Optimizing Energy Efficiency with

VRV Heat Recovery Hot Water

System for Hotel Application
16 March 2023

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Background

Graduate bachelor in Mechanical Engineering (Hons) in 2009 and

joined Daikin R&D as Product Development Engineer. After 2.5
years in R&D, he ventures into new career as chiller maintenance
service sales, VRV & control system commissioning, engineering
support and in present - Manager of Application Engineering
Department, Daikin Malaysia

He has more than 10 Years Experiences in HVAC Industry

particularly VRV System and Centralized Control System Design
for Commercial Building. His subject of interests include both air-
cooled and water-cooled VRV, VRV-AHU, Centralized Control
System, Green Building, IAQ, Heat Recovery Hot Water System,
Urban Farming and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis.

Key achievements include VRV & Control System commissioning

for GM Klang, Berjaya Central Park, Komtar Penang, Menara
Khuan Choo and others. Involved in designing first Car Showroom
with GBI Gold and many other projects.
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Overall System Conceptual
VRV-HRHW Fresh Air AHU
Cold Thermal
Water Storage
Tank Hot Water
Tank HEx HEx

Pump

Fresh Air
ASHRAE 62.1 minimum
ventilation rates

Return Line

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Hot Water Shower @Hotel

3~5 Star Hotel Budget Hotel

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Hot Water Shower @Budget
Hotel
Instant Water Heater with 3.6kW heating capacity.

Reverse Engineering:
Mdot x C x dT = 3.6kW
Mdot = 3.6kW / (4.18 kJ/kg.K x 13K)
Mdot = 0.066kg/s @3.97L/min

Incoming water temperature: 27oC

Water outlet temperature: 40oC
dT = 40-27 = 13K
C = 4.18 kJ/kg.K

Assume shower time: 10 minutes at tariff B RM0.509 per kWh

Electricity bill at each shower:

3.6kW x 10minutes x RM 0.509/kWh = RM0.31 per shower
High building electrical load! Need size bigger power incoming,
wire size, and fuse breaker etc.
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Hot Water Shower @3~5
Star Hotel

Thermal Storage
Cold Hot Water Tank
Water 60-65oC
Tank
To be discussed
in next page:
Pump
Hot Water
Generation
Cold Hot
Water Water
27oC 60oC

Assume:
Shower Head 11L/min
Shower at 40oC
Recommends non-
pressurized hot water tank

Return Line
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 Hot Water Generation
A 200 bedrooms hotel would require an
approximately 17000L daily of hot water at 60oC

2. Electric Heater 3. Heat Recovery Non-Pressurized Hot

1. Heatpump Water Tank (HWT)
COP~1 COP~Infinity
COP~3

Fresh Water Inlet 27oC

Hot Water Outlet

Several option is possible: 60-65oC
1. Heatpump + Electric Heater
2. Heat Recovery + Electric Heater (Provided heat recovery is sufficient)
3. Heat Recovery + Smaller Heatpump + Electric Heater
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 Hot Water Generation
A 200 bedrooms hotel would require an
approximately 17000L daily of hot water at 60oC

2. Electric Heater 3. Heat Recovery Non-Pressurized Hot

1. Heatpump Water Tank (HWT)
COP~1 COP~Infinity
COP~3

Fresh Water Inlet 27oC

Hot Water Outlet

Possible control logic (for optimization): 60-65oC
1. Pump (Heat Recovery) run when HWT temp. <65oC
2. Pump (Heat Pump) run when HWT temp. <55oC
3. Pump (Electric Heater) run when HWT temp. <45oC
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 Water Heating via Heat
Recovery
R410a P-h chart Schematic
Q1
Incoming water
P Compressor discharge Condenser 20oC - 55oC
temperature 75oC - 95oC
Q1
Close
Q2
Q2 Q2
Heat Exchanger
EXV

w w
q
Evaporator
h
q
• Heat available for recovery is the heat that is removed from the room or
space, q + heat available due to the compression of the refrigerant in
the compressor. It would be desirable to reclaim this heat in a usable
form. The best form of heat recovery is for heating water.
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 Water Heating via Heat
Recovery
Every VRV-HRHW module is able to connect to one
or maximum two Daikin Serpentine Heat Exchanger.

Serpentine Heat Exchanger

VRV-HRHW
Serpentine Heat
Exchanger

Hot refrigerant/
compressor discharge 10
 Water Heating via Heat
Recovery

Hot refrigerant Hot refrigerant Hot refrigerant

piping piping piping

Hot Water
Tank

Circulation pump
Note: Above illustration water piping is reverse return concept with centralize pump, other design is possible
depends on site requirements. 11
Example Heat Recovery Hot
Water System

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Case Study
A 200 bedrooms hotel

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Case Study
A 200 bedrooms hotel

Fresh air system is choose for

heat recovery because of long
operation hour (24hrs), other
Fresh Air
ASHRAE 62.1 minimum area such as lobby, corridor,
ventilation rates office, restaurant and guest
bedroom are potentially
integrate to heat recovery
system.

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 Case Study
A 200 bedrooms hotel

Assuming 200 bedrooms size 300sqft @2 occupancy. Fresh air require:

= 200 bedrooms x (2 person x 5 cfm + 300sqft x 0.06 cfm/sqft)
= 5,600 cfm

~To precool 5,600 cfm of fresh air, approximately a 40HP FAHU require.
From manufacturer’s engineering data, model RWHQ40THYM is able to
provide 156.8kWh of free heating.
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 Case Study
A 200 bedrooms hotel require 793.1kWh daily
water heating capacity

2. Electric Heater 3. Heat Recovery Non-Pressurized Hot

1. Heatpump Water Tank (HWT)
COP~1 COP~Infinity
COP~3

Fresh Water Inlet 27oC

Heat Pump Heat Recovery Hot Water Outlet

636.3kWh 156.8kWh 60-65oC

Saving ~20%

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 Actual Projects

Hotel @Penang
Hotel @Selangor
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 Actual Projects

Hospital @N.Sembilan
Hotel @Perak
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 Thank you!
[email protected]

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