Infra projects looking for cost-effective HVAC solutions

As urban areas grow and ageing infrastructures face challenges, use of enhanced HVAC technologies, IoT, AI, and new materials can improve efficiency, durability, and resilience, thereby boosting modern infrastructure and sustainability initiatives.

How are new HVAC technologies modernising ageing infrastructure and supporting rapidly
urbanising areas?
HVAC systems in older residential and commercial buildings in rapidly urbanising areas can be upgraded with contemporary technologies such as Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV), for example, by using Carbon Dioxide (CO2) sensors. DCV is a control approach that adjusts the quantity of ventilation by resetting the Outdoor Air (OA) intake flow setpoints in an occupied area dependent on the number of occupants. One method for implementing DCV is to use CO2 sensors because when the amount of
CO2 in an inhabited room grows, the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) drops. To improve IAQ, the rate of OA intake is raised anytime CO2 generation increases with corresponding amount of stale air exhausted. DCV also prevents over-ventilation resulting in energy conservation. Thus, DCV leads to improved IAQ with energy savings.

How do you balance high performance HVAC solutions with cost-effectiveness in critical infrastructure
projects?
This can be accomplished during HVAC system design for critical infrastructure projects such as pharmaceutical facilities, semiconductor fabrication plants, microbiological and biomedical laboratories,
etc. by utilising Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems (DOAS), also known as make-up air units or fresh air units. Such critical facilities require a significant amount of OA. Use of a DOAS invariably results in optimised sizing of the main Air Handling Unit (AHU), Chillers, Cooling Towers and substantial energy savings.
What roles do advanced materials, like phase change materials and smart coatings, play in enhancing HVAC longevity and efficiency in large-scale infrastructure?
Phase Change Material (PCM) materials release or absorbs enough energy to give useful heating or cooling, respectively. Use of appropriate smart coatings can improve corrosion resistance of heat exchangers and ducts, enhance efficiency heat exchangers, prevent or significantly reduce microbial fouling and extend the lifespan of HVAC systems.
How are IoT and AI transforming HVAC systems to enhance infrastructure resilience and durability?
An AHU consists of several components, including a supply air fan, a cooling coil, a heating coil, several
filters (of varying classes), dampers etc. Temperature and humidity sensors are located upstream and downstream of the coils and fan. In a manually controlled HVAC system the temperature
and RH controls are achieved largely through manual adjustments resulting in imprecise control and
substantially high energy wastage. In the current systems, the temperature and RH sensors
placed in the upstream and downstream sides of the AHU provide the operator useful inputs to do the manual adjustments more efficiently. However, there is still a manual component involved.
In the IoT and AI enhanced systems, the systems use the feeds from the sensors and do the necessary system adjustments (dampers, chilled / hot water flow, blower RPM, etc.) in real time resulting in precise control of parameters and maximizing the energy savings.
Which future trends or innovations in the HVAC sector will profoundly impact infrastructure resilience, and why?
Resilience is the ability to survive, adapt, and thrive in the face of chronic stress or acute shocks. To improve infrastructure resilience, it is critical to prioritise energy and water efficiency, maintain high IAQ, and use renewable energy sources. Some trends and developments that will greatly impact infrastructure resilience are the capture and reuse of AHU condensate and waste heat through heat pumps, solar air conditioning, and thermal energy storage.