The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

Department of Building Services Engineering
Programme

BEng (Hons) in Building Services Engineering (33077)

BEng (Hons) in Building Services Engineering (33081) (Self-financed)

Level

Subject

Air-conditioning & Refrigeration (BSE3224)

Session

2007/2008 Semester 2

Date

13 May 2008

Time

9:30 am 12:00 noon

Time Allowed :

2.5 hours

This question paper has 8 pages.

Instructions to Candidates:
Attempt ANY FOUR out of the six questions in this paper.
The following constant values should be used in calculations unless otherwise specified in
individual questions:
Moist air density, a = 1.2 kg/m
Specific heat capacity of moist air, Cpa = 1.02 kJ/kgK
Latent heat of vaporisation of water, hfg,0 = 2501 kJ/kg
Specific heat capacity of water, Cpw = 4.2 kJ/kgK
Available from invigilators:
Psychrometric charts
Graph paper
R134a P-h Diagram
Recommended list of materials allowed to be taken into the examination venue:
Books, handouts, hand written notes, non-programmable calculator

DO NOT TURN OVER THE PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO

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Question 1
The perimeter and the interior zones of an office are air-conditioned by a dual conduit
VAV system. The room cooling loads and the design parameters are as follows:
Interior
Zone
Supply air flow rate:
Indoor design temperature:
Outdoor temperature:
Summer
Winter
Maximum cooling load: Sensible
Latent
Supply air state leaving the AHU (cooling)
Minimum flow rate at individual VAV
terminals relative to the design flow rate

Perimeter Zone

VAV
4.4 m3/s

35 kW
8 kW

24oC
35oC
9oC
25 kW
4 kW
90% saturation

0.4

CAV
0.4m3/s

7 kW
N/A

Determine:
a)

The design supply air flow rates from the VAV Air Handling Unit (AHU) to the
interior and the perimeter zones.
(5 marks)

b)

The design supply air temperatures of the VAV and CAV AHUs.
(4 marks)

c)

The space relative humidity in the interior and the perimeter zones at maximum
load condition. You may assume a well-mix of air from VAV and CAV systems.
(4 marks)

d)

The supply air flow rate and the total sensible load of the VAV AHU at
minimum load condition if the indoor design temperature can just be maintained
at minimum flow rate condition.
(4 marks)

e)

The supply air temperature of the CAV AHU at minimum load condition. You
may assume the supply air temperature is inversely proportional to the outdoor
air temperature.
(4 marks)

f)

The heating coils load of the CAV AHU.

(4 marks)

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Question 2
Figure Q2 shows a VAV system delivering supply air at 14oC and 90% saturation to
the zones. At the summer design condition, zone 1 has a sensible cooling load of 30
kW and will be maintained at 25oC and 50% relative humidity with the given supply
air state.
a)

Describe how the system illustrated in Figure Q2 will respond to changes of

cooling load in the zones.
(6 marks)

b)

Calculate the design supply air flow rate to zone 1. Determine the relative
humidity in zone 1 if its sensible load decreases to 60% whilst its latent load
remains at the design level.
(10 marks)

c)

Zone 2 can be maintained at 25oC and 55% relative humidity at summer design
condition. A sliding glass door in zone 2 allows access to outdoor, and it
frequently opens and induces much air infiltration during occupied hours.
Explain what will be the likely change to the air humidity in zone 2 on a humid
cloudy day at 29oC and 95% relative humidity outdoor. Hence comment on the
application of multi-zone VAV system for hot and humid climate.
(9 marks)

AHU

Ts

O.A.
VAV
Box
VCD
T

Zone 1
E.A.

Figure Q2

Zone 2

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Question 3
a)

A chilled water system has a cooling capacity of 4800 kW using primarysecondary variable speed pumping system. Figure Q3 shows the secondary loop
of the chilled water distribution system. You are given the following system
information:

the design supply and return chilled water temperatures are 7oC and 12oC;

a differential pressure transmitter is installed across the last branch (the

critical branch) for controlling the running speed of the pumps such that
the differential pressure across this branch will be maintained at the set
point-level Pc of 120 kPa at all times;

the system pressure loss through the secondary loop (Ps) that includes the
last branch but excluding the control valve is 200 kPa;

the linear control valve at the last branch will allow the design flow rate
1.8 L/s to pass through when it is fully open; and

the piping, coil and fitting pressure losses (P) for a circuit or branch
(excluding the control valve) can be related as P = RV 2 ; where V is
flow rate, and R is the flow resistance.

Determine:
i)

the design water flow rate for the secondary loop pump;
(3 marks)

ii)

the Kv of the control valve at the last branch if a valve authority of 0.3 at
the last branch is achieved;
(3 marks)

iii)

the valve to be used if the following two control valves are proposed;

32 mm control valve with Kv = 6.5

50 mm control valve with Kv = 12

(2 marks)

iv)

the total pressure loss through the coil, the pipes and the fittings in the last
branch excluding the control valve (i.e. Pb); and
(3 marks)

v)

the design pumping pressure of the secondary loop pump.

(4 marks)

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b)

Under a part-load condition where the total chilled flow rate required by all the
branches, including the last branch, is reduced to 70% of the design total flow
rate.
Determine:
i)

Pb at part-load condition;

(3 marks)

ii)

the lift of the control valve at the last branch under the part-load condition
described above; and
(4 marks)

iii)

the corresponding pumping pressure of the secondary loop pump.

(3 marks)
st

1 Branch

Last Branch

Pc
Q
Pv

Figure Q3

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Question 4
The power input for a chiller is related to the part-load ratio (PLR) by the following
equation:

Wi = Wi ,full a + b(PLR ) + c(PLR ) 2

where

= power input, kW
Wi
Wi,full = power input at full-load, kW
a, b, c = chiller specific part-load coefficients

The manufacturers data of a chiller model are provided in Table Q4 below:

Table Q4
Manufacturers data
Chiller type

Water-cooled centrifugal

Rated capacity at full-load

800 kW

Design chilled water return/supply temperature

12oC / 7oC

Power input at full-load

160 kW

Part-load coefficients: a, b, c

0.17, 0.44, 0.39

a)

How will the chilled water temperatures entering and leaving the chiller vary
with the cooling load? Describe two alternative methods of capacity control of
the chiller.
(6 marks)

b)

Calculate the COP of the chiller running at full-load, 80% and 50% load.
(5 marks)

c)

Discuss, with the aid of a graph, how the chiller COPs will vary with part-load
ratios from full-load to 10% load.
(9 marks)

d)

Four nos. of the chiller specified in Table Q4 are installed to meet with the
design cooling load in a building. When the total cooling load decreases to 2240
kW, how many chillers should be operated to give better efficiency based on the
graph of part (c)? Calculate the required total power input at this condition.
(5 marks)

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Question 5
a)

Conditioned air is delivered from two independent supply air ducts to a room as
shown in Figure Q5. The room is measured 6 m (L) 6 m (W) 2.6 m (H) and
the supply air flow rate from each supply air duct is 0.5 m3/s. You are given the
information in Table Q5; determine the resultant sound pressure level at 2000
Hz frequency band received by a person standing at the centre of the room.
(20 marks)

b)

State any assumptions made.

(5 marks)

2
1

1.5 m3/s

1.5 m3/s
0.5 m3/s
0.5 m3/s
Supply air outlets just
below ceiling, positioned at
2.6m above floor level and
at the junction of two walls
& ceiling

6m

Receiver standing at the

centre of the room

Figure Q5 Plan view of the room

Table Q5
Duct sound power level at 2000 Hz
frequency band

section
1
section
2

= 84 dB
= 84 dB
Q
W
= 10 log 2
Wref
4 r
4 W

= 10 log

Rc Wref

Direct sound pressure level (SPLD)

Reverberant sound pressure level (SPL R)
Where: W
Q
r
Rc

= sound power at the source

= directivity factor of sound intensity
= distance from the source
= room constant (= 27)

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Question 6
A shopping space with the external wall and window facing west is shown in Figure
Q6. Conditioned air from the VAV system is supplied to the shopping space by 20
numbers of two-side slot linear diffusers, each with equal flow rate discharging air
horizontally to both sides. Assuming uniform space load intensity, assess the air
diffusion performance of the existing design and recommend any necessary changes
(Hint: you may consider reducing the number of diffusers).
(25 marks)
The following design data are given:
Design indoor temperature:
Peak space load:
Specific heat capacity of air:
Density of air:
Supply air temperature:
Minimum supply air flow setting:
Table Q6.1:
Table Q6.2:
Table Q6.1

24C
sensible 23.2 kW; latent 3.5 kW
1.02 kJ/kgK
1.2 kg/m3
14 C
0.5 of design flow
ADPI design guide
Performance data of slot diffusers

ADPI Design Guide (for ceiling slot diffusers)

Room Load
(W/m2)

T0.5/L
for Max. ADPI

Maximum
ADPI

Range of T0.25/L
for ADPI > 80

350
250
125
65

0.3
0.3
0.3
0.3

85
88
91
92

0.3 - 0.7
0.3 - 0.9
0.3 - 1.1
0.3 - 1.5

Table Q6.2

Performance data for the 1.2 m long 2-slot diffusers

Performance Data

Flow Rate, Litre/s

(sum of two slots)
Horizontal
T0.5
Throw, m
T0.25
(from each slot)

47

50

67

80

95

115

135

155

175

0.9

0.9

1.2

1.5

1.5

1.8

2.1

2.4

2.4

1.5

1.6

1.8

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.6

2.7

2.9

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Window

N
20 nos. 1.2 m long slot diffusers

2m

3m

3m

3m

2m
9m

Figure Q6 Plan of the shopping space