Chapter-2

Air Conditioning Systems

HVAC systems
Have common basic elements;
Categorized by the way they distribute energy and
ventilation;
How they are controlled;
By their equipment arrangement.

HVAC systems will be chosen

based on:
Building type;
Heating/cooling load;
Local building codes;
Economics;
etc.

Basics of HVAC

All Air Sys.

Single Duct Const. Volume Single

Zone Sys.

Single Duct Variable Air Volume Multiple

Zone Sys.

Dual Duct Const. Volume Multiple

Zone System

All-air HVAC system

No Water Pipe
Connections

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All-air HVAC system

Location of AHU will be chosen based on:

Duct length (if the AHU in the center, it will be in the same)
Architectural drawing (if the AHU in center, more space needed)
Noise (the AHU should not place in the main room)

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All-air HVAC system

Good choice for

small areas, like
apartments!
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All-air HVAC system

All-air systems transfer cooled or heated air from a central plant

via ducting, distributing air through a series of grilles or diffusers
to the room or rooms being served. It normally comprises the
cheapest equipment cost, but is not necessarily easy or cheap to
install in a building due to the size of ducting required and the cost
to install.

Buildings that need individual control of condition and having

multi-zones: like, office buildings, schools, universities,
laboratories, hospital, stores, hotels,..

And control of humidity an temperature together: like, classrooms,

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Central plant design

Determination of individual zone
Type and location of HVAC unit
Mechanical room

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Zone
A conditioned space under the
control of one thermostat.
Because conditions vary in most typical zones, it is important that
the thermostat be in a location free from local disturbances or
sunlight and where the temperature is most nearly the average over
the occupied space.
Spaces with stringent requirements for cleanliness, humidity,
temperature control, and/or air distribution are usually isolated as
separate zones within the larger building and served by separate
systems and furnished with precision controls. For applications
requiring close aseptic or contamination control of the environment,
such as surgical operating rooms, all-air systems generally are used
to provide adequate dilution of the air in the controlled space.
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Mechanical Rooms
Most of HVAC equipment is located in one or more mechanical rooms.
The energy and moisture addition or removal, the ventilation, and the
removal of pollutants can be accomplished by the equipment in the
mechanical room. Normally mechanical rooms are outside the conditioned
area, in a basement, on the roof, or in a service area at the core of the
building. Mechanical rooms reduce the noise, spills, and mechanical
maintenance that might otherwise occur in the occupied spaces. Equipment
normally found in the central mechanical room includes:
Fans or air handlers for moving air with associated dampers and filters
Pumps for moving heated or chilled water and appropriate control valves
Heat exchangers for transferring energy from one fluid stream to another
Flow measuring and control devices
Chillers and furnace or boiler equipment
Energy should be released somewhere (heat sink)

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HVAC system types (Comp.)

Fans
Heating cooling load
Filters
Humidifier
Controlling dampers

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All-air HVAC system

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Single Zone HVAC sys.

Operate with or without ducts

Only one set of condition

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Single Zone HVAC sys.

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Single Zone, Reheating

The reheat system is a modification of the single-zone constant-volume
system. Its purpose is to permit zone or space control for areas of
unequal loading, or to provide heating or cooling of perimeter areas
with different exposures.

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Single Zone, Reheating

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Single Zone, VAV box

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Single Zone, VAV box

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VAV box advantages

Low initial and operation cost;

Single run of ducts, better control on air distribution;
Zone load decreases;
Significant fan power saving vs. air circulation;
Good for zones with large internal cooling load.

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Multi-Zones
The multi-zone central units provide a single supply duct for each
zone and obtain zone control by mixing hot and cold air at the
central unit in response to room or zone thermostats.

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Multi-Zones (direction)

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Multi-Zones
The main benefits of residential zoning are:
Comfort - meets the specific temperature and airflow
requirements of one area, without affecting other areas
Efficiency - a well designed zoning system can save you hundreds
of dollars in energy costs each year
Control - divides the building into multiple areas with adjustable
comfort levels
Quiet Performance - delivers peak performance and efficiency
without continually operating at peak capacity; less noise
generated at lower speeds

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Multi-Zone
Parameters
effects zoning:
Orientation of
the building
Application

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Multi-Zones
All-air System
Having VAV box
for each room

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Multi-Zones

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Dual Duct System

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Dual Duct System

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Dual Duct System

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All Air systems Advantages

1. All-air systems offer the greatest potential for energy conservation
by utilizing the outdoor air effectively.
2. By using high-quality controls it is possible to maintain high
precision in the temperature and relative humidity of the conditioned
space.
3. Using dual duct systems, it is possible to provide simultaneous
cooling and heating. Changeover from cooling to heating and vice
versa is relatively simple in all air systems.

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All Air systems Advantages

4. It is possible to provide good room air distribution and ventilation
under all conditions of load.
5. Building pressurization can be achieved easily.
6. The complete air conditioning plant including the supply and return
air fans can be located away from the conditioned space. Due to this it
is possible to use a wide variety of air filters and avoid noise in the
conditioned space.

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All Air systems disadvantages

They occupy more space and thus reduce the available
floor space in the buildings. It could be difficult to
provide air conditioning in high-rise buildings with the
plant on the ground floor or basement due to space
constraints.

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Air-Water or All-Water Sys.

Best Place for installing the thermostat
is close to the return air!

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Complete HVAC system

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Chiller

A chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid via a vaporcompression or absorption refrigeration cycle. This liquid can then be
circulated through a heat exchanger to cool air or equipment as required.

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Cooling Tower
Air supply
Cooling down by evaporation

A cooling tower is a heat rejection device which extracts waste heat to the
atmosphere through the cooling of a water stream to a lower temperature.
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Air cooled condensing unit

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Steam Boiler

A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The fluid
does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use
in various processes or heating applications.
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Air-water systems
Air-and-Water HVAC is primarily used in perimeter building
spaces with high sensible heating and cooling loads: Office
buildings, schools, hospitals, libraries and others where the systems
can meet and comply with the design criteria.

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Air-water systems

Air-and-Water
HVAC

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Air-water systems

Air-and-Water
HVAC

Central Plant
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Multi-Zone Air-Water Sys.

Air-water systems configuration:

Chilled water for cooling (chiller)
NO Hot water, NO boiler
Heated Air
Or Vice Versa

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Air-Water Sys. Advantages

1. Larges cp of water than air;
2. Less space for piping rather than ducting;
3. Better and higher velocity of air distribution;
4. Pumping horsepower is less;
5. Less installation and operational costs;
6. Very good for high rise buildings.
7. Individual zone control is possible in an economic manner using
room thermostats, which control either the secondary water flow
rate or the secondary air (in fan coil units) or both.

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Air-water systems
8. It is possible to provide simultaneous cooling and heating using
primary air and secondary water.
9. Space requirement is reduced, as the amount of primary supplied
is less than that of an all air systems.
10. Since no latent heat transfer is required in the cooling coil kept in
the conditioned space, the coil operates dry and its life thereby
increases and problems related to odors or fungal growth in
conditioned space is avoided.

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Air-water systems
11. The conditioned space can sometimes be heated with the help of
the heating coil and secondary air, thus avoiding supply of primary
air during winter.
12. Service of indoor units is relatively simpler compared to all water
systems.

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Air-Water Sys. disadvantage

1. Operation and control are complicated due to the need for handling
and controlling both primary air and secondary water.
2. In general these systems are limited to perimeter zones.
3. The secondary water coils in the conditioned space can become
dirty if the quality of filters used in the room units is not good.
4. Since a constant amount of primary air is supplied to conditioned
space, and room control is only through the control of room
cooling/heating coils, shutting down the supply of primary air to
unoccupied spaces is not possible.
5. Initial cost could be high compared to all air systems.

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Multi-Zones-2 pipe-All water

Hot & Cold Water
Supply & Return

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All Water Sys. Advantages

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. Simultaneous cooling and heating is possible with 4-pipe systems.
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All Water Sys. disadvantage

1. Requires higher maintenance compared to all air systems,
particularly in the conditioned space.
2. Draining of condensate water can be messy and may also create
health problems if water stagnates in the drain tray.
3. If ventilation is provided by opening windows or wall opening,
then, it is difficult to ensure positive ventilation under all
circumstances, as this depends on wind and stack effects.
4. Control of humidity, particularly during summer is difficult using
chilled water control valves.
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Direct Refrigerant

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Direct Refrigerant Systems

No chiller, No boiler, everything in

one box includes the control system!
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Direct Refrigerant
Direct Refrigeration also know as DX(direct expansion)
system;
System in which the cooling effect is obtained from the
expansion of liquid refrigerant into vapor;
The refrigerant is used to directly transport heat from the
space to be cooled to the space where heat is released;
The heat from the cooling object is taken up in the
evaporator and released in the condenser.
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Fan Coil Conditioner

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Rooftop units

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Rooftop units

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Direct Refrg. Sys. Advantages

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.
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Direct Refrg. Sys. disadvantage

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.
2. Power consumption per Ton Refrg. 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.

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Direct Refrg. Sys. disadvantage

7. May not be appealing aesthetically.
8. The space temperature may experience a swing if on-off control
9. Limited options for controlling room air distribution.
10. Equipment life is relatively short.

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Summary

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HVAC design: selecting air conditioning

systems
The benchmark for comfort, safety, health and indoor air quality
varies depending on the building use such as:
1. Commercial: Office buildings, supermarkets, shopping malls,
restaurants etc.
2. Institutional: Recreation centers, theaters, indoor stadia, schools,
museums etc.
3. Residential: Hotels, private homes, low or high rise residential
buildings
4. Health Care Facilities: Hospitals, nursing homes etc.
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HVAC design: selecting air conditioning

systems
Though the design criteria for the above spaces show slight
variations, the basic design principle remains as follows:
1. Consideration of air conditioning fundamentals
2. Cooling load calculations
3. Consideration of thermal distribution requirements
4. Concepts of equipment selection

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HVAC design: selecting air conditioning

systems

A closer classification of these systems as:

1. All-air systems: In this system, air is the energy transfer medium

from the conditioned space to the plant room and from the plant room
back to the conditioned space.
2. Air and water systems: In this system, two fluids (air and water) are
used to convey energy between the conditioned space and the air
condition plant room. The basic components of this system include a
central plant for producing secondary water, a central plant for
producing primary air, a room terminal (a fan coil unit, an induction
unit or radiant panel), water pipes, pumps, air ducts and controls. 67

HVAC design: selecting air conditioning

systems

3. All water systems: The all-water system uses water as fluid for the
thermal distribution system. Since water is the only fluid transported
between the air conditioning plant and the conditioned space, separate
provision must be made for supplying the required amount of treated
outdoor air to meet ventilation requirements. As in all systems that use
water as energy transfer fluid, the all-water systems can be classified
into 2-pipe and 4-pipe systems. A 2-pipe system can be used for either
cooling only or heating only application. The 2-pipe system cannot be
used simultaneously for cooling and heating. Instead the 4-pipe system
is used.

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HVAC design: selecting air conditioning

systems
4. Direct refrigerant systems: The direct refrigerant systems consist of
air conditioning units with individual refrigeration systems. These
systems are factory assembled and are available in the form of
packaged units of varying capacities (cooling equipment capacity is
often rated in tons of refrigeration, TR).

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The END

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