Basic Units in HVAC

Unit of Refrigeration

The practical unit of refrigeration is expressed in terms of Tonne of refrigeration

defined as amount of refrigeration effect produced by uniform melting of one
tonne(1000 kg) of ice at 0•C in 24 hours.

Since the latent heat of ice 335 KJ/kg, therefore

1TR = 1000 * 335 KJ in 24 hours

= 1000*335/ (24*60) = 232.6 KJ/min

British thermal unit (BTU)

The British thermal unit (Btu or BTU) is a non-SI, traditional unit of heat; it is
defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of
water by one degree Fahrenheit.

Various unit conversions

1ton = 2000lb = 12000 BTU/hr = 4.71 HP = 3.5 KW = 400 CFM

1Kpa = 4.018 psi = 0.01 bar 1 HP = 746 watts

1m = 3.28 feet 1m/s = 196.85 FPM (Feet per minute)

1KJ = 0.9478 BTU 1m3/s = 2119 CFM (Cubic feet per minute)

1 KW = 1.34 HP 1 US Gallon = 3.78 lb (pounds)

1mm = 0.00328 feet and 1 feet = 12 inch 1 AU and British Gallon = 4.5 lb
 HEAT LOAD CALCULATIONS

An HVAC heat load calculations is a mathematical process for measuring several

aspects of the building in order to determine the best size, application, style of an
HVAC system to be installed. The purpose is to ensure energy efficiency while
maximizing the human comfort. We know that we use the air-conditioners to
keep our room or offices cool when the surroundings or atmospheric temperature
is high. Due to high atmospheric temperature lots of heat is generated inside the
room. The heat load calculations are the process of calculating the total heat
generated inside the room by various sources.

Various Sources of Heat

All the sources that directly or indirectly lead to generation of heat inside the
room and which causes the increase in temperature of the room are considered
under heat load calculations.

1) Heat from the sun: Heat from the sun enters the room by different ways. It
enters inside the room by process of conduction through the walls and roof of the
rooms. It enters by convection process due to flow of the hot atmospheric air
inside the room. The heat of the sun also enters the room by process of radiation
via the open and closed glass windows of the room. The heat generated by the
room is the major source of heat inside the room. The total heat of the sun
entering the room greatly depends on the direction or alignment of the room. The
maximum heat of the sun in the morning is from the east direction it is absorbed
by the walls and windows in the eastern direction.
During noon and late noon maximum heat is absorbed by the walls and the
windows in south and west directions respectively. The least amount of sun heat
is absorbed by the walls in the north direction. The heat of the sun entering via
glass windows by the process of radiation leads to heating of the room
immediately, while the heat entering the room via walls is stored in the walls for
long-time and it is released in the room at night, thus heating the room at that
time.

2) Heat from the human beings: Another major source of heat inside the rooms is
the heat generated by the human beings. Human beings consume lots of calories
in the form of food, which generate heat inside the body. This heat is thrown
away by the body into the surroundings of the room leading to increase in heat
inside the room. The heat from human body is also released due to respiration.
The more the number of people inside the room, more is the heat generated
inside the room from human beings. In applications where large spaces are to be
air-conditioned like halls, auditoriums, theaters, cinema halls, air-ports, etc the
heat generated from the human beings becomes major source of heat.

3) Outdoor air heat: The air outside the air conditioned room is called as outdoor
air or atmospheric air. The outdoor air is at temperature higher than the air-
conditioned room. When this air enters the air-conditioned room, it adds the heat
inside the room and it tends to increase the room temperature. The outdoor air
enters air-conditioned room by the leakages in doors and windows and also by
their opening and closing.
4) Heat from the electrical and electronic appliances: In most of the rooms there
are number of electrical and electronic appliances like tube lights, television,
coffee maker, glass water heater, etc. These appliances consume electricity and
release some heat inside the air-conditioned space thus heating the room. The
ordinary tube light generates more heat while the CFL lights generate lesser heat.
The devices like coffee-maker and the water heated also add heat due to
evaporation of water.

Factors that Affect HVAC Design: Heat Load Calculations

The heat is generated in the air-conditioned space from various sources. To

maintain the comfort conditions inside the room the total heat generated inside
the room per hour should be removed completely.

Here are various sources of heat that affect HVAC designing and heat load
calculations, these are:

1) Heat gained by the walls: The walls of the room gain heat from the sun by way
of conduction. The amount of heat depends on the wall material and its
alignment with respect to sun. If the wall of the room is exposed to the west
direction, it will gain maximum heat between 2 to 5 pm. The southern wall will
gain maximum heat in the mid-day between 12 to 2 pm. The heat gained by the
wall facing north direction is the least. The heat gained by the walls in day-time
gets stored in them, and it is released into the rooms at the night time thus
causing excessive heating of the room. If the walls of the room are insulated the
amount of heat gained by them reduces drastically.
2) Heat gained by the roof and partitions: If the roof is exposed directly to the
sun, it absorbs maximum heat. If there is other room above the air-conditioned
room, then the amount of heat gained by the roof reduces. The heat gained by
the partitions of the room depends upon the type of partition.

3) Heat gained by the windows: Windows of the room are exposed directly to the
surrounding and the heat from the sun enters the room by radiation. As in the
case of the walls, the heat gained by the rooms through windows depends on
their alignment. If there are sufficient curtains on the windows and the external
awning the amount of heat gained by radiation reduces. The type of glass doors
on the windows also affects the amount of heat gained through the windows by
radiation.

4) Heat generated by the people: The people inside the room generate lots of
heat. The heat dissipated by working people is more than from sitting people.

5) Heat generated by the electrical appliances: Heat is generated by electrical

appliances like lights, motors, coffeemakers, electronic equipments, etc. should
also be considered for heat load calculations, which is also called cooling load
calculations.

6) Heat gain from outside air: Outside air is normally at a greater temperature
than the room temperature. When this air comes inside the room, it brings
certain amount of heat along with it.
Importance of heat load calculation

1) Air-conditioning system of right tonnage: After carrying out the heat load
calculations the HVAC designer recommends the air-conditioning system of
proper tonnage that would meet the cooling requirements of all the rooms of the
building. If the heat load calculations are not carried out, the person may not
employ air-conditioning system of proper size. If the air-conditioning system of
the larger size is fitted, it will lead to high initial as well as high running cost of the
system. If the air-conditioning system of smaller size is fitted, it will lead to under-
cooling of the rooms and the very purpose of installing the air-conditioning
system is lost. After carrying out the heat load calculations, the HVAC designer
recommends air-conditioning system of proper size that will have lowest possible
initial cost and running cost and also produce sufficient cooling effect.

2) Air-conditioning system of right type: There are various types of air-

conditioning systems. After carrying out the heat load calculations, the HVAC
designer recommends the air-conditioning system of proper size for your
application. Depending on the total heat load on the building they will
recommend window, split, packaged or central air-conditioning type of system.

3) Deciding the location of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit: In most of the
large buildings split, packaged or central air-conditioning systems are installed. In
such cases the location of the indoor unit is very important. The indoor unit
comprises of the cooling coil or the evaporator coil that produces the cooling
effect inside the room. After the heat load calculations depending on the load
heat load inside the room and purpose of the room, the location of the indoor
unit can be decided.
It can be located at the top, which is called ceiling mounted indoor unit or it can
be kept on the floor which is called floor mounted indoor unit. The location of the
outdoor unit greatly depends on the location of the indoor unit.

4) Laying ducts: Another important aspect of the air-conditioning systems for

large applications like large buildings, theaters, cinema halls, air-ports etc is laying
the ducts. The ducts carry the cool air from air-conditioning system to the room
and they also circulate or throw the hot room air. The ducts are usually installed
at the top of the roof and are covered by the false ceiling. The ducts should be
laid during the construction of the room or the building itself. If they are not laid
during the construction of the building large scale destruction will have to be
done in the room and in some cases one may not even be able to lay the ducts if
the work on the building is done. Laying the ducts during construction of the
building is vital. For this it is important that the size and layout of the ducting
should be known and this is possible if the size of the air-conditioning system to
be installed inside the room is known. Only after carrying out the heat load
calculations the type of the AC system for the room and the size and layout of the
duct required for the room or hall can be found out.

Apart from these, a number of other factors and dimensions related to the air-
conditioning systems are also decided only after the heat load calculations. The
heat load calculations done correctly will help you make the optimum use of your
air-conditioning systems for the years to come.
Process of Heat Load Calculations

The heat load calculations are a highly specialized, time consuming and
complicated task of the HVAC designers. It is also very important task since it is
only based on the heat load calculations that the HVAC designer can recommend
air-conditioning system of proper type and size for the various applications like
hall, auditorium, theater, cinema hall, air-port etc.

There are two major steps of heat load calculations: survey of the building and
the actual heat load calculations, let us see both these steps:

1) Surveying of the building: The building which is to be air-conditioned is

surveyed thoroughly and various measurements are carried out. The HVAC
designer goes to each and every room of the building that is to be air-conditioned.
They take measurement of all the walls of the room, roof of the room and
windows of the room. They also find out the direction of walls, and windows of
the rooms. With regards to the roof, the HVAC designer finds out if there is any
other room above the roof of the room or if it is exposed directly to the sun.
Regarding the windows the HVAC designer finds out the type of window and type
of the curtain fitted on it and the presence of awnings if any. The HVAC designer
also tries to find out if there are any insulation applied to the walls and the roof of
the room. Apart from this, the HVAC designer finds out the maximum number of
persons that will be present inside the room. They will also trace out the presence
of any electrical and electronic appliances inside the room. They will also find all
other sources of heat inside the rooms of the building.
This survey is carried out for all the rooms of the building no matter how small or
large they are. Usually the smaller rooms will take lesser time for survey, while
the large rooms required more time mainly due to presence of variety of source
of heat in the large rooms. Overall, the process of carrying out the survey of the
building for heat load calculations is very lengthy and time consuming. Sometimes
merely the survey may take days to complete. In modern days the survey of the
rooms of the building can also be carried by studying the drawings of the building.
It may not be necessary to physically go to the site and carry out various
measurements. In the building drawings all the dimensions of the rooms are
available at hand. The HVAC designer merely has to find out the various sources
of heat inside the room.

2) Carrying out actual heat load calculations: After surveying the building, the
actual process of the heat load calculations will start. The HVAC designer compiles
all the data that has been collected during the building surveying. Thereafter
lengthy process of complicated process of calculations will start. There are two
possible methods of carrying out heat load calculations: manual and by using
software.

(A) Manual process of heat load calculations: In this method a number of

readymade tables are usually used. The data taken from the building survey is
manually written in these tables and various calculations are carried out
manually. The heat absorbed from various sources like wall, roof, and windows is
calculated by inputting their sizes and number. Similarly, heat released by
electrical and electronic appliances calculated.
Finally, the heat generated inside the room from various sources is calculated.
Based on these calculations the HVAC designer recommends suitable type and
tonnage of air-conditioning system required for the room.

(B) Using the software: Now-a-days most of the HVAC companies and designers
use software for carrying our heat load calculations. With the HVAC software, all
you have to do is to input the data obtained from the building surveying. All the
heat load calculations are automatically done by the software and it also
recommends the actual size of the air-conditioning system that will be required
for the room. Some of the HVAC software can also be integrated with AutoCAD
software so that all the data of the building can be taken directly in the HVAC
software thus avoiding the long, time consuming and manual process of surveying
the building. This facility is being provided by increasing number of the HVAC
software, thus making the process of heat load calculations far easier and much
faster.