One small step for man......

A wise man was asked one day which was the more useful, the sun or the moon. “The moon is more useful of course” was his reply. “Why?” “Because we need the light more during the night than we do during the day!”

Ha- ha, the wise man in the story was of course Nasurdin, that legendary figure that I mentioned in my last blog. He gave his philosophical teachings in the form of funny stories, and he himself would always be the butt of the story himself. However, judging by the celebrations of the 40^th anniversary this month of the first moon landing one would be forgiven for thinking that many shared his view of the moon’s high status with one leading British scientist saying “The Apollo programme is arguably the greatest technical achievement of mankind to date.”

Greatest technical achievement or not, there is now awareness of the political agenda that was behind the landing. It was essentially a cold-war race with the Soviets against the backdrop of a difficult political situation in the USA, caused in large part by the worsening of the human and financial cost of the Vietnam War.

Times of have changed and forty years on the manned lunar space programme is seen by many as something of a ‘white elephant’ with billions on dollars spent for very little return. The talks by the current administration of manned travel to Mars haven’t been received so quite so enthusiastically with many wondering who will foot the bill. It is also viewed cynically in many quarters as a politically motivated tactic to divert public attention away from the real problems facing the country, and perhaps even mankind.

While interest in landing a man on the moon may have waned, interest in the fragile blue plant that the astronauts looked back upon has increased. Although ‘Spaceship earth’ was not a new phrase at the time, its significance grew with the unprecedented TV audience that the space programme attracted. The vulnerability of the astronauts was reflected by the beautiful sight of the earth with its own vulnerable cargo of living creatures.

The last forty years have also seen many changes in our own industry. It was shortly after the last foot print was left on the moon surface in 1972 that the effect of CFC’s upon the ozone layer became widely known, which in turn lead to their phase-out, the current phase-out of HCFCs. More recently, an awareness of the effects of green-house gases are now creating a long-term uncertainty for the future of HFC refrigerants, and now, people have more concerned with footprints of a different kind; their carbon ones.

Some in the industry are rising to the challenge and the announcement last week by Waitrose that they plan to eradicate HFCs form their stores and to move to more energy efficient solutions is to be welcomed and hopefully representative of an industry trend. Combine this with their commitment to reduce refrigerant leakage from their existing systems, something the IoR’s Real Zero campaign is also promoting and one can’t help be feel that we are genuinely making progress.

Forty years on from Neil Armstrong’s famous words on the moon, there is a feeling around the ACR industry that we are making small steps in the right environmental direction that may possibly prove to be of greater significance for mankind in the long term. Whether anyone will remember the name of the person at Waitrose, or even what he said, in forty years time, is extremely doubtful. However, it may prove to be just as an important step as that one made at Tranquillity Base all those years ago.

Sometime actions speak louder than words; one small step for man ……

(http://www.acr-news.com/blog/view_entry.asp?id=146)

Rain-drops keep failing on my head - why rainwater harvesting is important

“Into each life some rain must fall” noted the poet Longfellow, although with this years higher than average rainfall across the UK many may rightly feel that his observation was somewhat understated. Indeed, with the exception of the south-west, the whole country has experienced above average rainfall when compared with the average for the years 1961 to 1990. It is therefore hardly surprising that as a nation we are complacent about our water and possibly explains why our water prices are cheaper than many other countries.

Despite the fact that we appear to have plenty of rain, the UK is classified as a country with insufficient water. A growing population (8% since 1971) has meant that our water resources are actually under pressure and provide the rather surprising fact that Madrid and Istanbul have more water available per person than London.

Price Rise

The days of cheap water may also be about to change with water prices set to surge above the rate of inflation between 2010 and 2015 if regulator Ofwat allows. Thames Water, the UK’s largest water company, says it expects bills to rise by 3% above inflation a year and United Utilities plans to raise its process by 2.7% also above the rate of inflation. A decision from Ofwat is expected by November 2009.

Where does all the rainwater go?

Only some of the rainwater that runs off our roofs finds its way into the water table and thence into the source that the water companies draw from. The vast majority of rainwater flows off down rivers and into the sea. It was been estimated that as little as 1% is drawn out for mains water with the remaining 99% being ‘lost’ into the sea without ever being processed through the mains water system. If the rainfall levels reduce again in the coming years the 1% becomes an even smaller volume of water and the pressures upon the supply are increased.

Reduce pressures on water resources

Rainwater harvesting does not reduce the amount of water that is available to the water company, but it does of course, reduce the load on the mains supply and hence the total amount of water that the water company has to source, transport, clean, purify, stock and ultimately deliver. Consequently it reduces the amount of energy, electricity and fossil fuels that water companies consume to operate.

In addition to the pressures on water resources, there are concerns over rainwater drainage. The terrible consequences of flooding mean that our existing approach to rainwater drainage systems will have to change. The Environment Agency is promoting the use of sustainable drainage systems, including rainwater harvesting, to retain and control surface water.

Rainwater harvesting

The concept of rainwater harvesting is thousands of years old, although over the last century its use diminished with the availability of a clean, inexpensive and reliable water source through the mains supply. The practice has been kept alive by gardeners and many households with gardens have rainwater butts.

Modern domestic and commercial rainwater systems simply collect the rain which falls onto the roofs, stores it is a tank until it is required for use, when it is then pumped to the point of use which is typically services such as toilets.

Increase in interest

Although still not widely used in the UK, rainwater harvesting systems are increasingly being incorporated in multiple occupancy commercial and public-sector developments such as office buildings, schools, and hospital extensions where their use makes excellent financial sense with typical payback periods of three years.

Distribution centres with their requirement for fleet vehicle washing also are an excellent example of the cost-effective application of rainwater harvesting. In short, any building with a large roof and a high-demand for non-potable water can effectively use rainwater harvesting to help solve environmental storm-water management issues - and make very substantial savings on the use of mains water.

Why should the air-conditioning and refrigeration industry be interested?

The evaporative effect of water plays a significant part in the energy efficiency of many cooling systems by using water in the cooling towers or evaporative condensers. Such systems are frequently used on large buildings that would be very suitable for rainwater harvesting systems. By encouraging the use of such systems we can reduce the carbon footprint of the plant still further and be a proactive partner with the client in their drive for reducing their environmental impact as well as their operating costs.

Ella Fitzgerald added to Longfellow’s words when she sang “Into each life some rain must fall, but too much is falling in mine”. With a rainwater harvesting system, perhaps that is not such a bad thing.

The end is nigh for HFCs, or is it?

“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated” famously joked Mark Twain after hearing that his obituary had been published in the New York Journal. Rather surprisingly, mistaken publications of obituaries aren’t as rare as you might expect and in fact, Mark Twain himself twice had the misfortune (or perhaps good fortune, given that he was still breathing!) of reading his obituary in the newspapers.

It also seems that it is not only celebrities who prematurely have their demise reported. This week saw a number of news reports claiming that the EU had issued a communication proposing the phase-out of HFCs. However, anyone that takes the time to actually read the document will find that the phrase ‘phase-out” is conspicuous in its absence in the actually EU communication and no ban is specifically proposed at all. Add to this, that the proposals have yet to be discussed and agreed by EU ministers and all of a sudden it becomes clear that predictions as to the possible measures to reduce green house gas emissions to be proposed by the EU at the international summit in Copenhagen later this year are just that ..predictions.

The long-term future of HFCs may be uncertain and it would appear that it is under discussion, but those that are quick to write them off immediately should perhaps show a little more caution.

(see: http://www.acr-news.com/blog/blog.asp?author=14)

Heat Pumps: one answer to global warming is right under our feet

An amusing story relates how Thales of Miletoes, the 6^th century BC Greek Philosopher said by some to be the father of science, fell into a well one night while observing the night sky. He had been so intent in observing the heavens that he failed to watch where he was walking. The attractive servant-girl, who answered his cries for help, mockingly asked him how he expected to know anything about the stars when he didn’t even know what was on earth under his own feet.

Thales’ mishap reminded me of a situation faced by the ACR industry today. We are so intent on ozone depleting and green house gases that we don’t notice positive environmental opportunities closer at hand. For well over a decade now, we have been made aware of the negative impact that the use of certain refrigerants have on the environment. Climate change is the greatest environmental challenge facing the world today and we are right to want to reduce our contribution to the causes. Global warming and rising fuel costs are also demanding a profound change in the way we generate and use energy and it is easy to see why the focus of our mind set has become one of ‘phase-outs’, ‘restrictions’ and ‘reduction’. We and others, view our activities as part of the problem.

However, an alterative view has never been far away. More than a hundred and fifty years ago, our own Lord Kelvin presented to the Glasgow Philosophical Society his idea for a double-piston machine that could both heat and cool air for domestic purposes, in other words a kind of heat pump, essentially the refrigeration cycle used today, and so needs no further introduction here. At the time, there wasn’t an energy shortage and it was not until considerably later that the heating and energy efficiency potential of his work was re-visited. Whereas a boiler releases heat, a heat pump transfers heat; it absorbs it at low temperature and releases it at a higher level.

Fortunately, we don’t have to have Kelvin’s knowledge of thermodynamics to appreciate the advantages of a heat pump although an understanding of energy is helpful. We all have an intuitive feel for what is meant by ‘energy’. However, of all the concepts of physics, it is easier to talk about its manifestations such as heat, and driving energy, e.g., electricity. We know that energy is something that we have to pay for if we want to get something done. If we want to drive to work, we have to pay for the petrol, if we switch on the light we have to pay for the electricity and if we heat the house we may have to pay for the gas, coal or oil that contains energy which is released as heat during combustion in a boiler.The huge advantage that a heat pump has when compared to an ordinary boiler, is that the out put is greater than 1. The amount of efficient usable energy at a higher temperature is great than the amount of driving energy necessary to keep the process going. In other words, a heat pump delivers more than 100% of the equivalent heat input supplied to drive it. In practise they actually typically deliver 400 times the equivalent heat input.

In environmental and energy terms, the potential attraction of heat pumps doesn’t end there. If a natural refrigerant, such as CO2 is used, and the electricity for the drive motors is from a renewable source, we have a product that makes an even greater reduction in carbon emissions. It makes use of an inexhaustible, freely available heat source to supply more than it consumes. It is tried and tested technology with a system at its heart that it familiar to all of us.

Unfortunately, it seems that more consultants, engineers and building owners are aware of the negative aspects of ACR systems than have a thorough knowledge of heat pumps and heat recovery. Sadly, a blinkered approach to heating and cooling is all too common and we need to work to change this focus of the debate. Using the Thales tumble as a metaphor; it may not exactly be that the ACR industry is likely to fall down a well as it is being led there and pushed. Yet, like Thales, perhaps one solution lies literally all around us and in the ground under our feet.

Lies, Damned lies and Statistics!

Have you ever heard the fact that if you eat peanuts the day before you fly you are 73% less likely to be involved in a plane crash, or that 27% of female lottery winners hid their winning ticket in their bras? Apparently wearing white socks will also reduce your chances of being involved in a traffic accident but not if you are carrying a chicken in the back.

Bizarre statistics such as these examples are taken as fun with very few people relying upon them in their daily lives. I have yet to hear of any one actually consuming peanuts to avoid a travelling catastrophe, and as for the lucky lottery winners, the term ‘wonder-bra’ takes in a whole new meaning.

Statistics have long been the playground for politicians and it is common to hear them trading figures to prove a point or to justify an action. We have come to accept that it is often simply a way of avoiding answering the question and annoying as it, this practise has become part of the political landscape.

The quote ‘lies, damned lies, and statistics’, is meant to signify that there are three degrees of falsehood. Facts are facts after all, but statistics are facts often used to influence of perception and it is very easy for the unwitting to be misled by them.

The ACR industry is currently awash with statistics regarding refrigerants. The imminent HCFC phase out, combined with a drive to improve efficiency, have brought with them a whole rash of ‘facts’ and claims.

Sure, R22 is rising in price, but only after it had reached a ten year low. Even after it has doubled in price it will still be incredibly cheap. Many of the retro-fit alternative replacements refrigerants are showing extremely attractive energy savings, that is, until the extent of the system modifications is examined more closely.

Accurate information is desperately needed at this time if the industry is to maintain its credibility and make the right decisions. Fortunately, many responsible suppliers are providing just that, however, unfortunately others are perhaps unwittingly, dressing it up so that it can only be viewed through smoke and mirrors.

No one wants to mislead or be misled, and with an open mind the relevant facts can be disentangled and presented quite easily for everyone’s benefit. So let’s do it, before we all end up sounding like politicians or insisting on service engineers wearing white socks.

(see: http://www.acr-news.com/blog/blog.asp?author=14)

Time to wake up

I heard a funny story the other day about a man who knocks on his son’s door:

“Jamie,” he says, “Wake up!” Jamie answers, “I don’t want to get up, Dad.” The father shouts, “Get up, you have to go to school.” Jamie says, “I don’t want to go to school.” “Why not?” asks the father. “Three reasons,” says Jamie: “First, because it’s so dull; second, the kids tease me; and third, no one listens to me. I really do hate school.”

The father answers, “Well, I am going to give you three reasons why you must go to school. First, because it is your duty; second, because you are forty-five years old, and third, because you are the headmaster! Wake up, wake up!

Ha-ha, funny isn’t it? What makes it all the more funny is that we can all probably identify ourselves as the headmaster and sympathise with him. After all, who hasn’t had a day when they would rather have stayed in bed than go to work?

Facing up to our responsibilities, and even facing reality is not all as simple as getting up in the morning. It is sometimes evident that even those walking around and talking may as well be asleep. They carry on doing and saying the same things day-in, day-out without giving it much thought. I had the misfortune recently to sit in a meeting between an end-user and their contractor. The contractor assured the end-user (their long time client), that there was nothing to worry about regarding supply of R22, that money spent on energy savings schemes were a false economy, and that only super-market systems leak (which theirs wasn’t) and even if they did release some refrigerant, it would only be a small amount and so have no impact on the environment; “It would be no worse than a fart” they proudly claimed, “and not as loud or as smelly” they added helpfully!

Wake-up! There is enough information from suppliers and manufacturers as well as consultants and contractors to point us all in the right direction and to improve system efficiency and environmental impact, together with reducing operational costs. If only we can get up each morning and be awake to the wealth of information available and put it to good use. It is time that we all woke up, and faced the real responsibilities this industry has. I can imagine the headmaster joke being slightly changed to ACR engineer, but then it doesn’t seem quite so funny.

(see: http://www.acr-news.com/blog/blog.asp?author=14)

Michael Jackson and the HFC debate

Do you enjoy music? Perhaps you have a favourite Michael Jackson song or may be you prefer classical music, perhaps even a symphony? Recent studies has shown that music stimulates brain function on the right-side of your brain, which is also the same side that enhances ones ability to solve logical and mathematical problems. However, while studies show a connection between musical inclination and the part of the brain that processes logical thoughts, there is still no concrete explanation for why so many engineers share an interest and some even a passion for making music.

Perhaps it is because both pursuits require a mix of technical prowess and creativity. In both engineering and music, there is a technical framework from which one needs a creative element to solve the problems and to interpret.

Or may be it is because, as engineers, we can relate to the progression that music has. Engineering is all about progress. We understand and seek progress. We appreciate the flow. All the great names in the history of engineering have been pioneers who have pushed boundaries forward. Michael Jackson, one of the biggest pop icons in modern history, who died recently, pushed the barriers in music during his peak years in the 80’s, especially in music performance on video and his influence will continue for a long while.

In music, when we hear a nice tune, we don’t hold onto a couple of notes. We let them pass, let them flow. The whole enjoyment of a good piece of music lies in our readiness to allow the notes to flow and pass. If a few notes in a piece of music took our fancy, we don’t shout up to the performer “Keep playing it, again and again,” it wouldn’t be music any more.

Are you familiar with those tales of Nasreddin, the old wise man? Sometimes the spelling of his name is different so you may have heard of him by another name. He’s a legendary figure who the Greeks, Turks and Persians all claim for themselves. He would give his philosophical teachings in the form of stories, generally funny ones, and the butt of the story was always old Nasreddin himself.

One day Nasreddin was strumming a guitar in the market place, playing just one note. After a while a crowd collected around him and one of the men sitting on the ground there said, “That’s a nice note that you’re playing , Mullah (a name for a wise man) but why don’t you vary it a bit the way other musicians do?” “Those fools,” Nasreddin said, “they’re searching for the right note but I’ve already found it!”

Ha-ha, old Nasreddin sounds just like some of the players in the current HFC debate; stuck in a grove. They seem unable to appreciate the wider implications and greater possibilities of the comments they are making or opinions they are expressing. The longer the industry clings to HFCs, the more like Nasreddin we will appear. HFCs play the part in the refrigerant symphony that is unfolding before us. Let’s appreciate them for what they are, and then, progress. We need to encourage and embrace change. Any musician will tell you that playing the same note for too long, without variation, will bring a premature end to even the best of performances.

(see: http://www.acr-news.com/blog/blog.asp?author=14)