KULIRNTHAKATRU

"Anna" bats and wins for New India-almost a SOLO match!

2011-08-28T17:06:00.002+05:30

Many (Indian)politician's nightmare has just begun!

They never imagined it possible for the people of the country to even think of rising agaisnt the ruling class (opposition included). But that is what has just happened on the evening of 27th Aug 2011. August seems to be India's best month, starting from 1947! May be there are more august Augusts in between that I am not aware of!

There were many educated, intelectual, forward thinking superior class of people putting forward their arguments against Anna, his principles, his past, his philosophy, his means, and his.....what not!

Any ordinary person would have been convinced of those arguments. But Anna and his team do not belong to that 'high class'.

With 100% belief in what they were doing, they continued. The fast was in two parts, in between to be interupted by Baba Ramdev's fast. Just like we are made to feel that even uttering the name BJP is a sin, to a large extent many succeded in branding Baba also the same way. I personally dont agree with that, and I am sad that even team Anna seems to have subscribed to that view. Any how that is not the main topic now.

The UPA government went on many rolarcoaster moves. Was it confusion or tactical moves (do they have it?) but at the end "it was SATYAMEVA JAYATHE"

It was real fun hearing a few young congress MPS even claiming credit to what was happening. One notable found of the entire event was the emergence of a matured Varun Gandhi! Oh,how he spoke whenever he spoke! rahul is no match for this great young man. Hope BJP nurture him properly, instead of dismissing him as another Nehru family man (Not Gandhi family, as the present ruling family is projecting itself to be!)

And during varuns speech, it was funny to look at great kabil Sibal!

Personally my arguments were/are,

1) When 42 years were not sufficient for the Parliment, in what way that parliment is supreme than its people?

2) Having slept for 42 years, what right does this Congress govt has to say that 15 days is not sufficient( They claim credit for having got freedom for India, which is not correct: For example even muslim league gets credit for that, truly)

3) Is not the present PM a bagful of contradictions, having changed his stand many times, say for example in the case A Raja alone?

4) When PC stated a few weeks back, that he needs a minimum of 1 year for effectively creating a new force to monitor the coastal lines siting the procedures as one reason, does he not realise that the terrorists have no such laws preventing them to stage a much bigger attacck, say on Mumbai again? After that what will the great PC do with his force? Defend a non existing coastline?

5)Do they not understand the simple fact that a clean top only is capable of cleansing the system? It is a top down process, and not the other way, though corruption first started from bottom? How can they even think of uttering the sentence that a lokpal alone is not suficient? Then what will?

Ofcourse I agree that with the present mentality, no law can help, because they dont want a change at all, whaich is what Anna is fighting for!

In earlier days of independence, when the elected representatives were reasonably clean, corruption amongst the lower levels when started, was a sort of acceptable to the society, as every one was poor, and a poor govt servant was magnanimuosly allowed to be corrupt in a small way by the public. But in todays society that need for corruption does not exist amongst the younger generation and so they were only looking for a way to fight it! But with a ruling class that not only had the earlier mentality, but which also unfortunately had readied their second/third generations in the same way, they were unable to even imagine a life without corruption! How can the unnatural thing of the present survive? And we are seeing the result

However as Anna has stated, the fight has just begun.

We the citizens can not simply blame others alone.

We can not simply expect all others to fight, and we enjoying a corrupt life.

Every one must become a leader or Anna, instead of waiting for ever some one else to lead us for "our" life!

We can not bribe! I had the first taste of this simple fact a few months ago, when I was travelling by train. Having RAC ticket number 1, I waited for the TTE to allot me a berth. But he did not. Had I been the same old earlier person, I would have simpley bribed him Rs.100 or so and got my birth: I had decided against that, and instead of fighting with him, decided to continue my night travl sitting.

In a train that started ar 6.50 pm, he alloted me the bith almost at midnight at around 11 pm!

And should I say that not only I felt happy and slept well, but also felt on top of the world!

Jai Hind!

Vande Matharam

Bharat Matha ki Jai.

Join India agaianst corruption

2011-08-28T15:46:00.000+05:30

Don't bother about energy shortages, but continue to waste energy!

2011-02-03T13:07:00.000+05:30

To throw out energy into the street is…..PERFECTLY ALL RIGHT

Let energy shortages be there, but continuing with this type of behavior is PERFECTLY OK

Surprised, OR, rather irritated, with these statements?

But that is what we have been doing for, say around 100 years

Heat is the primary from of energy, & we (HVAC engineers) are experts in throwing it out!

Living in a hot country like India, doing this looks very natural for us,
though energy has become an issue all around.

Have you ever said,

“A warm, and pleasant summer day, OR A Hot and horrible summer day”

The first statement is perfectly all right for a westerner from a colder climate!

Similarly have you ever thought of throwing freshly cooled air into the street?

Again that is perfectly OK for a westerner as he is trading heat for that chillness!

But it is the western mind that invented all air conditioning technologies that we use.

They looked at, studied and designed all systems to suit, primarily a colder climate.

Except the standard air conditioning that we are all familiar with.

Let us thank them first for having given us those technologies,
though their pressing needs were mainly heating only!

So when they designed and christened a machine, “heat pump” primarily to pump heat for heating applications we were not concerned: Also as they were “stealing” heat form a colder “outside” it did not matter to them that they were throwing away “precious chillness” into the road, just as we were throwing “precious heat energy” that we stole from indoors!

Yes there are systems called heat pumps that produce products with “heat”

They can produce hot water OR
They can heat air wherever required OR
Simply produce chilled water OR
Get hot water as the main product and chilled water as the by product!

Advantages of such systems are as follows:

1)With pumping of heat rather than directly applying heat energy, it requires less power to produce hot water: C.O.P is the indicator of this
2)In some applications the client can do away with boilers resulting in saving in fuel costs, saving from bothersome boiler acts etc, saving from irksome storage problems of messy fuel. And escape from the clutches of a boiler inspector!
3)Reduction in main chiller capacity (to the extent given by the heat pump.
4)Reduced demand charges to EB (KW demand comes down)
5)Reduced transformer size from EB or the client’s own
6)Standby DG set size and cost come down
7)Value addition for a high rise residential promoter as the clients need not go in for Geysers for the bath rooms
8)Eligibility for governmental concessions for energy saved as and when acts gets passed by the parliament
9)Import benefits for eligible clients as an energy saving equipment
10)Power supply system breaths easy due to reduced demand

And you can add a lot mote benefits
If there are issues or problems,
let us face them to solve it,
rather than rejecting the idea outright!

All "thinking" governements across the globe encourge such advanced concepts. But in India we have time only to think of the next scam!

The MAHA Indian Spectrum scam and CAG

2010-11-22T14:26:00.000+05:30

For a change, and to start back with my blog, I have chosen a different topic from the intended contents of this blog.

It is known universally that CAG report is tabled officially in the parliament also, but the parliament can not function. The ruling party and all opposition parties together (for the first, and may be last, time)are fighting as to how to fight further! They seem to be not interested in finding an answer to anthing, but just keep fighting for the sake of fighting!

It is JPC vs PAC or, now a discussion, as per the PM. I have a basic doubt, that is only technical, though in my opinion it is more relavent than than all these English letters!

What is a CAG, besides the fact that it is a three letter short form for Comtroller and Auditor General (Of India, not US)? What does the C stand for, or what does the CAG control?

In fact this agency seems to fucntioning better than CBI or CVC (all three lettered ones)! Why not empower this agency with more power to control, than just simply produce reports that have no power to it? Or atleast make him a two lettered fellow as AG and cut the C from him!

Then we can see how else the parties decide further to fight and enjoy their days in the pariament!

One more fire in Chennai

2009-12-05T11:33:00.002+05:30

A few days back one more fire was reported: This time from a bank in Tambaram, Chennai. Though it was not reported to be a fire from AC, we got communication/confirmation to that effect.

Why it happened? Can it be avoided?

Though there could be many reasons for the fire in an equipemnt, one reason that I can point out is; The termination of incoming electrical power supply to the indoor units of the split AC, rather than at the outdoor. When it is done this way, there is always a possibility of fire at the terminals whever the compressor starts or stops drwaing high current. The easieat way to eliminate atleast this one possibility is to insist on termination power at the outdoor.

Unfortunately many manufactureres do not have provosion for this: And the simple and SILLY reason? Cost control! By saving a few meters of wiring by whoever is doing that: In most cases the clinet will have to get it done, and to make him happy, manufacturers resort to this dangerous practice.

Can we expect some responsible behaviour from them?

Unfortunate fire in a running AC indoor unit

2009-06-05T14:48:00.003+05:30

Many of you might be aware of a fire accident in Chennai a few days back, where a few months old baby died, while sleeping in the bed! My condolences to the family for the irreplacable loss of a precious life.

In most of the AC units that are available in the market, it is the usual practice to terminate the incoming power in the indoor unit, that is very convenient for the installing contractor. And for the brand it results in an overall cost reduction, offfering an edge in price!

However it is the compressor that draws the maximum current in an AC unit. And it is located in the outdoor unit. This power is routed through either a contactor or a relay. Due to frequent starting and stopping of the compressor in an unit by the thermostat, there are possibilities of the contact getting damaged and sparks appearing. This remais a potential fire hazard always. Why is this contact located in the indoor unit then?

If the contcat is shifted to the outdoor unit this problem is atleast shifted to the outdoor unit and is away from the bed! Will the manufacturers and the government atleast wake up now?

Cool, when you don’t need it! (?) Part I

2007-01-04T14:54:00.000+05:30

In our earlier article on

‘How to use AC equipments efficiently’

we concluded by stating that, how to put into beneficial use energy saved by shifting the residences as well as small offices from conventional AC units to inverter based units.

Once upon a time offices used to work from 9 to 5!

No more now: Most of the IT companies work at nights: All call centers work more during nights: Even factories working round the clocks require air conditioning for a lot of areas.

Thus in addition to residences and a very few areas that required air conditioning at nights, a lot more air conditioning is called for at nights. In one way it is good. Because when energy is produced to meet the peak load during the day time, the reduced loads at nights was posing a problem of balancing the production with reduced demand. I believe, it is not an easy task. Well, I will limit myself with this fact, as I am not an expert in it.

Thus there is a need to create loads at nights also, so that production continues without any hitch. That is to say, create work for the sake of consuming available energy!

Air conditioning gives an ideal answer here. In addition, if a new air conditioning technology is available that can take advantage of the reduced demands due to the shift described above any time of the day, it is also beneficial.

Like energy has to be consumed when there is no actual demand,

We need a process of air conditioning that produces cooling, when there is no demand!

Surprising? But a way has been found. We will touch on it in our next posting.

Sizing an air conditioner for Indian conditions

2006-12-30T15:09:00.000+05:30

(Contuation of earlier article will appear after this post!)

Sizing an air conditioner

Recently I read in an Indian HVAC magazine the following.

0.5 TR AC for upto 250 sft(25 SQM),
1 TR Ac for upto 550 sft(55 sqm), and
2 TR for upto 1400 sft (140 sqm).

Is it not very surprising? For, this one seems to be addressing residences!

Even in a multistoried complex, with all the floors conditioned, these figures are going to be impossible to achieve.

I feel the data would be correct if it reads like:

With Indian ambient conditions, 0.5 TR is ruled out for many applications. Hence,

1 TR for up to 120-200sft,
1.5 TR for up to 150-250 sft &
2 TR for upto 200-300 sft!

depending upon other factors.

How to run AC units efficiently at home or office? PART 6

2006-12-30T15:07:00.001+05:30

Now you have selected and installed a inverter unit. Setting up the required temperature is your job, as you only must know what you want!

After this is over, let us assume that you have just entered the room and switched on the unit. As the room was unconditioned till then, the difference between the set point and room temp at that time will be high. Sensing this, the system sets itself to produce maximum cooling. The temp starts approaching the set point. As soon as the room temperature is reached, the compressor does not cut off now. Some heat continues to flow into the room constantly, the compressor runs at a matching speed just producing that much of cooling only. So there is no questioning of over cooling. We have eliminated the requirement for thermostat having to perform two opposing functions at a single set point. It simply keeps relaying the room temperature only to the control system. Now that the need for more or faster cooling is over, the compressor receives a command to reduce its speed. Thus the room temperature just stays where you want it to stay with no fluctuations or cycling. As there is no frequent staring and stopping of compressor, the power supply also does not get disturbed. Thus the unit meets the cooling demand as per needs, producing more at the beginning till the room is fully cooled, and then adjusting its speed in line with the room load.

Imagine this type of units being used by all. Will it not be nice? The energy demand will be reduced especially in nights, and voltage as a result will stay more stable! Government can relax, having solved the problem of shortage of electricity as well as avoiding fluctuations in voltages!

Thus having reduced the momentary demand to lower values from users of such small capacity clients, how can this benefit be passed on to the industry or commercial sector?

We will see it in our next topic.

How to run AC units efficiently at home or office? PART 5

2006-12-30T15:06:00.000+05:30

These new units are called DC INVERTER AC units, with rotary or scroll compressors. We are limiting our attention to rotary compressors that is considered better for the lower capacities.

The very basic difference, from your point of view is that, these systems produce exactly the amount of cooling required by a room, and not a fixed cooling having no relevance to the room load like the earlier units discussed above.

It is enough for you to know this much.

They achieve this by running the compressor at varying speeds, and not at a fixed speed. Since DC motors can be better controlled, they employ a DC motor instead of AC motors that is adopted in earlier AC units.

How does it satisfy YOU?
Wait for the next part.

How to run AC units efficiently at home or office? PART 4

2006-12-30T15:05:00.000+05:30

(For the time being we are ignoring the existence of Inverter type units)

The heat loads are normally estimated for the worst ambient conditions and units are selected. However the actual load seldom remains the same because the ambient temperature keeps varying. However once a unit is selected and installed, it always tries to produce its full capacity possible at that ambient condition, irrespective of the actual cooling required. Though there is a thermostat, the room goes through a cyclic cooling, which makes the occupant feel uncomfortable. The cyclic process is unavoidable for a few reasons. First, the rate at which cooling is produced is never equal to the rate which heat enters the room. Hence the unbalance always produces un-comfortableness. Second, the thermostat being a mechanical device requires two end points to cut off the compressor and restart it a little latter. When the cutting off takes place, say at 24 ˚ C, then the next minute theoretically it would have to restart because the temperature would have risen. But in practice it is allowed to do so, as otherwise the compressor starts cycling, or repeatedly starts and stops. This not only disturbs the power supply systems characteristics, but also the life of the compressor itself! Also practically it is impossible to produce a device that does two opposing functions at a single point, namely cutting off and restarting. Hence a gap is given in the device to function, which is referred to as ‘differential’. Either it is allowed to overcool and restart at the set point or cuts off at the set point but restarts at a slightly higher temperature!

In addition the human body is so sensitive to temperature, that at the same indoor temperature, it feels differently during summer and winter. (i.e) You may feel very comfortable at 22 ˚ C during summer, but during winter a slightly higher temperature will feel more comfortable. The poor combination of your compressor and thermostat do not understand this.

So as long as you have installed an equipments that produces constant cooling irrespective of the load, you have to set your preferred temperature in the thermostat and accept a cyclic nature of indoor temperature and be comfortable with that!

Now enter the new variety of, not only ENERGY EFFICIENT AC units, but also units that can think like you!

How to run AC units efficiently at home or office? PART 3

2006-12-30T15:04:00.000+05:30

First you must understand the approximate temperature you feel comfortable at. Then set the temperature to a value equal to or slightly higher than that. Otherwise you suffer like as described above. If you do not know your preferred temperature, find it out. It is simple, but requires a little patience and time. First set the thermostat, say at about 24 ˚ C if there is any marking on the thermostat, or set the pointer of the thermostat to roughly point to 1 ‘O clock position of your clock! Run the unit for a reasonable time, say one day at least. If you feel you require more cooling, then set it at say 23 ˚ C or point it to 2 ‘O clock position (Rotate it to your right). If you feel too cold, then do the opposite. Set it close to 12 ‘O clock position or at 25 ˚ C. After doing such adjustment, again allow the unit to run at least for a day. Then if you still feel not satisfied, repeat the above steps in the direction desired by you. Till you finally feel satisfied.

Now as soon as your temperature is reached in the room, no more cooling is delivered to you as the thermostat would have ordered the compressor to shut off, so you feel comfortable. As soon as the temperature rises above your preferred temperature the compressor again starts because of the command from the thermostat and the process is repeated.

Now there are a few problems with these units. What are they? We will see it in next part.

How to run AC units efficiently at home or office? PART 2

2006-12-30T14:59:00.000+05:30

All the AC units are equipped with either reciprocating/rotary/scroll compressors with a thermostat and another button that said, “Off/Fan/Low cool/medium cool/high cool” or similar.

The common misconception amongst many people was that you set the temperature to say, 18˚ C or so, you get good cooling!

It is not so. The rate at which cooling produced has got no relation to the set point temperature of the thermostat.

Unfortunately your AC does not know what you are thinking! The thermostat does its job perfectly and the compressor does its job even more perfectly. How?

Thermostat will keep sensing only the room temperature. If the room temperature is higher than the temperature that you have set, it will simply tell the compressor to keep running. As soon as the set temperature is sensed, with a little bit of safety margin, it will ask the compressor to shut off.

As far as the compressor is concerned, it does not understand the concept of temperature or set point. As long as it gets instruction from the thermostat, ordering it to run, it will keep running. Even if the occupant is freezing to death! That is why many times you would have been compelled to get up and shut off or adjust the unit in the middle of the night. Or if you had a remote, you would have only saved yourself the trouble of getting up. Nothing more than that!

Is there not a better way address the problem? There is. We will see it part 3.

How to run AC units efficiently at home or office? PART 1

2006-09-29T15:09:00.000+05:30

How to save electricity?
How to keep your current bill under YOUR control?
How do you set your thermostat to be comfortable yet spent less on electricity?
How to make your AC think like you?

These are common questions faced by all.
But a very few take the trouble of understanding it.

===================================================================================
In India atleast, it is not very uncommon to see a client buying the best TV at a higher price, but buying an AC that is cheaper! By watching that TV he does not spend much elctricity additionally: But he is going to spend more on elctricity by running the AC. Hence it makes a lot of sense to buy an efficient AC. Still he chooses to buy a cheaper unit! It is ironical. Is it not? I am not attempting to change one's buying preferences, which I can't. I can only tell how you can run any AC atleast effectively! '
=================================================================================== contd....... in Part 2

What temperature for Chennai?

2005-12-09T10:40:00.000+05:30

Chennai or Madras has got a high ambient temperature. The seasons that we are blessed with are known commonly as HOT, HOTTER, & HOTTEST!

While no one can deny the fact that AIR CONDITIONING is almost a must for any organisation, what should be the inside design temperature for a hotter place like Chennai?

In most of the IT companies it is found that temperatures close to 72 deg F(22.2 deg C) are selected or recommended for the general workstation areas.

Do we really need that? In western countries, where there is more need to heat, there is meaning in limiting the temperatures to lower and acceptable limits. But do we need to copy that when our requirement is just the opposite of heating, or having to cool most of the times? Does it not make sense to keep the temperatures a litle higher but at an acceptable level?

On one side everyone talks of the need to conserve energy, but on the other side we compel equipements to consume more energy by pushing the set point to lower levels.

Who is responsible for this? The clients or the consultants?

On the other hand the requird importance is not fully given to fresh air needs(by the designer initially and/or by the client latter).

Systems are simply overdesigned, with less importance to fresh air.

May be two negatives make one positive!

AIR COOLED vs WATER COOLED

2005-12-02T14:51:00.000+05:30

It is generally accepted that water cooled chillers consume less energy than air cooled units for the same capacity. But is that all, that need to be considered while selecting a system?

Air is (still) free, it is not charged! But water? Even if one is willing to pay for it, can the required quantity be continuously assured? That too in summer, when air conditioning is essentially required? Water of the same quality through out the year? Are clients willing to invest on water treatment plants? Can they be easily maintained or, will they ever be maintained at all? What happens if the parameters are not maintained? Does any one, really understand the effect of fouling factor etc in the long run, as a result of the above factors?

I WISH OUR COMMUNITY CONSIDERS ALL THESE WHILE RECOMMENDING AGAINST OR A FOR ANY SYSTEM!

Invitation

2005-12-02T12:57:00.000+05:30

This site is intended to be used for the benefit of all AIR CONDITIONING professionals in and around Chennai.

Anything on the subject, that will be useful for those who are new to the profession are welcome.

To start with, I define air conditioning in simple language as,

" A process of altering the temperature, humidity and cleanliness of air for use at controlled velocities for HUMAN comfort or to aid industrial processess"