Manually defined centralised production systems

To manually add a new centralised production system, select the "Air conditioning systems" section in the building diagram and click on the "New air conditioning system" button in the top toolbar.

This will display a pop-up window in which the type of production system can be selected from "Water-air conditioning system", "Direct expansion system" (refrigerant), "Air-air conditioning system" or "Water-cooled system".

By choosing one of these general typologies, a new window opens where the specific type of system is selected and its characteristics are defined.

• Water-air conditioning system
  • Chilled-water system
  • Hot-water system
  • Domestic heat pump system
  • Geometric heat pump

• Direct expansion systems
  • Variable refrigerant flow systems (VRF)
  • Multisplit

• Air-air conditioning system
  • Central ventilation system
    • Heat recovery unit
    • Dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS)
  • Air handling unit, constant air flow system
  • Air handling unit, variable airflow system
  • Air handling unit, constant flow all-air system with double duct
  • Air handling unit, variable flow all-air system with double duct

• Water-cooled system
  • Water-cooled system for reversible heat pumps
  • Water-cooled system for chillers
  • Water condensation system at a defined temperature

When a new centralised production system has been created, it will appear as an element in the "Air conditioning systems" section of the diagram. When it is selected, the editing panel is displayed on the centre right-hand side of the general interface.

Using the options in the "Edit" group of the upper toolbar or by right-clicking on the element in the diagram, it can also be duplicated, deleted, moved in the list, cut or copied.

Manually defining terminal units

Terminal units for air-conditioning systems are defined manually in a similar way to those for centralised production systems. To add a new terminal unit, select the "Terminal units" section of the building diagram, within the "Zone" where it is to be added, and click on the "New terminal unit" option in the top toolbar.

A pop-up window appears where the type of terminal unit is selected from among "Constant performance equipment", "Water terminal unit", "Direct expansion terminal unit", "Air terminal unit", "Electric heater" and "Heat recovery unit".

By choosing one of these general types, a new window opens in which the specific type of terminal unit is selected and its characteristics are defined.

• Electric heater

• Heat recovery unit

When the creation of a new terminal unit is completed, it will appear as an element within the "Terminal units" section of the diagram within each zone. When selected, its editing panel is displayed in the central right part of the general interface.

Using the options in the "Edit" group of the top toolbar or by right-clicking on the element in the diagram, it can also be duplicated, deleted, moved in the list, cut or copied.

Fans

The fans are defined in a similar way for all devices in the program:

• Maximum air flow rate / Air flow (optional)
  The air flow passing through the fan. If "Maximum air flow rate" is indicated in the panel, the air flow rate may vary during the simulation up to the value set in this box. If the air flow rate is not specified, the program will calculate the required air flow rate.
• Specific power
  The fan power consumption per m³/s of air flow it moves. If the performance value of the air conditioning unit includes the fan consumption, the value of the specific power can be set as 0 to avoid accounting for this consumption twice.
• Motor efficiency
  This is considered in the calculation of the heat losses of the electric motor of the fan, which will affect the supply air temperature according to the definition made in the following variable.
• Motor heat losses fraction in air stream
  If the supply air flows through the fan motor, the heat losses of the fan motor will cause an increase in air temperature. To consider this, a value of 1 should be set. If, on the other hand, the fan motor is outside the air flow, its heat losses will not affect it, so a value of 0 should be set.

Circulator pumps

Circulator pumps are also defined in a similar way in the different types of hydraulic circuits:

• Control
  • Intermittent
    If the control is intermittent, the pump is switched on and off at the same time as the air conditioning system.
  • Continuous
    If the control is continuous, the pump is always on, even if there is no demand. In long periods of no demand, heat losses from the pump accumulate in the fluid, which can cause a significant rise in its temperature.
• Configuration
  The "Constant flow" and "Variable flow" represent a fixed or variable speed pump, respectively.
• Type
  Allows users to choose the number of identical pumps contained in the hydraulic circuit and their position.
• Rated head
  The pump head is involved in the analysis of the power consumption.

The electrical power of the circulation pump (P) is obtained from the water flow rate (V̇) and the head (H). The motor considers a fixed pump efficiency value equal to 0.78.