The products offer excellent energy efficiency, high operation reliability, a comfortable environment, a number of new convenient functions – some of which are industry firsts – and the use of R32 as the refrigerant, offering huge benefits over the R410A refrigerant that has been utilised in previous model ranges.
The new LG range line-up offers external units from 4.1kW up to 18.7kW and internal units that include its already popular Artcool Mirror, Deluxe, Standard and Standard Plus wall units, as well as the 4-way Ceiling Cassette and design winning Ceiling Suspended units and its Ceiling Concealed Duct units.
Taking the benefits one by one, the advanced technologies developed by LG achieve world class low energy consumption levels, particularly in relation to the SEER value, with regard to ErP regulations, with SEER values up to 8.50 for the 4.1kW, 5.3kW and 6.2kW outdoor units, equating to A+++ levels, while all the other units meet A++ standards. The units utilise a Brushless Direct Current Motor which offers additional energy savings of up to 40 percent at lower speeds. LG’s Wide Louvre Plus Fin technology increases full load heating performance by 11 percent and six percent COP compared to conventional fin technology.
LG’s unique Smart Load Control technology allows the new units to save operational energy and automatically control the refrigerant temperature according to outside temperature. The Mode Lock function enables the setting for the system to be set to either heating only or cooling only by adjusting a dip switch which prevents mixed use of cooling and heating in the building. And the Standby Mode on the new units can minimise power consumption by up to 90 percent, by turning power off on the PCB except for the MICOM, which receives signals.
On the reliability front, the new external units feature Ocean Black Fin coating on the heat exchanger, which is highly corrosion resistant, and deigned to perform well in corrosive environments such as contaminated or humid conditions. This ensures longer lifespan and lower operational costs for the units.
As well as contributing to reliability in a system, the new LG units offer quicker response times to providing heating and cooling from the dual sensing system incorporated, utilising not just the traditional temperature sensor approach but a dual sensor approach using temperature sensors and pressure sensors reducing the time delay for implementing the heating or cooling commands significantly. Pressure control takes less time to reach the desired temperatures, offering an up to 30 percent quicker response in cooling and 44 percent quicker response in heating, with a high level of accuracy and stability built in.
The new LG units incorporate a new Twin Rotary Inverter Compressor that comes with a 10-year warranty which should reassure customers about the product’s durability. It features Oil Flow Optimisation, concentrated winding motor, a twin rotary rotor, suction optimisation and excellent surface coating with outstanding abrasion resistance properties on the vane and the crank shaft.
The external units come with an improved fan that features a Mogul trailing edge which reduces the vortex, a reverse hub and a narrow hub blade which reduces the friction and improves the flow rate. It has a thick leading edge to enhance tip rigidity and streamline the rotation, whilst a saw tooth trailing edge reduces the vortex intensity. So overall, the new axial fan helps to reduce noise levels and improve efficiency still further. The new units feature Night Silent Operation, by simply setting the dip switch on the PCB of the outdoor unit, reducing the sound levels to 46-48 dB.
So, what about the convenient new functions? You can control these latest LG air conditioning units via smart Internet devices – Android or iOS based smartphones. A wide range of functions from simple on/off to mode selection, set temperature, to energy monitoring, filter management and even Smart diagnosis.
You can easily monitor the PCB - if there is a problem, without disassembling the chassis, engineers can quickly check the air conditioners error code through its seven-segment error indicator. Engineers can use LG MV – Monitoring View – helping them to inspect and monitor air conditioning units with ease. For the wall mounted units you can monitor the status of the air conditioner and diagnose problems by connecting the unit to a Smart phone via a SIMS chip. You can set the daily temperature and automatic on/off time for a week.
The use of R32 offers a huge range of benefits with a GWP of just 675 compared to 2087.5 for R410A. It requires 20 percent less gas charge as well and gives better heating performance at lower ambient temperatures whilst also using less refrigerant per kilowatt of capacity delivered.
The new internal wall mounted LG units offer a range of benefits including the inclusion of a powerful plasma ioniser to protect from odours and harmful substances. It sterilises and deodorises, reducing harmful microscopic particles, utilising over three million ions by infusing the air passing through the air conditioner.
They feature Auto Cleaning – cleaning the filter with regular airflow and removing harmful particles, preventing bacteria, mould and odours that can otherwise accumulate in an indoor unit. The 25 percent larger incorporated Skew fan enables the cool air flow to reach all extremities of a room, keeping the space cool and comfortable. The Fast Cooling feature provides an optimised high-speed airflow which can cool rooms faster while still delivering air evenly in every direction. The ‘one click’ Jet Mode’ reduces temperatures of outflowing air to just 18 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes with just one click. By reducing the second vortex, which decreases airflow from the air outlet, and enlarging the fan size, the amount of airflow is increased by 13 CMM.
The LG wall mounted units operate at 19dB low noise level – quieter than a library - yet still provide healthy soft air flow in the property.
Installation of these latest units is simpler than ever and takes less time than any previous models. That goes for the wall mounted units and the ceiling mounted cassettes. These feature slim and compact design, which not only saves space but reduces installation costs. The 4-way ceiling cassette unit offers independent vane operation making it possible to control all four vanes independently and a high ceiling mode – up to 4.2 metres. A Human Detect Sensor (model PTVSMA0) is an optional new accessory applied to the R32 4-way ceiling cassette, able to detect human movement. The vanes of the unit will automatically move as required and can be set as direct or indirect flow.
The ceiling concealed duct units feature a high head drain pump that automatically drains water up to 700mm of drain head height. It’s the perfect solution for water drainage. The unit features dual thermistors – one in the indoor unit and another in the remote controller. They compare temperatures sensed from different positions and automatically select the optimum temperature for users in the room. The noise level of low static ducts have been reduce significantly even though the ESP has been increased. You’re looking at sound levels of just 27dB from these new units which is impressive. Once again service and maintenance is simple. Users don’t need to open the whole panel for maintenance since each panel is divided into one for heat exchanger and one for the fan/motor. It’s easy to detach and attach the filter even in a limited space.
These new units from LG have been designed to help designers and specifiers looking to meet and exceed new regulations that are coming into force in the next few years. And to address some where the standards being introduce may well be tightened fairly shortly after introduction in order to meet even more stringent standards in the years ahead.
Find out more about these exceptional new R32 driven air condition and heating options by visiting partner.lge.com/uk, or email LG at uk.aircon@lge.com.