Introduction

Welcome to the TU Delft course Efficient HVAC Systems. In this course, you will learn how to decide on efficient combinations of energy conversion systems and how to distribute and control air and energy flows in buildings, whilst minimizing carbon emissions and optimizing thermal comfort (in close consideration with the architect). HVAC is the designated term for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning and it comprises all indoor climate systems and energy systems in a building.
In this syllabus you’ll find important information regarding this course.
This course is the fourth and last one of the course Buildings as Sustainable Energy Systems, in which you learn how to design energy efficient and more sustainable buildings whilst improving their thermal quality and indoor environment. The Program Buildings as Sustainable Energy Systems consists of four courses:

Energy Demand in Buildings;

Energy Supply Systems for Buildings;

Comfort and Health in Buildings; and

Efficient HVAC Systems, which is about how to design, control and optimize HVAC systems.

These four courses can be followed independently of each other, however, knowledge is built up from course 1 to course 4.
All courses are based on a classic system engineering approach, meaning that you will also learn about the interactions between the different components of the building’s energy system. The system we look at is the physical building with its energy systems, occupants and HVAC systems. A classic system engineering approach also means that requirement analysis, modelling, and simulation play an important role. Once you’ve got a good understanding of the system itself and the interactions between components, you will be able to model it and simulate its working in order to create and analyze alternative design concepts in terms of performances. In the present course, Efficient HVAC Systems, you will discover how air is processed in an air handling unit, and how to distribute it to ensure thermal comfort. You will learn to answer questions like: should heat and cold be distributed by an air system or a water system? What
temperature levels should I choose to ensure high efficiency and thermal comfort? And last but not least, you will learn how to make complex combinations of (renewable) energy equipment manageable and controllable.

Learning Objectives

The main aim of this course is to learn how to design and control the indoor climate and (sustainable) energy systems in buildings efficiently, and how to distribute heat and cold efficiently. You will further deepen your knowledge on air handling units and how to humidify and dehumidify air when needed. You will study a modern complex system consisting of an aquifer thermal storage, heat pump, boiler, solar collector, PV–cells, air handling unit, water and air distribution systems, allowing you to develop skills to catch the complexity of such HVAC systems and to understand the basic rules of how to control them.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Describe the different steps that HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) engineers need to follow to create a proper design while collaborating with the architect.
2. Make choices and calculations on how to process air in an air handling unit, and how to distribute it to ensure thermal comfort.
3. Make choices and calculations on how to distribute heat and cold with air systems, water systems, and mixed systems.
4. Decide on what supply and distribution temperature levels to choose taking into account efficiency and thermal comfort.
5. Make a preliminary design of complex combinations of (renewable) energy equipment.
6. Describe how to make these systems manageable and controllable

 

Course Structure

After a short introductory welcome module, the course starts with module 1 in which a summary is given of the key concepts in the previous 3 courses of the Buildings as Sustainable Energy Systems. In the second module of the course you will learn about humidification, dehumidification, and air handling units. Module 3 will be devoted to the distribution of heat, cold, and air in buildings. In module 4 you will learn to understand and apply basic controls for efficient operation and design of simple HVAC equipment. Finally in the last module you will apply your new skills and knowledge on more complex systems and learn how to work with the architect.

Module 1

Recap Courses Energy Demand, Energy Supply and Health & Comfort. During module 1, a summary of course 1 (Energy Demand), course 2 (Energy Supply) and course 3 (Health & Comfort) is given, in such a way that your level of knowledge is sufficient to enjoy the present (and last) course. If you have already followed (one) of these courses, it will refresh your knowledge. If you have not followed them, it will give you an impression of the main issues and concepts covered in them.

Module 2

Humid air: (de)humidification and air handling units The first two courses were mainly about heating and cooling, and we neglected humidity, which, in course 3, was shown however to be very important for the indoor environmental quality. During module 2 you will learn about the properties of humid air, which processes can be used to humidify and dehumidify air and how to make estimates of the energy needed for these processes using equations and psychrometric charts. Finally, you will discover how air handling units work.

Module 3

Distribution of heat, cold and air in buildings. This third module is devoted to the distribution of heat, cold and air in buildings. Which systems can be used and how can you design and combine them to ensure comfort? Which parameters are of influence on the energy consumption and how should you cope with them? You will learn about room units, and centralized systems and their distribution ducts.

Module 4

Basic controls for efficient operation and design of HVAC systems. At the end of module 4 you will learn about the basic control systems used in simple HVAC systems, and how to use them for an energy efficient and stable design. Amongst other things, you will learn about CAV and VAV systems, load curves, and variable set point temperatures.

Module 5

Energy efficient HVAC concepts for NZEB buildings. In the final module of the course, you will learn about how more complex HVAC system work, how
to combine them, and their relationship with (near) Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB). You will understand how to collaborate with the architect on these types of projects, and you will practice making informed decisions about the sizing of such systems and their different control modes, leading to energy efficient, low carbon and affordable concepts for sustainable buildings’ energy systems.

 

License

The course materials of this course are Copyright Delft University of Technology and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. If you choose to reuse or repost DelftX course materials you must give proper attribution to the original TU Delft faculty author(s). Please utilize the following citation “This material was created by or adapted from material posted on the Delftx website, delftx.tudelft.nl, and created by TU Delft faculty member (Name), (Title), (Year). DelftX is not responsible for any changes made to the original materials posted on its website and any such changes are the sole responsibility of [name of user/adapter].”
You must also include a copy of the Creative Commons license used by DelftX, with every copy of the TU Delft materials or the derivative work you create from it.

 

Attributions

The reader for week 2–4 is partly based on revised version of a TU Delft reader by late Prof. Dr. Ir. A.H.C. van Paassen, ‘Indoor Climate Control Fundamentals’ used in consecutive courses WB4426 ME45110 and ME45111; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Section Energy Technology, Specialization Energy in Built Environment. Original Graphics by Jaap Keuvelaar, ©2004 Prof. Dr Ir. A.H.C. van Paassen, TU Delft.