New air conditioners: Quieter and easier to install

The silent cooling system

A new approach, with compact, modular cooling pods, that is almost silent (down to NR 15) eliminates these problems. (See Figure 2.)

If the cooling unit is quiet, there is no need to locate it outside of the space being cooled; a whole range of opportunities become possible. Heat can be conveyed out of the room using small pipe work to an external heat exchanger, where the energy can be dissipated into the atmosphere or recovered for re-use.

While low noise is not always the most important requirement, it is the base level from which to work. In applications such as music, Foley recording or audio post production, it is important not to pollute the acoustic environment.

Cost savings

Being able to combine low noise with a compact flexible design, which is completely situated in the room, is immensely useful. Cost savings are achieved in a number of ways:

• There is no need for large holes to be cut into walls for ducting.
• All testing and preassembly done at the production facility reduces installation time on site.
• Installation times per system are minutes rather than days.
• Simplicity of design focuses on what is required for the application and reduces the use of unnecessary components.
• The system is energy efficient; there is less air to move around the system, and heat recovery is more efficient in room.
• Integration into new building design is easier and cheaper with a variety of cooling/heating and fresh air options available on a zone basis.

For a new build, it is easier and less expensive to integrate into the building structure, and decisions on what is required can be left later than usual while the technical installation is finalized.

In a live broadcast center, the disruption to the day-to-day operations is minimized. When air conditioning is needed as a retrofit in an existing building, the simple installation activity minimizes disruption to the rest of the operation, and “out of service” times are shortened.

Good looking air conditioning?

Broadcast environments vary between purely functional areas, perhaps housing only apparatus racks, and creative spaces, where paying clients spend many hours creating and refining their treasured programs. The values and professionalism of a facility provider are reflected in the decoration of their client spaces, so integrated, stylish cooling helps create confidence that everything possible is being done to help them deliver results.

Studio designers are known for their stylish approaches for studios, which are often compromised by the ductwork and grilles associated with air conditioning. Air conditioning does not have to look functional; a flexible modular approach can provide aesthetically pleasing air conditioning that fits in with the interior design style. Compact cooling units can be easily incorporated into any design, and clever use of airflow through concealed ducts can become a feature of the room rather than something to hide.

Flexibility

The increasing demands of viewers make it necessary for broadcasters to quickly adapt systems to provide the correct material via the correct distribution channel. The use of technical areas can change quickly, and rooms that were built as offices often become production spaces. Small, flexible cooling systems allow the change of room use to be achieved with a minimum of time and effort.

Easy installation also means easy removal, so when a broadcast operation moves to a new building, the air conditioning system can be moved cost-effectively and easily. This opens up the possibility of broadcasters to install air conditioning in leased buildings and to take it with them in the event of a change of premises.