Air Handling Unit Free-Cooling Control to Minimize Energy Consumption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air handling units (AHUs) face challenges in optimizing energy efficiency while maintaining desired comfort levels due to their complex multivariable control, leading to high energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that control the air handling unit to combine fresh and recycled air at an optimal ratio, using a free-cooling process to minimize the need for energy-consuming components by dynamically adapting to environmental changes, employing a mixed air curve to determine the optimal air mixture ratio.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional air handling units use heating and cooling components to regulate environmental conditions, then desired comfort levels can be maintained, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-cools or pre-heats fresh air using the temperature difference between fresh air and recycled air before mixing. By performing this thermal adjustment in advance during the mixing process, the burden on the main cooling/heating batteries is reduced, allowing them to operate at lower capacities and thus consume less energy while still maintaining the required comfort levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the temperature difference between fresh air and recycled air, which would normally be wasted, into a useful cooling or heating effect. The fresh air acts as a heat sink or source to pre-condition the recycled air, transforming what would be energy waste into a beneficial pre-cooling or pre-heating mechanism that reduces overall energy consumption.
2Reliability
If air handling units employ complex multivariable control to optimize environmental conditions, then comfort levels can be maintained, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and utilizes the temperature difference between fresh air and recycled air as a separate, independent control variable. By separating this thermal exchange function from the main HVAC control system, the complexity of the overall control is reduced while still achieving the desired comfort levels through the combined effect of mixed air and battery operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances energy efficiency by minimizing the use of energy-consuming components, such as heating and cooling batteries, by producing an air mixture that closely matches desired environmental conditions, thus reducing overall energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
control the air handling unit or a component thereof to combine the available fresh air and the available recycled air to produce an air mixture at an air mixture ratio having environmental conditions which are nearest to the second set point(s)
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system are provided to control operations of an air handling unit (AHU). The method and system involve receiving a first set point(s) of a comfort zone for defining expected environmental conditions for at least one room/space; determining a second set point(s) of a comfort supply zone of an air supply according to the first set point(s), the comfort supply zone defining expected environmental conditions for the air supply to be output from the AHU; receiving information relating to environmental conditions of available fresh air and available recycled air; and controlling the AHU to combine the available fresh air and the available recycled air to produce an air mixture of the available fresh air and the available recycled air at an air mixture ratio having environmental conditions which are nearest to the second set point(s), based on the received information.