Air Conditioning System

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is the technology of indoor and
vehicular environmental comfort. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor
air quality. HVAC is an important part of residential structures such as single-family homes,
apartment buildings, hotels and senior living facilities, medium to large industrial and office
buildings such as skyscrapers and hospitals, on ships and submarines, and in marine
environments, where safe and healthy building conditions are regulated with respect to
temperature and humidity, using fresh air from outdoors.

Air conditioners help to dehumidify the incoming air, but in extremely humid climates
or in cases where the air conditioner is oversized, it may not achieve a low humidity. Running
a dehumidifier in your air-conditioned home will increase your energy use, both for the
dehumidifier itself and because the air conditioner will require more energy to cool your house.
A preferable alternative is a dehumidifying heat pipe, which can be added as a retrofit to most
existing systems.

Figure above shows the HVAC diagram

 For our project, we make UCiTV as our study case. The air conditioning system at this
place is designed as a split air conditioner. Split air conditioner consists of two main parts: the
outdoor unit and the indoor unit. The outdoor unit is installed on or near the wall outside of the
room or space that you wish to cool. The unit houses the compressor, condenser coil and the
expansion coil or capillary tubing. The sleek-looking indoor unit contains the cooling coil, a
long blower and an air filter.

Figure below shows the two part of split air conditioner :

Figure 1 Indoor unit

Figure 2 Outdoor unit

The cooling efficiency of a heat pump or an air conditioner is rated by the Seasonal
Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER), a ratio of the average amount of cooling provided during the
cooling season to the amount of electricity used. The current minimum standard for air
conditioners is SEER 13. Higher efficiency air conditioners may be quite economical. For
UCITV, the current SEER is 13. A split air conditioner is an efficient and cost-effective way
to cool your home. It should be noted that the initial cost of this kind of air conditioning unit is
significantly higher than a window unit and it does require professional installation. However,
the amount of money you will save on your energy bills as well as the longevity of the unit will
make it worth your while in the end.

This studio contains of 8 air conditioning; powered by 1.5 Hp to 2.0 Hp. All this air
conditioning is connected to 1 Moulded case Circuit Breaker (MCCB) with 63A operating
currents. The MCCB is used to control electric energy in distribution n/k and is having short
circuit and overload protection.

High proficiency cooling and warming hardware is disgracefully introduced, which can
make it work at a generously lessened proficiency. A SEER 13 air conditioning system that is
introduced ineffectively with flawed ventilation work may work at 25% to 40% lower
productivity during hot weather. It can create dangerous conditions that may reduce comfort,
degrade indoor air quality, or even threaten the health of the homeowners. Last but not least,
poor air flow to the outdoor unit. If the outdoor unit is located under a deck or within an
enclosure, adequate air circulation between the unit and outdoor air may not occur. In such
cases, the temperature of the air around the unit rises, thereby making it more difficult for the
unit to cool the refrigerant that it is circulating.
 VENTILATION SYSTEM

In any building, ventilation system is very important as the purpose is to provide

enough air, to control ventilation systems of out and in air, to control indoor environment
involving air quality, velocity and the location of the building and to help remove heat and dirty
heat. Ventilation will surely help to provide quality and enough quantity air for the building
besides maintaining the air purity.

Ventilation system consist of four basic system such as natural inlet and outlet,
natural inlet with mechanical outlet, mechanical inlet pair to natural outlet and last is
mechanical inlet and outlet. Natural inlet and outlet regarding to system that fully natural
supply by utilizing open able windows, air bricks, louvers, door-way and chimneys. For natural
outlet with mechanical outlet, mechanical extract fans in windows or roofs and ducted system
where the air is to be discharged away from the occupied space owing to its contamination with
heat, fumes, smoke, water vapor and odor. This system usually applied in dwellings, factories,
offices or public buildings. Third is mechanical inlet pair to natural outlet that air blown into
the building through a fan convector or ducted system to pressurize the internal atmosphere
slightly with heated air supply. The air will leaks out of the building through adventitious
openings and permanent air bricks or louvers. Mechanical inlet and outlet provide system that
when natural ventilation openings unable to cope with large air flow rates without disturbing
the architecture or causing uncontrollable draughts. Full mechanical control of air conditioning
and ventilation system are in used.

Next is about the basic types of whole-house system. For natural ventilation, the
types are wind driven ventilation and stack ventilation while for the mechanical ventilation
systems consist of exhaust system, supply system, balanced system and plenum system. Wind
driven of natural ventilation most often used through operate able windows for small spaces
and for more complex building, stack ventilation will apply by stack effect to allows the warm
air to risen up and flow to the upper opening and forcing cold air at the outside to be drawn
into the building through openings in the lower area. Mechanical system of exhaust system
consists of single fan that centrally located in a hallway or at top of the stairs and involving
three modes of operation which are mechanical inlet and natural exhaust (positive with over
pressure), natural inlet and mechanical exhaust (negative with under pressure) and mechanical
inlet and outlet (controlled pressure). Supply system will drawing outdoor air into the house
and with the supply rich mode it will raising the air supply. Balance system is involving exhaust
and supply system that cooperate which one fan exhaust will bring air out and second fan bring
same amount outside air into the house. For buildings, plenum is an enclosed space that are not
for human occupancy but often used for heating, ventilating and air conditioning equipment
and airflow.

The motive power for the distribution of air in ventilation system is invariably
provided by electrically driven fans and there are several main types in use such as propeller
fans, centrifugal fans and axial flow fans. Every fan has their own efficiency range and the best
efficiency between the fans is backward carved the type of fan wheel in centrifugal fan with
80% to 85% efficiency.

Building with good ventilation will provide reduction in humidity levels where
dust-mite levels will decrease, mould and fungus will disappear, removes the cause of tiredness
and headaches when the high CO2 are replaced with fresh air and many more advantages.
 VENTILATION SYSTEM IN UCiTV UTHM

As explained in the introduction about this building, UCiTV is a studio building for
recording, radio conti and others related event that basically need to be quiet and dark all the
time to meet the function itself but this building also have office in the second floor. Building
that consists of two floors have three doors which one main and another two are secondary
doors. The doors in both floors are must to be close to avoid any sound and noise from enter to
the building. This building are applied mechanical ventilation as observation conducted, we
can see they have supplying duct, air suction or discharge for their ventilation system.

Figure: The Supplying Duct Figure: Air Suction/Discharge

Supplying duct will function to transfers the cool air to diffusers and cool air will be
separating to open spaces. This ductwork has a series of thermostatically controlled dampers
that regulate the flow of air to each zone to make sure that ventilation effect are efficient.
However, if air forced through the ducts that leave the building enclosure or pass outside the
primary air barrier system for the very bad practice of placing ductwork, any leaks in the
ductwork will result in a net exhaust of air, hence a net negative inward pressure on the building
enclosure. The reverse condition can happen if the leaky ducts outside the air barrier are under
a net suction pressure.
 Figure: A Balanced System Concept

UCiTV is running a balance system type for their ventilation system. Although
balance system is more complex than supply-only or exhaust-only ventilation systems, it
guaranteed to provide better fresh air distribution to the building. Basic concept of balance
system is providing two fans which is supply and exhaust working together and creates a
neutral or balanced pressure. One fan functions to exhaust air out of the building while the
other brings the same amount of outside air into the house.

Figure: Typical Installation Configurations

Commonly, this system ducted to supply air to common living areas such as living
rooms and bedrooms besides exhaust air from rooms where pollution is high such as in the
kitchen or bathroom. In UCiTV building, the air supply will reach to the studio area and to the
office to make sure the comforts of the building occupants. Furthermore, an optional heat or
energy recovery unit transfers heat or humidity from one air stream to the other. Spot exhaust
will include where it necessary.

Balanced system provides benefits including improved indoor air quality, comfort
and health, and help to lower utility bills. Poor ventilation system and moisture control will
lead to health problems such as headaches, drowsiness and respiratory problems so balanced
system can help to manage the problem by continuously providing fresh air to improved health
and well-being of the occupants in the UCiTV.

Ventilation system for building or characteristics of Indoor Air Quality (AIQ) has
defined according to ASHRAE Standard. ASHRAE Standard stated, “air in which there are no
known contaminants at harmful concentrations determined by cognizant authorities and with
which a substantial majority (80% or more) of the people exposed do not express
dissatisfaction”. Acceptable AIQ depends on 4 major considerations. First, limiting pollution
at the source so that while choosing the material and equipment the parties involved in this
matter need to make sure to choose them carefully. Second is isolating unavoidable sources of
pollution to help reduce work in future to manage the pollution. Third, providing for an
adequate supply and filtering fresh and recirculated air. The last one is maintaining a building
and its equipment in a clean condition to make sure the system is in the right coordination and
works efficiently to the building. Since UCiTV is a working building, there are few regulations
about the ventilation system that are needing to comply. One of them is The Health and Safety
at Work etc Act 1974, Section 2 (2) (e) requires employer to provide and maintain a working
environment that so far is reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to health to each one of
the employees in the building.
Figure: The Structural Drawing of Ventilation System.