1. Central air conditioning system& its Advantage and
Disadvantage. 2. Decentralized Air conditioning System& Its Advantage and Disadvantage. TYPES OF AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM: 1. All Air system. 2. All water system. 3. Air-water system. Air conditioning refers to any form of cooling ,heating ,ventilation or disinfection that modifies condition of air. The main motive of air conditioning is to provide an energy efficient , cost effective, healthy and comfortable indoor environment with acceptable indoor air quality A central air conditioning system serves one or more thermal zones, and has its major component located outside the zone, or zones being served in some convenient central location in the building or near it. District system serving more than one building revert to central system at the single building level.
Central air conditioning systems
Components: Central air conditioning systems basically consist of three major parts: (i).AHU (Air Handling Unit), air distribution system (air duct) and terminals. (ii).Water System: a. Chilled water system b. Hot water system c. Condenser water system (iii). Central plant-refrigeration (chiller)plant, boiler plant. Allow major equipment components to be isolated in a mechanical room (i.e. allows maintenance to occur with limited disruption to building functions, reduce noises and aesthetic impact on building occupants). Offer opportunities on economies of scale. Larger capacity refrigeration equipment is usually more efficient than smaller capacity equipment; larger system can utilizes cooling tower tat improve system efficiencies in many climates Central systems are amenable to centralized energy management control schemes i.e. reduced building energy conception. A central system may be appropriate for other than climate control perspective; active smoke is best accomplished by a central all air-system. DISADVANTAGES: As system size and sophistication increase, maintenance may become more difficult and may be available from fewer providers if specialists are needed. As a non-distribution system failure of any equipment component may affect the entire building. Large centralized systems tend to be less intuitive making system analysis and understanding more difficult. A decentralized system serves a single thermal zone and has its major components located within the zone itself, on the boundary between the zone and the exterior environment, or directly adjacent to the zone. It may be divided into: Individual System using self-contained, factory-made air conditioner to serve one or two rooms. II). Unitary System, which are similar in nature to individual system consisting of fans, coils, filters, ductwork and outlets (e.g. in small restaurants, small shops and small cold storage rooms). The term packaged air-conditioner. The air- conditioning and refrigeration institute ARI defines a unitary air-conditioner as one or more factory-made assemblies that normally include an evaporator/cooling coil and a compressor and compressor and condenser combination. 1. Serving only a single zone, decentralized system will have only one point of control typically a thermostat for active system. 2. Each decentralized system generally does its own thing, without regard to the performance or operation of other decentralized systems. 3. Decentralized systems tend to be distributed systems providing greater collective reliability than do centralized systems. 1. Decentralized system units cannot be easily connected together to permit centralized energy movement operation. 2. Decentralized system can usually be controlled with respect to on-off functions through electric circuit control, but more sophisticated central control (such as night-setback or economizer operation) is not possible. 1. All-air system 2. All-water system 3. Air-water system 4. Unitary refrigerant based system All- air system: 1. All-air system when energy is transferred only by means of heated or cooled air. 2. All-air systems provide sensible and latent cooling capacity solely through cold supply air delivered to the conditioned space. Such systems are well suited to air-side economizer use, and large-volume outdoor air requirements. They are the best choice for close control of zone temperature and humidity. They are generally a good choice of applications where indoor air quality is a key concern. They are amenable to use in smoke control systems. There is simple seasonal changeover. Such systems generally permit simultaneous heating and cooling in different zones. All-air systems use significant amounts of energy to move air (approximately 40%) of all-air systems energy use is fan energy. Ductwork space requirements may add to building height. Air balancing may be difficult. All-water system when energy is transferred only by means of hot or chilled water. In an all-water system , space cooling and /or heating is provided by chilled and/or hot water circulated from a central refrigeration/ boiler plant to terminal units located in, or immediately adjacent to, the various conditioned spaces. Heat transfer to/from the room air occurs via forced or natural convection. Except for radiant systems, radiant heat transfer is usually nominal due to the size and arrangement of the heat transfer surfaces. All-water systems can be employed for both heating and cooling. Heating water is supplied either through the same piping network used for chilled water in summer or through an independent piping system. 1. Less building spaces is required for distribution elements. 2. They are well suited for retrofit applications due to their distribution efficiency. 3. Little (often no) space is needed for a central fan rooms. 4. Because low-temperature water can be used for heating, they are well suited for solar heating and heat recovery applications. 1. Maintenance demands can be high and maintenance must be performed on terminals within occupied spaces. 2. Condensate drain pans and a drain system are required; in addition, they must be cleaned periodically. 3. Relative humidity in spaces may be high in summer, particularly if modulating chilled-water valves are used to control room temperature. 4. Ventilation is not centrally provided or controlled and is often accomplished by opening windows or via outdoor inlet at each terminal unit; thus, providing for acceptable indoor air quality can be a serious concern. Air-and-water systems condition spaces by distributing both conditioned air and water to terminal units installed in the spaces. The air and water are cooled and/or heated in a central mechanical equipment room. The air supplied is termed primary air to distinguish it from re circulate(or secondary) room air. Air-and-water systems that have been used in buildings of various types are below. Not all of these systems see equal use in today’s design environment They are presented, however, to provide a sense of the possibilities and constrains inherent in the use of an air-and-water system. Because of the greater specifies heat and the much greater density of water compared to it, the cross-sectional area of piping is much smaller than that of ductwork to provide the same cooling (or heating) capacity. Because a large part of the space heating/cooling load is handled by the water of this type of system, the overall duct distribution requirements in an air-and-water system ---- which saves building space. If the system is designed so that the primary air supply is equal to the ventilation requirement or to balance exhaust requirements, a return air system can be eliminated. The air handling system is smaller than that of an air system, yet positive ventilation is ensured . Numerous zone can be individually controlled and their cooling or heating demands satisfied independently and simultaneously. When appropriate to do so(as during unoccupied hours), space heating can be provided by operating only the water side system __ without operating the central air system. When all primary air is taken from outdoors, cross- contamination between rooms can be reasonably controlled. Design for intermediate season operation is critical. Changeover operation (between seasons) can be difficult and requires a knowledgeable staff. Controls are more complicated than for all-air systems, and humidity cannot be tightly controlled. Induction and fan-coil terminal units require frequent in-space maintenance.
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