Air-conditioning system pumps down automatically if performance declines
A state-of-the-art educational facility at Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford has achieved a ‘Very good’ BREEAM rating with the help of an innovative method of providing an automatic pump-down for Mitsubishi Electric City Multi heat-recovery systems (R2). This system was developed by Mitsubishi’s value-added reseller Pacair and business solutions partner Kelvinair. Both companies worked with M&E contractor Airedale Mechanical to ensure the effectiveness of the system would meet BREEAM criteria.
Nigel Palmer, director with Pacair, explains, ‘Other systems are based on the principle of detecting or measuring the concentration of refrigerant in the air once the leak has happened, but we wanted to find a way of knowing about any loss before it got to this stage. This system achieves a whole new level to satisfy BREEAM requirements.’
Pump down is started automatically if performance is affected by refrigerant loss. The system is automatically put in cooling mode and isolation valves automatically closed in sequence to contain the refrigerant recovered from the system during the process. Operation is suspended until the problem can be investigated by a qualified technician. Any leaks repaired will be retested within a month.
The BREEAM assessment was carried out by Matthew Edis, licensed assessor for Sustainable Construction Services, who confirmed that the installation of the system help the building achieve the necessary pollution controls for the building.
