CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides a brief introduction regarding the study of Airconditioning. It consists of
problems that will be resolved, the current setup of the college, the extent of the research, and
beneficiaries.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Centralized air-conditioning system is a setup where air is cooled from a central location
before distribution to each area through ducts by fans. By installing such system, indoor
comfort during warm weather, cleaner air, and quieter operation can be achieved (Lennox,
n.d.). This typically use chilled water as a cooling medium and requires extensive ductwork for
air distribution (Siby, 2013). Central air is the least expensive overall as well as the most energy-
efficient option when cooling more than 3 rooms (Cooling Company, 2016).

Centralization of the air-conditioning system in other areas of Colegio de San Juan de

Letran - Calamba has been already being studied by different researchers. The study done by
Engr. Francisco and his colleagues was focused on the centralization of air-conditioning system
in the Old Gymnasium, Fra Angelico Hall of Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Calamba. This study
of theirs was done since a centralized system is more effective and efficient than using
industrial fans (Francisco, 2015).

The rooms in IT Building at Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Calamba are still using
window-type air-conditioning units. Despite the availability of cooling components in the
rooms, the cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency are being ignored. Even though the rooms
are not being cooled for a long time, the cost during operation is still high. By installing a
centralized system, the hallway can be cooled as well.
 Installing a centralized air-conditioning system will benefit the school in terms of cost
and energy-efficiency. Larger area of the building will also be provided with cool clean air by
means of ducting.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The inefficiency and high cost of the current cooling system of each room in the IT
Building is the reason the study was done. The following questions will be answered in the
study:

1. What is the most effective design and size of the centralized air-conditioning
system?
2. What are the technical requirements in the design of centralized air-conditioning
system?
3. What are the benefits and savings in implementing this project?
4. How much is the total project cost?

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of this study is to provide a design of centralized air-conditioning

system for the IT Building of Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Calamba. The study strives to
attain the following objectives:

1. To determine the most effective design and size of the centralized air-conditioning
system.
2. To determine the technical requirements in design and installation of centralized air-
conditioning system.
3. To determine the benefits and savings in implementing this project.
4. To determine the total cost of the project.
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The main focus of this study was to design a cost-effective and energy efficient design of
centralized air-conditioning system for the IT building of Colegio de San Juan de Letran -
Calamba. Unmeasured dimensions and temperatures of rooms that has no key available for us
to enter that has the same properties like the other rooms will be included. The study will only
focus on different ducting design.

Unavailable rooms which we were prohibited to enter in the IT building will not be
included in the design. Additional construction for the installation of centralized air conditioning
system will not be covered. Design of the Chiller, AHU, and Pumps will not be included.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study provided a design of centralized air-conditioning system for Colegio de San
Juan de Letran - Calamba’s IT Building. The results of the study will be beneficial to the
following:

Colegio de San Juan de Letran - Calamba. The school will save more financially since a
centralized air-conditioning system is better than window type units when cooling more rooms.
Centralized system is also energy efficient and has a greater resale value.
Students and Faculties. The hot environment caused by the weather in the philippines will not
be an issue in the IT building providing a comfortable area for the students and faculties.

Researchers. The study gives additional knowledge to the researchers about the concepts and
designs of centralized air-conditioning system.

Future Researchers. Future researchers can use the study as a reference to their research
about air-conditioning.
 Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Chilled Water Central Air Conditioning Plants

In the location where entire large houses, shopping mall, airport, hotel, etc., consisting of
several floors, are to be air conditioned, the chilled water forms of central air conditioning
plants are installed. Thus, refrigerant is used directly for cooling the room air in the direct
expansion from of central air conditioning plants; the refrigerant first chills the water in the
chilled water plants, which in turn chills the room air.

The ordinary liquid or brine solution is cooled by the refrigeration system at very low
temperatures of about 6 to 8 degrees Celsius in chilled water plants. The cold water is pumped
to the building's different floors and pieces. The air handling systems are located in each of
these sections, consisting of the cooling coil, blower, and ducts. The chilled water flows through
the refrigerating wire. The blower collects air from air-conditioned rooms to be cooled through
the ducts. The air passes through the cooling coil and is cooled down and then moved into the
air-conditioned space.

Various Parts of the Chilled Water Air Conditioning Plant

 Central Air Conditioning Plant Room: The plant room consists of all the important
components of the air conditioning plant for chilled water. These include the compressor,
condenser and thermostatic expansion valve as well as the evaporator or chiller. The
compressor is of an open form and can be powered directly by the motor or by the belt through
the motor-connected pulley system. Like the car engine, it is cooled by the water. The
condenser and the evaporator are shell and tube form. The condenser is cooled by the water
flowing along the side of the shell and refrigerant along the side of the duct. The solenoid valve
automatically controls the thermostatic expansion mechanism. The evaporator, because it chills
the water, is also called the chiller. When water flows along the side of the shell and coolant on
the side of the duct, it is called the chiller form of dry expansion. If the water flows along the
side of the tube and the coolant along the side of the shell, it is called the flooded chiller. The
cooled water in the chiller is pumped into different parts of the building to be air-conditioned. It
enters the air handling unit, cools the air in the coil, absorbs the heat and goes back to the
room of the plant in order to get chilled again. The stream switch controls the amount of liquid
that flows into the chiller. Both parts, the compressor, condenser, thermostatic expansion valve
and the chiller are mounted in the structural steel frame making a complete compact cooling
system, known as the chiller kit, in the central air conditioning plant space. This unit also
includes the piping required to connect these parts, making it a highly compact central air
conditioning facility.

Air Handling Unit Rooms: The air handling units, called air handling unit rooms, are
installed in the various parts of the building to be air-conditioned. The air handling units consist
of the coil, the air filter, the blower, and the air ducts for supply and return. The fresh water
streams through the pipe. The blower collects the hot air escape from the air-conditioned space
and then blasts it over the cooling coil to clear the air. This cooled air passes through the air
filter and is transferred to the air-conditioned space by the supply air ducts. To reduce the loss
of the cooling effect, the air handling unit and the ducts that pass through it are insulated.

Air-Conditioned Rooms: These are the air-conditioned rooms or spaces to be provided.

These may be rooms, corridors, restaurants, offices, full theatre, various parts of the airport,
etc. The delivery and the return air ducts are installed at the top of these spaces. The supply air
ducts provide the room with cool air through one set of diffusers, while the return air ducts
collect hot air from the room through another set of diffusers. The hot return air enters the air
handling system, is cooled and re-enters the space via supply duct to create the effect of air
conditioning.

Cooling Tower: The cooling tower is used to cool water from the compressor and the
condenser that absorbs heat. When water flows through these elements some water will
evaporate, some water will also be added in the cooling tower to make up the deficit.
Evaporative type of cooling tower is used. Here the atmospheric air cools down the water and
recirculates through the compressor and condenser.

There are two types of central air conditioning systems: central air conditioning plant type
Direct Expansion (DX) and central air conditioning plant type Chilled water type (Khemani, n.d.).

Central Air-Conditioning Plants: Direct Expansion and Chilled Water

If large buildings, restaurants, stadiums, airports, shopping malls etc. are to be

completely air conditioned, the central air conditioning plants or the facilities are used. Single
rooms or small office spaces use the ventilation to break air conditioners. It is not economically
viable to put a window or break air conditioner in each and every room if the whole building is
to be cooled. In contrast, the large rooms, auditoriums, reception areas etc. cannot be
satisfactorily cooled by these small units. There is a plant space in the central air conditioning
systems where big compressor, condenser, thermostatic expansion valve and evaporator are
located in the large plant room. As usual, they perform all the functions similar to a typical
cooling system. There is a plant space in the central air conditioning systems where big
compressor, condenser, thermostatic expansion valve and evaporator are located in the large
plant room. As usual, they perform all the functions similar to a typical cooling system. All of
these parts, however, are larger in size and have higher capacity. The compressor has an open
reciprocating form with several cylinders and is cooled by the water just like the pump. The
shell and tube type are the compressor and the condenser. While capillary is used as an
expansion valve in the small air conditioning system, thermostatic expansion valve is used in
the central air conditioning systems. The chilled is passed through the ducts to all the air-
conditioned rooms, halls and other spaces. Therefore, only the duct moves the cold air in all the
rooms and there are no actual cooling coils in the rooms and other areas of the cooling system.
What we get in each room is the air condition system in the room that is completely silent and
highly effective. In fact, based on the total heat load inside the room, the amount of cold air
required in the room can be controlled by the openings. Central air conditioning devices are
highly sophisticated and often difficult types of air conditioning systems. Because of this, there
are very few organizations working in these systems in the world. A number of additional
electronic utilities were added to the central conditioning systems in the modern era of
computerization.

There are two types of central air conditioning plants or systems:

1) Direct expansion or DX central air conditioning plant: The huge compressor and condenser
are housed in the plant room in this system, whereas the expansion valve and the evaporator
or cooling coil and air handling unit are housed in separate rooms. In the air handling unit,
which also has a large blower in it, the cooling coil is fixed. The blower sucks through ducts and
blows the hot return air from the room over the cooling coil. The cooled air is then delivered to
the spaces to be cooled through various ducts. For small buildings, this type of system is useful.

2) Chilled water central air conditioning plant: In large buildings with a number of floors, this
type of system is more efficient. It has the plant room where it holds all the critical equipment
such as the compressor, condenser, throttling valve and evaporator. The evaporator is a tube
and a shell. The Freon water travels on the side of the tube at extremely low pressure, while
the brine solution is passed on the side of the container. The brine solution is chilled after
passing through the evaporator and is pumped to the various air handling units installed on
different building floors. The air processing units are the cooling coil and the blower, through
which the chilled brine runs. The blower pulls into ducts warm return air from the room and
blasts it over the cooling wire. The cool air is then pumped through the ducts to the room to be
cooled. The brine solution that absorbed the room heat returns to the evaporator, becomes
chilled and is pumped back to the air handling unit again.

You need good operators, technicians and engineers to operate and maintain central air
conditioning systems. Proper maintenance of these plants is vital for prevention and
breakdown (Khemani, n.d.).

Direct Expansion (DX) Type of Central Air Conditioning Plant or System

The air used for cooling storage is immediately cooled by the refrigerant in the air
handling unit's cooling coil in the direct expansion or DX forms of air central conditioning plants.
As the air is directly cooled by the refrigerant, the DX plants ' cooling efficiency is higher.
However, carrying the coolant piping to large distances is not always feasible, so direct
expansion or the central air conditioning system type DX is usually used to cool the small
buildings or the single floor rooms.

The plant room includes important parts of the cooling system, the compressor and the
condenser. The type of compressor can be semi-hermetically sealed or opened. The semi-
hermetically sealed compressors are cooled by the air expelled by the ventilator, while the
liquid is cooled by the open form compressor. The open compressor can be operated by
coupling or by the belt via pulley arrangement directly by the motor shaft. The condenser is of
the form of shell and tube and the liquid cools down. The refrigerant runs along the
condenser's pipe side and liquid along the shell side, allowing the refrigerant to cool faster. The
water used to cool the compressor and condenser is cooled in the cooling tower at the top of
the plant building, but it can also be kept in other convenient location.

In the plant room, the refrigerant that leaves the condenser enters the thermostatic
expansion valve and then the air handling unit that is kept in the separate room. The air
handling unit is a large unit type box consisting of the evaporator or coil, air filter, and large
blower. The refrigerant enters the cooling coil after leaving the thermostatic expansion
valve where it cools the air entering the room to be air-conditioned. The evaporator in the DX
central air conditioning system air handling unit is a coil type covered with the fins to increase
the efficiency of heat transfer from the refrigerant to the air. The air handling unit has two
types of ducts: to absorb the hot return air from the rooms and to send the chilled air to the air-
conditioned rooms. The air handling unit blower allows the hot return air to be absorbed
through the ducts that has absorbed the heat from the room. Then this air passes through the
pipes and then through the cooling coil. The blower then passes through ducts to the air-
conditioned rooms through the chilled air.

Air-Conditioned Room is the real space to be cooled. It may be a residential room, hotel
room, office part, or any other appropriate application. The air handling space ducts were
transferred to all the cooling rooms. The ducts are attached to the grills or diffusers that
provide the room with the chilled air. The air absorbs the heat and goes through another set of
grills and into the return air duct ending up in the air handling system space. Then the air
handling system recirculates this air.

Although the performance of the DX plants is better, it is not possible to keep the air
handling equipment and the refrigerant piping at very long distances as there will be a lot of fall
in the refrigerant temperature along the way and cooling losses will also occur. In fact, large
quantities of refrigerant will be required for the lengthy tubing, which makes the system very
costly and also vulnerable to problems such as the refrigerant leakage. Because of this, the
central air conditioning systems of the DX type are used in small buildings with small air
conditioning systems of about 5 to 15 tons or the number of rooms on a single floor. Several
direct expansion systems can be mounted if there are large air conditioning loads. In such
cases, one of the plants may be shut down when there is less heat load and the other may run
at full load. At higher loads, the DX expansion system operates more efficiently. Even if the
plants are broken down, the other plants can be used for the purpose of cooling.

Central air conditioning plants ' DX types are less popular than central conditioning
plants ' chilled water type (Khemani, n.d.).

How Air Conditioners Work

Chilled water systems-The whole air conditioner is installed on the roof or behind the
building in a chilled water system. Between 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 to 7.2 degrees
Celsius) it cools water. Instead, throughout the house, the chilled water is piped and attached
to air handlers. This can be a flexible device because, in a standard air conditioner, the water
pipes operate like the evaporator coils. If it is well-insulated, the size of a chilled-water pipe
does not have a reasonable range limit.

Cooling tower technology-Air is used to dissipate heat from the compressor coils in all of
the air conditioning systems we have described so far. Alternatively, a cooling tower is used in
some large systems. The tower creates a flow of cold water running through a heat exchanger,
cooling the coils of the hot condenser. The tower blows air through a stream of water causing
some of it to evaporate, and the water stream is cooled by evaporation. One of the drawbacks
of this type of system is that it is necessary to add water regularly to compensate for the
moisture loss by evaporation. The actual amount of ventilation obtained from a cooling tower
by an air conditioning system depends on the relative temperature of the atmosphere and the
barometric pressure (MARSHALL BRAIN, How Air Conditioners Work, 2011).
Air cooled and water-cooled condenser

Condensers are present in almost all HVAC systems and are designed to cool the coolant
as it moves through the cooling cycle. This is done by taking warm, high-pressure vapor and
converting it into high-pressure liquid that is slightly cooler. Although condensers may have a
variety of designs, let's take an example of an air-cooled condenser. The bread and butter of
the bulk of HVAC applications are air-cooled condensers. These are used in many forms of
HVAC products, including split systems, sealed rooftop units, and even air-cooled chillers.

How they work;

It is 95 degrees outside, and the hot, high-pressure refrigerant vapor at 140 degrees
comes from the compressor. The refrigerant streams through the condenser coil while a fan
filters out the 95-degree ambient breeze, cooling and condensing the 140-degree hot
refrigerant over the coil's face. At the same time, the warm refrigerant heats up the 95-degree
temperature. The refrigerant leaves the condenser at 120 degrees and the air is about 115
degrees from the coil. The heat absorbed in the building by the refrigerant is discharged to the
outside air. As a dry, high-pressure gas, the refrigerant came to the condenser and left as a
colder high-pressure fluid. The outdoor air temperature was therefore heated as it was blown
through the coil of the condenser.

There are also water-to-refrigerant condensers— in which the effect is very identical—
except liquid is the substance that cools the refrigerant. Water-cooled condensers are most
commonly used in cooling tower applications (Ravti, Components — Condensers, 2016).

Air delivery system — Duct System

You have an air handler with supply ducts coming from one side and return ducts
coming from the other side in this forced air delivery system. Using ACCA Manual D, the ducts
are designed to ensure proper airflow and static pressure. The supply ducts connect to the
rooms in your home and end at the supply records. The registers, which we design to deliver
the correct airflow based on the needs of the specific room, provide the air so that proper
mixing takes place without contacting occupants directly. Forced air systems can provide some
of the best comfort with great efficiency if done properly and remain almost silent when
running. You should feel the same air temperature throughout the home without hearing or
feeling it with a properly designed system. A forced air heating system, for example, will be as
convenient as a decent radiant floor system if done properly. One reason most forced air
system are not silent, convenient or effective is that they are not properly designed or
mounted. We are specialized in duct installations and are proud to supply silent, comfortable
and efficient duct systems (Eco Performance Builders, n.d.).

Central system with CAV air handling unit

The fan and compressor are worked at full capacity by a CAV system until the
temperature drops to a specified level and the compressor shuts off. The cycling on / off is not
effective in keeping the room at a constant temperature. There are small CAV systems that
cover a single thermal zone. Variations like CAV with reheat, CAV multizone, and CAV primary-
secondary schemes, though, are capable of serving several zones and larger houses.

Commonly used were two types of CAV systems: the terminal heating system and the
mixed air system. The terminal heating system cools the air within its space area in the air
handling module. It cools the air, but it's inefficient and expensive. There are two air streams in
the mixed air system. One for the coldest and one for the zone's hottest air temperature. The
two air streams were mixed dynamically to balance the load of the vacuum. Cooling the air
works fine. It does not, however, control humidity.

Central system with VAV air handling unit

VAV Systems have been developed to meet the different heating and cooling needs of
various construction areas. For example, a zone can be either a single room or a cluster of
rooms that share the same heat gain and the characteristics of heat loss. The unit dehumidifies
the space effectively. It is often available in a network of multiple zones. The VAV system
(variable air volume) is one of the most energy-efficient ways to build an air handling system.
Offers more reliable regulation of the temperature as the frequency of the fan varies depending
on the room temperature. To maintain a constant air temperature, the compressor controls the
refrigerant supply. The HVAC industry finds pressure-independent VAV systems to be the best
available HVAC system model. This is the result of terminal unit improvements (CAV vs VAV
HVAC Systems, 2016).

Central system with fan-coil units (All water systems)

All-water systems

Either heated or cooled water is distributed to the conditioned space from the central
system in all-water central system. It relatively small compared to other types because

Air-water systems

As a hybrid system, air-water systems are introduced to combine the benefits of both
all-air and all-water systems. The combined volume is reduced and the outdoor ventilation is
produced to condition the desired zone properly. The water medium is responsible for carrying
the thermal load through heating and cooling water in a building by 80–90 percent, while the
remaining air medium conditions.

Fan-coil units

Fan coil units for hot-water systems are identical to all-water systems except that a
central air handling unit and central water systems (e.g. boilers or chillers) provide the delivery
air and the cooled water to the desired area. The airflow air can be supplied separately or
attached to the fan coil devices (Seyam, Types of HVAC Systems, 2018).
Air handling unit

Air handling units are found in medium to large commercial and industrial buildings,
which usually have the acronym of A.H.U. They are usually located in a building's basement,
roof or floors. AHU's may represent a specific area or region within a building such as the east
side, or floors 1 – 10, or maybe a general function such as toilets for schools. Hence, having
several AHU's around a building is very popular. Certain buildings will have only one wide AHU,
usually located on the roof, especially old high-rise buildings. These are going to supply the
whole house. We may not have a return pipe; certain older models depend on the building's
leaked air. This design is no longer so prevalent in new buildings because it is very costly, having
multiple smaller AHU supporting different zones is now its most common. The structures are
also more airtight, so to manage the tension inside the tower we need to have a return tube.

Air handling units ' condition and circulates air within the building They take fresh
ambient air from outside, wash it, heat it or cool it, probably moisturize it and then push it
through some ductwork around to the engineered areas within the house. Alternatively, if this
is not feasible, thermal energy can be collected and fed into fresh air intake.

We have some dampers at the inlet of the fresh air housing and the discharge of the
return air housing. Dampers are multiple sheets of metal that can rotate. They may be close to
stopping air from entering or leaving, they may be open to completely allow air in or out, and
they may also change their location somewhere in between to restrict the amount of air that
can enter or leave.

The next thing we're going to find are the cooling and heating coils. They're there to
warm or cool the room. The air temperature of the supply air shall be determined as it exits the
AHU and reaches the ductwork. This has to be at a specified temperature to keep people inside
the building happy, it designed temperature is called the set point temperature. If the
temperature of the air is below this value, the heat coil will add heat to raise the temperature
of the air and carry it to the set point. If the air is too hot, the cooling coil removes heat to
lower the temperature of the air and reaches the set point. Coils are heat exchangers, hot or
cold liquid inside the coil, usually like hot or chilled water, refrigerant or steam.

Next we're going to have a fan. This will suck the air out of the outside, and then
through the dampers, filters, and coils, and then force it out into the ductwork around the
house. Centrifugal fans are very common in old and new AHUs, but EC fans are now being
mounted and retro-fitted for increased energy output. We're also going to have a pressure
sensor across the window, which will sound if the fan is working. If it works, there will be a
pressure difference, we can use it to detect the failure of the equipment and alert the engineers
to the problem. We're also likely to have a duct pressure sensor shortly after the fan, which will
read the static pressure, and in some AHU's the speed of the fan is adjusted as a result of the
pressure in the duct, so we're also very frequently going to find a variable speed drive
connected to the fan for variable volume systems.

Then we have the ductwork which will send the air around the building to the designed
areas. We’ll also have some ductwork coming back which is brining all the used air from the
building back to a separate part of the AHU. This return AHU is usually located near the supply,
but it doesn’t have to be, it can be located elsewhere.

Return AHU

The return AHU, in its simplest form, has only a fan and a damper inside. The fan draws
the air out of the building and then drives it out of the room. The damper is located at the exit
of the AHU housing and closes when the AHU is switched off (Evans, Air Handling Units
Explained, 2018).
Filters

We'll have some filters after the dampers. They're there to try and catch all the dirt and
dust from entering the AHU and the house. If we don't have such filters, the dust will build up
inside the ductwork and inside the mechanical equipment, it will also enter the building and be
breathed in by the inhabitants as well as make the air filthy. So, we're trying to remove as much
of this as possible. We're going to have a pressure sensor across every bank of filters. This will
measure how dirty the filters are and alert the engineers when it's time to replace the filters. As
the filters pick up dust, the amount of air that can flow through the filters is reduced and this
creates a fall in the pressure of the filters. Usually, we've got some panel filters or pre-filters to
trap the largest dust particles. Then we've got some bag filters to capture tiny dust particles
(Evans, Air Handling Units Explained, 2018).

Humidifier

The humidifier is an appliance that increases the amount of humidity in the atmosphere.
This system ensures that the air around you is not completely dry, which can cause various
body irritations. There are numerous indications that you may need a moisturizer in your home,
particularly if you have various symptoms such as dry skin, strained vocal chords, cracked lips,
nose irritation, and headache. Humidifiers may help to alleviate these symptoms; however,
overuse of a humidifier can exacerbate any existing respiratory problems you may have. The
benefits of adding more moisture to the air are many, but there are a few disadvantages to the
process if you overuse your humidifier. As with everything in life, balance is required–too little
is not enough, but too much can make your home damp. Humidity will breed in your home
bacteria, mold, mildew, and even dust mites. Research shows that by maintaining the humidity
levels in your home between about 30% and 50%, you can avoid excessive humidity and keep
your home free of mold and mildew.

There are different types of humidifiers on the market, but both your specific needs and
your budget depend on the humidifier you choose. You can add a humidifier to a single room or
use a device that provides your entire home with moisture. You can install central humidifiers
directly in your HVAC system. It means that your entire house profits from extra air humidity,
without having to lug around a bulky humidifier, from room to room, and avoids knocking it
over in the process (Electric A. P., Do You Need an Air Conditioner Humidifier?, 2017).

Mixing Chamber

A mixing chamber has a first inlet, a second inlet and an outlet for an air handling
system. A first air stream is received at the first inlet. The second inlet receives a second flow of
moisture. A mixed airflow is produced by the outlet. The first inlet contains a first damper with
an opposite blade configuration to control the flow of the first stream of air, and the second
inlet includes a second damper with an opposite blade configuration to control the flow of the
second stream of air. The mixing chamber also provides a control system for first and second
damper activity control. The control system is designed to open and close each of the first and
second dampers independently to regulate air flow into the mixing chamber (Kettler, Air
Handling Unit Mixing and System, 2006).
Blower/Fan

One of the key components needed as part of the air conditioning system is the air
conditioner blower or fan. The blower's purpose is to generate air movement to the
conditioned space. In the HVAC equipment, there are essentially four types of fans widely used.
These are the fan of the propeller, the centrifugal fan, the axial vane fan and the axial fan of the
duct.

Propeller Fan

This type of fan will probably be found in your daily life. It has a disk style wheel
attached to a plate connected to it by a direct drive or belt driven motor. It is noisy when it runs
and is used only in applications where noise is not a variable. Look out for use as a condenser
and exhaust fan. It is used in applications where differentials of low pressure but large volumes
of air movement are required. The air flowing parallel to the fan's rotation axis are also known
as the axial fan.

Centrifugal fan

This type of fan is also referred to as a radial fan as the air flows perpendicular to the
fan's rotation axis.

Forward Curved
 One-wheel model class is the forward curved centrifugal fan, also known as the squirrel
cage blower. It has curved blade forward with a cut-off model that stops the fan housing from
running around the air. It is quieter than the form of propeller and provides high inlet and
outlet differential pressure. A form of fan can be used to transfer air around the building in the
ducts.

Backward Inclined with a flat and single thickness metal blade is another model used for
applications of smaller units.

In medium and high static pressure applications, Backward Curved with curve and single
thickness metal blade is used.

Airfoil with metal blade design of curve and double thickness is sometimes used. For
applications where efficiency and quietness are needed, its aerodynamic design makes it a
common product.

Vane-axial fan

This design is fitted with a disk wheel that is housed in a cylinder duct. Air guidance
vanes are mounted in the tube to help direct the air flow.

Tube-axial fan

This design has a belt-driven or direct drive motor connected to a propeller inside the
tube (Air Conditioner Blower,n.d.).
TYPES OF AHU

Single zone

A single zone system consists of an air handling unit, a source of heat and cooling, a vent
supply, and appropriate equipment for delivery. Where heat and cooling sources are available
or separate where heat and cooling sources are separated, the air handling systems can be fully
integrated. Most generally, the integrated kit is a rooftop unit and connected to ductwork to
provide air conditioning to several spaces with the same thermal area. Simplicity in design and
maintenance and low first cost compared to other systems are the main advantage of single
zone systems. However, if incorrectly applied, its main disadvantage is to serve a single thermal
zone. One control device such as thermostat located in the zone controls the system activity in
a single zone all-air HVAC system. Control can be either modulated or on-off to meet the single
zone's necessary thermal load. This can be accomplished by changing the heating and
refrigeration source efficiency within the packaged device.

While few buildings can be a single thermal zone, in several applications, a single zone
can be found. One family residential building can be treated as a single zone system, while
other residential building types can include different thermal energy based on occupancy and
building structure. Occupant movements impact the building's thermal load, resulting in the
building being separated into several different zones to provide the necessary environmental
condition. This can be seen in larger homes where it is possible to use two (or more) single-zone
systems to provide thermal zoning. Each apartment unit can be conditioned by a separate
single zone system in low-rise apartments. Most large single-story buildings can be efficiently
controlled by a set of single-zone structures, such as supermarkets, discount stores. A variety of
different single-zone structures often maintain large office buildings.
Multi zone

Individual supply air ducts are provided for each area in a building in a multi-zone all-air
system. The air handling system combines cold air and warm (or return) air to meet the thermal
requirements of each area. A particular zone has its air conditioning which cannot be combined
with that of other zones, and all multiple zones with different thermal specifications require
separate supply ducts. Multi-zone all-air system consists of an air handling unit by cooling coils
and heating coils and internal mixing dampers with parallel flow paths. Due to physical
constraints on duct connections and damper volume, it is recommended that one multi-zone
cover up to 12 zones. If more zones are needed, it is possible to use additional air handlers.

The advantage of the multi-zone system is that several zones are adequately
conditioned without a terminal reheat system associated with energy waste. Leakage between
air handler decks, however, can decrease energy efficiency. The main disadvantage of supplying
multiple areas is the need for multiple supply air ducts.

Dual duct

A terminal-controlled variation of the multi-zone principle is the dual duct all-air system.
Two conditioned air streams such as a cold deck and a hot deck are supported by a central air
handling system. Both air streams are distributed in separate and parallel ducts across the area
covered by the air handling system. Each zone has a zone-controlled terminal mixing box to
adjust the temperature of the supply air by mixing cold and hot air supply. This type of system
should mitigate the drawbacks of past systems and make terminal control more versatile.
Terminal Reheat

An all-air terminal heating system is a multiple zone that takes into account a single
zone system adaptation. This can be achieved by adding heating devices such as hot water coil
or electrical coil to the downstream supply air from air handling units near each field. A
thermostat is used to monitor each zone to adjust the heat output of the heating equipment to
match the thermal condition. The supply air from air handling units is cooled to the lowest
cooling level, and the terminal heat is applied to the heating load provided. The strength of
terminal heat is flexible and can be added or removed to accommodate changes in zones,
providing better control of thermal conditions in multiple zones. Nevertheless, terminal heat
design is not an energy-efficient system because there is no daily need for a significant amount
of extremely cooling air in areas that can be viewed as waste energy. Therefore, the use of heat
systems is governed by energy codes and standards (Seyam, Types of HVAC Systems, 2018).

Classification of duct systems

Ducts are graded by air pressure and turbulence on the basis of the load on the conduit.
Category varies from application to application, such as residential, retail, manufacturing, etc.
One such category, for example, is given below:

Low pressure systems: Velocity ≤ 10 m/s, static pressure ≤ 5 cm H2O (g)

Medium pressure systems: Velocity ≤ 10 m/s, static pressure ≤ 15 cm H2O (g)

High pressure systems: Velocity > 10 m/s, static pressure 15<ps ≤ 25 cm H2O (g)
The effect of high velocity in the ducts:

1. Smaller ducts, lower initial cost and lower volume of room

2. Higher pressure drop and thus low fan power consumption

3. Increased noise and therefore a need to minimize noise

Required air speeds are primarily dependent on system and noise parameters. Typical
speeds required are:

Residences: 3 m/s to 5 m/s

Theatres: 4 to 6.5 m/s

Restaurants: 7.5 m/s to 10 m/s

If nothing is specified, the main ducts will use a velocity of 5 to 8 m / s and the branches
will use a velocity of 4 to 6 m / s. The allowed air speeds in ships and aircraft can be as high as
30 m / s to reduce the space requirement.

Commonly used duct design methods:

1. Velocity method

2. Equal Friction Method

3. Static Regain method

Velocity method

The various steps involved in this method are:

I. Choose the correct speeds in the Primary and branch ducts.

 II. Find the main and branch duct diameters from airflow levels and radial duct
speeds. Find the cross-sectional area of the flow rate and velocity for rectangular ducts and
then find the two sides of the rectangular duct by setting the aspect ratio.

III. Using the friction chart or equation, find the frictional pressure drop for main and
branch ducts from the velocities and duct dimensions obtained in the previous step.

IV. The dynamic pressure losses for all bends and fittings can be found from the duct
layout, dimensions and airflow rates.

V. Choose a fan that can provide enough FTP for the index run.

VI. Dampers for balancing must be mounted in each ride. The damper remains
completely open in the index phase, while the other dampers are throttled to the flow rate to
the model values necessary.

The velocity method is one of the simplest ways of designing the duct system for both
supply and return air. However, the application of this method requires selection of suitable
velocities in different duct runs, which requires experience. Wrong selection of velocities can
lead to very large ducts, which, occupy large building space and increases the cost, or very small
ducts which lead to large pressure drop and hence necessitates the selection of a large fan
leading to higher fan cost and running cost. In addition, the method is not very efficient as it
requires partial closing of all the dampers except the one in the index run, so that the total
pressure drop in each run will be same (Kharagpur, Lesson 38 - Design of Air Conditioning
Ducts, n.d.).

Related Studies

Thermal and performance studies on A/C-R systems

The majority of the studies in the field of VACR systems are related to the assessment of the
effects of refrigerant type on the characteristics and the performance studied the performance
of an automotive air conditioning system charged with R152a, and compared it to R134a. The
results of this study showed that the R152a system was slightly better than R134a not only
under driving conditions, but also under idling conditions. Brown et al. [34] compared a VACR
system charged with CO2 and R134a, and showed that the R134a refrigerant led to a 21-34%
higher coefficient of performance (COP). Experimentally compared the characteristics of a VACR
system charged alternatively with R134a and R1234yf, and showed that using R1234yf resulted
in a relatively lower compressor power consumption and cooling capacity by 4% and 7%. They
also investigated the effectiveness of installing an internal heat exchanger for heat transfer
between cold refrigerant leaving the evaporator and warm refrigerant leaving the condenser to
increase the amount of sub-cooling and found a 4.6% improvement in COP.

Advances in Air-condition System Efficiency

Government and industry programs have significantly increased adoption of high efficiency Air-
condition systems through minimum efficiency standards, comparative and endorsement labels
public challenges and awards, and incentive programs. These programs result in significant
emissions reductions and cost savings for consumers.14 In the U.S., updated efficiency
standards published by DOE at the end of 2015 for commercial HVAC systems are expected to
save more energy than any other standard issued by DOE to date.15 In June of 2016, the Clean
Energy Ministerial (CEM) launched an Advanced Cooling Challenge with the support of
numerous governments, manufacturers, and non-profit groups, which aims to improve average
A/C system efficiency by 30% by 2030. Comprehensive approaches that combine efficiency with
effective refrigerant management practices, high-performance building design, and renewable
energy integration will be the most effective means of reducing both direct and indirect air-
condition emissions going forward.

Central Air Conditioning System for An Office Building

The heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system is arguably the most complex
system installed in a building and is responsible for a substantial component of the total
building energy use. A right-sized HVAC system will provide the desired comfort and will run
efficiently. Right-sizing of an HVAC system is the selection of equipment and the design of the
air distribution system to meet the accurate predicted heating and cooling loads of the house.
Right-sizing the HVAC system begins with an accurate understanding of the heating and cooling
loads on a space; however, a full HVAC design involves more than just the load estimate
calculation; the load calculation is the first step of the iterative HVAC design procedure. This
strategy guideline discusses the information needed to design the air distribution system to
deliver the proper amount of conditioned air to a space. Heating and cooling loads are
dependent upon the building location, sighting, and the construction of the house, whereas the
equipment selection and the air distribution design are dependent upon the loads and each
other. This specific building that has been studied to install a Central Airconditioning system
used all the needed data. From Solar Heat Gain Through Glass, Solar Heat Gain Through Wall,
Transmission Heat Gain Through Glass, Transmission Through Partitions and Walls, and Loads of
occupancy. The researchers came up with the Heat capacity of the room which is 17.86 TR.
They came up to the design of 25.6 maintaining temperature during summer and 8.6 during
winter (K. Ratna Kumari , A. Raji Reddy, M. Vidya Sagar,Design And Drafting of HVAC, Central Air
Conditioning System For An Office Building, 2016).

Air-conditioning system in classroom building

The classroom building is four floors. There are 44 classrooms and 3972m2 areas in building.
The ratio of the window to wall is 0.4. The high of first floor is 6m and the second, third, fourth
floor is 4m high. Air-conditioning equipment, lighting, personnel load and the structure
parameters reference to the "public building energy efficiency design standards. VAV system is
employed in building. One AHU is used every floor to supply the air for classrooms. The fixed
fresh air ratio is 0.3. Fresh air mixed return air into the AHU. AHU cool (summer) or heat
(winter) air to supply into the classroom.

In winter, the water is heated by the boiler and the in/out water is 55/60 degree Celsius. In
summer, the cooling water is cooled by the air-cooling type water chiller and the in/out water is
12/7degree Celsius. The classroom building is for teaching services. Therefore, its operation has
a strong regularity. In accordance with the arrangements of the university, in winter vacation
(13th Jan. - 21st Feb.) and summer vacation (10th Jul. -14th Sep.), the classroom building is
closed. Therefore, the air-conditioning system is also stopped. In addition, from 1st Mar. to
30th Apr. and 1st Oct. to 30th Nov. the air-conditioning is also disabled in order to save energy
(Kezhi Yu, Zhaoyang Cao, and Yanling Liu, Research on the optimization control of the central
air-conditioning system in university classroom buildings,2017).
 Chapter 3

Present Setup
 Sto. Thomas De Aquino building is a basic rectangular building, located near at the
proper entrance of the school with an approximate area of 612 m2. The front of the building is
facing on the cardinal direction of Southwest which is more expose to the sun radiation that
consists of many tinted blue windows. The building has three floors, In the ground floor there
are eight rooms, same as in the second floor and nine on the third floor including the comfort
rooms per floor. The rooms consist of window type and split type inverter air-conditioning
units. On the average class rooms there are two air-conditioning units. Some rooms have
curtain to block the light radiation. Overall the air-conditioning units of the building is properly
working but quite an old model.

Technical Study

In this chapter, the floor plan, cooling load required, current system of cooling the
individual room are tackled. The ducting and design of the three alternatives will be discussed
followed by the advantages and disadvantages for each.

Floor
Plan
Central System with VAV air handling units
 For this design, the researchers will use of variable air volume (VAV) system, a type of
central air-conditioning system that supplies air with a constant temperature from a central
plant or multiple VAV terminal units in each zone and adjusting the amount of supply air to
meet required cooling loads.

Those terminal units draw fresh air and return air from St. Thomas Aquinas Building (IT
building) and either heats or cools it before it reaches various spaces in the building. Within
those spaces, the amount of air is adjusted to control the space temperature using VAV
terminals, which may also have some local heating capacity.

This kind of system is suitable for the building because it is composed of multiple zones
which is match for particular cooling and heating demands of every zone of the building. The
proposed design has an ability to simultaneously provide the required level of cooling to any
number of zones within a building.

While a VAV system can be exceptionally energy efficient, it may also present serious
indoor air quality concerns. As airflow is reduced from design quantities under partial load
conditions, it results in reduced ventilation airflow as well. It is a potential indoor air quality
problem.

Controls can be pneumatic, electric, analog electronic, or direct digital electronic.

Accessories such as round outlets, multiple outlets, and sound attenuators can be included
depending on the desired design.

Advantages of VAV central system

· One of the major advantages of VAV systems is the flexibility afforded the designer when
air conditioning large commercial spaces with diversified load profiles.

· It provides energy efficiency and reliable control.

· In the VAV system, one air-handling unit can serve multiple zones of the building.

· When combined with a perimeter heating system VAV offers inexpensive temperature
control for multiple zoning and a high degree of simultaneous heating-cooling flexibility.

· Depending upon building load patterns, it is often possible to shift airflow from one zone
to another throughout the day, thus reducing the design capacity of air circulation equipment
and main ducts.

· VAV is virtually self-balancing.

· Allows simultaneous heating and cooling without seasonal changeover.

· It is readily adaptable to night set-back and compatible with energy management

systems.

Disadvantages of VAV central system

· High initial cost

· Supply air distribution throw through diffusers and coverage to the whole room area may
be affected at low loads.

· Balancing of dampers could be difficult if the airflow rate varies widely.

· Humidity control is difficult under widely varying latent loads.

· Each terminal unit has an air valve which requires electrical and/or pneumatic service.
· Maintenance is increased due to multiple boxes within the conditioned space.

· Suitable false ceiling access is required.

CONSTANT AIR VOLUME (CAV) SYSTEM

 the constant air volume system supplies constant airflow in each zone while heating and
cooling the air. The temperature is change to meet the thermal load of space and serve a single
thermal zone. Most CAV systems are small, and serve a single thermal zone. However,
variations such as CAV with reheat, CAV multizone, and CAV primary-secondary systems can
serve multiple zones and larger buildings.

There are typically 3 different types of CAV systems; single duct, reheat, and mixed air.
the single duct have one distribution system that comes from the source wherein the air is
either heated or cooled, the second type is reheat it is just like the single duct but it added a
reheat coil in the ductwork to control the temperature at each zone and last the mixed air, it
has two distribution system one for cooling and the other one is for heating these two meets at
the space and will be controlled by a mixing box.

The main system components of constant air volume systems are the air handling units,
boiler, chiller, terminal boxes, and the supply fan. In order to vary space temperature, the
airflow is routed through heating and cooling coils served by the boiler and chiller to condition
the air before being distributed to various zones. Secondary components of a CAV system
include the filters, diffusers, and thermostats. A thermostat is located in each room for the user
to control the space temperature. Also, the secondary component or subsystem is the
distribution system, as the duct sizes and plenums vary based on zoning.

Advantages

· Can Be Purchased in Multi-Zone Variations

· Great for Single-Zone Buildings

· Less Expensive to Install

· Offer Great Reliability and Durability

Disadvantages

· Less Energy Efficient

· No Specific Supply Air Modulation

· Only Two Settings

ALL WATER SYSTEM

 The space cooling function is performed by chilled water circulated from a central plant
to air handling or terminal units in or adjacent to the conditioned spaces. Heating water is
supplied through the same or a separate piping system.

All water systems have been widely applied to office buildings, multifamily residences,
better hotels and motels, and schools to handle the perimeter spaces. They are not well suited
to interior spaces.

Terminal equipment is typically fan-coil units, room fan-coil units, and (for schools and meeting
rooms) unit ventilators. Unit ventilators are similar to room fan coil units but have a more
elaborate system for introducing fresh air from a wall penetration, and an option for free
cooling by outdoor air with an economizer cycle control. In some cases, valence terminals are
used. Valence terminals depend on natural convection from a water coil in a valence enclosure
near the ceiling line, usually along the perimeter wall; filters are not employed and there is no
ventilation with this terminal.

The water systems serving the zone coils may be two pipes, with or without seasonal
changeover, three pipe or four pipes.

A typical hydronic all water heating system is shown in figure below. Water is heated at the
heat source (1) usually a hot water boiler. The heated water is circulated by a pump (2) and
travels to each room through piping (3) and enters a terminal unit (4). The room air is heated by
bringing it into contact with the terminal unit. Since the water loses some of its heat to the
rooms, it must return to the heat source to be reheated.
Advantages of All water system

● Occupies considerably less space, hence can be easily retrofitting

● Through central system, individual room control is possible easily
● Since the temperature of hot water required for space heating is small, it is possible to
use solar or waste heat for winter heating
● Simultaneous cooling and heating are possible with 4 piping systems
● Water is a more energy and space efficient method of cooling and heating energy
distribution
 ● Recirculation of air is unnecessary so commingling of odors and contaminants, or
concerns over fire and smoke spreading from one zone to another, are minimized
● First cost is often less than for other central systems.
● Less building space is required
● More suitable for retrofit applications
● Off-hour conditioning does not require a central air system operation
● Cooling can be easily shut off in unoccupied areas
● Quieter than unitary systems
● Minimal space needed for air handling rooms and duct clearances
● Individual zone temperature control
● Variable speed secondary pumps can be used (to improve comfort control and reduce
operating costs)
● Can use heat recovery techniques.

Disadvantages of All water system

● Requires higher maintenance compared to all air system, particularly in the conditioned
space
● Draining of condensate water can be messy and may also create health problems if
water stagnates in the drain tray
● It is difficult to ensure required ventilation
● Control of humidity, particularly during summer is difficult using chilled water control
valves
● Unless dehumidification and latent load is handled with a separate ventilation system
(air-water system), a condensate drain pan system is required and terminal air filters
must be periodically cleaned
 ● Ventilation is usually from a wall aperture and is not easily controlled due to wind and
stack effect; otherwise it is often accomplished by opening windows. Factory-packaged
guaranteed performance units on the lee side of a building.
● Problems can occur with rain leakage with wall openings, cold drafts can occur on the
floor from excessive flow, and coils can freeze
● A separate ventilation system is required for quality installations
● Relative humidity may be high in summer, particularly if chilled water flow is modulated
for temperature control.

Applications

All water systems using fan coil units are most suitable in buildings requiring individual room
control, such as hotels, school, apartment and office building.