6/15/2014 Field Notes on Commercial VRF | Commercial HVAC content from Contracting Business

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The 15 Mitsubishi R2 Series units on the roof of Towson City Center have freed up the 13th floor
mechanical room, which is now used as the buildings data center. Photo courtesy Mitsubishi.
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Field Notes on Commercial VRF
compiled by Terry McIver | Contracting Business
Variable refrigerant flow heating and air conditioning technology has found a secure footing as a
comfort option for a variety of commercial HVAC applications.
Here are two case studies of successful VRF installations, and comments from contractors posting
to HVAC-Talk.com.
Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heating and air
conditioning technology has found a secure footing as a
comfort option for a variety of commercial HVAC
applications. Here are two case studies of successful VRF
installations. Comments are also included from contractors
posting opinions on HVAC-Talk.com.
VRF Replaces School Boiler
Sycamore Elementary School, Dorr, MI, is just one example of a school where
administrators are starting to pay attention to energy efficiency.
Sycamore Elementary School asked Vytau Virskus, with Millennium Energy, to help
them replace their previously outdated boiler system with more effective and energy
efficient HVAC system. The project
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Building size made rooftop installation impractical,
so the LG Multi V IV units were staged on Sycamore
school grounds. Photo courtesy LG.
needed a solution that not only had low
energy consumption, but would also keep
the children warm during the chilly
Michigan winters and cool during the hot
summers.
We were looking for a system that
would not only cut costs, but also provide
a quiet and functional classroom
environment for the students, said
Virskus, We were also able to connect
the unit to a dashboard that will measure
the energy efficiency over time.
After evaluating a variety of different
options, Millennium Energy chose LG
Electronics Multi V IV Air Cooled
VRF Heat Pump system because of the
quality and benefits it provided.
The Multi V IV is designed to meet the
needs of a varying Michigan climate
such as Michigan which can have very cold winters and very hot spring/summer
temperatures. The Multi V IV system allows teachers to heat or cool specific areas of the
building simultaneously in an energy-efficient manner, which is a significant benefit over
ducted systems. Rooms in direct sunlight can be kept cool, while rooms that receive no
sun can be warmer. The LG Multi V IV also offers users a more compact product that is
lighter in weight than any other model currently on the market, according to the
company.
The flexible design enables the VRF system to adapt to any current setup a building can
offer and requires fewer materials than other systems. For Sycamore Elementary, Virskus
was able to integrate the HVAC system into the existing environment using the AC Smart
Premium control system provided with the LG package.
Sick Building Cured with VRF Makeover
In 2002, a 15-story office tower in Towson, MD was diagnosed as a sick building, and
closed due to major ventilation issues. Today, the Towson City Center is certified as a
LEED Silver building, thanks in part to a VRF system from Mitsubishi.
Caves Valley Partners, a
Towson-based real estate
development firm, acquired the
building in 2012, and was intent
on reviving it through a state-of-
the-art modernization program.
The renovation included a new
glass curtain wall faade and full-
scale replacement of the 170,000
sq.ft. buildings electrical and
mechanical systems.
The massive amount of work was
completed by Mechanical
Engineering & Construction
Corp. (MEC2) of Baltimore.
Steve Wagner, director of
engineering for MEC2, and
company principal Rich Beattie,
said the challenging work ahead
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Taking the Current Out of Current Switches
New technology allows a current switch to be conf igured
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technicians working in a live enclosure, are of ten More
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Towson City Center
of them include gutting the entire
tower, with only structural steel,
slabs, and elevator core left
standing. Another challenge was
working with the low deck height
of the buildings original design.
The space between floors
measured only 10 ft., 6-in., not
the usual 14-ft. found in most
buildings. Therefore, a ducted
HVAC solution was unworkable.
Only a non-ducted solution
would do, and keep the project a
condender for LEED status.
The team selected a Mitsubishi
VRF R2 Series zoning system,
which helped the design team
meet the challenges before them.
They installed 15 rooftop units.
It was combined with a
dedicated outdoor air system
(DOAS) providing all the
ventilation to the building, which
left the Mitsubishi system to be
the heating and cooling
component of the system. The system trades heat between the interior and exterior. So in
the shoulder months youre getting heating and cooling for free, Wagner explained.
Because the Mitsubishi multi-port controller makes the system so flexible, we were able
to easily orchestrate the piping and wiring for each floor, he continued. Its so much
easier and less costly to install, that individual zoning becomes immediately available.
When a building isnt leased, and theres no interor tenant improvement plan, this system
allows you to install indoor fan coils when space becomes rented and rooms identified.
"We needed to integrate the system into a building management system. We had a
separate BMS which controls many of the functions of the building. The Mitsubishi
Electric system integrated seamlessly into that BMS, where we can access the data locally
or remotely through any computer. It's all web-based.
According to Wagner, one of the main benefits of the Mitsubishi installation is that its a
two-pipe system rather than a three-pipe system. This results in a reduced number of
fittings.
What weve found in the past and weve installed plenty of different systems, is that the
labor it takes to complete the pipefitting is reduced with the Mitsubishi system, thus
saving money, he said.
Mitsubishi Electrics low-profile (9 7/8-in.) indoor unit fan coils helped the design team
overcome the ducting heigh limitations posed by the low decks. The Mitsubishi zoning
technology earned the project 11 LEED energy points.
Commercial VRF Discussion Forum
On the Contracting Business HVAC-Talk.com discussion forum, contractors share their
experiences with HVAC technology. Here's something of what these contractors had to
say about their experiences with various commercial VRF systems. These comments are
edited. You can visit these links for more of their comments: bit.ly/VFRchat1 and
bit.ly/VRFchat2.
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What Do You Say are Commercial VRF's Advantages?
A1: Ive installed and serviced VRF systems from the big three Mitsubishi, Daikin,
and LG. Its nice to be running piping next to ancient hot and chilled water pipes,
knowing that you dont have to mess with those. Performance is almost never a question
with equipment selection. The system modulates to load, so an indoor unit thats slightly
over-sized isnt an issue. tech45
A2: The LG Multi V IV is a very good retrofit application, in areas where space is
limited. controlsinmt
A3: In the very cold climate of Maine, VRF systems cant really stand alone without
making some considerations in heating mode. We did a 42-ton unit in a two-story bank
office building. We had six condensers. That system works phenomenally well. We made
provisions to use hydronic coils as the backup, to operate in extremely cold weather. My
biggest complaint is that the building design engineers dont understand them VRF
products they design them in, so we wind up making modifications to the design from a
technical perspective. They tend to draw piping layouts that dont meet the
manufacturers requirements, such as the distance from the BC (branch control) boxes
where the 3-pipe system splits and the units. meplumber
A4: The drawback is the integration into a Tridium AX front-end. Were using a BACnet
interface, and it doesnt seem to communicate as well as we were promised. The dead
band from heating to cooling is also frustrating from an energy conservation standpoint.
I believe the default is two degrees. We have it set at six degrees. So at a 72F set point, it
should go to cooling at 75F and call for heat at 69F. That works, but it will stay in cooling
until the area drops below 69F. The main occupant complaint we have been getting is the
default fan on during cooling mode. This complaint is basically from the cassette style
units in individual offices. The only way to have the fan off is to command it off or turn
the unit to heating mode. Occupants do seem to get confused with the room controllers.
Theyre not the easiest things to set up. controlsinmt
A5: You can put three outdoor units together and serve 38 tons. They also seem to have
less piping and refrigerant. Three-pipe systems are very nice. They essentially transfer
heat from one room to another, as opposed to sending it out through the condenser if you
have varying loads. as an example, you can remove BTUs from a server room all winter,
and send them to the occupied space, instead of out through the roof. really makes a
system efficient. flange
A6: VRF seems to perform well, in the end. Like any system, each job requires tweaking
and time to sort out issues. The good: variable capacity throughout each zone by default;
centralized control by default; definite rules of installation and practices; reliability due to
constant monitoring from the system controls. The not so good: labor expectations
(longer than some are promised); service clearances in occupied ceilings for BC
controllers and branch selectors; wall hung units and condensate. tech 45
A7: Installers need to be a bit particular during the install, about keeping it clean and
doing it right. For companies starting out, it can be hard to get it together when starting
out in the VRF world. You should anticipate some issues with installation when you start
to offer VRF. Heating/cooling costs are typically quite a bit less after putting one of these
in, aside from the ability to dehumidify, heat, and cool all at once. numbawunfela

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