The Challenges
The Marine Group, a builder of US Navy Torpedo Recovery Vessels, faced these challenges when specifying HVAC systems for three new boats:
- Outdoor working decks must be cleared of HVAC equipment, eliminating the use of air-cooled systems.
- Worldwide patrol regions with very hot temperatures (100°F/38°C) and very cold temperatures (0°F/-18°C).
- Evaporating units must fit into narrow overhead spaces.
- HVAC equipment must draw minimal amps.
The Solutions
The Marine Group contracted Dometic Marine for a direct expansion (DX) system with space-saving evaporators and custom heaters:
- A water-cooled DX split system provided more installation options than an air-cooled HVAC system.
- Custom three-phase heaters kept amp draw low and met temperature specifications.
- Shallow overhead spaces contained Dometic's low-profile evaporators with integrated return-air plenums (shown above). The plenum connects directly to an overhead return-air grille to increase system efficiency by cooling only the cabin air.
- Entire system supported by the world's largest marine HVAC global service network.
A US Navy Torpedo Recovery Vessel built by The Marine Group
The EBLEP low-profile evaporator with return-air plenum