Page 17 - NAVAL FORCES 03/2017

T echnology Spotlight

According to specific ship HVAC equipment have been driven
classification and construction by developments in electronics and
codes, air handling units are
subject to special requirements refrigerants.
for ventilating “explosive air” In the early stages of marine air
or “explosive atmosphere”. conditioning development, systems
(Photo: STA)
were patched together using equip-
ment that was available on land;
not as hard-wearing and reliable
because manufacturers did not re-
ally know what to expect after the
system had been in operation for 3-5
years. However, this soon changed
as manufacturers began to gain spe-
cialist experience and knowledge.
Although fundamentally, the actual
HVAC machinery has not changed
that much, most of the system evo-
lution has occurred through expe-
rience and customer feedback. In
terms of maximising shelf life and
durability of products, Dometic
Marine recently introduced corro-
sion-resistant coatings for external
components of our equipment. By
tions of marine HVAC systems are to provide comfort and healthy con- providing exceptional protection against the salt-air environment, the
ditions for the crew and passengers, to maintain satisfactory operation company’s corro sion-resistant coatings are proving effective in ensuring
of equipment, prevent build up of offensive odours and dangerous gas- longevity of products and systems.
es, and prevent spoilage of supplies by controlling ambient conditions. One of the most significant introductions to impact the development
This is accomplished by establishing the HVAC requirements for each of HVAC systems in recent years has been the availability of R410A
space and then preparing a set of “load” calculations and analyses to
determine the sizes of HVAC equipment that meet all established re- Andrew S. Ilan is a valued member of the NAVAL FORCES team.
quirements.
Basic design considerations are similar for land-based and marine
HVAC installations; however, there are a number of factors uncommon
to land-based installations, which must be considered when designing
a marine HVAC system. A marine HVAC installation:
– Is subjected to forces induced by pitch, roll, and slamming of the
ship. OPTIMISING ENVIRONMENT AT SEA
– Is designed to operate over a wide range of weather conditions and HVAC&R SOLUTIONS FOR EFFECTIVE NAVAL OPERATIONS
can be subjected to extreme changes in weather conditions (temper-
ature, humidity and solar) within a short period of time.
– Is designed to function in a corrosive sea water environment.
– Is relatively compact due to space limitation on ships.
– Is more susceptible to noise problems because the enclosed areas are
relatively small, close to equipment and machinery spaces, and the
ship’s structure affords very little inherent sound dampening.
– Must be very rugged because ship operating schedules severely limit
the time available for maintenance by specialised land-based person-
nel.

Global Coverage and 24-7 Service Availability
Dometic Marine, Specialist HVAC supplier to the commercial, work-
boat and military markets, has been manufacturing marine air condi- • Headquartered in Singapore with Scandinavian heritage and more than
tioning for over 50 years. “Through the company’s brand CRUISAIR 20 years in operation
it has been manufacturing and supplying marine air conditioning to a • Total solutions including design, manufacturing, equipment supply,
variety of vessels”. According to Dometic Marine, the core changes in installation, commissioning
• Manufacturing and testing facilities in Singapore and China
• Complete range of HVAC&R equipment for safe and hazardous areas
• Stringent quality management system
• Solutions that help to protect the environment without sacrificing comfort

Viking Airtech Pte Ltd
21 Kian Teck Road,
Singapore 628773
Tel: +65 6601 9500
Fax: +65 6601 9600
Email: info@vikingairtech.com

Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Brazil www.vikingairtech.com
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