The Fisciano University Campus - a new "structure of knowledge"
The Second largest university in Campania

The facilities of the new Salerno University are in direct contact with the fabric of the existing community so that, although lacking a close association with the urban area, it is still effectively part of the city.  The VRF variable refrigerant flow air conditioning systems produced by Mitsubishi Electric were installed in this highly innovative "structure of knowledge.
The new University Campus in Fisciano, in the province of Salerno, is a vast structure of knowledge a well-organised and complex structure, which is divided into several buildings, spreading over a vast area from the Municipality itself, to the motorway, the residential area of Penta and the area serving the Faculty of Science building in Baronissi.  There are 12 pre-existing buildings of various styles within the campus; some of these buildings are of rural origin and underwent a conservative restructuring plan aimed at maintaining a relationship of contiguity between traditional structures and new buildings which are required for cultural and educational activities.
A research project was developed precisely for these new facilities, including the selection of new air-conditioning systems for the summer months; this involved the Department lecture room buildings, the lecturers’ study facilities, and the administration offices, which are identified as "branches", 1, 2 and 3, the invariant 3C and the Students’ Secretariat.
These interventions involved, in particular, the administration offices and lecturers’ studies.
The variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system was adopted as the appropriate solution for branches 1, 2, 3, and for the Student Secretariat, by minimising the number of outdoor units in order to reduce the visual impact caused by the outdoor units on the roof of the buildings, and reduce the use of supplementary installations.
Conversely, rather different challenges arose for invariant 3C, where it was necessary to realise replacement and retrofit interventions that can be summarised as follows:
replacement of the existing fans on the first floor
upgrading the network of primary air ducts on the first floor
modification of two existing air-handling units to provide cooling facilities in summer
These interventions were essential, due to the fact that the structures did not guarantee sufficient standards of wellbeing and comfort for the administrative staff and lecturers who occupy the facilities throughout the summer:  In fact, the high temperatures and high levels of humidity reached in summer, were unacceptable with regard to existing occupational health and hygiene legislation requirement.

The following provides information on the implementation of variable refrigerant flow systems, due to their highly innovative design and superior energy-efficiency level, which assists in creating a harmonious relationship with the natural environment.

Plant systems for Buildings 1, 2, 3, and the Student Secretariat

VRF heat pumps, manufactured by Mitsubishi Electric, were installed in buildings 1, 2, 3, and the Student Secretariat, and comprised outdoor motocondensing units, and a number of indoor units, each capable of controlling the climate in one single module.  Each motocondensing unit is connected to no less than sixteen indoor units, each designated to the thermo-hygrometric treatment of one single module.
This type of system meets all the indoor micro-climate control requirements in the various zones and offers several important advantages:
high energy-efficiency levels in all operating modes, resulting in minimal impact on the natural environment.
the ability to adjust the cooling capacity continuously with an accurate response to the changing demands of the users.
excellent operational reliability, with certainty of continued service even in emergency situations. The Mitsubishi Electric VRF system is of modular design so even eventual, though highly unlikely, failures on any unit would not have any effect on the operations of any of the other isolated plant systems.  This feature is of great importance, as ducts used by the cooling lines for the Mitsubishi Electric VRF systems are smaller in diameter than those used by chilled water hydronic circuits of equal capacity.  This feature also allows improved integration of these systems, with fewer aesthetic problems (the laying of the cooling lines in the suspended ceilings requires very little space), effectively increasing available, useable space.
The absence of local machines (as required for chilled water hydronic systems). The Mitsubishi Electric VRF system air motocondensing units are actually installed on the roof of buildings, while the indoor units are installed directly in the air-conditioned environments. No pumps, storage tanks, valves, etc. are required as in the case of hydronic systems.
560 indoor units were installed in buildings 1, 2, 3 (more specifically on levels I, II, and III, which house the Department lecture rooms, the administration offices and the lecturers’ studies).
48 indoor units were installed in the Students Secretariat.

It is important to mention that the project design decisions were made, not simply to achieve suitable levels of climate comfort within the environments, but also to contain intervention expenses on buildings and plant systems that had already been in place for several years.

A sophisticated management and control system

The entire air-conditioning system installed in the buildings is fitted with a highly advanced management and control system that provides a certain amount of freedom as regards to the  adjusting of the operating parameters of each machine, control of micro-climatic conditions in the relative zones, diagnostics etc. by means of centralised control via a PC that guarantees integrated management of all the units. The system is capable of automatically calculating the energy consumption of each indoor unit and makes it possible to monitor, control and manage (even remotely via modem) all indoor and outdoor units using multiple interfaces managed by a PC workstation. This facility also has the ability to automatically switch off the entire plant system at any pre-set time.  Moreover, each outdoor unit can only be activated manually by each user, thus reducing the unwarranted use of electricity in unoccupied rooms.

Superior diagnostic control and management of facilities also ensures rapid intervention in the case of any unlikely failure, and also simplifies any required maintenance procedures.

Dedicated electrical power lines

The electrical power supply for all the air-conditioning equipment consists of dedicated electrical power lines that originate from the invariant 3C electrical service panel.  These lines feed the  general electric panels of the respective air-conditioning system located in the corresponding air-shaft on the first floor of buildings 1,2, and 3, and the Student Secretariat. In turn, these electric panels supply power to the motocondensing units located on the roof and the  electric panels located on the various floors, which ultimately power the indoor units and relative  control and management devices.
The same distribution layout was adopted for the Student Secretariat zone.

Conclusion

The performance of the air-conditioning systems proved to be perfectly suited to the specific requirements of the buildings, and allowed the designers to attain maximum levels of comfort within the air-conditioned zones, with exceptionally low power consumption and very low noise levels. The indoor units were all installed in a most harmonious manner within the air-conditioned premises, with extremely stylish results. The air-flow system ultimately achieved optimal levels of performance, providing complete "cleaning" of the environment without creating any stagnant areas or undesired air draughts.
The outdoor units were successfully integrated into the roof of the buildings without any need for aesthetic modifications, thanks to their limited height.
Finally, the plant management and supervisory system has fully demonstrated its superior operational capacity; the vast number of optional functions provides for complete and widespread control of the complex and articulated installation layout that the new Fisciano University Campus posed.