There are different techniques to reduce the volume of outside air and thus achieve significant energy savings. Let's know the ones exposed by the car.
by Alfredo Sotolongo*
The most economical energy to produce is the one that is saved!
In several of the last articles I have concentrated on the laws of affinity and what they represent for energy savings by varying the volumes of the three fluids that are part of the air conditioning system: air, water and refrigerant.
On this occasion, I want to concentrate on the most practical way to reduce the volume of outside air which represents a great energy saving, especially in our countries where the outside air is at high temperatures and with high moisture content, in other words, high enthalpy.
The thermal capacity to compensate for the high enthalpy represents an average of 5 tons of cooling for every 1,000 cubic feet per minute of outside air that is introduced into the conditioned area. This results in a high initial cost of the air conditioning system and a higher cost of operation.
There are several methods to reduce the volume of outdoor air and still meet existing indoor air quality standards. According to ASHRAE Standard 62.1 and its position regarding minimizing outdoor air using filtration and contaminant control systems, the manufacturer used must have available an analysis of its system carried out by third parties, indicating its ability to reduce contaminants without affecting the health of the occupants.
Among the most analyzed and proven effective systems is CosaTron that controls polluting particles in all air conditioning systems without producing negative effects on the health of the occupants. This minimizes the amount of outside air to values accepted by current standards. The vast majority of other systems on the market have negative effects on occupant health.
The interesting thing is that the smaller the polluting particles, the more effective the CosaTron system is. Particles smaller than 3 microns in size are virtually impossible to trap in air filters, regardless of the efficiency of the filter. In addition, due to their mass, they do not obey the movement of the air but the charges of static electricity present in the conditioned area, rushing into television screens, computers, curtains, around the air diffusers, etc ...
In the graph that appears next to this article, the size of the particles present in any conditioned area is mostly (98%-99%) less than 3 microns. These particles, not being governed by the movement of the air but by the electrostatic charge created by carpets, computer screens and televisions, remain in the conditioned area creating negative conditions for the health of the occupants and additional maintenance expenses for users.
Researchers have concluded that as the particles age, by a natural process they collide with each other and adhere to form larger particles. This natural phenomenon is called coagulation and a prominent researcher considers it the most important phenomenon in the interaction of aerosols or particles carried by the air.
By coagulating or joining the particles the result is a reduction in the amount of particles smaller than 3 microns and an increase in larger particles, which are trapped by the filter. Unfortunately, this natural process is extremely slow and is not able to avoid the negative effect on the health of the occupants.
CosaTron engineers discovered that the process of coagulation or binding of particles can be exponentially accelerated by using a high-voltage and a high-frequency field, located in series and separated by 3" between them. This is achieved with very low power consumption, for example 50 watts in a field area of 96 square feet, exerting a dramatic effect by increasing the speed and direction of the particles which is called "particle excitation technology" or "CosaTron Effect". These two fields are combined with the filters which trap the particles already joined and increased in size, eliminating odors and allowing to reduce the amount of outside air. However, to comply with existing standards you always have to introduce a volume of outside air, but much less than if there were no CosaTron system.
The application of CosaTron is easily justified since the energy savings make the investment in this equipment recover in a very short period of time that varies according to the cost of energy in each place. The effectiveness of this product is the reason why there are more than 33,000 systems installed in the world in the last 45 years.
To minimize outside air and control odors, polluting particles and potentially harmful to the health of the occupants, applying the "CosaTron Effect" is a safe, effective and economical way to achieve this.
If you need more information on any of the topics covered in this column, please contact me at the email [email protected]
* President of Protec, Inc., is certified as a professional engineer in Puerto Rico and the state of Florida; has more than 40 years of experience in the application and sale of systems and equipment for energy conservation. He is a member of ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), AEE (Association of Energy Engineers), ASHRAE and was president of the Miami chapter of that association.
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