Trox makes more investment in research and development

Trox
Part of a £100 000 investment in research and development by Trox UK is engineering fluid dynamics equipment to produce computer simulations of airflow.
Trox UK, which specialises in air-distribution systems, has invested over £100 000 in extensions to its test facilities and buying specialist equipment. As well as creating six separate test cells for comfort air conditioning and the testing and development of equipment using carbon dioxide as the refrigerant, Trox has also invested in engineering fluid dynamics (EFD) equipment. The EFD is used to obtain computer visualisations of air distribution in terms of products and can provide a wide range of data before detailed testing begins. For example, for a product such as the new high-induction chilled beam, there are millions of combinations of air-nozzle diameter, spacing, angle of discharge, air velocity etc. Cliff Bailey, laboratory manager with Trox UK, explains, ‘EFD gave us six months’ testing and results in little over three weeks. We were then able to take the recommended options from the EFD analysis and conduct detailed full-scale actual testing with the beam engine. ‘This leading-edge EFD program will help us develop our products without having to make so many prototypes. It will enable us to validate models, perform prototyping within a controlled computer environment and then validate another model in what is inevitably an iterative design process. ‘This means we can fine-tune the systems we are proposing, precisely matching the needs of our customers. Because we do away with the need to manufacture a lot of prototypes, we save time and money for our customers and for ourselves. ‘The program is also excellent for displaying airflow characteristics for use in presentations, which makes it easy for our customers to seen how the product will work in practice and enables us to give everyone involved in the project a common basis for discussions and decision-making over complex technical issues.’
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