VRF Systems
VRF Systems
Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) is an air-conditioning system configuration where there is one outdoor condensing unit and multiple indoor units. The term variable refrigerant flow refers to the ability of the system to control the amount of refrigerant flowing to the multiple evaporators (indoor units), enabling the use of many evaporators of differing capacities and configurations connected to a single condensing unit and enables zone control.
There are different forms of VRF Systems, 2 pipe, 3 pipe, air and water cooled along with Gas Driven systems for buildings with power limitations, all of which are available from Airtechno
Heat Pumps system – 2 pipe
VRF heat pump systems commonly known as 2 pipe, permit heating or cooling in all of the indoor units but NOT simultaneous heating and cooling. When the indoor units are in the cooling mode, they act as evaporators; when they are in the heating mode, they act as condensers.
VRF heat pump systems are effectively applied in open plan areas, retail stores, cellular offices and any other area that require cooling or heating during the same operational periods.
Heat Recovery System- 3 pipe
Variable refrigerant flow systems with heat recovery(VRF-HR) capability can operate simultaneously in heating and/or cooling mode, enabling heat to be used rather than rejected as it would be in traditional heat pump systems. Each indoor unit is branched off from the 3 pipes using solenoid box which contains a series of valves. An indoor unit requiring cooling will open its liquid line and suction line valves and act as an evaporator. An indoor unit requiring heating will open its hot gas and liquid line valves and will act as a condenser. Typically, extra heat exchanges in distribution boxes are used to transfer some reject heat from the super heated refrigerant exiting the zone being cooled to the refrigerant that is going to the zone to be heated. This balancing act has the potential to produce significant energy savings
Three pipe heat pump systems are effectively applied in open plan areas, retail stores, cellular offices and any other area that require cooling and heating at the same time.
VRF Water Cooled
Most commonly used are air-cooled systems, using packaged outdoor condensing units, which via refrigeration pipework connect to a number of indoor units. There are however some limitations, pipework runs, mainly vertical risers (although Samsung can have a vertical rise up to 115mtere), plant space and noise. Where these become an issue then water cooled systems can be used. They operate as the Air-cooled units, but instead of having a built in air cooled heat exchanger they utilise and plate heat exchanger, which transfers the energy into a water loop.
