HVAC News, June 2021

As part of its own duty of care, the Wilo Group is offering all employees at its German sites the opportunity to take free voluntary coronavirus self-tests. With this initiative, as well as caring for the health of its employees, the technology specialist is also making an important contribution to society as a whole. Self-test campaign “With our self-test campaign, we’ve deliberately gone a step beyond the official requirements. In particular, Wilo is helping ensure that system-re...

The Wilo Group and electrolyser producer Enapter agreed to a joint cooperation last week. The goal is to define possible areas of cooperation in the hydrogen sector and to generate synergies that profit both sides. The partners see mutual potentials above all in projects to build an infrastructure for the production and transportation of hydrogen. Governments worldwide are passing recovery packages with middle- and long-term national strategies aiming to aid hydrogen technologies in actively pr...

Drury Southwest is a Missouri-based, family owned and operated hotel system with more than 130 hotels in 21 states. Founded in 1973, the Drury brands include Drury Inn & Suites®, Drury Inn®, Drury Plaza Hotel®, Drury Suites®, Pear Tree Inn by Drury®, and other brands. The company’s focus on exceptional customer service, spotless rooms, and best-in-class value earned the company a JD Power and Associates ranking of ‘Highest in Guest Satisfaction’ award fr...

A large manufacturer of steel cables from Detroit, Michigan contacted Wattco with a problem that the cables they manufactured were corroding in their warehouse and needed a solution to prevent this from happening. Steel products that often sat in inventory for long periods of time were more prone to corrosion. Traditionally, light lubricating oil was used to coat the cables, preventing rust from settling in. The cables were exposed to a steam heating tank, containing light oil at ninety-five de...

Iron oxide is also called magnetite. This damaging black sludge is the unavoidable result of oxidation inside untreated hydronic systems. As little as a few teaspoons can cause tremendous damage. In fact, according to Dr. Neil Watson, ADEY® Chief Technical Officer, “nearly 70 percent of circulator pumps returned to pump manufacturers fail due to iron oxide and other water quality issues. Data also show that over 95 percent of debris in hydronic heating systems is made up of iron oxide...

AET Flexible Space engineers have just completed a Cat-B fit-out of underfloor air conditioning equipment on the 5th floor of 180 Great Portland Street for a new incoming tenant, strategic communications specialist, Sard Verbinnen & Co. The Edwardian building, originally built for residential apartments was re-constructed in 2008, converting the restricted cellular floorplan to open plan, modern offices. The building is accredited with the 2008 BCO Award for Innovation due to its sustainabl...

AET Flexible Space, the foremost provider of underfloor air conditioning has returned to 33 Glasshouse Street in London to complete Cat-B fit-out works on the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th floors for one of the world’s leading tech giants. The stunning 52,000 sq. ft. building has recently undergone full structural reconfiguration and refurbishment, features a Grade II Listed façade, and is located in a prominent position looking over Regent Street and Soho. Challenging Project Space-saving u...

AET Flexible Space has completed a Cat-B fit-out of underfloor air conditioning equipment on the second floor of 8 Waterloo Place for the new incoming tenant, a leading wealth management company. The Edwardian building with a grade II listed Portland Stone façade was fully refurbished in 2008, creating 3,000 sq. m of prime office space in the St James’ area of London, with the second floor becoming the first space to be occupied. CAM-C direct expansion system The system at 8 Wate...

AET Flexible Space has completed a major upgrade of the underfloor air conditioning system at a historic building located in the Clerkenwell area of London, The Bond Works building at 77-79 Farringdon Road. The building was originally constructed in 1882 as the London premises of Lincolnshire-based engineering firm, Marshall & Sons, and previously underwent a full redevelopment in 2007 by a group of private investors.  The eight-story building is located on a prominent corner position...

Wattco heaters can be installed in a tank or a container that is mounted on wheels for easy portability. Many applications demand heat in hard-to-reach places, which require heaters to be situated and moved to nearby locations that are not known beforehand. Highly efficient flanged immersion heaters are used where heated gas or liquid is needed. The salient features of heaters on wheels are that all components, such as temperature controllers and control panels are assembled in one unit. The he...

A lot of emphasis is given to industrial heating elements and sheath materials, when discussing the electric heaters. However, equally important are the control panels for process heaters to function effectively. The control panel is a vital part of the immersion heaters to maintain stability. Failure to control the temperature may result in overheating and thereby, causing the deterioration of the medium that is being heated. Wattco makes it a point to design digital control panels for extreme...

The term ‘oil flushing’ is used extensively in the process heating industry to refer to the cleaning of pipes and process equipment. Typical applications use immersion or circulation heaters that heat oil for circulating through the system to a desirable Reynolds number. Viscosity and temperature play critical roles in such conventional oil flushing. In many process applications, conventional oil flushing is not suitable to achieve the desired cleanliness. Additional actions are nee...

Although immersion heaters are most often the best possible solution for tank content heating, sometimes it is not feasible. Wattco highlights some key alternatives. Processing tanks, storage tanks, and holding tanks with immersion heaters are regularly used within the processing industry. Whether these contain water, oil, chemicals, asphalts or another fluid, there is commonly a need for the tanks content to be heated. Heat may be required to: Prevent solidifying or freezing. Maintain the...

Air duct heaters are commonly used in the HVAC industry. They provide supplementary heat to the delivered air inside an air-delivery duct. For heavy duty industrial applications, air duct heaters are a perfect choice. With high tensile strength cages and durable tubular heating elements, air duct heaters provide appropriate heating solutions to the power generation industry. Air duct heaters An air duct heater is an electric-resistant heater mounted inside an air-delivery duct. It comprises b...

According to the Carbon Trust, around 40% of commercial floor space is expected to be air-conditioned by 2020, compared with only 10% at the end of 1994. Demand is therefore increasing rapidly and due to this, building owners and operators are encouraged to look carefully at energy consumption, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in particular, to see where savings can be made. The Carbon Trust also suggests that specifying a new air conditioning system should consider both user and...

AET Flexible Space signs a new distributor agreement with the Indonesian engineering and contracting company, PT Prima Solusi Jayantara. Prima Solusi Jayantara is a long-established local company with over 12 years of experience supplying and working with Chiller Control Systems, Air Conditioning, and Power Supply Systems. According to research reports, Indonesia is in a high growth region for HVACR, primarily driven by growth in the construction sector, and pioneer players are tapping into thi...

Victaulic announces the fire industry’s first Installation-Ready™ sprinkler that is ULlisted and FM-approved with the launch of its FireLock™ IGS Style V9 Sprinkler Coupling and line of FireLock™ IGS grooved sprinklers. Created to replace threads on both sprinkler outlets and sprinklers, this mechanical connection redefines sprinkler system design and installation in exposed applications, particularly the storage and warehouse market. The innovative coupling has one-bolt...

On 8 February 2021, the Wilo Group successfully completed the acquisition of the Berlin-based Abionik Group from the private equity company, BID Equity, as well as other shareholders. In doing so, it is expanding its competence as a solution supplier in clean water treatment. Abionik currently employs around 170 people across eleven production and sales sites in Europe and Asia. Among other companies, the Abionik Group includes Martin Systems, Likusta Umwelttechnik, and Steinhardt, which specia...

On 4 February 2021, the Wilo Group celebrated the opening of its new headquarters, the Wilopark, in Dortmund, Germany. Over 1,500 high-ranking international guests from the world of business and politics, as well as Wilo employees, took part in the digital (due to coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic) event. Special guests, who sent a video message for the occasion, included Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel, Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Laschet, North Rhine-Westphalian Ministers Pr...

“If it is this good, why isn’t it used more often?” Words often iterated by those learning about underfloor air conditioning for the first time. Unfamiliarity, resistance to change, higher capital costs, or lack of commission is reasoned to be barriers to low-level services adoption. Specifiers in the building services market are accustomed to traditional ceiling-based services and will typically put forward a system they know and understand well as to mitigate their own perso...

It’s a commonly known fact that hydronic boiler systems make up less than 10% of new construction heating systems installations in North America. So, it is no surprise that North America is a retrofit market. As a skilled heating professional, the job at hand is to always fulfill the customer’s needs by resolving their heating problems and upgrading their system with a new boiler if needed, but is one going the extra mile, or just offering a “headlight” warranty? Offeri...

Heating corrosive solutions, whether alkaline or acidic, is often an important step in the process industry. Circulation heaters, from WATTCO, are designed and built to work for a variety of corrosive solutions. Chemical composition of corrosive solutions plays an important role when selecting the correct circulation heater. Construction  Circulation heaters are sturdily constructed of metals such as steel, or stainless steel. The heater is insulated so no heat can escape. Circulation he...

High rise buildings and skyscrapers increasingly dominate skylines all over the world; London for example has around 450 skyscrapers planned for the next few years. They have the ability to spearhead regeneration and provide inspiration through changing the focal nature of a skyline. In this article, AET Flexible Space discusses the merits of adopting underfloor air conditioning in tall buildings, drawing from examples from Hong Kong and China. Maintaining Design balance  The term &ldquo...

The Transport Salaried Staff’s Association (TSSA) have just completed a fit-out of their new headquarters space on the second floor of 17 Devonshire Square, London. The 22,461 sq. ft. building is located in a prominent corner position within the square, and was fully refurbished with underfloor air conditioning to overcome severe slab to slab restrictions as part of major “cut and carve” works in early 2017. State Of The Art Services The building, described as a subtle blend...

One of the leading providers of underfloor air conditioning systems, AET Flexible Space, has won their first order from Australia, for the supply of their leading underfloor air conditioning equipment for the new build development of the Warilla Library located in the Wollongong area of New South Wales, Australia. The new build library with upgraded facilities was proposed as part of the Shellharbour Council Libraries & Museum Strategy 2014. The existing facility was constructed in 196...

The six-floor property offers both retail and office accommodation and was acquired by Royal London Asset Management from Development Securities for £8.85million. The 16,311 sq. ft. building has been stripped back to the core and undergone a full redevelopment, including redesigned windows and a vibrant new green brick façade to grant more architectural definition and visual interest from the street. M&E Consultant, MTT specified the mechanical services design for the refurbis...

In today’s industries, digital control panels find a broad range of applications. As system controllers in industrial settings, they are responsible for controlling and regulating the operation of various equipment and devices. Apart from enhancing efficiency, flexibility, and reliability of running devices, panels like temperature control panels allow engineers and technicians to easily monitor heat and other various parameters such as pressure, voltage, and so on. Safe instal...

One of the most effective methods of chemical cleaning is with the application of circulation oil heaters. There are many different types of circulation heaters on the market that can be used to chemically clean a variety of different equipment types. Some of these are inline heaters, flanged heaters, and screw plug heaters that can be used in several different applications. First, though, it is important to understand the methods of chemical cleaning that each kind of circulation heater e...

Xproof duct heaters are used in commercial duct heating applications in hazardous environments. Generally, this involves the manufacturing or presence of potentially explosive substances. Some of the industries that most often use explosion-proof duct heaters include: Mining Petrochemical Oil & Gas Sewage Treatment This article examines the application and selection of explosion-proof duct heaters in the mining industry. Mining: Explosion-Proof Duct Heater Applications The applica...

There is a growing need for oil pipelines in North America in recent years. The refineries in Edmonton, Alberta, for example, need immersion heaters now more than ever. The Keystone XL project, for example, is a daunting project. It stretches over 2,150 miles of oil pipelines from Canada to the United States. The refineries have various needs for immersion heaters, which are best, suited for use as an oil heater. Minimal maintenance Immersion heaters are best for oil heating for several reaso...