Zamil environmentally-friendly cooling solution
Posted: 10 November 2003
Irrigation solution applied to wasted condensate water
Zamil Air Conditioners (ZAC), a leading international manufacturer
of air conditioning systems and the Middle East leader, is promoting
an environmentally-friendly solution that helps to beautify gardens
and other landscaped areas, which at the same time reduces the impact
on energy bill.
The conservationist solution works by harnessing generally wasted
condensate water generated by indoor air conditioning mechanical
equipment so that it can be used for irrigation purposes.
“Every air conditioning product expels water as an integral
part of the cooling cycle (condensation). But rather than wasting
this valuable resource, this solution can be used for irrigation
purposes,” said Khalil Issa, Director of Planning & Business
Development, ZAC. “ZAC’s range of air conditioning products
can be connected to conduits that collect and transport this condensate
water from the drain pans of the units to a collection area. When
this water is mixed with city water with some degree of salinity,
it becomes ideal for watering plants, trees and grass lawns.”
The conduits — an insulated sloping pipe and the force of
gravity — ‘drain’ the pans which are normally
treated and coated to inhibit bacteria and mould growth. This action
— which can also be facilitated using a pump if necessary
— further reduces the possibility of ‘musty’ odors
which can occur with damp spaces.
Air conditioning units typically cool a mixture of external and
internal air and the quantity of condensate water that is produced
is dependent on the composition of this mixture. The mixture is
simultaneously cooled and dehumidified while being routed through
the heat exchanger and condensation forms when the cooled air reaches
dewpoint, the point at which it can no longer hold its burden of
water vapor. Dewpoint is reached when the moisture-laden air comes
into contact with the cold surface of the coil in the unit. This
solution is being randomly used in the Middle East region but is
set to increase given the growing concern for the environment along
with an awareness of the associated financial benefits which can
be demonstrated by the following example:
Irrigating a lawn in the GCC requires an average of 14 liters of
water per square meter per day so a lawn of 50 square meters would
require 250,000 liters of water per year.
Calculations based on laws of thermodynamics (energy balance) and
conservation of mass (mass balance) indicate that a residential
air conditioner with a capacity of one ton, which is used for 3,000
hours each year would produce 4,080 liters (1,078 gallons or 4 cubic
meters) of water during the period. If the average house requires
a 20-ton cooling capacity a total of 81,600 liters (21,560 gallons
or 80 cubic meters) of water would be produced, contributing approximately
30 per cent towards total irrigation requirements.
This would result in a 30 per cent reduction in the annual water
bill and the savings on commercial installations would be even more
substantial considering the cooling capacity required for shopping
malls, office towers and other large building structures.
Water quality testing conducted at ZAC’s US$ 10 million state-of-the-art
Air Conditioning Technology Center indicates the water is best used
for irrigation purposes and not for
human consumption.
ZAC is leading by example in its commitment to the protection of
the environment and when it built an expansion to its head office
in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, it collected the precious water which is
now being used to irrigate its front lawns and trees.
About Zamil Air Conditioners
Zamil Air Conditioners (ZAC) was founded in 1974 as one of the first
air conditioning business to be established in Saudi Arabia and
today is a leading international manufacturer of air conditioning
systems and is Number 1 in the Middle East.
The company designs, manufactures, tests, markets and services
a comprehensive range of air conditioning products, which range
from compact room air conditioners and mini splits to large scale
central air conditioners, chillers and air handling units for highly
specialised applications.
These are marketed under various brand names – Classic, Cooline,
Cool Care, Clima Tech, Kessler Tech and Geoclima – depending
on specific markets.
ZAC is also involved in the production of branded air conditioners
for leading international manufacturers, Sanyo, Trane, Luxaire,
Philco, Admiral, Siemens Bosch and Frigidaire, under an Original
Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreement. It operates a joint venture
with General Electric, called Middle East Air Conditioners Ltd.
(MEAC). As a result of excellent production facilities at ZAC, a
range of GE-branded air conditioning consumer products are produced
for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.
ZAC is one of three sector businesses of Zamil Industrial Investment
Company.
About Zamil Industrial Investment Company
Zamil Industrial Investment Company (ZIIC) was founded in 1998,
is headquartered in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and employs
more than 4,800 people in 50 countries.
As an international manufacturing and fabrication group, it provides
leading air conditioning, pre-engineered steel buildings, structural
steel products, transmission towers, open web joists and decks,
and architectural glass processing solutions to meet the requirements
of the global construction industry through its three sector businesses:
Zamil Air Conditioners (www.zamilac.com), Zamil Steel Industries
(www.zamilsteel.com) and Zamil Glass Industries (www.zamilglass.com).
ZIIC exports to more than 70 markets and derives 37 per cent of
revenues from outside Saudi Arabia. For the period January –
September 2003, net profits after Zakat contributions grew by 9.3
per cent to SAR 45.3m (US$ 12.1m), while post Zakat earnings per
share also grew by 9.3 per cent to SAR 7.55 ($2.01), up from SAR
6.91 ($1.84) during the same period in 2002.
For the year ended 31 December 2002, profits were SAR 50.8 million
(US$ 13.5m) on turnover of SAR 1.4 billion ($ 376m). ZIIC’s
shares have been actively traded on the Saudi Equity Market since
early 2002.
For mo ore information see www.ziic.com.
Posted by Richard Price,
Editor Pipeline Magazine
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