Events and Exhibitions
TROX INTRODUCES SOLUTIONS
FOR LABS AND CLEANROOMS
By Eamonn Ryan
A presentation was made by a subject matter expert from Germany , Patric Unterdorfer , TROX Global Business Development Manager Control Systems on ‘ Solutions for Labs and Cleanrooms ’ to engineers , service technicians and contractors from across the sector . RACA Journal was also there .
All images © Eamonn Ryan | RACA Journal
The energy consumption of laboratories is often three to four times that of offices on a square metre basis , due to higher cooling loads and the requirement for larger volumes of conditioned air for equipment such as fume cupboards . This can mean that laboratory buildings are responsible for between 50 % and 80 % of the total energy-related ( non-residential ) carbon emissions of research-intensive universities .
Unterdorfer introduced what he described as , “[ A ] complete solution which is highly efficient , modular and offers a high degree of flexibility to future extensions or refurbishments of laboratory spaces ”.
TROX has been involved in climate control in laboratories for 30 years , having commenced in 1992 . “ During this time we have learned lessons and improved — of our first product we have at least 100 000 currently installed . A laboratory has the most critical air space one can imagine — from a control point of view a laboratory is the most testing scenario . We look at it from the viewpoint of safety , comfort and efficiency , which is a total solution
( Left to right ) Andries Duvenage : National Key Accounts manager TROX SA ; Patric Unterdorfer , TROX Global Business Development manager Control Systems ; Deon Claassen , sales director designate TROX SA ; Tasmyn Davis , external sales representative TROX SA ; Linton Paul , Air-Handling Units sales engineer TROX SA . approach . All three points are vital , especially comfort given that people work in that environment for long hours .
“ Efficiency is as important , and TROX is continually developing ways to improve that efficiency . The solution involves supplying air , controlling the temperature either by chilled beams , fan coils , volume shift and coils within the air stream . There are many possibilities — there is no one single solution . Then the
Patric Unterdorfer : TROX Global Business Development Manager Control Systems .
air has to be extracted , by means of fume hoods or gas cabinet extraction . There is also leakage of air out the windows , doors and elsewhere . Leakage is acceptable and in fact necessary and typically something planned for ,” says Unterdorfer . He emphasises that what is not wanted , is uncontrolled leakage .
HVAC for laboratories is a complex system in view of its four challenges : to protect users ; maintain pressures and a comfortable climate ; and to reduce energy consumption . “ The requirements we see for a laboratory air management system include fast control circuits — everything has to happen fast with an actuator reaction time of about three seconds , whereas a standard control might take 90 seconds . Volume flow control comes with temperature control concepts and room balance concepts with many master units requiring not a single indicator but multiple indicators which combine extremely fast . We need to control the room pressure via volume flow pressure cascade with duct pressure control and / or room pressure control . Fume hood control has different possibilities with constant volume flow and variable volume flow with 2- or 3-point control and distance sensors or face
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RACA Journal I April 2023 www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za