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Dynamic model of an HVAC system for

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Article in Energy · July 2005

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2004.10.004

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 Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745
www.elsevier.com/locate/energy

Dynamic model of an HVAC system for control analysis

Bourhan Tashtoush*, M. Molhim, M. Al-Rousan
Mechanical Engineering Department, P.O. Box 3030, JUST, Irbid 22110, Jordan
Received 27 April 2004

Abstract
This paper describes a procedure for deriving a dynamic model of an HVAC system that consists of a zone,
heating coil, cooling and dehumidifying coil, humidifier, ductwork, fan, and mixing box. In particular, the interest
is centered on control strategies to reduce energy consumption and improving the quality of the indoor
environment. Indoor temperature and humidity may be maintained at set point values by an air-handling unit using
a PID control action. The PID parameters must be carefully tuned to produce less oscillatory responses. The tuning
technique, using the Ziegler-Nichols rule, is investigated from a practical viewpoint. Simulation results showing
the open loop and the closed loop responses of indoor temperature and humidity ratio are given. The results show
that the system is capable of controlling the disturbance efficiently within a small period of time and with less error.
The dynamic model can be especially useful for control strategies that require knowledge of the dynamic
characteristics of HVAC systems.
q 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

It is well known that the dynamic performance of a Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
(HVAC) system has great impact on power and energy consumption, as well as on indoor air quality. In
order to study the system performance at the design stage, it is necessary to obtain approximate
mathematical models for system components. In addition, efficient control strategies play an essential
role in developing improved energy control systems for buildings. The most important criteria for

* Corresponding author. Fax: C962 2 7095009.

E-mail address: bourhan@just.edu.jo (B. Tashtoush).
0360-5442/$ - see front matter q 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.energy.2004.10.004
1730 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745

Nomenclature
AR area of the roofZ9 m2
Aw1 area of the wall (East, West)Z9 m2
Aw2 area of the wall (South, North)Z12 m2
Cah overall thermal capacitance of the air handling unitZ4.5 kJ/C
Cd specific heat of the duct materialZ0.4187 kJ/kg 8C
Ch overall thermal capacitance of the humidifierZ0.63 kJ/8C
Cpa specific heat of airZ1.005 kJ/kg 8C
Cpw specific heat of waterZ4.1868 kJ/kg 8C
CR overall thermal capacitance of the roofZ80 kJ/C
Cw1 overall thermal capacitance of the wall (East, West)Z70 kJ/C
Cw2 overall thermal capacitance of the wall (South, North)Z60 kJ/C
Cz overall thermal capacitance of the zoneZ47.1 kJ/C
e(t) error
fsa volume flow rate of the supply airZ0.192 m3/s
fsw water flow rateZ8.02!10K5 m3/s
h(t) rate of moisture air produced in the humidifier
hi heat transfer coefficient inside ductZ8.33 W/m2 8C
ho heat transfer coefficient in the ambientZ16.6 W/m2 8C
Md mass of the duct modelZ6.404 kg/m
ma mass flow rate of the air streamZ0.24 kg/s
mm total mass flow rate of the mixing airZ0.24 kg/s
mo mass flow rate of the outdoor airZ0.12 kg/s
mr mass flow rate of the recalculated airZ0.12 kg/s
mt mass of tube material kg/m
P(t) evaporation rate of the occupantsZ0.08 kg/h
q(t) heat gains from occupants, and light (W)
Tco temperature of the air out from the coil (8C)
Th supply air temperature (in humidifier) in (8C)
Tin temperature in to the duct
Tm temperature of the air out of the mixing box (8C)
Tme temperature measured (8C)
To temperature outsideZ32 8C (Summer)Z5 8C (Winter)
Tout temperature out from the duct
Tr temperature of the recalculated air (8C)
Ts supply temperature from the Heating coil
Tsa supply air temperature (8C)
Tse temperature output from the sensor (8C)
Tsi temperature of supply air (to the humidifier) (8C)
Tt,o tube surface temperature (8C)
Two return water temperatureZ10 (8C)
Twi supply water temperature (8C)
 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745 1731

Tw1 temperature of the wall (East, West) (8C)

Tw1 temperature of the wall (South, North) (8C)
Tz temperature of the zone (8C)
Uw1 overall heat transfer coefficient of (East, West) wallsZ2 W/m2 8C
Uw2 overall heat transfer coefficient of (South, North) wallsZ2 W/m2 8C
UR overall heat transfer coefficient of the roofZ1 W/m2 8C
(UA)ah overall transmittance area factor of the air handling unitZ0.04 kJ/sC
Va volume of the air handling unitZ2.88 m3
Vh volume of humidifierZ1.44 m3
Vz volume of the zoneZ36 m3
Wco humidity ratio of the air out from the coil (kg/kg dry air)
Wh supply air humidity ratio (in humidifier) in kg/kg(dry air)
Wm humidity ratio of the air out the mixing box (kg/kg dry air).
Wo humidity ratio outsideZ0.02744 kg/kg (dry air) (Summer)Z0.002 kg/kg (dry air)(Winter)
Wsa humidity ratio of the supply air in kg/kg (dry air)
Wsi humidity ratio of the supply air (to the humidifier) in kg/kg (dry air)
Wz humidity ratio of the zone in kg/kg (dry air).
Subscripts
a air
ah air handling unit
ai air in
ao air out
co out from the coil
d duct
h humidifier
in in
m mixed
me measured
o out
R roof
r recirculated
s supply
sa supply air
se sensor
sw supply water
w water
w1 East, and West walls
w2 North, South walls
wi water in
wo water out
z zone
1732 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745

Greek letters
ah (UA)h overall transmittance area factor of the humidifierZ0.0183 kJ/s 8C
tse time constant of the sensor (seconds)
ra density of airZ1.25 kg/m3
rw density of waterZ998 kg/m3

designing HVAC plants are energy efficiency and indoor climate conditions. An adequate combination
of these two criteria demand gives the proper control of the plant.
The design of successful controllers for HVAC systems primarily depends on the availability of good
dynamic models of the systems and mathematical equations that describe its behavior. The complexity
of an HVAC system with distributed parameters, interactions, and multivariable makes it extremely
difficult to obtain an exact mathematical model to improve control quality.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the mathematical modeling of HVAC systems and
its components. Many researchers studied HVAC dynamic models using either theoretical or
experimental approach. Clark et al. [1] derived dynamic models for a duct and a hot water coil.
Underwood and Crawford [2] developed an empirical nonlinear model of a hot-water-to-air heat
exchanger loop that is used in developing nonlinear control law. This model accurately predicted the
effect of inlet air temperature, air flow rate, and inlet water temperature during closed loop control of
output air temperature using water flow rate as a control input. Maxwell et al. [3] developed an empirical
model of chilled water coil and used it to predict the system response to inputs with Proportional (P),
Proportional Integral (PI), and Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) control algorithms. The actual
response of chilled water was measured to validate the coil model. They found that the coil model
effectively predicted the response at different values of gains for each type of control algorithm.
Zhang [4] used temperature-humidity control (TCH) strategies in the analysis of the stability of
building heating and ventilation control system. They investigated two THC systems, humidistat-
controlled heater and thermostat-controlled fan (THC1), and humidistat-controlled fan and thermostat-
controlled heater (THC2). They found that the upper temperature limit to deactivate the heater for
TCH control should be devised; otherwise instability may occur when the weather is both warm and
wet. Kasahara et al. [5,6] described a procedure for deriving a dynamic model of an air-conditioned
room by applying physical laws. Riederer et al. [7] developed a room model to study the influence of
the sensor position in building thermal control, since the temperature measured by the sensor of a room
temperature controller depends on its position in the zone. They obtained a detailed list of criteria for
the development of zone models.
Peng and Paassen [8] presented the modeling and control of an air conditioning system. The process was
decomposed into two subsystems connected in series with natural feedback. They obtained very good and
satisfactory results in maintaining the room conditions close to the desired values. Several authors studied
the dynamic model response and transient response for space heating and cooling zones [9–12].
In the present paper, a procedure for deriving a dynamic model to control an HVAC system is
investigated. The HVAC system consists of a room, humidifier, heater, cooler, fan and ductwork. Energy
and mass balance equations are applied in modeling the zone for cooling and heating processes. In
addition, the cooling and heating systems are analyzed separately to keep the mathematical model at an
acceptable complexity level and yet provide accurate simulation results. PID control action is applied to
 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745 1733

maintain indoor temperature and humidity ratio at set point values by an air-handling unit. The heating
system model includes an air-conditioned room, heating coil, humidifier, fan, ductwork and dampers.
The cooling system model includes almost the same component except that the heating coil and
humidifier are replaced by cooling-dehumidification coil. For practical reasons, the Ziegler-Nichols rule
is employed as a tuning technique.

2. System description

The major components considered in the system model are: an air-conditioned room and air-handling
unit (AHU), which consists of a fan, cooling and dehumidifying coil, heating coil, humidifier, filter and
ductwork as shown in Fig. 1. Two operation seasons are considered; namely summer and winter
operation seasons.
In summer operation season, hot and humid air enters the cooling and dehumidification coil in the AHU.
The air temperature decreases as air passes through coil and water moisture is condensed, which results in
a decrease in the relative humidity. In the zone, the thermostat senses the temperature of the zone and gives
signal to the controller to take action and to give signal to the chiller (not shown in the figure) to decrease or
increase the water temperature supplied to the cooling coil. For dehumidification process, a humidistat
senses the humidity ratio in the zone and, in the case of high relative humidity values, it gives a signal to the
chiller to reduce the water temperature such that the water vapor in the supplied humid air condenses and
therefore the humidity ratio in the zone is reduced.
In winter operation season, cold and dry air enters the AHU. The thermostat senses the temperature in
the zone and sends a signal to the controller, which uses the error signal to control the input temperature

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of HVAC system.

1734 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745

of the water that flows through the heating coil. Finally, the air passes through the humidifier that
generates vapor to control the humidity ratio in the air.
Dampers and/or variable flow fans are used to control the airflow rate in the system. The three control
inputs in this system are: the supplied air temperature, the supplied air humidity ratio and the mass flow
rate. In this work, the supplied mass flow rate is assumed to be constant and is equal to 0.24 kg/s.
The desired values of the air temperature and humidity ratio are set at 22 8C and 0.008 kg (water)/kg (dry
air), respectively. The outputs of interest are the temperature and humidity ratio of the zone.

2.1. Analytical formulation of the problem

2.1.1. The zone model

Since the zone is a complex thermal system, a complete theoretical approach of formulating the
model is impractical. The zone model is characterized by three state variables: the zone temperature
(Tz), the inner walls temperature (Twi), and the zone humidity ratio (Wz). The air in the zone is
assumed to be fully mixed, so that the zone temperature distribution is uniform and the dynamics of
the zone can be expressed in a lumped capacity model. In addition, the effect of the North wall on the
zone temperature is assumed to be the same as the effect of the South wall and the effect of the East
wall is also assumed to be the same as the effect of the West wall. The ground has no effect on the zone
temperature. The density of the air is assumed to be constant and is not influenced by changing the
temperature and humidity ratio of the zone. The pressure losses across the zone and in the mixing
section are neglected. People, lights and extreme weather conditions are the uncontrolled inputs.
Under the above assumptions, energy and mass balance governing equations of the zone are
dTz
Cz Zfsa ra Cpa ðTsa KTz Þ C 2Uw1 Aw1 ðTw KTz Þ CUR AR ðTR KTz Þ C2Uw2 Aw2 ðTw2 KTz Þ CqðtÞ
dt
(1)

dTw1
Cw1 ZUw1 Aw1 ðTz KTw1 Þ CUw1 Aw1 ðTo KTw1 Þ (2)
dt

dTw2
Cw2 ZUw2 Aw2 ðTz KTw2 Þ CUw2 Aw2 ðTo KTw2 Þ (3)
dt

dTr
CR ZUR AR ðTz KTR Þ CUR AR ðTo KTR Þ (4)
dt

dWz PðtÞ
Vz Zfs ðWs KWz Þ C (5)
dt ra
Eq. (1) states that the rate change of energy in the zone is equal to the difference between the energy
transferred to the zone by either conduction or convection and the energy removed from the zone. In Eqs.
(2)–(4) the rate change of energy through walls is equal to the energy transferred through walls due to
temperature difference between indoor and outdoor air. Similarly, in Eq. (5) the rate change of moisture
content in the zone is equal to the difference between the vapor added to and removed from the zone.
 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745 1735

2.1.2. The heating coil model

Heating coil is water to air heat exchanger, which provides conditioned air for ventilation purposes in
buildings. It has been assumed that the mass flow rate of the water inside the coil is constant and is equal
to 0.084 kg/s. In addition, the coil material is assumed to be highly conductive such that its thermal
resistance is considered to be negligible. The heating water is supplied to the heating coil at temperature
Twi. The water temperature at the exit of the heating coil, Two is considered to be constant and is equal to
10 8C. The energy balance between hot water and cold air can be expressed by
dTco
Cah Z fsw rw Cpw ðTwi K Two Þ C ðUAÞa ðTo K Tco Þ C fsa ra Cpa ðTm K Tco Þ (6)
dt
The mass balance is
vWco
Vah Z fsa ðWm K Wco Þ (7)
vt
Eq. (6) indicates that the rate change of energy in the air passes through the coil is equal to the energy
added by the flow rate of water in the heating coil and the energy transferred by the return air to the
surrounding.

2.1.3. The humidifier model

Humidification is a mass transfer process of water vapor to atmospheric air, which results in an
increase of water vapor in the mixture. Extremely low moisture content has undesirable effects on the
human body. The measurement and control of moisture in the air is an important phase of air
conditioning. The energy and mass balance equations for the humidifier model developed by Kasahara
[6] are expressed as
dT
Ch h Z fsa Cpa ðTsi K Th Þ C ah ðTo K Th Þ (8)
dt
dWh hðtÞ
Vh Z fsa ðWsi K Wh Þ C (9)
dt ra
In Eq. (9), h(t) is the rate of humid air that the humidifier can produce and it is a function of humidity
ratio.

2.1.4. Sensor model

The function of sensors is to measure the temperature and relative humidity in the zone and to give
feedback signal to the control system in order to enhance the performance of the system. For simplicity,
in this work it is assumed that the sensor is a first order system with time constant t equals to 1 s.
Therefore, the equation can be written directly as
tse
Tse ðsÞ Z T ðsÞ: (10)
tse s C 1 me

2.1.5. The fan model

The first order fan model is chosen, and it is assumed that air temperature changes have negligible
effects on the physical properties of air. Hence, the fan model becomes linear and can be expressed by
1736 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745

a first order transform function. If the motor is placed within the flow, heat is transferred from the fan
motor to air. Normally this heat transfer causes air temperature to increase about 1–2 8C. Note that the
fan has no effect on the humidity ratio because there is no mass transfer taking place as the air passes
through the fan.

2.1.6. Mixing box

The mixing of air streams is a common practice in air-conditioning systems and it usually occurs
under steady and adiabatic conditions. In this work, it is assumed that no frictional losses occur across
the converging section. The energy and mass balance equations are as follow
mr Cpa Tr C mo Cpa To Z mm Cpa Tm (11)

mr C mo Z mm (12)
where
mr Tr C mo To
Tm Z (13)
mr C mo

mr Wr C mo Wo
Wm Z (14)
mr C mo

2.1.7. The duct model

The transient model developed by Clark et al. [1] for a duct unit is used. The inlet air temperature is Ti
and the exit air temperature is Tout. The rate change of air temperature is
dTout ðhi C ho Þma Cp
Z ðTin K Tout Þ (15)
dt hi Mc Cc

2.1.8. The cooling and dehumidifying coil model

The cooling coil is an important component of an air conditioning unit and it is the most important
interface between the primary plant and the secondary air distribution systems. As air passes through the
coil, it gets in contact with the cold fin surfaces and heat is transferred from the air to the water flowing
inside the tubes.
Because of the importance of the cooling coil, several models were developed to study its transient
behavior and response characteristics. In this study, the transient model of a chilled-water coil developed
by Elmahdy [9] is adopted. The air temperature Ta and humidity ratio Wa as a function of water
temperature Tw is approximated by the following equations

Ta ðTw Þ Z K0:0587ðTw Þ2 C 1:773Tw C 1:1816: (16)

Wa ðTw Þ Z 3:2434 !10K5 Tw2 K 1:7972 !10K5 Tw C 6:223 !10K3 (17)

 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745 1737

The range of validity for the above equations is TwZ5–50 8C. Taking the Laplace transform of
Eqs. (1)–(5) for the zone model gives the following algebraic equations
ðCz s C fs ra Cpa C 2Uw1 Aw1 C UR AR C 2Uw Aw2 ÞTz ðsÞ

Z fs ra Cpa Ts ðsÞ C 2Uw1 Aw1 Tw1 ðsÞ C UR AR TR ðsÞ C 2Uw2 Aw2 Tw2 ðsÞ C qðsÞ (1a)

ðCw1 s C 2Uw1 Aw1 ÞTw1 ðsÞ Z Uw1 Aw1 Tz ðsÞ C Uw1 Aw1 To ðsÞ (2a)

ðCw2 s C 2Uw2 Aw2 ÞTw2 ðsÞ Z Uw2 Aw2 Tz ðsÞ C Uw2 Aw2 To ðsÞ (3a)

ðCR s C 2UR AR ÞTR ðsÞ Z UR AR Tz ðsÞ C UR AR To ðsÞ (4a)

ðVz s C fsa ÞWz ðsÞ Z fsa Ws ðsÞ (5a)

The transfer function of the zone model can be represented as follows
Tz ðsÞ Z Gz ðsÞbTs ðsÞ C gGw1 ðsÞ½Tz ðsÞ C To ðsÞ C dGw1 ðsÞ½Tz ðsÞ C To ðsÞ C lGR ðsÞ½Tz ðsÞ C To ðsÞ
(18)

Wz ðsÞ Z Gwz ðsÞWs ðsÞ (19)

where

a Z fsa ra Cpa C 2Uwl Awl C UR AR C 2Uw Aw2 ; b Z fsa ra Cpa ; g Z 2Uw1 Aw1 ; d Z 2Uw2 Aw2 ;
1 1 1
l Z UR AR ; Gz ðsÞ Z ; Gw1 ðsÞ Z ; Gw2 ðsÞ Z ;
Cz s C a Cw1 s C g Cw2 s C d
1 fsa
GR ðsÞ Z ; Gwz ðsÞ Z
CR s C l Vz s C fsa
The block diagram of the zone is shown in Fig. 2.

2.1.9. Heating coil model

The Laplace transform of Eqs. (6) and (7) for the heating coil model is
½Cah s C fsa ra Cpa C ðUAÞa Tco ðsÞ

Z fsw rw Cpw ½Twi ðsÞ K Two ðsÞ C ðUAÞa To ðsÞ C fsa ra Cpa Tm ðsÞ (6a)

ðVah s C fsa ÞWco ðsÞ Z fsa Wm ðsÞ (7a)

Therefore
Ts ðsÞ Z Gs ðsÞfy½Twi ðsÞ K Two ðsÞ C cTo ðsÞ C bTsi ðsÞg (20)

Ws ðsÞ Z Gws ðsÞWsi ðsÞ (21)

1738 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745

Fig. 2. Block diagram of the zone model.

where
1 fsa
x Z fsa ra Cpa C ðUAÞa ; y Z fsw rw Cpw ; c Z ðUAÞa ; Gs ðsÞ Z ; Gws ðsÞ Z
Cah s C z Vah s C fsa

The Laplace transform of Eqs. (8) and (9) is

ðCh s C fsa Cpa C ah ÞTh ðsÞ Z fsa Cpa Tsi ðsÞ C ah To ðsÞ (8a)

hðsÞ
ðVh s C fs ÞWh ðsÞ Z fsa Ws ðsÞ C (9a)
ra

Therefore
Th ðsÞ Z Gh ðsÞ½fsa Cpa Tsi ðsÞ C ah To ðsÞ (22)

 
hðsÞ
Wh ðsÞ Z Gwh ðsÞ fsa Wsi ðsÞ C (23)
ra

where
1 1
J Z fsa Cpa C ah ; Gh ðsÞ Z ; Gwh ðsÞ Z
Ch s C J Vh s C fsa
 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745 1739

The Laplace transform of the energy balance equation of the duct (15) is
To ðsÞ Z Gduct ðsÞTin ðsÞ (24)
where
t ðhi C ho Þma Cp
Gduct ðsÞ tZ
s Ct hi Mc Cc

2.2. Transient response of uncontrolled system

A simulation is used to test the system validation and time response of its components. The transient
response of the open loop (uncontrolled) system is studied. The set point values of the environment
conditions are as follow:

(1) Ambient conditions:

† Summer operation season: ToZ32 8C, WoZ0.01251 kg/kg (dry air), TsZ13 8C.
† Winter operation season: ToZ5 8C, WoZ0.00377 kg/kg (dry air), TsZ25 8C.
(2) Volume flow rate of the supply air fsZ0.192 m3/s.
(3) The number of people in the zone is 2 with 0.15 kW load and two lamps with load 0.5 kW are
considered to be in the zone.
(4) The initial conditions when tZ0 are given by Tz(0)ZTo and Wz(0)ZWo for summer and winter
operation seasons.

The zone’s temperature approaches steady state conditions in about 8000 s because of slow response
due to high thermal capacity of the zone. Note that walls need more time to reach steady state conditions
because of higher thermal capacity; this is clearly shown in Fig. 3a for summer operation season. It is
clear from Fig. 3b that humidity ratio of the zone reaches steady state after approximately 3000 s. The
humidity ratio rapidly decreases because of fast rate of cooling of the supplied air.
As expected, the zone air temperature decreases as mass flow rate increase as shown inFig. 3c. In addition,
the humidity ratio variation as a function of mass flow rate is presented in Fig. 3d. It is clear that as the mass
flow rate increases, the rate of change in humidity ratio increases. Fig. 4a represents the temperature
variation of the zone and the walls in winter operation season. The zone reaches steady state temperature
after approximately 8000 s because of slow response due to high thermal capacity of the zone. In addition,
the walls need more time to reach steady state values because of their high thermal capacity. Fig. 4b shows
humidity ratio response of the zone, clearly the humidity reach steady state after approximately 2000 s.
The zone air temperature increases as mass flow rate increases as shown in Fig. 4c. Fig. 4d shows the
humidity ratio variation as mass flow rate changes. Clearly the results show that as the mass flow rate
increases the rate of change in humidity ratio increases. These response characteristics will be enhanced
when the feedback controller is implemented.

2.3. Transient response of controlled system

Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller is widely used in the control process of many
industrial applications, and is also the basis for many advanced control algorithms. The PID controller
1740 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745

Fig. 3. (a) Temperature of the zone and walls (summer). (b) Humidity ratio of the zone (summer). (c) Temperature of the zone at
different values of mass flow rate. (d) Humidity ratio of the zone at different values of mass flow rate.

transfer function consists of three different elements, which can be described as follows

KI
Gc ðsÞ Z Kp C C KD s (25)
s

where Kp is the proportional gain, KI is the integral gain and KD is the derivative gain.
Such a controller has three different adjustments Kp, KI, and KD, which interact with each other. For
this reason, it can be very difficult and time consuming to tune these three values to get the best
performance according to the design specifications of the system.
In this work, the task is to develop feedback PID controllers for the HVAC model to keep the zone
temperature and humidity ratio at a set point value. Ziegler-Nichols method is used to find the parameter
of the PID controller. The Ziegler-Nichols Closed Loop method is one of the most common methods
used to tune control loops. This method determines the gain at which a loop, with only proportional
control, will oscillate, and then derives the controller gain, integral, and derivative values from the gain
 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745 1741

Fig. 4. (a) Temperature of the zone and walls (winter). (b) Humidity ratio of the zone (winter). (c) Temperature of the zone at
different values of mass flow rate. (d) Humidity ratio of the zone at different values of mass flow rate.

at which the oscillations are sustained and the period of oscillation at that gain. This method is used as a
first guess, since it is considered to be a good tuning but is not necessarily the optimum one.
Fig. 5a and b show the schematic diagram of the overall heating and cooling systems, respectively.
These systems consist of a zone, duct, mixing box, fan, thermostat, humidistat, heating coil, humidifier,
and cooling coil.
In these diagrams, a heating coil is used to increase the temperature, and the humidifier is used to
increase the humidity ratio in the heating mode. The cooling-dehumidifying coil is used to decrease the
temperature and humidity ratio in the cooling mode. The controllers are implemented in the system to
control these devices and to track the set point values of temperature and humidity ratio.
In this analysis, the temperature and humidity ratio of the zone are controlled by varying the supply air
temperature and humidity ratio. The specified PID coefficients are determined by Ziegler-Nichols
method as a first guess. Then, trial-and-error method is used to find the parameters that meet the design
1742 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745

Fig. 5. (a) Schematic diagram of the overall heating system. (b) Schematic diagram of the overall cooling system.

specification of the system. The values of these parameters for the controllers are obtained and are listed
in Table 1. From this table, it is clear that the values of the gain are small, in other words, the system will
be unstable, even though high gain makes the system respond rapidly. The values of the derivative action
are kept the same as those obtained from Ziegler-Nichols Method, since HVAC plant is not affected by
these values.
The values of the parameter of PID controllers, obtained from Ziegler-Nichols Method, give very
good results in the output. For example, in winter operation season, the temperature will reach 22 8C in
approximately 400 s, but this parameter value gives very high load on the heating coil that result in an
overshoot of 150 8C, the fact that makes it unacceptable. In addition, to meet the set point value of
0.008 kg (water)/kg (dry air) for humidity ratio, the supply air must reach very high humidity ratio.
This will result in condensation in the humidifier which is unacceptable. Therefore, the fine tuning by
trial and error is used to reach the set point values and have a reasonable load on the heating coil and
humidifier.
Fig. 6a shows the zone air temperature for the controlled system in summer operating season. The
temperature decreases slowly and exponentially to reach the set point value in approximately 1200 s
with an error equals to 2.3%. Fig. 6b shows the zone air humidity ratio of the controlled zone for summer
operation season. It is clear from this figure that humidity ratio decreases smoothly to the set point value
in 1200 s almost without any error. Fig. 6c illustrates the supplied air temperature as a function of time.
Table 1
Parameters of PID controllers
Heating mode Cooling mode
Humidifier Heating coil Cooling coil Dehumidifier
Gain 0.65 3 2 5
Integrator 0.008 0.011 0.0015 0.0035
Differentiator 10 25 0.1 0.1
 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745 1743

Fig. 6. (a) Temperature of the controlled zone (summer). (b) Humidity ratio of the controlled zone (summer). (c) Supply air
temperature of controlled zone (summer). (d) Supply air humidity ratio of the controlled zone (summer).

It is noticed that the temperature decreases to 8.5 8C at the beginning and then it increases and stabilizes
at 13 8C. Finally Fig. 6d shows the supply air humidity ratio, which rises smoothly and stabilizes in about
1600 s.
Fig. 7a shows the zone air temperature for the controlled system in winter operation season. The
temperature increases slowly and exponentially to reach the set point value in approximately 800 s with
small error. Fig. 7b shows the zone air humidity ratio of the controlled zone for winter operation season.
It is clear that the humidity ratio increase smoothly to the set point value in about 800 s almost without
error. Fig. 7c illustrates the temperature of the supplied air to the controlled zone where the value of the
temperature increases up to 30 8C at the beginning and then it decreases and stabilizes at about 24 8C.
Finally Fig. 7d shows the supply air humidity ratio of the controlled zone for winter operation season,
which rises rapidly to 0.0186 kg (water)/kg (dry air) and then it reaches the steady state value of
0.009 kg/kg (dry air).
1744 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745

Fig. 7. (a) Temperature of the controlled zone (winter). (b) Humidity ratio of the controlled zone (winter). (c) Supply air
temperature of controlled zone (winter). (d) Supply air humidity ratio of the controlled zone (winter).

3. Conclusion

In this work, a procedure for deriving a dynamic model to control an HVAC system is investigated.
The system consists of a zone, heating coil, cooling and dehumidifying coil, humidifier, ductwork, fan
and mixing box. Mathematical models for the components were derived and a simulation system of the
complete HVAC system is analyzed. The results for the open loop responses of the system were
obtained. The control of water temperature in the cooling and heating coils and air moisture in the
humidifier were adopted. PID controllers are used to improve the transient behavior of the system.
Nichols-Ziegler method is used to determine the parameter of the proportional derivative and integral
gains. This step is followed by fine tuning by trial and error method to meet the set point settings. Closed
loop HVAC plant performance is also studied. The results obtained show that the system is capable of
rejecting disturbances effectively with small error and with small time period.
 B. Tashtoush et al. / Energy 30 (2005) 1729–1745 1745

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