RACA Journal : ISSN 1812-772X
Hot and chilled
INFRASTRUCTURE INDICATORS REVEAL IMMINENT BOOM
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n a statement by quarrying and surface mining industry association ASPASA , “ The construction indexes and a host of Covid relief infrastructure projects getting underway suggests that the construction industry is going to steam forward regardless of uncertainties . The fact that many construction companies closed later and opened sooner already suggests that there is a lot of work out there , and that these companies are catching up on lost time . As a result , the requirement for sand , stone , natural stones , clay bricks and all manner of mined commodities will be in high demand .”
Further , ASPASA recommends engagement with building material producers to give them time to prepare and stockpile required materials to ensure adequate availability so as to not delay any projects .
This is in fact very good news for the South African economy that is emerging from the battering of prior years . Infrastructure and construction projects as we all know are the foundation for an entire services and supply chain , including the HVACR sector that will experience the benefits of these projects that will also undoubtedly make use of a variety of new or hybrid technologies to ensure efficiency .
Efficiency is a particular element that has been highlighted , and will be going forward across projects from small to mega scale , as now even property owners are demanding lateral thinking to ensure not only savings for their pockets , but the ability to remain competitive in office space for example , and to be able to offer tenants unique and controllable solutions . This includes not only products of an efficient nature , but the ability to make building changes with a system to suit , hybrid electricity supply and as an example , the use of waste heat for other applications and filtration solutions .
Remembering an article I read many years ago , the idea of harvesting AC condensate liquid for use within the building ’ s sewerage system ( flushing toilets ) may not be too far off in future . Nor is the idea of combining the plumbing and HVAC systems as we already are seeing being implemented .
Perhaps now is the time to start to count all of the smaller elements that when considered large scale , form a notable difference . The same applies to the management of the gases the sector uses and is responsible for towards the environment . It was indeed a shock for me when I was recently contacted by a construction contractor who wanted to find out about the recycling of AC units that were ripped out to be replaced – but the problem was firstly that they had already just been removed and all of the gases allowed to be sent back into the air – not a good start – from the pictures I was sent , perhaps 50 ACs were laying in a bin to be dumped . I ’ m sure this is not an isolated incident as revamps are set to become more active in future to avoid the costly elements of developments . Something to look out for .
Our feature is on heat exchangers – covering the basics to calculation of flow rates and pressure drops . This issue ’ s project is the re-developed building in Rosebank , Gauteng – The Bank – which has the continent ’ s first chilled / hot water hybrid VRF system installed , as well as navigating quite a few challenges in the overall development along the way .
I trust you ’ ll enjoy this issue and welcome your feedback . If you too would like to participate in RACA Journal with your news , projects , features or technical articles , please get in touch – remember we have print , digital , online , newsletters and social media platforms that we cater to . We are the industry voice , so make use of us .
This month ’ s quote I believe is appropriate as businesses start to rebuild on the challenges of 2020 – the most important thing for today ’ s business environment is your relationship with your clients .
“ Get closer than ever to your customers . So close that you tell them what they need well before they realise it themselves .” – Steve Jobs . RACA
Ambient greetings , Ben
www . hvacronline . co . za www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I February 2021
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