Platform for the food and beverage industry
Moreover, installations there must comply with strict sanitary regulations and therefore be easily and completely cleaned. The customized textile ducts of the Czech brand Prihoda offer an ideal solution for the distribution of cold, hot and air-conditioned air. They are extremely light, low-noise and 100% cleanable as well as avoiding condensation. In Belgium and France, HVAC installers can obtain these systems from Prihoda NV, which is part of the Linum Group. The company also has its own software for fast and accurate design of a duct system for each project.
The first applications of textile ducts were in the food industry. And although today they are used in many different buildings, we still find them very often in food production, commercial kitchens and refrigeration plants, low-temperature zones, supermarkets, stores and food stores. "The advantages of these textile ducts have been demonstrated many times in practice, yet they are not yet known to everyone. Architects and building owners all too often still opt for rigid climate ceilings or an industrial look with metal channels, while these are less flexible than textile solutions," says Wesley Verlez, account manager at Prihoda, which has belonged to the Linum Group since the end of January 2021. "As exclusive distributor of the textile ducts of the Czech brand Prihoda for Belgium and France, we supply the HVAC installer with customized solutions for cooling, heating and ventilation."
Ducts made of hygienic textiles offer numerous advantages over metal ventilation ducts and this for both the installer and the builder. Textiles result in uniform air distribution without draughts. Everything can be custom designed, even for applications in humid conditions, as is common in food processing plants. The ducts are delivered ready for installation, which saves the installer time during assembly and requires fewer personnel. He can also be more flexible in his planning and saves costs for transporting materials to the site. "Thanks in part to these advantages for the installer, the building owner enjoys a cheaper purchase. That end customer also gets a comfortable and hygienic solution, because Prihoda's textile ducts are 100% washable. Moreover, he can get channels in any color at no extra cost or can have them designed with his own design, photo, image, logo or inscription," explains the account manager. "Acoustics are also becoming increasingly important, which is why HVAC calculations must increasingly take into account the so-called Noise Rating. Textile ducts, made of polyester, absorb noise from air currents much better than galva or aluminum. While an NR of 35 is more or less the norm, with small diameters we already easily achieve an NR of 30. To achieve a similar value with galva, the diameter of the ducts must be a lot larger. This increases transportation and installation costs and makes installation and suspension more complex. Finally, unlike metal, textile is also 100% condensation-free, so no droplets ever get into the food products or onto the employees."
As the saying goes, good preparation is half the battle. The same goes for a duct network. Together with the customer, Prihoda's experts examine what the needs are and which technology - plain or membrane ducts - is best applied. At the same time, flow profiles and ceiling suspension, among other things, are determined. "Our own calculation software is the engine of every project. With this, we provide a design and quotation within 24 hours, with AutoCAD drawings, CFD analysis and technical data," Verlez concludes. "A project with textile ducts can therefore be calculated and drawn from A to Z in advance. As a result, the installer no longer has to make adjustments during assembly. Nor should the system itself lose efficiency due to last-minute adjustments on site."
