ENERGY CONSERVATION STRATEGIES FOR HVAC SYSTEMS

V P Gupta, Chief Engineer (Electrical), BSNL New Delhi

E-mail : ceedelhi@hotmail.com, vpgupta@bsnl.in
Web Site : www.electricalzone-bsnldelhi.com
(An ISO 9001:2000 Unit)

1.0 INTRODUCTION:

1.1 With the enactment of Energy Conservation Act-2001 , the Energy

Management and Energy Conservation have become core issues. While
inaugurating an International conference on strategies on Energy Conservation
on August 2002, at Vigyan Bhawan, the Hon’ble Priminiter of India set a
target for reduction of energy conservation by 30% in government buildings,
during the next five years. Showing commitment from government side, the
Hon’ble Prime minister announced that energy audit shall be carried out at
Rashtrapati Bhawan, central Secretariat Buildings and Prime Minister house,
for implementing energy conservation measures, thereafter.

1.2 Heating ventilation and airconditioning systems consumes nearly 50 to 60% of

the total power consumption in any building and thus, offers huge potential
and challenge to reduce the energy consumption by employing various
innovative systems designs. Sr. DDG [E] BSNL HQ has already circulated
List of No-cost measures for reducing the energy bills. For airconditioning
systems, the measures include selecting the right temperature [no overcooling
or overheating], minimizing the space for airconditioning and closing of
dampers / grills for areas where airconditioning is not required.

2.0 INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES:

2.1 Some of the innovative strategies which are now employed in the
airconditioning systems to reduce the energy bills are as under:

i) Building Orientation/ Architectural features

ii) Establishing Baseline Performance Indices.
iii) Automation and Building management system.
iv) Variable Voltage and Variable Frequency Drives [VVVD].
v) Heat recovery wheel / desiccant cooling system for fresh air.
vi) Vapour Absorption Machines [VAM]
vii) Roof Top Chillers.
viii) Geothermal System.
3.0 BUILDING ORIENTATION/ ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

3.1 The following features should be carefully considered while designing the
building.

(i) Orientation
(ii) Double Glass
(iii) Insulation on roof
(iv) No Leakage ( FromWindows/ Doors/ Ceiling)
(v) Long side should be having minimum heat gain.
Minimum heat gain is from NORTH
EAST
SOUTH &
WEST
(vi) Plant room and AHU locations should be such that ducting/ piping are
minimum.
(vii) Fresh air intake should be sufficient to avoid “Sick Building Syndrome”
(viii) Sun shades over the glass area with proper inclination to avoid direct
sunrays.
(viii) Partitions and closure of air grills of unutilized conditioned space.

4.0 ESTABLISHING BASELINE PERFORMANCE INDICES:

4.1 The following features should be carefully considered while establishing the
Performance Indices”

i) Space temperatures (23-26 °C) - Task & Non-task, Equipment Room etc.
ii) Usage time schedule – Working hours, holidays etc.
iii) Total tons at worst conditions
- At Machine End
- At User End

iv) Tons / Sqr. Meter

v) KW / Ton
vi) KWH / Day
vii) KWH / Year

5.0 AUTOMATION AND BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM:

5.1 Automation and building management systems are now increasingly used in
the airconditioning systems for centralised monitoring and controlling the
operations so as to ensure optimum operations of all the machines without any
wastage of energy in overcooling or overheating of the areas. Automation and
Building management Systems when used in conjunction with other
innovative techniques can result into substantial energy savings. Eg. the
Carbon-di-oxide sensors help to maintain adequate ventilation despites
varying people load. During low occupancy condition, the CO2 sensor will
signal the outside air damper to reduce the ventilation rate. Automation can
 help in Programmed Start & Stop of AC Machines , Ventilation Systems,
Chiller ,Run time equalisation and auto adjustment of set points. The
automation and the BMS builts in intelligence for instant communication
between sensors and machines providing instant control and can be software
driven to avoid overloading, downtime and wastage of energy.

6.0 VARIABLE VOLTAGE AND VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES

[VVVF] OR VARIABLE SPEED DRIVE:

6.1 In any HVAC system there is a significant variations in the load demand due
to various external and internal variables. Conventional HVAC system adjusts
itself to these demand variations through control of dampers, controlling
valves and inlet guide vains etc. resulting into pressure drop across these
devices and loss of energy . In the VVVFD [VARIABLE VOLTAGE AND
VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVES] systems , the voltage and the frequency
of electric supply to the induction motors for fans , pumps and compressors
can be steplessly varied to control the speed of the motor in tune with the load
requirements. The VVVFD system consists of an input rectifier which convert
[AC to DC] , and an invertor [which converts DC to AC], connected through a
controller. The input through the drive is fixed voltage , fixed frequency
supply ,which after passing through the rectifier and invertors converts into a
variable frequency variable voltage supply. [Fig.1]. the voltage to frequency
[v/f] ratio is kept constant throughout the operating range of the motor to
ensure that its torque producing capability is maintained without effecting its
efficiency. The power consumption of a blower or a pump follows the cube
law which means that power is proportionate to cube of the speed. This is
clear from theAffinity Laws governing fluid flow which basically states that
the flow [F] is proportionate to speed [N] and pressure [P] is proportional to
square of speed [N2]. Therefore, the power [E]= FXP[N3] or proportionate to
cube of the speed. As an example, at 80% of the speed , the power
consumption is cube of .8 or 0.512 or 51.2%. The performance of the
VVVFD systems is dependent on the location and accuracy of the sensors
which have to give feedback signals to the VVVFD systems on variations in
the load demand. Besides energy saving, the VVVFD system will result in
reduction in mechanical wear and tear as the motors will be running at low
speed and thus, cost reduction for maintaining the same.

7.0 HEAT RECOVERY WHEEL AND DESICCANT COOLING SYSTEM

FOR FRESH AIR :

7.1 The indoor air pollutants , which consists of biological contaminants, harmful
chemicals , odours and dust etc. are to be constantly removed and fresh air is
to be inducted into any building so as to reduce “Sick Building Syndrome”
and “ Building related Illnesses”. ASHRAE 62 – 99 Standard specifies
20CFM of outdoor air per person for proper indoor air quality. The
introduction of 20CFM of outdoor air per person leads to more airconditioning
loads, as this outdoor air has to be treated through the airconditioning system
for temperature and humidity. The airconditioning load due to outdoor air can
 be reduced by adopting desiccant cooling . [For areas where RH throughout
the year is high 80 to 90%] or through energy enthalpy recovery wheels. In a
typical installation, the enthalpy wheel is usually 4 to 10” deep packed with a
heat transfer medium ie., numerous small air passages , or flutes , parallel to
the direction of air flow. The structure commonly referred to as the
honeycomb matrix is produced by interleaving flat and corrugated layers of a
high conductivity material usually aluminium surfaced with a desiccant. In a
typical installation , wheel is positioned in the duct system so that the return
stale air from the conditioned space is exhausted to one half while outdoor air
is drawn through the other half in a counter flow pattern.[Fig.2] At the same
time the wheel is rotated slowly [ 2 to 20 rpm] . Sensible heat is transferred as
the metallic substrate picks up and store heat from the hot air steam and gives
it up to the cold one. Latent heat is transferred as the desiccant on the wheel
absorbs moisture from the higher humidity air stream and releases the same
into the air stream that has a lower humidity ratio. In case of high humidity
applications, the wheel has intensive quoting of desiccant media and this
desiccant media is re-generated to its original dry state using thermal energy
supplied by natural gas, electricity waste heat or the sun. These wheels are
capable of recovering 80% of the heating or cooling energy that is exhausted
from the building and thus reduces the energy cost of the fresh air.

8.0 VAPOUR ABSORPTION MACHINES:

8.1 With the availability of the natural gas, the vapour absorption machines are
becoming popular. The vapour compression machines use secondary energy in
the form of electricity which is normally costly and these machines use CFC
based refrigerant which may cause environmental pollutions like warming up
or ozone deplition. On account of power shortage, and with increasing
availability of natural gas the vapour absorption machines are becoming
popular and attractive. The absorption system uses lethium bromide as
absorbant and water as refrigerant. The machines are available with dual fired
boilers so that they can be operated by using high speed diesel in emergencies
when there is a dissuption in the gas supply. These machines have no moving
parts and are thus noiseless and vibrationless. The maintenance costs are
negligible as compared to vapour compression machines. Various options are
available with single stage, two stage , parallel flow and series flow machines .
A typical vapour absorption machine operates on the following principle:
[Ref. Fig.3]

(i) Evaporator:

The refrigerant pump sprays the water over the evaporator tube bundle. the
water, to be chilled, circulating in the evaporator tubes get cooled, as the
refrigerant water evaporates because of extremely low pressure in the
evaporator.
(ii) Absorber:

The refrigerant water vapour goes to the absorber through the mist eliminator.
Concentrated LiBR-water solution is sprayed over the absorber tube bundle.
The refrigerant vapour is absorbed by the strong solution being sprayed and
the heat of absorption is removed by cooling water passing through the
absorber tube. Weak solutions from the absorber is sent by the Solution to the
high temperature and low tempeature generators to recover the refrigerant
water vapour.

(iii) High Temperature Generator:

The weak solution is heated by direct firing of fuel in furnace of H.T

generator. Due to the heat supplied in the high temperature generator, the
weak solution of lithium bromide and water gets concentrated and refrigerant
water is separated by evaporation.

(iv) Low Temperature Generator:

The hot evaporated water vapour from a high temperature generator is used to
heat the weak solution that has been pumped into the low temperature
generator to concentrate it even further.

(v) Condenser:

The water vapour evaporated in the generator at a higher temperature and

pressure is condensed to liquid form in the condenser, where the heat of
condensation is picked up by the cooling water from an absorber outlet
circulating in the condenser tubes. The condensed refrigerant water is returned
to the evaporator through an expansion device.

(vi) Heat Exchangers:

To recover the heat energy from the strong solution returning to the absrober,
heat exchangers are used. The cold weak solution being pumped from the
absorber pick up excess heat from the strong solution in the heat exchangers.
This improves cycle efficiency.

The vapour absorption machines work on the reverse cycle and thus are
capable of providing winter heating. Thus, the conventional heating methods
by electrical or hot water generators can be eliminated resulting into
substantial energy savings.

9.0 ROOF TOP CHILLERS:

9.1 Roof top chillers are now increasingly used as they can be mounted on the
roof and the costly built up space inside the building can be saved . These
chillers are factory made and designed with best of components and are highly
compact. Besides saving of space, there is a considerable saving of energy as
 the refrigerant pipes become very small . All the components like Compressor,
Compressor Motor, Evaporator, Chiller and aircooled Condenser , alongwith
the micro-processor based control panel forms part of the roof top chiller. All
the protecting device and safeties are factory fitted and thus, ensure high level
of reliability . The microprocessor based panels monitors the set points
precisely and thereby, save energy. The chillers are available in various ratings
and generally recommended for rating above 30 ton. Instead of reciprocating
compressors, depending upon the application, the roof top chillers now are
being designed with energy efficient scroll or screw compressors. One can
easily achieve subsantial energy saving by selection of appropriate energy
efficient compressors.

10.0 GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS:

10.1 Solar Energy Centre, Gulpahari Gurgaon constructed by TERI has used
innovative scheme of providing airconditioning by harnessing in geo-thermal
energy . Basic principle is that the temperature at about 20 feet below the
ground level remains constant at about 20 deg., Centigrade throughout the
year. The indoor air is thus, taken below the ground through ducts , tunnels ,
by using ventilation fans and the heat exchange takes place below the ground .
The system does not need extra cooling / heating as inside the space one can
have a mean temperature equal to the temperature available at 20 feet below
the ground.

11.0 CONCLUSION:

The above innovative strategies can be suitably applied for optimisation of

airconditioning system and energy savings.
3 Ph Supply
DC REACTOR
L
RECTIFIER CAPACITOR INVERTER O
SECTION M A
D
MOTOR

MAIN
CONTROLLER

FIGURE 1 : BASIC SCHEMATIC OF VVVFD/ VSD

FIGURE 2: UNIVERSAL RULES OF TOTAL ENERGY WHEELS

FIGURE 3: WORKING CYCLE OF VAM