ENERGY EFFICIENT HVAC SYSTEMS IN INDUSTRY

14/01/2024

HVAC installations are among the main consumers of energy in industrial buildings and facilities. That is why a key requirement for modern industrial heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, including air handling units, chillers, refrigeration units, boilers, etc., is to be highly energy efficient. In addition to the obvious financial benefits for businesses from implementing more efficient solutions, there are also significant opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of their operations. In the context of global goals for a green and sustainable industry, the environmental friendliness of industrial technologies is becoming increasingly important.
A key function of smart HVAC systems is to minimize idling or over-powering to avoid unnecessary energy consumption when air conditioning is not actually needed. A major advantage of modern technologies is that they allow this process to be carried out remotely, which further expands the scale of measures to improve energy efficiency, since all installations at plant or enterprise level can be managed centrally and simultaneously. For this purpose, various types of sensors, controllers, executive mechanisms, software and other means of automation are used, which turn individual HVAC devices and units into a connected ecosystem.
Current market research in the segment of industrial cooling and ventilation systems shows that energy efficiency has been the leading driver of the global market for such equipment in recent years. As a result of the rapid and widespread industrialization of a number of economically poorly developed regions until recently, the sales of centralized OB systems such as air conditioning chambers are constantly increasing. A number of technological improvements in these systems, such as the integration of different types of sensors, significantly improve their performance and make the investment in a new generation system increasingly attractive, even for small and medium-sized businesses.
Thanks to a built-in motion sensor, for example, a cooler or fan could turn on when personnel enter the unit's range and turn off after a certain interval when there are no personnel in that area, as this would mean that at the moment air conditioning is not required.Many of the components of industrial air conditioning chambers have a direct impact on energy consumption. These include filters, cooling coils, fan drives, vibration dampers, intake grills and heating sections. Duct side airflow resistance also contributes, albeit to a lesser extent, to the overall energy consumption.
Chillers are among the most popular means of cooling in modern industry. A leading solution for a general increase in their energy efficiency are frequency controls. They adjust the speed of the compressor motor according to the required cooling capacity. At a lower one, the device reduces the motor revolutions, thus reducing the total energy consumption.A popular "golden" rule in industrial refrigeration states that operating a larger number of chillers at lower loads is much more efficient than providing the entire cooling capacity with one or two chillers operating at full capacity. In reality, the overall energy efficiency of a chiller installation in industry comes down to the number of units and their size. It is important that the capacity is optimally adapted to the needs, so as not to allow unnecessary purchase, installation and use of unnecessary equipment.
Industrial refrigeration systems play a critical role in supporting large-scale operations where temperature control is vital, such as food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing and chemical plants. Unlike domestic refrigeration installations, industrial ones are characterized by complex systems and larger sizes. These systems encompass extensive, interconnected networks of components, all working to control the temperature of large quantities of products. Adapting these systems to meet the unique needs of individual industry sectors is also common practice. It should be kept in mind that improving the energy efficiency of an industrial system is beneficial not only for the environment, but can significantly reduce operating costs, i.e. a win-win situation.