VRF Design Considerations

Brandon Scheuermann
Application Engineer
Carrier Corporation
2012 Carrier Corporation

EDUCATION AND CREDENTIAL CREDITS

In order to receive a certificate for this course you must both:
1. Sign the workshop attendance sheet which demonstrates that you have attended
the workshop
This will be passed around the room at the start of each workshop.
Print legibly so that information can be easily verified.

2. Complete the in-class exercise sheet. Questions are self graded.

Each workshop requires the completion of an in-class exercise with questions
that will be addressed during the workshop.
As questions are addressed during the presentation, record your answers on the answer
sheet.
At the end of the workshop, you must also complete the workshop evaluation.

Turn in both the completed exercise sheet and evaluation to the moderator.
The moderator will verify that you signed in and completed the written activities before
issuing your certificate. Certificates will be delivered after the workshop.
For participants who wish to claim continuing education credit in New York you must also
sign the additional attendance sheet and include your PE registration number.
2

SESSION OBJECTIVES
At the end you should be able to:
1. Explain the advantages of VRF systems for
different applications
2. Describe the differences in 2 pipe and 3 pipe
systems
3. Explain how ASHRAE 15 requirements can be
met with VRF systems
4. Design considerations when designing a VRF
system.

CONTENTS

What is VRF
Why VRF
Advantages of VRF
Design Considerations

WHAT IS VRF
VRF system is a short for Variable
Refrigerant Flow system. Refrigerant
flow is varied based on demand

- System where multiple

can be connected to outdoor units.
- Fan coils are controlled
individually or by group controls.
- Refrigerant flows to the unit that is
calling for heating or cooling.

TYPICAL VRF SYSTEM

Outdoor unit
Compressor
Liquid line (fully liquid)

Indoor unit
Refrigeration Pipe
(Liquid, Gas)
Each indoor unit can be controlled individually.
On/Off setting , Set point, Air volume, louver position can be set individually.
Operation mode priority : Cooling or Heating, not simultaneously in heat pump model

Cooling : Expansion=Indoor unit

Liquid line=Condensed liquid

Heating : Expansion=Outdoor unit Liquid line =Condensed liquid

VARYING REFRIGERANT FLOW

How does the outdoor unit respond to the varying
demands and vary the flow of refrigerant?
The compressors(s) in the outdoor units are
inverter driven which means that their speed can
be varied by changing the frequency of the
power supply to the compressor.
As the compressor speed changes, so does the
amount of refrigerant delivered by the
compressor.

USE WHEREVER PART LOAD EXISTS

Application:
In case of:
Not all units are on.
Example: office area is on,
meeting room is off.

In case of:
Orientation of building
Example: East/West
exposure

In case of:
Decreased load.
Example: office closed

OFF

Apartment,

Office building

ZONING OPERATION OF VRF

(In case of cooling)

: Piping
: 4-way cassette type
: Hi-wall type
: Outdoor units

VRF CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS

Why VRF

Pinellas Heights Senior Housing

162 apartments and one central hall
11 VRF heat recovery units
204 Tons

Why VRF
Customer options:
Roof tops: Not an option due to layout of the structure
Residential Units:
162 systems will be required
High installation cost compared to VRF
Increased number of penetrations to the roof
Less efficient than VRF System
Chilled Water:
Individual tenant billing issues
Require 4 pipe system
Larger pipes
Requires pumps
Requires a boiler
Less efficient than VRF

ADVANTAGES OF VRF
- Comfort
- Design flexibility
- Energy savings
- Cost effective installation

COMFORT
Comfort by providing even cooling
or heating when and where it is
required.

WHY THE COMFORT

Compressor

Compressor
cycles on
and off

Room
temperature

Room
temperature
fluctuation
Time

WHY THE COMFORT

The inverter is the device which converts direct-current into
alternating-current.

Inverter (heating operation)

Non on-off

Compressor

Smooth control

Set point
Room
temperature

There is not the change of

the room temperature.
Time

No roomtemperature
fluctuation

EASE OF DESIGN

Multiple types of fan coils and sizes provides

design flexibility for different applications.
Design software simplifies selecting and piping
design.

ENERGY SAVINGS
Energy efficient : No energy loss
due to moving conditioned air in
duct work.

Energy efficient : No pumps and

individual zone control

COST EFFECTIVE INSTALLATION

Cost effective due to:
Equipment handling no cranes
Smaller wire sizes and disconnects
Smaller pipe sizes when compared to chilled water

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
Applied space layout
Type of system
Characteristics of VRF System
Size of units
Piping configuration
Refrigerant Distribution
Controls

Initial cost of the system

Efficiency of the system
Meeting ASHRAE 15 standard
Comfort
Reliability

APPLIED SPACE LAYOUT

Outdoor unit
Cooling

Heating

APPLIED SPACE LAYOUT

Peak loads
Types of loads
Distribution of loads zones?
Usage of space diversity?

APPLIED SPACE LAYOUT

C
D

APPLIED SPACE LAYOUT

North

C
West

D
A

East

B
South

Operation Mode
Room A Room B Room C

Room D

Morning

Heating Heating Heating

Heating

Noon

Cooling Heating Heating

Heating

2 oclock

Cooling

Cooling Heating

Heating

Evening

Heating Heating Heating

Heating

DIVERSITY

10 TR

2nd floor

(b)

(a)
3.5 TR

1st floor

Ground floor

(d)

4 TR
(c)

1 TR
(e)
1 TR

3 TR

Rooftop

TYPE OF SYSTEM

Heat Pump or
Heat Recovery?

HEAT RECOVERY CONCEPT

Heat discharge of condenser
depends on indoor cooling

Evaporator

Condenser

Heat absorption of
evaporator depends on
indoor heating

Consumption minimize control

Minimum outdoor fan rotation

ENERGY SAVINGS BY HEAT RECOVERY

Ex. Mainly Cooling, Partly Heating Operation

Power
saving!
Heat
Rejection

Heating

Heat
Absorption

Outdoor unit

Cooling

Indoor unit

THREE PIPE SYSTEM

4 pipe connection
3 pipe
Discharge gas pipe

[outdoor - outdoor ]

Suction gas pipe

Liquid pipe

Switching box

Simultaneous
operation

Cooling

Cooling

Heating

Heating Heating

THREE PIPE SYSTEM

Enable freely simultaneous operation of cooling
and heating by controlling the FS unit.
Main Heat
Exchanger

Sub-Heat
Exchanger

Ex. Main Cooling, Partly Heating

FS unit

Indoor unit
Compressor

Outdoor unit
Heating

Cooling

Cooling

Cooling

THREE PIPE SYSTEM

THREE PIPE SYSTEM

TWO PIPE SYSTEM

Mainly cooling operation
<Outdoor unit>
4way-valve

High
pressure

<BC controller>

Changeove
r
valve

Low pressure
<Indoor
unit>

2 phase flow
Cooling

Gas
Low pressure gas

Cooling

Compressor
Heating
Condenser
Liquid - Gas
separator
High pressure
Gas
High pressure
2 phase flow

High pressure liquid

THREE PIPE VS. TWO PIPE PERFORMANCE

ThreePipe

TwoPipe

Asshownbythetwoschematicsabove,the2pipe systemmustmakeacompromise
duringmixedloadconditions.Thesystemisphysicallyunabletosupplybothhigh
temperaturegas&highpressurecondensedliquidthroughasinglepipe. Nosuchissues
withthe3pipedesign.

SUPER EFFICIENT OPERATION

SUPER EFFICIENT OPERATION

(Simultaneous operation)

CHARACTERISTICS OF VRF SYSTEMS

Type of compressors used
Number of compressors used
Oil management systems

COMPRESSOR COMPARISONS
Rotary compressor

Scroll compressor

COMPRESSOR COMPARISONS
Scroll compressor

Twin rotary compressor

Out

Out

In
In

In

COMPRESSOR COMPARISONS
Compression process

Energy loss

High

Refrigerant
pressure
Part load

Rotary
Scroll

Rated

Rotary
Scroll

Low

Time

Part load efficiency : Rotary has more advantage than Scroll !

EFFICIENCY: ROTARY VS.SCROLL

Total efficiency

80
5
75
4.5
704
65
3.5
603
2.5
55
502
1.5
45
1
40
0.5
350
30
0
0

Rotary

Scroll

Twin-rotary
advantage

Scroll compressor: Low

efficiency
in low and high

Hz area

20
20

40
40

60
80
60
80

Rotation
Hz

100
100

120
120

EFFICIENCY: ROTARY VS.SCROLL

Energy
saving

Rotary

Scroll

Through
all range

Narrower range

Rotary vs. Scroll Summary

CHARACTERISTICS OF VRF SYSTEMS

Type of compressors used
Number of compressors used
Oil management systems

NUMBER OF COMPRESSORS

All inverter

Single Inverter
Inverter + fix speed
Digital Scroll

INV compressor

INV compressor

INV compressor

--

INV compressor

Fix speed COMP.

FIX speed digital

scroll
compressor

Scroll compressor

COMPRESSOR OPERATION
Load

1 inverter + 1 fix-speed
compressors

Multiple inverter
compressors

Output > load

INV on low rpm

INV on high rpm

Output =load
INV on mid rpm

Load distribution of the capacity (image)

Output =load
Every INV on mid rpm
High efficiency
Low noise

PART LOAD PERFORMANCE - COOLING

Outdoor

W/O Hot Gas Bypass

W Hot Has Bypass

Indoor

Cool

Cool

Full close

Refrigerant flow rate matches the

cooling load

Refrigerant flow is by-passed if refrigerant

flow cannot be reduced to match the
demand.

COMPRESSOR ROTATION
The actual running time of each compressor is quite different.
(Hours)
12000
10000

INV INV INV

Multiple inverter driven

compressors operate
equal hours through
compressor rotation
algorithm. This avoids too
much mechanical wear.

8000

3 Inverter

6000

1 Inverter
1 INV+2 FIX

4000
2000
0
COMP.1

COMP.2

COMP.3

BACKUP OPERATION
In case of:
1 system, 1 compressor fails.
Different VRF system has different capacity output
because of compressor number and oil management.

Broken
compress
or

Capacity Output remaining

3 inverter

1 Inverter

1 Inverter + 1
Fix

NO.1NO.2NO.3

NO.1

67%

0%

0%

NO.2

67%

50%

NO.3

67%

ADVANTAGES OF ALL INVERTER SYSTEMS

Big capacity
(168kBtu/h)
scroll
compressor

Single inverter

All inverter

Efficiency

Low efficiency in low/mid

rpm.

Wide rotation speed, high

efficiency in low/mid rpm.

Reliability

Inverter compressor has to

run all the time. Compressor
failure results in total
capacity loss.

Less oil discharge, low vibration

in different rpm

Comfort

Min. output is much bigger

than load demand.

Min. output can meet Min.

capacity indoor units demand.
Less temperature fluctuation.

ADVANTAGES OF ALL INVERTER SYSTEMS

Inv

FIX

Inverter + FIX speed

All inverter twin-rotary

Efficiency

Low efficiency when both

compressors are operating.

System operates in high efficient

compressor combination and rpm.

Reliability

Inverter compressor has to

run all the time. Limited
condition in compressor back
up operation

Equal operation time amongst the

compressors. Any compressor
failure can be backed up by other
compressors.

Comfort

Output capacity fluctuation by Min. output can meet Min. capacity

fixed compressor ON/OFF
indoor units demand. Stable
operation
operation in low load conditions.

CHARACTERISTICS OF VRF SYSTEMS

Type of compressors used
Number of compressors used
Oil management systems

OIL BALANCE CONTROL

Oil volume is controlled by temperature sensor.
Prevent compressor trouble which comes from oil
shortage

Compressor

Compressor

Decrease oil volume

Thermo sensor
Temp.
Temp.isishigh,
decreased,

refrigerant
runslow.
ifif oil
volume is not

OIL SUPPLY SYSTEM

Oil will be supplied from Oil separator to Compressor,
if oil volume is insufficient
Supply oil to insufficient compressor.
Oil separator
[Open two-way valve]

<Compressor>

<Compressor>

Volume decrease

OIL SUPPLY CONTROL BETWEEN OUTDOOR UNITS

Control oil balance between
outdoor units
Unit A
Unit B
Equalize oil volume between Units

Detect oil
insufficient

[Open two-way valve]

[Open two-way valve]

REFRIGERANT FLOW
Outdoor unit
Gas
refrigerant

When the load is satisfied

does the PMV shuts off
completely?

Indoor unit

Heat exchanger
Max

Liquid
refrigerant
Mid

If PMV does not shut off

completely, refrigerant flows
through the satisfied units
causing loss in efficiency

Mini

Stop
PMV
Temperature
sensor

PART LOAD HEATING PERFORMANCE

Without active oil and refrigerant management,
the problem is:
Discharge
temperature

86 F
Oil and
refrigerant

Operation time
Some of oil and refrigerant are
stored in stopped indoor units

In part load operation,

oil level in running
compressor becomes
low, active refrigerant
volume is also not
enough.

Oil
Refrigerant

Pulse Motor Valve

Some manufactures VRF system do not shut off the PMV
completely when load is satisfied to allow refrigerant return
during heating operation, this uses more energy for
compressor operation.

SIZE OF SYSTEM
Load distribution
Pipe length
Refrigerant amount
Meeting ASHRAE 15 standard
Oil return at part load
Refrigerant distribution

SIZE OF SYSTEM
Outdoor unit
Cooling

Heating

OIL AND REFRIGERANT MANAGEMENT

In case of:
Large capacity outdoor unit using modular combination,
When it is on part load operation, it only need run one of
module. The oil return and balance is always necessary.

Problem point
1, Oil and refrigerant in stopped
outdoor unit cannot be shared without
compressor running in the stopped unit.
2, Refrigerant gets accumulated
in stopped indoor units during heating

PIPING CONFIGURATION
Piping Combination
Line branching
Y-Shape branching Joint

PIPING CONFIGURATION
Piping Combination
1-2. Header branching
4-branching Header

8-branching Header

PIPING CONFIGURATION
Piping Combination Trade-Offs
Line Branching
Typical Application

When units are in a line

and distant from each other.
Brazing access is not a problem.

Advantages
Tends to use less piping

Disadvantages
Tends to have more brazing
connections
Joints are relatively expensive

PIPING CONFIGURATION
Piping Combination Trade-Offs
Header Branching
Typical Application

When units are in a cluster and

relatively equidistant from each other.
Brazing access in some areas
may preclude multiple Y joints.

Advantages
Less connections to braze
Collectively less expensive
than Y joints

Disadvantages
Tends to increase piping length
May add to refrigerant charge

TWO PIPE VS. THREE PIPES

3 Pipe System

2 Pipe System

PIPING CONFIGURATION
1. Example Building Layout
CDU's

Electrical and
Mechanicals

Office1

All areas have drop

ceilings with 16 of
space above the
ceiling

Office4

Office2
Office5

Conference

Office3
Office6
mens
Washroom
Womens
Washroom

64

Reception
Lobby

PIPING CONFIGURATION
CDU's

Lobby

PIPING CONFIGURATION
CDU's

Lobby

PIPING CONFIGURATION
CDU's

Lobby

REFRIGERANT DISTRIBUTION
Supply right amount of refrigerant to satisfy the demands of the
each room.

REFRIGERANT DISTRIBUTION
In case of heating operation

5F

Pulse Motor Valve

Gas refrigerant pipe

4F

Liquid refrigerant pipe

Sensor of temperature
difference

3F

Indoor unit
Gas

Liquid

2F

1F

REFRIGERANT DISTRIBUTION

5F

4F
Gravitation
3F

2F

Refrigerant flow control of indoor

units
Floor

Valve opening rate

5F

Small

4F

Middle

3F

Middle

2F

Middle to Large

1F

Large

1F

This control realizes

stable indoor temperature.

REFRIGERANT DISTRIBUTION

CONTROLS

QUESTION #1
A. What are the advantages of using multiple compressors on
VRF systems?

___________________________________
B. Will using multiple inverter driven compressors give you
additional advantage?

________________________________________

73

QUESTION #2
What design considerations will help you meet ASHRAE 15
Standards?

___________________________________
________________________________________

74

QUESTION #3
A. Which type of compressors (scroll or rotary) use less oil?

___________________________________
B. What are the implications of oil management on the
reliability of the system?

________________________________________

75

QUESTION #4
What design considerations should be used to decide what
type of VRF system to use?

___________________________________
________________________________________

76

THANK YOU!

77