Focus on Air Handling Units’ maintenance
Regular maintenance is essential for an air handling unit (AHU). With the assistance of predictive maintenance, industry experts can successfully carry out their interventions.
How does maintenance work in air handling units?
An air handling unit (AHU) is a vital component of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Its role is to use outside air and transform it into fresh and healthy air, which is then directly transferred into enclosed spaces. It’s important to note that double-flow AHUs require special attention as they perform additional tasks compared to single-flow AHUs.
In addition to purifying outside air and delivering it to spaces in need of clean air, they also expel stale air from the inside. Such a device can be used in various contexts, such as hospitals, schools, or offices. To ensure the proper functioning of these machines and avoid a decrease in air flow, regular maintenance is crucial.
Maintaining an air handling unit
The proper functioning of an AHU depends on the maintenance it receives. In-depth knowledge of the equipment is essential to increase its lifespan and improve its performance.
The main components requiring inspection are the filters, which trap impurities and airborne particles. Cleaning or replacing them helps maintain the unit in a healthy operating condition.
Humidity is also a crucial point of control. Maintaining an optimal humidity level prevents the formation of mold and deterioration of air quality.
From a mechanical perspective, the belt is certainly one of the most critical parts. It allows the transmission framework to rotate the fans. Hot and cold batteries also play a significant role in the overall operation of the motor. Installing them on guides makes extraction easier.
The role of predictive maintenance
In a maintenance strategy that incorporates predictive maintenance, the use of sensors is essential. For this reason, their maintenance must be rigorous to ensure an ideal level of analysis. These sensors enable the collection of data on temperature, humidity, and air quality, which can then be sent to predictive maintenance software.
Amiral Technologies has designed DiagFit to address asset availability issues. An effectively implemented maintenance plan significantly increases equipment lifespan and reduces unplanned downtime. The ultimate goal is to prevent any machine shutdown. Using a machine learning-based approach, DiagFit can identify the normal operating mode of an AHU to detect any deviation from it and promptly send the information to the maintenance operator for swift intervention on the machine, ensuring operational continuity of production means. For example, if a part replacement is necessary, connected sensors send the information to DiagFit, which then translates it to the industry expert.
Overall, the role of predictive maintenance is to continuously assess the condition of equipment and reduce the risk of unforeseen failures through real-time data obtained via an Internet of Things (IoT) network. This network facilitates the interaction between connected objects and digital terminals to transmit crucial data for maintenance purposes.
