The new VRF system, the company says, has a COP of 3.65

JCI on June 6 introduced the York ‘Amazon Series’ VRF system at a seminar in Abu Dhabi, jointly conducted by the company and its long-standing distributor, Faisal Jassim Trading Company.

During the launch, JCI described the DC inverter system as being Estidama-compliant. The system, JCI said, had a COP of 3.65, adding that it more than met the Estidama requirement of a minimum of 3.4.

During the seminar, JCI dispelled the myth that it was entering the VRF market only now. Moan Abraham, the company’s Sales Manager (Dubai and Northern Emirates), said that VRF was not new for JCI. “We have been working on VRFs since 2004, and we launched the system in select markets here in 2009,” Abraham said. “This product (Amazon Series) is Estidama-compliant with a DC inverter.”

The Amazon Series, Abraham said, was the result of extensive product development and testing at the company’s facility in Wuxi, China. The system, he added, was tested for sound, cooling and reliability, among other conditions.

Speaking on the reliability of the VRF system, Abraham’s colleague, Irfan Syed, said that it had been tested extensively at Wuxi. “We simulated the Middle Eastern conditions at Wuxi and ran the system at 52°C for a period lasting between six and eight months,” Syed said. It was only after that the system entered the manufacturing process at JCI’s other facility in Guangzhou.

Speaking further on its reliability, Syed said that the company tested the VRF system for not only the performance of the compressors but also for major components like microprocessor controls and expansion valve. “Hence, if one outdoor unit gets into malfunction, the other takes over,” he said.

Speaking on the system’s energy efficiency, Syed said the DC inverter compressor ensured a high EER. The energy saving heat exchangers with inner grooves, he said, ensured an enhanced efficiency, whereas a new aviation fan minimised losses.

The structure of the units is designed to get energy efficiency, Syed said, adding that it had “four air-side heat exchanger dc inverter, plus new ac scroll”.

Speaking on the controls aspect, Syed said that the system had a feature for controlling as many as 3,000 outdoor units. Its AC Management System, he added could connect and control 400 indoor units.

The seminar presentation gave way to a question and answer session involving members of the audience, comprising consultants and contractors, among others.

During the session, a consultant asked why he ought to consider using VRF when it was more expensive (cost/TR) than a chilled water system and when a chilled water system was easier to install and also could be easily repaired in the event of a leak. The consultant also wanted to know if he necessarily had to call only a JCI engineer to attend to any problems.

Another member of the audience, a contractor, said that the design might be good, but the system was “massacred” at the time of installing. “And so we have to rely only on JCI,” he said. “I can’t go to anyone else to install it.”

Answering these questions, Abraham said that sufficient R&D had gone into developing the VRF system, with the aim of giving maximum benefits to the customers. “Also, in addition to our engineers, we have trained Faisal Jassim engineers,” Abraham added, indicating that the company offered extensive support in installation.

“We also support load calculation, heat calculation, and have installations in three sites in the UAE and one in Oman up and running,” Abraham said, adding, “We ensure on warranty and give five years on compressors. Besides, electronic items are already reliability-tested for 52ºC. “For proper performance, though, Abraham said, the products need to be commissioned by a JCI-certified technician.”

Abraham made a strong case for the VRF by saying that if space was an issue, the VRF helped in space-constrained developments and in energy saving.

Earlier, Paul Rankin, Regional Executive Director (Gulf Region), Building Efficiency Division at JCI, opened the seminar by saying that JCI took energy saving very seriously, indeed, and that nothing said this better than the fact that it had over a 1,000 LEED professionals in its roster.

Raphael Khlat, Managing Director of Faisal Jassim, also spoke during the occasion, using the seminar as an opportunity to highlight the strong association Faisal Jassim had with JCI. “We have been associated with JCI since 2005,” Khlat said, “and are pleased with the VRF initiative.”