HVAC design considerations for cold climates
- RSA Engineering Inc., Anchorage, AK (United States)
The design of heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in cold climate areas requires modifications to the standard designs used in more temperate climates. While most of the US experiences freezing temperatures at least once during the winter months, certain areas experience several months of extended cold. No single location in the US experiences these extended cold conditions more than Alaska. While most areas in the continental US will not require modifications to standard design guidelines, many design modifications commonly used in the Arctic regions of Alaska and Canada can also be applied to any cold climate area in the continental US. The geographic area of Alaska is about one-third the size of the continental US. Climatic extremes range from Ketchikan with 6.697 heating degree days (at 55[degree]21 minutes N latitude) to Barrow with 20,341 heating degree days (at 71[degree]18 minutes N latitude), according to the Arctic Environmental Information and Data Center. The suggestions in this article are a compilation of general approaches the authors used to address the challenge of cold climate design. Of course, each detail design must be adapted to the specific climate and application at hand.
- OSTI ID:
- 5792569
- Journal Information:
- ASHRAE Journal (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers); (United States), Vol. 35:9; ISSN 0001-2491
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program climate research facility operations quarterly report October 1 - December 31, 2007.
Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program climate research facility operations quarterly report January 1 - March 31, 2008.
Related Subjects
ALASKA
BUILDINGS
SPACE HVAC SYSTEMS
DESIGN
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
BOREAL REGIONS
SNOW
SOLAR FRACTION
WIND
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENERGY SYSTEMS
NORTH AMERICA
USA
320106* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Building Equipment- (1987-)