Thermal Engineering Systems

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS

MEE2003
Instructor: Dr. Tapano Ku Hotta
Introduction

Air conditioning :
• Getting refrigeration effect through cooling coil
followed by heating and subsequent humidification /
dehumidification
• Goal is to provide air conditioned space with air at
desired temperature and humidity.
• Requires different arrangements depending upon the
atmospheric air condition and comfort condition
requirement.
• Summer air conditioning systems and winter air
conditioning systems are different.
 Classification of Air Conditioning Systems
According to purpose
a. Comfort air conditioning system
b. Industrial air conditioning system
According to season of the year
a. Winter air conditioning system
b. Summer air conditioning system
c. Year round air conditioning system
According to the arrangement of equipment
a. unitary air conditioning system
b. Central air conditioning system( 25TR, 300 m3/ min)
• In summer, the air temperature and humidity both are
high.
• Room lose heat as well as moisture.
• required to cool and dehumidify the recirculated
room air in the air – conditioning apparatus either by
the use of cooling coil or by an air drier in which
chilled water is collected.
• The process follows as the Room Sensible Heat
Factor (RSHF)
RSHF = RSH / (RSH+RLH)
 Summer air conditioning system
Fig shows the Summer Air – Conditioning systems

Recirculated Air Conditioned

Space
Perforated
Membrane

Outside
Air

Fan
Damper

Cooling
Filter Coil Sump Heating
Coil
 Working principle of Summer Air-
Conditioning System:
• The outside air flows through the damper and mixes up with recirculated air.
• The mixed air passes through a filter to remove dirt, dust and other impurities.
• The air now passes through a Cooling coil.
• The coil has a temperature much below the required DBT of air in the
conditioned space.
• The Cooled air passes through the perforated membrane and looses its
moisture in the condensed form which is collected in a sump.
• After that, the air is made to pass through the heating coil which heats up the
air slightly.
• This is done to bring the air to designed DBT and relative humidity.
• Now the conditioned air is supplied to the conditioned space by a fan.
• From the conditioned space, a part of used air is exhausted to atmosphere by
the exhaust fans or ventilators.
• The remaining part of the used air again recirculated.
 Summer air conditioning system
• Summer air conditioning system for hot and dry outdoor condition is given in Fig.
• Here the comfort conditions may require delivery of air to air-conditioned space at
about 25ºC DBT and 60% relative humidity where the outdoor conditions may be up
to 40–44º C DBT and 20% relative humidity in Indian conditions.
 Summer air conditioning system
conditions may be up to 40–44º C DBT and 20% relative humidity in Indian conditions.
Generic arrangement has air blower which blows air across the air filter between (1) and
(2). Air coming out from filter passes over cooling coils and is subsequently sent for
humidification between states (3) and (4). Large size water particles carried by air are
retained by water eliminator. Air finally coming out at state (5) is sent to air conditioned
space.
Here psychrometric
representation is
made considering
negligible change in
humidity in water
eliminator.
• Auditoriums, Theaters - SHF : 0.65 - 0.75
• Apartments - SHF : 0.80 - 0.95
• Banks, Court Houses, Municipal Buildings - SHF : 0.75 - 0.90
• Computer Rooms - SHF : 0.80 - 0.95
• Jails - SHF : 0.80 - 0.95
• Hospital Patient Rooms, Nursing Home, Patient Rooms - SHF :
0.75 - 0.85
• Kitchens - SHF : 0.60 - 0.70
• Restaurants - SHF : 0.65 - 0.80
• Residences - SHF : 0.80 - 0.95
 winter air conditioning system
In Winter, the air temperature and humidity both are
low.

Therefore, the room gains heat as well as moisture.

It is thus required to heat and humidify the

recirculated room air in the air – conditioning
apparatus either by the use of heating coil and in
humidifier in which chilled water is sprayed.

The process follows as the Room Sensible Heat Factor

(RSHF)
RSHF = RSH / (RSH+RLH)
 winter air conditioning system
Fig shows the Winter Air – Conditioning systems

Recirculated Air Conditioned

Space

Humidifier

Damper

Preheater
Reheat Coil
Filter
 Working principle of Winter Air-
Conditioning System:
The outside air flows through the damper and mixes up with recirculated
air
The mixed air passes through a filter to remove dirt, dust and other
impurities.
The air now passes through a pre heater coil in order to prevent the
possible freezing of water and to control the evaporation of water in
the humidifier.
After that, the air is made to pass through a reheat coil to bring the air to
desired DBT.
Now the conditioned air is supplied to the conditioned space by a fan.
From the conditioned space, a part of used air is exhausted to
atmosphere by the exhaust fans or ventilators.
The remaining part of the used air again recirculated.
Let us assume air from atmosphere to be available at 10ºC and 80% relative humidity while
comfort conditions are 25ºC DBT and 60% relative humidity.
Here atmospheric air is blown into air filter and it comes out at (2). Air is passed across
heating coil for being heated. Hot air at (3) passes through humidifier section where its
humidity increases as shown on psychrometric chart by state (4). It is further passed
through water eliminator to retain large sized water particles. Air may again be passed
through heating coil section so as to compensate for temperature reduction in humidifier
section and attain desired temperature.
 Problem
• An air conditioned space is maintained at 260 C DBT and
50% RH. When out side air conditions are 350C DBT and
280C WBT. (a) if the space has a sensible heat gain of
17.6 kW and air is supplied to the room at a condition of
80C saturated, calculate
1. the mass and volume flow rate of air supplied to the
room.
2. the latent heat gain of the space
3. the cooling load of the refrigeration plant if 75% of total
weight of the air supplied to the space is fresh air and the
reminder is recalculated air
Human Comfort
Psychrometric chart
 PSYCHROMETRIC /AIR-CONDITIONING PROCESSES

Maintaining a living space or an industrial

facility at the desired temperature and
humidity requires some processes called
air-conditioning processes.
These processes include simple heating
(raising the temperature), simple cooling
(lowering the temperature), humidifying
(adding moisture), and dehumidifying
(removing moisture).
Sometimes two or more of these
processes are needed to bring the air to a
desired temperature and humidity level.
Air is commonly heated and humidified in
winter and cooled and dehumidified in
summer.
Various air-conditioning processes.
 Most air-conditioning processes can be modeled as steady-flow processes
with the following general mass and energy balances:
Mass balance

Energy balance

The work term usually consists of the fan work input, which is small relative
to the other terms in the energy balance relation.
Psychrometric processes
Sensible Heating
1. Sensible Heating : it is addition of heat to moist air
without the addition of moisture. It follows a constant
humidity ratio line on the psychrometric chart.

m m
1 2

t1 t2

h1 h2
Sensible Heating

 m
Q  c p t
Sensible Cooling
2. Sensible Cooling: It is the removal of heat from moist air
without the removal of moisture. It also follows a constant
W on the psychrometric chart.

m m
1 2
t1 t2
h1 h2
Sensible Cooling

– Heating & Cooling process –

addition or removal of
sensible heat without
change in absolute moisture
content.
– NOTE: RH (φ) changes as
temperature changes.
Sensible Heating and Cooling (ω = constant)
Many residential heating systems consist of a stove, a heat pump, or an electric
resistance heater. The air in these systems is heated by circulating it through a duct
that contains the tubing for the hot gases or the electric resistance wires.
Cooling can be accomplished by passing the air over some coils through which a
refrigerant or chilled water flows.
Heating and cooling appear as a horizontal line since no moisture is added to or
removed from the air.

During simple cooling, specific

humidity remains constant, but
relative humidity increases.
During simple heating, specific humidity remains
constant, but relative humidity decreases.
Heating and Humidifying
4. Heating and Humidifying: It is the addition of heat and
moisture to moist air, it also involves sensible and latent
heat transfer.

Q
m m
1 2
t1 t2
h1 h2
mw
hw
 Heating and Humidifying
Problems with the low relative humidity resulting from simple heating
can be eliminated by humidifying the heated air. This is accomplished
by passing the air first through a heating section and then through a
humidifying section.
Heating and Humidifying
Humidifying
5. HUMIDIFYING : It is the addition of moisture to moist
air without the addition of heat.

m m
1 2

t1 t2

h1 h2
mw
hw
Removing Sensible Heat and Moisture
Cooling and Dehumidifying
3. Cooling and Dehumidifying: It is the removal of heat and
moisture from moist air, it involves sensible and latent
heat transfer.

m m
1 2
t1 t2
h1 h2
mw
hw
Dehumidification by cooling

• Dehumidification by
cooling – in cooling coils
temp of air reduces and
the saturation point
(dew point) is reached.
• Further cooling results in
reduction of absolute
humidity.
 Cooling with Dehumidification
The specific humidity of air remains constant during a simple cooling process, but
its relative humidity increases. If the relative humidity reaches undesirably high
levels, it may be necessary to remove some moisture from the air, that is, to
dehumidify it. This requires cooling the air below its dew-point temperature.
Adiabatic or evaporative cooling/heating
A psychrometric process which involves the
cooling without heat loss or gain. Sensible heat
lost by air is converted to latent heat in the added
water vapor.
 Evaporative Cooling
In desert (hot and dry)
climates, we can avoid the
high cost of conventional
cooling by using evaporative
coolers, also known as
swamp coolers. As water
evaporates, the latent heat
of
vaporization is absorbed
from the water body and
the surrounding air. As a
result, both the water and Water in a porous jug left in an open,
breezy area cools as a result of
the air are cooled during evaporative cooling.
the process.
 Evaporative Cooling

This process is essentially identical

to adiabatic saturation process.
Adiabatic dehumidification (by absorbent)
 Adiabatic mixing of moist air & stream

• A psychrometric process that involves no net heat

loss or gain during the mixing of two air streams.
 m h  Q   m h
in out
Adiabatic mixing of moist air & stream
• The atmospheric air at 25°C DBT and 12°C
WBT is flowing at the rate of 100 cubic
m/minute through the duct. Dry saturated
steam at 100°C is injected into air stream at
the rate of 72 kg/hr. Calculate specific
humidity and enthalpy of leaving air. Also
determine dry bulb temperature, wet bulb
temperature and relative humidity of
leaving air.
 Different heat sources of a room

1. Sensible heat loads of the room

2. Latent heat loads of the room
 Sensible heat load of the room
1. Heat flows through the exterior walls, ceilings,
floors, windows and doors due to the
temperature difference between their two sides.
2. Load due to solar radiation (sun load) is divided
into two forms.
(a) Heat transmitted directly by radiation
through glass of windows and ventilators.
b) Heat from sun will be absorbed by the walls
and roof and later on transferred to room by
conduction.
3. Heat received from the occupants.
4. Heat received from different equipments which are
commonly used in the air-conditioned building.
5. Heat received from the infiltrated air from outside
through cracks in doors, windows and ventilators and
through their frequent openings.
6. Miscellaneous heat sources which include the
followings
(a) Heat gain by the ducts carrying the conditioned
air and passing through unconditioned space.
(b) Heat transferred through interior partition of
rooms in the same building which are not air-
conditioned.
 The latent heat load of the room.
1. The latent heat load from the air entering
into the air-conditioned space by infiltration.
2. The latent heat load from the occupants.
3. The latent heat load from cooking foods and
from stored materials.
4. Moisture passing directly into the air-
conditioned space through permeable walls
where the water vapour pressure is higher.
Sensible heat factor(SHF) or sensible
heat ratio
 By-pass Factor of Heating and Cooling Coil
Let 1 kg of air at temperature td1 is passed over the coil having its temperature (i.e. coil
temperature surface) td3 as shown in Figure.
A little consideration will show that when air passes over a coil, some of it (say x kg) just
bypasses unaffected while the remaining (1-x) kg comes in direct contact with the coil. This
by-pass process of air is measured in terms of a by-pass factor. The amount of air that by-
passes or by-pass factor depends upon the following factors:

1. The number of fins provided in a unit

length i.e. the pitch of the cooling coil fins;
2. The number of rows in a coil in the
direction of flow ; and
3. The velocity of flow air.
It may be noted that by-pass factor of a
cooling coil decreases with decrease in fin
spacing and increase in number of rows.
By-pass Factor of Heating and Cooling Coil
By-pass Factor of Heating and Cooling Coil
 Cooling load calculations
EFFECT OF PSYCHROMETRIC PROCESSES ON THEIR
PROPERTIES:
S. Psychrometric Effect of Psychrometric processes
No Property
Sensible Sensible Cooling Heating
Heating Cooling and and
Dehumidi humidifi
cation c ation
1 DBT Increase Decreases Decreases Increases
2 WBT Increase Decreases Decreases Increases
3 Specific Volume Increase Decreases Decreases Increases
4 Relative Humdity Decreases Increases Decreases Decreases
5 Moisture Constant Constant Decreases Increases
Content

6 Enthalpy Increase Decreases --- ---

 Problem 1
It is required to design an air conditioning plant for a small
office room for following winter conditions:
Outdoor conditions = 14OC DBT and 10OC WBT
Required Conditions= 20OC DBT and 60% RH
Amount of air circulation= 0.3 m3 /min /person
Seating Capacity of office = 60
The required condition is achieved first by heating and
then by humidifying.
Determine the following:
a. Heating capacity of the coil in kW and the surface
temperature required if the by pass factor of coil is 0.4.
b. The capacity of the humidifier.
 3 W3 = 8.6
W
1 2 4 W1 = 5.8

140 200 29.00

DBT(0C)
How to plot the points in Psychrometric Chart:
1. Locate the points 1 and 3 using the given conditions on the psychrometric
chart.
2. Draw a constant enthalpy line through 3 and constant specific humidity
line through 1
3. Locate the point 2 where the two lines intersect each other.

From the psychrometric chart,

h1 = 29.3 kJ/kg; h2 = h3= 42.3 kJ/kg; TDBT2 = 24.50C ; vs1 = 0.817 m3/kg

The mass of air circulated per minute = ma = (0.3X60/0.817) = 22.03 kg/min

(a) Heating Capacity of the Heating Coil:

= ma (h2-h1) = 22.03 (42.3-29.3) = 286.4 kJ/min
= 286.4/60 = 4.77 Kw
(b) Surface Temperature of the heating coil: (TDBT4)
BPF = (TDBT4-TDBT2)/(TDBT4-TDBT1) = 0.4
= (TDBT4- 24.5)/(TDBT4-12)
= 32.80C

(c) The Capacity of the humidifier:

= ma(ω3 – ω1) X (60/1000)
= 22.03(8.6-6.8)/ 1000
= 2.379 kg/hr
 Problem 2
It is required to design an air conditioning system for an industrial
process for the following hot and wet summer conditions:
Outdoor conditions = 320C and 65% RH
Required conditions = 250C and 60% RH
Amount of free air circulated = 250 m3/ min
Coil dew point temperature = 130C
The required condition is achieved by first cooling and dehumidifying
and then by heating. Calculate the following:
1. The cooling capacity of the cooling coil and its by pass factor
2. Heating capacity of the heating coil in kW and surface temperature
of the heating coil if the bypass factor is 0.3
3. The mass of water vapour removed per hour.
Solve this problem with use of psychrometric chart.
 4 1

2 3 6
W
5

130C 250C 320C

DBT(0C)
How to plot the points in Psychrometric chart:
1. Locate the points 1,5 and 3 as shown on pschychrometric chart.
2. Join the line 1-5
3. Draw the constant specific humidity line through 3 which cuts the
line 1-5 at the point 2
4. The point 2 is located in this way.

From Psychrometric chart, after plotting the points,

h1 = 82.5 kJ/kg h2 = 47.5 kJ/kg

h3 = 55.7 kj/kg h5 = 36.6 kJ/kg
W1 = 19.6 gm/kg W3 = 11.8 gm/kg
TDBT2 = 17.60C Vs1 = 0.892 m3/kg
 To find the mass of air supplied per minute: (ma)
(ma) = 250/0.892 = 280.26 kg/min

To find the capacity of the cooling coil:

= (ma) (h1-h2) X60 / 14000
= 280.26 (82.5-47.5)X60 / 14000
= 42.04 TR

To find the By pass factor of the cooling coil:

= (h2-h5)/(h1-h5)
= (47.5-36.6)/(82.5-36.6)
= 0.237
To find the capacity of heating coil :
= (ma) (h3-h2)
= 280.26 (55.7-47.5)
= 2298.13 / 60 = 38.3 kW

To find the surface temperature of heating coil:

BPF = ( TDBT6 – TDBT3)/(TDBT6 – TDBT2)
= (TDBT6 – 25)/(TDBT6-17.6) = 0.3
TDBT6 = 28.20C

To find the mass of water vapour removed per hour :

=280.26(W1-W3)X60/1000
= 280.26 (19.6-11.8) X 60 /1000
= 131.16 kg/hr
A building of size 12 m x 14 m x 6 m is to be designed for a
commercial bank with 150 persons. For outside conditions, the
dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures are 315 K and 300 K
respectively. The inside conditions are maintained at dry bulb
temperature of 295 K and relative humidity of 50%. There are
15 tube lights of 40 W, one refrigerator of 300 W, other
electrical appliances of 4 kW inside the building. Each person
(latent heat 550 kJ/h and sensible heat 450 kJ/h) also release
energy to the building. The overall heat transfer coefficient for
walls and ceilings are 5.4 W/m2K and 2.78 W/m2K
respectively. Determine the capacity of a window air
conditioner to be installed in the building to meet the energy
demands.
 Dew-Point Temperature
The dew-point temperature Tdp is defined as the
temperature at which condensation begins when the air
is cooled at constant pressure. Or, the saturation
temperature of water corresponding to the vapour
pressure.
• As the air cools at constant
pressure, the vapour pressure
Pv remains constant.
• Therefore, the vapour in the
air (state 1) undergoes a
constant-pressure cooling
process until it strikes the Constant-pressure cooling of moist air and the
saturated vapour line (state dew-point
water.
temperature on the T-s diagram of

2).
 Dew-Point Temperature
• The temperature at this point is Tdp, and if the temperature
drops any further, some vapour condenses out.
• As a result, the amount of vapour in the air decreases, which
results in a decrease in Pv.
• The air remains saturated
during the condensation
process and thus follows a
path of 100 % relative
humidity (the saturated
vapor line).
• The ordinary temperature
and the dew-point
temperature of saturated air Constant-pressure cooling of moist air and the
dew-point temperature on the T-s diagram of
are identical. water.
 Dry -Bulb Temperature

• The dry-bulb temperature is the temperature indicated

by a thermometer exposed to the air in a place
sheltered from direct solar radiation. The term dry-
bulb is customarily added to temperature to distinguish
it from wet-bulb and dew point temperature.
 Adiabatic Saturation And Wet-Bulb
Temperatures
One way to determine relative humidity and specific
humidity is by determining the dew point temperature of
air, viz.,

1. knowing Tdp,
2. determine the Pv,
3. able to determine the ω,
4. finally, able to determine the φ.

This approach is simple, but not quite practical.

 Adiabatic Saturation And Wet-Bulb
Temperatures
• A more practical approach is to
use a thermometer whose bulb is
covered with a cotton wick
saturated water and to blow air
over the wick.

• The temperature measured in this

manner is called the wet-bulb
temperature, Twb and it is
commonly used in air-
conditioning applications.
A simple arrangement to measure
the wet-bulb temperature
 Adiabatic Saturation And Wet-Bulb
Temperatures
• This method is related to an
adiabatic saturation process, shown
schematically and on a T-s plane.

• Where it can be analyzed as a

steady-flow process, which involves
no heat and work interactions, and
kinetic and potential energy changes
are neglected.

The adiabatic saturation process & its

representation on a T-s diagram of water