Most Innovative HVAC&R Products Selected

Products that best help HVAC&R practitioners provide safer, healthier, more efficient and/or more comfortable indoor environments were named Monday as winners of the 2007 AHR Expo Innovation Awards.

In all, a first place winner was named in nine categories. Thirty-two other products were awarded honorable mention. All first place awards will be formally presented at the 2007 AHR Expo in Dallas. For the first time, one of the nine category winners will be announced as the AHR Expo Innovation Awards Product of the Year.

The annual competition, held since 2003, is sponsored by ASHRAE, the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) and International Exposition Company (IEC). The purpose is to recognize and encourage innovation in the HVAC&R industry. All proceeds are used to fund scholarships for students studying HVAC&R.

One hundred and twenty-five products were entered in this year’s competition. The products were judged by a panel of knowledgeable ASHRAE members for innovation, application, value to the user and market impact.

In addition to the awards presentation at AHR Expo and recognition throughout the Show, the products will be featured in the January 2007 edition of ASHRAE Journal.

“Attending the Expo lets you see first-hand how technology is being put to practical use,” said Terry Townsend, P.E., ASHRAE president. “The Innovation Awards recognize the best of this technology, and I encourage ASHRAE members to visit the Expo and see these products.”

The 2007 winners are:

Building Automation

Lennox International's Comfort Sensor combines the most common sensor types and zone controllers in a single enclosure with an intuitive interface for daily user functions. Its simple installation requires only two communication wires and power to operate. The product promotes a more modular approach to sensors and zone controllers, reducing installation labor and improving aesthetics.

Heating

The Mantis fireplace from Empire Comfort Systems, Inc. is 93% efficient in regard to annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE). It is about 20% more efficient than other vented hearth products. Installation expenses are reduced due to its PVC venting, which offers the ability to vent downward if needed. The product humidifies as it heats.

Cooling

The Copeland Scroll Digital™ for commercial air conditioning from Copeland Corp./Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc. uses axial-scroll-compliance capability to unload the compressor without shutting down. This feature provides infinitely variable modulation between 10% and 100% capacity, without compressing refrigerant that is not needed for room cooling.  

Ventilation

Sensaire^® technology in the Broan^® Ultra Silent™ Humidity Sensing Fan Series from Broan-NuTone LLC detects rapid increases in moisture levels at the ceiling, and automatically exhausts the moisture. It turns off once the room’s normal humidity level is reached. This provides an automated solution to fight excess humidity and mold, saving energy and money.

Refrigeration

The ICF Valve Station for Industrial Refrigeration from Danfoss, Inc. features complete valve stations, pre-tested and jobsite ready, with up to six functions: hand or motorized expansion valve, solenoid valve, strainer and stop valves. There is no disassembly, pipe cutting or welding of individual valves, since ICF stations arrive as fully assembled units.

Indoor Air Quality

Lennox International's Humiditrol ^® dehumidification system provides humidity control for commercial buildings. Advanced control logic and multiple staging options allow the Humiditrol system to independently control space temperature and humidity levels. Customizable settings include relative humidity setpoint and deadband and reheat options through outdoor air.

Green Building

The Vertex from A.O. Smith Water Heaters is a high-efficiency, condensing water heater. Its 90% thermal efficiency offers consumers the luxury of endless hot water. Its total installation cost is lower than the installation of tankless units in replacement applications.

Tools and Instruments

The NEWPORT iSE from Newport Electronics, Inc. enables Web-based remote surveillance of environmental conditions in critical HVAC applications. It serves active Web pages that display and graph temperature, RH and dew point in real time. It records up to four years of data on a removable flash card, and automatically sends alarms by e-mail and text message. The NEWPORT iSE protects equipment, inventory and infrastructures, with power failures, security breaches and other conditions triggering alarms before problems become disasters.

Software

After systems are created and calculations completed using intelligent HVAC objects and connecting them into flow/diagrams/systems, HVAC Solution Pro 4.0 from HVAC Solution automatically can select equipment from the industry and prepare schedules for contract documents. The product allows users to look at the “what-ifs” and see results in seconds with the click of a button to reselect all equipment and then create a bill of materials for cost estimation.

Products that received honorable mention are:

Building Automation

• Wireless Temperature and/or Humidity Sensing from Building Automation Products, Inc. is designed for areas where running wire is difficult or very expensive, for secure areas with limited access, or for areas where averaging or multiple sensors are desired. The 418 MHz transmitter has a battery life of eight years and a minimum in-building range of 100 ft (30 m). Each receiver can handle up to 127 different sensor variables.
• The Compact Input/Output Modules from Honeywell International, Genetron Refrigerants are used in conjunction with building automation system controllers. The product allows users to install I/O points the controller may not have. Install the Compact I/O next to existing modules by snapping them together with the “snap and click” connector. The new module gets power from the other module. The connector transfers power and network signals to the new module.
• The BACnet ^® Building Controller (B-BC) from KMC Controls is a 32-bit building controller with 128 MB of memory, 20 times more powerful than previous models. The controller has onboard universal inputs/outputs and an integrated Web server displaying 3-D graphics of building conditions. The B-BC provides an easy-to-use and cost effective building automation solution without the added expense of a computer and software.
• Vykon Security from Tridium is the first security system built on the Niagara AX Framework. The Web-based modular security solution features IT connectivity including XML, oBIX and SNMP, as well as connectivity to any BAS system via BACnet ^®, LonWorks ^®, Modbus and oBIX.
• The WiSuite Wireless Automation and Control's reliable ZigBee “mesh” network from WiSuite Wireless Automation and Control provides control and energy savings—typically 35% or more—even in the most challenging retrofit environments. Its centralized management and a hotel reservations system bridge provide occupancy control without sacrificing comfort.

Heating

• The VANTAGE Dual Fuel natural gas condensing boiler from The Fulton Companies has the ability to switch fuels with the flip of a switch, allowing the user to select the most cost-efficient fuel. This also eliminates the dangers of using propane gas as a back-up fuel. Duplex 2205 condensing flue pipes are used in all VANTAGE units to reduce flue gas condensate corrosion.
• ITT Corporation’s VSX Double-Suction Split-Case Pump offers the most modern hydraulics available. Three different piping configurations allow consulting engineers flexibility in pipe design, which reduces equipment footprint.
• The Greenwood Furnace from Greenwood Technologies is 85% efficient, making it twice as efficient as typical wood boilers. Using a one-piece ceramic firebox, it gasifies the wood, leaving virtually no smoke, creosote or ash. It reduces home heating bills by up to 70%.
• The EUTEC HYBRID heater from Calorigen USA Corporation, Inc. uses solar thermal energy and automatically switches to electric power in the absence of sunlight. It provides energy savings of up to 50%.

Cooling

• The AquaForce Air Cooled Chillers from Carrier Corporation feature a screw compressor with infinite unloading for capacity control and that can be serviced in the field. Quiet operation is accomplished by the Aero Acoustic fan design for low condenser fan noise. AquaForce is the first commercially available product using microchannel technology for the condenser coils.
• Rheem Heating & Cooling Division is the first manufacturer to apply microprocessor technology proven in advanced home appliances to residential condensers. The Rheem and Ruud Comfort Control System features the industry’s only seven-segment LED information display for contractors. The circuit board automatically sends a “call for service” alert to the home thermostat when service is needed or developing problems are detected.
• UltraTech Unitary Control (UUC) from White-Rodgers/Emerson Climate Technologies is the first control with an integrated, sealed, microprocessor-controlled compressor switch that reduces mis-wiring, contamination and assembly labor. The control monitors operational data and protects itself by locking out operation when damage could occur.

Ventilation

• The HeatPumPro™ zoning system from Arzel ZoningTechnology, Inc. features four heat/two cool capacity staging. If the first stage reaches maximum capacity and the discharge temperature is below a user-defined setting, the system will stage up, eliminating thermostat drop. It builds in all of the auxiliary controls required for heat pump installations, saving time and money.
• Fan Wall Technology™ from CES Group, Inc. results in smaller, quieter fan sections. A fan wall array of any size requires airway length of 36 in. (914 mm) compared to three to four times that for traditional fan systems. Smaller fan sections free space for owners; quieter fans mean less jobsite sound abatement costs.
• The HCU Water Source Heat Pump from Munters Corporation marks the first time heat pump and desiccant technologies have been combined into a single packaged HVAC system. The desiccant wheel is reactivated with waste heat from the condenser coil, making it the most efficient means of removing humidity.
• The FlexFlow Elbow from ThermaFlex eliminates the need for metal elbows that require sealant and insulation. FlexFlow Elbow fits flex duct sizes 6 to 16 in. (152 to 406 mm), installs in about 30 seconds, can be retrofitted on existing installations and costs substantially less than metal elbows.

Refrigeration

• The Vector Series MRS from Tecumseh Compressor Group is a multicell packaged rack system containing one to 10 individual refrigeration systems with a single common electrical supply. The flexible manufacturing concept allows individual refrigeration systems for multiple applications, such as the latest energy efficient green technology R-744 (CO 2) systems for facility water heating and product refrigeration, and R-410A modulated facility heating/cooling applications.
• The Intelligent Store™ Discus ^® compressor from Emerson Climate Technologies provides a new level of control by integrating system electronics, gathering compressor information, transmitting operating data, performing self-diagnostics and enabling remote diagnostics.

Indoor Air Quality

• While indoor air relative humidity has only an indirect impact on mold growth, surface relative humidity is directly related to mold growth. DampGuard from Rotronic Instrument Corp. measures the humidity on the monitored surface, not the air, and indicates when ventilation strategies need modification.
• The PMA25 Media Holding Module from ProMark Associates, Inc. has an aerodynamic design that permits even airflow through the media bed, reduces pressure drop and turbulence, eliminates dead areas and has a flexible seal that eliminates bypass. It features discrete media layers contained in a single module and is suitable for multiple applications.
• The Temperature and Humidity Controller from Hoffman Controls Corp. compares sensible heat with RH and optimizes airflow over a 1.5°F (0.8°C) dry bulb and 60% to 50% RH span to maximize latent cooling, satisfying both functions at setpoint. Coil freeze protection is provided.
• Three meters in one, the built-in infrared thermometer measurement capability makes the AN200 CFM/CMM Thermo-Anemometer from Extech Instruments Corp. suitable for measuring the temperature of surfaces that may be dangerous to access or hard to reach.

Green Building

• The TriArmor™ Corrosion Protection System from Baltimore Aircoil Company is factory-applied to the cold water basin of a cooling tower. The system provides an inert, corrosion- and leak-resistant polyurethane layer with excellent bonding characteristics to the dual substrate. This material lasts the life of the unit as confirmed by extensive field testing.
• The major innovation in the CEC Motorized Impeller from Continental Fan Manufacturing, Inc. is its electronically commutated motor. The electronics are an integral part of the motor and allow for optimal control of motor speed and airflow. Operating costs are reduced due to the high efficiency of the motor.
• The Environmentalist/Zero-Bleed® permanent magnetic water treatment technology from Superior Manufacturing Division, Magnatech Corp. eliminates the need for toxic chemicals conventionally used for scale and corrosion control, and eliminates 100% of all daily bleed requirements in cooling tower systems. The product is safer, healthier and more cost effective to apply than chemicals and prevents pollution while conserving water and energy.

Tools and Instruments

• The Fluke 975 AirMeter from Fluke Corporation simultaneously measures, logs and displays temperature (wet bulb and dew point), humidity, CO₂ and CO levels, and airflow and velocity. The product combines five highly accurate, powerful tools in one rugged and easy-to-use handheld unit for  easier, faster and more precise measurements.
• The testo AC/R system analyzers from Testo, Inc. allow technicians to set up, analyze and maintain all A/C, heat pump and refrigeration systems. The analyzers measure pressure, temperature and vacuum and calculate superheat and subcooling for 30 refrigerants.
• The SSX34 from Fieldpiece Instruments, Inc. measures refrigerant temperature and pressure and calculates superheat and subcooling for the most popular refrigerants used for air conditioning and refrigeration. The product is one meter that takes the place of a pipe clamp thermometer, pressure gage and a pocketful of charts required for superheat and subcooling measurements.
• The Ashcroft ^® Xmitr™ from Ashcroft Inc. can be used in any pressure gage or transmitter application where both local and remote monitoring are required. Proprietary electronics measure the deflection of the gage’s Bourdon tube. This allows the product to output a proportional analog signal, providing both local and remote readings, eliminating the need for a separate gage and transmitter.

Software

• Right-Universal (RU) from Wrightsoft Corporation is a harmonized, single drag-and-drop building description tool combined with layered materials technology and a generalized building data structure that allows real-time switching between 11 different ASHRAE, ACCA and HRAI load and duct design methods.
• Bidtracer from Bidtracer Specialty Software Group LLC is a Web-based tool that can track a bidding opportunity from start to job completion without the need for software or hard drive space. Documents are scanned directly from a copier to Bidtracer.
• Efftrack from Efficiency Technologies, Inc. is Internet-based software that analyzes hourly chiller operating data, calculates and trends chiller performance, diagnoses causes of inefficiencies, notifies contacts when problems occur, and recommends corrective actions and measures the cost savings of corrective actions. The product’s calculated part load value (CPLV) determines where the chiller should perform at any operating condition.