< Previous20 MEP Middle East | September 2022 www.mepmiddleeast.com CENTRIFUGAL CHILLERS In June 1920, Willis Haviland Carrier wrote a memo that described a novel machine and refrigerant that might signifi cantly advance the art and science of air conditioning. Already celebrated for his 1911 “Rational Psychrometric Formulae,” Carrier devised a “centrifugal chiller” and refrigerant that could not only enhance process cooling in factories around the world, but also reliably and affordably provide “comfort air” to theatres, stores, restaurants, sports venues, ships, hospitals, and offi ce buildings. On the evening of 22 May 1922, 300 people were invited by Willis Haviland Carrier to a sheet metal shop in Newark, New Jersey, for a free meal and a boxing match followed by the unveiling of the fi rst centrifugal chiller technology which would become the fi rst signifi cant development since the invention of modern air conditioning in 1902. This year, Carrier is marking the 100th anniversary of its breakthrough invention that made comfort air possible while revolutionising process cooling, enabling the modern world to thrive. Carrier’s fi rst customer, the Stephen F. Whitman & Sons Candy Company in Philadelphia, installed three centrifugal chillers in 1923 for its chocolate factory. The following year, the Onondaga Pottery Company in Syracuse, New York, installed Carrier’s original prototype machine. Forty years later, this iconic chiller would be added to the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. It wasn’t until 1924 that Detroit’s J.L. Hudson Department store installed centrifugal chillers and Carrier’s dream of true comfort cooling became a reality. Once installed, people no longer fainted from the heat during the store’s popular basement bargain sales. A few years later, R.H. Macy ran a humorous ad, telling customers they could not spend the night in their store, even if it meant a comfortable night’s sleep in Carrier’s modern air conditioning. When Carrier’s centrifugal chiller froze the ice at Madison Square Garden for the 1925 professional hockey season’s opening game, the sporting world was stunned. Later that year on Memorial Day, moviegoers were delighted to fi nd comfort air cooling in New York’s Rivoli Theater, a combination of hot weather and Hollywood that would one day result in the summer blockbuster. In 1926 when the T.W. Patterson building in Fresno, California, installed a centrifugal chilling system throughout six of its fl oors, comfort air arrived in the offi ces. Eighteen months later, the 21-story Milam building in San Antonio, Texas, became the fi rst high-rise offi ce building to have central air conditioning installed during construction. The remarkable innovation quickly became a global phenomenon, providing process cooling to rayon manufacturers in India and cracker factories in Mexico, and comfort air to Buenos Aires apartments, Egypt’s Hall of Parliament, and Oslo, Norway’s City Hall. By the end of 1940, after thousands of guests experienced air conditioning for the fi rst time in Carrier’s famous igloo at the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair, the company had sold its 1000th centrifugal chiller. By 1980, that number had ballooned to 40,000, and it continued to rise steadily. Today, centrifugal chilling is a multi-billion dollar global industry and is still growing. In so many ways, the history of air conditioning is a history of Carrier, with the centrifugal chiller at its heart, making the world we live in today possible. The New York Times dubbed the 1970 US Census “The Air-Conditioned Census,” noting that the humble air conditioner had made it possible for Americans to live and work year-round in the semitropical heat of Florida and Texas. “By the end of the decade,” one historian noted, America’s “sunbelt era was in full swing.” Likewise, centrifugal chilling had helped to create a global sunbelt, making life more comfortable and productive from the arid lands of the Middle East to the tropical urban centres of Asia. We explore Carrier’s history and how it opened the door to large-scale comfort air conditioning and improved process cooling performance as it celebrates a century since its founder invented centrifugal chilling machinesSeptember 2022 | MEP Middle East 21 www.mepmiddleeast.com CENTRIFUGAL CHILLERS Carrier AquaEdge® 19DV water-cooled chiller while improving the effectiveness of process cooling,” says Gaurang Pandya, president, Commercial HVAC, Carrier. “Each day we build on that legacy, innovating with the purpose to create what’s next, get ahead of changing requirements, unleash the power of digital technology, run smarter with IoT and help customers deploy commercial HVAC solutions aligned tightly with their business objectives.” In the last century, few venues have been untouched by Carrier’s centrifugal chiller – from skyscrapers to apartment buildings, hotels to hospitals, airports and cruise lines to subway stations, and sporting venues to museums. The precise temperature and humidity delivered by centrifugal chillers have enabled many manufacturing processes that have improved our everyday lives – from medicines, automobiles, plastics, chemicals, textiles and mining applications to electronic components and semiconductors. In 1998, Willis Carrier was named one of the “100 most infl uential business geniuses of the century” by TIME magazine. The following year, U.S. News & World Report named Carrier one of 25 Americans who shaped the modern era and “the coolest American of the century.” “Carrier’s breakthrough invention opened the door to large-scale comfort air conditioning 1950: Willis Carrier with the first centrifugal chiller built, then running for 27 years at the Onondaga Pottery Company in Syracuse, New York. Carrier Corporation bought the unit back to provide to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where it remains today 1922: In his effort to improve mechanical air-conditioning systems, Willis Haviland Carrier introduced the first practical centrifugal refrigeration compressor in 1922 Sathya Moorthi, MD, Carrier Middle East, says: “This demonstrates our commitment to continuously improving energy effi ciency while enhancing the comfort levels of the occupants in the harsh Middle East climate conditions.” While the fundamental physics of centrifugal technology has not changed in a century, Carrier engineers have never stopped driving new advancements in centrifugal chiller technology and continue shaping the future. 22 MEP Middle East | September 2022 www.mepmiddleeast.com RESEARCH A comparative study on conventional air conditioning technology and inverter refrigerant systems The cooling systems in the United Arab Emirates account for 80- 85% of a buildings’ total energy consumption. This is primarily due to the extreme climate conditions in the UAE. As the demand for air conditioners has increased, energy consumption worldwide over the past several years has risen. The global AC demand in 2020 was estimated to reach 107.33 million units and according to the global trends observed, countries, especially with rapidly growing economies, show an exponentially growing demand for ACs. The main challenge would be to meet the increased demand for electricity. Using fossil fuels to meet this electricity demand will increase emissions. Therefore, it is Research by: Heriot-Watt University Dubai - Dr Mehdi Nazarinia, associate professor of Fluid Mechanics and Renewable Energy, Dr Rehan Ahmed, associate director of Research, School of Engineering & Physical Sciences and Jacob Matthew, student important to explore new technologies that would save electricity consumption, and provide a solution to emission production. Invertor-type ACs are one of the technologies that manufacturers have introduced to the market, primarily aimed at reducing energy consumption while maintaining internal comfort in buildings. The ratio of inverter room ACs, both split (that can connect to a single indoor unit) and multi-type (that can connect to multiple indoor units including ducted units) systems, has reached 100% in Japan’s market. A similar demand ratio is seen in North American and Oceanic countries. A signifi cant portion of more than 94% of the market for Split systems and 100% for Dr Rehan Ahmed, associate director of Research, School of Engineering & Physical SciencesSeptember 2022 | MEP Middle East 23 www.mepmiddleeast.com RESEARCH multi-type is seen in Europe as well. This trend will help to reduce future energy consumption and a corresponding reduction in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions, thereby reducing consumers’ costs, construction costs of electricity plants and various climate change impacts. The cooling load required by a room is variable and depends on various parameters such as room occupancy, the desired comfort level of the customer (set temperature), outdoor environmental conditions and many more. In an air conditioning system, the compressor is the primary part which consumes most electricity. A non-inverter AC has a single-speed compressor which runs at maximum speed whenever cooling is required and turns off when the room is cooled to the set point temperature. When the thermostat senses that the room temperature has increased above the set point temperature, the compressor switches on automatically. This switch works intermittently throughout the operating hours. On the other hand, an inverter AC system has a variable speed compressor that adjusts its speed and tonnage based on outside temperature, heat load in the room and some other factors. The inverter controls the speed of the compressor by changing the frequency of the power supply to drive the variable refrigerant fl ow and thereby regulating the temperature of the conditioned space. Inverter ACs can increase thermal comfort and keep the temperature more stable. They can initially cool a warm room faster to a convenient temperature and are more energy-effi cient. The present research was conducted in collaboration with an industrial partner aimed to study the energy consumption between ducted inverter AC and non– inverter AC in the UAE climate and its effect on the existing energy rating scenario along with their environmental impacts. Two similar commercial storerooms were selected as setup spaces for the ducted inverter and non-inverter ACs. The study was conducted between mid-November 2020 to mid-January 2021, using an inverter AC (32,000BTU/h @T3) and non-inverter AC (29,000BTU/h @T3) of similar capacities, with 24/7 data recording. The analysis showed that inverter AC can save up to 35% of energy annually in comparison with the fi xed speed non- inverter AC even though the difference in rated power consumption was only 10%. The energy saving rate of inverter AC calculated based on Cooling Seasonal Energy Consumption (CSEC) following the ISO 16358-1: 2013 Amendment 1:2019 for high ambient climate zones was 38% and showed similarity to the test result. A key fi nding was a lack of clarity in using the Energy Effi ciency Ratio (EER) on energy labelling compared to the Cooling Seasonal Performance Factor (CSPF), in promoting inverter technology application to consumers. The analysis presented the impact of inverter ACs on climate change effects demonstrating a 42% reduction of CO2 emissions due to the lesser direct emission from the low global warming potential (GWP) of R32 refrigerant and comparatively lower indirect impact from non-inverter AC due to higher energy effi ciency. Dr Mehdi Nazarinia, associate professor of Fluid Mechanics and Renewable Energy24 MEP Middle East | September 2022 www.mepmiddleeast.com MEP AWARDS 24 MEP Middle East | September 2022 www.mepmiddleeast.com The red carpet is rolled out as the MEP Middle East Awards return. See you on Wednesday, 21 September The Oscars of the MEP industry has returned to Dubai with preparations well underway at the CONR AD DUBAI ahead of the 16th MEP Awards ceremony this month. ITP Media Group’s MEP Middle East Awards has grown into the most-respected and well-recognised premier platform to honour the achievements of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing sector in the UAE. It acknowledges those individuals and companies that have gone above and beyond the call of duty to raise industry standards, set examples to follow, and implemented and improved on best practices within the sector, while driving down costs and boosting quality and effi ciencies. After a year of outstanding performance, we are ready to look back at all the good that has been done, along with the usual examples of excellence that set our deserving award winners apart. If you’d like to join our respected list of sponsors and partner with us on the MEP Awards event, please contact our Commercial director Anup Nagpurkar via email at anup.nagpurkar@itp.com or call him on +971 52 895 0931. Furthermore, to book your table and confi rm your presence on the awards night, contact our Marketing and Events manager Anthony Chandran via email at anthony.chandran@itp.com or call him on +971 58 971 077. September 2022 | MEP Middle East 25 www.mepmiddleeast.comSeptember 2022 | MEP Middle East 25 www.mepmiddleeast.com MEP AWARDS SHORTLISTS Introducing the individuals and fi rms in the running for an industr y-leading accolade this year The biggest night in the MEP calendar is almost upon us. Anticipation has been building since the summer and, at last, we are ready to toast the industry’s leading lights with the MEP Middle East Awards. We thank everyone who put their names into the hat for this year’s awards and wish all the shortlisted nominees the very best of luck. Without further delay, allow us to introduce the fi rms and individuals who have been shortlisted for the 2022 MEP Awards. COMPANY AWARDSPROJECT AWARDSPEOPLE AWARDS MEP Contractor of the YearGCC Project of the YearYoung Engineer of the Year MEP Consultancy of the YearMechanical Project of the YearMEP Executive of the Year Supplier of the YearElectrical Project of the YearMechanical Engineer of the Year HSE Initiative of the YearPlumbing Project of the YearElectrical Engineer of the Year CSR Initiative of the YearRetrofi t Project of the YearPlumbing Engineer of the Year Sustainable Project of the YearProject Manager of the Year Smart Project of the YearTechnical Manager of the Year26 MEP Middle East | September 2022 www.mepmiddleeast.com MEP CONTRACTOR OF THE YEAR Spectrum Cube Technical Services China State Construction Engineering Corporation Oxypro Electromechanical Work ALEMCO Adeeb Electrical & Electronics Services Company Voltas Limited International Electromechanical Services Company AG Engineering MEP CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR Cundall Atkins MSCEB Ramboll WME Buro Happold KEO International Consultants SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR Leminar Air Conditioning Company Prime AC Industries Hira Industries Grundfos Gulf Distribution Rubber World Industry Century Mechanical Systems Factory Central Ventilation Systems Gulf Duct Industries COMPANY CATEGORIES SHORTLISTSSeptember 2022 | MEP Middle East 27 www.mepmiddleeast.com GCC PROJECT OF THE YEAR CundallThe Storm Coaster, UAE Khatib & AlamiThe Address Residences, UAE Mohamed Salahuddin Consulting Engineering BureauJumeirah Gulf of Bahrain Resort & Spa, Bahrain Voltas Limited & Almoayyed Air Conditioning JVJumeirah Gulf of Bahrain Resort & Spa, Bahrain Voltas LimitedCommercial Boulevard District, Qatar AG EngineeringBusiness Bay (BB05) District Cooling Plant, UAE AG EngineeringZabeel District Cooling Plant, UAE WMEUAE Pavillion Expo 2020 PROJECTS CATEGORIES CSR INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR Cundall Design Infi nity Adeeb Electrical & Electronics Services Company Technical & Trading Taqeef HSE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR China State Construction Engineering Corporation Adeeb Electrical & Electronics Services Company Arabian MEP Contracting Voltas Limited SHORTLISTS SMART PROJECT OF THE YEAR HMS NetworksSmart Remote Management of Rental Power Generators Bin Dasmal ContractingPalm Tower Smart metering, Dubai Qatar Electro Mechanical GroupWater Park at Qetaifan Island North, Qatar28 MEP Middle East | September 2022 www.mepmiddleeast.com RETROFIT PROJECT OF THE YEAR StantecMediclinic Airport Road 3rd Floor Expansion BW Interiors MEPMayabay Restaurant WMEAtlantis, The Palm – Domestic Hot Water QTM Technical Services LLCZumurud Tower – Energy Performance Contract Taka SolutionsRSA Global Bin Dasmal ContractingAzure Residences SUSTAINABLE PROJECT OF THE YEAR Ariston Middle East Industrial City Labor Camp, TECOM Authority, Government of Dubai DelmaticWorld Cup Qatar 2022 SirajPowerAl Khail Heights Residential Carpark Arabian MEP ContractingAl Kharsaah Solar Power Project KEO International Consultants & Mustadam Limited JVMasdar Central Park MECHANICAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR China State Construction Engineering CorporationDowntown Views II, Dubai RambollThe Avenues Khobar, Saudi Arabia Voltas LimitedCommercial Boulevard District, Qatar Qatar Electro Mechanical GroupWater Park at Qetaifan Island North, Qatar PLUMBING PROJECT OF THE YEAR RambollThe Avenues Khobar, Saudi Arabia Bainona Engineering ConsultancyRoyal M Five Star Hotel & Resort, Dibba Al Fujairah Buro HappoldMuseum of the Future, Dubai Voltas LimitedCommercial Boulevard District, Qatar SHORTLISTSSeptember 2022 | MEP Middle East 29 www.mepmiddleeast.com ELECTRICAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR China State Construction Engineering CorporationDowntown Views II, Dubai Voltas Limited & Almoayyed Air Conditioning JVJumeirah Gulf of Bahrain Resort, Bahrain PEOPLE CATEGORIES MEP EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR Sethunath K AAl Saheeh Electromechanical Works Dr AnsariAdeeb Electrical & Electronics Services Company Gavin loyBuro Happold SHORTLISTS TECHNICAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR Srinivas ReddyAtkins Imran ShaikhRamboll Samir El Syed HamidBainona Engineering Consultancy Dessy PhilipMohamed Salahuddin Consulting Engineering Bureau Ashveen JeetunBuro Happold Krishna KumarAG Engineering PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR Sethunath K.AAl Saheeh Electromechanical Works Basheer Abu ZeidBainona engineering consultancy Vazeer Adeeb Electrical & Electronics Services Company Steven ThomsonALEMCO Yoonus KhalidBin Dasmal Contracting Athul SageerAdam Star Electromechanical WorksNext >