101 Carlton Gore Road

Upgrade of a failed VRF system.

The Challenge

The prime factor attributed to the premature failure of the previously installed three-pipe VRF rooftop condensing units was the location of the building – close to the coast, high-traffic and with industrial plants in the area.

Careful consideration of the most appropriate replacement systems had to be made, taking into account factors such as; whole of life costs, roof plant space and staged implementation of the refurbishment. Another significant factor taken into account was that the building would be occupied during the refurbishment. Therefore, finding a system that had the flexibility to be staged correctly and meet the tenant’s requirements was paramount.

Management had also requested that they wanted only limited control to be provided to the room occupants (such as temperature adjustment within defined limits).

The Solution

Several options were considered and after consultation with both the building owner and tenant, the Mitsubishi Electric R2 Series two-pipe VRF system was agreed upon, with an additional factory applied BS coating that would provide superior corrosion protection for the outdoor sections of plant.

BDT worked very closely with both Jackson Engineering Advisers and Chillex Services (the nominated contractor) to put together the right configuration for the planned upgrade. The two-pipe architecture of the Mitsubishi Electric VRF gave both the designers and installers the flexibility and ease of installation everyone required for the project. The resulting installation has met the tenants staged requirements with minimal disruptions throughout, and due to careful planning; the installation has proven to be relatively fast and simple.

Each area is controlled via local simple wall controllers with an AG-150A touch screen, central controller. The controller manages; the time scheduling of the air conditioning plant, outdoor air and extract fans via DIDO modules. The controller provides only limited control to the room occupants (such as temperature adjustment within defined limits), with more advanced functions such as mode adjustment confined to the AG-150A central controller, accessible by service staff only.

Even though the Mitsubishi Electric outdoor units are delivered as standard with corrosion protection, additional, factory applied, BS treatment provides added protection for very corrosive environments. Considered essential for this project, its use is equally applicable for other coastal or geothermal areas throughout New Zealand. The treatment includes; additional coatings to the coils and fins of the outdoor condensing units, thicker paintwork and protective coating for internal components such as PC Boards.

The partnership approach taken by Jackson Engineering and Mitsubishi Electric, will provide many years of trouble-free service from this system.

Building owned by Goodman Property Trust

Total Capacity

Heating Capacity: 495 kW
Cooling Capacity: 446 kW

Outdoor Units

7 x PURY-YJM-A-BS Heat Recovery Units

Indoor Units

82 x PEFY-VMA-E Ducted Units

Wall Controllers

82 x PAC-YT51CRB-J Wall Controllers

Central Controller

1 x AG-150A Colour Touch Panel

Contractor

Publications

101 Carlton Gore Road