VRF Air Conditioning Systems

VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) is a central air conditioning architecture in which a number of indoor units connected to a single outdoor unit are each fed at a different flow rate according to the capacity needed at that moment. An inverter compressor and the electronic expansion valve in every indoor unit work together: the system continuously adjusts flow to the real load of the space.

Why VRF?

• Zone independence — every space sets its own temperature; empty rooms can be switched off while the rest keep running.
• Part-load efficiency — a building spends most of the year at part load rather than full capacity. Modulating the flow saves noticeably more here than systems that cycle on and off at full capacity.
• Heat recovery option — heat recovery systems can cool one zone while heating another at the same time, moving the heat drawn from the cooled zone to the zone being heated.
• Long pipe runs — large height differences and long pipe distances are permitted between outdoor and indoor units, so the outdoor unit can be sited to suit the architecture.
• Less space, fewer shafts — no water piping or plant room is required; the system is solved with copper lines and condensate drainage.
• Building automation — central control panels and BMS integration allow the whole system to be monitored from one point, with time schedules and consumption reports.

System components

• Outdoor unit — inverter compressor; several units can be run together in modules as capacity demands.
• Indoor units — cassette (four-way blow), wall mounted, concealed ducted, floor standing and floor/ceiling types to suit the architecture of the space.
• Lines and branches — copper gas and liquid lines, joint (branch) kits and insulation; the part that most directly determines the life of the system.
• Control — individual wired or wireless controllers, central controller and building automation integration.

Where it is used

Hotels and accommodation facilities, office floors and plazas, shopping centres, hospitals and clinics, schools, showrooms and shops, and multi-room residential projects.

From design to commissioning

VRF is a system rather than a single appliance: capacity calculation, indoor unit selection, pipe routing, branch selection and commissioning all shape the efficiency of the result. Lapin supports your project from the site survey and material list through copper line and joint supply to commissioning.

Get in touch for the system capacity and indoor unit layout suited to your building, and we will prepare a quotation after the survey.