UNIT-I

HVAC (Part 1)
LECTURE-04
ARC 3107: Building Services – II (HVAC & Electrical Systems)

Prepared by
Dr Vipin Tandon
Assistant Professor
Classification of AC system
1. Based on major functions
2. Based on equipment arranged
3. Based on season of year
4. Based on installation process
Based On Installation Process
The central air conditioning systems are highly sophisticated applications of
the air conditioning systems and many a times they tend to be complicated.
Window Air Conditioning System:
• Window air conditioners are one of the most commonly used and
cheapest type of air conditioners.

• To install one of these units, you need the space to make a slot in
the wall, and there should also be some open space behind the
wall.

• These air conditioners come in cooling capacities from 0.5 to 2 tons,

adequate for a room between 5 to 20 SQM in size. Larger spaces
may be handled by using multiple units of this type.

• Window air-conditioner units are a reliable and simple-to-install

solution to keep a room cool while avoiding the costly construction
of a central air system.

• While window air conditioners are economical and most convenient

to install, they could be noisy for some applications.
 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES AREAS WINDOW REASONS WHY
A.C’S ARE USED THEY ARE USED

Inexpensive Tonnages are homes Homes and small

limited (1 to 2 TR offices generally
typically) use ACs as unitary
Easy to install Noisier than other Small office (independent)
types of AC’s. executive cabins products to cool
separate rooms.

Each room can A window is Small shops Tonnage

operate its AC required which is requirements per
independently blocked by the AC. room is limited
typically to 1-2 TR
Simple, low-cost, No constant fresh Budgets are
service and air circulation usually tight.
maintenance
Running costs are
low
SPLIT AIR CONDITIONER SYSTEM

• The split air conditioner comprises of two parts: the

outdoor unit and the indoor unit.
• The outdoor unit, fitted outside the room, houses
components like the compressor, condenser and
expansion valve.
• The indoor unit comprises the evaporator or cooling coil
and the cooling fan.
• These two units are connected by refrigeration tubing and
electrical wires that can pass through a hole in the wall
barely 10cms in diameter.
• Since the noisier components are outside the building , the
conditioned space is much quieter.
• Further, the present day split units have aesthetic looks and
add to the beauty of the room. The split air conditioner can
be used to cool one or two rooms.
Working principle
 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES AREAS SPLIT A.C’S REASONS WHY
ARE USED THEY ARE USED
Quieter than Costlier than Senior executive Such applications
window ACs window ACs cabins place a premium
on ‘quiet’ cooling.
Available in large Require space Professionally Budgets allow mini
tonnages(even up outside the room positioned small or split purchase.
to 5TR in turbo for the outdoor mid-sized
splits) unit showrooms
Do not require or Some piping and Up-market homes Windows unlikely
block a window cabling is required to be available for
window ACs

May be used as Do not provide Small clinics, ATMs Fresh air may not
‘multiple’ units to fresh air intake etc. be a problem due
cool 2 or 3 to constant
adjacent rooms. opening and
closing of doors.
Aesthetically suit May suit
the interiors better aesthetics/interiors
/status better than
window ACs.
https://www.airconco.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/School_twinsplit_Wall_heating.png
• There are a variety of indoor units available.
The choice of indoor unit (IDU)depends on the
application and available space

WALL MOUNTED SPLITS.

• Homes that use mini-splits to cool large living
rooms or bedrooms may prefer high wall units.
• Such units are fixed on the wall at a height of
about 2.5 meters from the floor.
• The controls are generally operated by a
corded or cordless remote control unit.
• Because it is mounted on the wall it is
preferred for rooms having less floor space.
• They are easy to install and maintain.
• Showrooms may prefer the semi concealed(cassette)
or concealed (hideaway) ceiling mounted IDU’s

ADVANTAGES OF CEILING MOUNTED SPLIT ACS

ARE:
• They are tucked away on the ceiling and not eat up
precious showroom wall space.
• Neither IDU demands too much by way of false
ceiling work, just the space around the unit really
needs aesthetic cover.
• Both the AC units are slim in height and require just a
little space between false and real ceiling.
Cassette Type AC Units
https://www.airconco.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Bedroom-Ducted-Single-Cooling.png
 In larger spaces where ceiling is crisscrossed by beams, and ducts are difficult to run,
wall mounted splits can be installed.
 Where the ceiling height is low, cassettes can be installed as they are slim in height, or
floor mounted ACs can be used.
 Cassette IDU can also be used when air throw must be directed over specific areas of
the room.
 Cassettes are also available in ‘multiple’ units , so larger areas may be cooled using
multi cassette system.
CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING

 The central air – conditioning system is suitable for a large building requires a very high air
cooling such as cinema, hotel, hospital, supermarket and etc.
 Central air conditioning, commonly referred to as central air (US) or air-con (UK), is an air
conditioning system which uses ducts to distribute cooled and/or dehumidified air to more
than one room, or uses pipes to distribute chilled water to heat exchangers in more than one
room, and which is not plugged into a standard electrical outlet.
 With a typical split system, the condenser and compressor are located in an outdoor unit; the
evaporator is mounted in the air handling unit (which is often a forced air furnace).
 With a package system, all components are located in a single outdoor unit that may be
located on the ground or roof.
Central air conditioning performs like a regular air conditioner but has several
added benefits:
 When the air handling unit turns on, room air is drawn in from various parts of the
house through return-air ducts.
 This air is pulled through a filter where airborne particles such as dust and lint are
removed. Sophisticated filters may remove microscopic pollutants as well. The filtered
air is routed to air supply ductwork that carries it back to rooms. Whenever the air
conditioner is running, this cycle repeats continually.
 Because the central air conditioning unit is located outside the home, it offers a lower
level of noise indoors than a free-standing air conditioning unit.
CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING PLANTS

• The central air conditioning plants are the systems used when large buildings, hotels, theaters, airports, shopping

malls etc are to be air conditioned completely which require very high cooling loads.

• In the central air conditioning systems there is a plant room where large compressor, condenser, thermostatic

expansion valve and the evaporator are kept in the large plant room. They perform all the functions similar to a

typical refrigeration system.

• However, all these parts are larger in size and have higher capacities.

The compressor is of open reciprocating type with multiple cylinders and is cooled by the water . The

compressor and the condenser are of shell and tube type and a thermostatic expansion valve is used.
 The chilled air is passed via the ducts to all the rooms, halls and other spaces that are to be air

conditioned. Thus in all the rooms there is only the duct passing the chilled air and there are

no individual cooling coils and other parts of the refrigeration system in the rooms.

 In each room we get a completely silent and highly effective air condition system . In this

system the amount of chilled air that is needed in the room can be controlled by the openings

depending on the total heat load inside the room.

 Variable Air Volume System
• VAV systems supply air at a variable airflow rate from an air handling unit (AHU).

• VAV systems can meet varying heating and cooling needs of different building zones, these
systems are found in many commercial buildings.

• Unlike most other air distribution systems, VAV systems use flow control to efficiently
condition each building zone while maintaining required minimum flow rates.

• It consists of an AHU and VAV boxes, typically with one VAV box per zone. Each VAV box
can open or close an integral damper to modulate airflow to satisfy each zone’s
temperature setpoints. In some cases, VAV boxes have auxiliary heat/reheat (electric or hot
water) where the zone may require more heat, e.g., a perimeter zone with windows.
 Variable Air Volume System
Some features of a VAV system include the following:
• Distribution system provides conditioned air to spaces to meet varied zonal temperature
and airflow requirements.
• Variable frequency drive-based air distribution system can reduce supply fan energy use.
• Supply-air temperature reset capability allows adjustment and reset of the primary
delivery temperature with the potential for savings at the chiller or heating source.
Variable Refrigerant Volume or Variable Refrigerant Flow

• VRF systems obtain their high efficiency through the use of inverter compressors. Inverter
systems allow the compressor to ramp up or down based on the needs within each space.
A non-inverter system ramps up the compressor at full capacity all the time. Essentially it’s
either on or off.  With inverter systems operating at lower speeds and capacity, the
efficiency gains can be substantial.

• In a VRF system, the refrigerant passes through condenser units to indoor units, cutting
down on the need for extensive ductwork and air handlers. The smaller pipes make it a bit
easier to retrofit in older buildings than traditional HVAC systems.

• Removing ducts from the equation is part of the increased energy efficiency. The U.S.
Department of Energy’s Energy Saver reports that more than 30% of energy consumption
could be due to losses of cool air through ducts.
Variable Refrigerant Volume or Variable Refrigerant Flow
Variable Refrigerant Volume or Variable Refrigerant Flow
Benefits:
Energy efficiency: The leaky or unprotected ducts lead to a lot of wasted energy. Hence, cost
savings in utility bills and increased comfort after the initial installation.
Customizable temperature settings: If the right VRF HVAC system for the building is selected,
occupants can heat and cool different zones at the same time, allowing workers and sensitive
equipment to stay safe.
Sleek and compact: Compared to traditional equipment, VRF HVAC units are much less bulky,
making them an excellent solution for retrofitting, renovating or outfitting areas with limited
space.
Quiet: VRF systems reduce ambient noise both inside the building as well as outside,
particularly in comparison to traditional HVAC technology.
Easy to install: Ducted HVAC equipment is notoriously heavy. While VRF should be installed
only by trained and certified professionals, based on the type of VRF system, installation takes
much less physical exertion.
Air conditioning for large buildings:
 Most large multistory buildings use highly centralized air conditioning equipment.
The roof and basement are the usual choice for these central station systems.
 The basement has the advantage of easy utility connections, noise isolation, not
being valuable rental area and the fact that structural loads are not a problem
 The roof is the ideal location for fresh air intakes and heat rejection to the
atmosphere.
 Cooling tower are noisy, produce very hot and humid exhaust air, so the best
location for cooling rower is placed on the roof.
 This section shows an all-air system served by a single central air handling unit on
the roof.
  In most buildings, the mechanical
equipment is shown to be on the roof.
 To avoid the large vertical ducts, separate
air handling units can be placed on each
floor and only water circulates vertically.
This saves much energy because moving
air great distances requires much power.

SECTION OF A TYPICAL MULTISTORY BUILDING WITH A

ROOFTOP CENTRAL STATION MECHANICAL SYSTEM
ALL-AIR SYSTEM
• The advantage of all-air system is complete control over air quality

• The disadvantage is that all-air systems are very bulky and a significant part of the
building volume must be devoted to them.

• There are 5 system in ALL-AIR SYSTEM categories.

i. Central Plants
ii. Variable Air Volume (V.A.V)
iii. Terminal Reheat System
iv. Multi zone System
v. Double Duct System
DUCT
 Ducts are used in heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning (HVAC) to deliver and remove air. These
needed airflows include, for example, supply air,
return air, and exhaust air.
 A duct system is often called ductwork.
 Planning ('laying out'), sizing, optimizing, detailing
and finding the pressure losses through a duct
system is called “Duct Design”
DUCT DESIGN OBJECTIVES
OCCUPANT COMFORT
PROPER AIR DISTRIBUTION
ECONOMICAL HEATING
COOLING SYSTEM OPERATION
ECONOMICAL DUCT INSTALLATION.

 Provides conditioned air to meet all room heating and cooling loads.
 Is properly sized so that the pressure drop across the air handler is within manufacturer
and design specifications.
 Is sealed to provide proper air flow and to prevent air from entering the duct system from
polluted zones.
 Has balanced supply and return air flows to maintain a neutral pressure in the house.
 Minimizes duct air temperature gains or losses between the air handler and supply
outlets, and between the return register and air handler.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR DUCTING

AS PER NATIONAL BUILDING CODE(NBC):

Co-ordination with building, architectural and structural requirements;
Co-ordination with other services;
Simplifying installation work;
Providing facilities and access for commissioning and testing;
Providing facilities and access for operating and maintenance;
Meeting fire and smoke control requirement;
Prevention of vibration and noise transmission to the building/space.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR DUCTING
FIRE SAFETY / THERMAL INSULATION

Thermal insulation is required to prevent undue heat gain or loss and also to prevent internal and
external condensation; a vapour seal is essential if there is a possibility of condensation within
the insulating materials.
NOISE
• Sound is a result of vibration of air.
• when sound is unpleasant it is referred to as noise. In an air conditioning system sound
emanates from the machinery such as fan, fan motors, compressors, pumps, air flow
through ducts and diffusers, pipes and tubes and cooling tower fans.
The solutions are:
• A)to reduce the original source of the sound by using well designed equipment.
• b) enclose the source in acoustically insulated space.
• C)to absorb the sound using sound absorbing material.
• It is a practice to mount vibration producing machinery on anti-vibration mounts such as
cork ,rubber, springs.

• Plant rooms are acoustically insulated to prevent the machinery sound from
permeating into the airconditioned space.

• Ducts are fitted with sound attenuators which work somewhat like the mufflers in the
exhaust pipe of a car. In addition acoustic insulation is used on some portions of the
duct, near the AHU discharge , where it is most prone to making noise.

• Pipes are insulated from the walls it passes through so that the vibrations are not
passed into the structure.

• Locating the plant room properly will help reduce noise levels within the conditioned
space.
DUCTWORK CONSIDERATION

• Shape

• Size

• Aspect ratio

• Velocity

• Static Pressure of the system

• Space conflicts
MATERIALS USE

 Sheet metal (by gauge)

 Galvanized Iron
 Aluminum
 Stainless steel

 Flexible
 Insulated
 Tube (socks)

 Other
 PVC
 Fiberglass