Air Technology Systems Ltd were commissioned to complete the warehouse Industrial Climate Control System at the prestigious Royal Mail Dirft site.
Client – Phase Mechanical Projects (PMP) for Royal Mail
Project Stats
- >4000m of Ductwork
- 90m³/s of Air Movement
- 9 bespoke Air Handling Units & associated direct expansion Air Cooled Condensing Units
- 9 bespoke HVAC Control Panels
- >4000m of Sensor Wiring
- 528 Air Induction Nozzles
- 1765kW of Heating Demand
- 1621kW of Cooling Demand
Project Scope
Air Technology Systems Ltd were instructed by our valued client PMP to complete the design, installation, and commissioning of the industrial climate control systems for the Warehouse at Royal Mail Dirft, which included:
- Bespoke air handling units
- Direct expansion air cooled condensing units
- Return air inline axial fans
- Supply air and Return air ductwork in galvanised mild steel to DW144.
- Integration with Solar Wall Technology
Electrical Scope
In addition to the above, our mechanical team enlisted the specialist services of our Controls & Electrical department to design, manufacture, and install of the 9no. bespoke Trend PLC Control Panels. This required the efficient control and operation of the individual zoned systems, including:
- All internal AHU controls wiring and instrumentation
- All fire damper controls wiring
- All field sensor wiring and all field return air axial fan controls wiring.
Objectives
The primary objective for this project was to provide an Industrial Climate Control Solution to meet demands of the client’s performance specification. The focus on being able to meet the heating demand during peak wintertime conditions, whilst providing an element of cooling during summer months.
The South Zone System also incorporated a Solar Wall® system, provided as part of the main building cladding structure. This is a proprietary building cladding system designed specifically for the collection of free heat energy given off by the suns radiation. In winter this heat energy is collected via Air Technology System’s packaged systems, which pre-heats the internal space conditions, thus lowering the operational cost and required duty of combined heating output.
Challenges
- Client preferred the design of duct routes and AHU positions in North plant deck, this created access issues throughout the plant deck due to space limitations.
- Working at a fast pace to be out of handover areas on time, enabling the client to build mezzanine decks throughout warehouse area.
- Coordination between trades daily to keep segregation between work areas and plant decks
- Distribution of 1621kW of Cooling & 1725kW of Heating
- Mechanical Handling Equipment (MHE) heat loads
- Pressurisation of adjoining warehouse in free cooling mode
Solution
This was a challenging project from the offset, due to the physical size of the building and the logistics involved with the delivery and installation. The solution required a turnkey approach from design to project management, involving delivery techniques that needed to be adapted and developed to suit the construction line.
Our Technology
Our solution incorporated our very own proprietary High Velocity Industrial Climate Control System together with 9no. high efficiency electric-gas hybrid Air Handling Units and high efficiency air cooled direct expansion condensing units. This combination of advanced technology enabled our design team to provide a solution that provided the client with the most effective solution in Warehouse Climate Control.
The system is designed to provide horizontal and vertical temperature control throughout the space, making it ideal for densely packed areas, mezzanines, and tall warehouse buildings. Distribution ductwork is routed at high level within the pitch of the roof, limiting the impact the HVAC services have on space comparative to conventional systems.
System Design
The treated supply air is distributed into the space via a series of self-balancing High Velocity Nozzle Outlets. These outlets are designed and selected such that no mechanical balancing aids are required resulting in a maintenance-free high-level system. This is a key design characteristic of this Industrial Climate Control System, providing maximum performance and efficiency, delivered via a method which is significantly smaller than like-for-like conventional HVAC and or Displacement Systems.
The completed systems are fully automated, designed and programmed to optimise system performance, based on meeting the needs of the internal space condition against the external ambient conditions. This was all down to our inhouse Controls & Electrical department who designed and manufactured the control panels and integrated the intelligent programmable logic controllers.
Result
The project was completed on time and within budget, meeting with the client’s required practical completion dates and successfully handing over the fully commissioned system to the client’s consultant.
