In an e-mail interview,
M Gopikrishna, Executive Vice President, Voltas shared his views on HVAC system
What is the current scenario of HVAC/R Industry in India?Being a tropical country and having five different climatic zones, there is a definite demand to have a comfortable indoor temperature condition for people. Growth in construction space across all cities, increased disposable incomes, increased pollution levels, varying climatic conditions, increased density of people in working spaces and awareness in health consciousness and general well-being drives the growth of HVAC&R business in India. Also, the investment in manufacturing and industrial products create the need for having well ventilated and clean space for better quality and productivity. Further, stricter energy efficiency norms and regulatory requirements enable development of new technologies and products
Could you detail about indoor air solutions and effectiveness of your Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems for emission of pollutants?Voltas is one of the few companies promoting the indoor air quality products for more than two decades, in partnership with RUKS Engineering, Canada. We successfully installed many units in a variety of applications including offices and restaurants, which have greatly helped to eliminate VOCs, reduce the carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels in the conditioned area, and thus improving the health of the occupants. The systems we designed with IAQ equipment has increased the productivity of the occupants and reduced the energy consumption of the overall solution.
What are the latest technologies which you have integrated into your products and how will it make products better than the competition?Voltas introduced VFD driven screw compressors and condenser fans for chillers, making a considerable impact on energy efficiency. Our heat exchangers are designed with high-efficiency tubes and air cooled chiller coils are with microchannel fins for optimal use of refrigerant.
We have designed our Vapour Absorption Chillers delivering chilled water using solar energy as a heat source. This is in addition to the use of other waste heat sources for generation of chilled water. This product is a perfect mitigation to global warming.
Use of natural refrigerant like Ammonia or Hydrocarbon gases in low-temperature applications chillers is another area where our engineering prowess to minimise the impact of global warming on account of our equipment.
The introduction of a full inverter based Variable Refrigerant Flow systems in large commercial spaces minimise the waste of energy under varying internal load condition, which is typical of such facilities.
What are the future expansion plans of the industry for this segment?The challenge of the industry is to evolve products with higher levels of efficiency and meet the regulatory norms on the refrigerant phase out while ensuring that those be in line with the price sensitivity prevailing in the Indian market. I foresee an opportunity for a greater degree of collaborations for new technologies and innovative products.
We will be working on new product developments to meet phase out plan for the HFC refrigerant (Kigali Agreement) and expand our manufacturing capacities to cater to growing demands and change in product mix.
We will be distinctively positioned in the industry with our continued focus on evolving IOT solutions to our customers and bring in a paradigm shift in the way the O&M solutions are offered across sectors.
