Fastlane Ventilation Equipment has supplied a series of air handling units (AHU) to the University of Edinburgh. The bespoke SA45H-SP for the university’s School of GeoSciences laboratory unit – built to specific dimensions because of the size constraints of doorways, ramps and stairways on the site – is one of several units supplied by the West Midlands, UK-based manufacturer.
The unit was delivered in sections, before assembly and installation by Arthur McKay, a building support services company based in Edinburgh. A customised casing enclosure was constructed from Fastlane’s Pentapost assembly system to sit alongside the air handling unit and protect the device’s coil connections and controls from the elements.
Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences houses a range of facilities and services and is involved with a number of collaborative centres of research. The experimental facility is housed in a series of purpose-built, blast-proof laboratories within the Grant Institute. The high efficiency, low noise unit is used to condition and circulate air as part of the facility’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. In addition to its standard product range for direct and belt drive units, Fastlane also designs, manufactures and supplies bespoke units, using a range of components to match particular specifications for any application.
Bespoke units are constructed from the Pentapost modular framework, comprising an aluminium frame and purpose built corners
Such units are constructed from the Pentapost modular framework, comprising an aluminium frame and purpose built corners, for strength, with double skinned panels providing a rigid construction for the internal components. They can be tailored to suit internal and external mounting applications, with a variety of options that include plate-to-plate recuperators, cooling coils, mixing box sections, humidifiers, dampers, filters, control panels, silencers and more. Among the many controls available within the range are starters, frequency inverters, damper actuators, temperature, pressure and humidity sensors, step controllers, frost protection, fan air flow and fan filter status switches.
Fastlane AHUs are fitted with double, high efficiency, plate heat exchangers – through which the heat is transferred between the separate supply and exhaust air streams – to provide a source of heating whenever the need arises. Recovery of heat from the exhaust air and the efficient transfer to the supply of fresh air offers real energy savings, contributing significantly to a building’s energy efficiency and the reduction of its carbon emissions. Units can connect to ductwork ventilation systems for distribution of the conditioned air through the building before returning it to the AHU. Incorporating Ziehl-Abegg electronically commutated (EC) motors, the units operate with specially matched EC controllers. This coordinated system enables precise speed control of the fans with the highest degree of energy efficiency and is totally free of electromagnetic motor noises.