Therma-Fuser™ VAV Diffusers

Acutherm Design and Application Seminar

2017
Installed on all 5 continents
- Founded in 1978

-Inventor of VAV diffusers

- Market leader in VAV diffusers

- OVER 2 MILLION Therma-Fuser™ diffusers

- OVER 10 THOUSAND Buildings

 High Performance
Air Systems
comfort energy economics
WHAT IS A THERMA-FUSER DIFFUSER

The essential elements or concepts for a VAV Diffuser include;

1. Mechanical Damper to vary flow of supply air.
2. Room Temperature sensing process.
3. Control of mechanical movement against user selectable temp. set-point.
4. Method of sensing supply air temperature to effect control orientation from
cooling to heating and vice versa.
WHAT IS A THERMA-FUSER DIFFUSER

Thermally actuated VAV Diffusers offer quite a

unique solution with some added benefits
over their electric and pneumatic
“cousins”, including;

1. Temperature sensing and mechanical

movement provided by the same
PASSIVE device.
2. No external “power” is needed to operate
units, they work in balance with the zones
own thermal load.
3. Sealed device requires NO maintenance
or calibration, EVER.
4. Tried and proven technology from
Aerospace Industry – very accurate, very
repeatable results and very reliable.
THERMA-FUSER BENEFITS

• COMFORT – Superior Air Distribution

• ENERGY – Lowest Energy VAV
• COST – Lowest cost per zone of control
• FLEXIBILITY – Adapts to layout changes
• NO MAINTENANCE
COMFORT – THE VAV BOX

9:00am

Work begins: each in own office

23º 23º 23º 23º 23º

20º 24º

People are not robots, comfort is very individual.

COMFORT – THE VAV BOX

11:00am

Boss calls a team meeting

20º 18º 18º 23º 20º

Major amount of sub-cooling happening.

Energy is being poorly directed and hence wasted.
COMFORT – THE THERMA-FUSER WAY

9:00am

Work begins: each in own office

21º 23º 24º 23º 23º

Each VAV Diffuser location provides an opportunity for

customized adjustment.
COMFORT – THE THERMA-FUSER WAY

11:00am

Boss calls a team meeting

21º 23º 24º 23º 23º

And the temperature will remain constant all day –

adjusting to the inevitable load changes.
COMFORT – THE THERMA-FUSER WAY

Therma-Fuser Diffuser

Variable opening =
Constant discharge
velocity
- Coanda (no dumping)
- Throw
- Entrainment
- Mixing

- High ADPI
- Good room air change effectiveness

at design and turndown!

COMFORT – THE THERMA-FUSER WAY

100% Load – Design Conditions

Therma-Fuser Diffuser

Good Room Air Good Room Air

Movement Movement
COMFORT – THE THERMA-FUSER WAY

25% Load – Actual Conditions

Therma-Fuser Diffuser

Dumping Maintains
Good Room Air
Movement
LOWEST ENERGY VAV TERMINAL

1. Individual Temperature Control

2. Low turndown ratio
3. Low pressure systems
LOWEST ENERGY VAV TERMINAL

Low pressure systems

VAV BOX THERMA-FUSER VAV DIFFUSER

Inlet static 0.4-0.5”wg / 100-125Pa Inlet static 0.05-0.25”wg / 12-62Pa
System static 0.75-1.25”wg / 187-311Pa System static 0.25”wg / 62Pa

System static reduced by

0.5-1.0”wg / 125-250Pa
LOWEST ENERGY VAV TERMINAL

Low Turndown Ratio

VAV BOX THERMA-FUSER VAV DIFFUSER

Compromise between minimum Average turndown ratios
flow and pressure drop to maintain of 10% or less
velocity over sensors for control
typically results in a turndown
ratio of 25-30%

The energy modeling software will increase the turndown ratio

where required by code/standard for ventilation.
LOWEST ENERGY VAV TERMINAL

Low pressure systems

LOWEST COST PER ZONE OF CONTROL

Comparative system pricing:

VAV BOX SYSTEM THERMA-FUSER™ SYSTEM

More info on this topic available online! Download document 2.2G at www.acutherm.com
FLEXIBILITY

No VAV Diffuser
zone is split when
office walls are put
up or moved.
Buildings are increasingly
looking at lifetime system CONVENTIONAL VAV BOX SYSTEM
costs

Lower T.I. costs are attractive

to new tenants and decrease
vacancy time

Moving VAV Diffusers is as

easy as moving a
conventional diffuser
VAV DIFFUSER MODULAR VAV SYSTEM
LOW TO NO MAINTENANCE

Typically most VAV Box systems require

some form of periodic maintenance
and more often than not urgent
breakdown repair;

10 Years warranty
 Life Cycle Cost

Example: A building of 20 floors with 25 VAV boxes per floor.

The life cycle cost per floor over 10 years:
VAV diffuser VAV box Remarks
Warranty 10 years 1 year
More than 10 years
Life Cycle with 20 years building 7 years
references
Year 1 NIL NIL Free, under warranty
Year 2 NIL $ 5,000.00
Year 3 NIL $ 5,000.00
Year 4 NIL $ 5,000.00 Maintenance and service, 50 dollar per
Year 5 NIL $ 5,000.00 no, 4 times per year
Year 6 NIL $ 5,000.00
Year 7 NIL $ 5,000.00
Year 8 NIL $ 10,000.00 Replacement, 400 dollar per no
Year 9 NIL $ 5,000.00 Maintenance and service, 50 dollar per
Year 10 NIL $ 5,000.00 no, 4 times per year
Life Cycle Cost based
NIL $ 50,000.00 please see above 10 years break down
on 10 years period

The total LCC over 10 years for this 20

floors will be $1,000,000 !
Example Layout for Mechanical Type
BMS interfacing Option
BMS interfacing Option
BMS interfacing Option

• Solar power Wireless type Adjuster, 24V AC power required at the receiver
on the diffuser
• Able to reset the room temperature from 20’C-24’C.
• Maximum able to loop 5 diffusers (1 master, 4 secondary)
• All the secondary diffusers will follow the master temperature set point but
work independently.
• Can be linked to BMS to reset temperature set point and read the
instantaneous temperature set point by using 0-10V DC. The temperature
set point will base on the last command whichever from the BMS or
adjuster.
• C/w room temperature sensor in the adjuster and able to display the room
temperature but it is not able to link to BMS for monitoring.
Job References

High Security Building

• DSTA Tower A • Customs & Immigration CheckPoint at Woodlands

• Qty:above 2000 • Qty:470 nos
Job References

Office Buildings
Job References

Office Buildings
Job References

Education

• SIT HQ at Dover Crescent • MDIS at Educity

• Qty:31 nos • Qty: 492 nos.
Job References

Education

• NUS Computer Building • Library of Institute of SEA Studies

• Qty: 420 nos • Qty:430nos
Job References

Factory

• 3M Factory • Chartered Semi-Com II at Woodlands

• Qty: 35 nos • Qty: 560 nos
Job References

• Shaw Tower at Orchard

• Qty: 300nos
• Since 1997
Job References

Upcoming Project

• DSTA Tower B

• Southernwood Project(Old CPF building, owner

Ascendas)

• Science Park Cluster 1 (owner Ascendas)

Thank You

Q&A