HVAC SYSTEMS

Criteria to be considered
Temperature
Humidity
Air motion
Air purity or quality
Air changes per hour
Air and/or water velocity requirements
Local climate
Space pressure requirements
Capacity requirements, from a load calculation
analysis
Redundancy

Criteria to be considered

Spatial requirements
Security concerns
First cost
Operating cost, including energy and power costs
Maintenance cost
Reliability
Flexibility
Life-cycle analysis
Sustainability of design
Acoustics and vibration
Mild dew prevention

Additional Criteria
Supporting a process, such as
operation of computer equipment
Promoting a germ-free environment
Increasing sales
Increasing net rental income
Increasing property salability

System Constraints
Performance limitations (e.g.,
temperature, humidity, space
pressure)
Available capacity
Available space
Available infrastructure
Building architecture

Constructability Constraints
Existing conditions
Maintaining existing building occupancy
and operation
Construction budget
Construction schedule
Ability to phase HVAC system
installation
Equipment availability (i.e., delivery
lead times)

Selection Report
The goal
Criteria for selection
Important factors, including advantages and
disadvantages
Other goals
Security concerns
Basis of design
HVAC system analysis and selection matrix
System narratives
Budget costs
Recommendation

System Characteristics
(Decentralized/Centralized)
Temperature, Humidity, and Space Pressure
Requirements.
Capacity Requirements.
Redundancy.
Facility Management.
Spatial Requirements.
First Cost.
Operating Cost.
Maintenance Cost.
Reliability
Flexibility.
Sound and Vibration

Decentralized Systems
Decentralized systems can be one or more
individual HVAC units, each with an integral
refrigeration cycle, heating source, and direct
or indirect outside air ventilation.
Components
are
factory
designed
and
assembled into a package that includes fans,
filters, heating source, cooling coil, refrigerant
compressor(s), controls, and condenser.
Equipment
is
manufactured
in
various
configurations to meet a wide range of
applications.

Decentralized Systems
Window air conditioners
Through-the-wall room HVAC units
Air-cooled heat pump systems
Water-cooled heat pump systems
Multiple-unit systems
Residential and light commercial split systems
Self-contained (floor-by-floor) systems
Packaged, special-procedure units (e.g., for
computer rooms)

Advantages
Heating and cooling can be provided at all times, independent
of the mode of operation of other building spaces.
Manufacturer-matched components have certified ratings and
performance data.
Assembly by a manufacturer helps ensure better quality control
and reliability.
Manufacturer instructions and multiple-unit arrangements
simplify installation through repetition of tasks.
Only one zone of temperature control is affected if equipment
malfunctions.
The system is readily available.
One manufacturer is responsible for the final equipment
package.

Advantages

For improved energy control, equipment serving vacant spaces

can be turned off locally or from a central point, without affecting
occupied spaces.
System operation is simple. Trained operators are not usually
required.
Less mechanical and electrical room space is required than with
central systems.
Initial cost is usually low.
Equipment can be installed to condition one space at a time as
a
building is completed, remodeled, or as individual areas are
occupied,
with favorable initial investment.
Energy can be metered directly to each tenant.

Disadvantages

Performance options may be limited because airflow, cooling coil

size, and condenser size are fixed.
Larger total building installed cooling capacity is usually required
because diversity factors used for moving cooling needs do not
apply to dedicated packages.
Temperature and humidity control may be less stable, especially
with mechanical cooling at very low loads.
Standard commercial units are not generally suited for large
percentages of outside air or for close humidity control. Custom or
special-purpose equipment, such as packaged units for computer
rooms, or large custom units, may be required.
Energy use is usually greater than for central systems if efficiency
of the unitary equipment is less than that of the combined central
system components.

Disadvantages

Air distribution control may be limited.

Operating sound levels can be high, and noise-producing
machinery is often closer to building occupants than with central
systems.
Ventilation capabilities are fixed by equipment design.
Equipments effect on building appearance can be unappealing.
Air filtration options may be limited.
Discharge temperature varies because of on/off or step control.
Condensate drain is required with each air-conditioning unit.
Maintenance may be difficult or costly because of multiple pieces
of equipment and their location.

Unitary equipment
Single-zone, constantvolume
Multizone, constant-volume
Single-zone, variable-volume
Multisplit

Centralized Systems (ADV)

Primary cooling and heating can be provided at all times,
independent of the operation mode of equipment and systems
outside the central plant.
Using larger but fewer pieces of equipment generally reduces the
facilitys overall operation and maintenance cost. It also allows
wider operating ranges and more flexible operating sequences.
A centralized location minimizes restrictions on servicing
accessibility.
Energy-efficient design strategies, energy recovery, thermal
storage, and energy management can be simpler and more
costeffective to implement.
Equipment operation can be staged to match load profile and
taken offline for maintenance.
Distinct cooling and heating can be provided.

 A central plant and its distribution can be economically expanded

to accommodate future growth (e.g., adding new buildings to the
service group).
Load diversity can substantially reduce the total equipment
capacity
requirement.
Submetering secondary distribution can allow individual billing
of cooling and heating users outside the central plant.
Major vibration and noise-producing equipment can be grouped
away from occupied spaces, making acoustic and vibration controls
simpler. Acoustical treatment can be applied in a single location
instead of many separate locations.
Issues such as cooling tower plume and plant emissions are
centralized, allowing a more economic solution.

Disadvantages
Equipment may not be readily available, resulting in long
leadtime
for production and delivery.
Equipment may be more complicated than decentralized
equipment, and thus require a more knowledgeable equipment
operator.
A central location within or adjacent to the building is needed.
Additional equipment room height may be needed.
Depending on the fuel source, large underground or surface
storage
tanks may be required on site. If coal is used, space for storage
bunker(s) will be needed.

Disadvantages
Access may be needed for large deliveries of fuel (oil or coal).
Heating plants require a chimney and possibly emission permits,
monitoring, and treatments.
Multiple equipment manufacturers are required when combining
primary and ancillary equipment.
System control logic may be complex.
First costs can be higher.
Special permitting may be required.
Safety requirements are increased.
A large pipe distribution system may be necessary (which may
actually be an advantage for some applications).

ALL-AIR HVAC SYSTEMS

All-air systems provide sensible and latent

cooling capacity solely through cold supply air

delivered to the conditioned space.
No supplemental cooling is provided by
refrigeration sources within the zones and no
chilled water is supplied to the zones.
Heating may be accomplished by the same
supply airstream, with the heat source located
either in the central system equipment or in a
terminal device serving a zone.

Single-duct, single-zone
system

 Simple VAV.
VAV Reheat or VAV Dual Duct
VAV with Independent Perimeter
System
VAV with Constant Zone Airflow
Volume
VAV with Economizer Cycle

VAV system

Reheat system

DUAL-DUCT SYSTEMS

Dual-duct two-fan blow-through

cycle

Single-fan dual-duct draw-through cycle

with hot duct reheat.

OTHER SYSTEMS
MULTIZONE SYSTEMS
SIMPLE ROOFTOP SYSTEMS

Advantages
Major equipment is centrally located in dedicated service
spaces, which allows maintenance to take place in unoccupied
areas.
Major noise-generating equipment is centrally located in a
space that can be acoustically isolated, allowing for reasonable
noise control opportunities.
There is no condensate drain piping or HVAC power wiring in
occupied areas (as opposed to unitary or fan-coil systems).
Among the specific advantages of all-air systems are:
Such systems are well suited to air-side economizer use, heat
recovery, winter humidification, and large-volume outdoor air
requirements.

 They are the best choice for close control of zone

temperature
and humidity.
They are generally a good choice for applications
where indoor
air quality is a key concern.
They are amenable to use in smoke control systems.
There is simple seasonal changeover.
Such systems generally permit simultaneous heating
and cooling
in different zones.

Disadvantages
All-air systems use significant amounts of energy to move air
(approximately 40% of all-air system energy use is fan
energy).
Ductwork space requirements may add to building height.
Air balancing may be difficult.
It is difficult to provide comfort in locations with low outdoor
temperatures and typical building envelope performance when
warm air is used for perimeter heating.
Providing ready maintenance accessibility to terminal devices
requires close coordination between mechanical, architectural,
and structural designers.