SPECIAL FEATURES AIR CONDITIONING, AIR MOVEMENT AND VENTILATION This month: Ventilating for buildings in Covid-19; aircon research and acoustic design in ventilation VIESSMANNS PORTABLE INTENSIVE CARE UNITS TO FIGHT COVID-19 Building on its experience manufacturing cold rooms, Viessmann has designed and developed a modular intensive care unit for Covid-19 patients. The firm converted part of its production facilities in Germany to make the units, which can be set up indoors or outdoors. Viessmann, which sells boilers and heat pumps in the UK, is also manufacturing face masks and hand sanitiser and its boiler business has designed a ventilator. The firm says once special approval has been granted, production of more than 600 ventilators per day is feasible Cruise ship aircon did not spread coronavirus, research shows The Diamond Princess suffered a Covid-19 outbreak in January and February 2020 The Diamond Princess cruise ships central air conditioning system did not play a role in transmitting Covid-19, researchers at the University of Hong Kong have found. In the Transmission routes of Covid-19 virus in the Diamond Princess cruise ship paper, the authors state that the long-range airborne route was absent in the outbreak, and that most transmission occurred through close contact and fomites. The researchers analysed information about the cases to infer transmission dynamics and potential modes of transmission. Their research involved retrieving the quarantine details and the ships 14-day itinerary, and researching locally confirmed cases associated with the ship. After obtaining the design of air conditioning and sewage treatment of the ship, they backcalculated the dates of infection from the epidemic curve and compared them with the start of onboard quarantine. They found that major infections started on 28 January and completed by 6 February for passengers, except those who stayed in the same stateroom with infected individual(s). No other confirmed cases were identified among the disembarked people in Hong Kong, except an 80-year-old passenger. Infections in crew members peaked on 7 February, suggesting significant transmission among them after quarantine on 5 February. Read the report at bit.ly/CJMay20ship Star warns against cutting back FM Star Refrigeration is urging customers to carry on with planned plant maintenance during the pandemic, warning that deferring refrigeration engineer site visits could have an adverse effect on equipment. The company recommends all current preventative maintenance schedules are followed for as long as possible during the Covid-19 crisis. It is continuing to offer support services for existing customers in the food production, processing, storage and distribution sectors, in line with government guidance, as well as providing critical repair and maintenance services for cooling systems in key industries, including healthcare and IT/communications. James Ward, operations director, said: Our experience demonstrates that a lack of refrigeration plant maintenance can lead to longer periods of downtime at the point of failure. Without ongoing preventative maintenance, customers increase the risk of unplanned downtime due to faults and poor running conditions. Plant repair and downtime create additional costs and can have a significant detrimental effect on business. Restrictions eased for Aermec Italian air conditioning firm Aermec has been granted authorisation from the Italian authorities to supply goods for a wide range of projects and continue manufacturing chillers for critical applications. All air conditioning companies in Italy were instructed to close in March in a bid to combat Covid-19. However, some restrictions are now being lifted, and Aermec and other selected firms will be able to continue operations by supplying specified products, including those destined for critical applications. Refrigeration and AC essential services The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) has called for refrigeration and air conditioning to be designated as essential services during the Covid-19 crisis. It said that without refrigeration, vital food supplies would be lost and that the healthcare sector relied on the technology to preserve pharmaceutical products and medicines particularly vaccines. Many of the industrys 15 millionstrong workforce are carrying out essential work to support hospitals and nursing homes. It added that, without refrigeration, the internet would collapse in minutes. www.cibsejournal.com May 2020 51 CIBSE May 2020 pp51 Cooling News.indd 51 24/04/2020 19:42