We have a rough time seeking to reduce supply fan energy during energy simulations. Could anybody throw some light on the following account:
1.) The project on hand is a plant that strictly regulates pressure differences among interior spaces.
2.) The proposed design reckons with a VSD on the air handler fan to adjust fan speed as airflow drops due to loaded filters, clogged cooling coils, etc. In contrast to generic VAV systems, the VSD on the air handler fan is not designed to vary supply airflow in proportion with room sensible heat.
3.) System 6 requires that the fan control be VAV. As far as I am concerned, the VAV of system 6 does not reflect the actual operation since modulating the supply airflow according to the room sensible heat may not concomitantly control the relative pressure differences among interior spaces.
4.) As a consequence, the fan energy of the proposed design is considerably higher than that of the baseline case.
Is the table G3.1.1B in Appendix G an ironclad rule to follow?
Is it relaxed in case the baseline is not comparable with the actual operation?
Is there a minimum flow of VAV deemed effective to maintain relative pressure differences among internal spaces?
In the event VAV is applicable to the factory in question, I suspect that both the proposed and baseline fans may not save significant energy, not to mention a barrage of pressure sensors and complex controls to make the system run as intended.
Thank you very much in advance for all the responses.
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5909 thumbs up
December 17, 2014 - 10:06 am
Yes you must follow Appendix G generally without exceptions.
I would suggest you see if G3.1.1 Exception (c) applies to your situation. If it does then your VAV issue goes away.
In general make sure you are not trying to get the baseline system to actually function the same way as the proposed. Quite often the baseline system configuration will not actually work in the real world.
Panupant Phapant
SCG Cement - Building Materials14 thumbs up
December 18, 2014 - 3:32 am
Thank you very much indeed, Marcus. Your suggestion hit the bull's eye.The exception (C) under G3.1.1 is germane to our situation.
The factory under consideration has three (3) levels of pressurization at 12 Pa (0.05”), 25 Pa (0.1”), and 38 Pa (0.15”).
A multitude of spaces are pressurized to maintain 12.5 Pa (0.05”) and these spaces are contiguously located. Concerning the baseline case, am I allowed to lump these spaces together and cool them by a good-sized PSZ-HP (packaged rooftop heat pump) of system 4? In other words, this single zone consists of multiple spaces.
Does each space need to be equipped with a PSZ-HP, making every zone a 1-space zone?
Marcus Sheffer
LEED Fellow7group / Energy Opportunities
LEEDuser Expert
5909 thumbs up
December 18, 2014 - 10:02 am
See G3.1.1. For a system 4 you need to map the systems to the proposed systems. Also see Table G3.1-7 about thermal blocks.