Flowserve McCANNA

Flowserve Corporation has introduced the Flowserve McCANNA cartridge ball valve, a flow control product for the HVAC industry which is designed for less maintenance and more productivity in hazardous or remote applications.

“Flowserve has the experience to design products that increase plant safety and productivity in the most demanding applications,” said Brian Hood, product manager at Flowserve Flow Control Division.

The new product’s captive self-aligning bolting enables its internal cartridge assembly to be robotically removed and replaced in one assembly. During an emergency, valve components can be accessed or replaced in minutes.

Hood remarked, “The McCANNA cartridge ball valve simplifies installation and maintenance while withstanding high operating temperatures and hazardous process fluids.”

The valve’s design is based on proven McCANNA top-entry valve technology. It has a unique one-piece metal seat, which provides better wear resistance and a higher operating temperature range compared to soft-seated designs. The full port top-entry valve uses a single bonnet seal and live loaded stem seals for high seal integrity in hazardous applications.

A Hungarian district heating firm has teamed up with Techem, a global provider of energysaving solutions, to help flat owners in Budapest save on their energy bills by putting across the message via advertising animation.

“Our customers are not experts,” said Zsuzsa Gyarmati, communications manager at of FÖTÁV Zrt, in Budapest. “This is why we show them in a simple and pleasant manner how they can save money for heating and hot water.”

Béla, a cartoon character in the FÖTÁV infomercial, is a flat owner sweating due to constant heating. He complains about the high cost of heating, but eventually discovers FÖTÁV’s new ÖKOPlus programme. Then he convinces his neighbours to participate and applies for subsidies and financing.

By installing radiator thermostats in a building’s heating system, flat owners can save as much as 15% on their energy consumption. This means that district heating is hardly the cause of highheating costs, contrary to the belief of most flat owners in Budapest.

“[T]he setback is the lack of opportunities for individual heating adjustments and transparent billing,” said Techem, which has provided FÖTÁV the exact database and cost estimates for equipment for consumption control and cost allocation.

It added that in 2008 alone, $124.2 million (€90m) was invested into the improvement of energy efficiency in Budapest, where many houses were traditionally provided with district heating and hot water. But the energy costs were at a flat rate, as regulation for individual measurement was limited.

“This caused several customers to have an overall negative attitude towards district heating,” explained Gyarmati. “That is why we have taken the initiative to restructure and modernise through the support programme, ÖKOPlus.”

The state funds the programme with a grant of 50% of investment costs for individual customer. Some district administrations may also fund the remaining primary costs under certain circumstances, such as when a customer cannot afford paying for such.

Under ÖKOPlus, customers are given a period of 10 years for repayment. Customers, who are also given a 10% discount on basic fees, may apply directly to FÖTÁV without involving their banks.

FÖTÁV, however, needs an accurate quotation in advance before deciding on an application. This is quite a problem, as the heating systems installed in most buildings in Budapest are old.

“Within the scope of numerous larger pilot projects, the energy solution provider recorded the data of those houses and flats, whose owners had shown interests in the programme,” Techem said in a note.

There are now 458 flat-sharing communities, or 39,000 flats, participating in the ÖKOPlus programme. Techem transmits the recorded consumption values, and the owners then pass on the data to FÖTÁV, which prepares the bills.

“The energy savings solution provider’s modernised metering and billing services have ensured billing based on consumption, as well as incentives to save,” Gyarmati said. “As a result of which, we have gained satisfied customers and, in the future, we will also provide them with district heating.”

Qatar Oryx Chapter recognises venue sponsor for hosting its seminars and training programmes, conducts one on ‘air syndrome in closed water systems’

The Qatar Oryx Chapter of ASHRAE on February 23 recognised the support it has received from The College of The North Atlantic in conducting its activities. “Since the chartering of our local chapter, we have been intensively supported by various parties of the construction industry,” said Ramiz Gabrial, President-Elect (2009-2010). “The educational institutions were not far from playing their educational role through helping the Chapter to extend its professional services to the local construction industry professionals. The College of The North Atlantic – Qatar was among our major supporters through providing us the use of their campus facilities to conduct some of the Chapter’s technical events.”

The Chapter recognised the college by presenting a certificate of appreciation. Monica Kennedy, Marketing and PR Manager of the college received a brass-engraved wooden plaque from Gabrial. Khaled Mohsen, also of the college, and Seenu Pillai, the Chapter Secretary were present during the appreciation ceremony.

The Chapter on February 27, conducted a full-day training programme, titled ‘Air syndrome in closed water systems’. Faisal Jassim Trading Company and Tour Anderson sponsored the programme, held at the College of The North Atlantic – Qatar.

The subject, of great interest and importance to the air conditioning industry, was presented by Claude Bulthez, the Training Manager of Penumatex Dynamic Water management. In his presentation, Bulthez provided a theoretical and practical description of the problem and stressed on the industry’s wrong perceptions and practices in dealing with air accumulation in a closed water system. Air in closed water systems causes unnecessary loss of energy, loss of water, loss of system controllability as well as total loss of the system operation, Bulthez stressed. The syndrome can occur in heating as well as in cooling systems, he added.

About 80 members from the consulting, contracting and institutional fields (both from the public and private sectors) attended the programme.

Award for The College of The North Atlantic. From left to right: Khaled Mohsen, Monica Kennedy, Ramiz Gabrial and Seenu Pillai

Training programme on ‘Air Syndrome in Closed Water Systems’

Training programme on ‘Air Syndrome in Closed Water Systems

Upcoming Event …

The Qatar Oryx Chapter of ASHRAE on April 10 will conduct a training programme that will focus on cooling towers, centrifugal filtration of water systems and AHU system design. Green Technology and Contracting Company, in association with EVAPCO, Lakos and Rosenberg, will be the sponsor of the seminar, to be held at the College of The North Atlantic – Qatar.

Europe’s severe winter boosted sales in heating products but delayed building projects

Systemair, a global ventilation company, has reported a negligible drop in profit for the third quarter of a split fiscal year.

Net income dropped one per cent to $9.2 million (66.6 MSEK, or million Swedish kronors) between November and January while net turnover sank one per cent to $110.0 million (799 MSEK) for the same period.

”We are satisfied with achieving turnover and profit on level for the same quarter last year,” said the company’s president and CEO, Gerald Engström.

He added that while the biting winter throughout Europe had caused increased sales in heating products, it also delayed and stopped a series of building projects, causing a drop in sales in ventilation products.

Systemair said in a statement that it is “very satisfied” with its “good cash flow and strong balance sheet”. It stressed, “We estimate that our market share is increasing on a number of markets.”

The company’s largest production plant in Skinnskatteberg has returned to a five-day workweek from January 1.

“We are cautiously optimistic for the next quarters,” it said. “When the markets turn up, our production plants will be well-equipped for a substantial increase in volumes.”

Systemair posted a turnover of $454.6 million (3.3b Swedish kronors) last year. It has operations in 38 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

This will help clients address the growing need to improve asset management

IBM and Johnson Controls have teamed up to provide smart solutions that would improve operations and reduce energy and water consumption in buildings worldwide.

In a statement, Johnson Controls said it will combine its sustainable energyefficiency services with IBM’s software and hardware services, to help clients address the growing need to improve asset management.

It added that key elements of the offering are designed to address critical building performance areas, including systems integration, energy management, enterprise reporting, space utilisation and asset management.

“The integration of IBM Tivoli software and Johnson Controls’ building technology solutions provides complete information, in order to make decisions that impact the bottom line,” said Clay Nesler, the vice-president for global energy and sustainability at Johnson Controls.

Nesler added: “With our Smart Building Solution, energy and asset management is enhanced in new ways that optimise environmental performance and operational efficiencies across a single building or an entire portfolio of buildings.”

William Sawyer, the vicepresident of Tivoli Maximo Operations at IBM Sofware Group, said the solution will help a property optimise energy and environmental performance by integrating the building, infrastructure and enterprise systems.

He remarked, “This will provide our clients with advanced intelligence capabilities that will measurably improve building operations.”

HVAC motors with fixed speeds were replaced with ABB ACH550

ABB ACH550

A year after replacing its old HVAC systems with ABB engineering technology, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel has reduced its carbon-dioxide emissions by 35% and overall energy costs also by 35%.

“Considering this is only the first phase of the installation, we’re very impressed with the huge reductions in energy consumption we’ve experienced,” said the hotel’s director of engineering, Keith Tose. “Overall, we see this as the best solution to make Jumeirah Beach Hotel a more energy-efficient building.”

The hotel, which is the first property under the Jumeirah Group, has replaced its HVAC motors that ran in fixed speeds with ABB ACH550 variable speed drives.

HVAC motors with fixed speeds do not allow for adjustments in response to the varying demand for power with regard to the time of day, the time of year and environmental conditions.

“As HVAC motors account for more than 60% of a building’s total energy consumption, motors running at fixed speeds cause higher energy consumption,” the hotel said in a statement.

ABB drives, on the other hand, enable the motors to run efficiently at optimal speed, as and when required. These are connected to a state-of-theart control system, which is fully integrated into the building management system (BMS). The system allows a single-user interface, providing a onestop access to all the HVAC drives in a building.

The statement said the ABB’s ACH550 standard drive is the first dedicated AC drive developed for HVAC applications, and is known to reduce energy consumption by as much as 80%.

Describes the award as a ‘landmark accomplishment’

NAPCO, a UK-based manufacturer of specialised adhesives, coatings and sealants, has achieved certification by the US-based Underwriter Laboratories (UL) Inc.

The company described the award as a “landmark accomplishment”, making it the first and only firm in the region to have to have its complete range of HVAC products UL-certified.

Its manufacturing unit in the UAE, NAPCO Middle East Ltd, has been producing HVAC adhesives, coatings and sealants for over 15 years, with projects also in Africa and Asia.

Population growth demands expansion in the infrastructure, healthcare and real-estate sectors

Drake & Scull International for Electrical Contracting Kuwait (DSK) has won two contracts worth $24.52 million (Dh90m) within the education sector in Kuwait City, the first for the Kuwaiti-based company following its acquisition by Drake & Scull International (DSI) in December.

Khaldoun Tabari

“DSI growth strategy is focused on strengthening our presence in Kuwait, among other markets, and with the help of DSK, we expect to establish ourselves in the Kuwaiti market as leaders in the MEP industry,” said Khaldoun Tabari, vicechairman and CEO of DSI.

Kuwait announced earlier this year a four-year, $104-billion economic stimulus plan, which includes budget for major developments across Kuwait. These infrastructure projects, valued at $20 billion in contract revenue, will be in the form of roads, airports, hospitals and schools. Various residential and commercial projects are also needed to accommodate the country’s rapid population growth.

“Kuwait’s growing population is making demands on the country to expand its infrastructure, healthcare and real-estate sectors, so we see a lot of potential there,” Tabari said. “From every angle, DSI sees an abundance of opportunities within Kuwait, and our encouraging start in the year provides a positive insight for 2010.”

DSI acquired 75% of DSK at end-2009, in line with the company’s declaration to pursue acquisition negotiations in Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

These are part of ADSSC’s $7b investment programme over the next five years

AECOM in the Middle East is teaming up with the Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company (ADSSC), to help deliver two projects that will provide facilities for isolated properties in the capital.

The first project involves supervising the design and construction of sewerage connections and related works for said properties while the second project is for the second phase of the design and construction supervision of wastewater relocation works under the roads and utility schemes in Abu Dhabi.

These projects are part of ADSSC’s $6.54-billion (Dh24bn) investment programme over the next five years which will prepare Abu Dhabi to meet the Emirates 2030 Vision with a state-of-the-art wastewater infrastructure.

“ADSSC has a very large programme of work requiring expertise from around the globe,” said the company’s managing director, Alan Thomson. “Our relationship with AECOM is an important element of programme delivery, and we are pleased to continue our relationship with AECOM following the award of these contracts.”

The range of current commissions with ADSSC includes the relocation of wastewater trunk lines along Salam Street. AECOM is also involved in the delivery of four projects under construction on the same street, in addition to the design review and construction supervision of sewage treatment plants in Zafaran, Mafraq and Zakher.

Noting the 15-year working relationship between the two companies, David Barwell, CEO of AECOM in the Middle East, hopes this will continue with the help of the latest contracts.

He remarked, “These two new wins build upon our existing successful working relationship with ADSSC and is testament to the confidence that ADSSC has in AECOM, providing the expertise that is much needed in a fast growing part of the country.”

Bahwan Electronics and AHI Carrier on February 23 jointly launched the Tempstar brand of commercial air conditioners in Muscat during a technical seminar at the SAS Radisson Hotel, Muscat.

Tempstar is a brand owned by United Technologies Corporation (UTC) and is manufactured by International Comfort Products (ICP). Bahwan Electronics, a part of the Suhail Bahwan Group, is the distributor of Tempstar products in Oman.

Jayaprakash Menon and Colin Perkins

Giving the introductory speech, Jayaprakash Menon, the General Manager of Bahwan Electronics, spoke of a common aspiration to protect the earth for future generations. Pointing out to dire predictions that the earth would not be the same in 50 years’ time, Menon said one of the biggest environmental concerns was refrigerant gases. “To counter that, scientists have come up with green gases,” Menon said. “Tempstar’s range of air conditioners use green refrigerants, which can cut ozone depleting emissions by 30%.”

Speaking after Menon, ICP’s Manager for Export Sales, Colin Perkins, said that ICP, as a part of UTC, has embraced a corporate culture of environmental stewardship, under which it has embarked on a new fouryear programme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12%, water consumption by 10% and non recyclable waste by 30%, all on an absolute basis as compared to the previous years.

Under the environmental stewardship programme, Perkins said, UTS was the first major corporation to offer the R410A refrigerant. This was in 1994. Subsequently, in 2006, Tempstar introduced R410A models into the US market.

In his presentation, Perkins pointed out that though the Montreal Protocol allowed the continued use of R22 through 2030 in developing nations, there were indications that many of them were taking steps to voluntarily change to environmentally friendly refrigerants. The UAE, for instance, was considering an accelerated phase-out of R22. And Latin America and the countries of the Caribbean were moving towards R410A. The R410A, Perkins said, is an azeotropic mixture. It does not segregate or stratify during off cycles, which is the case with zeotropic blends.

The R410A, Perkins added, is more efficient than R22 or similar-performance, “drop-in” zeotropic blends. Elaborating on its efficiency, Perkins said that the R410A has 31% more heat-carrying capacity in the vapour phase; 30% higher heat transfer coefficients; and a higher operating pressure (50-70% more), which equals higher gas density.

Keeping in mind the higher operating pressure and also its properties, though, R410A units require different components, Perkins admitted. For instance, they need new condenser coils, re-sized expansion devises, less system refrigerant and new specially designed compressors. The Tempstar R410A systems, Perkins said, use scroll compressors. The thicker casing of the compressors is able to tolerate higher pressures and temperatures, he added.

Saying that ICP has been active in the Gulf Region for 25 years, of which 19 years have been with the Tempstar brand, Perkins then elaborated on the specific range of products the company was launching in Oman, including split-system condensers (1.5-5 TR) and package rooftops.

The company’s split-system condenser, R4AE, Perkins said, has a 13+ SEER rating. As standard features, it has scroll compressors, high pressure switch, low-pressure switch, filter drier, phase monitor, and corrosion-resistant, polymer-coated coil. The split systems, Perkins said, are specifically designed for high ambient (52ºC) and severe climatic conditions.

Speaking, then, on the company’s packaged rooftop systems (RAS), which come in nine models, ranging from five to 20 TR, Perkins said, they are ASHRAE 90.1 compliant and boast of standard EERs from 9.9 to 12.3 at ASHRAE rating points.

The rooftop systems, Perkins said, have precisionsized scroll compressor, low and high pressure protection, no-strip screw technology and a non corrosive condensate pan (which meets ASHRAE 62 guidelines). Further, the systems have easy-access handled panels, larger and centralised control box, command centre terminal board, flexible belt-drive fan and a 75VA transformer with circuit breaker. Among the different models of the rooftop system, the 17-2o TR models have as standard features an extended bearing lube line, a dedicated vertical duct-configuration model, a dedicated horizontal (S/S) duct-configuration model and slide-out filter tracks.

Generally speaking, the rooftop systems, Perkins said, come with several factory-installed options, including temperature and enthalpy economiser, nonfused disconnect, multiple fan motors and drives, twoposition motorised damper, manual damper, smoke detectors (return air, supply air, or both), CO2 sensor, louvred hail guard, coated coils and centrifugal power exhaust.

The seminar was also attended by Jafar Imam, Regional Manager (RLC), AHI Carrier.