Cooled beams can be installed fully exposed, recessed within a false ceiling or positioned above a perforated or an open grid ceiling.
For beams installed within or above a ceiling suitable access must be provided for service and maintenance.
With an open type of cooled beam a suitable free area is required in the false ceiling for re-circulation of room air. As a guide the minimum free area should be 30 % of the beam bottom plate surface area. When false ceiling is installed around an open or a closed beam, it should be in the same level or slightly higher than a beam bottom to avoid colliding of supply air with ceiling. Any other obstacle near the beam should be low enough or far enough to make sure they are not disturbing the throw pattern.
Cooled beams are supplied with factory installed protective covers to both heat exchanger and the inlet to the supply air plenum. Protective end cups are also provided in the heat exchanger pipes. These must be removed during the installation. Plastic films protection sheet metal surfaces should be removed just before commissioning.
Flushing
To minimize the dirt and ease the flushing it's important to close open ends of pipes during the installation work. Before starting the flushing it's important to close the shut-off valves of individual beams and flush the main pipes first.
Filling-up and venting the system
To secure easy venting it should be taken care that the main pipes are installed at higher level than beams. The horizontal pipes should be installed slightly rising towards the venting points and there should not be any high points to create "air pockets" to the system.
Before filling up drive all shut-off and control valves to fully open position. It is recommended not to run pumps during the filling-up (static filling). Continuous venting is necessary during filling-up and it's recommended to have both manual and automatic venting systems installed.
After filling the system the pump should be started. To secure all air out of the system it is recommended that major part (>75%) of the system should be closed for water to circulate fast enough.
When this section is full of water it will be closed and the same procedures are repeated for the rest of the system.
Commissioning
The required air and water flow rates are adjusted during the commissioning. The air flow rates are typically adjusted with a plate or an iris damper. When using plate dampers the air flow rate can be measured by using a chamber pressure measurement in a beam. Iris damper should be positioned far enough from a beam to ensure the even flow inside a duct before a beam. The safety distance (> 3D) is needed to avoid any performance failure in a beam. In the cases with iris damper, the air flow is measured by using the measurement taps in a damper.
The water side commissioning is made by balancing the water flow rates in a system with balancing valves and making sure that all the shut off valves in a system are open. The beam water flow rate is adjusted with a control valve; witch is typically on-off or modulating valve.
Source
Building Sustainable Design
