Update 3/15
- 3-Phase Heat Recovery 38VMR Outdoor Unit - will install 3 12-20 ton (144,000 - 240,000 Btu/hr) on roof. 2 on the east side above the mechanical room and 1 on the westside to cover the exhibition spaces. Realistically, additional design iteration as described above could drop the need to only 1 or 2 units. The reason for choosing 3 smaller units is both for flexibility with placement so pipes don't have to travel all the way to the other side of the building and so that at lower loads, 1 or 2 of the units can be completely off thus saving energy.
- 40VMU Underceiling Unit Floor Console (Exposed) - will install the smallest available (1-4 ton capacity - up to 13,500 btu/hr heating) in each space and multiple in larger exhibition and classroom spaces
- 40VMD Multiport Distribution Controller (MDC) for Heat Recovery - will install these in certain areas throughout the building to essentially provide a spot for sub connection to the larger outdoor unit. Each can connect 6 - 16 indoor units.
I also did the pipe layout in a more traditional manner since I was not able to get more information on how to optimize for energy efficiency through pipe layout although having the controller and handler units at different points throughout the building/roof will help eliminate long stretches of pipe which will reduce requisite pumping energy.
I had trouble with the connecting the different pieces of Carrier equipment, so I just added placeholder pipes (cool, warm, and return) to show how each console would connect back to one of the distribution controllers.
For ventilation, I would ideally incorporate natural ventilation to cover most of the need, but in the winter, this air would need to be heated to a certain extent, so this building would likely need at least some from of mechanical ventilation although I did not model it.
Past
Still a work in progress, but planning to model a VRF system likely with floor units since I am designing for a cool climate that will require hardly any mechanical cooling, so I would rather take advantage of the occupant comfort and thermodynamic benefits of heating from the floors.
I am hoping Peter Rumsey will get back to me about overall layout/design that minimizes necessary pumping energy (e.g. limiting sharp turns/elbow joints, using shorter and wider pipes when possible, etc.)
To adhere further with occupant comfort and design goals, I would likely have a short schedule (say 9am-6pm) for the exhibition spaces and longer hours + occupant sensors.
My peak cooling load is currently 866kBtu/hr which seemed high to me, but it seems to be along the order of magnitude of what other folks are getting. However, my peak cooling load take place in November, which wouldn't make sense (current location is set to Telluride, CO) unless that number represents a net heat and cooling peak load perhaps?