Do you compare air curtains based on how many cubic metres per hour the air curtain can supply? If that is the case we would suggest that you are missing out!
Frico air curtains are developed and based on Thermozone technology. The air curtain is more efficient because it creates protection all the way to the floor. This results in an optimal air curtain that contributes to a pleasant indoor climate, is energy efficient and creates good sound comfort.
Frico’s Thermozone technology does not just take the air volume into consideration, it also considers the relationship between volume and speed. The result is an optimal air curtain that can manage loads, is energy efficient and creates good sound comfort.
A common mistake
Many architects, consultants and property developers are used to evaluating air curtains based on air volume, but do not think about the air speed. If one does not take the relationship between speed and volume into consideration, it can mean that those people in the building experience an unpleasant indoor climate.
An important equation
It is important that the air barrier does not just have the correct air volume, but also reaches the whole way to the floor, because the floor is where the greatest load is, where the cold air tries to enter the building. The optimum air barrier in addition to the correct relationship between air volume and air speed also has an outlet that is designed so that air leaves the unit in the correct direction and with minimal turbulence. Knowledge of these factors can create an air curtain that efficiently separates the indoor and outdoor climate and creates the optimum protection.
Important components
Thermozone technology is a phrase that describes what Frico thinks is important in the design of an air curtain. Thermozone technology can be explained by comparing a scenario where one wants to water a flower bed ten metres away and the hose is too short. If the end of the hose is a straight cut, one might reach a few metres with the water, but not to the bed, because the speed of the water leaving the hose is too low (image 1). If one connects the hose to a pressure washer the water leaves the pressure washer at high speed, but still does not reach more than a few metres, because so much turbulence is created in the water flow from the high pressure washer (image 2). If one then connects the hose to a nozzle, the water volume and speed can be adjusted and the range of the water jet can be optimised and instead of a few metres the flower bed can be easily reached (image 3). Physically, air flow functions very like water flow. The scenario where one wants to water a flower bed ten metres away with a hose that is too short can be compared to Thermozone technology. It is then about an air curtain above an opening and wanting the air barrier to reach all the way down to the floor, where the greatest stresses are. By referring to the range of the air barrier - how far one can reach, Frico’s air curtains create an air barrier that protects the whole opening.
Energy efficient and good sound comfort
By optimising the air flow Frico ensures that the air curtain uses exactly enough air as is required to create a protective barrier and no more. An air barrier with less air volume is even more energy efficient because less energy is required to heat the air. Smaller air volume means a lower noise level, because it is the amount of air that passes through the unit that creates the noise. In addition, Frico has chosen to position the air intake above the unit instead of at the front, which also affects the sound comfort positively. Together, it results in an optimal air barrier that is both energy efficient and creates good sound comfort.
Thermozone technology and the future
Frico is working to develop the Thermozone technology even further. As part of this a new large testing centre has been built in Partille. One of the objectives is to extend our knowledge of how the outlet/nozzle must be calibrated for different situations. Depending on type of opening - a drive through at McDonalds or warehouse door at IKEA – different air volumes and strengths are required for the barrier. The nozzle must be adjusted depending on the power and volume that is required in the opening.
Author:
Ola Wallander, Product Area Director
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