ENERGY PERFORMANCE OF UNDERFLOOR AIR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS

DISCLAIMER This report was prepared as the result of work sponsored by the California Energy Commission. It does not necessarily represent the views of the Energy Commission, its employees or the State of California. The Energy Commission, the State of California, its employees, contractors and subcontractors make no warrant, express or implied, and assume no legal liability for the information in this report; nor does any party represent that the uses of this information will not infringe upon privately owned rights. This report has not been approved or disapproved by the California Energy Commission nor has the California Energy Commission passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the information in this report. In addition, we would like to acknowledge Fred Winkelmann for his work on developing a simplified window radiation module to support the full‐scale test chamber validation during the first two years of the project. Dunton deserve special mention for their contribution in providing the laboratory facilities and support for testing without which this project would not have been possible. In addition we would like to thank Allan Daly of Taylor Engineering for his insights and his contributions in support of the design tool development and creation of an EnergyPlus input utility for the chamber model, and Ian Doebber of Arup for his help with the EnergyPlus input and solar gain analysis. ii Finally, we would like to thank the members of our Project Advisory Committee (PAC), who provided review and technical advice at our annual PAC Meetings. The original PAC members included: Preface The Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program supports public interest energy research and development that will help improve the quality of life in California by bringing environmentally safe, affordable, and reliable energy services and products to the marketplace. The PIER Program strives to conduct the most promising public interest energy research by partnering with RD&D entities, including individuals, businesses, utilities, and public or private research institutions. PIER funding efforts are focused on the following RD&D program areas: Figure 6. Results of leakage study for swirl (left) and VA diffusers under high and low load conditions .. Figure 23. Comparison of measured and CFD‐predicted diffuser temperatures for single‐ focused jet inlet configuration (inch‐pound [IP] units). Figure 26. Schematic diagram of heat transfer pathways in room with UFAD and hung ceiling43 Figure 27. Predicted percentage of total room cooling load and amount (W/m 2) of energy flows …