Design and Analysis of Central Air-Conditioning system with

Air Cooled Chiller of multi-storey office building

Md Nadeem Ahmad1, Subodh Kumar2, SajjadHasan3
1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Al-Falah University
2. Asst. Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Al-Falah University
3. IGBC AP, BEE Accredited Energy Manager. Partner, Innovative Consulting
Engineers

Email: nahmad7860@gmail.com, subodhkumar04260@gmail.com, sajjad_hasan1@rediffmail.com,

ABSTRACT
The air-cooled chillers consume significant energy in commercial building, and low
efficiency calculated under part load condition and small control are part of reasons for
such huge energy consumption. The efficiency of chiller can be improve by increasing
heat transfer rate in condenser. Our paper considers how chiller performance can be
improved by the selection of pump, chiller, AHU, grill size, diffuser size etc. The size of
AHU and chiller are increased to increase the COP. Condenser effectiveness is enhanced
by staging all condenser fans to decrease the condensing temperature. The analysis
indicates that the COP improvements would be more considerable. The cooling energy
saving potential for a representation of commercial building will be assessed when
variable condenser temperature is applied to the air-cooled chiller plant.
Fouling factor for condenser is minimized in this paper because of that the efficiency of
air-cooled chiller increases. This study provides important insights into the low energy
design and operation of air- cooled chiller.
Key words:AHU(Air Handling unit),C.O.P(Co-efficient Of Performance),AHRAE(American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers),HAP(Hourly Analysis
Program),etc.
Introduction:
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems control the temperature, humidity
and quality of air in buildings to a set of chosen conditions. To achieve this, the systems need to
transfer heat and moisture into and out of the air as well as control the level of air pollutants,
either by directly removing them or by diluting them to acceptable levels. Heating systems
increase the temperature in a space to compensate for heat losses between the internal space and
outside. Ventilation systems supply air to the space and extract polluted air from it. Cooling is
needed to bring the temperature down in spaces where heating is needed to increase the
temperature in spaces. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems vary widely in terms of
size and the functions they perform. Some systems are large and central to the building services,
these were probably designed when the building was originally commissioned and use
ventilation to deliver heating and cooling. Other systems may provide heating through boilers
and radiators, with some limited ventilation to provide fresh air or cooling to certain parts of the
building such as meeting rooms.
Energy conservation features in Air conditioning:
Air – conditioning & ventilation system design shall be well equipped with energy conservation
features to reduce energy consumption and operating costs where economically feasible,
generally as follows:

 High COP (Low IKW / TR) Water chilling machines.

 Variable speed secondary chilled water distribution system.
 Use of individual and multiple air handling units which can be shut down during
unoccupied or partially occupied periods through occupancy sensors.
 Selection of highly efficient fans for air handling units and ventilation system.

Chillers:

A chiller is a machine which removes heat from a liquid via a vapor compression or absorption
refrigeration cycle. This liquid can then be circulated through a heat exchanger to cool air or
equipment as required. As a necessary byproduct, refrigeration creates waste heat that must be
exhausted to ambient or, for greater efficiency, recovered for heating purposes. Concerns in
design and selection of chillers include performance, efficiency, maintenance, and product life
cycle environmental impact.
The Modern Industrial Chiller is basically a cooling system which removes heatfrom one
element (water/glycol/air) and deposits into another (ambient air or water). The standard design
is a system that cools 60° F water (water/glycol, or air) to 50° F and deposits the heat into the
ambient air at 95° F (or water at 85° F). This chilling technology is used by various industries to
cool down the process machinery and the process using a Freon chiller to cool a medium like air
or water.
A Chiller is a machine that produces chilled water (usually mixed with ~20% glycol and
corrosion inhibitors) which is used to cool and dehumidify air in commercial and industrial
facilities. A typical chiller is rated between 15 to 1000 tons (180,000 to 12,000,000 BTU/h or 53
to 3,500 kW) incooling power.
There are basically four different types of chillers: Reciprocating, centrifugal, or
screwdrivenchillers are mechanical machines that can be poweredby electric motors, steam, or
gas turbines. Absorption chillers are powered by a heat source (such as steam or hot water). They
have very low electrical powerrequirements veryrarely above 15 kW combined consumption for
both the solution pump and the refrigerant pump.
Chilled water is then distributed to air handling units as a refrigerant. The air handling unit is a
heat exchanger consisting basically of a fan, a filter bank, andheating/cooling coil, inlet/outlet
chilled water port, and air inlet port. These air handling units provide air conditioning to the
building by running the incoming warm air through the coil of chilled water, transferring the heat
from the air to the chilled water, thus, cooling the air.
Chillers can be aircooledor watercooled.Watercooledchillers incorporate the use of cooling
towers which improve heat rejection more efficiently at thecondenser than aircooledchillers.

Fig.1 chiller.
A chiller consists of the following six main components:
 Evaporator- cools the water, water/glycol or air by transferring the heat to a refrigerant
which is turned into a gas.
 Compressor- takes this gas and increases its pressure so that ambient air or water can
remove the heat.
 Condenser- rejects heat gained by the gas using ambient air or cooling tower water to
condense the gas back to a liquid for use again by the evaporator.
 Holding Tank holds-the circulating coolant, usually water (can be water/glycol), tank is
sized large enough to prevent turbulent flow in tank causing pump cavitation.
 Pump circulates-coolant from the holding tank to the evaporator and from the
evaporator to the machine or process being cooled and back to the tank.
 Control Panel houses-temperature controller, compressor contactor, pump starter,
3phase fuses, control transformer, safety controls, run and fail lights.

How Does A Chiller Work:

A chiller is a vapor compression mechanical refrigerationsystem that connects to the process
water system through a device called an evaporator. See Figure 2. The evaporator is a heat
exchanger in which heat captured by the process coolant flow is transferred to the flow of
refrigerant fluid. As the heat-transfer takes place, the refrigerant evaporates, changing from a
low-pressure liquid into vapor, while the temperature of the process coolant is reduced down to
the desired “leaving water temperature”LWT.
 Fig.2 working diagram of chiller
Next, the refrigerant flows to a compressor, which performs two functions. First, it removes
refrigerant vapor from the evaporator and ensures that the pressure in the evaporator refrigerant
line (vapor pressure) remains low enough to absorb process heat at the correct rate. Second, it
raises the pressure in outgoing refrigerant vapor to ensure that its temperature is high enough to
release its heat when it reaches the condenser, where the refrigerant returns to a liquid state.
The latent heat given up as the refrigerant changes from vapor to liquid is carried away to the
environment by a cooling medium (air or water). Thus, there are two types of condensers: air-
cooled and water-cooled.
• Air-cooled condensers resemble the “radiators” that cool automobile engines. They use a
motorized blower to force air across a grid of refrigerant lines. Unless they are specially design
for high-ambient conditions, air-cooled condensers require ambient temperatures of 95°F (35°C)
or below to operate effectively.
• Water-cooled condensers perform the same function as air-cooled condensers, but require two
steps, rather than one, to complete heat transfer. First, heat moves from refrigerant vapor into the
condenser water. Then the warm condenser water is pumped to a cooling tower where the
process heat is ultimately discharged to the atmosphere.
Chillers use either a vapor compression or absorption refrigerant cycle to cool a fluid for heat
transfer. Both chiller types rely on three basic principles. First, when a liquid is heated it
vaporizes into a gas, and when a gas is cooled it condenses into a liquid. Second, lowering the
pressure above a liquid reduces its boiling point and increasing the pressure raises it. Third, heat
always flows from hot to cold.
AIR COOLED CHILLER
Overview of air cooled chiller:
Air-cooled chillers are the chillers that utilize the mechanical refrigeration cycle to produce
chilled water or a chilled water and antifreeze mixture. The air cooled chillers reject the building
heat to the ambient with an air-cooled condensing coil. Chillers are considered as the heart of the
chilled water air-conditioning system since they serve the pivotal function of creating the cooling
effect required to maintain comfort conditions.
Chillers are used for variety of comfort air-conditioning and process cooling applications. The
chilled liquid is transported by pumps and pipes that are connected to literally hundreds of room
fan coils and terminals. This allows chillers to be applied on applications requiring many zones
of control.
Air-cooled chillers are common in modern systems and have been growing in popularity since
the 1980s, nearly doubling in the last ten years. Air-cooled chillers are applied on small to large
commercial jobs and can be used in multiples to form systems reaching several thousand tons of
installed capacity.
The popularity of air-cooled chillers is primary due to its nature and the reduction of costs
associated with eliminating cooling tower. On some models, even the hydronic accessories, such
as the pump and expansion tank, may be included.
The air-cooled chiller applications include schools, hospitals, retail environment, and offices.
Air-cooled chillers are popular for cooling process or manufacturing operations.
What is Air Cooled Chillers?
An air cooled chiller is a machine that removes heat from a liquid via a vapor-compression cycle.
Air cooled chillers are directly cooled by ambient air being mechanically circulated directly
through the machine's condenser coil to expel heat to the atmosphere. The two types of air
cooled chillers are scroll compressor air cooled chillers and screw compressor air cooled chillers.
Scroll compressors are used for the smaller air cooled chillers, and screw compressors are used
for larger air cooled chillers and have a Variable Speed Drive option for increased efficiency.
 Fig.3 Air cooled chiller
3.3. Basic Refrigeration Cycle for Air-Cooled Chillers:
The refrigeration cycle of an air-cooled chiller includes two important processes:
1. The evaporator of the liquid refrigerant in the evaporator that absorbs heat and lowers the
temperature of the liquid water system.
2. The condensation of the refrigerant vapour in the air-cooled condenser and rejection of
heat to the atmosphere.
3. In the air cooled refrigeration cycle, water enters the evaporator and is cooled by the
colder refrigerant flowing through the circuit inside the evaporator. The chilled water
pumped from the chiller to the building coils provide cooling. In the evaporator, the
chilled water cooled the building and the cycle is completed when warmer water flows
back to the evaporator. A mixture of cold liquid refrigerant and flash gas passes through

the evaporator circuit opposite to the water that is to be chilled.

Fig.4 shows refrigeration cycle components of an air-cooled chiller.
The refrigerant in the evaporator absorbs heat from the warmer return water, evaporates it to a
vapour, and finally exits the evaporator as a superheated vapour. The superheated refrigerant
vapour then enters the suction inlet of the compressor. In the compressor, the refrigerant is
compressed, raising its pressure and temperature. High pressure and temperature refrigerants gas
exits the compressor, passes through the discharge line and enters the condenser. While in the air
cooled condenser coil, the hot gas condenses to liquid inside the tubes as its gives up heat to the
cooler outside air being drawn across the condenser coil by the condenser fans.
The condensed liquid refrigerant then leaves the condenser and enters the expansion device. As
the refrigerant passes through the expansion device, its pressure and temperature decreased to the
point that some of the liquid flashes to vapour. The expansion device controls the amount of
flashing in order to maintain a certain super heat to ensure no liquid droplets enter into the
compressor suction. After leaving the expansion device, the refrigerant enters the evaporator and
cycle is repeated.
How Do Air-Cooled Chillers Work:
The process in the air cooled chiller starts with the evaporator, which contains a liquid
refrigerant. Therefrigerant radiates out cold to the surrounding tubes that is filled with water.
Thewater is chilled and pumped through a circuit, absorbing heat from whatever thechiller meant
to cool. When the water finally reaches a high temperature,it radiates the heat back to the
refrigerant in the evaporator, causing it to turn intovapour. The vapor then passes through a pipe
into the compressor, which compresses the vapor into a smaller space, putting it under high
pressure and heat. Thissuperheated vaporized refrigerant is then pumped through a condenser.
The condenseris a series of air-cooled vanes, similar to those found in a car's radiator. The vapor
givesoff its heat into the surrounding air and then condenses back into a liquid. The liquidflows
back into the evaporator to repeat the chilling process.
Water Cooled Chiller vs. Air Cooled Chiller in HVAC System:
 Initial cost of air cooled chillers is lower than water cooled chillers as air cooled systems
don’t require cooling towers, condenser water pumps and associated HVAC components.
 Small systems are almost always air‐cooled since the extra requirements of water
treatment and maintenance are capital intensive and will not be offset quickly by the
lower operating costs. Larger HVAC water chillers are almost always water cooled
 .HVAC engineers and technicians feel easy with maintenance free or less maintenance
equipment.
 Water cooled chillers may be preferred because of better heat transfer properties of water
as compared to air cooled chillers. The primary advantage of water is that the film
coefficient is 10‐100 times better with water than air. Film coefficient controls heat
transfer with given constant area and temperature difference.
 Water‐cooled HVAC units make less noise and give more cooling per square foot. While
air cooled chillers have comparatively less cooling per square foot and are more noisy
HVAC machines. Noisy machines are annoying especially for occupants of nearest
offices or zones.
 While comparing air and water cooled chillers, an overall system cost (both running and
installed) has to be worked out. Size of HVAC unit matters when selecting the water
cooled chiller or air cooled chiller. Smaller HVAC units are usually air cooled, larger are
water cooled.
METHODOLOGY:
The loads modeled by the heating and cooling load calculation process will dictate the equipment
selection to deliver conditioned air to the rooms of the house. In this project we have taken the IT
office building and calculate the heat load calculation of the ground floor, first floor and second
floor. First we got the plan of building. With the help of plan we have calculated all dimension
like length width of each wall, partition wall, window, floor area. Then according to the climate
of Delhi-NCR we select recommended outdoor condition with the help of Weather Data
Handbook published by ISHRAE carrier hand book. We get all the specification such as height
of walls, glasses and ceiling height from architectural drawing.
 Calculate the area of all walls, partition walls, windows, area of various office room,
corridors, library, canteen and lobby by which we can get fresh air, Dehumidified air and
TR.
 After finding the tonnage of refrigeration the selection of AIR COOLED CHILLER for
each areas is shown.
 Drawing preparation marking showing space marking for AHU unit in each air
conditioning space.

The building has nine floors for which heat load calculation is done. We used Air cooled chillers
air-conditioning. We used the HAP, psychometric chart, ASHRAE and CARRIER hand book for
heat load calculation.
DATA ANALYSIS & LOAD CALCULATION:
Similarly using the same process for the other floors of the buildings, the result of these floors is
shown in results.
 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
1. Finding the change of load (Tonnage of Refrigeration).
In this project we have taken the office building and calculate the heat load calculation of the
ground floor to 9th floor (Second floor to 9th Floor are typical floors).

Calculated Load = 483 TR

Total Fresh Air= 15027 CFM

Total Dehumidification Air Qty. (CFM) = 229486 CFM

Air Cooled Chiller have been suggested for the building due to the non-availability
of the water in some areas. The same is also suggested because in some areas we
have to use RO system in case there is availability of water which increases the
rate of power consumption thus making air cooled chillers more convenient than
that of water cooled chillers.
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