Kirkuk Technical College

Refrigeration and Air conditioning Department

4Th Year Air Conditioning Systems

Compiled by: Aumid Abdulrahim, Assistant Lecturer

HVAC Lectures
Air duct system, design

October 2

2012
Week one

Reference: Chapter 8 of the recommended book Air-conditioning Principles and Systems, Fourth edition by Edward G Pitta

Introduction:
In planning or servicing an HVAC system, it is often necessary to determine pump and fan pressure requirements and piping or duct pressure losses. These and related problems can be solved by an application of some principles of fluid flow which apply to the flow of wate, and air in air conditioning Systems. Objectives After studying this chapter, you will be able to: 1 .Use the continuity equation to find flow rate. 2. Use the energy equation to find pump and fan pressures. 3. Find velocity from total and static pressure. 4. Determine pipe and duct sizes.

The continuity equation:

The flow of water through piping and air through ducts in HVAC systems is usually under conditions called steady flow. Steady flow means that the flow rate of fluid at any point in a section of pipe or duct is equal to that at any other point in the same pipe or duct, regardless of the pipe or duct's shape or cross section. That is, the same quantity of fluid is passing through every section at a given moment.

For example, in Figure above , suppose the flow rate of water past section 1 were 10 GPM (gallons per minute). If there is steady flow, there must also be 10 GPM flowing past section 2. To see this more clearly, if less than 10 GPM were flowing past section 2, say 4 GPM, ask, what happened to the remaining 6 GPM that left section 1? It cannot disappear or be lost (unless there is a hole in the pipe!). Similarly, there cannot be more flow at section 2 than at section 1 because there was only 10 GPM available initially. In HVAC systems, the density of the air or water flowing generally does not change significantly. When the density remains constant, the flow is called incompressible*. Steady flow is a special case of a general principle called either the conservation of mass principle or the continuity principle. The continuity principle can be expressed as an equation. which is called the continuity equation. For incompressible steadyflow, the continuity equation is. VFR = constant = A1 X V1 = A2 X V2 Where: VFR = volume flow rate of fluid A I, A2 = cross-sectional area of pipe or duct at any points I and 2 V1 V2 = velocity of fluid at any points I and 2 (1.a)

The continuity equation can also be expressed using mass flow rate (MFR) rather than VFR. From Equation 2. 1, mass equals density times volume.Then, with constant density (d), MFR = constant where d x VFR = d x A1 X V1 d x A2 x V2 MFR = mass flow rate d = density of fluid * Most flows in HVAC systems are incompressible flows.

(1.b)

4. The Flow Energy Equation When the energy balance principle is applied to flow in a pipe or duct, it may be stated as follows: between any two points 1 and 2

or

where: E1, E2 = energy stored in fluid at points 1 and 2 E add = energy added to fluid between points 1 and 2 E lost = energy lost from fluid between points 1and 2 The energy of the fluid at any point consists of . pressure, velocity (kinetic energy), and elevation (potential energy). The energy added may be that of a pump or fan. The energy lost is due to friction. There may be other energy changes (e.g., a temperature change), but they are usually small and may be neglected.

The flow energy equation applied to flow in a duct or pipe

(2a)

where

Hs = static pressure of fluid (pressure at rest), ft V = velocity, f/sec g = gravitational constant, 32.2 ft/sec2 V2 / 2g= velocity pressure. ft He = elevation, ft Hp = pressure added by pump or fan, ft Hf = pressure lost in piping or duct from friction, ft Equation 2a is called the flow energy equation or generalized Bernoulli equation. It is used often to determine the pressure requirements of pumps and fans and in testing and balancing systems. Equation 2a can be arranged in a useful form by solving for the term Hp and grouping other terms as follows. 2b

Expressed in the form of Equation 2b, the energy equation is used to find the required pump or fan pressure for a system Air duct systems are almost always open systems. When using the energy Equation 2a or 2b, however, the term expressing the change in pressure due to elevation change (He1 He2) is either zero (the duct layout is horizontal) or is usually small enough to be negligible. The velocitychange term, however, is sometimes significant,and if so, cannot be neglected. Air pressure values in ducts are usually measured in inches of water gage (in.w.g.). 5. TOTAL,

STATIC, AND VELOCITY PRESSURE

.. 3

Thus the total pressure energy that a fluid has at any point can be considered to consist of two parts, its static pressure energy and its velocity pressure energy.The velocity pressure concept is useful in measuring velocities and flow rates in piping and ducts. If the velocity pressure can be measured, the velocity can be found by solving Equation 4 for V: 5

When measuring airflow, using in. w. as the unit of pressure and velocity in ft/min, if the appropriaten conversion units are substituted in Equations 4 and 5: 6 7

Many testing and balancing instruments for measuring flow utilize the relationships among total, static, and velocity pressure. Figure below shows an example. In Figure (a), a manometer is connected to the duct to read static pressure. In Figure(b), a manometer reads total pressure because in addition to being exposed to the static pressure, the impact tube at the end of the manometer faces the

oncoming airstream, and therefore receives the velocity pressure energy as well. By connecting the two manometers as shown in Figure (c), the difference between total and static pressure-the velocity pressure-is read directly. The pitot tube (Figure below) is another air flow measuring device that works in the same manner. The probe that is inserted in the duct has two concentric tubes. The opening facing the airstream measures the total pressure and the concentric holes are exposed to static pressure, so the velocitypressure is read directly. A number of readings are usually taken across the duct to get an average velocity.
5

6. PRESSURE LOSS FROM FRICTION IN PIPING AND DUCTS We have seen from the flow energy equation that one of the effects the pump or fan must overcome is the pressure loss due to friction. Friction is a resistance to flow resulting from fluid viscosity and from the walls of the pipe or duct. In previous examples, we have assumed values of friction pressure loss. Actually we must be able to calculate it. For the type of flow usually existing in HVAC systems, called turbulent flow, the pressure loss or drop due to friction can be found from the following equation (called the Darcy-Weisbach relation):
Where: Hf = pressure loss (drop) from friction in straight pipe or duct f = a friction factor L = length of pipe or duct D = diameter of pipe or duct V = velocity of fluid

The friction factor (f) depends on the roughness of the pipe or duct wall. Rougher surfaces will cause increased frictional resistance. This means that by using and maintaining smooth surfaces, friction decreases and less energy is used. The other terms in the equation also indicate useful information. Lower velocities and larger diameters reduce Hf and therefore result in lower energy consumption. although the pipe or duct cost then increases. Although Hf could be calculated each time from Equation 8, charts that are much easier to use and show the same information have been developed for water flow and air flow. 7. FRICTIO N LOSS FROM AIR FLOW IN DUCTS Pressure loss from friction for air flow in straight round ducts is shown in Figure 8.21.It shows this information.This chart is suitable for clean galvanized steel round ducts with about 40 joints per 100 ft, and with air at standard conditions. It can beused for the general range of HVAC temperatures and for altitudes up to 2000 ft.
6

To find the friction loss in rectangular section ducts, Figure below must first be used. This chart shows equivalent round duct sizes. The equivalent round duct is defined as the round duct that would have the same friction loss as a rectangular duct found in the chart 8. ASPECT RATIO At first consideration, it might seem that the equivalent round duct would have the same cross sectional area as a rectangular duct for the same friction loss. This is not quite true. A rectangular duct with the same friction loss will have a greater area than a round duct. This is because the rectangular shape, with a greater ratio of surface to cross section, causes more friction. This problem becomes worse as the aspect ratio increases. The aspect ratio is the ratio of the dimensions of the two adjacent sides of a rectangular duct. As a general rule, the aspect ratios of rectangular ducts should be as low as possible to keep friction losses reasonably low and thereby avoid excess energy consumption. A high. aspect ratio will also mean more sheet metal and therefore a more expensive system. Unfortunately, the height available for horizontal ducts is often limited by the clearance above hung ceilings, resulting in high aspect ratios.

9. PRESSURE LOSS IN DUCT FITTINGS In addition to the pressure loss in straight lengths of duct, there is a pressure loss when the air flows through duct fittings (elbows, tees, transitions). These pressure losses, called dynamic losses are due to the turbulence and change in direction. They can be expressed in either of two ways. One is the equivalent length method, explained later. Another procedure is called the loss coefficient method. With this method, the pressure loss through a duct (or pipe) fitting is expressed as follows: (9)

Below

10. PRESSURE LOSS AT FAN INLET AND OUTLET There will also be a pressure loss at the fan inlet and outlet, the value of which depends on the shape of the fan-duct connection. This is called the system effect. Some values of the resulting loss coefficient C are shown in Tables. An inspection of the types of connections in Table 8.9 will show the importance of considering the system effect and of installing fans with good connections. A list of system effects can be found in the Air Moving and Conditioning Association(AMCA) Manuals.

Sketch for (a) No straight inlet duct. (b) Long straight inlet duct. Next lecture will be to design a system and calculate pressure losses and required fan.

01