Projects
T
he Botswana Examination Council (BEC) is based in
Gaborone, Botswana, and is a provider of national
qualifications; offering examinations and qualifications
to schools of Botswana. The 12-year-old R22 VRV system
had reached its lifespan and needed replacing. The Council
sought a more efficient solution to keep up with the air
conditioning demands.
In 2006, the BEC installed 11 of Daikin’s variable refrigerant
volume (VRV) II systems to take care of its offices’ HVAC needs.
After all this time though, these systems, charged with R22,
couldn’t keep up with the demand. And with Botswana being so
hot already, conditions inside were becoming uncomfortable for
workers, especially during the summer months.
As such, the BEC decided that it was time for an HVAC
upgrade. The initial plan was to rip out and replace the whole
existing system.
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SOLVING THE PROBLEM
But when the project went out to tender, Daikin suggested
merely putting in replacement VRV IV condensers instead
of redoing the whole system. This would upgrade the whole
system to the new R410a VRV IV without the hassle of pulling
out the old system to put in the new one. These are special
replacement condensers, designed especially to replace
models as old as the VRV II and up.
Redoing the system would've meant breaking into
the ceiling and the floor to take out all the pipes and the
indoor cassettes, starting over to put in a new system.
This would’ve taken much longer, cost much more, and
been very disruptive to the people working in the building.
Instead, they could reuse the entire old system (minus a
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2.
An inside look into the new VRV IV condensers.
During the official handover – team Daikin showing the
clients around the new installation. From left: Dorcas
Morake, director Examinations Administration and
Certification; Letlhokwa Galekhutle, director Corporate
Services; Dr Moreetsi Thobega, director Research and Policy
Development; B. Lentswe, acting supervisor Facilities
and Maintenance; Sheila Barongwi, director Product
Development and Standards; Slumber Ramadi, acting
manager Office Services and Facilities.
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RACA Journal I January 2020
www.hvacronline.co.za