Self-contained dehumidifiers HRC

The HRC units are equipment intended for thermal, hygrometric, and sanitary conditioning of the air in indoor pool enclosures.
The HRC units are characterized by being autonomous throughout the dehumidification and heating process of the indoor pool enclosure, and do not require auxiliary or support thermal groups or other heat pumps to perform their function.

The HRC units are capable of performing their dehumidification function through three different and complementary systems:
a) refrigeration via its evaporator; b) through heat exchange in the recuperators, and c) by means of replacement with outside air. The cooperation of the three systems provides a high drying capacity with minimal consumption.

Additionally, and as importantly as the above, it should be noted that the arrangement of the internal elements of the HRC is designed so that the performance is maximized, since the evaporator mainly operates with latent heat.
These are machines designed around thermal efficiency: achieving maximum performance with minimal energy consumption. They have also been designed to be durable and for maintenance to be simple and economical.

The indoor pool, a building with especially high energy consumption

As operators of indoor pools know very well, the energy cost in these types of installations is very high. The annual energy needs of a typical municipal indoor pool, for example, are around one million kilowatt-hours, which is equivalent to the energy expenditure of 100 typical homes.
Contrary to what may seem at first glance, the largest cost item in these establishments is the heating of the air, not the heating of water or dehumidification. This makes sense: a large space, usually with a large glazed surface area and at a temperature of 28 to 30°C, presents very high winter losses.

On the other hand, the progressive abandonment of combustion-based heating systems in favor of those based on heat pumps is unstoppable. Electricity, whether generated by current technologies (thermal, nuclear, or renewable power plants) or future ones (fusion reactors, hydrogen), is destined to become the only energy source of the future in the field of air conditioning.

Borealis’ approach to the problem of indoor pool climate control has always been focused on achieving the highest possible overall efficiency. Borealis was a pioneer in our country in incorporating regenerative refrigeration systems into dehumidifying heat pumps, achieving savings of over 35% compared to previous technology. Similarly, the system of free dehumidification through the injection of outside air has been present in Borealis ranges for decades.

Now, Borealis takes another step forward in the field of energy efficiency by launching the HRC range of autonomous dehumidifiers, where efficiency extends to the refrigeration unit by integrating a heat pump dedicated to heating the pool enclosure and active dehumidification. In this way, the HRC units have been designed as high-efficiency autonomous machines specialized in indoor pool climate control, and present the following main features:

• Integrated heat pump, which provides the thermal energy for climate control of the pool enclosure.
• An air treatment section manufactured according to the UNE-EN 1886 standard, that is, with the same parameters as air conditioners.
• A passive dehumidification system through free drying, but also an active dehumidification section performed by an evaporator, powered by the integrated heat pump.
• A high-performance air-to-air heat exchanger (over 73% complying with ErP 2018) that not only recovers energy from the exhaust air with very high efficiency but also plays an active role in dehumidification, as described below.
• An arrangement of system elements that optimizes the unit’s performance, maximizing operation in latent heat mode of the refrigeration battery.
• An air circuit that allows the flow of supply, return, recirculation, and outside air to be optimal in each situation (total recirculation, partial, full opening…)
• A perfectly integrated control system responsible for maintaining the balance of the various functions of the unit under each climatic condition and at each operating point.

The HRC units, like all equipment manufactured by Borealis, are customizable with the elements required by the client, provided they can technically be installed. Some other possibilities not previously described are:

• Modular construction instead of compact.
• Different interior circuit flow and available pressure than standard.
• Voltage different from standard.
• Integration into control systems different from standard.
• Etc.

The HRC units come standard with an iPro control, programmed directly by Borealis for this specific application.

The iPro is hardware manufactured by the Emerson group with proportional control and integrated IP and MODBUS communication. It incorporates a web server with a page where the machine’s operating parameters can be viewed and modified directly. It can be connected directly to the building’s router without any additional cost other than the connection cable and monitored from any computer or mobile device (phone, tablet, etc.)

The software is custom-designed and implemented by Borealis, allowing us total control of the process and enabling continuous, agile improvements and updates. Additionally, it includes a record of operating parameters useful for diagnosing possible failures.

The electronics control:

• The interior temperature and humidity of the enclosure.
• The operation of the refrigeration unit.
• The minimum outside airflow and that used for dehumidification by replacement with outside air through absolute humidity readings.
• The operation priorities of outside air – drying by batteries – drying by cross-flow in recuperators.
• The constant flow control of the fans, varying it depending on filter dirt levels with a programmable dirty filter alarm.
• Bypass of the recuperator for free cooling.
• Operation calendar and schedule.
• Customizable operation modes by the customer.
• Etc.