Klima-Therm delivers high-tech air-handling units for London hotel
Klima-Therm has delivered two high-performance high-efficiency air-handling units developed by Italian manufacturer Rhoss for the Radisson Blu Edwardian, Hampshire Hotel in London’s Leicester Square. The ADV Next Air Systems incorporate a number of energy-efficiency features and deliver cooling, heating and ventilation for the hotel.
One of the keys to the low energy use of these AHUs is total thermal decoupling between the internal air-handling environment and the external skin to minimise exposure to wide swings in ambient conditions and direct solar gain. Advanced materials and a new design that avoids thermal bridging achieve the highest attainable reference for thermal bridging Class TB1.
These units are also exceptionally airtight. Individual panels have a close-tolerance fit and are sealed with high-compression gaskets into their settings within the AHU body. The highest attainable airtightness rating, Class L1, is achieved. Air leakage is one of the most important parameters determining the energy efficiency of an AHU as lost air has to be made up by treated air.
Moving from an L3 reference leakage to L2 achieves annual energy savings of 2%. Moving from L2 to L1 results in additional savings of around 1%.
Tightly managed thermal transmittance also contributes to energy performance by reducing heat transmission through the materials of which the AHU is made. These units have 50 mm-thick sandwich panels, with inner and outer surfaces of heat-galvanised sheet steel coated with polyurethane, and insulation made of self-extinguishing injected PUR at a density of 47 kg/m3. Overall system transmittance is T2.
The on-board intelligent control system monitors performance and continuously optimises energy savings. It can be integrated with all the main building-management and supervisory systems.
Mircea Catana, Klima-Therm’s technical engineer who headed the project, said, ‘ADV Next Air represents the next generation of AHUs. It delivers full-spectrum high-performance cooling, heating and ventilation — with outstanding energy savings and occupant comfort.’
