CHICAGO - Innovations in ductless systems were displayed at the 2009 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo). With these changes comes the expectation that the systems will make further inroads in the North American HVAC market.

Amana’s (www.amana-ptac.com) DigiSmart ductless system is said to be an environmentally conscious combination of energy management and PTAC performance. It combines the company’s best PTAC systems with energy management software, as well as property management and front desk management software. The company said it reduces PTAC energy consumption by at least 35 percent, and reduces PTAC maintenance costs through an automated maintenance notification system. It can provide system verification, global setbacks, energy management system configuration, site statistics, battery notices, e-mail reporting, unit health, and code alerts.

AmcorAire’s (www.amcoraire.com) single-zone inverter systems feature advanced inverter technology, wireless remote control, a wired controller, dehumidification mode, auto-swing louver, auto restart, auto mode, temperature display on the indoor unit, sleep mode, and low ambient operation. The ductless minisplit heat pump is said to use advanced inverter technology to constantly adjust output to maximize comfort and minimize energy costs. Features include mix-and-match indoor units, and dehumidification mode.

Comfort-Aire’s (www.comfort-aire.com) new PD Series portable air conditioner cools a room without any ductwork or special wiring. Heavy-duty casters and built-in handles allow the units to be moved from room to room as needed. The portables are suited for situations where a window isn’t handy or the room can’t handle a window-mounted air conditioner, or where temporary cooling is needed. A dual-hose unit uses outside air to carry away heat from the room without exhausting air into the room that has been cooled and dehumidified.

Daikin AC Americas (www.daikinac.com) introduced the Quaternity™ system, said to be North America’s first inverter split system heat pump capable of dehumidifying room air to a user defined relative humidity (rh) set point and air cleaning functions. The system, comprising of indoor unit (FTXG) and outdoor unit (RXG), is available in three sizes with nominal cooling capacities of 9,000, 12,000, and 15,000 Btuh, with SEER levels respectively of 22, 22, and 21 and EER levels respectively of 15.8, 14, and 12.9. “Quaternity combines a number of innovative features that offer the end user complete control of the temperature, dehumidification, and air quality of the environment it serves on a year-round basis,” explained Christina Trondsen, Daikin AC’s director of marketing.

For those spot-conditioning applications, Dri-Eaz Products’ (www.environmentshq.com) EB1400 is appropriate for spot cooling during summer in facilities and labs, or even for year-round use in industrial areas like computer rooms and sensitive manufacturing areas. In addition to acting as a cooling unit, it’s also a tool for dehumidification and focusing warm air. It offers 1-ton cooling effectiveness with 470 cfm.

Fujitsu General America Inc. (www.fujitsugeneral.com), has developed compact ceiling cassette indoor units to broaden the scope of its multizone, R-410A, inverter Halcyon™ line with heat pump systems offering up to 16.5 SEER efficiencies, depending on the combination of indoor units. The units will be available in March 2009. The ceiling cassette units are now offered in 9,000-, 12,000-, and 18,000-Btu capacities; 11 components in the lineup can be combined to make 110 possible combinations. The new cassettes fit directly into 2- by 2-foot drop ceiling grids.

The company also announced that it increased its split-system lineup with six Energy Star models, including units with efficiency ratings up to 26 SEER. The new 9,000-Btu system provides 26 SEER with an HSPF of 12. The 12,000-Btu system offers 25 SEER with 12 HSPF. Also new to the lineup are 9,000- and 12,000-Btu 20 SEER heat pumps with an HSPF of 10.

Ice-Air (www.ice-air.com) announced the release of environmentally friendly ExactFit™ PTAC units during the first quarter of 2009. The complete line of Green Slide-in ExactFit PTAC units can replace most existing PTAC equipment, the company said. With capacities from 7,000 to 18,000 Btu, the units include ECM motors and programmable digital controls. All units are factory-charged and sealed with R-410A.

LG Electronics (www.lgusa.com) showcased advancements in energy-saving technologies, design flexibility, and temperature controls. Its new duct-free flex multisplit Quad-Zone air conditioning system can operate up to four interior units mounted in separate rooms for temperature control in each setting, but all connected to one single exterior condensing unit. Built-in inverter technology enhances energy efficiency, while homeowners as well as those in the hospitality and lodging industries can enjoy the variety of interior styles to choose from, including the Art Cool Inverter Mirror design-oriented series.

LG has also incorporated the advanced inverter technology with its line of Multi-V systems, which use a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heat recovery system to operate cooling and heating simultaneously with one outdoor unit for temperature zoning. The technology uses inverter heat pump air conditioners with a variable-speed compressor. Instead of the compressor shutting off once the desired temperature is reached, the inverter compressor continues to operate at low speed to maintain that temperature.

Mitsubishi Electric HVAC’s (www.mehvac.com) Advanced Products Division, has updated its Y- and R2-Series City Multi variable refrigerant zoning systems (VRFZ) to provide greater cooling and heating capacity and application flexibility. “The new lineup consists of 6-, 8-, and 10-ton outdoor unit modules, which can be combined to form an outdoor unit system of up to 30 tons that can connect to as many as 50 indoor units,” said Joe Bush, City Multi application specialist.

The AG-150 is the newest addition to the City Multi Controls Network (CMCN), available in spring 2009. It makes the City Multi system capable of creating simultaneous cooling-heating two-pipe system that allows every individual space to have its own zoned comfort system. All components of the VRFZ system are integrated through the CMCN for temperature control.

Sanyo Commercial Solutions, a division of Sanyo North America Corp. (www.sanyocommercialsolutions.com), announced the new XS/XHS1271 and 1872 ceiling-recessed air conditioner and heat pumps. The new four-way airflow design sends cool air in all directions within the room and returns the air through the center of the grille, which evenly distributes air through each of the openings. The six new split product models are available in both 12,000- and 18,000-Btu capacities and available in cooling only, cooling only with low-ambient capability, and heat pump versions.

Publication date: 02/16/2009