The Aaon LZ Series air- and evaporative-cooled condenser chiller and packaged outdoor mechanical room is designed to provide energy-efficient full- and part-load operation while being easy to configure, install, and maintain. The company’s focus on versatility and ease of installation helped the LZ Series earn gold in the Commercial HVAC Equipment category.

“Aaon is a semi-custom manufacturer, meaning their products can adapt to project needs or requirements,” said Buddy Hendrix, project manager — associate mechanical engineer, mission critical, Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, Missouri. “Aaon is very flexible. If I need to make any modifications or move piping, the company will accommodate that.”

The LZ Series is “well laid out and accessible, which is Aaon’s strong suit,” said one contractor judge. “The compressor options are solid, especially having variable speeds across the tonnage range. This is basically a mechanical room in a module, which is where the industry is headed.”

Aaon put more than five years into the design of the LZ Series, which was introduced in March of last year. The LZ Series is available from 45-540 ton, and the high-performance LZ Series is available with VFD [variable frequency drive]-controlled variable-speed scroll compressors or TurboCor variable-capacity oil-free magnetic bearing centrifugal compressors.

“The other advantage is that the compressors are housed within a mechanical vestibule within the unit,” Hendrix said. “The compressors and VFDs are located in an enclosed mechanical vestibule area, which also has access to the controls of the unit.”

The dedicated walk-in compartments for the compressors, evaporator, pumping package, and controls allow the installation of the LZ Series without the need for a mechanical room in the building. Boiler and waterside economizer configurations are available to meet difficult design applications while maintaining high unit efficiencies.

Eric Taylor, marketing manager, Aaon Heating and Cooling Products, said the company listens to its dealers and takes their feedback to heart during the design process.

“The contractors who deal with the sales reps, they provide the feedback, and the reps give that feedback to us,” Taylor said. “If somebody needs or notices something, it makes its way back to Aaon and the engineering group here, and we try to improve on it. Over the product’s life, we make small improvements where we’ll add a feature to it or a new option, and, eventually, we get enough feedback to where it requires a redesign.”

Aaon also utilized owner feedback, market research, and performance testing in the design of the LZ Series.

“Lots of feedback has led to a service-friendly packaged outdoor mechanical room,” Taylor said. “We had a simple packaged chiller system initially, and we received feedback that it’d be nice to have a boiler and pumping package inside the compartment so you don’t have to have a mechanical room in the building for that, therefore we made that into an option. Another piece of feedback was made regarding our waterside economizers. For applications where they’re requiring low-ambient cooling, we can build a waterside economizer integrated into the LZ Series so the system can operate without running the compressors.”

Taylor said Aaon will continue to listen to feedback from dealers, sales reps, building owners, and end users when considering what changes to make to the LZ Series. “Adding more of these features that get requested is what’s coming next,” he said.

SILVER

The Victaulic Co. System Solution for Saturated Steam was introduced to market in October 2015 after more than two years of research and design. It is among the world’s first grooved piping systems for saturated steam and condensate piping. Designed for use on commercial and industrial steam applications, the system features the Style 870 rigid coupling, a full line of fittings, and pipe preparation tool roll sets to process the new OGS-200 groove profile.

The Victaulic grooved steam system eliminates the need to weld steam piping with pressures up to 150 psi (1,034 kPa) and temperatures up to 366°F (186°C). Victaulic steam couplings and fittings simplify installation and maintenance, compress the construction schedule, reduce downtime, and maintain a safer and more productive work site. Typical applications include hospitals, health care facilities, and universities/colleges that use saturated steam systems as part of their HVAC systems or general operations. The product is ideal for new construction and retrofits of existing steam systems.

Additional system features include sizing availability from 2-8 inches/50-200 mm; lubricant-free installation; a full line of fittings (elbows, tees, reducers, flange adapter nipples, and caps) and pipe preparation tool roll sets to process OGS-200 grooves into Schedule 40 and 80 carbon steel pipe; Style 870 rigid couplings designed to last the life of the system without maintenance; a new groove profile that ensures standard Victaulic products cannot be inadvertently installed on high-temperature/high-pressure applications; and compliance with ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, ASME B31.1, ASME B31.3, and ASME.

Victaulic utilized client and contractor feedback, in-depth market analysis, and on-the-job interactions with mechanical engineers and contractors when researching and designing the product. The company plans to continue to work with engineers and contractors to generate more adoption of the steam system as an alternative to welding and explore broader application of the technology within steam systems.

BRONZE

Goodway Technologies’ TFC-200 Cooling Tower Fill Cleaner was introduced to market in May 2015 after three years of research and design. It provides an all-in-one system for cleaning lime scale and debris from cooling tower fill, where Legionella bacteria hide and flourish.

The TFC-200 is simple to use, combining Goodway’s innovative chemical solutions, pump technology, and unique turbo nozzle cleaner to dissolve scale deposits, increase water flow, and slow dangerous biological buildup. Removing scale is a three-step process that is as easy as performing an initial rinse — simply apply Goodway’s ScaleBreak®-Gel cleaner, which will penetrate the scale and crevices of the fill, and switch to the patented turbo nozzle high-volume mode to rinse away the foam and debris. If scale isn’t the issue, or between scale cleanings, the TFC-200 also uses TowerShine, an alkaline cleaner, to remove dirt and biological debris.

In developing the TFC-200 Cooling Tower Fill Cleaner, Goodway listened to its customers, who said they needed a solution for scale that was safer than just dumping acid into cooling tower water. Goodway had a previous cleaner on the market, the TFC-100, which only offered cleaning of biological deposits and not mineral scale deposits. Scale still presented a major issue, especially in areas of hard water. Once Goodway identified a large market need, the challenge involved creating a cleaning agent that would eliminate scale on contact while minimizing the risks associated with using acids.

Goodway plans to keep optimizing the experience its customers have with this product and ensure it delivers to their needs and expectations each time they use it. The company also plans to pursue opportunities to integrate different features into the product and also explore possible situations where a descaling gel product might need
to be applied. Additionally, reps said the company is considering adapting the product for
other applications.

GOLD WINNER
Aaon Heating and Cooling Products
LZ Series
www.aaon.com

SILVER WINNER
Victaulic Co.
System Solution for
Saturated Steam
www.victaulic.com

BRONZE WINNER
Goodway Technologies
TFC-200 Cooling Tower Fill Cleaner
www.goodway.com

Publication date: 7/18/2016

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