HVAC Handbook 9 Systems Applications Carrier

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The document discusses various considerations for selecting an appropriate air conditioning system for a given application, including the objectives and economics of the project as well as characteristics of the building and environment.

The document mentions that factors like the investor's desires and financial capacity, the purpose and location of the space/building, external environmental conditions, and diversity of internal loads must all be analyzed when selecting a system.

Some common system types discussed include air-water systems, all-air systems, all-water systems, direct expansion systems, heat pump systems, and specific variants like dual-duct, multi-zone unit, and panel-air systems.

systems and applications

SYSTEM DESIGN MANUAL


SUMMARY OF PART NINE
This part of the System Design Manual presents guides
for selecting the air conditioning system used with specific applications.
The text of this Manual is offered as a general guide for
the use of industry and of consulting engineers in designing systems.
Judgment is required for application to specific installation, and
Carrier is not responsible for any uses made of this text.

INDEX

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

CHAPTER 1. SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS


This text introduces the engineer to the preliminary
considerations and project aspects for determining the
selection of an air conditioning system. The part
sketches the systems available and compares their
performance and applicability to various spaces and
buildings. It also indicates the particular problems of
selected applications, stressing the important functions of
air conditioning. It presents a broad review only; details
of various systems and their design are presented in
other parts of this manual.

SCOPE AND INTENT


Selection of the correct air conditioning system for a
particular space or building is a very critical decision
facing the design engineer. On this decision rests the
satisfaction of the customer and occupant and the system
fitness to the building it serves. Many factors must be
analyzed, judged, screened and coordinated. The
desires of the investor and the economic aspects are the
foremost considerations.
CUSTOMER AND OBJECTIVE
There is a big gap between a customer who thinks in
terms of simple relief cooling in a room or small
establishment and the one who builds a monumental
building representing the epitome of an integrated
concept of a structure and the environment within,
whether architectural, acoustical or air conditioning.
Complete air conditioning provides an environment of
correct temperature, humidity, air movement, air
cleanliness, ventilation and acoustical level. Anything
less is a compromise and is not termed air conditioning.
Therefore the particular system involved should be
identified with the function which the system design is to
accomplish, whether heating, cooling, humidity control or
complete year-round air conditioning.
There must be complete fusion of system and building
to lead to a natural and normal behavior as a whole in
disposing of the heat gains or offsetting the heat losses.
ECONOMICS
These considerations affect the type of equipment and
the whole system that is offered to the prospective owner.
The economic factors are foremost. They originate from
the owners desire and capacity to invest in an installation
that is intended to provide either a minimal or a maximum
benefit. It must be determined whether the project is an
investment for a quick write-off, a resale or a long term

investment. The investor may seek either the lowest first


cost, the lowest first cost in balance with the economical
owning and operating costs, or strictly the lowest owning
and operating costs. Above all the investor is interested
in a profitable return on his investment.
PROBLEM
To realize a substantial advantage from an operation
of air conditioning in a space or a complete building, the
design engineer must consider fundamental situations.
He must first define the problem. He must be able to
anticipate the behavior of the contemplated air
conditioning system. For given conditions of external
environment and internal load, the system must integrate
with the space or the building which it is to serve. The
system must satisfy the maximum instantaneous or actual
thermal load* and be operable at any partial load
conditions.
The fundamental diagnosis should consider:
1. Investors financial capacity and the investment
objective.
2. Space or building
a. Purpose
b. Location
c. Orientation and shape
3. Coincidental occurrence in external environment
of
a. Temperature
b. Humidity
c. Wind
d. Exposure to sun or other heat exchanges
e. Shade
4. Diversity of internal load
a. Occupancy
b. Lighting
c. Other heat exchanges
5. Capability for storage of heat gains
6. Necessity and capacity for precooling
7. Physical aspects of space or building to
accommodate
a. Equipment
b. System
c. Balanced operation at partial load
8. Customers concept of environment desired
*Thruout this discussion load shall mean the thermal load of
heat gain or loss to or from a building and its content.

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

INTEGRATION
Each space or building presents an individual problem
to resolve. There is no universal solution to a system
selection even after it is defined, the physical
circumstances evaluated, and the actual load of heating
and cooling requirements established. The design
engineer must have an appreciation of the structure, its
thermal capacity behavior, and the response accorded it
by the contemplated system. He must understand the
interaction of space or building with external and internal
thermal loads and the cancellation of these loads by the
system. There should be a full realization that the
equipment installed, the control of the air conditioning
system, and the building are irrevocably integrated into
one whole. To be successful these elements must be
coordinated to operate as an entity.
The discussion that follows is a resume of factors that
constitute the preliminary qualifications of a project. it
offers a guide to the selection of a system best suited to a
given circumstance surrounding an application. All types
of systems are reviewed briefly, from a self-contained
room unit to an elaborate central station system.
The range of systems applications for human comfort
is covered from a residence to a high rise apartment
building, from the smallest commercial application to a
skyscraper or a factory.

SPACE AND BUILDING


OCCUPANCIES
The wide range of spaces and buildings for
application of air conditioning for human comfort may be
divided into two fields, single-purpose and multipurpose
occupancies.
SinglePurpose Occupancies
Single-purpose occupancies involve either an
individual or a multitude of individuals gathered for a
common purpose of work, prayer, relaxation or
amusement. The predominant characteristic is the
presence of a single environmental control zone.
Examples include a room, residence, or large open area
with or without low partitions.
The large area may be an office space, restaurant,
beauty salon, etc., at times set in an individual small
building. The larger structure may be a church, theater,
auditorium or pavilion. The common feature is a building
with one or more large open spaces as a major area to be
air conditioned.
Multi-Purpose Occupancies
Multi-purpose occupancies involve a multitude of

people gathered for various purposes in one or more


multi-room, multi-story buildings. These buildings may
serve a single purpose: a sale of goods, department
store; book lending or collection, a library; a collection of
articles of special interest, museum; research, laboratory;
learning, school; manufacturing, factory; etc. Generally
the multi-room, multi-story buildings may be office
buildings, hotels, apartment buildings or hospitals. To the
multi-purpose occupancies also belong building
compounds of apartment houses, schools, colleges,
medical and shopping centers, and factories.
The major characteristic of these occupancies is a
multiplicity of environmental control zones served by a
single or multiple, preferably central, air conditioning
system. With increases in size and number of central
station units in a single system, sources of refrigeration
and heating are consolidated into one or more large
refrigeration and boiler plants.
THERMAL LOAD
When an engineer is faced with an existing space or
building, little can be done to alter these structures to aid
either the reduction of the air conditioning load or system
accommodation unless a major alteration is embarked
upon. Definite limiting circumstances may exist.
On the other hand a new building provides freedom
and challenge to the architect-engineer team. They may
devise a structure that is architecturally and acoustically
acceptable and pleasing, at the same time one that
incorporates all possible forethought to minimize the air
conditioning load. Proper orientation in regard to
exposures and analysis of shading (external or internal) is
essential. *Space is required for air conditioning
equipment and for transmission and distribution of
heating-cooling effects.
Building Shell and Outdoors
A building or a space is a thermal container, an
enclosure. Within it an air conditioning environment for
human comfort is to be maintained, regardless of
seasons and outdoor climatic conditions.
The
considerations involving the construction of a building
shell are: thin panel vs massive wall and partial vs total
glazing. Other considerations are: glass and wall
shading, orientation of the building (simple or complex
architecture), height and shape, predominance of
peripheral or internal areas, and single zone vs multi-zone
application.
*Sun gain thru 150 sq ft of unshaded west glass requires
approximately one ton of cooling capacity as against only one tenth
of a ton required for the glass with north exposure.

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

These considerations are pertinent to evaluating the


external influences on the air conditioning load of
simultaneous occurrence of temperature, humidity, wind
and solar conditions. These constitute the outdoor
design conditions.
Internal Elements
The selection of the inside design condition for space
or building establishes the thermal head against which
the air conditioning system will operate at any load
condition. The internal load behavior is determined by
the diversity factor that can be applied to the population,
lights and any heat-pro-ducing or extracting equipment or
situation. The smaller the space, the less the diversity; an
air conditioning cycle applied to an individual space
takes full account of instantaneous load. However, with
an increase in the size of a project, the requirements for
refrigeration capacity grow. A larger diversity factor may
be applied. In most cases the possibility of application of
either the heat storage principle or precooling effect
should be considered in order to reduce the coolingheating load (approach the actual load) or reduce the
size of equipment.
Part 1 contains information on the evaluation of an air
conditioning load. It must be re-emphasized that an
estimate of the actual cooling-heating load is the most
fundamental step before selecting an air conditioning
system and equipment. This must be preceded by a
thorough survey.
Partial Load
A necessary corollary to the evaluation of actual load

is an appraisal of load behavior at partial conditions:


possible variations in the internal load; effect of change in
external weather elements; reaction of the thermal
enclosure and barrier, the structure. The shells thermal
capacity and physical porosity may have great influence
on the amplitude of the peaks and valleys in the daily
load curves. The system picked for the particular
situation must have certain flexibility. Thus the load, the
enclosure and the air conditioning equipment in a
complete system (total complex) regulates the space
environment.
SPACE FOR EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEM
The air conditioning equipment and system auxiliaries
require space. The industry is continually devising
means and methods to reduce the size of the equipment,
the elements of the total system, and their costs, yet
produce the same total capacities of cooling and heating
at a reasonable investment. Until some radically new
approach is discovered, the present means to provide
comfort require space.
Self-Contained Units
The extent of space requirements may be small
enough to take care of a room unit or a self-contained
apparatus within the air conditioned area. Both are types
of miniaturized central station plants of small capacity.
Such packages contain all the elements to provide
complete air conditioning in one enclosure, yet
convenient to handle as a unit. The spaces required
affect directly the conditioned area; however there may
be cases where the units are installed external to the
conditioned space.

FIG. 1-AIR CONDITIONING PLANT

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

Central Stations
For a large central station system space has to be
provided for conditioning, heating and refrigeration
machinery. The cooling-heating media requires space to
be transmitted to the conditioning apparatus and then to
the areas to be conditioned. There are terminals within
the conditioned areas for the final delivery of the coolingheating effects.
Thus there is a conditioned air path from the out-door
air intake thru the apparatus, thru ducts to terminals within
the conditioned area; there are refrigeration and boiler
plants and interconnecting piping to air handling
apparatus and in some systems to terminals (Fig. 1).
Except for within-the-room terminals the system space
required is external to conditioned areas. At times areas
that can be utilized more profitably may have to be
surrendered for use by some elements of the system.
BASIS FOR DESIGN
The design engineer must make a correct appraisal of
the building or space to be conditioned. He must define
the problem. He must evaluate the characteristics of the
space or building, the climatic environment and the
internal heat gains or losses. The evaluation of maximum
actual load, its behavior at partial conditions, and the
thermal capacity of the enclosing structure are the
elements and the foundation to guide the selection of the
proper air conditioning system.

QUALIFYING SYSTEM SELECTION


ECONOMICS
Having pointed out the physical aspects and
requirements of air conditioning of space and building, a
review of the intangible aspects is necessary. These are
the customers concepts of (1) financial involvement and
realization of income gain, (2) achievement of the
environment of temperature, humidity, air cleanliness, air
motion and quietness, (3) realization of flexibility of
controls, and (4) insight into limitations of the structure.
By clarification of these aspects proper judgment and
mutual appreciation between the customer and architectengineer team is accomplished.
Buyer
The air conditioning market is vast and very
competitive. The ultimate user-buyer may be a shrewd
investor looking for a quick turnover of capital or a
customer who is satisfying a need to neutralize
competition that surrounds him, or an owner creating the
utmost in monumental progressive design and
application.

There are three factors in the economics of system


selection: (1) first cost, (2) operating and maintenance
costs, and (3) return on an investment. The buyer may be
looking for either extreme, the lowest first cost or the
lowest operating cost. He may rely on the design
engineer to arrive at a balanced proposal. He may desire
a monument irrespective of any costs. The design
engineer must weigh not only the engineering
considerations but the customers financial attitude and
desire for return on the investment.
Investment
One aspect in the economics of selection of an air
conditioning system is the actual longevity of equipment
and auxiliary components, that is, the write-off life span
permitted by the government for depreciation for tax
purposes. The net effect is apparent in the analysis of
owning and operating costs.
Owning Costs
The owning elements of costs is influenced by the
price of the equipment, materials labor and services for
an installation. These components must be weighed
carefully in arriving at a selection of a system. With an
existing building there is an additional element, the
interference with regular business.
Operating Expense
Operating costs are influenced by the consumption of
energy, whether electrical, steam, gas or other; this is the
bulk of operating costs. There is also the item of
maintenance consisting of the operating personnel and
upkeep of equipment together with supplies of oil, filters
and other materials. The equipment working condition is
its condition approaching that of the original installation
except for the normal duty wear.
The otherwise rentable space given up to
accommodate the air conditioning system is also an
element in operating costs.
Return on Investment
In the final analysis the rent or any income producing
increment is of major interest to the investor. Investment
analysis is a gauge for determining whether or not money
spent on a proposed project will be wisely invested. It
can be used to establish the merits of air conditioning as
a sound investment compared with money invested in
any other manner.
Investment analysis is the owning and operating cost
analysis to determine on a unit basis the incremental cost

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

due to the addition of air conditioning. To the prospective


owner this cost is an added cost per square foot, per
room, per apartment unit, per hospital bed, or per factory
worker. This added cost is compared to the expected
incremental income. Such a tally determines whether an
investment in this or another system is profitable, and
which system is more profitable than another.
Budget Analysis
During the preliminary budget stages approximations
based on experienced judgment should be made to
determine the thermal load and the cost of various
systems. This procedure provides the basis and affects
the results of the qualifying investment analysis. That air
conditioning can offer attractive investment potential is
easily established by a budget analysis. Since
investment return varies with each system and with the
length of elapsed time before the owner plans to liquidate
the investment, two or more analyses must be made to
determine which of several applicable systems is the best
investment.
ENVIRONMENT
Temperature and Humidity
The foremost prerequisite of comfort air conditioning is
temperature control and the regulation of humidity is of
secondary importance. All systems have the facility of
controlling the comfort range of temperature. The human
tolerance of humidity variation is considerable.
Air Cleanliness
There are considerable variations in air cleaning
requirements; they depend on the location of the
particular project, the fastidiousness of the customer, and
the costs of cleaning. The latter include the initial
investment and maintenance costs. Odor and bacteria
control may also be required; at times this is an absolute
necessity. Air must be clean.
Air Movement
With any air conditioning application a system may
have the required cooling-heating and cleaning capacity
but, if the air is not properly distributed and not in
effective motion, all the requisites of proper air
conditioning are not fulfilled. Air movement depends on
the amount of air in circulation and direction of air
delivery; both are determined by the type of air
distribution employed. Air movement definitely assists in
the sensation and appreciation of comfort.

Acoustics
Part of the work produced by equipment and coolingheating media in motion is always converted into sound
energy. When reaching the conditioned areas, this
energy may be a welcome masking which contributes a
desirable amount of ambient noise, to make the space
quieter by making it noisier. On the other hand it may
be objectionable and annoying. The designer must
evaluate the location of the equipment and system
elements in relation to surrounding occupancies, the
mass of the structure, the air conditioned space, and the
location of the building (busy city or peaceful country).
Then the designer must establish the desired sound level
within the air conditioned space relative to the terminal or
terminals in that space and the type of occupancy. This
is part of the total comfort environment.
The achievement of this objective involves the
cooperation of the customer and architect-engineer team.
Proper design must be applied to the building, the
distribution of spaces that are critical sound-wise, and to
the location and soundproofing of various machinery and
system elements. The team must be concerned with the
evaluation of sound level within air conditioned spaces.
CONTROL REQUIREMENTS
Choice of an air conditioning equipment and system
depends on the character, nature and behavior of the
cooling-heating load under partial conditions.
Nature of Thermal Load
It is necessary to determine whether the load is mostly
sensible or latent, highly concentrated or light, uniformly
distributed or variable in a regular or haphazard pattern.
All these factors are involved in a decision, one zone or a
multi-zone system. These considerations are necessary
for selecting an air conditioning system and its control
which maintains the desired conditions under partial load.
This means achievement of controlled conditions under
broad or exacting requirements.
EXISTING VS. NEW STRUCTURES
There is a distinct difference between systems
available for existing or new buildings. In existing
enclosures or structures heating and at times ventilation
is already supplied. Therefore the additional system is for
cooling only, adapting and integrating the existing
heating-ventilation into a year-round cycle. The air
conditioning systems to be selected are limited to those
operable from overhead and sometimes to systems that
can be applied on an individual space-to-space or floorto-floor progressive basis.

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

In new structures or in those where the existing


heating systems are discarded, the exterior areas may be
treated by complete year-round systems. In exterior
areas there are air conditioning systems specifically
designed for highly variable peripheral thermal loads,
systems that have many different arrangements. For
interior areas, depending on the type of arrangement,
their use and thermal loads, there are also available a
wide variety of systems.
Having determined the economic aspects of the
project, that is, the profit realization by an investor, the
extent of the requirements of environmental conditions,
and their control, the engineer is ready to select the
system.

terminals within the room have secondary coils that


provide supplemental heating or cooling. Examples of
primary and secondary cooling media are a direct
expansion refrigerant, chilled water or brine. The heating
media are usually steam, hot water, gas or electricity.
The temperature of the surfaces surrounding the
occupant are subject to temperatures prevalent within
and outside the structure. The surface temperature may
be regulated by thermal panels applied to the ceiling,
floor or walls. The secondary media circulated thru these
panels is usually either hot or cold water.
To supply and circulate the media, there are available
boiler and refrigeration plants complete with necessary
auxiliaries and interconnecting piping.

SYSTEMS
A review of the fundamental evolvement of a variety of
systems is presented here.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of an air conditioning system is to
provide a comfortable environment for an occupant or
occupants of a residential, public, medical, factory or
office building. It may be for a number of transient
occupants in a commercial establishment such as a
store, a bowling alley, a beauty salon, a restaurant or
others. It may be for an assembly of occupants gathered
in a large space such as a church, theater, auditorium,
pavilion, or a factory loft or floor.
The comfort environment is the result of simultaneous
control of temperature, humidity, cleanliness and air
distribution within the occupants vicinity that includes the
proper acoustic level.
The final media used to achieve a comfortable
environment are air and surfaces surrounding the
occupant. Both the air and surfaces of the enclosure are
sinks for the metabolic heat evolved by the occupant (Fig.
2).
Air circulates around the occupant and the surfaces.
The occupant also has radiant heat exchange with the
surrounding surfaces. Air is brought into motion within a
given space either thermally or by force.
Thermal air motion usually occurs over heating
convectors within the space or along heating-cooling
panels applied to surfaces enclosing the space.
The forced air motion is affected by air delivered thru a
diffuser outlet installed in the proper location on a wall,
ceiling or at a mixing terminal. Air is brought to the
diffusers thru ducts from an apparatus where it is cleaned
and passed over heat exchangers within which circulate
the primary heating or cooling media. Some induction

FIG. 2-HEAT DISSIPATION


SYSTEM COMPONENTS
The essential elements of an air conditioning system
are illustrated in Figure 1.
The basic elements, optional components and their
functions are listed in Table 1.
TYPES OF SYSTEMS
Air conditioning systems are generally divided into
four basic types determined by the methods thru which
the final within-the-space cooling and heating are
attained. The air surrounding the occupant is the end
medium which is conditioned; in some systems most of
the themal effect is radiant.
The basic types are:
Direct expansion (Part 12)
All-water (Part 12)
All-air (Part 10)
Air-water (Part 11)
Heat pump

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

TABLE 1-SYSTEM COMPONENTS


SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Air Side
1. Outdoor Air Intake
(screen, louvers, dampers)
2. Preheater
3. Return Air Intake
(dampers)
4. Filter
5. Dehumidifier (direct spray
washer or cooling coils;
DX, water, brine, with or
without sprays)
6. Heating Coil
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Humidifier
Fan
Duct System
Air Outlet
Air Terminal (with outlet)

Refrigerant Side
12. Refrigeration machine
(compressor, condenser,
cooler and refrigerant
piping)
Water Side
13. Pump
14. Water or Brine Piping
15. Cooling Tower
Heating Side
16. Boiler and Auxiliaries
17. Piping

FUNCTIONS PERFORMED
Path for outdoor air used for ventilation and marginal weather
cooling
Preheats air
Path for return and/or recirculated
air to apparatus
Removing contaminants from air
Cooling and dehumidifying (air
washing with sprays)
Heating in winter and reheat for
temperature and/or humidity
control
Humidifying
Air propulsion
Path for air transmission
Air distribution within air conditioned space
Enclosure for air handing; may
be equipped with air mixing
chamber, heating coil, heating
and/or cooling coil, acoustic
treatment, and outlet
Means for cooling

Water or brine propulsion


Path for transmission of water or
brine between heat exchangers
Heat disposal from water used in
condensing refrigerant

A cooling medium (chilled water or brine instead of


direct refrigerant) may be supplied from a remote source
and circulated thru coils of an air terminal unit within the
conditioned space; the cooling medium is warm in winter
to provide heating. A system of these terminal units is
called an all-water system (Fig. 4).

FIG. 4-ALL-WATER SYSTEM


Both the air treating and refrigeration plants may be
located some distance from the conditioned space in a
central station apparatus arrangement. Only the final
cooling-heating medium (air) is brought into the
conditioned space thru ducts and distributed within the
space thru outlets or mixing terminal-outlets. Such a
system is termed an all-air system (Fig. 5).

Provides steam or hot water


Path for transmission of steam or
hot water

A self-contained compact unit located within or next to


the air conditioned space and consisting of the minimum
elements essential to producing the cooling effect is a
direct refrigerant or direct expansion (DX) system (Fig.
3). Heating may be either included with the unit or
separate.

FIG. 5-ALL-AIR SYSTEM

FIG. 3-DX SYSTEM

The air apparatus and refrigeration plant are separate


from the conditioned space; the cooling-heating of the
conditioned space is affected in only a small part by air
brought from the central apparatus. The major part of
room thermal load is balanced by warm or cooled water
circulated either thru a coil in an induction unit or thru a
radiant panel. Such systems are termed air-water
systems (Fig. 6).

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

is usually the on-off control of refrigeration equipment with


step control in the larger sizes. The fan operates
continuously in most cases.
The self-contained units are applicable to individual
small or large rooms and segregated zones. Such
spaces may be oriented to service an individual occupant
or a group of occupants. These may exist in a private

FIG. 6- - AIR WATER SYSTEM


An adaptation of any of the systems to effect yearround air conditioning utilizing system refrigeration as a
heat generating plant is a heat pump system (Fig. 7).

FIG. 8- DX REFRIGERANT SYSTEMS


residence, office, commercial establishment or in a group
of offices in a single zone.

FIG. 7-HEAT PUMP SYSTEM


SYSTMES AND APPLICATIONS
This section discusses the specific components and
characteristics of each system and variations within each
system; it also indicates the major areas where these
systems are applicable.
DIRECT EXPANSION SYSTEMS (Part 12)
A small direct expansion refrigerant self-contained
room cooling unit is the simplest summer air conditioning
system (Fig. 8). In one casing there are included the
basic elements 1, 3, 4, 8, 10 and 12 (Table 1). With the
addition of element 6 or adapting the unit to a heat pump
arrangement, this self-contained unit is converted into a
year-round system. A large capacity self-contained
assembly may in addition incorporate elements 2 and 9 to
serve a larger space. Control of the self-contained units

ALL-WATER SYSTEMS (Part 12)


Maintaining the individual room air conditioning aspect
while verging into the central station system of
refrigeration is the all-water system of room fan-coil units
(Fig. 9). Each unit within the system contains elements 1,
3, 4, 5, 8 and 10 (Table 1). Outdoor air is introduced thru
the wall to each unit. The individual room self-contained
refrigeration assemblies (element 12) are combined into
one or more large capacity remote central source water
chilling refrigeration plants with the addition of elements
13, 14 and 15. Room temperature is normally controlled
by regulating a water valve at the coil within the room fancoil unit.
The fan-coil unit all-water system with a central
refrigeration and heating source can be converted to an
air-water system by centralizing the primary air ventilation
supply. This eliminates the individual unit thru-the-wall air
intakes. They are combined into a central station air
supply system. Air is delivered either to the fan-coil units
or directly to the room thru a corridor duct system and
separate outlets. The central ventilation air apparatus
contains elements 1, 2 and 4 (6 and 7 optional). A return

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

air system is not generally used. The ventilation air reheat


coil assists in heating during marginal weather. During
the true summer and winter weather the space cooling
and heating respectively are provided by the fan-coil unit.
The room fan-coil unit systems are applicable in
smaller multi-room buildings such as motor-hotels, factory
office buildings and small medical centers.
The air-water system alternate is particularly adaptable
where it is necessary to avoid undependable and
architecturally unsightly thru-the-wall outdoor air intakes,
but there is a need for defined and controlled ventilation
as in office or apartment buildings.

The different systems are distinguished by their method


of controlling the air supplied to the space
Volume Control
One way to compensate for a varying load is by
regulating the volume of a constant temperature air
supply (Fig. 10). When using standard side wall grilles or
ceiling diffusers, the all-air variable volume system is
limited to applications where the load varies less than
20%. Otherwise, if the air volume varies by more than
20%, the air motion within the space may be upset and
create a drafty condition. But with an outlet that can
maintain the space air motion regardless of volume
reduction, volume control may be used more extensively.
Then the variable volume, constant temperature system
(Part 10) may be applied.
In the all-air dual-conduit* system, there are two
streams of air. One is constant temperature and varies in
volume to compensate for the fluctuating internal and sun
load. The other is constant volume and varies in
temperature during marginal or winter weather to
compensate for the varying building transmission loss.
This is an all-air system which parallels the high pressure
air-water induction unit system discussed later in this text.
Bypass Control
Another method to compensate for a varying load is
by reducing the amount of cooling air while maintaining
the full quantity of supply air by including neutral air
recirculated from the conditioned space.

FIG. 9-ROOM FAN-COIL SYSTEMS


ALL-AIR SYSTEMS (Part 10)
Central station systems are examples of all-air
systems. They may include all the elements from Table 1.

FIG. 10-ALL-AIR VOLUME CONTROL SYSTEM


*A Carrier patented system.

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

FIG. 11-ALL-AIR BYPASS SYSTEMS


This is the conventional face and bypass control system
(Fig. 11), a variety of the constant volume, variable
temperature systems (Part 10). The multizone system
may be at times a bypass system. The air bypass may
be remote from the conditioned space (at the central
apparatus or unit) or within the room terminal unit (in the
dual-duct system).
A system in which a single central station apparatus
provides dehumidified air to a number of booster fans
located on separate floors of a building (Fig. 11) or in
separate zones is also classed as a bypass system.
The booster fans pick up the cooled air and pass it on
mixed with recirculated (bypassed) air in needed
proportions to compensate for a varying load. A fixed
bypass is often used as a method of arbitrarily increasing
the volume of supply air.

FIG. 12-ALL-AIR REHEAT SYSTEMS


heating and cooling coils provide an operation in which
the cold air is mixed in needed proportions with
recirculated air passing thru heating coils; the
recirculated air is either unheated (bypass) or heated
(reheat). The air mixtures proportioned by several pairs
of dampers (located within the unit) are transmitted thru
single ducts to individual zones. Thermostats located in
these zones control the corresponding mixing dampers.

Reheat Control
The varying load may be compensated for by adding
reheat either at the apparatus or within a terminal in the
conditioned space, as with a constant volume induction
system, or within overhead terminal-outlets (Fig. 12). The
reheat at the apparatus may be supplied by a reheater
either in a zone duct, within a multi-zone unit, or in the
warm duct of a dual-duct system.
The multi-zone blow-thru unit system (Fig. 13) is a
variation of the bypass and reheat system. Parallel

FIG. 13 ALL-AIR MULTI-ZONE SYSTEM

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

The all-air dual-duct system (Fig. 14) supplies the


mixing terminal units with air from two ducts, air streams
at two temperature levels; one is cold, the other warm.
The mixing terminal unit proportions the cold and warm
air in response to a thermostat located in its respective
space or zone.
The all-air systems ranging from the conventional
bypass system thru the induction terminal reheat unit or
zone reheat, multi-zone single duct, dual conduit and
dual-duct systems have wide applications. These include
the field of small single occupancy, single purpose
building and multi-story buildings.
AIR-WATER SYSTEMS (Part 11)
The air-water systems are practical for reducing the
floor areas occupied by the terminals, the cooling-heating
media transmission system and the central apparatus.
Most of the space load (internal and sun heat gains) is
balanced by a water coil included in the room terminal.
Small water pipes and small high velocity air conduits
replace the bulky air ducts of conventional all-air systems.
The original air-water system is the high velocity high
pressure induction unit system (Fig. 15). Primary air
reduced to 20-25% of the conventional all-air system
quantity serves to balance the building shell heat gains or
losses, to satisfy the ventilation requirements, and to
provide the humidity control and motive power to induce
room air across the secondary cooling-heating coil within
the terminal. The secondary coil produces year-round
cooling or seasonal cooling and heating. In the latter
case the primary air is cold year-round except during
marginal weather when it is reheated according to a set
schedule of temperatures.
The induction unit system is specially adaptable to
load characteristics of the perimeter areas of multistory
multi-room buildings. This system results in lower owning
and operating costs.
A variant of the high velocity high pressure induction
unit system is the three-pipe induction unit system (Fig.
15). Here the air stream (primary air) mentioned
previously is not related to the structure shell transmission
load; it is divorced from the heating of the building. It
does provide the ventilation, humidity control and motive
power for secondary air across the terminal coil. The
three-pipe induction unit system is a year-round system
that provides a simultaneous choice of either cooling or
heating as required. One pipe supplies chilled water, the
second pipe warm water, and the third pipe serves as a
common return.

FIG. 14-ALL-AIR DUAL-DUCT SYSTEM

FIG. 15-AIR-WATER INDUCTION SYSTEMS

FIG. 16-AIR-WATER PANEL-AIR SYSTEM

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

The panel-air system (Fig. 16) is another variety of an


air-water system. In this application the air quantity is
similarly kept to an amount sufficient for ventilation and
dehumidification requirements. The ceiling and wall
panels have imbedded in or attached to them small pipe
circuits thru which chilled or heated water is circulated.
Panel-air systems may be applied with advantage to
areas that have considerable gain of radiant energy from
lights and sun. The exterior areas must be zoned
separately from the interior since the latter usually
presents a year-round cooling load.
System design and control arrangements are rather
sensitive but the results are worth the effort because of
more uniform ambient temperature conditions. However
in areas of sharp load changes the inertia of the system
may lead to temperature swings. It is claimed that the
occupant has no objections to these temperature
changes due to lower air motion. The reduced air
quantity must be introduced into the space by means of
an outlet that provides adequate induction of room air.
The air-water systems with high velocity, high pressure
induction units, panel-air arrangements, and the all-water
fan-coil unit system with centralized ventilation air ducted
to units may be classed as primary air systems. The air
quantity supplied in each case is at least the minimum
ventilation requirement. The secondary air is introduced
either by induction, unit fan or by thermal circulation in
addition to induction.
HEAT PUMPS
A heat pump system is a refrigeration cycle which by
design and control moves heat in either direction. Heat
pumps are natural solutions of year-round air conditioning
in buildings with a favorable balanced ratio of coolingheating load, particularly where the two load values are
almost equal. Heat pump systems are economical
whenever the rates for electrical energy are
advantageous against the costs of fossil fuels. It often
pays to consider the attractive features of the heat pump
system and analyze the over-all air conditioning project in
the light of this system.
Any air conditioning system can be converted into a
heat pump. It is a method of operation of the refrigeration
plant that transforms a given air conditioning system into
a self-contained year round system without the use of a
separate boiler plant.
A heat pump system operation has the following
advantages:
1. Over-all first cost saving - For many new buildings
a single system can be installed to serve both

cooling and heating. The cost of a boiler plant and


auxiliary equipment including a smoke stack can
be saved.
2. Space saving- Thru the elimination of boiler plant,
smoke stack, fuel storage, etc.
3. Nuisance elimination Does away with ash
removal, smoke, soot and ash dust damage.
4. Single energy source Electric power, simplifies
accounting and service problems.
5. Increased safety Thru elimination of handling of
fossil fuels.
6. Fire insurance rate reduction By elimination of fire
hazards.
A refrigeration cycle can be applied to provide heating
only, with future conversion to complete year-round air
conditioning.

APPLICATIONS
The descriptions of individual applications that follow
point out only the salient features that influence the air
conditioning load calculations and selection of the most
suitable system. The text is oriented mainly to summer air
conditioning because many applications to existing
buildings revolve around addition of summer cooling to
the existing heating facility or its complete replacement
by a year-round system. New buildings are assumed to
incorporate year-round air conditioning at the inception of
the project design. However even new buildings may
include only the heating facility, with provision for future
addition of cooling.
Any humanly conceived plan has room for
improvement. The design engineer must apply his
ingenuity in view of the wide variety of applications and
idiosyncrasies within each application. Various technical
publications contain articles and comprehensive texts on
design guides and solutions for various applications.
This text contains only the applications that have some
characteristic prevalent to them. Other applications not
discussed here either bear some resemblance to one of
the described or are so individual that they have to be
resolved by a separate unbiased analytical approach.
SINGLE-PURPOSE OCCUPANCIES
In this section are described system applications that
are unidirectional, to serve either a home for a single
human unit or a building serving an activity
accommodating a large group of people. Thus one
common temperature and humidity condition is to be
maintained within a given space.

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

Residences
The architecture of residences is extremely varied,
ranging from a standard repetitive package within large
developments to an individual design for fashionable
suburbia. Whatever the design there is a multitude of
structural, orientation and shading devices by which the
air conditioning load may be reduced. The complete
appreciation and coordination of the data concerning the
investors aims, building structure, living habits of the
occupant, and outdoor conditions should result in the
most economical selection of equipment and its operating
costs. Most important is the satisfaction of the owner and
the occupant.
Residences represent the greatest single block of
individual buildings. Of all the markets and applications
of air conditioning, the residential market is the major one
and is highly competitive. Special efforts are expended
in defining the problem of air conditioning a residence (a
24-hour operation). At present there exists a unified
industry-accepted method of load evaluation. Many
manufacturers produce heating-air conditioning-heat
pump equipment for residences. Dependability and
ruggedness of equipment is their aim. Self-contained
room units can be applied on an individual room basis in
conjunction with the existing heating systems. Solar
energy heating and air conditioning of residences may be
considered.
Facilities for Dining and Wining
This classification covers restaurants, cafeterias,
lunchrooms, lunchwagons, bars, cocktail lounges and
night clubs. The outstanding characteristic of these
applications is that the air conditioning load experiences
sharp peaks at certain times of day and night. These
peaks must be coordinated with the coincident outdoor
conditions to arrive at a true cooling load. An absolute
prerequisite is good ventilation with proper control of
exhaust to neutralize odors of food and heavy smoking.
This ventilation requirement is not only for the comfort of
the occupant but also for preventing odor absorption by
the walls and furnishings.
Another facet of load evaluation in this application is
concentration of sensible and latent heat in dancing and
entertainment areas.
Restaurants range from large dining spaces separated
from kitchen and pantry areas to rooms adjoining the food
preparing areas or where the cooking and pantry area is
located in front of the service counters. In the later case
extreme care should be taken in the exhaust-make-up
system. Such a system should trap the heat gains and

odors over the cooking area. There must always be an


air movement away from the dining area.
Dining areas should be under positive pressure.
Occasionally a certain amount of make-up air for kitchen
exhausts may come from the dining area ventilation
unless it is heavy with tobacco smoke. Kitchen and
pantry areas should be under negative pressure.
Whether the kitchen is to be air conditioned or ventilated,
in either case all the heat and vapor producing
equipment must be carefully scrutinized. The most
offensive equipment should be equipped with efficient
exhaust hoods to eliminate heat and moisture gains.
Kitchen and pantry odors present a dual problem. The
odors retained by various utensils, boards and other
surfaces including the room itself may backfire by
rendering otherwise fresh foods undesirable and
unusable.
The size of the particular food dispensing
establishment dictates the choice of an air conditioning
system. The choice may also be directed by relation of
the establishment to the over-all building complex if this
happens to be either a tenant or an intrinsic part of the
building. In some cases the same central station system
serving the total building may be operated on a partial
load basis during the weekend to serve only the
restaurant. This can be done by recirculating at the
apparatus the conditioned air assigned to the rest of the
building. The building requirements of conditioned air
are shut off while the restaurant continues to operate.
Variety and Specialty Shops
In this classification are shops and stores. These may
be dress, shoe, fur, drug, candy or variety stores. The
latter include sophisticated five and ten stores,
supermarkets, or country fair type of small department
stores. These are characterized by an 8-12 hour (at times
24 hour) operation cycle, varying population, high lighting
intensity, and a considerable stock of goods or
furnishings.
These areas call for special treatment of heat gains or
losses and ventilation considerations: soda fountains;
lunch and food counters; luncheonettes; pet sales; photo,
candy, cigarette and food dispensers; open frozen food
displays; beauty salons with their heat and odor
producing equipment. There may be storage areas for
candies, furs and other critical commodities that require
special temperature and humidity conditions.
The stock and furnishings within a variety store can be
utilized in load reduction by taking advantage of
precooling effect. Cooling stored in the mass of stock to
take care of peak loads helps to minimize the size of

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

equipment. With high ceiling structures advantage may


be taken of heat stratification using either natural venting
or forced exhaust.
In most cases unitary self-contained equipment is
applicable, either floor-mounted, ceiling-suspended or
roof-mounted. At times the individual or combined
projects may require either field-or factory assembled
fan-coil central stations with extensive ductwork. In
conjunction with the air units larger refrigeration plants
may be required, either direct expansion or water-chilling
packages.
Bowling Alleys
The peculiar aspect of this application is that it is
similar to spot or man air conditioning. Only the spaces
occupied by bowlers, spectators and food dispensing are
air conditioned. The alleys in front of the foul lines and
the pin setting areas are not air conditioned. Because of
high concentration of people (8 to 19 per alley) strenuous
exercise and heavy smoking, ventilation must be
generous and positive. The exhaust should be fan
operated with the grilles located above the spectators
and bowlers, beyond the foul line above the alleys. This
prevents the spreading of tobacco smoke haze over the
alleys. The room air returns should be numerous and at a
distance from the food dispensing areas. Grilles, coffee
urns and other equipment should be provided with
exhaust hoods. The supply of conditioned air should be
engineered to achieve draftless distribution. The
equipment applicable is usually of the self-contained
type; bypass and multi-zone units may also be used.
Radio and TV Studios
Radio and television studios vary considerably in size,
occupying one or more floors of a building or a complete
building devoted entirely to a network. Also there are
small or large studios devoted to rebroadcasting. Large
studios (especially color TV) have tremendous and
variable loads of lights, cameras and equipment.
Therefore, it is necessary to take full account of the loads
and take all advantages to minimize these loads by
utilizing every possible method of circumvention. The
resulting air conditioning equipment and system should
be economical and easy to control. The controls must be
individual for each space, whether a studio, auditorium,
control room, office or reception area. Electronic racks
must have clean ventilating air and a direct exhaust; air
necessary for this ventilation may come from surrounding
studios, control rooms and office spaces.
Sound is an important element. Vibration and
unwanted sound must be carefully controlled.

Individual applications dictate the choice of air


conditioning system and equipment as long as the
temperature and ventilation are satisfied without creating
drafts or sound nuisance. With small installations multizone units are applicable.
Country Clubs
These oversize residences are usually located in open
country, often on a hilltop completely open to climatic
elements. The varying population is a problem, people
often remaining late at night. The various activities and
manner of occupancy dictates a careful analysis of
individual room loads and overall refrigeration needs.
The spaces range from social lounges, dining areas,
cocktail lounges or bars to locker rooms and individual
guest rooms. Some clubs have various recreational
areas devoted to ping-pong tables, billiards and bowling.
This application suggests the use of any kind of
equipment from room air conditioners to central station
fan-coil assemblies serviced by water chilling
refrigeration within the range of factory-assembled
package equipment.
Funeral Homes
The problem of a large occupancy load for a short
duration can be resolved economically by application of
various expedients to reduce the load. The occupancy
may also vary in size. The presence of flowers requires
larger ventilation to dilute the odor effusion. A
preparation room should have a good exhaust without
any diffusion to the rest of the premises. Equipment
selection is subject to the investors capacity, method of
operation and services provided. Quietness, ventilation
ability and flexibility of control of capacity together with
pre-cooling are the main attributes in the selection of a
proper system.
Beauty Salons
Heat and odor emitting equipment (hair dryers,
curlers, etc.) and compounds used are the special
aspects of this application. An accurate evaluation of the
actual load and arrangement for positive ventilation and
exhaust are absolutely necessary. Both large beauty
salons in individual buildings and small neighborhood
shops fall into this category.
An additional problem exists in beauty salons located
within department stores, hotels or other buildings. They
must have negative pressure to prevent the spread of
odors to adjoining areas.
Air distribution should be carefully designed to avoid
drafts. There is no need for spot cooling.

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

Usually beauty salons present large areas with booths


that have low partitions. There may be separate rooms
for beauty treatments and massages. The air distribution
in large areas is usually accomplished with ceiling
diffusers, and the individual rooms are supplied by
separate outlets.
The common single duct bypass or reheat system is
adequate. Return air should incorporate an odor
absorber to relieve the system of the requirement of an
excessive outdoor air load.
Barber Shops
Air distribution that does not aim at a customers neck
or flow down mirrors should be a prerequisite. A proper
ventilation rate should be chosen. Barber shops are often
part of a large building unit; therefore they can be
conditioned by the building system. Otherwise unitary
self-contained equipment can satisfy the requirement.
Churches, Theaters and Auditoriums
These applications have one common feature, large
population. A congregation of people may consist of a
group quietly relaxed at prayer or an active crowd at a
political rally. Judgment should be exercised in applying
proper factors to provide sufficient capacity for varying
latent and transmission heat gains. The load in ordinary
cases may be standardized at 5 to 6 tons of refrigeration
per one hundred people. However structures may vary
from a large room or space as a part of a large building to
cathedrals, opera and symphony halls, and large arenas.
Often the cooling and heating air distribution cycles must
be analyzed separately.
The major factors to ascertain for summer cooling
loads are:
1. Pattern of patronage One or many services in
church, time of services or continuous; matinee and
evening performances in theaters and auditoriums;
nature of various sport or public events in arenas;
coincidence of use of auditorium within a building
with the operation of the rest of the building.
2. Ventilation Possibly reduced to 5 cfm per person.
Certain sport events and political rallies with heavy
smoking require more ventilation.
3. Stratification Application to loads, particularly in
large structures.
4. Precooling To reduce the size of air conditioning
equipment, particularly refrigeration.
5. Climatic effects Careful analysis of outdoor and
solar design conditions coincident with peak
patronage.
6. Inside design conditions 77 F db and

60 percent rh quite acceptable.


The systems applicable to churches, theaters and
auditoriums range from self-contained equipment to large
field-assembled central station systems. Either water or
ice refrigeration storage systems may be applied. Many
of these structures may incorporate extensive auxiliary
services for business, social and residential purposes.
Use of these facilities should be an analyzed as to
coincidence of loads with the major auditorium load. This
analysis may help in the overall economics of system and
equipment selection.
Dance and Roller Skating Pavilions
A large active population characterizes these
applications. The sensible heat factor is quite low;
therefore some sort of reheat must be added or more air
handled to absorb the excess moisture. The active and
spectator population must be considered. Inside design
conditions should be coordinated with air movement
around the active people. With higher air distribution
velocities higher temperatures may be selected. Most of
the factors pertaining to auditoriums are applicable.
However ventilation requirements must be raised due to
an excessive odor problem, 15-25 cfm per person
(reduced to 10-15 cfm if activated carbon is used on the
return air). Coincidence of lighting effects and activity
must be analyzed. In roller skating rinks the winter
heating requirements should be coordinated with the
radiant effect of cold walls and rood. The cooling effect
of the enclosure is not objectionable to skaters but may
be unpleasant for spectators.
Systems applicable to these structures are judged
primarily by the investors attitude. Systems of selfcontained equipment or central station fan-coil
assemblies and refrigeration should be judged on a
purely economic basis. The air distribution may be
designed around a limited number of air diffusers or with
extensive ductwork.
Factories
A distinction should be made between factory human
comfort and industrial product air conditioning. The
primary purpose of the former is comfort of the worker. In
the latter case the ambient conditions of the product are
of foremost concern. There are cases when the air
conditioning is used for the benefit of both the worker and
the product as in clean rooms or with precision products.
The economics is the deciding factor, to have the worker
efficient and satisfied resulting in a production of goods
with minimum rejects.

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

The optimum indoor design conditions of temperature,


humidity and air velocity are the keys to the efficiency of
the worker. The indoor design conditions for nonfactory
comfort application is established at 76 F and 45-50%
relative humidity; this is the condition for efficient
performance of light activity. Most factory workers can
perform at 80-85 F with dewpoints at 55-70 F and ambient
air velocities from 25-300 fpm. In a few instances workers
may tolerate temperatures as high as 90 F. It must be
remembered that it is the combined effect of temperature,
humidity and air velocity ambient to worker location that
influence the environment for factory worker efficiency.
The ambient air velocity is the velocity sweeping the
worker. The relative humidities may range from 35-80%.
If the design conditions and air movement for an entire
project prove to be uneconomical, consideration should
be given to individual cooling for a worker in a given spot
or limited area.
In certain factories the mean radiant temperature may
be significantly higher than the desired design dry-bulb
temperature. Consequently it may be necessary to lower
the design ambient air temperature and its dewpoint, at
the same time increasing the air movement. If this
solution cannot be achieved economically, shielding of
the radiation should be considered.
To achieve minimum costs a careful analysis must be
made of loads from lights, roof, walls, equipment,
processes and workers to arrive at the actual operating
load. The influence of these loads may be reduced by
the application of diversity factors and principles of
stratification and flotation of heat gains (Part 1). These
two principles are aided by radiant heat exchange,
natural tendency of heat to rise, exhausting of the warm
air and an economic balance between the outdoor air
taken thru the air conditioning equipment, the outdoor air
introduced for heat flotation, and the exhausted air.
Spot or man cooling and standard compact single
duct all-air systems are appropriate for applications in
factory air conditioning. For widely scattered spot cooling
stations it may prove more economical to convey chilled
or evaporatively-cooled water thruout the factory instead
of air. In such cases an air handling unit can be used
directly as the supply air terminal or in conjunction with
short duct runs.
MULTI-PURROSE OCCUPANCIES
Under this heading are described applications of air
conditioning systems that are practical for large multiroom multi-story buildings or compounds of buildings.
These are designed primarily for a single function
common to all occupants, either work, residence,

medical, or teaching and learning. Buildings are


occupied by multitudes of people heterogeneous in their
individual comfort desires; buildings vary in exposure to
sun, wind and shading. This diversity requires dividing
building into individual air conditioned zones. Zones
range in size from large areas to a small room. Individual
desires and a variety of coincident load conditions within
a conglomerate of zones must be satisfied.
Multi-room multi-story buildings include offices and
apartment buildings, hotels, motels, dormitories and
hospitals. There are some basic problems common to all
of these:
1. Simultaneous occupancy on all sides of a building
with daily cycle of solar effects on east-south-west
exposures.
2. Preference for individual control of space
conditions under severe variations of load.
3. Necessity for sound and odor isolation of individual
spaces.
4. Limitation in available space to house air
conditioning equipment and pipes, conduits and
ducts.
The following discussion outlines these basic
problems in various types of buildings. It also points out
the specific aspects that affect preference of one system
or another.
Office Buildings
Office buildings are mostly multi-tenant; at times they
may be occupied by a single tenant, a single
organization. This aspect varies the approach to a
solution of the problems. The multi-tenant building
requires more exacting applications. Regardless of the
occupancy most existing and some new buildings have
the following basic areas to consider-the interior and the
peripheral exterior areas. The interior areas are within the
center of a building not influenced by outdoor elements,
except the top story under a roof. Areas around the
periphery of a building (exterior zone) may extend from
12 to 20 feet inward from the outside wall. This zone is
exposed to sun, wind, outdoor temperature and shading
of the structural elements or neighboring buildings. There
is an evident need for two different air conditioning
systems to handle the two areas marked by loads of
different behavior.
An interior zone has a relatively constant load of lights
and people. Therefore a single all-air system is the most
applicable. However with complications of scattered
addition of electronic equipment and provisions to switch
off lights within a fully partitioned space, the system
grows more complex. There may appear a need for

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

either a terminal reheat, volume control, or dual-stream


all-air system. Occasionally there may be an application
for a primary air-secondary water system, particularly if
the wattage is high.
Exterior zones have extensively varying load
characteristics, from an extreme combination of sun gain
thru glass, maximum outdoor heat transmission, lights
and people to no load during marginal weather and to a
maximum negative transmission load in winter. The
exterior zone is also subject to moving shadows of
building structural elements (overhangs, reveals, fins),
neighboring buildings and clouds. These elements
together with the desires of occupants require a very
flexible air conditioning system. It must be capable of
balancing loads which may change from cooling to
heating or vice versa on different exposures and even in
adjacent spaces on the same exposure.
Added to this is the requirement peculiar to a south
exposure due to the fact that sun gain peaks in winter
months when the sun is at a low altitude. Cooling may be
required while the rest of the zones are on heating. The
south zone MUST be given special treatment in selecting
air conditioning terminals or even a separate system with
a winter source of cooling.
Another peculiarity of a peripheral zone is the winter
behavior of the building shell; it produces downdrafts
along the outside walls. The latter also act as sponges
for the radiant heat of occupants, making people quite
uncomfortable unless compensated for by a higher
ambient temperature.
Two additional characteristics of office or any multiroom, multi-story buildings are the fenestration and
general architecture. These also influence the choice of
air conditioning systems. The fenestration may vary from
25 to 75% of the outdoor wall area. In some buildings
fenestration is eliminated. The buildings may be squat,
may occupy large areas, and have a predominently
interior zone. Buildings may be tall and narrow,
consisting of only peripheral zones. Buildings with the
same total areas devoted to air conditioning, one squat
another tall, may have the refrigeration load vary only 510%, but there can be a large deviation in air handing
equipment requirements.
To meet the widely fluctuating conditions of the
exterior zones, the air conditioning system must have two
fluids available for conditioned spaces, one warm or hot
and one cold. The dual-stream all-air systems and
primary air-secondary water systems can be applied to
the exterior zones; the all-air systems require more space
for apparatus and supply and return air ducts. Where the
necessary space is available or can be sacrificed at the

cost of some other gain, the all-air systems are


appropriate. These systems are excellent from a
ventilation point of view. They provide economy in
refrigeration during marginal weather thru outdoor air
cooling.
The primary air-secondary water systems are space
savers. The primary air either takes care of the building
shell transmission losses, minimum ventilation,
dehumidification and provides motive power for the
induction units, or it provides motive power for the
induction units, or it provides ventilation and
dehumidification only, as with three-pipe induction unit,
panel-air or room fan-coil unit systems. Water carries the
major burden of heat gain neutralization; space used by
pipes is much smaller since water is over 200 times more
efficient as a heat energy-carrying fluid than air.
Although office buildings are occupied mainly for 8-10
hour periods with some offices busy into the evenings,
the air conditioning equipment should usually operate for
at least 16 hours. During peak design conditions the air
conditioning system should operate for 24 hours. This
contributes to a more economical selection of equipment.
For some buildings the simplest and best system from
a performance standpoint is the single duct all-air
terminal reheat system. All the cooling is done with the
supply air, and any variations in heat gain or loss are
satisfied by a hot water, steam or electric reheat coil
within the terminal unit.
It is necessary to repeat here the original premise
expressed at the opening. There must be an
appreciation of coincident elements of outdoor
conditions, the building shell behavior and the inside
conditions of load behavior. The result can be the proper
solution of a given problem, subject to archited-engineerowner-investor team cooperation.
There are some critical areas in each office building
and these must be given special attention. Such spaces
are conference rooms, special occupancies such as
medical, laboratory, barber shops, beauty salons,
restaurants, etc., or a concentration of electronic
equipment or special rooms devoted solely to computer
services. All of these are to be treated preferably as
separate spaces to attend to their individual requirements
of ventilation, odor and special thermal and sound
problems. Keep equipment areas away from areas of
high calibre occupancy and conference rooms since the
best techniques in vibration elimination and sound
attenuation may not completely satisfy the situation.

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

Hotels, Apartment Buildings, Dormitories


Much that has been said about office buildings and
systems used can be applied to these buildings.
However it must be observed that these buildings have
mostly exterior zones. They are operated on a 24-hour
basis thruout the year. Dormitories are an exception for
the present but in the not-too-distant future they may also
operate on a year-round basis.
Hotel guest rooms have a transient population, absent
most of the day. Coincidentally the lighting load is also
reduced. Considering these facts the individual room
loads should be determined on the basis of exposure and
either for early morning or late afternoon occupancy. The
total refrigeration load should be based on the maximum
load is either in the morning or in late afternoon with the
corresponding occupancy, lights and sun effect; with
predominant north-south exposures it is in the late
afternoon with the corresponding occupancies, lights and
sun effect.
Quick responding room temperature control and
draftless, quiet air distribution are essential. Independent
corridor ventilation is desirable. The toilet exhaust should
approximate the room ventilation requirements. There
should be independent systems for public spaces such
as lobbies, restaurants, cocktail lounges or any services
that a hotel may offer. All systems must be vibration- and
sound-isolated from occupied areas. Practically any twomedia system may be applied that confines air circulation
to individual rooms. However this does not exclude the
use of single-duct bypass systems in small hotels and
where the local regulations permit the use of corridors as
return air plenums.
Closely related to hotel applications are the modern
multi-story motels that emerge from widely spread singletwo-story motels. The application of various systems to
the multi-story motels is similar to that for hotels. All-water
2- or 3-pipe room fan-coil systems or individual selfcontained room units are more applicable to the singletwo-story motels. In the latter case sometimes the direct
use of outdoor air is excluded, relying instead on
infiltration (natural or caused by toilet exhaust) for odor
dilution. The excess infiltration should be estimated as
part of the system load. The all-water system should be
designed around a high temperature rise water
circulation. Heat pump systems also are applicable.
Apartment houses and buildings range from 2-3 story
garden type low-rise to high-rise multi-story complexes.
Apartments range from multi-room luxury class to 2-3-4
room size to single room efficiency class. The
occupancy of these apartments varies from fully filled
during the day to an occupancy much like that of hotels,

that is, occupied by professional people who are absent


during most of the day. The occupancy diversity factor
may vary from 75-80% down to 4-50%. The load
calculations must recognize a 24-hour operation. In fact
the 24-hour residential load estimate approach is
applicable for arriving at the cooling-heating
requirements.
Many systems may be applied to this application,
depending on the size and configuration of buildings and
the arrangement of apartments. These systems include
individual self-contained units and heat pumps as well as
all-air and air-water central systems. The investor and the
size and type of project are prime factors in the selection
of a particular system. Large apartment buildings often
have auxiliary services such as restaurants, shops and
office space rentals; these spaces should be handled by
independent systems.
Residential hotels and apartment houses may have
kitchen exhausts in addition to bathroom exhausts. This
must be taken into account in balancing outdoor air
intake with exhaust.
Modern dormitories are very similar to large size
apartments; daytime occupancy may be taken at 50%.
Building orientation and class schedules must be
considered. There are no problems of kitchen exhaust;
the interiors are rather austere. This means that the
sound problem approaches that of an office building
application.
Hospitals
The patient rooms of hospital buildings should be
considered like hotels except that the load requirements
are based on 100% occupancy with 24-hour, year-round
operation. Depending on the predominant exposure the
lighting load can be subjected to a diversity analysis.
The important factor is that the air circulation must be
contained within each room. Corridors, nurses stations
and serving areas must have a separate supply. Each
room must have an exhaust creating negative pressure.
There should be no cross-communication (contamination)
between various areas. The special treatment,
therapeutic, maternity, surgical, morgue and other service
areas usually have individual temperature, humidity and
ventilation requirements.
Patient areas are best handled by primary airsecondary water induction systems. In a long building
oriented east-west, with predominant north-south
exposures, all-air reheat systems are applicable. The
individual facility spaces are handled by independent
self-contained or central station fan-coil assemblies.
Absolute cleanliness from dust, odors and bacteria (along

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

with rigid hospital housekeeping) is essential. This


objective can be achieved easily with standard air
conditioning systems and equipment. These must be
simple to operate and particularly to maintain. Equipment
that presents complexity soon loses proper attention.
Schools and Colleges
The need for year-round thermal environment in a
schoolhouse is necessitated by concentrated schoolroom occupancy, elevated lighting intensity, suneffect in
case of peripheral classrooms with windows and
recognized improvement in performance of teacherstudent instruction-absorption. Another element for the
same need is the present tendency toward extension of
the 9-month school year to a full 12 months. Even without
the summer months the solution of cooling needs on the
9-month operation by use of ventilation is inadequate 2590% of the time depending on location. Ventilation for
odor dilution is an extremely important function.
Depending on room cubage per pupil and student living
habits the outdoor air requirement may vary 5-20 cfm per
pupil. Thus the load due to outdoor air is significant.
The architecture of primary and secondary school
building varies from one- or two-story standard
arrangement single buildings to windowless highly
utilized designs, to a compound of buildings devoted to
individual functions. Whatever the arrangement the type
of systems applicable to school air conditioning are
extensive. Since the main prerequisite is introduction of
sufficient outdoor air, all-air systems of any arrangement
are the best choice. They operate economically by using
outdoor air cooling any time the outdoor temperature
drops below 60 F. The package equipment and all-water
room fan-coil units have limited applications. The airwater system has extremely limited use.
The previous text has been oriented essentially toward
primary and secondary schools. Institutions of higher
learning, colleges, institutes and universities, present
similar problems which extend to a larger variety of
occupancies. The buildings are often multi-story
structures for single and multi-purpose occupancies;
therefore the system selection has greater latitude. The
refrigeration needs are often supplied by a central plant
paralleling the arrangement of central heating.
Department Stores
The more extensive the department store, the more
attention must be paid to problems of each floor or to
departments within a particular floor. The nature of each
floor is very individual. On the other hand a department

store may be quite uniform in singularity of purpose and


therefore may be handled as a unit.
Care should be exercised in evaluating the population
and local shopping habits. The location of a department
store is critical: serving a large city (purely urban
population) or a small town (catering to farming
communities); as part of a shopping center or in a deluxe
setting. The patronage pattern is individual in each case.
The air cycle of a department store air conditioning
system should correspond to the load of the specific area
or floor or at times the whole store. However the
refrigeration plant is sized on the basis of a net
instantaneous load taking into account the population
diversity factor of the entire store. Full advantage should
be taken of outdoor air for cooling during the winter.
Outdoor air preheaters should be designed to temper the
maximum outdoor air quantity.
A variety of air conditioning systems may be applied to
department stores; self-contained units or multiple central
station fan-coil assemblies with minimum ductwork may
be used. A main dehumidifier central station apparatus
may supply chilled air to recirculating booster fans in
various areas or floors. One central station assembly with
extensive ductwork may serve a department store as a
unit. Individual conditions can be maintained in a manner
suitable to the circumstances. It may be either a total
apparatus bypass control or an individual area volume
control.
Shopping Centers
The trend toward concentration of shops, variety and
department stores in outlying areas has led to the
development of shopping centers. Problems of load
calculations are stated under individual categories.
However the design of air conditioning systems is
dominated by the economics of investment and service to
the operators of stores or by agreement between the
lessees and lessor. The major choice is either individual
self-sustaining treatment of each store unit or a central
refrigeration along with a boiler plant. In the latter case
the cooling and heating services are distributed to each
on an equitable basis. Stores are usually equipped with
individual air cycles as part of the unit design.
An additional feature of shopping centers is a covered
mall connecting the stores and plazas between the
stores. These mall areas are usually air conditioned at
somewhat higher temperatures than the surrounding
stores. Doors from stores to the malls usually stay open.
Ventilation air from the stores is usually exhausted thru
the malls. At times there are openings above small

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

central plazas within a store compound; these opening


serve as exhaust relief.
Libraries and Museums
This application belongs to the industrial type since it
is primarily for the benefit of various products. The
products are on permanent display; although the design
conditions are strict, this application is similar to one for
human comfort.
Libraries and museums housing collections of books,
fine and technical arts, historical and natural sciences are
often located in large cities. This location exposes the
collections to a polluted, destructive atmosphere. Air
conditioning with special attention to filtration and
elimination of atmospheric pollutants must maintain yearround constant temperature and humidity. Fortunately
the indoor design conditions are within the human
comfort range. A thorough air movement must be
established to avoid stagnant corners.
The control of space relative humidity and the object
humidity, that is, the humidity of the thin film in close
contact with the object surface, is very essential. The
space relative humidity affects the equilibrium of moisture
content between the object and the ambient atmosphere.
The object humidity affects the surface of the object. In
both cases excessive moisture acts as a destructive
agent.
The equipment for conditioning the air may be any
kind within the economics of the given project. In
contaminated areas considerations should be given to
the removal of acidic fumes and vapors by employing
direct spray dehumidifiers or sprayed coils with spray
alkalinity maintained at a pH value of 8.5 to 9.0.
The ideal system is one that is well zoned with central
dehumidifying equipment and booster fan stations using
bypass or steam, hot water or electric reheat control. In
all cases the automatic control should incorporate a
safety device to prevent over-humidification. Equipment
vibration isolation and acoustic attenuation must be part
of the design. The system must operate 24 hours yearround.
Laboratories
The use of air conditioning systems in laboratories
provides one or more of the following services:

1. Control of regain in hygroscopic materials.


2. Influence of physiological reactions (comfort).
3. Control of chemical reactions.
4. Control of biological reactions.
With regard to their functions laboratories can be
grouped in the following types:
1. Research
2. Development
3. Test
4. Calibration
5. Pilot plants
Individual laboratories (singly or collectively) are
usually designed for a specific condition or for a range of
conditions of temperature, humidity and cleanliness
(white or clean rooms). These functions must be
maintained to very exacting requirements. The controls
and safeguards must often be quite elaborate.
The discussion that follows is confined to laboratory
buildings, where modules, research personnel offices
and conference rooms, libraries and work shops are
combined under one roof.
Chemical research
laboratories are equipped with exhaust hoods that
present specific problems.
In the design of air conditioning systems for laboratory
buildings the application of standard design patterns and
practices is very limited. Each laboratory and building is
a problem in itself that requires the following
considerations:
1. Exact room conditions.
2. Specific ventilation, often oriented to the exhaust
requirements.
3. Separation of general occupancy spaces.
4. Orientation of heavy load laboratories away from
the additional burden of sun gain.
5. High load variation in each laboratory
6. Diversity in use of laboratories.
7. Diversity in loads thruout the building.
8. 24-hour operation of laboratory spaces.
9. Constant or variable exhausts.
10. Concentrations of sensible or latent heat, requiring
either special exhausts or spot cooling or both.
11. Corrosive effects of fumes on parts of the air
conditioning, ventilation and exhaust systems.
12. Explosion hazards.

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

FIG. 17- INDUCTION HOOD


The load calculations are made in accordance with
Part 1, taking account of any special heat gains and
customer specification of indoor design conditions. The
recommended ventilation is 15-20 cfm per person unless
the amount of exhaust demands larger quantities.
The selection of an air conditioning system is dictated
by the grouping of similar spaces (zoning) and individual
requirements of separate spaces. The ordinary comfort
applications are open to any type of system; the variable
load spaces are best treated with multi-zone reheat
systems such as a constant volume, variable temperature
system; the spaces with concentrated and special loads
may need spot treatment of either temperature, humidity
and/or cleanliness provisions. Standard equipment is
applicable except for explosion hazards and corrosive
fumes requirements where applicable.
Fume exhausts may present unusual problems of both
functional and economic nature. The conditioned makeup air necessary to fill the exhaust air requirements is a
major burden on the system and increases costs. The
intermittent and varying use of exhaust hoods presents a
difficult air balancing problem, with special attention to
selecting proper air handling equipment. One solution of
fume exhaust is the application of self-ventilated hoods
(Fig. 17); the exhaust hood requirements are divorced
form the air conditioning system. Untreated outdoor air

(heated in winter) is introduced directly to the hood and


exhausted either from a group of hoods or individually.
The latter method is followed when there is a danger of
mixing exhausts because of an explosive or corrosive
nature.
In this connection it is necessary to discharge the
exhausts forcibly upward in order to fully diffuse the
fumes to protect possible recirculation into the outdoor air
intakes, whether for ventilating the exhaust hoods or the
air conditioned spaces.
Marine
The air conditioning of ships, whether a luxury
passenger liner or a cargo vessel, follows the patterns on
land. However, in defining the outdoor design conditions
it is necessary to determine the zone of sailing coverage.
Normally it is recommended that the summer outdoor
design conditions are 95 F db and 82 F wb unless sailing
areas are predominately tropical. Then the average warm
port of call defines the summer outdoor design condition.
The coldest port of call pinpoints the winter outdoor
design condition. Indoor design conditions are similar to
applications on land. The sun effect thru glass must be
evaluated on a maximum basis because of no definite
orientation. there is an added factor of sun radiant
energy diffusely reflected from the water surface.
Ventilation needs aboard ship are larger due to the
limited volume of quarters and general malodors specific
to ships. A minimum of 12.5 cfm per person or 2.5 air
changes per hour, whichever is greater, should be used
to estimate ventilation. Deluxe passenger vessels should
have more ventilation.
The compactness of the hull of a ship completely
utilizing each cubic foot of space leads to specific
considerations in the selection and design of air
conditioning systems and equipment. Generally systems
for staterooms and crew quarters are limited to air-water
induction, all-air reheat and dual-duct systems. The
public spaces are air conditioned by field-or factoryassembled conventional all-air central station fan-coil
systems.
The equipment installed aboard ship should be
selected to satisfy the following requirements: a minimum
of space; minimum noise and vibration; operation under
conditions of ships roll and pitch; use of materials able to
withstand the corrosive effects of sea air and salt water;
and sufficiently maintenance-free for the duration of a
voyage. To be prepared for emergencies the systems
should be adequately supplied with spare parts and
maintenance materials.
Table 2 presents a summary of the various
applications and air conditioning systems.

Part 9. Systems and Applications | Chapter 1. Systems and Applications

TABLE 2-SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS


Individual Room or Zone Unit Systems
DX Self-Contained
All-Water
Room Zone
Room Fan-coil

Multi-Purpose Occupancies

Single-Purpose Occupancies

APPLICATIONS
1/3 to 2 2 tons Recir.
tons and over Air
Page (9-8) (9-8) (9-8)
Medium (9-13) x
x
x
Residential Large
x
Restaurants Medium (9-13)
x
Large
x
Variety & Spctly. Shops (9-13)
x
Bowling Alleys
(9-14)
x
Radio and Small
(9-14)
x
TV Studios Large
x
Country Clubs
(9-14)
x
Funeral Homes
(9-14)
x
Beauty Salons
(9-14) x
x
Barber Shops
(9-15) x
x
Churches
(9-15)
Theaters
(9-15)
Auditoriums
(9-15)
Dance and Roller Skating
x
Pavilions
(9-15)
x
Factories (comfort)
(9-15)
Office Buildings
(9-16)
x
Hotels, Dormitories
(9-18)
x
Motels
(9-18)
Apartment Buildings
(9-18)
Hospitals
(9-18)
Schools and Colleges (9-19)
Museums
(9-20)
x
Libraries Standard
(9-20)
x
Rare Books
Department Stores
(9-19)
x
Shopping Centers
(9-19)
x
Laboratories Small
Lge Bldg (9-20)
Marine
(9-21)

NOTE:

With
Outdoor
Air
(9-8)

Central Station Apparatus Systems


All-Air
Air-Water
Single Air Stream
Prim. Air Systems
Reheat
Multi- Secndry. Room
Zone Water Fan-Coil
Variable
At
Zone Single H-V H-P with
Volume Bypass Terminal in Duct Duct Induction O.A.
(9-9)
(9-9) (9-10) (9-10) (9-10) (9-11)
(9-8)
x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x

x
x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x
x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x
x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

x
x

1. Systems checked for a particular application are the systems most commonly used. Economics and design objectives dictate
the choice and deviations of systems listed above, other systems as listed in Note 2, and some entirely new systems.
2. There are several systems used on many of these applications when higher quality air conditioning is desired (often at higher
expense). They are Dual-Duct (9-11), Dual Conduit (9-9), 3-pipe Induction and Fan-Coil (9-11), 4-pipe Induction and Fan-Coil, and
Panel-Air (-12).
3. Numbers in parentheses are page numbers of the text describing the particular system or application.

A
Air-water systems
All-air systems
bypass control
reheat control
volume control
All-water systems
Apartments
Applications
table 2
apartments
auditoriums
barber shops
beauty shops
bowling alleys
cafeterias
churches
colleges
country clubs
dance halls
department stores
dormitories
factories
funeral homes
hospitals
hotels
laboratories
libraries
marine
motels
museums
night clubs
office buildings
radio studios
residences
restaurants
roller skating pavilions
schools
shopping centers
specialty shops
theaters

TV studios
variety shops
Auditoriums

Heat pump systems


Hospitals
Hotels

Bowling alleys

C
Cafeterias
Colleges
Constant temperature, variable
volume system
Constant volume induction
system

Induction unit system

L
Laboratories
Libraries

D
Dance halls
Department stores
Direct expansion systems
Dormitories
Dual conduit system
Dual-duct system

N
Night clubs

Economics
Equipment space

F
Factories

Marine
Motels
Multi-zone unit system
Museums

Occupancies
multipurpose
single-purpose
Office buildings

Operating costs
Owning costs

P
Panel-air system

R
Residences
Restaurants
Return on investment
Roller skating pavilions
Room cooling unit system
Room fan-coil unit system

S
Schools
Self-contained unit system
Shopping centers
Specialty shops

System components
table 1
System objectives
System selection
controls
economics
environment
structure
System types
air-water
all-air
all-water
direct expansion
heat pump

T
Theaters
Three-pipe induction unit system

V
Variable volume system
Variety shops

Fig. 1 Air Conditioning Plant


Fig. 2 Heat Dissipation
Fig. 3 DX System
Fig. 4 All-Water System
Fig. 5 All-Air System
Fig. 6 All-Water System
Fig. 7 Heat Pump System
Fig. 8 DX Refrigerant Systems
Fig. 9 Room Fan-Coil Systems
Fig. 10 All-Air Volume Control Systems
Fig. 11 All-Air Bypass Systems
Fig. 12 All-Air Reheat Systems
Fig. 13 All-Air Multi-Zone Systems
Fig. 14 All-Air Dual-Duct System
Fig. 15 Air Water Induction Systems
Fig. 16 Air Water Panel-Air System
Fig. 17 Induction Hood

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