HVAC Systems Notes

1. Commercial Air Conditioning System

There are 3 main types of AC systems in commercial buildings, each system has its own
advantages and is suited for certain applications.
The 3 types are:

 Chilled water system

 VRF system
 Split system
The chilled water system is the most efficient out of the 3 and is used in most commercial
buildings. However, it cannot be used in every commercial building.

Chilled Water System

In terms of total cooling capacity, chilled water systems are the largest AC system and occupy
a lot of space compared to other AC systems. This system is preferred when cooling capacity
exceeds 600 RT (refrigeration ton).

How Chilled Water System Work

Ordinary water is used as the medium for heat transfer in chilled water systems. The water is
cooled down to 6.7C using a water-cooled chiller and then multiple chilled water pumps
circulate the water through many air handlers for the building. In each air handler, chilled
water flows through the coil and cools it. The air handler then flows air through the coil and
supplies the room with cold air.
The amount of chilled water allowed through the cooling coil is controlled by a valve, which
is controlled by a thermostat. When the room is at a satisfactory temperature, the
thermostat will trigger a signal for the valve to stop the flow of chilled water. The water then
absorbs the heat at the air handlers and the temperature rises to 12.2C and will return back
to the chillers.

Advantages of chilled water systems

 The main advantage of this system is the fact that it has high energy efficiency.
 The overall cost and maintenance cost is lower for the chilled water system.
However, the chilled water system cannot meet demand fluctuation very well. This is
because it is a centralized cooling system. It may not perform as well compared to a split-
system, for example, in hotels because they have guest coming in and out.
They perform poorly when the cooling demand is low. This is because the compressors used
to cool the water cannot run slowly, so they produce excessive chilled water that is wasted
energy, leading to high electricity bills.
Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF System)
VRF System is a fairly new AC system that uses one condensing unit and complicated
controls to distribute the right amount of refrigerant to each connected unit for cooling.

How VRF Systems Work

VRF systems work the same as the split system. It uses the refrigeration cycle which includes
the 4 major components:

 Compressor
 Condenser
 Evaporator
 Expansion valve