A study of variable air volume systems in foundries

SUMMARY The focus on implementing cost efficiency energy efficiency measures will in all probability increase in the future, but it has been shown that trustworthy, site specific information are key features is increasing the adoption of such measures. This study shows that Building Energy Simulation (BES) software gives trustworthy predictions of energy use and average temperature in the studied case, making it possible to study different HVAC control strategies. When coupled with CFD, it is also possible to study thermal comfort, ventilation efficiency, ventilation effectiveness and draught, giving an even wider range of decision support. This study also shows that a VAV system is an interesting HVAC control technique for the studied foundry. In this case, the technical potential for reducing energy use in terms of both heat and electricity is predicted to be 30.3% and 28.9% respectively.