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Texas State Bank retrofit goes from chilled water loop to rooftop VRF technology A s variable refrigerant flow systems gain popularity in the U.S., HVAC contractors and engineers are customizing them with designs that outperform other HVAC technologies in energy efficiency, aesthetics and function. The design, installation and rooftop aesthetics of a recent HVAC retrofit of the four-story Texas State Bank, known as TSB, in San Angelo, Texas, by me- chanical contractor, Air Dynamics Inc., for example, promises to serve as a role model for future U.S. VRF projects. One challenge contractors face is concealing and protecting VRF's multitude of linesets, which can look unsightly and fail prematurely when exposed to rain, hail and the sun's ultraviolet light effects, according to Cecil Sain, president of Air Dynamics. Concerned with the aesthetics of making the project look like more than a $1-million retrofit, Air Dynamics became the first U.S. contractor to specify the RD-Se- ries, a VRF-specific lineset protection duct product line recently introduced to the North American market by RectorSeal. The corrosion- and scratch-resistant zinc/ aluminum/magnesium-coated metal duct installed on the bank's roof protects and preserves linesets from 17 rooftop City Multi Series VRF condensers manufac- tured by Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Cooling. The RD-Series comes with a full line of fittings, adaptors and couplings, such as the 45-degree and 90-degree elbows that Air Dynamics used in connec- tions to building lineset chases. "The building owners are very pleased with how the roof looks neatly laid out and professional in ap- pearance, which also reflects on our overall design and Air Dynamics' installation," said Paul Wilkerson, P.E., owner, Power Systems, Inc., the project's consulting en- gineer, who had previously designed three VRF projects. MAKING OLD NEW AGAIN The 37-year-old facility has always been an HVAC trendsetter. Its original HVAC concept was one of the nation's first commercial heat pump applications that recovered heat from lighting and converted it into energy for the chilled water loop system consisting of a chiller, cooling tower, boiler and air handlers. While it was state-of-the-art in 1977, the aging system's escalat- ing expenditures for cooling tower chemicals, repairs and general system maintenance surpassed $10,000 annually. Replacement parts also became problematic, according to Sain, who began servicing it annually in 1985 and kept it running well after its useful lifecycle had long passed. The bank, which uses the 30,000-square-foot building for its headquarters and leased office space, opted for a retrofit. An 84-ton Mitsubishi system was specified, because it represented no downtime for tenants and its cost was competitive with other HVAC Form follows function / p r o d u c t s i n p r a c t i c e /products in practice HVAC 1. In the future, when the Texas State Bank needs re- roofi ng, thousands of dollars will be saved because each footing of the Big Foot equipment mounting system can be removed individually to replace the roof membrane under it. The mounting system also requires no roofi ng labor or materials during installation. 2. The RD Series lineset protection duct and the Big Foot mounting system both combine for an aesthetic solution to installing any kind of HVAC equipment, whether it's a small rooftop unit or a large cooling tower. 3. The RD-Series lineset protection duct can hold more than a dozen linesets and protect them from UV, hail and animals. The corrosion- and scratch-resistant zinc/ aluminum/magnesium-coated metal duct installed on the bank's roof protects and preserves linesets from 17 rooftop City Multi Series VRF condensers. 1 2 3 HVACPproducts.com HVAC & Plumbing Product News \ Summer 2014 20 F d H A P 0 6 1 4 - 0 1 - 2 8 . i n d d 2 0 FdHAP0614-01-28.indd 20 7 / 2 / 1 4 1 0 : 5 8 A M 7/2/14 10:58 AM