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As it should be, the primary dictators of what sort of systems I used was the hot and humid climate of Sao Paulo.
Climate consultant yielded great passive design results, which were mostly all implemented into the design.
Initially, I thought we would not at all require a heating system but that was not the case.
Due to the high humidity though, I could not use radiant cooling.
I intended to use VRF/VRV systems for the control, but could not find those boxes on revit, so I ended up installing AHU boxes.
I intend on using a Dedicated Outdoor Air System for my ventilation, and the cooling and heating will be done through VRF
A VRF system looks like this
I used a Horizontal Air Handling Unit which was placed in every floor’s mechanical room and the supply and return air ducts went clockwise and counter-clockwise while being connected to air terminals
Spacing out every zone appropriately along with the number of people, helped calculate the heating and cooling loads.
The specifications of the ducts used are as follows:
The ducts for every room were according to the space schedules
Here is a summary of the number of supply diffusers in every room Level 1: 13 supply diffusers = 6500 CFM
Level 2: 12 supply diffusers = 6000 CFM
Level 3: 15 supply diffusers = 7500 CFM
Each supply diffuser requires 500 CFM of flow
Using the below guideline, I found out the size of the ducts
I intend on keeping a higher width of the ducts instead of a higher height to save overhead space. I would like that ducts don’t jot down from the ceiling.
For Level 1 (6500 CFM) my duct sizing would be 6.5 sq feet or 18x52 inches
For Level 2(6000 CFM) my duct sizing would be 6 sq feet or 18x48 inches
For Level 3(7500 CFM) my duct sizing would be 7.5 sq feet or 18X56 inches
Total Volume
of Downstream Air
Being Supplied | Required
Cross-Section Area | Potential
Rectangular Duct
Cross-Sections |
6000 CFM | 6 SF | 24x36
18x48
12x72 |
4000 CFM | 4 SF | 24x24
18x32
12x48 |
3000 CFM | 3 SF | 18x24
12x36 |
2000 CFM | 2 SF | 18x16
12x24 |
1000 CFM | 1 SF | 12x12
9x16 |
500 CFM | 0.5 SF | 9x9 |
A VRF system has the following components, and how they will be placed within my building
1) The outdoor unit releases and absorbs heat from the outside air and have the compressor, which adjusts its speed based on the demand from the indoor units. My outdoor unit will be placed underground below the Utilities room and will have supply air ducts from the outside.
2) The indoor units will be installed in the rooms of the building, which are zoned into the schedules, and the refrigerant piping will run parallel to the ventilation ducts. These indoor units are are connected to the outdoor unit via refrigerant piping.
3) The control system allows users to et temperatures for each zone individually and enables the central monitoring and control of the system
My climate does not require too much heating
Your Design Journal entries this week should highlight your design thinking and analysis results that influenced your decisions about:
- your overall HVAC system strategy
- your heating strategy and how you implemented it in your design
- your cooling strategy and how you implemented it
- any special HVAC system challenges that you encountered