CIAT has developed a fully integrated Air Handling Unit (AHU) and DX system to meet the complex requirements of today’s building services projects.
Demand for combined DX cooling and heating coils in AHUs has been increasing for many years. However, bespoke AHUs with components from different manufacturers can be difficult to install due to the varied control systems and interfaces used.
To meet this requirement, CIAT joined forces with Toshiba Air Conditioning to develop a fully integrated combined system, the Floway DX, to provide installers with a plug-and-play AHU linked to a remote Toshiba DX outdoor unit, providing end users with optimum levels of comfort, control and efficiency.
Development engineers from CIAT, Toshiba UK and CIAT France worked together at UTC’s research and testing facility in Culoz, France. A key was to ensure that the CIAT coils within the Floway DX were optimised for the most efficient output and control when connected to Toshiba DX outdoor units.
The result is the Floway DX, which incorporates a Rotary Heat Wheel, for efficiency and enabling it to adapt to different environments, a brushless motor with high-efficiency fan for 90% energy efficiency yield, and web-based control as an option.
Another key development was to ensure that the coil capacity can be effectively managed to ensure optimum comfort within the building. Traditional approaches use control by air-on only, which does not provide building occupants with the level of comfort required in low ambient conditions. The new approach delivers this and ensures stable, high-quality indoor conditions all year round.
Floway DX can be used in a wide range of applications, including offices, retail and residential buildings, where compliance with building regulations and precise control of the coil capacity are required.
For the contractor, it is designed to be quick and easy to install and minimise cost. The DX outdoor unit simply requires a power supply, pipework and interconnecting cable.
The benefits for the end user include excellent air indoor air quality, energy efficient operation – reducing running costs, and a high level of control with a built-in, easy-to-use control unit or external controller with web connectivity as standard.
David Dunn, Managing Director of CIAT UK and Toshiba Air Conditioning UK, said: “To date, combining AHUs with DX systems has entailed installers purchasing separate plant and going through a complex process of trying to make them work together effectively, often time-consuming and resulting in inefficiencies in performance as well as adding risk to the project. The Floway DX provides the answer, in one integrated, easy-to-install package.
He added: “No other manufacturer has achieved such a high level of integration between the AHU and DX sides of the system. The Floway DX provides a solution to a long-standing problem, and gives installers a competitive edge while opening up new project opportunities.
The Floway DX is fully compliant with ECOdesign requirements, exceeding current regulatory standards and anticipating future updates. CIAT UK and Toshiba Air Conditioning are now working on expanding this approach to AHU/DX integration, and anticipate launching further products in the near future.