4.6.6.

2 Coil Model type

Coil model type may be either Simple or Advanced.

4.6.6.3 System type

Select a system serving the coil from those available on the list.

4.6.6.4 System name

Select a defined system of the “System type” specified.

4.6.7 Design Sizing Parameters for Simple Coil Model

The following design parameters are common to a simple cooling coil served by systems other than the DX
cooling and water-to-air heat pump (chilled water loop, UCS, or WSE). For a simple cooling coil served by a
DX cooling or a water-to-air heat pump, there are some special parameters required by the DX cooling or
water-to-air heat pump system type. Please see section 2.15.13 for details of these special parameters for
a DX cooling served cooling coil. Please see section 2.9.11 for details of these special parameters for a
water-to-air heat pump served cooling coil.

4.6.7.1 Coil Contact Factor (if coil served by Chilled Water Loop, Waterside economizer, or DX)

Default Value 0.91 CWL, 0.85 DX

Typical Values 0.70 to 0.95
Error Limits 0.01 to 1.0
The contact factor is used to describe the way air flows over the coil, and is used to calculate the balance
of sensible to latent heat removal of the air passing over the coil. The contact factor specifies what
proportion of the total airflow is contacted by the coil and so follows an ideal psychrometric process of
cooling along a constant moisture content line until the saturation curve is met, and then following the
saturation line. The balance of the airflow is assumed to be unaffected by the cooling coil but is then mixed
with the cooled air upon leaving the coil.
Typical values of contact factor are in the range 0.7 - 0.95. For a given flow rate, higher contact factors will
tend to be associated with coils that either have more rows of fins or a larger face area, and thus lower face
velocity. A higher contact factor has the advantage of achieving the desired leaving air temperature (LAT)
with relatively warmer water from the chiller. As the contact factor is reduced, the required coil
temperature, and thus also water temperature, is lower, which has implications for chiller operating
efficiency and chilled-water reset controls. On the other hand, a low contact factor also has the same effect
as intentionally bypassing some of the air around the coil so that the cooling coil can be operated at a very
low temperature for maximum dehumidification, and then mixing the bypass fraction with the very dry air
off the coil to get a final LAT. While the bypass air is obviously also more humid, the net result will be a
lower leaving wet-bulb temperature (WBT) for the same dry-bulb LAT—i.e., greater wet-bulb depression.
This can be readily seen in ApacheHVAC system simulation results for higher and lower cooling coil contact
factors in a humid climate.

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