Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Page 1 of 7
Printable View
Chapter 5: Preheat
5.1. Theory and Applications
5.2. Commissioning the Preheat
5.2.1. Functional Testing Field Tips
Key Commissioning Test Requirements
Key Preparations and Cautions
Time Required to Test
Figures
Figure 5.1: Make-Up Air Handling Unit with Preheat and Reheat Coils
The manner in which the coil is connected to its supply of heating energy (to prevent freezing).
If the preheat element is to successfully provide the intended function, it is critical that these issues be taken
into consideration when the system is configured and the heating element is selected and connected. Failure
to do so can result in, at a minimum, the inability to provide the required level of performance and, in the
worst case, can damage coils and building elements due to freezing.
The differences between preheat, reheat, warm-up, and heating processes in the air handling unit are also
emphasized in this chapter. Many heating elements are labeled as preheat elements, but not all of them are
properly configured to perform that function reliably. Preheat is required by an air handling system if it will
see operating conditions that will result in supply temperatures that:
?
?
Are lower than required to maintain the design conditions at the load served.
Will subject the system, its components, and/or the loads served to air at subfreezing temperatures and
thereby cause damage by freezing.
True preheat applications are typically found on 100% outdoor air systems and on systems with high outdoor
air fractions relative to their total supply flow. Unless they are located in an extreme environment, most air
handling systems serving office environments will seldom require preheat if their minimum outside air
percentage is 20-30% of the supply flow rate and good mixing is achieved. In Section 3.1.2, a discussion on
the relationship between minimum outside air and preheat illustrates this concept.
Generally, for 100% outdoor air systems, the coil inlet conditions are set by the worst-case outdoor
conditions on record for the area. For recirculating systems, the coil inlet conditions are based on the worstcase mixed air conditions (the maximum anticipated minimum outdoor air requirement and the minimum
http://www.peci.org/ftguide/ftg/SystemModules/AirHandlers/AHU_ReferenceGuide/... 26.10.2012.
Chapter 5: Preheat
Page 2 of 7
Some system designs provide the reheat function at the zone location rather than at the central system
location. This allows the reheat process to be limited to only the areas requiring it due to the specific needs
of the zone while optimizing the central system supply temperature based on the needs of the critical zone.
Systems can also provide the reheat function at both the zone and the central system. Zone reheat coils are
often installed in air handling systems that serve a mix of interior and perimeter zones. While the terminal
units associated with the perimeter and interior applications are often physically identical and controlled by
identical control sequences, there are significant HVAC process differences that need to be considered, since
http://www.peci.org/ftguide/ftg/SystemModules/AirHandlers/AHU_ReferenceGuide/... 26.10.2012.
Chapter 5: Preheat
Page 3 of 7
interior zones reheat, but unlike perimeter zones, never have net loss of heat (heating load).
Heating elements located in either the preheat or reheat position can be used for heating in instances where
the losses from the zone exceed the internal gains. In this case, the energy that is put into the heating element
is used to offset energy losses from the space - a true space heating application. Contrast this with preheat
elements, where the energy is required to warm up outdoor air, or reheat elements, where the energy is
required to control the HVAC process as necessary to hit the target conditions in the occupied zone.
Similarly, elements in either preheat or reheat location can provide the warm-up function often required
when a scheduled air handling system is shut down during unoccupied periods and the outdoor conditions
result in a net loss of energy from the space.
Many air handling systems will have preheat, reheat, heating, and warm-up requirements for some portion of
their operating cycle. Consider the following. If you improved the insulation on the area served by the air
handling system, you might lower or even eliminate the heating and warm-up requirements associated with a
net energy loss from the space. However, the insulation would not eliminate the preheat requirements or the
reheat requirements (although it may modify them) unless you changed the airflow and/or humidity
requirements for the zone. These are subtle but important distinctions because the different functions require
different control strategies.
Verifying the proper control sequence for preheat elements is an important aspect of commissioning. Table
5.1 contrasts the preheat, reheat, heating, and warm-up processes, summarizing the information in the
preceding paragraphs.
Table 5.1 Comparison of the Preheat, Reheat, Heating, and Warm-up Processes
Function
Preheat
Reheat
Heating
Warm-up
Offset heating
requirements
associated with
ventilation and makeup air; protect the
system and building
from sub-freezing air.
Offset unnecessary
sensible cooling that was
done to provide
dehumidification to meet
the space design
requirement.
Offset space
sensible losses
through the building
envelope associated
with the rate of heat
transfer exceeding
the rate of heat gain
in the perimeter
zone.
Perimeter heating
and infiltration
loads
Not critical but first
after the mixing
plenum provides
some measure of
protection for the
rest of the system.
None that is special
to the function.
Similar to the
heating coil but also
must pick up the
accumulated loads
that occur as the
building and its
contents cool off
during the
unoccupied cycle.
Accumulated
perimeter heating
and infiltration
loads
Not critical but first
after the mixing
plenum provides
some measure of
protection for the
rest of the system.
None that is special
to the function.
Sequence with
other system
functions to prevent
simultaneous
heating and cooling
and to prevent using
outdoor air during
the warm-up cycle.
The freezestat must
be upstream since
the coil would not
typically be
configured for
http://www.peci.org/ftguide/ftg/SystemModules/AirHandlers/AHU_ReferenceGuide/... 26.10.2012.
Chapter 5: Preheat
temperatures.
Page 4 of 7
typically be configured
for subfreezing air.
configured for
subfreezing air.
subfreezing air.
Notes:
1. Heat transfer elements should always be located downstream of the first set of prefilters in order to protect them from
atmospheric dust and dirt and/or dust and dirt returned from the area served.
2. Occasionally, in a moderate environment, preheat is required due to high ventilation rates but the ambient conditions
and return air conditions are such that the entering air temperature to the preheat coil will never be below freezing
under any condition.
3. In a climate with very low humidity, the cooling coil discharge temperature setpoint may be selected based on
temperature requirements, not humidity.
http://www.peci.org/ftguide/ftg/SystemModules/AirHandlers/AHU_ReferenceGuide/... 26.10.2012.
Chapter 5: Preheat
Page 5 of 7
Test Conditions
http://www.peci.org/ftguide/ftg/SystemModules/AirHandlers/AHU_ReferenceGuide/... 26.10.2012.
Chapter 5: Preheat
Page 6 of 7
1 Some of the tests associated with the preheat coil heating source can be accomplished prior to the
completion of the air handling unit. For example, pressure tests, flushing, some control valve shutoff test processes, and source side flow tests can all be accomplished with or without air handling
unit operation.
2 Other tests, like freezestat testing, interlock testing, discharge control loop testing, and tuning and
capacity testing will require that the air handling system be operational and moving the design
volume of air, but not necessarily fully under control. Safety systems should be operational to
protect the machinery and occupants in the event of a problem during the test sequence.
3 Testing the integrated performance of the preheat element with the rest of the system will require that
the individual components of the system be fully tested and ready for integrated testing. In many
cases, the building or at least the portion of the building served by the system must be substantially
complete and under load.
4 Simulating a real preheat load in the field is a practical impossibility. In most instances where
capacity verification is required, it will be verified based on achieving a target temperature rise
above the current ambient conditions, or based on documenting coil performance under the given
conditions and then modeling the coil under those same conditions. A capacity test may be limited
by the elevation of the actual inlet temperature above the design inlet temperature, the temperature
of the heat supply source, and the length of time and conditions under which is it possible to operate
the system with an elevated discharge temperature. Often, this condition can be used to
simultaneously load test the cooling system although the load is a sensible load rather than a
sensible and latent load. An example of one of the more limiting test situations would be load
testing a preheat coil on a hot day with a coil supplied by a low temperature water system.
Regardless of when an initial test is performed, a preheat coil should always be checked for proper
operation under normal seasonal conditions.
5 As an alternative, it is possible to wait for near design conditions and perform the capacity test at that
time. This approach is a more realistic test of the coil and also allows the control functions to be
evaluated under more realistic conditions. However, it requires that the test process and
instrumentation be prepared in advance and that the test team can respond quickly to reach the site
and perform the test before the weather changes. This approach also requires that the load served by
the system be able to deal with a potentially disruptive test process with little advanced warning.
6 Valve leakage tests and tests that are targeted at verifying valve stroke, spring range, and sequencing
should be conducted with the pumping system operating at its peak differential pressure. The
differential pressure across the valve plug can have a significant impact on the close-off rating and
shift the operating spring range of the valve.
Instrumentation Required
Instrumentation requirements will vary from test to test but typically will include the following tools. A
general tool kit is described in Functional Testing Basics.
1 Inclined manometers, Magnahelics, Shortridge Air Data Multimeters, and other instruments capable
of measuring and documenting low air static and velocity pressures. This equipment can also be
used to verify flow rates.
2 A stethoscope or similar sound sensitive device can be useful for listening for valve leakage sounds
when verifying that the valve is fully closed.
3 For capacity testing, flow measuring equipment capable of measuring the flow of the heating energy
source to the necessary degree of accuracy will be required.
http://www.peci.org/ftguide/ftg/SystemModules/AirHandlers/AHU_ReferenceGuide/... 26.10.2012.
Chapter 5: Preheat
Page 7 of 7
Tests that require referencing back to a model require some time to either develop or support the
development of the model that will be used to evaluate the coil's performance. If the modeling
capability does not exist in-house, then it may be necessary to retain the coil manufacturer's services if
the modeling requirement has not been included in the pricing package.
Field-testing to lab or factory standards is expensive and a practical impossibility in many instances.
5. . Testing
Click the button below to access all publicly-available prefunctional checklists, functional test procedures,
and test guidance documents referenced in the Testing uidance and Sample Test orms table of the Air
Handler system module.
AHU Testing Guidance and Sample Test Forms
5. . Typical Problems
Applying the wrong control strategy to the preheat coil can easily produce the desired occupant comfort, but
at a significant energy or process control penalty. For example, an economizer-equipped system should be
controlled to drive to minimum outdoor air in an effort to maintain discharge set point before the preheat or
heating coil is allowed to become active. Failing to ensure this sequencing and simply controlling for a fixed
heating coil discharge temperature could result in a significant amount of unnecessary preheat energy
consumption. The system would be heating outside air that is actually being brought in for cooling purposes
if the economizer is not positioned to minimum outdoor air prior to heating the mixed air stream.
The impact of a misapplied heating coil sequence can ripple out through the rest of the system. A heating
coil that was controlled as if it were a reheat coil (based on space temperature and not sequenced with the
cooling coil), in an application where reheat was not necessary, could waste an enormous amount of energy
due to unnecessary simultaneous heating and cooling. On a VAV system, this effect could ripple out into the
fan energy consumption profile if the system supply temperature was raised enough to cause the terminal
equipment to demand more flow than was necessary to satisfy the loads.
In contrast, a reheat coil that was controlled in sequence with the cooling coil and economizer dampers (as if
it were a heating coil) probably would save energy but at the cost of losing control of the desired space
design conditions. Sequencing the reheat function with the other air handling system functions would most
likely result in space humidity conditions that were above the required specification. This deviation for the
design humidity requirement could have an impact on IAQ, product quality, occupant comfort, and may
even result in conditions that degrade the building structural and architectural elements
http://www.peci.org/ftguide/ftg/SystemModules/AirHandlers/AHU_ReferenceGuide/... 26.10.2012.