Evaluation of Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems Performance and the Enhanced Control Algorithm on Oak Ridge National Laboratory s Flexible Research Platform

Technical Report · Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1186004· OSTI ID:1186004

Im, Piljae ^[1]; Munk, Jeffrey D ^[1]; Gehl, Anthony C ^[1]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

A research project “Evaluation of Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) Systems Performance and the Enhanced Control Algorithm on Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL’s) Flexible Research Platform” was performed to (1) install and validate the performance of Samsung VRF systems compared with the baseline rooftop unit (RTU) variable-air-volume (VAV) system and (2) evaluate the enhanced control algorithm for the VRF system on the two-story flexible research platform (FRP) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Based on the VRF system designed by Samsung and ORNL, the system was installed from February 18 through April 15, 2014. The final commissioning and system optimization were completed on June 2, 2014, and the initial test for system operation was started the following day, June 3, 2014. In addition, the enhanced control algorithm was implemented and updated on June 18. After a series of additional commissioning actions, the energy performance data from the RTU and the VRF system were monitored from July 7, 2014, through February 28, 2015. Data monitoring and analysis were performed for the cooling season and heating season separately, and the calibrated simulation model was developed and used to estimate the energy performance of the RTU and VRF systems. This final report includes discussion of the design and installation of the VRF system, the data monitoring and analysis plan, the cooling season and heating season data analysis, and the building energy modeling study

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1186004
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-2015/225; 600301020
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English