Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) OR Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV)

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF), also known as variable refrigerant volume (VRV), is an
HVAC technology invented by Daikin Industries, Ltd. in 1982 [1]. Like ductless minisplits,
VRFs use refrigerant as the cooling and heating medium. This refrigerant is conditioned by a
single outdoor condensing unit, with single or multiple inverter compressors or combination of
inverter and constant speed compressors and is circulated within the building to multiple indoor
units [2]. Most VRF systems use variable-speed scroll or rotary compressors. These
compressors are reliable, have very few moving parts, provide continuous compression with
little pulsation or vibration.
There are three basic types of VRF systems: cooling only, heat pump and heat recovery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bzDTD5HflE&t=

COOLING ONLY VRF:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNBsF5Knd3k&t=

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

HEAT PUMP VRF:

Cooling Mode only in Heat Pump VRF

Heating Mode only in Heat Pump VRF

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

4 way Reversing Valve

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

4 way reversing valve when solenoid is not actuated:

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

4 way reversing valve when solenoid is actuated:

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

HEAT RECOVERY VRF:

Cooling and heating mode simultaneously in Heat Recovery VRF

Cooling Mode only in Heat Recovery VRF

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

Heating Mode only in Heat Recovery VRF

Seperation tube Branch selector Box for Heat recovery VRF

Variable frequency drives (VFD) is used on equipment to improve system control and to
control energy to consume only the energy required to meet the design parameter.
VRF systems achieve temperature control on a zone-by-zone basis primarily by using
refrigerant-side control. Indoor units constantly react to changes in the zone’s heating/cooling

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

loads, and maintain conditions by controlling target superheat with an electronic expansion
valve (EEV) or a linear expansion valve (LEV).
Indoor units (also called fan-coil units, evaporator units, or air handling units) are available in
many different configurations, including
• Wall-mounted
• Recessed-ceiling cassette
• Ceiling-suspended
• Floor-standing
• Ducted
Multiple indoor unit types can be used within a single VRF system.

To allow heating to occur in one space while cooling occurs in an adjacent space, heat
pump/heat recovery condensing units must be used and a set of three refrigerant pipes (suction,
liquid, and hot gas) must be piped out into the building to the in-room terminal units. A

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

reversing valve must be provided for each of the in-room terminal units, to allow them to use
either liquid refrigerant to cool, or hot gas to heat [4].
VRF Applications:
VRF systems can be used in various applications, such as
• High- or low-rise offices
• Educational facilities (schools, universities)
• Health care facilities, including clinics and long-term-care nursing homes
• Multiple-tenant residential buildings
• Historical buildings
• Retail stores
• Hospitality centers, restaurants, banquet halls, hotels, and motels
• Data center cooling-only applications
• Cultural facilities, including religious centers

VRF system

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

ACREX 2019, BEC, Goregaon

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Prof. Rishabh Melwanki
Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

ACREX 2019, BEC, Goregaon

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Prof. Rishabh Melwanki
Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

ACREX 2019, BEC, Goregaon

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Prof. Rishabh Melwanki
Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

ACREX 2019, BEC, Goregaon

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

Variable Air Volume (VAV) System

VAV Box
This system controls the room conditions by controlling the air quantity to match or balance
the cooling load.
The supply air temperature is constant and the required comfort conditions as per load in the
room are achieved by varying the quantity of air supplied to the space.
The cooled and dehumidified air from AHU is supplied to the space via supply air terminal
called the VAV box.
The box has supply and by-pass dampers; these dampers operate as per a thermostat fitted in
the room and their position controls the quantity of air supplied [3].

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

VAV Box at ACREX 2019, BEC, Goregaon

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Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning VRF/VRV and VAV box

VAV Box principle of working video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUQwszi-lL4

References:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_refrigerant_flow
2. ASHRAE Handbook HVAC systems and equipment’s 2016, Pg. 18.1,18.4.
3. Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning by Dr. D S Kumar Pg. 486.
4. ASHRAE Handbook HVAC systems and equipment’s 2016, Pg. 5.8.

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