Greencore Technology, Inc., formerly Aquacell Technologies, Inc. announced they had installed Greencore 10200 solar powered DC air conditioner at a metro PCS cell tower site. The Greencore system has replaced one of two 4 ton air conditioners an the cellular base station housing the electronic transmission and data equipment. Initial analysis has demonstrated that the Greencore 10200 provides comparable cooling capacity to the 4 ton unit it replaced.
"We are extremely encouraged by the initial reports we have received on the performance of our solar air conditioner at the metroPCS cell tower site," said Kevin Spence GreenCore's President and Chief Financial Officer. "The power consumption of the traditional air conditioning units used at cell site locations is quite significant, as they have not been designed to conserve energy. Replacing just one of the two air conditioners on cell tower base stations with the GreenCore solar air conditioner will provide significant reduction in grid power consumption and its related cost, in addition to providing emergency cooling capability in the event of a power outage."
The GreenCore solar powered DC air conditioner ( www.greencoreair.com) combines the most efficient photovoltaic technology with DC engineered air conditioning innovation to provide climate control that does not contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. The system has been designed to efficiently operate completely grid-free or as a hybrid air conditioning unit.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
My Air Conditioner is noisy Help me stop it
joe1234
Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7
Trane XE1000 Condenser Noise Level
Hi.
I have a 10 year old rane XE1000 which is very noisy. It works just fine, but it has progressevly gotten noiser.
Anyone know what the db decible noise level of this unit is? I looked through my manual and it does not say.
I like to know what the db is since I am shopping for another condenser and want to compare.
Thank you,
Joe
mike n mike n is online now
Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 230
Shhhh;
I am sure somewhere in the technical data you may find the noise levels although I have not seen but maybe that is because I haven't looked. First let us deal with what you have there are many reasons why an outdoor unit might be noisy.
Bad bearings or loose components on a condensor fan, liquid refrigerant flooding back into a compressor, outdoor coil dirty causing both condensor and fan to overwork.
Put in a new filter, clean your coils and lubricate and tighten your condensor fan motor and blade (if it can be lubricated).
Restart the system and see if it is any quieter and know if you do purchase new equipment anything you get is going to be alot quieter than what you have and the more you spend on efficiency the more the manufacturers are willing to do concerning noise reduction and warranty improvement.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7
Trane XE1000 Condenser Noise Level
Hi.
I have a 10 year old rane XE1000 which is very noisy. It works just fine, but it has progressevly gotten noiser.
Anyone know what the db decible noise level of this unit is? I looked through my manual and it does not say.
I like to know what the db is since I am shopping for another condenser and want to compare.
Thank you,
Joe
mike n mike n is online now
Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 230
Shhhh;
I am sure somewhere in the technical data you may find the noise levels although I have not seen but maybe that is because I haven't looked. First let us deal with what you have there are many reasons why an outdoor unit might be noisy.
Bad bearings or loose components on a condensor fan, liquid refrigerant flooding back into a compressor, outdoor coil dirty causing both condensor and fan to overwork.
Put in a new filter, clean your coils and lubricate and tighten your condensor fan motor and blade (if it can be lubricated).
Restart the system and see if it is any quieter and know if you do purchase new equipment anything you get is going to be alot quieter than what you have and the more you spend on efficiency the more the manufacturers are willing to do concerning noise reduction and warranty improvement.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Hmeowners Cries for Help
I have a 3-year-old home with a walkout basement. The air conditioner is on the master bedroom side of the house and mounted up on a rack that holds it off the ground and level with the first floor. When the air conditioner kicks on, it makes a very loud sound. It wakes me up every time it kicks on and keeps me awake while it is running. Is there anyway to mask/reduce the noise so it isn't so noticeable in the bedroom.
The location of the outdoor unit does not concern me as much as the noise if we are talking about normal start up noise it may be that you have a lower quality unit. If we are talking about noise that sounds like metal on metal (clanking) then we need to think about a damaged compressor or refrigerant floodback on start up.
Look at the system airflow first because that is the easiest and cheapest to remedy. Is the filter clean or are there any other airflow obstructions.
I have a 3-year-old home with a walkout basement. The air conditioner is on the master bedroom side of the house and mounted up on a rack that holds it off the ground and level with the first floor. When the air conditioner kicks on, it makes a very loud sound. It wakes me up every time it kicks on and keeps me awake while it is running. Is there anyway to mask/reduce the noise so it isn't so noticeable in the bedroom.
The location of the outdoor unit does not concern me as much as the noise if we are talking about normal start up noise it may be that you have a lower quality unit. If we are talking about noise that sounds like metal on metal (clanking) then we need to think about a damaged compressor or refrigerant floodback on start up.
Look at the system airflow first because that is the easiest and cheapest to remedy. Is the filter clean or are there any other airflow obstructions.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Air Conditioning more complex everyday
Air conditioning is a pretty simple process right, well the latest problem the engineers are trying to solve is that since the government has mandated that system efficiencies have to be increased how do we achieve that.
The first path was to make the coils larger, simple right. Of course that creates another problem, that's right how we gonna get that big unit in the small space where the old one was.
So to solve that problem they are developing new coils that expand the surface area for heat transfer integral to the tubing so they can start reducing the overall size of the coils.
I think that is great, the only thing I worry about is if they can't keep the coils from leaking for 5 years now because the copper is so thin how much tougher is it going to be to repair a leak now. I guess they don't want us to fix them just sell 'em a new one.
The first path was to make the coils larger, simple right. Of course that creates another problem, that's right how we gonna get that big unit in the small space where the old one was.
So to solve that problem they are developing new coils that expand the surface area for heat transfer integral to the tubing so they can start reducing the overall size of the coils.
I think that is great, the only thing I worry about is if they can't keep the coils from leaking for 5 years now because the copper is so thin how much tougher is it going to be to repair a leak now. I guess they don't want us to fix them just sell 'em a new one.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Striving for Super Efficiency
Striving for Super Efficiency
The three basic components used in the manufacture of microchannel coils are parallel flow aluminum tubes (purple in illustration above), enhanced aluminum fins (red), and header manifolds (green). These components are combined by alternating tube and fin sections — a layer of tube atop a layer of fin atop a layer of tube, etc. This combination of fins and tubes is captured at both ends by the header manifolds. (Illustration courtesy of Johnson Controls.)
Manufacturers Continue to Tweak, Improve Upon Design of Condenser Coils
Long ago, the industry determined that the combination of copper tubing and aluminum fins provided the most efficient transfer of thermal heat in condenser coils.
Manufacturers of residential units are not necessarily on that same page — or that line of thinking — today.
Most manufacturers, if not all, are revising, have revised, or continue to revise their outdoor coil construction. One of the main objectives, of course, is to increase heat transfer efficiency, as energy efficiency is high on every homeowner’s wish list.
In the end, each manufacturer believes it has engineered and/or perfected — at least up to now — the most-efficient coil design. Some, like Goodman Manufacturing, have made changes as a direct result of the efficiency offered from R-410A refrigerant.
The NEWS asked major manufacturers to discuss the residential condenser coil changes that are occurring in the marketplace. Though not all responded, those that did provided great detail as to what’s happening with the component.
MICROCHANNEL TECHNOLOGY
Many years ago York engineers were concerned about 3 major issues concerning the industry.
“The first was efficiency, whether it was a 12 SEER or 13 SEER minimum,” said Andy Armstrong, director of marketing, Johnson Controls-Unitary Products. “We were confident that condenser coils would be challenged with new efficiencies.”
The second issue to address, he explained, was size. “The industry’s answer to efficiency has always been tied to bigger heat transfer surfaces,” he said. “Both application size restrictions and raw material usage made bigger and bigger coils an untenable long-term solution.”
The last issue involved sustainability. “We needed to make products that used less materials to begin with, and then, after use were easier to recycle and reuse,” said Armstrong.
In the case of Johnson Controls and York, they turned to microchannel technology, technology that has been used in the automotive industry for some time now. According to believers in the design, heat transfer efficiency and improvement in reliability are achieved through a higher level of corrosion resistance. (Johnson Controls uses the name MicroChannel.)
“Today, Johnson Controls believes that MicroChannel technology is the solution to all three challenges,” said Armstrong.
“With better heat transfer efficiency, MicroChannel allows us to economically reach the efficiency levels demanded by our customers. Not only do we reach higher efficiency levels, we reach them in a much smaller footprint. And from a sustainability standpoint, MicroChannel allows us to use far fewer raw materials.”
STATING ITS CASE
Enlarge this picture
Goodman said its unit with SmartCoil™ and R-410A refrigerant use 25 percent less refrigerant and the overall unit requires 15 percent less volume.
Johnson Controls is so convinced it has the answer, a year ago it produced a white paper on the subject, titled “Microchannel Technology: Benefits of Microchannel Technology in HVAC Applications.” (For the full report, go to www.us-ac.com.)
In the white paper, it states three basic components are used in the manufacture of microchannel coils: parallel-flow aluminum tubes, enhanced aluminum fins, and header manifolds.
According to the Johnson Controls’ report, these components are combined by alternating tube and fin sections — a layer of tube atop a layer of fin atop a layer of tube, and so forth. It said this combination of fins and tubes is captured at both ends by the header manifolds.
“Separator plates are located within the header manifolds to segment the coil assembly into two distinct sections: a desuperheating section, where the refrigerant gas transitions from gas to liquid, and a subcooling section, where the liquid refrigerant is further cooled below its saturated temperature,” it states in the report.
The manufacturer’s report also points out several advantages of microchannel technology when compared to traditional copper tube and aluminum fin designs. Per Johnson Controls, that list includes improved heat transfer properties, smaller size and weight, improved durability and serviceability, improved corrosion protection, and reduced refrigerant charge up to 50 percent. The report goes on to state its case and proof for each advantage it listed.
“Looking towards the future, January 2010, one of the current refrigerant options, R-22, can no longer be used in the manufacture of HVAC equipment and will be entirely replaced with R-410A, a more environmentally friendly refrigerant,” it states in the white paper. “Microchannel addresses all of the current and foreseeable future challenges in the HVAC industry.”
Armstrong was just as definitive. “Although R-410A refrigerant is better for the environment than R-22, no one would argue that the less we use any greenhouse gas, the better,” he said.
“With our current MicroChannel 5-ton 13 SEER product, we use one-half as much refrigerant as our closest competitor and one-third as much as another. When considering energy and time used in recovery, this statistic alone has dramatic effects for this industry and our environment.”
He added, “When the Johnson Controls-built unit has completed its useful life, an all-aluminum coil is far easier to recycle than its tube-and-fin counterparts. With an eye on the future, Johnson Controls engineers have taken a smaller box to a higher level.”
The three basic components used in the manufacture of microchannel coils are parallel flow aluminum tubes (purple in illustration above), enhanced aluminum fins (red), and header manifolds (green). These components are combined by alternating tube and fin sections — a layer of tube atop a layer of fin atop a layer of tube, etc. This combination of fins and tubes is captured at both ends by the header manifolds. (Illustration courtesy of Johnson Controls.)
Manufacturers Continue to Tweak, Improve Upon Design of Condenser Coils
Long ago, the industry determined that the combination of copper tubing and aluminum fins provided the most efficient transfer of thermal heat in condenser coils.
Manufacturers of residential units are not necessarily on that same page — or that line of thinking — today.
Most manufacturers, if not all, are revising, have revised, or continue to revise their outdoor coil construction. One of the main objectives, of course, is to increase heat transfer efficiency, as energy efficiency is high on every homeowner’s wish list.
In the end, each manufacturer believes it has engineered and/or perfected — at least up to now — the most-efficient coil design. Some, like Goodman Manufacturing, have made changes as a direct result of the efficiency offered from R-410A refrigerant.
The NEWS asked major manufacturers to discuss the residential condenser coil changes that are occurring in the marketplace. Though not all responded, those that did provided great detail as to what’s happening with the component.
MICROCHANNEL TECHNOLOGY
Many years ago York engineers were concerned about 3 major issues concerning the industry.
“The first was efficiency, whether it was a 12 SEER or 13 SEER minimum,” said Andy Armstrong, director of marketing, Johnson Controls-Unitary Products. “We were confident that condenser coils would be challenged with new efficiencies.”
The second issue to address, he explained, was size. “The industry’s answer to efficiency has always been tied to bigger heat transfer surfaces,” he said. “Both application size restrictions and raw material usage made bigger and bigger coils an untenable long-term solution.”
The last issue involved sustainability. “We needed to make products that used less materials to begin with, and then, after use were easier to recycle and reuse,” said Armstrong.
In the case of Johnson Controls and York, they turned to microchannel technology, technology that has been used in the automotive industry for some time now. According to believers in the design, heat transfer efficiency and improvement in reliability are achieved through a higher level of corrosion resistance. (Johnson Controls uses the name MicroChannel.)
“Today, Johnson Controls believes that MicroChannel technology is the solution to all three challenges,” said Armstrong.
“With better heat transfer efficiency, MicroChannel allows us to economically reach the efficiency levels demanded by our customers. Not only do we reach higher efficiency levels, we reach them in a much smaller footprint. And from a sustainability standpoint, MicroChannel allows us to use far fewer raw materials.”
STATING ITS CASE
Enlarge this picture
Goodman said its unit with SmartCoil™ and R-410A refrigerant use 25 percent less refrigerant and the overall unit requires 15 percent less volume.
Johnson Controls is so convinced it has the answer, a year ago it produced a white paper on the subject, titled “Microchannel Technology: Benefits of Microchannel Technology in HVAC Applications.” (For the full report, go to www.us-ac.com.)
In the white paper, it states three basic components are used in the manufacture of microchannel coils: parallel-flow aluminum tubes, enhanced aluminum fins, and header manifolds.
According to the Johnson Controls’ report, these components are combined by alternating tube and fin sections — a layer of tube atop a layer of fin atop a layer of tube, and so forth. It said this combination of fins and tubes is captured at both ends by the header manifolds.
“Separator plates are located within the header manifolds to segment the coil assembly into two distinct sections: a desuperheating section, where the refrigerant gas transitions from gas to liquid, and a subcooling section, where the liquid refrigerant is further cooled below its saturated temperature,” it states in the report.
The manufacturer’s report also points out several advantages of microchannel technology when compared to traditional copper tube and aluminum fin designs. Per Johnson Controls, that list includes improved heat transfer properties, smaller size and weight, improved durability and serviceability, improved corrosion protection, and reduced refrigerant charge up to 50 percent. The report goes on to state its case and proof for each advantage it listed.
“Looking towards the future, January 2010, one of the current refrigerant options, R-22, can no longer be used in the manufacture of HVAC equipment and will be entirely replaced with R-410A, a more environmentally friendly refrigerant,” it states in the white paper. “Microchannel addresses all of the current and foreseeable future challenges in the HVAC industry.”
Armstrong was just as definitive. “Although R-410A refrigerant is better for the environment than R-22, no one would argue that the less we use any greenhouse gas, the better,” he said.
“With our current MicroChannel 5-ton 13 SEER product, we use one-half as much refrigerant as our closest competitor and one-third as much as another. When considering energy and time used in recovery, this statistic alone has dramatic effects for this industry and our environment.”
He added, “When the Johnson Controls-built unit has completed its useful life, an all-aluminum coil is far easier to recycle than its tube-and-fin counterparts. With an eye on the future, Johnson Controls engineers have taken a smaller box to a higher level.”
Saturday, September 6, 2008
In the South Air Conditioning is Art
Air conditioning artist named
Earlier this year, in the cold of winter, the Air Conditioning Tribute Committee announced a call for entries for artists to pay tribute to the most important of summer-time inventions — the air conditioner.
The response was positive, and the committee had a tough choice ahead, narrowing the submissions to just one winner.
But the committee members labored (in the cool air of the meeting room) and decided the entry that best captured the appreciation of air conditioning was the one submitted by Augusta, Ga., artist Thomas Lyles. The committee will meet with Lyles this month to complete the details.
Lyles, a native of Gadsden, presented a blueprint of his concept. His work, when complete, will showcase the winning poetry entry along with multiple mosaic scenes against the backdrop of industrial ductwork.
The artwork will include sound, working air vents and a video screen. People will be able to hear, see and feel the message of his work.
The next phase of the Air Conditioning Tribute Project involves area schoolchildren and the public. Friday, the committee announced an essay/poetry contest. The submissions will be used in conjunction with the exhibit next summer, and the winning students will receive cash prizes for themselves and their classrooms.
The student categories are elementary, middle and high school. The student must attend school in Etowah County. Entries should be no more than 400 words and capture the South’s thankfulness for the invention of the air conditioner.
In the adult category, entries by anyone with an Etowah County connection will be accepted.
The deadline for submissions is Nov. 23.
Categories and prizes:
• Elementary school — $100 for the winning student, $100 for classroom
• Middle school — $200 for the winning student, $200 for classroom
• High school — $200 for the winning student, $200 for classroom
• Adult (18 and older) — $500 for the winning adult
Complete details for the contest are available at the Hardin Center in downtown Gadsden and online at www.culturalarts.org.
Earlier this year, in the cold of winter, the Air Conditioning Tribute Committee announced a call for entries for artists to pay tribute to the most important of summer-time inventions — the air conditioner.
The response was positive, and the committee had a tough choice ahead, narrowing the submissions to just one winner.
But the committee members labored (in the cool air of the meeting room) and decided the entry that best captured the appreciation of air conditioning was the one submitted by Augusta, Ga., artist Thomas Lyles. The committee will meet with Lyles this month to complete the details.
Lyles, a native of Gadsden, presented a blueprint of his concept. His work, when complete, will showcase the winning poetry entry along with multiple mosaic scenes against the backdrop of industrial ductwork.
The artwork will include sound, working air vents and a video screen. People will be able to hear, see and feel the message of his work.
The next phase of the Air Conditioning Tribute Project involves area schoolchildren and the public. Friday, the committee announced an essay/poetry contest. The submissions will be used in conjunction with the exhibit next summer, and the winning students will receive cash prizes for themselves and their classrooms.
The student categories are elementary, middle and high school. The student must attend school in Etowah County. Entries should be no more than 400 words and capture the South’s thankfulness for the invention of the air conditioner.
In the adult category, entries by anyone with an Etowah County connection will be accepted.
The deadline for submissions is Nov. 23.
Categories and prizes:
• Elementary school — $100 for the winning student, $100 for classroom
• Middle school — $200 for the winning student, $200 for classroom
• High school — $200 for the winning student, $200 for classroom
• Adult (18 and older) — $500 for the winning adult
Complete details for the contest are available at the Hardin Center in downtown Gadsden and online at www.culturalarts.org.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Air conditioning could 'heat up' London
Air conditioning could 'heat up' London
The large scale installation of air conditioning to combat rising temperatures in London could make conditions in the capital even hotter – according to a draft report on climate change issued by the mayor’s office.
The draft London climate change adaptation strategy issued by Mayor of London Boris Johnson states: “In order to avoid unsustainable adaptation, when considering possible adaptation options, the wider implications of the action should be assessed over the lifetime of the action.
“For example, air conditioning is not considered to be a sustainable adaptation action except in extreme circumstances (because of the large energy demands),”
A particular concern raised by the report is the effect on the ‘urban heat island’ within London by waste heat from air conditioning systems.
This is where heat generated in the city by traffic, air conditioning systems and other energy uses adds to the heat being radiated from the buildings and roads, further raising temperatures in the area and meaning there is little let up during a heat wave.
The report says the contribution to the urban heat island by human activity – known as anthropogenic - is thought to be “minimal across” the whole of London at the moment, but significant in high density areas.
The report said: “In Westminster and the City of London modelling suggests that the anthropogenic contribution, calculated using the total energy demand for buildings and traffic, may be a significant contribution to urban heating.
“If the use of air conditioning were to become widespread, the area affected by a significant anthropogenic contribution would increase.”
The effect of an urban heat island cam lead to an increase in mortality rates as people are less able to recover from the hot temperatures they experience during the day as the heat does not decrease significantly at night.
"It can also increase the demand for cooling and upset sleep patterns, while also putting pressure on water supplies and damaging temperature sensitive infrastructure. The increased reliance on electric cooling can also lead to blackouts.
The report said London had to look carefully at measures to limit the use of air conditioning and continue introducing further energy efficiency approaches.
Other issues highlighted included the threat of rising sea levels, wetter weather, a higher chance of heat waves and increased risks of flooding. Measures under consideration include better urban design and improved flood defences.
Mr Johnson said: ‘We need to concentrate efforts to slash carbon emissions and become more energy efficient in order to prevent dangerous climate change. But we also need to prepare for how our climate is expected to change in the future.”
The large scale installation of air conditioning to combat rising temperatures in London could make conditions in the capital even hotter – according to a draft report on climate change issued by the mayor’s office.
The draft London climate change adaptation strategy issued by Mayor of London Boris Johnson states: “In order to avoid unsustainable adaptation, when considering possible adaptation options, the wider implications of the action should be assessed over the lifetime of the action.
“For example, air conditioning is not considered to be a sustainable adaptation action except in extreme circumstances (because of the large energy demands),”
A particular concern raised by the report is the effect on the ‘urban heat island’ within London by waste heat from air conditioning systems.
This is where heat generated in the city by traffic, air conditioning systems and other energy uses adds to the heat being radiated from the buildings and roads, further raising temperatures in the area and meaning there is little let up during a heat wave.
The report says the contribution to the urban heat island by human activity – known as anthropogenic - is thought to be “minimal across” the whole of London at the moment, but significant in high density areas.
The report said: “In Westminster and the City of London modelling suggests that the anthropogenic contribution, calculated using the total energy demand for buildings and traffic, may be a significant contribution to urban heating.
“If the use of air conditioning were to become widespread, the area affected by a significant anthropogenic contribution would increase.”
The effect of an urban heat island cam lead to an increase in mortality rates as people are less able to recover from the hot temperatures they experience during the day as the heat does not decrease significantly at night.
"It can also increase the demand for cooling and upset sleep patterns, while also putting pressure on water supplies and damaging temperature sensitive infrastructure. The increased reliance on electric cooling can also lead to blackouts.
The report said London had to look carefully at measures to limit the use of air conditioning and continue introducing further energy efficiency approaches.
Other issues highlighted included the threat of rising sea levels, wetter weather, a higher chance of heat waves and increased risks of flooding. Measures under consideration include better urban design and improved flood defences.
Mr Johnson said: ‘We need to concentrate efforts to slash carbon emissions and become more energy efficient in order to prevent dangerous climate change. But we also need to prepare for how our climate is expected to change in the future.”
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