AHU50

Mars Chocolate in Slough have recently taken delivery of an AHU50 50kW air handling unit, with the promise that should it perform as well as expected then it could be the first of many.  As you can see from the picture the AHU50’s compact dimensions and manageability are quite unique and it’s these features which have been key to it’s specification within the Mars complex.

Well, to say it’s caused something of a storm is an understatement.  The phone has been ringing off the hook with enquiries for pictures and information with directors from more than one large hire company coming down to see the units before they go off to Eon.

The problem we’ve had with getting properly taken pictures and literature put together is that no sooner have they come out of test then they’re loaded on to wagons for delivery.  However due to the demand we’ve had we’ve decided to released a couple of sneaky pics, just to whet the appetite.

The global airline market has suffered massive changes in the last decade as first the 9/11 attacks then spiralling fuel costs have taken their toll. Nowhere has this been felt more accutely than in the US where no longer can airlines justify large capital outlays and the emphasis is now firmly on efficiency rather than speed.

Originally announced in the late 1990’s as the Sonic Cruiser and to replace the 767, the Boeing 787 is the latest design from the American manufacturer and the first to address the latest industry requirements. It is a mid-sized, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner which showcases the latest design techniques. By utilising more lightweight composite materials, aerodynamic imporvements, better engine design and advanced systems they hope to deliver almost 20% greater fuel efficiency than the 767.

One of these advanced systems is the new Wing Ice Protection System which has been developed as a collaborative project between Ultra Electronics and GKN Aerospace. As an independent electro-thermal system rather than the cumbersome engine air bleed system traditionally used it not only improves efficiency but offers greater and more accurate control.

When dealing with aeroplanes the importance of getting everything right before ferrying hundreds of people around the globe is obviously paramount. There are no margins for error and therefore any test process has to be very specific and above doubt. Part of the test procedure for the new Wing Ice Protection System involved the use of load banks and it was for this that Broughton was approached.

The load bank was required to replicate and very accurately mimic the ‘real’ load that the Wing Ice Protection System power source will see in actual application. However, unlike a ‘real’ load which can sometimes be unpredictable and random the new load bank has to deliver a managable, constant load. The load also needed to be fully controlled, as did its dissipation.

Together engineers from Broughton and Ultra Electronics have, using our 3 phase heater designs as a template, developed a new load bank system to suit these very specific requirements. The new system operates within tolerances as tight as plus/minus 1 Ohm and Broughton has turned them around in super-quick time. They will be operational at Ultra’s Cambridge plant next month, helping to ensure the safety of millions of pasengers over the coming years.

With a reputation as a specialist in the design and manufacture of bespoke electric heating and refrigeration equipment, Broughton has a history of working with some of the worlds most high profile organisations. From Aston Martin to Coca-Cola and even the Atomic Weapons Establishment Broughtons engineers have developed numerous solutions for all manner of unique and unusual applications. Being involved in something as special as a new airliner further enhances this reputation and demonstrates the companys commitment and ability to produce quality equipment, wherever and whenever it might be required.

The AHU30 & AHU50 Portable Air Handling Units

Imagine the benefits of having a range of portable air handling units with up to 50kW cooling duties, that fitted through a standard doorway.

Now imagine that these units were manufactured here in the UK and specifically designed for use with a water cooled system.

And what if you could deliver cold air straight out of the top or from the front (duct or just simply blow) without the need for bespoke metalwork?

Finally, what if they had already been tested by running in one of the countries major fleets for over a year without issue?

Have we got your attention?

Broughton EAP is pleased to announce the latest additions to their Mighty Cool range of portable air cooling solutions; The AHU30 and AHU50 portable air handling units.  With a well established range of heavy duty, portable monobloc and split air conditioning units the new machines are an obvious and complimentary addition to the range.  

Every time you buy a Broughton product you’re buying much more than the equipment itself.  You’re getting the benefit of 30 years of continuous development in the field of air cooling solutions 

From the earliest Mighty Cool units Broughton have worked closely with the major names in portable air cooling, taking on board any ideas and suggestions to develop products which enable the industry to work better and more efficiently. 

Having listened to the industry Broughton applied the same ‘out of the box’ thinking that allowed the manufacture of 35,000Btu portable air conditioning using a single 13a supply when convention said it was impossible. They are now ready to revolutionise the chiller rental industry as they did the portable air conditioning market over 15 years ago.  Broughton can do this by offering equipment which is exactly what is needed to get the job done:

Equipment designed and built to accommodate a specific job and not re-engineered from something else will perform at its peak.  Equipment developed with a footprint approximately a fifth the size of its nearest competitor which allows for ease of installation.  Equipment designed to integrate seamlessly onto an existing chilled water circuit or packaged chiller and deliver up to 50kW of cooled air from a single unit eases space constraints.  Innovative developments like these allow the industry to deal with an evermore demanding customer base. 

Broughton have also never forgotten that users require full after sales backup and offer total spare parts availability, service engineers and full technical support all in English and just a phone call away.

With more and more demand for large temporary cooling solutions in applications such as server rooms and emergency backup, Broughton can be relied on to continue showing the same level of enterprise and commitment to the British and European hire markets that they have to date.

• 30kW or 50kW versions available
• Multi speed fan control
• 600mm x 320mm footprint (30kW)
• 600mm x 400mm footprint (50kW)
• Duct or blow either vertically or horizontally with our unique reversible grille
• Water input/output can be taken from any aspect
• Designed and built for purpose in the UK not reengineered from cheap air sourced imports
• Duct 20m as standard
• Airflow of 3400 m³/hr (30kW) & 4590 m³/hr (50kW), both at 400 pascals
• 110v version available
• 60hz version available

For full details on the complete Mighty Cool range please either call on 01527 597567 or visit the new website at www.broughtoneap.co.uk. One of the many features you’ll find is a blog to keep the industry abreast of all the exciting projects and developments at Broughton.

With all the talk of recession and ‘testing economic times’ in the press recently, not to mention some of the industries leading players pulling out, this year’s RAC show was a bit of an unknown quantity. It was also the first real chance for everybody to get together and see how the industry was faring post downturn; what would attendance be like?  Would anybody be buying?

It came as no real surprise then that things started a little more slowly than previous years.  Maybe not in attendance (at least that’s what the organisers would have us believe!) but certainly in terms of how many real enquires we were getting on the stand.  However our new products received plenty of attention and the interest shown came from genuine leads not just ‘tyre kickers’ and this left us feeling confident for day two.

The second day of any show is always the busiest and most important and this was no exception.  Any concerns about the show that might have been lingering soon disappeared!  From early on the stand was so busy that at times the team struggled to see everybody and the quality of enquiry was perhaps the best we’ve had from a show.  People even tried to buy equipment straight of the stand.  Far and away the best day of the event for us.

Thursday carried on where Wednesday left off, albeit at a slower pace, with a steady stream of clients across the stand.  We did well with building up contacts and customers up until lunchtime when as expected it all fizzled out, and an ever increasing horde of menacing looking tradesmen gathered around the edge of the hall signalling the end was nigh.

The undoubted stars of the show for us were the new pieces being launched.  The two new water cooled splits and the air handling units seemed to have really caught peoples’ attention with their slimline design and massive duties.  The facilities management people being particularly keen.

The tried and trusted members of the Mighty Cool range also sold steadily as did some of the heaters.  It always comes as quite a surprise when, despite all the advertising we do, people come on to the stand saying “This is exactly what I need.  How come I didn’t know this type of thing was available?”  But that’s what makes a show such a unique and important part of the marketing arsenal.

But the real value of a show, as we all know, is not something that you can really quantify immediately (if at all).  The hard work of turning enquiries into sales only really starts when everyone is back in the office but the early signs are very encouraging.

A couple of positives we did take from last week were that there is still plenty of opportunities out there for RAC manufacturers if you are adaptable, look and work hard enough.  The government’s huge increase in public spending on projects such as the Olympics and the renewal of all secondary schools, plus the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan for example, is something our contract manufacturing division did very well out of, with four military contracts picked up already.  Now is also the time for British manufacturers to realise that we can now be competitive with the French and Italians and for allowing us to not only sell to the European market but also into our own market where we might previously have been undercut from abroad.

To briefly summarise then, we feel RAC 2009 was another big success for us both in terms of catching up with existing customers and expanding our network and we’re already looking forward to another great show in 2011.  You can’t escape the feeling though that it might not be to the same scale we’ve seen in the past and that the list of absences might, sadly, have increased quite a bit…

The Broughton philosophy has always been to deliver well built, cost effective solutions that do exactly what they were bought for.  During these testing economic times we feel this is particularly relevant.  We see no point in over complicating equipment with unnecessary whistles and bells that in reality do little more than push up price, complicate operation and increase downtime with faults and, are nigh on impossible to service. Isn’t it preferable to have something that you can just plug in, walk away from and forget about?  And IF it does go down wouldn’t you rather be able to replace a component than the whole unit?

We will also be using the show as the platform to launch the latest exciting additions to our Mighty Cool  range.  These will include a new water cooled split unit at 14.7kw, a redesigned MCWS250 and after a successful limited test release last year, our 30kw and 50kw Air Handling Units will finally be unveiled to the general trade.

The increasing popularity and demand for water cooled split units and high volume air handling units within the facilities and events industries has lead to the redesign of our MCWS250 and introduction of a new unit, the MCWS500, as well as the two new Air Handling Units.  This range of portable air conditioning has been developed in consultation with many of the industries leading players and as the result of many site evaluations.  As the design remit differs slightly from conventional portable air conditioning these new units incorporate some tweaks which make them ideal for server rooms:

During the site visits a common problem observed was the lack of space.  This not only limits the number of units which can be used it quite often meant that machines were squeezed in any which way possible making access very difficult. We have addressed this in two main ways:

1)       The introduction of a 14.7kw unit.  It might sound simple but more cooling from a single unit obviously reduces the number of units required!  In many cases the heat load in the server rooms was between 8-13.5kw whereas the largest capacity split on the market was around 7.3kw and two machines were required.  Our new model allows one unit to do applications were two would have been needed previously.  This not only helps with the space issue but also cost (1 unit instead of 2).

2)       The redesigned MCWS250, the MCWS500 and both the AHU30 and AHU50 all have very small footprints so take up minimal floor space. The air conditioning units also have robust fully swiveling castors allowing them to get into previously inaccessible spaces.

3)       The AHU units both have an ‘all in one’ grille which allows cool air to be vented straight up, horizontally or via triple spigot ends.  The spigots allow the units to pump the air into 3 separate areas from up to 15m away.

By offering specifically designed solutions which take into account the requirements of the people who use them, we can now give facilities managers across the country the equipment they need to get the job done.  However, as with our entire range, the versatility of these units is such that they are also perfectly suited to any application requiring a portable split system.

Of course the show is not all about the launch of new products.  We will also be proudly showcasing our existing ranges, the ranges that got us where we are today, of Mighty Cool portable air conditioning and Mighty Breeze fans.