≋ What is a fancoil • Device and principle of operation

The chiller-fan coil system is an air conditioning system, inside which a liquid circulates, which is a heat carrier. At the same time, a chiller is called a cooling machine, and a fan coil is a local heat exchanger, it is between them that the coolant circulates.

Also, fan coil units from such systems are sometimes called fan coil units. Fancoils — receivers of cooled or heated media. They are an important part of complex chiller-fan coil systems.

Fancoil: the principle of operation

If it is necessary to cool the room, cold water or other suitable specialized fluid is used, and for space heating, the system must be filled with warm fluid. During circulation, it passes in the radiator, standing before / after the fan that creates the desired air flow. Such a liquid cools or heats the room when the air passes through the radiator.

It is inside the fan coil unit that there is a fan and a water radiator, with the help of which room air is pumped through the system. It is also possible to use several heat exchangers for more complex fan coil designs.

Thanks to such devices, it is possible to pump large volumes of air, cooling and heating them to the desired level. To adjust this level, remote controls and other convenient methods are now used.

The air filter inside the fan coil makes it easy to filter the flow of air passing through such a system. The automatic control subsystem allows you to adjust the operation of the system in such a way as to make it convenient and energy efficient.

Cooling and heating inside fan coil units occur even when they are turned off. Therefore, special valves and bypass pipes must be used to temporarily turn off these nodes.

During conditioning, condensation appears on the heat exchanger. To collect it, use a special tray. The condensate drains on its own or is periodically pumped out of the trays.

To better understand how a fan coil works, you can consider its detailed diagram and structure. Please note that there are several basic types, the structure of which is somehow different. The most common of them are channel and cassette.

Fan coil classification

There are several options for classifying these elements of the air conditioning system. By the number of pipes they are:

• Two-pipe — they are used only for cooling rooms.
• Four-pipe — can also be used for space heating.

Also, fan coil units have different mounting methods. Among them it should be noted:

• Wall-mounted — simple and quick installation, used for cooling and heating rooms.

• Cassette — they can be easily hidden, while only the bottom panel, which distributes the treated air, remains visible to most. There are options for such fan coil units that allow you to mix in fresh air from the street.

• Duct — especially effective for several rooms, they have powerful fans. They are usually mounted behind false walls and false ceilings, so you also need to arrange for condensate drainage. Often quite noisy.

Features of fan coil units make the scope of their use quite wide. Therefore, they can also be classified according to the place of application:

• Entertainment establishments.
• Gyms of educational institutions.
• Office buildings.
• Hostels and hotels.
• The rest of the premises.

Benefits of a fan coil system

Among the advantages of such a system is its scalability. If relatively small rooms need to be cooled or heated at first, and later need to heat additional rooms, fan coil systems can be scaled up. This option is also suitable for those commercial facilities that begin to operate gradually, without using all the premises at once.

Each of the nodes of such systems is regulated individually. Therefore, even such options are possible when hot rooms can be cooled, while colder rooms gradually heat up.

The chiller-fan coil system is universal, it can be reconfigured if necessary. In this case, the distance between nodes can be both short and long. For wiring communications, simple standard pipes are used.

Several chillers can be interconnected by an automatic system. This makes it easy to control several nodes at once using a remote control or other means.

Fan coil units create better air circulation compared to heating radiators. In this case, smaller heating devices can be used and the system can be made more energy efficient.

Such cooling and heating systems are considered safe for those inside air-conditioned spaces. Their refrigerant chillers are usually outside the building, outdoors. Of the risks when using fan coil units, only the possibility of flooding the premises is usually noted, while there are ways that can prevent such phenomena and significantly limit their consequences.