Chapter 3

Preliminary Design – Planning

Decisions to be Made

Once all of the data about the proposed building project has been obtained and
reviewed, the designer is ready to make some basic decisions about how the system
will be configured. These decisions must be made in collaboration with the owner
and the architect. The owner will have budgetary constraints and will want input into
the type of systems to be used. The architect will have to provide for spaces for
placement of the equipment.

Preliminary design is an essential step in the design process, but does not need to be
a detailed or drawn-out task and is generally not formalized for the projects that are
the subject of this book. However, it provides an opportunity for the engineer to
outline for the owner and architect his response to their requirements, and what he
plans to include in his design.

This means that the designer must decide what ambient outdoor conditions to use.
He must also decide how the building will be zoned and what kind of core
refrigerating/heating equipment, air handlers, and terminal systems will be used
before knowing what the building loads will be. Detailed selection of equipment is
discussed in Chapter 9, after the cooling and heating loads have been estimated and
the room and coil psychrometrics are known. However, the architect, engineer, and
owner must agree on the general outline of the HVAC configuration to avoid errors as
the project unfolds.

The Design Day and Hour – Outdoor Ambient Design Conditions

Part of the project information is the precise location of the proposed building. The
cooling and dehumidification loads will have to be based on either the day with the
highest dry bulb temperature or the highest wet bulb temperature. For cooling load
calculations, this book will use dry bulb temperature as the design standard. For
selecting air pre-treatment systems (chapter 9), most authorities recommend using
wet bulb temperature as the standard. The reason for this latter will be found in
Chapter 9.

ASHRAE, among other sources has extensive weather data covering all of the United
States and much of the rest of the world. A synopsis will be found in the 2009
Fundamentals handbook, Chapter 14, “Climatic Design Information”. Complete
tables for most U.S. and World Cities is found in the Fundamentals handbook CD, or
is available separately from ASHRAE. The handbook reference in Chapter 14 includes
a table of complete design conditions for a single location, Atlanta, Georgia, plus

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basic design conditions for all weather stations in the U.S. and most large world
cities. These tables provide the statistical occurrence at .4%, 1%, and 2% of the
maximum values of the following parameters:

DB maximum dry bulb temperature

MCWB mean coincident wet bulb temperature (coincident with the
maximum dry bulb temperature
WB maximum wet bulb temperature
MCDB mean coincident dry bulb temperature

In humid climates, the summer condition of WB/MCDB will usually be at a higher

enthalpy than the condition of DB/MCWB. As will be discussed in Chapter 9, this is
important when selecting outdoor air pre-treatment equipment.

First Cost and Energy Efficiency

The projects that are the subject of this book rarely have the resources for detailed
cost-benefit analysis. The architect and engineer will therefore establish the building
and systems design based on their experience and judgment, and their understanding
of the owner’s requirements and budget. More energy efficient systems are often
more complex to design, so the fee that the owner is willing to pay will also affect the
energy efficiency of the final product.

However, energy efficiency is an important national objective, so it is important for

the designer to be familiar with the fundamentals of energy efficiency. Also, most
states now have energy efficiency codes, and it is often the responsibility of the HVAC
design professional to prepare the energy code compliance document. As such, it is
the responsibility of the HVAC designer to not only insure the efficiency and code
compliance of the HVAC system, but also to advise the architect and the lighting
designer regarding the energy code requirements of the building envelope, lighting,
and equipment.

ASHRAE Standard 90.1 provides the prescriptive and performance standard for
energy efficiency in commercial and high-rise residential buildings. Most local energy
codes are based on this standard with differences tailored to local conditions or
aspirations. The designer should have both Standard 90.1 and the local energy code
available for ready reference, and should be familiar with the local code sections that
may be more restrictive than the Standard.

Elements of Design

Air conditioning systems can be divided into two classes: chilled water and direct
expansion (dx). Heating systems come in five classes: steam, hot water, gas or oil,
electric, and dx (heat pump). For small commercial systems, chilled water and steam
systems are generally impractical. Dx air conditioning with hot water heat or with a

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gas or oil furnace may be cost effective, especially in cold climates. Electric heat is
cost effective in climates with warm winters, such as south Florida. Heat pumps may
be an effective solution in climates with mild winters having a limited number of very
cold days.

The basic preliminary design decisions will be as follows:

zoning of the building

air source or water source units

split systems or packaged units

type of heating system – furnace, hot water, heat pump, electric

Matched air conditioning units of five tons or less are often designated by equipment
manufacturers as “residential”. However, such systems are frequently applied to small
commercial and institutional buildings.

Zoning

As defined in this book, each zone will require a separate air handler. In addition,
sub-zones will each require a separate variable air volume terminal unit. Each air
handler will require space inside the building unless it is part of a packaged outdoor
unit. Zones do not have to be separated by internal walls.

Larger buildings can be zoned so that each air handler serves a different exposure, or
a different occupancy type. Buildings with a total peak cooling load of ten tons or less
will often be designed with only a single zone.

DX Air Source Systems

These systems are most likely to be chosen for cooling the small commercial systems
that are the subject of this book. Air source refers to outdoor air as the source for heat
or heat rejection, and air as the heat transfer medium to add or remove heat from the
space. Refrigerant transfers the heat from the space to the outdoor air.

DX Water Source Systems

These systems may be an effective option for small buildings. Water source refers to
water as the source for heating and cooling, with air as the heat transfer medium to
add or remove heat from the space . This type of system has many advantages and is
very efficient, but although the heat from the space is transferred to the source water
by refrigerant, the source water itself requires a secondary heat source and heat sink.

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The secondary heat source/sink will either be “boosted” or “ground water”.
“Boosted” means a cooling tower for heat sink and a boiler for heat source. “Ground
water” means that the system heat source/sink is the ground. Either choice will have
significant implications for cost and for space on the grounds outside the building,
and so must be coordinated with the owner and architect early in the design phase.

Ground water source systems are of two types, “closed loop” and “open loop” . With a
closed loop system, the source water is circulated through pipes buried in the
grounds outside the building. With an open loop system, the water is pumped directly
from the water source – a well into the aquifer, or a pickup in a nearby water body –
and then discharged either to a surface water body or back into the local aquifer.
Ground water source systems will require coordination with the Civil engineer and
may entail special permitting by local water management and utility officials.

Split System or Packaged

Matched split system air conditioners and heat pumps are available in sizes from 1.5
to 25 tons. Packaged systems, with the evaporator and condenser in the same
housing, can be used where inside space is unavailable, and can be used on the
ground outside, or on the roof. In either case, the architect must provide the space in
the context of the interior layout or the visual impact on the building elevations.

Heating Options

Heating may be by electricity, as is dx cooling, but is often by a different fuel source

such as natural gas. In south Florida, straight electric heat will have the lowest life
cycle cost because it is vastly lower in first cost, and will be activated very little
during the life of the building.

Further north, heat pumps are cost effective. However, heat pumps require auxiliary
electric heat strips for two reasons:

first, the outdoor coil must be defrosted periodically, and while this is
occurring, the heat pump is delivering refrigerated air to the occupied space.
This cold air will cause occupant discomfort if not offset by the operation of
the electric heat strips.

second, on very cold days, the heat pump may not be able to heat the occupied
space to the heating set point. Usually, if the space temperature falls more
than 3° below set point, the electric heat will activate to maintain comfortable
conditions.

Even when operating in heating mode on a mildly cool day, heat pumps will circulate
air as cool as 75° to 80°. Air circulated at this temperature will feel uncomfortably

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cool to many occupants, especially older people. Therefore, heating systems capable
of producing warmer air supply temperatures – on the order of 95°, are more
suitable for buildings where the occupants will consist largely of senior citizens, or for
buildings that are occupied on a 24 hour basis. Such systems are electric strips,
circulating hot water, and gas furnaces. High capacity electric strips that occupants
can activate as “emergency heat” are sometimes used in conjunction with heat pumps
to meet higher circulating temperature requirements.

Summary

Preliminary design and planning should not be a time-consuming or complex task. Its
purpose is to coordinate with the owner and architect to ensure that the HVAC
system meets their requirements and can be incorporated into the building and site.
It will also help the engineer as the project is developed.

END