Comparison Evaluations of VRF and RTU Systems Performance on Flexible Research Platform
The energy performance of a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system was evaluated using an occupancy-emulated research building in the southeastern region of the United States. Full- and part-load performance of the VRF system in heating and cooling seasons was compared with a conventional rooftop un...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Advances in Civil Engineering |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/7867128 |
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| _version_ | 1832561004373868544 |
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| author | Je-hyeon Lee Piljae Im Jeffrey D. Munk Mini Malhotra Min-seok Kim Young-hak Song |
| author_facet | Je-hyeon Lee Piljae Im Jeffrey D. Munk Mini Malhotra Min-seok Kim Young-hak Song |
| author_sort | Je-hyeon Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The energy performance of a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system was evaluated using an occupancy-emulated research building in the southeastern region of the United States. Full- and part-load performance of the VRF system in heating and cooling seasons was compared with a conventional rooftop unit (RTU) variable-air-volume system with electric resistance heating. During both the heating and cooling seasons, full- and part-load conditions (i.e., 100%, 75%, and 50% thermal loads) were maintained alternately for 2 to 3 days each, and the energy use, thermal conditions, and coefficient of performance (COP) for the RTU and VRF system were measured. During the cooling season, the VRF system had an average COP of 4.2, 3.9, and 3.7 compared with 3.1, 3.0, and 2.5 for the RTU system under 100%, 75%, and 50% load conditions and resulted in estimated energy savings of 30%, 37%, and 47%, respectively. During the heating season, the VRF system had an average COP ranging from 1.2 to 2.0, substantially higher than the COPs of the RTU system, and resulted in estimated energy savings of 51%, 47%, and 27% under the three load conditions, respectively. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2641f52b1f944cddb22291576392e4a8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-8086 1687-8094 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advances in Civil Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-2641f52b1f944cddb22291576392e4a82025-02-03T01:26:13ZengWileyAdvances in Civil Engineering1687-80861687-80942018-01-01201810.1155/2018/78671287867128Comparison Evaluations of VRF and RTU Systems Performance on Flexible Research PlatformJe-hyeon Lee0Piljae Im1Jeffrey D. Munk2Mini Malhotra3Min-seok Kim4Young-hak Song5Department of Digital Appliances R&D Team, Samsung Electronics, Suwon 17804, Republic of KoreaBuilding Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USABuilding Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USABuilding Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, One Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USADepartment of Architectural Engineering, Graduate School of Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Architectural Engineering, ERI, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of KoreaThe energy performance of a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system was evaluated using an occupancy-emulated research building in the southeastern region of the United States. Full- and part-load performance of the VRF system in heating and cooling seasons was compared with a conventional rooftop unit (RTU) variable-air-volume system with electric resistance heating. During both the heating and cooling seasons, full- and part-load conditions (i.e., 100%, 75%, and 50% thermal loads) were maintained alternately for 2 to 3 days each, and the energy use, thermal conditions, and coefficient of performance (COP) for the RTU and VRF system were measured. During the cooling season, the VRF system had an average COP of 4.2, 3.9, and 3.7 compared with 3.1, 3.0, and 2.5 for the RTU system under 100%, 75%, and 50% load conditions and resulted in estimated energy savings of 30%, 37%, and 47%, respectively. During the heating season, the VRF system had an average COP ranging from 1.2 to 2.0, substantially higher than the COPs of the RTU system, and resulted in estimated energy savings of 51%, 47%, and 27% under the three load conditions, respectively.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/7867128 |
| spellingShingle | Je-hyeon Lee Piljae Im Jeffrey D. Munk Mini Malhotra Min-seok Kim Young-hak Song Comparison Evaluations of VRF and RTU Systems Performance on Flexible Research Platform Advances in Civil Engineering |
| title | Comparison Evaluations of VRF and RTU Systems Performance on Flexible Research Platform |
| title_full | Comparison Evaluations of VRF and RTU Systems Performance on Flexible Research Platform |
| title_fullStr | Comparison Evaluations of VRF and RTU Systems Performance on Flexible Research Platform |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparison Evaluations of VRF and RTU Systems Performance on Flexible Research Platform |
| title_short | Comparison Evaluations of VRF and RTU Systems Performance on Flexible Research Platform |
| title_sort | comparison evaluations of vrf and rtu systems performance on flexible research platform |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/7867128 |
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