B Surendar

Let me start off by saying that the inaugural C3 in Saudi Arabia was well received and that issues of significance came up for substantial and meaningful discussion. Considering that the conference is from the same stable as the magazine, you may question the objectivity of my observations, but as the coverage on the event (please turn to page 26) will reveal, that was, indeed, the case.

The conference served as a forum on several fronts. For long, the Kingdom, a pioneer in air conditioning-, refrigeration- and ventilation-related installations in the region, has emerged with sophisticated technological advances. The sheer size of the country being such, these projects have been spread so far and wide that they have remained relatively obscure and tucked away from accolades. The conference was a convergence of the technological advancements, be it the central cooling facility in King Saud University or the massive cold storage facilities at Tabuk Agricultural Development Company (TADCO), which by the way, I am told, is so large a farm that it occupies an area comparable to the whole of Bahrain.

On the issue front, the announcement by National Water Company (NWC) that it is committed to supplying treated sewage effluent (TSE) to key projects and key cities in the Kingdom was welcome news, considering the acute water shortage in Saudi Arabia and its impact on district cooling, in terms of perception and feasibility. Hisham Hajaj of Stanley Consultants provided an instance of the positive perception while making a presentation on the Retirement Fund projects in the Kingdom. Speaking about the two district cooling plant rooms in the King Abdullah Financial District project, Hajaj said that the wise officials at the Retirement Fund consented to consider district cooling as an option only after they were assured of a steady supply of TSE.

Another issue that sparked interest among delegates concerned the discussion on large central cooling plants and an integrated approach to district cooling, turbine inlet air cooling (TIAC) and other industrial applications. The discussion unveiled an appealing option for district cooling providers, long faced with the vexing issue of amorphous load-profiles.

Speaking about the overall profile of the conference, for us, as organisers, we stood by our tradition of producing a dedicated and comprehensive HVACR conference. Though it gets quite cold in TADCO (it goes to even minus five degrees centigrade, I am told), heating was not an area that came up for discussion; but all the other letters of the acronym stood up pretty well in Riyadh.

French firms must market to the Middle East the EU-sanctioned standards of HVAC equipment, to take advantage of the region’s growing industry.

Should French companies be interested in tapping the HVAC&R industry in the Middle East, they had better start participating in various exhibitions held in the Gulf. These firms must present their latest products and services to concerned consultants, contractors and clients in the Gulf, wherein rapidly growing economies offer tremendous potential for foreign companies interested in setting up shop in the region or striking partnerships with their domestic and regional counterparts.

The HVAC&R industry in France doesn’t hold much influence over the markets across the Gulf Arab states, which are familiar with the US and British standards with regard to equipment and components related to heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration. French companies must also work to market to the region industry standards sanctioned by the European Union, in order to facilitate the importation of their products into the region.

“To improve their influence they shall present their products and the advancement they have contributed to this industry,” says Rami Al Khalil, the Abu Dhabi-based sales manager of Morex, a full-service representative company for HVAC, firefighting products and industrial equipment. But he notes that these products are most likely not rated or manufactured according to specifications imposed by the hot climes in the Gulf and the wider Middle East region. He remarks, “This will create difficulty in selecting equipment complying with the required design and weather conditions.”

He and Frank van Leemput, the area sales manager of Baltimore Aircoil Gulf, say HVAC&R companies and professionals in the region and their counterparts in France may also explore chances for technology transfer through industrial bodies. Al Khalil remarks, “Technology transfer shall be between French manufacturers and formal industrial bodies and all the parties involved in the HVAC&R industry ….”

There are not a noticeable number of French companies involved in the Gulf’s HVAC&R industry, van Leemput says. But inasmuch as any region outside Europe now has a bigger potential for HVAC&R business, it would be in the best interests of companies in France and other parts of Europe to explore the Gulf market, particularly Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.

“These countries are the strongest in economy in the Gulf area, besides the various development projects they have planned in the coming 20 years,” Al Khalil says. The Gulf countries and the whole Middle East will be needing millions of tonnes of refrigeration for their district cooling systems for many years.

French companies, for instance, may use their expertise on anti-LD (legionnaires’ disease) in the manufacture and installation of cooling towers, the heat-removal devices that send process-heat waste into the atmosphere. The common applications of these devices include cooling the circulating water used in oil refineries, chemical plants, power stations and building-cooling systems.

“Due to the heavy anti-LD legislation in France, French companies are assumed to have gained excellent expertise in this area,” says Dubai-based van Leemput, whose US-headquartered company manufactures heat transfer and ice thermal storage products. LD is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia brought about by human inhalation of bacteria in aerosols or water droplets. France adheres to a code of practice, called L8, to control the spread of LD. This code covers the manufacture and installation of cooling towers and other related equipment and components.

Major French companies engaged in power and energy are also flexing their resources to gain a larger market share and a better foothold in the international market. Consider the public megaconglomerate, Areva, for instance, which recently acquired the solar thermal startup Ausria, for an unknown amount. Ausria’s solar technology stores part of the heat generated by the sun during the day, so that this can keep producing electricity even when the sun doesn’t shine.

“I see this as a good sign for the capitalintensive solar thermal market,” says Michael Graham Richard, a writer based in Ottawa, in February. “Projections have it growing at around 20% per year for the next decade, but depending on a few things (price of oil, carbon taxes, major climate events and new scientific discoveries), solar could potentially expand even faster than that (or slower, if we’re unlucky).”

Affected by the economic downturn, the solar thermal market expects a smaller growth rate in the next few years. But since the world is leaning towards renewable energies, the market for solar thermal continues to grow, according to BSRIA, a UK-based construction and building services consultancy. The normally favoured distribution channel in the European market is through installers and plumbers, except for the UK, Greece, Germany and France, where it is done through wholesalers.

France is also home to a number of trade shows in heating and airconditioning – in which firms and professionals in the Gulf could participate and visit, in order the learn more what that European country could offer to the region’s HVAC&R industry. Take, for instance, the Interclima + Elec Home & Building and the Enéo events. A biennial international exhibition in Paris, Interclima is dedicated to heating, refrigeration, air-conditioning and sanitary wares, while Enéo focuses on energy, climate control and water management.

A clear strategy on water slakes concerns about district cooling in the Kingdom

Delegates at The Climate Control Conference (C3) in Riyadh heard with relief that some of the key players in Saudi Arabia are doing district cooling right, be it in terms of water, power or financing. They also listened to the possibility of diverting cooling loads from residential to power plants and other industrial applications. Further, they responded to insights on refrigeration and ventilation.

The three-day conference, from March 14 to 16, was quite comprehensive in nature, including as it did almost all aspects of HVACR. It was a first for the Kingdom and, in that context, well received.

Day 1 focused on district cooling, with two clearly divided sessions. The morning session focused on the opportunities and challenges for district cooling in the Kingdom, whereas the afternoon session largely focused on what the rest of the GCC has to offer in terms of experience, expertise and refrain, borne out of over a decade of doing district cooling.

A standout feature of the morning session was that delegates got a localised flavour of Riyadh. The city’s King Saud University was a major point of focus in the 1970s when it established a central cooling plant. Using centrifugal chillers, it was able to achieve 1kW/TR, which was lauded as a technological advance and as something quite energy efficient. Equally significant, it used TSE, though it started off with using freshwater. Nevertheless, over the years, it has toted up the longest operating experience with TSE, something that its installers, the US Corps of Engineers, can be quite proud of. People at the conference listened with interest as Dr Zeyad A Al Suhaibani, Assistant Professor (Engineering Department) at the university took them through the profile of the district cooling regimen. They were particularly interested in hearing about the successful and sustained use of TSE from the 1970s, considering that the UAE has been using the source of water only from 2004 onwards.

While Saudi Arabia has had experience with central cooling plants for a long time, it is only in the recent past that it has adopted district cooling as a business model. The credit for being a pioneer goes to Saudi Tabreed, whose CEO, Abdul Hamid Al Mansour, shared his views on the initial days of doing district cooling. In his presentation, Al Mansour spoke of the tremendous challenges the company had to overcome, including the slab rate and also the cost of land for the plant rooms. He cited as examples the plant rooms in Jeddah and Madinah, where the plots of land cost the company SR100 million. His presentation brought home the message that the Government needs to support district cooling companies for the model to be financially viable.

Hisham Hajaj of Stanley Consultants was another key speaker. In his presentation, he highlighted the importance of the availability of water for district cooling to be successful in the Kingdom. Stanley Consultants is involved in the Pension and Retirement Fund projects in the country, in the forms of two plant rooms in King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) (capacity 100,000 TR) and the Information Technology and Communication Complex (ITCC) (30,000 TR). Hajaj spoke of how the decision makers at the Retirement Fund eventually gave the go-ahead to the project, after they were assured that the plants would use only TSE, following a signing of a contract with the National Water Company (NWC), and not freshwater. His presentation was an eye-opener to delegates that largely speaking, developers in Saudi Arabia will pursue district cooling only if a sustainable water source is available.

In a subsequent panel discussion, titled ‘The challenges and opportunities for district cooling utilities in Saudi Arabia’, Nasser H Al Aamry of NWC elaborated on TSE. In fact, Al Aamry brought a fresh air to the proceedings by saying that NWC is committed to bringing TSE to district cooling regimens in six cities, to start with, in the Kingdom and, later, to 15 cities. The six cities are Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and Al Khobar.

Later, while making a presentation, Al Aamry went on to say that NWC had started with a SR 20 billion capital and that the company is looking to bring in several external investors in other cities, with NWC as the main shareholder. The intention, he said, is to bring foreign investors to handle privatisation of water and wastewater, in terms of collection and distribution. NWC, Al Aamry added, is willing to invest $20 billion over the next 10 years to boost the water infrastructure. This news was received with abundant relief by the district cooling industry. Battered as it is by the financial downturn and the rather sharp decline in the number of projects in Dubai, till recently regarded as the epicentre of district cooling in the region, Al Aamry’s words gave plenty of optimism to the delegates.

NWC will be supporting KAFD with 22,000 m3/ day of TSE and ITCC with 5,500 m3/day. Further, it has earmarked 10,000 m3/day for Ma’aden and 700,000- 800,000 m3/day for Riyadh alone, with irrigation schemes and industries as the beneficiaries.

Al Aamry’s co-panellist in the discussion on challenges and opportunities for district cooling in Saudi Arabia was Salah Abdulaziz Al Afaliq of National Trigeneration CHP, who has championed the trigeneration concept in industrial cities in the Kingdom. During the discussion, Al Afaliq spoke on how he is generating power, steam and chilled water for a select set of industries, including plastics and food processing. Another panellist was Abdullah Mohammad Al Jardan of City Cool Saudi Arabia, who spoke at length on the experience and difficulty in King Abdullah Economic City, where Emaar, he said, could not commit to an off-take in district cooling.

In a second panel discussion on the Saudi perspective, titled ‘Construction challenges and materials and supplies’, Albert Haykal of Trane spoke on the big advantages of water-cooled chillers in Riyadh, where due to dry conditions, the cooling tower would supply 80ºF water compared to 93-95ºF in the UAE. This, Haykal said, means an ability to select chillers at 0.56kW/TR compared to 0.7kW/TR in the UAE. Considering the fact that Riyadh is the driest, Haykal said, a water-cooled system is advantageous, and the gap (the demand for water) is filled by TSE, offered by NWC. His co-panellist, Mohamed R Zackariah of Protecooling (Suhaimi Design) concurred on the benefits of the watercooled system in Riyadh.

Haykal’s another co-panellist, Mohammad Abusaa of ADC Energy Systems spoke of the difficulties for contractors when he said that the Saudi labour law makes it difficult to get labour on time. “After signing a contract, it takes three to six months to get labour visas,” Abusaa said. Construction costs and materials are slightly high compared to the UAE, but the cost of living is low, Abusaa added. His co-panellists, Robert Geday of SNC Lavalin and Abdullah Zeneeh of Rio Electromechanical concurred with him.

In the afternoon session, George Berbari of DC Pro Engineering started off the GCC perspective on district cooling when he spoke on lessons learned from executing projects in the UAE. In his presentation, he focused on the phenomenon of over-building in the UAE. “One million was installed, and less than 500,000 was utilised,” Berbari said, adding that people simply did not manage their companies properly to match their financial projections. The news of Tabreed posting a huge loss was a bold move to acknowledge past mistakes, Berbari said.

After Berbari, Geday of SNC Lavalin elaborated on the extensive experience of the company, evidenced by the facts that it has installed over 680,000 TR (35 district cooling plants) all over the UAE. And Antoine Stephan of Hamon CTC described how the company has been cooling well water in Riyadh for over 30 years. In the course of his presentation, Stephan explained how the cooling tower capacity is derated at low wet bulb temperature. In other words, Stephan said, in Riyadh, there is a need to design for a larger approach, for example 10ºF or higher, compared to 6ºF, to compensate for derating of cooling towers.

The afternoon perspectives culminated in a panel discussion during which the finance side of district cooling came into focus. Mansoor Durrani of National Commercial Bank, Saudi Arabia; Khalil Issa of Energy Central, Bahrain; Mohammad Abusaa and Jardan were the panelists. Durrani revealed how banks were still interested in financing district cooling projects, provided there is strong offtake agreement with reputable end-users or developers, such as governmental or semigovernmental entities. Issa picked up the cue when he said that district cooling providers are still interested in investing cover story in projects, but they need to do a higher level of due diligence. “Provided there is strong offtake, they are willing to consider these projects,” Issa said.

District cooling companies will avoid investing in piping, Issa added. The developer ought to do that against a transmission fee, Jardan said. Abusaa gave the contractor perspective. He said that in the new paradigm, brought about by the downturn, contractors are being selective as to whom they would work with. Simply put, Abusaa said, contractors are looking at clients with a solid financial background.

Snapshots from the Event

Antoine Stephan, Director, Hamon CTC – Dubai Branch, with his years of experience in the field of district cooling and cooling towers, talks of the myths that pose challenges to using seawater in the UAE .

The Beginning

Antoine Stephan

I was born in Beirut in 1964. I went to a French school – College Protestant Francais. After schooling, I entered the American University of Beirut, from where I graduated in BE Civil Engineering, in 1986. Because of my background and my education, I have a French way and an American way of looking at things, which I feel, is important to understand the world today – combining the European culture and the practical approach of the Americans.

I started my career in contracting in 1987, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I was there till 1989. The two years there were slow years for me, with not much happening. I moved to France and worked in the contracting estimation sector.

In 1992, Paris experienced a recession. I thought it was the right time to do an MBA and took the course. I felt it was designed more for people who wanted to focus on changing their careers. What I mean is that the course was not for beginners, but for hardened professionals.

Joining Hamon

I graduated in 1995 and joined Hamon, because I was interested in international trading.

Thanks to my job with Hamon, I came back to the Middle East, where I took up the role of Business Development Manager. I was in charge of market surveys of the Near East and the Middle East. I was responsible for knowledge development for all Hamon divisions.

After two years, I was given the opportunity to work on the cooling aspect of the business – cooling towers (CTs), to be more specific. I worked in this division for a few years. And then, Hamon went through restructuring. I was made in charge of the business units for all the countries we dealt with; the task was to organise the companies.

I worked in this position for a few years. Then, I was in charge of servicing clients, like Bechtel, in the Middle East.

DC in Dubai

In 2004, the district cooling sector became active in the Middle East in particular, in the UAE. So I set up a base for Hamon in Dubai in 2006. We got our first order from the Dubai Civil Aviation for 33 cells, for the extension of the airport. It was then that we decided to come here and set up an office the same year.

We decided to come to Dubai, because the decision-making actors are here – actors like contractors and consultants. We started the office in 2006, for project management. Today, the projects are installed here, but the engineering is done in Europe.

We are now in a leading position. To date, we have been instrumental in providing 56,000 TR of cooling since 2005. So in five years, we have managed to serve the sector with our hard work, knowhow and our professional approach. So, although we arrived late in the market here, we are in a good position.

BEING PART OF THE HAMON FAMILY

Hamon is a 106-year-old company in cooling systems division. So it has a culture. Hamon is like a big family and creates a special feeling of belonging. As a result, people become so attached to it that they stay with the company for long.

As an employee, you feel dedicated. It’s a pleasure to work in an environment, where quality matters, and you study in-depth and with a long-term approach. Hamon is an international group that has proved to be successful in many different fields –power, oil and gas, metal industries, chemical industries and district cooling, which in particular, is comparable in size to an industrial application.

SEAWATER COOLING – A CHANGE OF PERCEPTION NEEDED

Here, in the UAE, there is a lack of in-depth knowledge about seawater cooling. In other words, there are several myths circulating around. This has led to a particular perception about it.

During the boom period, there was no proper discussion or a communication of ideas on seawater cooling. Simply put, it was summarily dismissed without it being given a chance or a decent hearing. I found it frustrating, because I like to bring optimum value to end-users. Now, it’s happening, but we are still behind other countries in getting the information across to the decision-makers.

We had raised the issue from Day One for optimising not only water but also power. The stumbling block for seawater cooling is the issue of capital costs, though.

At Hamon, we have the strength and ability to cater to all types of water – TSE, brackish, seawater … just about any type. Why, we are even cooling water with acid in some types of applications. We can cater to the particular needs of clients, and this is where we bring value. We are not in the business of packaged cooling towers but in specialised applications. We also propose different hybrid cooling towers, which we feel, will save water. Another option is to press into service air-cooled systems in tandem with cooling towers.

Noise reduction is an issue with cooling towers. At Hamon, we can tackle this, as we are very strong in this.

And also, what are the considerations to bring down power costs? Optimising power and opex is the answer. This has never been considered here. The point is, we can bring value to the market.

At Hamon, we have 200+ engineers – project engineers, R&D engineers, testing engineers…. They look at every project in-depth and integrate it with the needs.

Whenever we have the opportunity, we give seminars and bring the advantages of seawater cooling to the attention of clients, as a way of educating people.

Another issue that is important is the optimising of the sourcing of materials for cooling towers, be they in the form of fans or motors.

Every big supplier has facilities in China and India. But here, in the GCC, you have limitations, born out of incorrect perception. We can propose good-quality products coming out of China, but the perception towards China is that they produce sub-standard, counterfeit products. The point is, China has good quality control and pricing, if you are talking of a European supplier who has set up a factory in China with good quality requirements. So, in this case, you are safe, as far as China is concerned. What I’m trying to say is that we need more discussions and more flexibility to bring this young market to maturity.

When I arrived in Dubai, I came with an industrial background.

Hamon actually participated in the Jubail project, in the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, where you have the petrochemical industries. They were using seawater cooling towers in a channel for 20 years. Then the pumping capacity for this became saturated. So they needed Phase 2.

There were two main scenarios:

1. Construct or extend the channel

2. Do grouping of cooling towers

These were disregarded. They finally chose to go with individual cooling towers for each use. Hamon was the first to supply individual cooling towers (90,000 m3, 26 cells). So we are very aware of the disadvantages, the environmental impact in the Gulf region being one of them.

We have studied the situation in Qatar. They are using seawater cooling towers there. The UAE is lagging behind Qatar in this respect, as there are no big seawater cooling applications here.

In this context, we would like to do the groundwork and develop a seawater cooling regimen here, given the fact that we are in the business for 40 years. We have achieved 1.5 million m3/hour of cooling the world over. So this is a wellknown domain for us.

THE FINER POINTS OF DISTRICT COOLING

As district cooling involves chillers and heat exchangers, you need to use titanium, which makes it expensive. In the case of cooling towers, though, this is not an issue. We don’t need titanium. We use high grade of hardware. But in the case of chillers and heat exchangers, this becomes an issue.

When I arrived here in the UAE, the potential clients said, ‘We cannot rely on seawater intake’. This was because Dubai was reclaiming a lot of land, as a result of which, the coastline was changing. So, if we had set up the seawater intake plant at a particular location, it would have had to be relocated, if they had reclaimed the land to establish the coastline farther away than where it was.

Another belief was that seawater intake is very hot. But this is not true, because we are talking of the same Gulf water. If the same Gulf seawater is being used in Jubail in Saudi Arabia and in Qatar, then this perception cannot be true. As I said earlier, there are several myths that need to be dispelled.

So the challenge is not with cooling towers, but with the cost of titanium, which you need to use in heat exchangers. Another challenge is the delivery time.

We, as cooling tower people, are not affected. But it is the other side – chillers and heat exchangers – that makes seawater cooling an expensive proposition. And of course, you have the limitation of seawater intake, because the developers are constantly reclaiming the land and, thus, the coastline changes.

ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM

In Bahrain, they have had no other option but to go for seawater cooling. In Saudi Arabia, it was the easiest option. Here, in the UAE, they say that TSE is better, but you don’t have enough plants to give you TSE. The sea is open, it is free. The investment cost – titanium – is an issue, but water savings is for ever. But I cannot convince the client to go in for chillers; it’s not my job. As a cooling tower supplier, though, I hold the flag very high.

Also, from an environmental perspective, people say that seawater cooling has drawbacks. But the fact is that the salt evaporated from the sea near Dubai or Abu Dhabi is much higher in concentration than from any seawater cooling tower. As I said, there are several myths circulating in the air.

It was proved when we highlighted Jubail in our study and did model testing that the salt concentration going into the atmosphere is high compared to what comes out of a cooling tower. You can conduct a model study using a computer software and simulate the process. So you can prove this 100% scientifically.

In the UAE, we showed the study to one or two consultants, but the drawback was not with us – the cooling tower people – but with the cost of titanium, as a result of which, the capex was high.

Also, let us not forget that during the boom period, the market was growing too fast. People did not have time, or allotted the time, to think things through. At the time, the only concern was capex. Now, during the downturn, people have that much more time to cogitate and consider the facts by eliminating all the myths.

MY FAMILY

I am married and have two boys – Cyril and Mario – aged 10 and 6. They enjoy living in Dubai as much as is possible. My wife’s name is Noura.

I like travelling a lot. When it comes to sports, I like skiing in the French Alps. Here in the UAE, I take my boys to Ski Dubai to practise.

I also like music, theatre and art. In music, I like jazz, rock, classical, New Age and world music. I have a collection of 1,000 CDs. To me, culture is very important, and this is what I miss in Dubai. I like a cultural environment, because I have spent 18 years in France.

In Paris, you have theatre, concerts, museums. But Dubai is improving. The theatre scene is more active in Abu Dhabi than in Dubai. But the art scene – galleries displaying art – is good in Dubai.

I love books, especially fiction and books on spiritualism. I recently read a book about the human brain – My Stroke of Insight – written by a Harvard neurologist. It’s amazing how the human brain works. The writer has understood how the brain functions and how you can manage the intellectual aspect of it. It has given me an insight into life.

Many international organisations have begun to discover the advantages of using hydrocarbons such as propane and propene as they are climate-neutral refrigerants, apart from being energy efficient. Eurammon, the European initiative for natural refrigerants, presents case studies to support this view

According to the International Institute of Refrigeration1 20% of the global warming potential of refrigerating and air conditioning systems come from leaks (direct emissions), while 80% results from their energy consumption (indirect emissions). Today’s refrigeration systems consume around 15% of the world’s available electrical energy. This implies that reducing this energy demand would make an important contribution towards reducing the threat to global warming.

In this context, special importance is attributed to natural refrigerants such as ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons, which offer high-energy efficiency as well as being climateneutral. Expert opinion recognises ammonia as the most efficient refrigerant. But hydrocarbons such as propane, propene and isobutane also have outstanding thermodynamic properties. Refrigerating and air conditioning systems that run on these refrigerants are particularly energy-efficient. This fact has been recognised by numerous international companies, including Ben & Jerry, Pepsi and Unilever. They use hydrocarbons for refrigeration in both their chilling units and freezers. Various tests in the field have confirmed energy savings between 10 and 30% compared to HFC systems.

In addition, certain hydrocarbons can also be used as a ‘drop-in solution’ for synthetic refrigerants. For example, propane (R290) and propene (R1270) have similar thermodynamic behaviour to the HCFC R22. They use the same technology, which means that many of the existing installed components are compatible. For higher ambient temperatures or higher humidity levels, propane and propene are more efficient than R22.

MAKING AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY

The Chinese air conditioning system manufacturer Gree Electric Appliances is one of the companies using propane to replace R22 and R410A in new systems. The company is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of room air conditioners, with a production output of more than 70 million units a year.

The Chinese use HCFC R22 as a standard refrigerant, but these refrigerants contribute considerably to global warming as well as destroying the ozone layer. Altogether, China’s air-conditioning systems generate annual HCFC emissions amounting to 260 million T of carbon dioxide equivalent, thus constituting one of China’s largest sources of emissions. This is why in late 2009, Gree, assisted by the implementing agency GTZ Proklima, started pilot production of room air conditioning systems based on propane. The quantity of refrigerant ranges from 200 to 350g for rated cooling capacities of 2 to 4 kW, depending upon the model. Significantly, the air conditioners have a higher efficiency than both R22 and R410A models, whilst requiring a smaller mass of system materials. In addition to the reduced charge size, GTZ Proklima with UK-based consultant Daniel Colbourne, assisted with the safe design of the air conditioners. A production line will turn out 180,000 systems per year.

The change-over in refrigerant will save 560,000 T of carbon dioxide equivalents in direct emissions over the entire service life of the air conditioning systems. To this should be added a further 320,000 T of carbon dioxide equivalents in indirect emissions saved by the improved energy efficiency of the systems. For the final consumer, this translates into benefits in terms of lower electricity bills.

The best project practice, which is intended to have a role-model effect for China’s entire air conditioning industry and beyond, is being funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, within the framework of the International Climate Initiative based on a decision of the German Federal Parliament.

FRUIT STORAGE – DELAYING THE RIPENING

Companies in other industries are also opting for hydrocarbons, such as the British fruit grower Mansfields. The family company stores apples and cherries in a controlled atmosphere so that they will be available in top quality all year round, regardless of when they were picked. State-of-the-art measuring, control and refrigerating systems monitor temperature, humidity, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, keeping them at the required level to delay the ripening of fruit and vegetables. Mansfields wanted an efficient, HFC-free refrigeration system for the warehouse in Chartham near Canterbury. The refrigeration experts International Controlled Atmosphere Storage and SRS Frigadon designed a propane secondary refrigerant system completed in 2008 with an output of 1,150 kW. Five air-cooled factory-assembled packages charged with altogether 90 kg propene provide refrigerating energy for the secondary circuit at a temperature of -9°C.

The special safe design of these chillers and a detailed safety analysis was provided by Re-phridge. A brine mixture of water and salt is used as the secondary refrigerant. The circuit is filled with 30,000 L and works at an operating pressure of only 1.5 bar to cool the heat transfer fluid down to -3°C. The brine is pumped to the 36 controlled-atmosphere cold storage rooms which are kept at a constant air temperature of -0.5°C and 1.5°C. The secondary refrigerant also cools the preparation and loading areas.

The evaporators in the warehouses are defrosted by off-cycle defrost. This entails interrupting the refrigeration process so that the brine absorbs heat from the ambient air which is used for defrosting. This method prevents the products being cooled from absorbing unnecessary heat and saves energy.

The system design minimises the quantity of refrigerant and guarantees an ESEER (European Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) of more than 4.2, although based on local conditions, the real seasonal cooling COP (coefficient of performance) is around 6.

SUPPORTING BIOTECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH

One important process in the research and production of biotechnological products is freezing and defrosting substances for transport and storage. At the pharmaceuticals company Roche, this takes place in tanks with a volume of 300 L which are cooled down to -40°C in a clean room atmosphere.

Here, the company wanted an efficient refrigeration system to cope with fast changes in temperature between -50 and 130°C with an accuracy of +/- 1 K, with automatic drainage and refilling of the tank’s cooling jacket.

Furthermore, compliance with the Roche Environment Protection Guidelines restricted the choice of refrigerants to substances that protect the ozone layer and the climate. To meet these requirements, Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau developed a chiller that works with a small charge of 1.8 kg propene. The core element of the system is a two-stage semi-hermetic reciprocating Bitzer compressor, which is designed for use with propene. After being brought down to a temperature of -60 to -30°C, the propane then cools the silicone oil circulating in the cooling jacket. The output is 12 kW at a secondary refrigerant outlet temperature of 0°C, and 6.5 kW at -40°C. The safety concept of the system comprises separate refrigeration circuits into several sections so that in the event of a burst pipe, any refrigerant leak is limited to the affected section rather than the complete charge. Additional components in the refrigeration system, commissioned in 2006, include a plate heat exchanger acting as evaporator, a water-cooled coaxial condenser and a Modbus-based control unit.

AS SAFE AS REFUELLING STATIONS

“The case studies show that non-halogenated hydrocarbons are suitable for reliable refrigeration in many different branches,” says Monika Witt, Chairwoman of Eurammon, the European initiative for natural refrigerants.

“However, certain requirements have to be met when using these substances. Potential sources of ignition have to be identified and eliminated early during the planning phase. The systems have to be designed so as to avoid leaks: this includes reducing the number of joints and applying permanent corrosion protection. As far as possible, the refrigeration system should be installed on the roof or equipped with a gas detection and ventilation system so that the gas can be exhausted in the event of a leak. Components containing the refrigerant must be clearly marked as such, so that service technicians are informed accordingly and can take corresponding precautions. Good initial and advanced staff training plays a crucial role, as faulty maintenance is one of the greatest risks when operating refrigeration systems with hydrocarbons.”

Having said that, Witt rests her case when she points out: “But even if the flammability of hydrocarbons pose a challenge, these substances can still be handled safely, as demonstrated every day in thousands of refuelling stations all over the world.”

Presentation: “Improving Energy Efficiency in Refrigeration”, Jean- Luc Dupont, Head of the Scientific and Technical Information Department, International Institute of Refrigeration, Asgabat, March 1, 2007.

In view of the non-availability of potable water and the limited availability of treated sewage effluent for district cooling, should we intensify our gaze seawards? If so, what are the inherent challenges… and solutions?

With Government mandated non-availability of potable water for district cooling in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and with questions being raised about the adequate availability of treated sewage effluent (TSE) and also the costs associated with polishing the water to acceptable standards, many experts have been advocating the use of seawater for a while now.

The question about the availability of TSE is a pertinent one, given that there is a demand for it for agricultural and horticultural uses. And then there is the cost. It is possible to purchase TSE at one-sixth of the cost of potable water, but there is a cost associated with treating it. A third issue involving TSE is drainage, or rather the lack of it, from a blow-down point of view. When viewed against the backdrop of these three factors, seawater is regarded as a strong option. Says Craig Thomas of High Performance Tube company, “Using seawater to reject heat, when feasible, will free up potable water and TSE for other more important uses.” Adds Greg Cox of Mott McDonald, who has had extensive experience with a successful seawater cooling regimen in Hong Kong: “There is a higher demand on TSE for irrigation, so seawater, although having lower cycles of concentration, could be the correct choice, considering that it has the lowest overall energy usage.”

The concept of seawater is not a new one. As Thomas says, while it is new to district cooling, it is not to other applications. Indeed, seawater has been used commonly in refineries and the petrochemical industries, LNG, power generation and thermal desalination. One of the success stories for seawater cooling is Jubail in Saudi Arabia, where the volume of water used equals two-third of the flow of the Tigris and the Euphrates rives combined. And as for the UAE, Fujairah has been using seawater since 1993, George Berbari of DC Pro Engineering, points out. “In Fujairah, we did district cooling with 2,000 TR that used seawater cooled with titanium and fibreglass tubes,” he says. Amar Farjo of JCI backs Berbari’s observation. “We need seawater cooling towers, because they can save 57,600 gallons of potable water per kilo of cooling every day,” Farjo says.

A GAMUT OF ISSUES

While there is a growing favour for seawater cooling in some circles, there are several aspects to consider. The various components – be they cooling towers, chillers, heat exchangers or intake systems – come with their attendant issues and challenges.

Cooling towers, for instance, come with a gamut of sub-issues. Typical questions revolve around the impact of seawater on the sizing of the cooling towers, the materials needed in building the towers and the environment around them.

Seawater impacts thermal performance in three ways, says Kent Martins of SPX Cooling Technologies. If seawater has 70,000 ppm of TDS, it lowers vapour pressure by five per cent, which is a negative impact, Martins says. The same seawater characteristic reduces specific heat (0.92 compared to 1 for freshwater). “The cooling tower,” he says, “must be sized three to seven per cent larger to compensate for the reduced heat transfer characteristics of seawater at 70,000 ppm TDS in circulation.”

When it comes to material selection for cooling towers, corrosion of compounds can occur. Fibreglass, Martins says, is a good material for seawater exposure. Likewise, concrete towers also hold good, he says, but they would require a specialty mix and rebar design. Generally speaking, he recommends premium hardware materials and coatings.

Another sub-issue is the drift from the cooling towers. Circulating water is distributed as droplets or films to maximise surface area. Exit water for cooling towers contains water vapour, drift droplets and condensate droplets. It, therefore, becomes essential to reduce drift, and for this, careful installation is of paramount importance. “It is crucial to reduce drift at the source with the best available drift eliminator,” Martins says. “That way, salt deposition will not be a major concern. Also, drift eliminator data should be specific to the distribution system used. Further, it would help to site the tower downstream from the prevailing wind direction and away from high-rise structures.”

Heat exchangers and chillers also come with a string of challenges, considering the corrosive nature of seawater. Newer plants use titanium to overcome the challenge of the aggressive nature of seawater. Earlier, coppernickel was widely prevalent, Thomas says, but it came to be found that copper is prone to erosion and washing away. Also, ammonia does not go well with any copper alloy, observes Farjo. In that context, he says, titanium is the “gold standard”. Though high on costs, it is immune to erosion and corrosion and has the longest life expectancy. Besides a corrosion point of view, there is also the conductivity point of view. Most other materials simply do not match up to titanium when considering resistance to corrosion and conductivity. For instance, the thermal conductivity of stainless steel is less than that of titanium.

Intake systems also have their attendant sub-issues, ranging from costs of installation and maintenance to environmental acceptability (safety of fish and fry, which are prone to getting sucked into the system). Screens and strainers are integral parts of intake systems. Says Daniel Bewg of GLV-EIMCO Water Technologies, “We put a screen before the cooling water pump and a strainer after it. Bewg says there are several factors to consider, be it to determine the method of filtration or the size of the intake channel. For instance, an important aspect to consider for filtration is the flow rate. A passive screen would work with a low flow rate (less than 0.1 m3/s). In the case of a medium flow rate (0.1 to 5 m3/s) or large flow rate (greater than 10 m3/s), Bewg says, bar filtration, and bar and screen filtration would serve the purpose.

Passive screens are prone to buildup of marine matter, mainly in the form of zebra mussels, because it is not possible to chlorinate the screens. To prevent the occurrence, it becomes necessary to coat them with a copper-nickel material.

The pipework walls are prone to mollusc and crustacean infestation due to the settlement of larvae. If not properly addressed, says Cox, they will dislodge when mature and collect in the condenser tubes.

In view of such factors, maintenance is of critical importance in a seawatercooling regimen, be it for intake systems or condenser tubes. Cox talks of the need for a proper maintenance framework and for involving a girth of experts, be it sustainability advisors, marine biologists, water treatment specialists, operators, manufacturers, cost consultants and legal professionals.

Seawater is the future, agree many in the district cooling fraternity, and is, perhaps, integral to ambitious coastal developments in the region. In view of that, they recommend prudent planning in developments to later accommodate a seawater-cooling regimen. Says Jamie Saunier of TAS: “If district cooling plants are built to accept TSE today, at some point in the future, if the Government implements seawater, then you would be faced with huge capital costs to convert or upgrade to seawater. So we are better off designing to accommodate later.”

Note: This article is based on the Sea Water District Cooling Symposium, on November 14, 2009, at Atlantis, Dubai. Despite extracting information from an event, held a few months ago, the author of this article, after ascertaining from the organiser, IMEC, guarantees that the statements and observations by the participants in the symposium are not outdated.

Story and pictures: B Surendar

For the chiller industry, downturn or not, the drive to produce more efficient and environmentally friendly chillers continues, especially from a green context, writes Jose Franco.

There is no question the demand for chillers is heading towards green territory. It is, therefore, proper and logical for manufacturers to invest in environmentally friendly units of the machine that can implement a variety of refrigerants. Innovative products are a must but not enough, to make a company maintain or increase sales volume, however. Tapping new markets is another great way of doing such.

“The challenges for companies include maintaining sales volume,” says Maged Makar, Head of the Product Engineering Department at Daikin McQuay Middle East. “And you can maintain sales volume by adding new markets.” Saudi Arabia is top on the list, what with its rapid urbanisation, high population and massive investments in various projects in the transport, education and healthcare sectors.

Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates and Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Egypt are also on the list of Makar and other experts in the HVAC and refrigeration (HVAC&R) industry in the Middle East. These Arab states are seen either banking on the projected high oil export receipts and/ or reacting to a growing population and consumer demand by spending more on infrastructure projects and social developments.

Camels on Jumeirah Beach, in Dubai: The hot and humid climate in the Middle East is a challenge to chiller manufacturers to produce innovative products

UAE-based B S Prashanth, Regional Manager-Russian Federation at AHI Carrier, remarks, “Ours is a hot and humid climate, so there’s great requirement for cooling systems, including chillers with wide-ranging applications. Manufacturers need to continue making products that could withstand hot climate.” He mentions in particular the residential and commercial (office complexes) buildings in the Gulf as having the highest demand for chillers.

As early as two years ago, BSRIA, a UK-based construction and building services consultancy, predicted the central plant airconditioning market in Saudi Arabia to nearly triple in value by 2012. “Saudi Arabia and Egypt are promising markets for air conditioning products because of a hot climate and rapidly growing population,” it says in a white paper, titled, ‘Middle Eastern and Indian market for air-conditioning 2008’.

In the UAE, reciprocating chillers (which can serve the smallest loads efficiently) were noted to have continued their presence in the market, although the popularity of this type of compressors has been in decline, owing to increasing demand by district cooling for centrifugal chillers. The same report says the UAE would enjoy the greatest progress of all compressor types with an annual growth rate of 20%.

Centrifugal chillers, which are used to cool large buildings in a centralised air-conditioning system, and absorption chillers that utilise water as the refrigerant are also big business in Egypt, the Arab world’s most-populous nation where district cooling has been gaining popularity.

The global chiller market was valued at $1.9 billion as at 2008, BSRIA noted, with the Middle East and India region having the smallest share. The consultancy firm noted, however, of “significant markets” in India, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. “[O]verall the chiller market is expected to enjoy a slight increase over the next few years, although the growth rate will vary from country to country,” it says in an April 2009 article, published on its website. “Reciprocating compressors continue to disappear from the majority of markets, with the trend leaning towards scroll and screw compressors.”

In the Middle East, where the chiller sector is estimated to reach $500 million this year on a 15-20% increase, Makar says, Saudi Arabia will undoubtedly be the biggest market. He and Prashanth disagree with other experts and entrepreneurs who find it difficult to penetrate the Saudi market due to a number of reasons, including too much bureaucracy. “I don’t think there’s a big problem in Saudi,” Prashanth says. “Just look for a good partner, and you need to know the market and its people.”

Most companies engaged in HVAC&R, in fact, are either raring to enter the Saudi market or planning to expand operations in the Gulf country of over 27 million people. Daikin McQuay signed a new distribution agreement in Saudi after having a presence there for the past 10-15 years, and put up an office in Abu Dhabi this year, which will be launched next month. “We have good sales volume in Qatar, and we are increasing our market share there,” Makar says. “We also have good market share in Saudi, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.”

All this is part of Daikin McQuay’s move to pursue further expansion and business partnerships across the region. Carrier, on the other hand, will continue to rely on its innovative products to maintain and advance its market share. Innovation is what most manufacturers have in their growth and expansion programme, with Daikin and McQuay recently putting up a $50-million research and development (R&D) centre, to develop and test newly created products, including chillers. It’s the world’s most advanced R&D centre dedicated to the HVAC industry.

In December, Daikin McQuay launched two new products – the air-cooled chiller and the magnetic bearing centrifugal chiller, which both boast highperformance and premium efficiency.

The first company to use magnetic bearing technology in the chiller sector in 2004, McQuay says the oil-free design eliminates the efficiency losses created by traditional compressors. Daikin McQuay is part of Daikin Europe, which operates under the umbrella of Daikin Industries. The global company posted about $13-billion turnover in 2009.

Chiller companies worldwide are seen to continue manufacturing products that could withstand hot climate, owing to the growing importance of the Middle East market, Prashanth says. It’s this same extreme heat across the Middle East, African countries and most parts of India which hampers the sales of moveable air conditioning units, according to BSRIA.

And due to pressure from environmental groups, Prashanth adds, one challenge to manufacturers that stands out among many is to produce chillers that are highly efficient with reduced carbon emission. This will be in line with the provisions found in the Kyoto Protocol, which deals with issues on global warming, and the move against refrigerants being called by the Montreal Protocol. The sector has already begun using environment friendly refrigerants.

After the annus horribilis that was 2009, the German HVACR industry is showing signs of getting on the growth path. Jose Franco reports.

In a scenario where every manufacturer or distributor is driving in search of better opportunities in the HVAC&R industry, it seems that all roads lead to the Arab world, particularly Saudi Arabia. And it seems that most products and technological know-how are coming from the West, especially Europe’s biggest economy, Germany.

It may have been overtaken by China as the world’s largest exporter, but Germany still stands tall among the highly developed nations for its high-quality products and industrial knowledge. So much so that it has tremendous experience and know-how to offer other countries, particularly the Gulf Arab states. This could be on various fields like engineering and solar energy.

Being the world’s top installer of photovoltaics, or the PV cells that help convert solar radiation into direct current electricity, Germany has a feed-in tariff for renewable energy. This tariff is a policy mechanism providing for the adoption of renewable energy sources towards grid parity, wherein electricity is equal to or cheaper than grid power.

This is one sector where the Germans could very well help the Gulf economies and the wider Middle East region, which has a year-round supply of strong sunlight. But there must be strong policy coming from governments. In the UAE, for instance, where electricity is cheaper relative to other economies outside the Gulf, government must lead the way for the development of solar energy projects by offering incentives to actual developers.

“Yes, Germany has a lot to offer when it comes to solar energy technology,” says Dubai-based Tarek Hourani, Technical Sales Manager of Al Sahoo Trading Company, whose business started off with plumbing equipment and has diversified into the HVAC&R industry. “But the UAE government has to dictate the development of the sector by targeting actual developers and offering them incentives, to advance this endeavour.” He has no immediate suggestions on the kind of incentives that could be made available to developers, however. But he says that in Europe, incentives for increased solar power use are in the form of lower taxes.

As stressed by Hourani, the UAE doesn’t have any project, save for the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, or Masdar, which is devoted to advancing the development and use of solar energy. It’s unlike in other parts of the Middle East, such as Lebanon, Syria and Jordan where the sector is developed, owing perhaps to higher prices of power consumption.

German companies have lots to offer the Middle East market, all right, but they face the challenge of coming up with the same high-quality products with affordable prizes, owing to the slump in global trade. They need to invest more in research and development for traditional products in, say, the HVAC&R industry, but aiming for lower cheaper production.

“We see the trend going towards medium-size quality due to the economic crunch,” says Hourani. “This means a demand for innovative companies to use new technology in doing the same job and products at lower costs.”

Dubai-based Adel Kamel, Managing Director for the Middle East of Güntner, admits that German products are a bit pricey. “[O]ur price is the major challenge for customers to agree with,” he notes. “Yet we are an established and leading brand, not to mention a brand that’s constantly innovating, so customers know that they are getting value for their money.”

Germany has lost to China in world exports, with the latter breaking a 13-month decline in trade as a result of the global downturn. China’s state news agency, Xinhua reported in January that China’s exports rose 17.7% in December, with total exports for 2009 at $1.2 trillion (£749bn), though total foreign trade over the year was down 13.9%.

“It is safe to say now that Chinese exporters have come right through the period of weakness,” Xinhua quoted statistician, Huang Guohua as saying. The slowing decline in Chinese trade may also be a sign that its $586-billion stimulus package is working. As a country in the middle of transforming itself into a more modern and industrialised economy, China needs significant development. And experts say the country is fiscally strong enough to finance its plans for increased spending on infrastructure projects, as it sits on piles of cash.

Industrial production in Germany was also down 2.6% in December, owing partly to weaker production of cars and machinery. While a government’s car-scrapping bonus programme boosted car sales in the country for much of last year, this expired in September. Output in the construction sector was unfavourable as well, dropping by 2.6%. However, the German economy this year will climb by 1.4% – described by economists as a steady but unspectacular growth – as export markets pick up.

Another big challenge facing foreign HVAC&R manufacturers wanting to do business in the Middle East is the region’s climate, which has high temperatures during summer and is hot most of the year. Dust is another major concern for outdoor units as well as well as lowkey maintenance, Kamel says, while the lack of technical know-how on the part of the users is also a challenge that should be addressed through better customer service.

Noting that major refrigeration consultancies in the Middle East are foreignbased, Kamel says the lack of regional expertise hampers optimal and efficient designs. In a region where water is scarce, manufacturers should consider concerns on energy saving, carbon-footprint reduction and overall more eco-friendly systems. “Since water is in scarcity, we are seeing gradual changes in the market with regard to using water as a coolant,” he says. “Regions like Central Saudi Arabia are regulating this trend very effectively, and this is where dry-coolers come into the picture as major roleplayers.”

He, likewise, notes the current trend of refrigerants taking a turn to being less ozone-depleting, paving the way for increased usage of ammonia, which is a natural refrigerant. He also welcomes the fact that most warehouses for industrial refrigeration are increasingly investing in quality engineering to increase the systems’ lifespan, as they are undergoing complete automation.

“[W]e at Güntner believe deeply in continuous innovation,” he opines. “We recently launched our revolutionary condenser series named Microox, which is based on micro-channel head exchanger technology. “Compared to conventional fin and tube condensers, Microox is a whole new game altogether.” The firm’s new microox technology makes its condensers smaller but more efficient heat exchangers that have protection against galvanic corrosion.

Such German innovation is the stuff that the Middle East’s HVAC&R industry could possibly benefit from.

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.

Pointing out that cooling ceilings and other critical areas in HVAC and technical installations, which are operating close to the dewpoint temperature, need an early alarm system against moisture formation, because of potential danger of condensation, E+E Elektronik has introduced the specially designed Condensation Monitor EE46. The product helps early detection of condensation so that immediate countermeasures can be taken, claim the manufacturers, and add that it can be installed in a few seconds on pipelines, walls and ceilings.

According E+E Elektronik, a special coating protects the sensor and electronics against dirt and dust, thus ensuring a long-lasting , stable and maintenance-free operation. It is designed to be powered by 24 V ac/dc, They explain how it works:

• The fast-response E+E humidity sensor is exposed to the temperature of the surface of the object by means of a thermal conducting foil.
• Therefore, the humidity sensor measures the same relative humidity as is present at the surface of the object to be monitored.
• If the preset set point of 90%RH is exceeded, the monitor switches a potential free contact and provides a signal, facilitating taking countermeasures, for example, to increase the temperature of the water in the pipe, to decrease the cooling power or to turn on the heat.
• In addition, a LED on the enclosure indicates the actual status.