Vapac provides hands-on training
Humidification equipment supplied by Vapac is enhancing WTI Training Group’s ability to provide comprehensive training to air conditioning engineers in the private and public sectors.
Vapacs and a Multipipe steam absorption unit have been installed at WTI’s
Burn Hall training centre in a test rig to provide simulated real life situations.
By simulating a cross section of environments from dry to very wet, trainees
gain first hand experience of varying conditions. In addition valuable assessment
and evaluation techniques are developed which can be applied to their own company’s
working environment.
WTI Training is one of the largest training providers in the UK. The company has a wide range of clients, including Water, Gas, Hospital, Airport and Railway organisations, and is a preferred training provider for the MOD in the UK and overseas.
It has four centres strategically located in the South, Midlands, the North and Scotland. Each year over 10,000 people attend centre-based courses and a further 5,000 delegates are trained on site.
WTI works with industry bodies on the development of training qualification schemes and has been granted approval by a wide range of national awarding bodies. Using experienced trainers it provides comprehensive open and bespoke courses from operator to engineer level.
At Burn Hall near York there are a variety of purpose-built practical facilities including lecture rooms, residential training facilities, confined spaces training areas, mechanical and electrical engineering simulation and commercial gas training facilities.
A key element is the high practical content, involving exercises in simulated real-life situations. To ensure that this is as relevant as possible to the working environment, WTI uses extensive demonstration facilities equipped with plant encountered on site.
To further enhance the facilities being provided by Eaton-Williams, Satchwell Control Systems Ltd has supplied additional programmable temperature and humidity controllers. These enable students to programme their own control strategies and simulate the actual system response. Graphical programming software also enables trainees to drill down through the software to allow greater system diagnostics to be carried out, as well as monitor the performance of the controlled elements.
To maintain high levels of training WTI keeps abreast of developing technologies and ensures that it uses the latest equipment. Eaton-Williams has a long association with the company, originally supplying it with Varivap humidifiers.
WTI has now taken delivery of the Vapac units and the Multipipe steam absorption system which have been incorporated into the demonstration rig used in the Air Conditioning and Controls course.
The ACC course is primarily aimed at mechanical and electrical staff, from senior craftsmen to engineers, who are responsible for efficiently and effectively operating air conditioning systems. The content covers the principles of air conditioning through to psychrometry, types of conditioning and analysis of processes; balancing of air and water systems to control methods, cooling towers and water treatment.
“To achieve the maximum benefits, practical exercises using modern equipment are a key feature” comments Ron Harrison, WTI’s Training Resources Co-ordinator. “The Vapac units are the latest generation of steam boiler humidification systems and use their own operating system.” “In addition we have installed the Multipipe rapid steam absorption system into the test rig. This enables engineers to learn first hand how to maximise steam absorption.”
Using live Vapac units to simulate differing humidity levels enables WTI to demonstrate to trainees a variety of environments from very wet to dry. Practical exercises with varying degrees of faults ranging from the wrong size expansion valves, defective ducting to the wrong size cooling fans, combined with the lack of, or excessive humidity levels ensures that most typical and some more unusual problems are encountered. “Our aim is to train staff to fully understand the air conditioning process, to take appropriate measurements from which they can balance and adjust the system for optimum performance.”