Modern air conditioning relies on the process of evaporation to cool and humidify the air at the same time. While this concept is constantly being improved upon, its roots extend back to ancient *Egypt, where reeds were hung in windows and moistened with trickling water. When wind blew through the window, the water evaporated and helped to bring down the searing Saharan heat. Later, in ancient Rome, water from aqueducts were circulated through the walls of some homes to cool them. In medieval Persia cisterns and wind towers were used to cool buildings during the hot season.  

The first air conditioner resembling the system we know today was installed in a home in the United States of America in 1914. Inventors’ understanding of scientific principles had grown in leaps and bounds between ancient Egypt and early 20th century US. The principle of evaporation remained intact, but the process was now achieved by driving air through water-cooled coils.  

A little over a century after this invention, air conditioners are widely in use across the globe, in homes, businesses and cars. Most of the air conditioning systems in use today still rely on these methods.   Samsung’s new Wind-Free Cooling technology represents a revolutionary shift in the way air conditioners work to make our lives more bearable. It has been designed to optimise airflow to bring new levels of comfort to our daily climate control requirements.

Samsung’s new air conditioners, which feature Wind-Free Cooling technology provides consistent temperatures without directly blasting users with air or creating unpleasant cold spots, offering value that you can feel at home and on your electric bill.  

“Samsung uses its global network and innovation to create positive change for people across the world. We use design and innovation to provide people with new experiences and aspirational products such as Wind-Free technology,” says Mike van Lier, Samsung Director Consumer Electronics.  

In its vision of Wind-Free Cooling technology, Samsung aimed to create an air conditioning system that does not rely on strong blasts to cool a whole room. This required new ways of thinking about how the appliance vented air and regulated the strength of its breeze. The result: an air conditioning system that maintains consistent and ideal temperatures that keep them comfortable all day and all night, while also keeping its cool with the environment through a serious cut in energy expenditure.  

* Bahadori, M. N. (1978). Passive cooling systems in Iranian architecture. Scientific American, 238(2), 144-155.

The latest product of a decades-long history of air conditioning innovations, Samsung’s Wind-Free Cooling technology optimizes airflow to bring new levels of comfort to home climate control.

Samsung’s new AR9500M, the first wall-mounted air conditioner to feature Wind-Free Cooling technology, follows the successful launch of a floor-standing model last year. Both appliances provide consistent temperatures without directly blasting users with air or creating unpleasant cold spots, offering value that you can feel at home and on your electric bill.

Inspired by Speakers

Developing an air conditioning system that doesn’t rely on strong blasts to cool a room was no simple task, and required Samsung to rework the way in which the appliance vented air and regulated the strength of its breeze.

Rather than simply design a conventional system, which would attempt to minimize users’ exposure to cold blasts by adjusting the breeze’s strength, Samsung’s team experimented with several innovative approaches to try to identify a more effective solution.

In the early stages of the development process, in their quest to find an efficient air dispersal method, the team examined a variety of fabrics. Having analyzed several different cloths under microscopes, they concluded that a system that featured thousands of tiny holes that were, according to their research, smaller than 1mm and spaced to achieve an aperture ratio of 40 percent would provide optimum air circulation. However, the team decided that although a fabric-based ‘micro hole’ air conditioner would be cost-efficient and relatively easy to produce, durability would inevitably be a concern.

The designers next turned their attention to other materials that would allow them to explore their hypothesis further. Though the results were promising, they had yet to fully address the issue of dew condensation, which commonly occurs in air conditioners crafted from metal or plastic whose designs don’t allow cool blasts to flow completely unobstructed.

Samsung’s breakthrough ultimately came from a rather unlikely source: speakers. Having observed that their designs, which feature ‘air holes’ much like the ones they were exploring with their research, generally facilitate continuous airflow, the team concluded that a similarly constructed, sturdy air conditioner that featured thousands of holes and allowed air to flow freely would solve the condensation issue.

The AR9500M: 21,000 Micro Holes Create ‘Still Air’

The fruit of the team’s extensive efforts is an air conditioner design that allows users to comfortably manage the strength of cold air.

To resolve the condensation concern, Samsung carefully calculated the ideal aperture ratio for the Wind-Free Cooling system’s micro-perforated panel that would reduce dew accumulation and ensure that air flowed constantly and equally in uniform ‘curtains’.

This means that when the new AR9500M is turned on, a strong breeze emits from its main outlets in curves. When placed in Wind-Free Cooling mode, it gently disperses air through the 21,000 micro holes dotting its front panel, creating a ‘still air’ environment* with a breeze so soft that it cannot be felt unless the user touches the device.

More Efficiency with Wind-Free Cooling Mode

In addition to an efficient design, Wind-Free Cooling technology features a streamlined, two-step operation that allows the air conditioners to quickly and effectively cool each corner of a room.

When activated, Fast Cooling mode first lowers the room’s temperature to reach the user’s desired setting. Wind-Free Cooling mode then maintains a still and ideal climate with no temperature fluctuation. By restricting the systems compressors to operate at minimum frequency and slowing the indoor fan to its minimum speed, Wind-Free Cooling mode cuts the device’s energy expenditure by a full 72 percent**.

When it’s time to get a good night’s sleep, users can enjoy consistent and ideal temperatures that keep them comfortable all night long, allowing them to sleep soundly and wake up fully refreshed.

* ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) defines “still air” as air currents at speeds below 0.15m/s which lack the presence of cold drafts.

** Tested on AR07M5170HA, based on the accumulated power consumption of Fast Cooling mode vs. Wind-Free Cooling mode.

One way in which Samsung is creating a solution, is through the inclusion of the Virus Doctor and easy filter technology in selected Samsung air conditioners, turning the tide on Sick Building Syndrome and improving the health of employees in the workplace.

South Africa is regarded as a port of entry for the African continent, and the endless possibilities are attractive to foreign investors and multinational companies. The country is fast becoming the new destination of choice for call centres as well as serving as a base for regional headquarters of these international firms.

This is great news for job creation and the proportional growth of the middle class. However, it has highlighted the very real threat of Sick Building Syndrome. Mike van Lier, Manager: Digital Air Solutions, Samsung South Africa, discusses how using innovative technology, this syndrome could be a thing of the past.

“Caused by inadequate ventilation, chemical contaminants from indoor sources, poorly located intake vents as well as faulty or poorly maintained air cooling systems, Sick Building Syndrome manifests through occupants of certain buildings presenting a myriad of symptoms,” says Van Lier.

Some of the negative health effects may present shortly after a single exposure or after repeated exposure. These symptoms include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. These immediate effects are generally short-term and treatable, often the treatment is simply eliminating the person’s exposure to the source of the pollution.

“Invested in cutting-edge technology which improves lives and lifestyles, Samsung as a leading consumer electronics brand, is working towards best-practice technologies which contain this syndrome,” says Van Lier.

The Virus Doctor and easy filter technology air conditioners are health-promoting units which eliminate up to 99% of airborne bacteria and viruses, as well as smoke, pollen, dust and other contaminants, keeping the air inside any room; including offices, clean and pure.

Additionally, the Virus Doctor has taken great strides in preventative health care through its ability to eliminate harmful viruses which cause serious airborne diseases such as Influenza A, subtype H1N1 and even Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. This is endorsed by the **British Allergy Foundation, which has approved the Virus Doctor’s S-Plasma ion’s effectiveness in eliminating allergens, keeping the air you breathe clean and healthy.

An intangible benefit of consistently using an air conditioner on the same temperature throughout a season, is that by controlling the temperature of the room more consistently, you are less likely to contract the typical colds or viruses from constant changes in temperature. This is especially good news for employers grappling with their employees’ winter health blues and dealing with associated and unnecessary employee downtime due to illness.

Samsung’s Virus Doctor and easy filter technology hold the answer to eliminating the sniffles, improving productivity and cutting back on absenteeism.

http://www.ocsa.co.za/absenteeism-management/

http://www.samsung.com/africa_en/consumer/home-appliances/air-conditioners/air-purifier/SA501TBAFR/