Mark Gledhill of Crowther & Shaw.
The installation of the units to provide cooling for operating theatres at Warrington Hospital in Cheshire highlighted the versatility and the energy efficiency capabilities of the J & E Hall technology.
Mark Gledhill, managing director of Huddersfield-based Crowther & Shaw, which carried out the installation, said it was decided to replace the six existing outdoor units mounted on the hospital building roof with CCUs from the J & E Hall Fusion Scroll range.
The JEHS-1000-B4-M3 units supplied by Thermofrost Cryo were chosen because of their compatibility with the air handling units inside the building. Fusion and Fusion Scroll commercial refrigeration units are the ideal solution for commercial refrigeration sectors where noise, size and reliability are paramount.
Housed in a cabinet made of electro-galvanised mild steel with an anti-corrosion treatment and coated in baked polyester powder paint, the units are able to withstand the most stringent weather testing.
The integral IP54-rated control panel provides further protection for all essential electrical components. All units are acoustically lined. The Fusion Scroll units house the extremely efficient Copeland scroll compressor and the standard Fusion range has a highly-reliable reciprocating compressor fitted with a jacket to further reduce noise.
All components are fitted during manufacture to save the installer time and money. Fusion and Fusion Scroll condensing units are available for both medium and low temperature applications.
Compatibility was a key issue, as Mr Gledhill explained: “The hospital wanted us to try to retain the cooling coils within the existing air handling units. In order to do so we had to find a system that would operate on a similar refrigerant to the original R407c.
“We ended up choosing the J & E Hall units operating on R449a. R449a and R407c are very similar as far as cooling capacity and operating pressures go. That allowed us to change the outside units, recalibrate the expansion valves and set the system to work with the new outdoor units.
“The original units were probably around 20 years old and showing their age so when everything was weighed up, it was agreed that replacing them with new units was the most cost-effective solution.
“We spent a week on site overall and it went pretty smoothly. By using J & E Hall units we were able to retain the internal air handling units in their original condition. Had we used alternative equipment we would have had to change the indoor air handling coils because of the gas pressures.
“We install a lot of J & E Hall units and have done so for a number of years. We find them to be reliable, energy efficient and easy to work on.”