Variable Speed Motors and Why They Matter w/ Jamie Kitchen

HVAC School - For Techs, By Techs

Bryan Orr

Training, Careers, Airconditioning, Self-improvement, Hvac, Business, Education, Refrigeration, Heating, Ac, Apprenticeship

4.8 • 985 Ratings

🗓️ 27 November 2017

⏱️ 66 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jamie Kitchen from Danfoss talks all about variable-speed motor technology. He discusses why those motors exist, what they do, and how to think differently about the future of HVAC/R.

Most techs think about variable-speed motors as the X13 and ECM blowers in residential applications. Those motors can adjust their performance based on ambient temperatures and moisture levels. So, variable performance may result in better comfort and efficiency.

ECM motors adjust airflow based on sensor inputs, especially dehumidification calls. The sensors may pick up both sensible and latent heat content. Sensible heat is what we can feel (dry-bulb temperature). Latent heat refers to moisture in the air (humidity, wet-bulb). ECM motors adjust their speed based on data from both, which is highly beneficial for greater comfort in the home. Human comfort is a lot more complex than feeling satisfied with a single number on the thermostat; ECM motors help control humidity and give you more leeway over selecting an acceptable dry-bulb temperature of a space.

Variable-speed motors exist on the commercial side of the HVAC industry as well. Commercial HVAC equipment brings in more fresh air and is overall less restrictive than residential. A variable-speed motor can help manage the latent heat of fresh air and work as a form of air treatment. Variable-speed motors compare indoor and outdoor conditions to treat the fresh air and maintain the indoor conditions. These motors account for sensible and latent heat loads, just like the residential ECM motors, and they adjust themselves constantly.

Jamie and Bryan also discuss:

Capacity and heat profiles
X13 motor controversy
Having multiple variable-speed components in a system (compressor, blower, etc.)
Sensible heat ratio (SHR) and heat load matching
Complex human comfort
Reheat coils
Air treatment requirements

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The free training provided by the HVAC School Podcast is made possible because of the generous support from our sponsors.
0:14.4	Testo, Rector Seal, and Carrier.
0:18.4	Something that's been emerging lately, it's in the Unified Mechanical Code, and then a lot of local municipalities
0:24.8	are starting to enforce this, is the idea of tamper-resistant refrigerant caps.
0:30.3	And this is to prevent the theft and abuse of inhalants, primarily the abuse,
0:36.0	young people using refrigerants as a means to get a quick and easy high.
0:41.0	And so it's a serious thing and it's something that is emerging, you're going to start to see codes and local municipalities enforcing this.
0:48.0	So what I would suggest is go ahead and start to get some no-vent caps from Rectctor seal on your truck now, both on your installation
0:54.5	crews and on your service vans.
0:56.7	If you have to put on new caps anyway, maybe start using no vent instead of the typical
1:01.2	caps that you've been using.
1:02.4	A lot of guys will point out, well, I don't want to have to keep that tool on my truck,
1:05.7	or you're going to have to keep the tool on your truck anyway,
1:07.3	because if your competitors use the no vent caps,
1:10.4	then you're going to need to have the tool anyway and Rector Seal makes a nice little keychain key that you can put right on your right on your key ring and that way you've got it.
1:18.0	And so once you start to use them whenever you have cases where you've got caps that don't have
1:23.0	seals you can offer them to your customer as an upgrade. You can install them and
1:26.2	then it reduces the theft and the risk that an adolescent especially, it's
1:30.6	mostly young kids, are going be used the refrigerant as an
1:34.0	inhalant. So that is the rector seal no vent caps you can find out more by
1:37.8	going to rector seal.com. Meet Zoomlock the 10 second flame-free refrigerant fitting from Parker.
1:45.0	Reduce labor costs by 60% with no braising, no flame, and no fire spotter.
	...

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