“The research began in 2008 under Microstaq Inc.,” said Parthi Arunasalam, CEO, DunAn Microstaq Inc. “The focus at the time was to build a prototype that could become a retrofit kit for the HVAC industry. The development took approximately seven years to arrive at a final production design. After Microstaq’s acquisition by DunAn Environmental Co. in 2012, the newly developed company, DunAn Microstaq Inc., refocused on creating a production-worthy retrofit kit that was comprised of advanced controls, and the acquirement of agency testing for easier adoption of product in the field.”

According to company reps, the MSEV USHC Retrofit Kit can easily convert a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV)-based residential HVAC system to an electric expansion valve (EEV) solution without having to modify existing HVAC system electronics or control boards.

Arunasalam said the product differentiates itself from similar products in the marketplace through a number of factors. “Both the MSEV and USHC can be used for a multitude of refrigerants,” said Arunasalam. “The MSEV’s footprint remains the same from a cooling capacity of less than 1 ton to 5 ton for R-410A systems. Also, the MSEV USHC Retrofit Kit’s overall cost is a fraction of typical EEVs that require purchasing independent components (control board, pressure sensor, temperature sensor, cables, etc.). The USHC is a controller that has integrated pressure and temperature sensors with fully developed controls.”

One DDA judge said: “[The MSEV UHC Retrofit Kit] is very innovative. The only downsides are that it appears to be currently limited to 6 ton (but the company appears to be working on that) and has unknown long-term reliability. Being refrigerant-agnostic is a big plus. Of all the products here, this one is the most likely to have the biggest overall industry impact.”

SILVER

The silver award in the Refrigeration & Ice Machines category of the Dealer Design Awards goes to the Direct Drive Fluid Cooler FN model from Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration.

The Heatcraft Direct Drive Fluid Cooler FN model product line offers a selection of air-cooled fluid coolers. The primary function of the fluid cooler is to reject heat from a process fluid stream to the ambient air. The fluid cooler FN models consist of a heat transfer coil surface, fan motor and blade assembly, unit casing, and a control panel. The fluid coolers are highly configurable products with multiple options for fan motors, coil tube size, coil material of construction, unit casing material of construction, control panel options, and additional serviceability options.

One DDA judge said the product is “easily configurable and has nice features for technicians.”

Mark Dutton, segment manager, cold storage, Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration, said what sets this fluid cooler apart from similar products starts with tangible things that may not just be in the product itself, but come from quality customer service. “This product has new technology in its floating tube coil design, as well as sound and energy options around our motors and fan blade construction design,” he said.

BRONZE

It was mainly company innovation rather than contractor demand, that spurred the development of the Slim Contour Electric Defrost Unit Cooler from Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration. The product has taken home the bronze award in this category of the DDA awards.

“This is a clean sheet redesign of the evaporator, which hadn’t changed for decades,” said Jeff Johnson, segment manager, foodservice, Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration. “This was an opportunity to do something different and that was really the heart of the design criteria. We needed the unit to take up less space, and contractors wanted it more installation-friendly.”

According to the company, The Slim Contour unit cooler is ideally suited for traditional restaurant, food service, convenience, and food retail installations where walk-in storage space is constrained and high pull-down capability and air movement is desired. The unit cooler’s backward centrifugal fan design moves air in the walk-in box in a more uniform fashion than a traditional axial fan unit, creating more even and consistent temperatures through the entire walk-in.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE WINNERS

GOLD WINNER
DunAn Microstaq Inc.
MSEV USHC Retrofit Kit
www.dmq-us.com

SILVER WINNER
Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration
Direct Drive Fluid Cooler – FN model
www.heatcraftrpd.com

BRONZE WINNER
Heatcraft Worldwide Refrigeration
Slim Contour Electric Defrost Unit Cooler
www.heatcraftrpd.com

Publication date: 7/20/2015

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