VRF HVAC, an air-conditioning system that constantly grow its popularity due to its ability of meeting a wide range of applications.

The main function of all air-conditioning systems is to supply thermal comfort for building occupants. There is a extensive choice of system types offered, staring with the basic wall-mount unit through to the very latest VRF (variable refrigerant flow) apparatuses. Deciding which system best suits the application depends on several factors. For example, in a modern, design-conscious office the aesthetic requirements of the customer may demonstrate of greater significance than the number of control options they offer. While a customer looking for the best life-cycle cost will require balancing capital cost with long-term operating costs, efficiency and predicted VRF systems provide cooling and heating using refrigerant R410A as the working fluid. There are two basic types of VRF system — cooling/heating-only (Mitsubishi City-Multi Y-Series) and energy-recovery (Mitsubishi City-Multi R2-Series).

The Mitsubishi City-Multi Y-Series, the cooling and heating system can provide just cooling or heating to the space, but not both at the same time.

The Mitsubishi City-Multi R2-Series, the energy-recovery system, can provide both cooling and heating simultaneously, to different parts of the building. This option has the potential to deliver maximum energy savings. Additionally, a heat-recovery system can transfer the heat extracted from those spaces requiring cooling to areas demanding heating, resulting in extremely high primary-energy ratios and low operating costs.

Outdoor units are available with different cooling and heating capacities to suit the application. A host of controller options is available, from simple wireless controllers to powerful PC software packages. Finally, all the units are linked using transmission cable, providing a fully networked air-conditioning system.

Basic principle of operation:

When in the cooling mode, indoor units are supplied with liquid refrigerant. The amount of refrigerant flowing through the unit is controlled via an electronic expansion valve located inside the unit. When the refrigerant enters the coil it undergoes a phase change (evaporation) that extracts heat from the space, thereby cooling the room. The heat extracted from the space is exhausted to ambient air.

When in the heating mode, indoor units are supplied with hot gas refrigerant. Again, the amount of hot gas flowing through the unit is controlled via the same electronic expansion valve. As with the liquid refrigerant, the hot gas undergoes a phase change (condensation), which releases heat energy into the space.