ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATION CONTROL
BUILDING AIRFLOW SYSTEM CONTROL APPLICATIONS
274
STATIC PRESSURE (
∆
P) IN. WC
2.4
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
0
AIRFLOW CFM
C2642
5
3
A
1
2
14,400
20,500
4
400
600
RPM
RPM
B
CURVE A IS FOR ORIGINAL DUCT RESISTANCE.
CURVE B IS FOR HIGHER DUCT RESISTANCE
DUE TO VOLUME CONTROL DAMPERS CLOSING.
The fan curves shown are for a fan running at two speeds,
400 rpm and 600 rpm. Also, two system curves, A and B, have
been plotted. The intersection of the system curves and the
fan curves indicate the quantities of air the fan will provide.
With System Curve A, if the fan is running at 600 rpm, it will
deliver 20,500 cfm at 0.70 in. wc (Point 1). With the same
system curve (A), if the fan is running at 400 rpm, it will deliver
14,400 cfm at 0.30 in. wc (Point 2).
System Curve B shows increased resistance of the duct
system due to dampers throttling or filters clogging. With
System Curve B, if the fan is running at 600 rpm, it will deliver
15,600 cfm at 1.53 in. wc (Point 3). With the same system
curve (B), if the fan is running at 400 rpm, it will deliver 10,500
cfm at 0.70 in. wc (Point 4).
CHARACTERISTICS OF AIRFLOW
IN DUCTS
GENERAL
Supply and return ducts can be classified by application and
pressure (ASHRAE 1996 Systems and Equipment Handbook).
HVAC systems in public assembly, business, educational,
general factory, and mercantile buildings are usually designed
as commercial systems. Air pollution control systems,
industrial exhaust systems, and systems outside the pressure
range of commercial system standards are classified as
industrial systems.
Classifications are as follows:
Residences—
±
0.5 to
±
1.0 in. of water.
Commercial Systems—
±
0.5 to
±
10 in. of water.
Industrial Systems—Any pressure.
The quantity of air flowing in a duct can be variable or
constant, depending on the type of system. See TYPES OF
AIRFLOW SYSTEMS.
PRESSURE CHANGES WITHIN A DUCT
For air to flow within a duct, a pressure difference must
exist. The fan must overcome friction losses and dynamic
(turbulent) losses to create the necessary pressure difference.
Friction losses occur due to air rubbing against duct surfaces.
Dynamic losses occur whenever airflow changes velocity or
direction. The pressure difference (also called pressure head)
required to move air must be sufficient to overcome these losses
and to accelerate the air from a state of rest to a required
velocity.
In HVAC systems, the air supplied by the fan includes two
types of pressures: velocity pressure and static pressure.
Velocity pressure is associated with the motion of air and is
kinetic energy. Static pressure is exerted perpendicularly to
all walls of the duct and is potential energy. Velocity and static
DUCT SYSTEM CURVES
Fan unit duct systems have a certain amount of friction, or
resistance, to the flow of air. Once this resistance of the duct
system is known for a specific volume of airflow, a curve can
be drawn based on the relationship:
This formula is merely another way of stating that pressure
(P) changes as the square of the airflow (cfm).
The system curve (also called system resistance, duct
resistance, or system characteristic) is similar to Figure 6.
Fig. 6. System Curve.
FAN CURVE AND SYSTEM CURVE COMPARISON
In order to deliver the required air quantity, a fan must be
selected that can overcome the duct resistance. However,
because of dampers repositioning and other equipment changes,
resistance of the duct may change. The results of such conditions
can be seen in Figure 7.
P2
P1
=
cfm 2
cfm 1
2
STATIC PRESSURE (
∆
P) IN. WC
2.4
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
0
AIRFLOW CFM
C2641
Fig. 7. Combination of Fan and System Curves.
Summary of Contents for AUTOMATIC CONTROL
Page 4: ...ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL iv ...
Page 6: ...ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL vi ...
Page 11: ...ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL CONTROL FUNDAMENTALS 1 CONTROL SYSTEMS FUNDMENTALS ...
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Page 46: ...ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL CONTROL FUNDAMENTALS 36 ...
Page 66: ...PSYCHROMETRIC CHART FUNDAMENTALS 56 ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL ...
Page 128: ...ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATION CONTROL ELECTRIC CONTROL FUNDAMENTALS 118 ...
Page 158: ...MICROPROCESSOR BASED DDC FUNDAMENTALS 148 ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL ...
Page 210: ...ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FUNDAMENTALS 200 ...
Page 440: ...ENGINEERING MANULA OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL INDIVIDUAL ROOM CONTROL APPLICATIONS 430 ...
Page 516: ...ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL GENERAL ENGINEERING DATA 506 Notes ...
Page 517: ...ENGINEERING MANUAL OF AUTOMATIC CONTROL GENERAL ENGINEERING DATA 507 Notes ...
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