HVAC Basics

The Basics of Heating, Ventilation

and Air Conditioning

Presented by: Mark Kartchner, PE, LEED
Kartchner Engineering
Energy Use Office Buildings
Mechanical System Costs
First Cost - Water cooled chillers beat Air cooled chillers at
about 200 Tons (80,000 SF)
SEL HQ VAV-$10.5/SF, FP-$1.9/SF, Plumb-$3.4/SF 90,000 SF
CWC $12.5/SF WSHP & $3.5/SF Plumb 90,000 SF
Mechanical System Costs (Provide & Install)
8
10.5
12
14
14.5 14.5
19
20
0
5
10
15
20
25
RTU-Gas/Air
Cooled
RTU-Heat
Pumps
VAV-Elec Heat Multi Zone RTU VAV-Hot Wtr
Heat
WSHP-HP,
Boiler, Chiller,
Cooling Tower
DOAS w/ 4-
Pipe Fan Coil
Variable
Ref rigerant
Volume
D
o
l
l
a
r
s

(
$
)
HVAC Rules of Thumb
Air - 1 CFM/SF
Cooling (office) 300/400 SF/Ton
Cooling (office) 400 CFM/Ton
Heating 25-35 btuh/sf floor area
Outside Air 20 CFM/person
Toilet/Jan Closet 10 air changes/hour

HVAC Equipment/SF
Mechanical Room (Boilers/Chillers/Pumps/Misc) =
GU College Hall = 2000 SF/186,000 = 1.1%

Mechanical Room (Boilers/Pumps/Misc) =
RTF (tight) 300 SF/28,000 SF = 1.1%
Colbert Elementary 312 SF/ 40,000 SF = 0.8%

RTU (Gas/Electric/VAV) =
SEL Office (35x12 (2))/95,000 SF


Building Envelope
Load Calculations
Heating and Cooling
Accuracy important!
Design conditions
Building shell load
R, U value
Internal load
Ventilation load
Infiltration
Occupancy schedules




Heat Transfer
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
Resistance (R-Value)
U = 1 / R
Q = U x A x T

U-Value is the rate of
heat flow in Btu/h
through a one ft
2
area
when one side is 1
o
F
warmer

Actual R-Values
Window Types
The amount of solar
heat energy allowed to
pass through a window
Example: SHGC = 0.40
Allows 40% through and
turns 60% away
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient
Window Properties
Energy Calculations in the Spokane region show that
reflective, and tinted windows increase energy usage on an
annual basis.
Energy Saving Design Methods

Air Side Economizers
Water Side Economizers
Variable Frequency Drives
Building Diversity
Part Load Performance
Thermal Storage
Heat/Energy Recovery
HVAC SYSTEMS
Heating, Ventilation and Air
Conditioning
Provides comfort for people
Allows humans to exist
under adverse conditions.
Basic Refrigeration Cycle
System Types
Packaged Rooftop Unit
Split System
Air to Air Heat Pump
Water Source Heat Pump
Geothermal
VAV Variable Air Volume
Under Floor Air Distribution (UFAD)
Air to Air
Hydronic (water)
PTAC / PTHP
Packaged Rooftop Units (RTU)

Split System
Heat Pump (Air to Air)
Operate on simple
refrigeration cycle
Reversing the cycle
provides heating
Temperature
limitations
Air to air
Water source
Geothermal
Lake coupled
Water Source Heat Pump
Geothermal Heat Pump Systems
(VAV) Variable Air Volume
VAV Terminal Units
Variable volume:
Parallel


Constant volume:
Series
Under Floor Air Distribution (UFAD)

Advantages
Individual Controllability
Re-Configurability
2 Extra LEED Points
Disadvantages
More Expensive ($8/SF
for raised floor)
Flexible for Change
2 Extra LEED Points
Inland Power &
Light
First UFAD in area






Hydronic systems
Four Pipe Fan Coil
VAV w/ HW Reheat

Hydronic System Major Equipment
Chillers
Boilers
Cooling Towers
Chilled Water System
Economizers
Air Side
Water Side
Economizers
Free cooling source: When available, use cool
outdoor air instead of mechanically cooled air.
55
o
F
80
o
F
Minimum supply
of outside air
Normal Operation
Outside air dampers are
positioned to provide the
minimum outside air
Economizer Operation
Outside air dampers are fully
open. Maximum outside air is
provided
80
o
F
55
o
F and
up
85%
outside
air
85%
exhaust
HVAC-29
Enthalpy Wheels
Air Distribution
Grilles, Registers
Many options
GU Russell Theatre
Return Grille
Return Plenum
Extra cost for plenum
rated cable is less than
cost of return ductwork
No Combustables

Outside Air Louvers


Outside Air Louvers
provide an opening in a
building wall to push air
out, or pull air in.
Provide clean outdoor air,
avoid:
loading docks
exhaust vents
plumbing stacks
waste collection
stagnant water

Metal Ducts
Square Ductwork
Most common
Low height
Round Ductwork
Less Expensive
Easy to Install
Lower static pressure
Taller than Rectangular
Higher pressure
Less Sound
Oval Ductwork
Same advantages of round
Height similar to rectangular
More expensive than rectangular






Fabric Ducts
Great for certain
applications
Gyms
Pools
Manufacturing
Spokane Science
Museum
Advantages
Great Diffusion
Easily Cleaned
Fun
Same cost as
metal


Saved $300,000 in
cost at high
school. Lowered
chilled water temp,
& air temperatures
Additional Equipment
Heat Exchangers
Humidifiers
Silencers

Kitchen Hoods
Type 1: Hoods designed for grease exhaust
applications
Type 2: Hoods designed for heat and steam
removal and other non grease applications. (NFPA
96 does not cover)
Where are Type 1 Commercial Hoods Required?
NFPA 96 Cooking equipment used in processes
producing smoke and grease-laden vapors shall be
equipped with
NPFA 96-A-1-1 intended to include residential
cooking equipment where used for purposes other
than residential family use
Type 1 Hood Clearances
18 inches to combustible material
3 inches to limited-combustible material
0 inches to noncombustible material

A restaurant with a commercial gas range is
represented by the resteaurant owner to be
used ony for the preparation of soups. What
type hood is required?
Type 1 hood is for collection and removal of
grease laden vapors,and smoke. Type II
hood is for removal of steam, odors, and
vapors. It would be hard pressed to find a
restaurant that only produces soups, with
that commercial range. Hoods: where
required, installed at or above all commercial-
type deep fat fryers, broilers, fry grills, steam-
jacketed kettles, hot-top ranges, ovens,
barbeques, rotisseries, dishwashing
machines, and similar equipment that
produces comparable amounts of steam,
smoke, grease, or heat in a food processing
establishment. Food processing
establishment shall include any building or
portion used for the processing of food. Soup
is a liquid food made up of simmering
vegetables, seasonings, and often meat or
fish. It is the potential of the equipment
(Commercial gas range), rather than the
utilization, that must be evaluated. So, what
type of hood would be required for that
commercial gas range in a restaurant would
honestly be open for discussion. You will
probably have some input from your local
Fire Dept. through plan check as with the
County Health dept. Requirements. I know of
one City close to us that when a pizza parlor
opens, no matter what, they require a type 1
hood. Depending on the type of pizza oven,
we have allowed a type II.

Kitchen Hood Types
Exhaust Hood w/ Supply Air
Supplied by Space
Exhaust Hood w/Supply Air on
Outside of Hood
Exhaust Hood w/Supply Air on
Inside of Hood
Vapor Hoods
Simple hoods designed to remove
minimal heat, and high vapor.



Comfort
Comfort is primary
intent of HVAC
systems.
Productivity
Building Durability
Health
Mold


ASHRAE Comfort Zone
Psychrometrics
Dry bulb temp.
Wet bulb temp.
Humidity
Dew point
Moisture content
Heating
Cooling
Humidify
De-Humidify
Historical Minimum Ventilation Rates
(cfm/person)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1
8
3
5
1
8
4
2
1
8
4
9
1
8
5
6
1
8
6
3
1
8
7
0
1
8
7
7
1
8
8
4
1
8
9
1
1
8
9
8
1
9
0
5
1
9
1
2
1
9
1
9
1
9
2
6
1
9
3
3
1
9
4
0
1
9
4
7
1
9
5
4
1
9
6
1
1
9
6
8
1
9
7
5
1
9
8
2
1
9
8
9
1
9
9
6
Tredgold
1836
Nightengale
1865
Billings
1895
Flugge
1905
Yaglou
1938
ASHRAE
62-73
ASHRAE 62-81
Smoking 62-81
ASH-
RAE
62-89
Smoking 62-89
Improved Ventilation Effectiveness
Mechanically provide filtered and
dehumidified outdoor air to the
breathing space
Vary ventilation based on the
number of occupants and process
loads - changes in occupancy can
be measured by CO
2
sensors
Consider designs that separate
ventilation and space conditioning
Utilize heat recovery systems to
reduce system size and ventilation
energy costs
Improved Ventilation
Effectiveness
Effective mixing of
ventilation air within space
Net positive pressure in
the southeast; exhaust
from appropriate spaces
Provide clean outdoor air,
avoid:
loading docks
exhaust vents
plumbing stacks
waste collection
stagnant water
Acoustics
Octave Band
Directivity Factor
LEED Products

LEED-NC New Construction & Major Renovations
LEED-EB Existing Buildings
LEED-CI Commercial Interiors
LEED-CS Core & Shell
LEED-H Houses
LEED-ND Neighborhood Developments
LEED-Schools: K-12 Schools
LEED-Retail: Retail facilities- In pilot stage
LEED-Healthcare: Healthcare facilities- In pilot stage

LEED Checklist
http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/summit/documents/LEED-Spataro.pdf
http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/summit/documents/LEED-Spataro.pdf
THANK YOU!
Additional Information /
Resources
ASHRAE The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
www.ashrae.org
Southface Energy Institute www.southface.org
Geothermal heat pump consortium www.geoexchange.org
www.buildingscience.com
www.energycodes.gov
HVAC Acoustics for Green Buildings Mike Filler. Ashrae technical committee for Sound and Vibration
McQuay Application Guide AG 31-010 HVAC Acoustic Fundamentals
Energy Efficiency in Buildings Dr. Sam C M Hui Department of Mechanical Engineering