Advanced Cooling Technologies Announces New Hawaiian Applications of its Wrap Around Heat Pipe Heat Exchangers

LANCASTER, PA: Advanced Cooling Technologies (ACT) is pleased to announce that its energy recovery wrap-around heat exchanger (WAHX) system has been selected for use in two separate enhanced dehumidification applications in Hawaii.

A newly renovated Hawaii Island resort, a once iconic tourist destination, elected to use several of ACT’s WAHXs in their facilities as they continue their rebuilding efforts following a 2011 tsunami. The tsunami destroyed sixteen of the resort’s structures and damaged another forty.¹ Such key infrastructure as electrical and cooling solutions were lost in the disaster. After more than a decade of rebuilding efforts, the resort plans to reopen its doors in 2023. ACT’s WAHX products will provide critical thermal management support for guests and employees at one of Hawaii’s famed tourist spots.

The project was specified and configured by ACT’s local Hawaii HVAC representative Norman S. Wright. They provided the renovation project team with complete air handling systems that incorporated the ACT WAHX.  The NSW team worked with local mechanical engineers and the resort facilities team.

Hawaii is a prime application region for WAHX technology. A WAHX effectively enhances the air Dedicated Outside Air handling Systems (DOAS) ability to dehumidify incoming outside air and provides free passive reheating of the airstream; this process results in dry neutral air temperature for delivery to indoor spaces. With Hawaii’s humidity, this enhanced dehumidification process is essential in creating a comfortable environment for resort guests. The WAHX has added benefits in terms of system efficiencies; the addition of a WAHX allows for a smaller tonnage air handling unit (AHU), offers significant energy savings, and lowers maintenance costs by way of its passive, no-moving-parts functionality. The Hawaiian resort found great value in all of these benefits as they opted for ACT’s WAHX.

Additionally,

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (otherwise known as Honolulu International Airport, or HNL)

WAHX as its primary energy recovery heat exchanger. The addition of WAHX products comes at a time when the state’s airports are undergoing a $2.7B state-wide modernization effort.² HNL serves as the largest and principal airport in the state, and its infrastructure has been the focus of these ongoing efforts as officials look to outpace its growth in traffic. The split loop thermosyphon (SLT) WAHX will include reheat control and serve as an important energy savings solution for HNL’s infrastructure.

ACT’s SLT WAHX products are passive solutions that are active-controlled and provide the best method of energy recovery and dehumidification for industrial and commercial applications. The controlled SLT is a cost-effective solution that allows for a high flow rate for larger coil sizes, and it maximizes savings while preventing overheating of the conditioned air. These cost-saving measures are critical for airports of HNL’s size, and that necessity grows even greater when considering the energy costs in Hawaii; the nation’s fiftieth state reaches a peak of 34 ¢/kWh, which is the most expensive energy cost of any state and triples the national average.³ Energy savings via efficient thermal management methods are therefore essential to the modernization efforts of Hawaii’s largest airport.

As industries explore new means of improving their systems, ACT and its team of thermal management experts will continue to develop enhanced cooling system and energy recovery solutions that meet the performance and efficiency needs of its customers. With these latest applications, many visitors to Hawaii will appreciate the benefits of these cooling solutions firsthand.

About ACT:

Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) is a premier thermal management solutions company, providing design and manufacturing services to meet our global customers’ needs across all points of the product lifecycle. We serve our customers’ thermal management and energy recovery needs in diverse markets including Defense, Aerospace, Electronics, HVAC, Medical, Enclosure Cooling, and Calibration Equipment. ACT specializes in providing performance and cost-optimized thermal management technologies and solutions.

Research & Development remains the essential ingredient for our continued success. R&D continues to lead the product and market diversification efforts and shapes the innovative solutions provided to our customers.  A snapshot of current R&D programs reveals diverse activities ranging from developing thermal protection materials for space reentry vehicles to investigating nanoscale heat transfer in next-generation electronic devices to designing mega-watt class cooling systems for power plants.

References:

1. Burnett J. 10 years later: Recalling the 2011 tsunami. Hawaii Tribune-Herald. https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2021/03/12/hawaii-news/10-years-later-recalling-the-2011-tsunami/. Published March 12, 2021. Accessed August 2, 2021
2. Daniel K Inouye International Airport Modernisation, Hawaii. Airport-technology.com. https://www.airport-technology.com/projects/daniel-k-inouye-international-airport-modernisation-hawaii/. Accessed August 2, 2021.
3. Spangler S. Hawaii’s electricity the most expensive in the nation, but there are ways to save. KHON2. https://www.khon2.com/local-news/hawaiis-electricity-most-expensive-in-the-nation-but-there-are-ways-to-save/. Published February 10, 2021. Accessed August 2, 2021.