www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I July 2023 39
Project
FABRIC DUCTING Dave Mitchell , franchisee of FabricAir in South Africa ( for the moment , as his company Environmental Ducting Solutions is being acquired directly by Danish company FabricAir to become a 100 % -owned office ), says , “ This particular project is one of many that we ' ve done with Hi Caliber Engineering , starting with a PepsiCo project in Isando approximately eight years ago .
“ The VarioDuct system installed at Nkunzi Pharmaceuticals is the first installation of its type in South Africa . It ' s relatively new on our list of products , having come onto the market about two years ago . It ' s specifically designed to be versatile in summer and winter where we have the widely varying ambient temperatures creating a challenge of getting air to a comfortable level , particularly so in winter .
“ There is a servo motor on the duct which drives the diaphragm within the duct . In summer it will allow the hot air out of the top half of the duct and the cold air will naturally fall – which is what drives the air down to comfort-level . In winter , the top half of the duct is shut off with holes in the bottom half that opens the bottom holes , releasing the pressure so the airflow flows down , forcing past the cold air to the comfort level where the people are ,” explains Mitchell .
“ It is not a new technology , I ' ve been the distributor for FabricAir in South Africa since 2014 . The company is 50 years old with its head office in Køge , Denmark , and its factory in Lithuania , where its entire global production takes place . FabricAir currently has subsidiaries in 16 countries and a large network of distributors that reach customers in over 120 countries .
“ Every ducting system is specially designed and built for a project . In the case of Nkunzi , because it ' s a pharmaceutical warehouse with the ducting high up , there were concerns about getting heating to the bottom in winter . That ' s why our product was selected . With conventional ducting system at heights , the efficiency changes with the seasons and becomes less effective in winter .
“ This particular project was not one with a tight deadline where they needed everything yesterday . Many projects of course are like that , and we can deliver on average within 15 days from acceptance of the order , for any size project anywhere in the world .” He explains that because of the light weight of the fabric ducting , it is viable to airfreight it in – bypassing all the logistical delays with shipping over the past two years .
“ It looks large when installed , but in fact for transport folds up small and fits in a few standard-sized boxes which may be carried easily on site . Notwithstanding that , the nature of the fabric is highly durable as it has a better lifespan than many metal products . One of the original FabricAir systems first installed in Denmark has been running for 40 years .
“ The fabric never has to be replaced . It ' s a specially developed polyester fabric of which there are many different
© Eamonn Ryan / RACA Journal © Eamonn Ryan / RACA Journal © Eamonn Ryan / RACA Journal
The Belimo actuator mounted to the damper shaft that is attached to the membrane .
Crossing the line , where the works commenced .
Dunham-Bush AHU 100 condenser .
types from standard fabric to antimicrobial . Fabric ducting was initially developed for food industry manufacturing processes in Denmark . Working in food processing plants is often uncomfortable for workers because of the cold temperatures of anything from 16 ° C down to 8 ° C . The chill factor of air conditioning can take that to almost freezing point . This means workers can ' t work long shifts and also get sick from regular
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I July 2023 39