Page 16 - NAVAL FORCES 03/2017

Technology Spotlight

Andrew S. Ilan

The Maritime HVAC Revolution

f AERIUS Marine provided HVAC,
ColPro, Automation, and ILS to the
German Navy’s F125
“BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG“ (F222).
(All photos via author
if not otherwise noted)

Recycled Air
The health risks of exposure
to onboard contaminants have
gained more public awareness, in
large part due to viral and bacte-
rial outbreaks on naval ships. De-
spite sanitation measures, ships
still seem to be especially prone
to outbreaks as many people be-
ing in one small area facilitates
the virus’s spread. Any space con-
tains moulds, bacteria, viruses
and odours. The air we breathe
con tains them too, but this is not
harmful – up to a certain amount.
In large quantities however, the
With the continuous development of Over the past few years, HVAC systems chance of exposure to bad bacte-
marine HVAC equipment leading to have gone through number of technological ria increases drastically.
The risk of poor air quality is higher when
increased sophistication of the sys- transformations and, consequently, major the air in a ship’s HVAC system is recycled
tems available, this article outlines players operating in Europe’s HVAC market for energy saving purposes or when the main-
are changing their product portfolio by incor-
key drivers of technological advance- porating the latest technologies available on tenance of the HVAC equipment is not done
ment and evolution. the market. According to research, the HVAC adequately. Build-up of bacteria, moulds, and
market is projected to grow between 2017- viruses inside the installation can cause very
As we all know, naval applications are sub- 2022 and several countries have emerged as serious health problems. The primary func-
ject to some of the most challenging require- leading markets for HVAC systems.
ments found at sea as well as on land. As the Today’s vessel operators are able to take
archetypal mobile but heavy force, the navy advantage of modern heating and cooling ca- Vessel structural design
is often called upon to, e.g. channel disaster pabilities to support crew well-being as well is being considered from
relief or secure distant areas. This may require as provide ideal temperatures for sensitive the preliminary architecture
project up to the detailed
it to sail anywhere in the world at short no- electronics and other systems on-board. With structural design and production
tice, including regions with extreme climates HVAC manufacturers responding to on-going drawings, including HVAC-R.
far from supply lines. When this happens, it is pressure from vessel builders to provide dura- (Graphic: CMN)
important to know that you can rely on your ble and robust solutions that are also smaller,
heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units lighter and quieter, the market is increasingly
no matter what. seeing the introduction of advanced systems
Heating, Ventilation and Air Condition- that provide higher capacity and efficiency.
ing (HVAC) is a technology used to create
comfortable inship environment with accept-
able indoor air quality and thermal comfort.
Demand for HVAC systems in the maritime
area is continuously increasing due to expan-
ding navies, growing demand for high- quality
energy-efficient devices, and increasing
aware ness.

14 NAVAL FORCES III/2017