National Student Design Competition

2016

Final Report
(On Design of HVAC System for College Auditorium)

Submitted ByYeshwantrao Chavan College Of Engineering

Nagpur
Team Members:
Pushkar A. Pandit
Shriwardhan Gaurihar
Sarang Siras

Table Of Contents
1. Objective
2. Introduction.
3. Building Design & Floor Plan.
4. Heat Load Calculations ..........
5. System Selection based on Energy Efficiency and life Cycle
Analysis.
Conclusion.

Objective
As posed by ISHRAE this year, we are tasked with the
design of HVAC system for a College Auditorium with
a design capacity of nearly 1000 people.
Moreover, as the problem suggests to design the building
based on the climate zone as well as the location of local
Student Chapter. So we hereby select Shri Datta Meghe
Auditorium located in our college campus which best
suits the requirements of this project.

Introduction
Building energy can be saved and pollution decreased
while utility expenditures are minimized if energy
conservation measures are incorporated into the design,
maintenance and operation of a facility. Building cooling
load components are; direct solar radiation, transmission
load, ventilation/infiltration load and internal load.
Calculating all these loads individually and adding them
up gives the estimate of total cooling load. The load, thus
calculated, constitutes total sensible load.
Normal practice is that depending on the building type
certain percent of it is added to take care of latent load.
Applying the laws of heat transfer and solar radiation
makes load estimations. Step by step calculation
procedure has been adequately reported in the literature.
Principles of solar energy calculation are applied to
determine the direct and indirect solar heating component
of the building. The requisite data of building material
properties, climate conditions and ventilation standard are
also established as per the ISHRAE standards.
The one dimensional heat conduction equation in
rectangular, spherical and cylindrical coordinates is
solved using finite difference technique. The
variation of auditorium building temperature with time is
obtained in terms of wet bulb temperature of cooling air
and initial building temperature. Factors directly affecting

thermal comfort of the human are air temperature,

moisture content of the air, radiant exchange and air
movement.

Location and Environmental Conditions

Our College Auditorium building which is to be designed
is located on the outskirts of Nagpur having coordinates
21.094796N, 78.980848E . Being located in tropical
region , Nagpur experiences harsh summers with
temperature rising as high as 48C and dry winters with
temperature droping down to 4C .
The ambient design temperatures for Nagpur as per
ISHRAE guidelines are tabulated below:
Summer
(2% Accept.)

Monsoon
(2% Accept.)

Winter
(99% Accept.)

Dry Bulb Temp. 41.4 C

Dry Bulb Temp 26.2C

Dry Bulb Temp. 11.5C

Mean wet bulb temp 23.6 C

Mean Wet Bulb Temp - 31.9C

Mean Wet Bulb Temp 9.4C

Design temperatures for summer and monsoon are

selected for 2% acceptance conditions to achieve higher
accuracy in calculations and that for winter are selected
for 99% acceptance conditions.

Building Design & Floor Plan

Our college auditorium building being constructed on a

hilly contour poses a unique task in design of its HVAC
system. It is somewhat covered by a hill from the NorthWest side which allow a very little or almost no solar
radiation to enter from this direction.
Being built on the first floor and located on a hilly
contour, this building has been constructed by making the
floors offset to each other. Most of the windows are
located on the north-west wall so that almost no heat
enters through these windows. Also, the area surrounding
the auditorium especially on the north-west side is
covered with trees which also entraps some of the
radiation.
The auditorium is built with a height of 4.572 meters or
15 feet with concrete steps for seating from the inside
which also adds to insulation. Our college auditorium
encompasses a total of 800 people which is fairly justified
with the NSDC guidelines. As the auditorium is built on a
basement but due to hilly contour the complete area of
basement roof covers only half of the area of the
auditorium floor. This auditorium has a peaked roof with
a false ceiling with attic ventilation. The walls of
auditorium are cladded with plywood from inside.

Rest of the features can be seen from the floor plan shown
below:

Heat Load Calculations

The net heat load from a building is a combined effect of

the following factors:Solar heat gain through walls and roof (fabric heat
gain); sensible in nature.
Heat gain through fenestration (transmitted and
radiated heat through glass windows); sensible in
nature.
Load due to occupants inside the building; sensible
and latent in nature.
Load due to ventilation and infiltration; sensible and
latent in nature.
Load due to lighting; sensible in nature and due to
electrical appliances; sensible as well as latent in
nature.
Before beginning with the heat load calculations, we need
to define the inside design conditions which are to be met
by HVAC system. The inside dry bulb temperature of the
unconditioned building can be predicted for the given
ambient temperature using Humphreys Thermal
Neutrality correlation for tropical regions:
Ti=0.534T0+12.9

This correlation gives the optimum temperature at which

the occupants would feel comfortable or at least would
not feel uncomfortable. The following table enlists inside
temperature for different seasons obtained using above
correlation:
Summer

Dry Bulb Temp 35.0076C

Monsoon

Dry Bulb Temp 26.8908C

Winter

Dry Bulb Temp 19.041C

The inside design conditions for the building space by

considering ASHRAE comfort chart , the most suitable
conditions for the building have been selected as follows:Dry Bulb Temperature = 24C
Wet Bulb Temperature = 15.52C
Relative Humidity = 40%
Humidity Ratio = 0.00742 kg/kgDA
Dew Point Temperature = 9.57C
Specific Volume = 0.8510 m3 /kg
Specific Enthalpy = 43 KJ/KgDA
The detailed calculation procedure is elaborated below
considering all the above parameters-

FABRIC HEAT GAIN:Considering the scope of this competition we are here

adopting the ASHRAE recommended CLTD-CLF
method, which gives considerably accurate results, for the
estimation of the solar heat gain through walls, doors and
roof.
1. Through walls
Solar heat gain through walls is given by the equation =
Where, U is the overall heat transfer coefficient through
the wall and is given as-

1
1 1
+ +()

Where
R is the thermal resistance of the wall
hi is the inside film coefficient = 8.347 W/m2-K (still air)
ho is the outside film coefficient = 23.3 W/m2-K(3.7 m/s)
A is the cross-sectional area for the heat flow
CLTD value for different walls facing a particular
direction at different solar times is obtained from
ISHRAE handbook. The maximum of these values is
selected for calculations.

Thermal resistance of the wall is calculated for the

composition of wall shown below:-

For cement plaster ,

L=0.0127m and k = 56.782 W/m-K

For face brick ,

L =0.1016m and k = 12.886 W/m-K

For concrete block,

L =0.1016m and k = 7.994 W/m-K

For plywood,

L =0.1363m and k = 6.018 W/m-K

Note: Due to the presence of concrete steps to occupy the

audience, the resistance due to the area of the wall with
steps and the resistance due to rest of the wall area are to
be considered in parallel combination with each other.
This arrangement is represented by thermal circuit shown
below:

10

Having known the values of thermal resistances, overall

heat transfer coefficient following which corresponding
heat load for different walls can be calculated.
2. Through Doors
The heat gain through the doors is calculated by taking
into account the design temperature difference instead of
cooling load temperature difference as no time lag in
radiative heat transfer occurs though the doors.
= ( )
The doors are made of wood of 1 inch thickness with
conductivity k = 6.234 W/m-k and have area of 1.44m2
each. The no. of doors on each wall are tabulated below :
Direction of Wall
North-East
South-West
South-East

No. of Doors
1 Double Door
2 Single Doors
1 Double Door
2 Single Door
2 Double Doors

3. Through Roof
As the auditorium has peaked roof which is attic
ventilated with a false ceiling below it, the CLTD values
from Table 10 of ISHRAE Handbook are reduced by 25%

11

and the roof area is taken as the projected area of the

peaked roof.
The calculations are performed based on this knowledge.
HEAT

GAIN THROUGH
FENESTRATION :-

The transfer of heat is accounted by two modes viz.

conduction and radiation. The governing equations for
each of these mode are : =
= (0 )
Where
SHGFmax = maximum solar heat gain factor through glass
based on table 7 of ISHRAE Handbook
SC = shading coefficient based on table 5 of ISHRAE
Handbook (selecting double pane ordinary glass for
horizontal window and regular plate glass for vertical
window)
CLF = cooling load factor for glass without interior
shading (based on direction and solar time)
U = Overall heat transfer coefficient based on Table 6 of
ISHRAE Handbook = 3.12 W/m2-K

12

direction
NE
NE
SW
SW

orientation
horizontal
vertical
Horizontal
Vertical

SC
0.9
0.94
0.9
0.94

SHGFmax
154
154
167
167

CLF
0.45
0.45
0.59
0.59

LOAD DUE TO OCCUPANTS

Internal heat load due to occupants consists of both
sensible and latent components which can be calculated
as:Q soccupants = (No. of people)

sensible heat gain

CLF
person

= (. )

Since the latent heat gain from the occupants is

instantaneous, the CLF for latent heat gain is 1 and the
value of CLF for sensible heat gain is taken as 0.5.

LOAD DUE TO INFILTRATION AND

VENTILATION
The heat load due to infiltration is calculated using ACH
method by taking ACH = 0.5 air changes/hr for a wellsealed building. This heat load is in the form of sensible
as well as latent load which are given as:-

13

= (To-Ti)
= ( )
Where
Vo is the volumetric flow rate of the infiltrated air
Cpm is the average specific heat of moist air
hfg is the latent heat of vaporization of water
To and Ti are the outdoor and indoor dry bulb temperatures
Wo and Wi are the outdoor and indoor humidity ratios.
is the density of moist air at outside
temperature(calculated using perfect gas equation)
=

3600

=0.64925 m3/sec

Where gross volume = total volume of conditioned space

= 4674.64m3
The heat load due to ventilation is calculated in similar
fashion as :
= ( )
= ( )
Where
is the volumetric flow rate for ventilated air which is
taken as 15 cfm per person as per ASHRAE guidelines but
to maintain the indoor air quality for comfort as per

14

ISHRAE standards this quantity is reduced to 5 cfm

/person
BPF is the bypass factor of the cooling coil which is
selected based on the applicatons from table 14 of ISHRAE
Handbook

LOAD DUE TO LIGHTING

The heat load for lighting is calculated for two types of
lights viz. spotlights (incandescent) and fluorescent lights.
Basically the heat load due to lighting is calculated using
the following equation:
Q slighting = (installed wattage)(Usage Factor)(Ballast Factor)CLF

Where
Installed wattage is the total input power to the lights in the
conditioned space
Usage Factor accounts for any lights that are installed but
are not switched on at the time at which load calculations
are performed

Ballast factor takes into account the load imposed by

ballasts used in fluorescent lights(ballast factor value of
1.25 is taken for fluorescent lights, while it is equal to 1.0
for incandescent lamps)

15

CLF is function of the number of hours after the lights are

turned on, type of lighting fixtures and the hours of
operation of the lights(CLF value of 0.73 is selected for
fluorescent lights whereas CLF=0.1 is selected for
spotlights)

LOAD DUE TO APPLIANCES

The only running appliances inside the auditorium are
fans present on each of the columns which are 10 in
number and the heat load consists of two parts viz.
sensible and latent load which are calculated as:
= ( ) ( )
= ( ) ( )

Each fan has an installed wattage of 100W and the usage

factor is assumed to be 0.8 based on hours of operation
while CLF is selected as 0.58 .
Latent heat fraction of the fan is taken as 0.07.

16

HEAT LOAD ESTIMATION SHEET

JobName
DesignofHVACSystem
Address
Wanadongri,Nagpur
SpaceUsedfor
Auditorium
Size
24.830m43.09m=1069.9247sq.m4.572m=4891.695cu.M

Item

AreaorQuantity

Estimatedfor
Summer

SunGainorTemp.Diff.

Watts
Sensible

Factor

Latent

Total

SOLARGLASSGAIN
Window(NE)
Window(SW)

5.05
4.24

17.4
17.4

14.47
19.52

1271.84
1440.61

CONDITIONS
Outdoor
Indoor
Selected
RoomConditions
1000People

LocalSolar
Time
3P.M.

Peak
Load
44.4deg.C

DB(deg.C) WB(deg.C) %RH

HUMIDITYRATIO(kg/kgDA)
41.4
23.6
21.6 0.01075
35
19.44
21.6 0.00775
24
15.52
40 0.00742
VENTILATION
.0023595cu.m/sec/person=

2.3595cu.m/sec

SOLAR&TRANS.GAINWALLS&ROOF
Wall(NE)
Wall(SW)
Wall(SE)
Roof

174.96
175.77
99.45
1022.45

17.95
20.18
19.07
16.26

5.0709
5.071
5.576
4.799

15925.32
17987.03
10574.95
79783.55

6
17.4
17.4
17.4

2.9
5.994
5.994
5.994

11121.55
1201.485
1201.485
1201.485

Gross
Volume

TRANS.GAINEXCEPTWALLSANDROOF
Floor
Door(NE)
Door(SW)
Door(SE)

Infiltration
OutsideAir
People
Lights
FluorescentLights
Spotlights
Appliance(Fan)

SupplyDuct
HeatGain%

Infiltration
OutsideAir
People
Steam
Appliance(Fan)

639.17
11.52
11.52
11.52
INFILTRATIONANDOUTSIDEAIR
Volume Density
SpecificHeat
0.64925
1.0902
1021.6
2.3597
1.0902
1021.6 .075(BPF)
INTERNALHEAT
1000People
70.337W/person
50Nos.
10Nos.
10Nos.

0.7(UsageFactor)
0.3(UsageFactor)
0.8(UsageFactor)

17.4
17.4

60W/light 1.25(BallastFactor)
575W/light 1(BallastFactor)
100W/fan

0.5(CLF)

35168.5

0.73(CLF)
0.1(CLF)
0.58(CLF)

1916.25
172.5
464

1.1
214986.4

Enthalpy
2403340
2403340

5664.7
1544.129
46891

0.07(LatentHeatFraction)

Sensible
Latent

ReturnDuct
HeatGain%

ReturnDuct
5% LeakageLoss%

70
54169.83

59586.81
274573.2
17.4(Temp.Diff.)
0.00333

Pump
2% H.P.%

43442.68
2403340

0.7829
Selectedadp=9.57deg.C
Dehumidifiedrise

195442.2/(1.0902*1021.6*13.34)=13.15cu.m/sec

195442.2
Safety
5% Factor

100W/fan

Safety
2% Factor%
8%
EFFECTIVEROOMLATENTHEAT
EFFECTIVEROOMTOTALHEAT
OUTSIDEAIRHEAT
2.3597
1.0902
1021.6 0.05(BPF)
2.3597
1.0902
0.05(BPF)

Indicatedadp=4.44deg.C

12581.95
3429.68

RoomLatentHeatSubtotal
SupplyDuct
LeakageLoss%

214986.4/274573.2

(1.075)(249.57)=13.34deg.C

ROOMSENSIBLEHEAT
SupplyDuct
Fan
3% LeakageLoss%
2% H.P.%
EFFECTIVEROOMSENSIBLEHEAT
ROOMLATENTHEAT
Volume Density
HumidityDiff.
0.64925
1.0902
0.00333
2.3597
1.0902
.075(BPF)
0.00333
1000People
46.891W/person
10Nos.

ESHF=

INFILTRATION
AirChanges
4674.64cu.M
persec.
0.00013 .64925cu.m/sec
SENSIBLEHEATFACTOR&
APPARATUSDEWPOINT

19558.97

GrandHeatSubtotal

337574.9

GrandHeatTotal

378083.8

5%

TONNAGEOFREFRIGERATION=107.50TR

Dehumidifiedflowrate

17

System Selection based on Energy Efficiency

And Life Cycle Analysis
Selection of a suitable air conditioning system depends
on:
1. Capacity, performance and spatial requirements
2. Initial and running costs
3. Required system reliability and flexibility
4. Maintainability
5. Architectural constraints
The relative importance of the above factors varies from
building owner to owner and may vary from project to
project. The typical space requirement for large air
conditioning systems may vary from about 4 percent to
about 9 percent of the gross building area, depending
upon the type of the system.
Considering a system capacity of 108 TR and a single
zone system for auditorium, we provide a comparative

18

analysis of available HVAC systems known to us which

are : All Water Systems
All Air Systems
Unitary Refrigerant Systems
Storage Cooling Systems
1. All Water

Systems

In all water systems the fluid used in the thermal

distribution system is water, i.e., water transports energy
between the conditioned space and the air conditioning
plant. When cooling is required in the conditioned space
then cold water is circulated between the conditioned
space and the plant, while hot water is circulated through
the distribution system when heating is required. Since
only water is transported to the conditioned space,
provision must be there for supplying required amount
of treated, outdoor air to the conditioned space for
ventilation purposes. Depending upon the number of
pipes used, the all water systems can be classified into a
2-pipe system or a 4-pipe system.
A type of all water system which is generally
commercially used is the Central Chilled Water
System which consists of a chilled water plant which is
remotely located with only AHUs being close to the

19

conditioned space.The chilled water system may be air

cooled or water cooled .
Advantages of All Water Systems
1. The thermal distribution system requires very less
space compared to all air systems. Thus there is no
penalty in terms of conditioned floor space. Also the
plant size will be small due to the absence of large
supply air fans.
2. Individual room control is possible, and at the same
time the system offers all the benefits of a large central
system.
3. Since the temperature of hot water required for space
heating is small, it is possible to use solar or waste heat
for winter heating.
4. It can be used for new as well existing buildings
(retrofitting).
5. Simultaneous cooling and heating is possible with 4pipe systems.
Disadvantages of All Water System
1. Requires higher maintenance compared to all air
systems, particularly in the conditioned space.

20

2. Draining of condensate water can be messy and may

also create health problems if water stagnates in the
drain tray. This problem can be eliminated, if
dehumidification is provided by a central ventilation
system, and the cooling coil is used only for sensible
cooling of room air.
3. Generally involves high initial costs.
4. Control of humidity, particularly during summer is
difficult using chilled water control valves.
Prime candidates for using such systems would be large
convention centres with less external walling when
compared to internal floor space.Such structures have
internal service cores which tend to use only small
areas.

2.All Air Systems

As the name implies, in an all air system air is used as
the media that transports energy from the conditioned
space to the A/C plant. In these systems air is processed
in the A/C plant and this processed air is then conveyed
to the conditioned space through insulated ducts using
blowers and fans. This air extracts (or supplies in case
of winter) the required amount of sensible and latent
heat from the conditioned space. The return air from the
conditioned space is conveyed back to the plant, where

21

it again undergoes the required processing thus

completing the cycle. No additional processing of air is
required in the conditioned space. All air systems can
be further classified into:
1. Single duct systems, or
2. Dual duct systems
One of the all air systems is the Central DX System
which is well suited for single zone applications by
locating the equipment properly and providing for the
usual acoustic attenuation, the noise of the plant can be
kept within limits .Generally these systems may have to
be water cooled so that the heat rejection equipment
like cooling towers can be remote located from the
plant.
Advantages of All Air Systems are:
a) Relatively small space requirement
b) Excellent temperature and humidity control over a
wide range of zone loads
c) Proper ventilation and air quality in each zone is
maintained as the supply air amount is kept constant
under all conditions

22

Disadvantages of All Air Systems are :

a) High energy consumption for cooling, as the air is
first cooled to a very low temperature and is then heated
in the reheat coils. Thus energy is required first for
cooling and then for reheating. The energy consumption
can partly be reduced by increasing the supply air
temperature, such that at least one reheat coil can be
switched-off all the time. The energy consumption can
also be reduced by using waste heat (such as heat
rejected in the condensers) in the reheat coil.
b) Simultaneous cooling and heating is not possible.
Prime candidates for such applications are very large
auditoriums, when built in exclusive buildings .Large
indoor auditoriums calling for,say,1500 tons of cooling
could be economically cooled with 10 150 ton plants
3.Unitary Refrigerant Systems
Unitary refrigerant based systems consist of several
separate air conditioning units with individual
refrigeration systems. These systems are factory
assembled and tested as per standard specifications, and

23

are available in the form of package units of varying

capacity and type. Each package consists of refrigeration
and/or heating units with fans, filters, controls etc.
Depending upon the requirement these are available in the
form of window air conditioners, split air conditioners,
heat pumps, ductable systems with air cooled or water
cooled condensing units etc. The capacities may range
from fraction of TR to about 100 TR for cooling.
Depending upon the capacity, unitary refrigerant based
systems are available as single units which cater to a
single conditioned space, or multiple units for several
conditioned spaces. Figure 36.9 shows the schematic of a
typical window type, room air conditioner, which is
available in cooling capacities varying from about 0.3 TR
to about 3.0 TR. As the name implies, these units are
normally mounted either in the window sill or through the
wall.
One of the unitary refrigerant systems that is
commercially used for conditioning is Packaged
Equipment System . With large capacity ,reliable ,
factory-made equipment being available at unmatchable
costs , one can use such equipment also for auditoriums.
Multiple package units/ duct able splits can be used well.
Factory made comfort equipment with cooling coils whih

24

are only 3 rows deep theoretical does not meet the adp
needs of the application, but in practice such equipment
has been used with the ensuing, higher relative humidity
never posing any serious problem.
Advantages of unitary refrigerant systems are :
1. Individual room control is simple and inexpensive.
2. Each conditioned space has individual air distribution
with simple adjustment by the occupants.
3. Performance of the system is guaranteed by the
manufacturer.
4. System installation is simple and takes very less time.
5. Operation of the system is simple and there is no need
for a trained operator.
6. Initial cost is normally low compared to central
systems.
7. Retrofitting is easy as the required floor space is small.
Disadvantages of Unitary refrigerant systems are:
1. As the components are selected and matched by the
manufacturer, the system is less flexible in terms of air
flow rate, condenser and evaporator sizes.

25

2. Power consumption per TR could be higher compared

to central systems.
3. Close control of space humidity is generally difficult.
4. Noise level in the conditioned space could be higher.
5. Limited ventilation capabilities.
6. Systems are generally designed to meet the appliance
standards, rather than the building standards.
7. May not be appealing aesthetically.
8. The space temperature may experience a swing if onoff control is used as in room air conditioners.
9. Limited options for controlling room air distribution.
Prime candidates for using such systems are small
capacity halls used by educational institutions.This,of
coure, gets stretched, to systems being used for large
assembly areas like marriage halls,community centers
,etc.

4. Storage Cooling Systems

On specific applications,such as temple
halls,churches,etc. where one needs cooling only for
,say,three hours a day and even that,only once a
week,storage systems can be used.Thermal storage

26

systems can be as simple as the ice storage ones, or as

sophisticated as eutectic salt in custom containers.
Costs will dictate the use of low end systems, but with ice
systems using direct ice melt, one may need to have an
AHU with a greater than normal coil bypass area.
As we can see from above that storage cooling system is
not a good choice for auditoriums as these systems can
efficiently work if it is operated for only 3 or 4 years a
week as these systems primarily run on ice and are not
capable to provide conditioning for long durations and
also require a considerable maintenance cost if stretched
for large capacities .So storage cooling systems are not
used in air conditioning purpose primarily.
From the economic as well as service point of view ,these
systems are not efficient for large capacities even though
the initial costs are low but the maintenance costs turn out
to be considerably high enough

27

Conclusion

So, we have selected Packaged Equipment System out

of other alternatives for air conditioning of auditoriums as
this system being a compact alternative is quite efficient
in operation. Though the installation cost being high
comparative to other alternatives the maintenance cost is
low for such systems with a fair enough service life.

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