Baltimore Aircoil Company (BAC) has won honorable mentions in three 2016 AHR Expo Innovation Award categories. These categories include Cooling, Green Building, and Refrigeration.

Don Fetzer, BAC’s president, said, “We’re pleased to be recognized for our investment in innovation and technology and for leading the evaporative cooling industry into the future.”

In the Cooling category, the company was recognized for its new Series 3000 Cooling Tower. Coupled with the ENDURADRIVE™ Fan System, the New Series 3000 is a direct drive solution that eliminates powertrain systems in large capacity cooling towers. The company reports that the Series 3000 with the ENDURADRIVE Fan System offers the largest single cell modular cooling tower in the world with 1,446 nominal tons. Additional ENDURADRIVE Fan System benefits include a “10% reduction in energy costs with no transmission or mechanical losses, significant energy savings, and a 90% reduction in maintenance costs compared to a traditional gear drive system,” Fetzer explained.

In the Green Building category, the PFi Closed Circuit Cooling Tower won honorable mention by offering customers the combination of direct and indirect heat transfer enhancing thermal efficiency by 30% or more. This engineered concept increases performance while enhancing the unit’s reliability for year-round operation. BAC officials said the PFi has the lowest installed cost compared to other counterflow closed circuit cooling towers due to a combination of the lowest weight, fan horsepower, and smallest footprint. Also, Extreme Efficiency models (XE Models) help to reduce operating costs by up to 50%.

Lastly, in the Refrigeration category, the TrilliumSeries™ Condenser for Transcritical CO₂ Applications received honorable mention. With higher performance and lower operating costs, water cooled methods offer the best long-term investment for any cooling system, said officials. Systems with adiabatic heat rejection, such as the hybrid TrilliumSeries Condenser, operate with efficiencies mid-way between air and water cooled methods. The condenser uses water only on the hottest days to maintain condensing temperatures, attaining up to 38% energy cost savings compared to air cooled technology. To address regulatory concerns associated with traditional refrigerants, the adiabatic design of the TrilliumSeries Condenser empowers the design and application of transcritical CO₂ refrigeration systems to virtually all climate zones worldwide.

"We’re excited to lead the industry with sustainable solutions that allow for more natural refrigerants,” Fetzer said.

The 2016 AHR Expo Innovation Awards recognize the latest technologies in the HVACR product market. Winners are chosen in each of 10 product categories based on innovation, value, and impact on the market. The 2016 AHR Expo will be held Jan. 25-27 in Orlando, FL.