The drives will control the operation of air handling units (AHUs), cooling towers and other ventilation systems in the airport, improving travellers’ comfort and saving energy to the tune of 20% to 25%.
More than 90% of the drives for the project have to control the AHUs, which circulate air in the air-conditioned spaces of the airports such as boarding lounges, check-in lounges, administrative block, cafes, restaurants, shopping complexes etc.
Clear understanding of needs
A series of interactions with the stakeholders to discover and clearly understand their needs and priorities were performed by Deepinder Singh Chani, head of National Sales, Danfoss in India, when the whole of the HVAC system was still in the design stage. Danfoss offered a value proposition which effectively addressed the stakeholder’s needs for high system reliability, minimum interference with voice and data communication systems, effective integration into the Building Automation System (BAS) and maximum energy savings.
The system reliability is ensured by the IP55 enclosure solution of these drives which means there is minimal contact with dust and moisture in the air – one of the commonest causes of drives failing.
Minimum interference with the airport’s voice and data communications is vital for the safety and security of travellers.
This is ensured by providing the C-1 category of electro-magnetic interference (EMI) filters in the drives which reduce signals and improve reliability. Effective integration with the BAS was achieved by providing open communication protocol, such as Modbus remote terminal units, in the drives, which allows them to be looped by a single pair of wires in a daisy chain and effectively integrates them into the communication bus.
DS Chani said: "These solutions were backed by the fast and technically thorough responses of the Danfoss India sales team, which won the confidence of all the stakeholders of the project, which in turn enabled Danfoss to earn the most preferred vendor status for drives solutions."
