, because it was advanced and simple in design.

Elaborating on the product, Reddy said the product gave value to customers in the forms of energy savings (the highest COP in the market), low sound and higher reliability (with features like oil injection and HOOP – Hot Oil Over Protector).

Further, Reddy said, the Performer had one-third fewer parts than any scroll in the market, no threaded fasteners, almost no startup or shutdown sound, delta P start and adaptive control.

Elaborating on the earlier-stated claim that it had fewer internal parts than other scrolls in the market, Reddy said that this single feature imbued the compressor with higher quality, enhanced reliability and consistent performance. Likewise, the absence of threaded fasteners, Reddy said, meant it cancelled the possibility of loosening of bolts/fasteners while running, during the compressor’s lifetime, which in turn, protected the compressor from failing.

In his presentation, Reddy said the Performer also had good thermal fault protection, thanks to HOOP and a bi-metallic oil return thermal valve. The valve, he added gave additional protection for the compressor and worked in conjunction with HOOP. This, he said, greatly improved the tolerance to thermal fault conditions.

Speaking on the low sound feature, Reddy said that this was possible owing to a disk check valve. The valve, he said, was positioned right on top of the discharge port. Being a flat disk, the valve provided an excellent seal and eliminated leaks, he added. The valve, Reddy said, remained open while running and closed at the time of shutdown.

Then speaking on the oil injection feature, Reddy said it improved efficiency from reduced leakage and ensured cooler discharge temperatures at high ambient/Pr. ratio conditions and better scroll tip and floor lubrication for thermal fault conditions.

During his presentation, Reddy also addressed the issue of replacing a failed compressor, essentially presenting a checklist of dos and don’ts. For instance, he said, it was important to check for burnt electrical components and to ensure that the technicians involved in the replacement process flushed and cleaned the entire system and checked for the proper oil level. It was also important, Reddy said, to ensure that the compressor was of the same capacity and voltage and that it matched with the existing unit voltage. In the same way, it was important to check for reverse rotation and to monitor the oil level after re-commissioning. Further, he said, it was crucial that the system was checked to ensure adequate oil returned even under minimum load conditions.

Speaking generally about the Performer, Reddy clarified that there were no design changes in what was manufactured in US and in China.

When asked why the company decided to manufacture the Performer out of China, Reddy said it was to serve the Chinese, Indian and Middle East markets better.

Prior to Reddy’s presentation, Julio Molinari, President (Middle East) of Danfoss FZCO, spoke on the occasion.

7-9 April 2011, Shanghai, China

China Refrigeration 2011, the 22nd International Exhibition for Refrigeration, Air-conditioning, Heating and Ventilation, Frozen Food Processing, Packaging and Storage, will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).

4-6 April 2011, Atlanta, Georgia

‘ASHRAE’s Energy Modelling Conference – Tools for Designing High Performance Buildings’ will provide hands-on modellers and principals with the information to better harness the power of energy modeling tools. The conference covers modeling fundamentals, building component contributions, software demonstrations and case studies. A collaborative perspective is provided that demonstrates how energy models and computer simulations can assist all project team members in creating energyefficient buildings.

Contact Jodi Scott
Public Relations
T: +1 678 539 1140
E: jscott@ashrae.org

Construction industry guide to the galaxy hits shelves, new guidelines, no more excuses…

Full service agency BSRIA has announced it will release the fifth edition of its guide, Rules of Thumb, mid-April. The agency claims the new edition is an updated and expanded version of previous editions, presented in a more user-friendly format.

The guide, based on general principles derived from practice and experience rather than precise theory, has been created by referencing various contemporary sources in the building services industry.

As with previous guides, the forthcoming version, with 88 pages, 41 figures and 38 tables, will be useful for approximately calculating values, setting outline targets and rapidly comparing different options to inform the early stages of the design process.

Construction industry professionals and wider stakeholders can benefit from the new edition in the following ways…

• Increased guidance about space and weight allowances
• CO2 emissions benchmarks
• Clearer guidance about costs, expanded to include energy consumption, maintenance, operation and life-cycle cost information
• A system feature section that has been subdivided into mechanical and electrical systems and further clarified
• Guidance on compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations, renewable technologies and air permeability of buildings.

Niche technology providers benefiting from Qatar promise on sustainable technologies

Providers of sustainable technologies are already feeling the positive business effects of the 2022 World Cup, whose bid featured numerous sustainable initiatives.

Charles Constantin addresses the gathering

With key projects, such as transport and logistics hubs, being accelerated as the clock ticks towards Qatar 2022, Doha hosted Geze Supreme Building Technology 2011 late last month.

Speaking from the event, Charles Constantin, managing director, Geze Middle East, noted: “Innovation and sustainability go together, and we are seeing new demand for innovative technologies that meet high safety and efficiency standards.”

Predicting that control and monitoring systems to handle the opening status of windows in the event of fire, and for daily ventilation purposes, will become standard in a few years, Constantin explained: “Fast adoption of technologies would be expected in the GCC region, particularly in countries such as Qatar that have demonstrated the will and desire to seek environmentally sustainable solutions, as evidenced in the recent Qatar 2022 bid proposals.”

Of the event, Constantin said: “We have connected with existing and potential partners, including contractors, architects and other industry stakeholders who contribute by driving the adoption of such niche technologies in projects. We have recently retooled our operations in the region and are focusing on transferring technologies that deliver just that.”

Dalkia and Arcapita JV awarded 29-year concession, responsible for one of the region’s largest cooling operations

Abu Dhabi tourism, cultural and residential projects master developer, TDIC has awarded a public private partnership (PPP) concession to Dalkia and Arcapita JV partnership.

The deal is the first of its kind on Saadiyat and incorporates design, build, finance, operation and maintenance of three plants over 29 years. It is said to be one of the Middle East’s largest DC operations, pumping out 50,000TR over an area of 27km2.

Andrew Seymour, director of infrastructure, TDIC, said of the move, “The awarding of contracts for the cooling plants is an important step forward in the infrastructure development of Saadiyat, as we prepare for the opening of the island’s first hotels later this year, and look forward to further projects coming online in the near future.”

The objective was to develop a strategy to provide cost-effective, efficient cooling services across the 1.6 million m2 built-up area. The environmental impact was a major consideration, Seymour pointed out, “In-line with our sustainable objectives and targets, managing the issues of water conservation and environmental output continue to lead our agenda.”

Two of the three cooling plants on Saadiyat will be completed by 2012, with the third at Saadiyat Beach District to be completed in 2016 as further projects come on stream.

During the concession period, Arcapita will provide project finance, while Dalkia will perform engineering works, manage plant construction and operation.

The King & Spalding legal team advising TDIC was led by global transactions partner, Tim Burbury. “We are very pleased with the result and are proud to be associated with this groundbreaking deal, Burbury said. “We congratulate TDIC on its success.”

When completed in 2020, Saadiyat is expected to be home to 145,000 residents with leisure and tourism facilities. It is being touted as the world’s largest single concentration of cultural institutions, including the Zayed National Museum, the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

B Surendar

Saudi Arabia, according to a recent Reuters report, at more than 260 billion barrels, has a fifth of the world’s stock of recoverable crude oil, and when viewed from that perspective, has the wherewithal to meet its power needs. However, the Kingdom is confronted with soaring domestic energy use. In 2010, it consumed 40 gigawatts of power; that figure, according to the report, is expected to triple by 2032.

That kind of expansion, the report says, could see the country consume all of the roughly eight million barrels per day that it produces. Right now, out of the eight million barrels a day, over three million are consumed domestically, mainly for generating power. That figure is growing eight per cent per annum, the report said.

The writing on the wall is clear. Higher domestic consumption of crude oil means fewer barrels to sell.

From that perspective, Saudi Arabia is highly motivated in its search for renewable sources of power, especially solar. The kingdom enjoys bright sunshine for a large part of the year and is ideally poised to exploit this natural feature, but first it – and for that matter, the world – needs to address the several technological challenges involved in the harnessing of energy from the sun. There is no clear indication how long it will take for the world to benefit from solar at attractive efficiencies.

In the meanwhile, there is always energy efficiency. During IDEA’s centennial Annual Conference & Trade Show, in Washington DC, I was privileged to listen to Olivier Barbaroux, the Chairman and CEO of Veolia Energy, who made a telling comment on how the world could do a better job on focusing on energy efficiency, a market worth $50 billion, in his estimate. Later at the event, Gary Locke, the US Secretary of State famously described energy efficiency “as the fifth fuel”. The drivers for energy efficiency could be the very same industry that consumes 70% of a building’s total power consumption – air conditioning. District cooling, with a proper engineering approach, could be it. Cogen could be it. With an integrated approach in place, Saudi Arabia can well be on its way to reduce the number of power plants on the drawing board.

This calls for detailed discussion. And hopefully, the Climate Control Summit, on March 28 and 29, will provide some answers, which we would be delighted to share with you in subsequent issues.

Next month, we will be discussing another equally important issue – food safety from refrigeration and air filtration perspectives. And as a precursor, we bring to you in this issue our bi-annual supplement, called Food Chain. I hope you enjoy this issue. As usual, we crave your feedback (to surendar@cpi-industry.com).

A core component in the construction and real estate sector, the air conditioning market in the UAE has been dented due to the economic downturn. Though it is showing signs of recovery, the picture that emerges after toting up the positive and negative columns appears far from clear. We bring you an analysis…

THE BACKGROUND

Air conditioning is a necessity in the UAE, given its geography and climate. Air conditioners, therefore, will continue to be in demand in the country, in one form or the other, for the foreseeable future. Despite this, the market for packaged and split air conditioners has witnessed a dip over the last three years, though the nature of air conditioning itself has evolved.

The reasons for the sluggish air conditioning market are not difficult to ascertain. According to the IMF, the UAE’s GDP as a whole shrunk by 0.7% in 2009. The global economic slowdown, shutting down of capital markets, the fallout from Dubai’s property crash and the impact of the announcement concerning deferment of debt, could be enumerated as the main causes for the contracted GDP. This has obviously had a direct impact on Dubai’s packaged air conditioning sector, in particular, and the UAE’s in general.

In Dubai and the Northern Emirates, the rate of change of the GDP registered in 2009 was -1.3%, with predictions of further shrink by another 1.3% in 2010. In comparison, Abu Dhabi had a better economic report card. In 2009, the change in its GDP was -0.1%. It improved by 2.9% in 2010. Spurred by government’s fiscal stimulus, its economic activity remained on an even keel. However, it is predicted that it will be negatively impacted by a slowdown in government spending.

After oil and trade, the building and construction sector is the third largest sector in the UAE, constituting $23 billion or about 6% of GDP. But over 52% of construction projects were reportedly suspended, due to the economic crisis. Despite this, paradoxically, the construction and property market in the UAE is still by far the largest in the Gulf.

According to MEED, in August 2009, projects worth USD923 billion were still planned or under way in the country. Business Monitor International (BMI) forecasts that the contribution of construction to the economy will return to levels of over 10% of GDP in 2011. These facts, evidently give out mixed signals to the country’s air conditioning sector.

BLOWING HOT AND COLD

A perceivable decline in the air conditioning market began in 2009 and registered a further decline in 2010. Although a large number of projects were put on hold as the global economic crisis began to impact the region and the country in late 2008, interestingly, sales of air conditioners did not reflect a corresponding dip, as the market was kept afloat by a backlog of orders. However, predictably, the slim order books in 2009 affected sales figures in 2010. The market reportedly saw a gradual rise in order levels in 2010. The sale of air conditioning is expected to pick up slightly in 2011 and a further recovery is indicated by 2012.

The good news is that the UAE government’s fiscal stimulus, such as it is, is aimed at infrastructure, including its nuclear power plant, oil and gas facilities. The public sector has also injected money in renovating schools and police stations. All this will, perhaps, translate into healthier sales figures for the air conditioning sector in the coming months.

Masdar City in Abu Dhabi is a major on-going project. Touted to be the first zero-carbon city in the country, the project includes residential buildings, offices, hotels and retail areas. This, again, holds promise.

But despite positive signs, the pattern that is emerging is an ambivalent one for the air conditioning sector. While the construction sector’s shift in focus from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in itself is not a bad thing, a cause for worry for the sector is the fact that a large number of projects in the capital are mega infrastructure undertakings in roads, rail, airports and ports. On the other hand, private sector investments in residential and commercial construction are declining, particularly in Dubai. However, this decrease is not as pronounced in Abu Dhabi as it is in Dubai, as it reportedly has a shortage of accommodation.

An important reason that can be attributed to a lot of residential developments in Dubai being put on hold, is Dubai is mainly a foreign investment market, and is consequently hit by the economic crisis, whereas Abu Dhabi is driven by local investment and government projects. Due to the market shifting to Abu Dhabi, manufacturers who have had a stronger presence in the capital have shown more resilience to the downturn. This has, undoubtedly, helped the country’s economy as a whole, but Dubai’s recovery has been slow, as the emirate has forged itself as a separate business entity. The general global perception, too, has nurtured this image. While this is a useful perception when the economy is on the upswing, it is not exactly helpful during a downturn, such as the recent one.

The picture becomes even more confusing in the light of the fact that though many projects have been put on hold, the number of new hotels in the UAE continues to grow. In Abu Dhabi, construction is well under way to develop hotels on Saadiyat lsland.

AIR CONDITIONING – PROS AND CONS

Thanks to the low customs tax of five per cent, the UAE has a large re-export business. Air conditioning products are imported to the country via ports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. According to the latest statistics published by the Abu Dhabi government, re-export jumped 43.4% during the first quarter of 2010 in Abu Dhabi. Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the Sultanate of Oman are the major destinations for the Abu Dhabi re-export market.

Under packaged and split air conditioners, the important products in the UAE are high wall mounted single split, ducted single split, window and rooftop single packaged air conditioners. While multi-split air conditioners are not found to be popular in the country, inverter and heat pump functions are not applicable, given the country’s climate.

Though a big wedge of the packaged air conditioning market pie is claimed by imports from China, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and South Korea, there are several local manufacturers with a product line-up for the UAE and its export markets – mainly other Middle Eastern and African countries.

Despite the fact that there is no ground-breaking change in the construction practice in the country, end-users and design consultants are now more aware of environmental and energy issues.

Reflecting the global mantra of sustainability, the UAE government has thrown its weight behind energy efficient air conditioning products in recent years. As an upshot of this, the Federal UAE Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (ESMA) is working on a project on air conditioner energy performance standard. ESMA initiated a preliminary survey and data collection project in the first half of 2010, involving brands like O General (Fujitsu General), Super General, LG, Westpoint, Mitsubishi Electric, Carrier, Supra, Aftron and Samsung. The products on ESMA’s radar are window, ductless split, portable, multi-split and packaged air conditioners.

Since environmental concern has entered the equation, in the long run, air conditioners that are environment friendly and reduce energy bills are likely to survive and prevail, be they innovations from established brands or new entrants in the market which can deliver on these two counts.

WILL VRFS MAKE INROADS?

Though the concept of VRF is still new to the UAE market, it showed promise of growth in 2010 due to aggressive marketing of its products by Daikin in the last quarter of 2009. Daikin continues to actively promote its VRV (Daikin’s trade name for its VRF system) application to design consultants and end-users. The other main players in the VRF segment are LG and Mitsubishi Electric.

Given a choice, end-users would probably prefer VRF systems, as they are considered more environmental friendly and consume lower energy. The fact that VRF units are finding greater acceptance among buyers is, perhaps, a courteous nod to sustainability.

TRENDS AND FEATURES

The following are the broad discernable market trends:

The market is highly competitive with 64 brands vying for market share. Most of them are manufactured by OEMs.

Window units, high wall single split and ducted split are preferred air conditioners for residential applications.

Single high wall split units remain the most preferred type for the residential air conditioner range, and are also used to replace old window units due to their lower noise levels, better performance and a small price difference between the two.

The market for window air conditioners has shrunk. They are being used only in low-cost or temporary developments. Trends indicate that they could gradually be phased out.

Single duct split units were introduced about a decade ago, and are still an on-going trend in new developments.

Demand for high wall single split air conditioner is expected to grow in the next few years. BSRIA estimates that in 2013, the other commercially used split air conditioner market.

BSRIA predicts that the other commercially used split air conditioner market will continue to shrink. The reason being, it is heavily reliant on new construction market conditions and, therefore, a pre-recession peak would be difficult to achieve, given the present economic and real estate scenario. BSRIA forecasts that it will gradually pick up from 2012 onwards, but with a caveat: a large percentage of ducted splits were installed in high-rise apartments in Dubai, and most of these projects were foreign investment projects. It will, therefore, be difficult to recreate the same level of foreign investment projects post economic crisis. This is also one of the reasons why BSRIA expects to see a slower recovery in the single split commercial air conditioner market.

The market for rooftop packaged units registered a sharp drop in 2009 and 2010 due to the decline in new projects. Though a few residential villas installed units, demand decreased during recession due to their higher cost and lack of a strong selling point. It can be concluded that indoor rooftop packaged units do not constitute a big chunk of the market in the country. They are now mainly used in mosques, schools, warehouses and shopping centres. However, a niche market for customised rooftop products in the infrastructure sector has evolved in the last two years. The demand can be attributed to the government injecting money to build nuclear, oil and gas plants during the recession.

Brand has been found to be a key criterion in the decision-making process among buyers.

There is no domestic market for moveable air conditioners. However, they do have a re-export market.

CONCLUSION

When all the positive and negative aspects influencing the air conditioning sector are factored in, it becomes evident that predicting market trends with any degree of certainty will only lead us to the realm of supposition.

Since oil prices may continue to rise due to political upheaval in a number of oil producing countries, it is thought this will inject new life into the real estate and construction sector in the UAE, not only increasing its overall GDP growth, but also giving impetus to the air conditioning market in the coming months.