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Title: Field investigation of duct system performance in California light commercial buildings

Abstract

This paper discusses field measurements of duct system performance in fifteen systems located in eight northern California buildings. Light commercial buildings, one- and two-story with package roof-top HVAC units, make up approximately 50% of the non-residential building stock in the U.S. Despite this fact little is known about the performance of these package roof-top units and their associated ductwork. These simple systems use similar duct materials and construction techniques as residential systems (which are known to be quite leaky). This paper discusses a study to characterize the buildings, quantify the duct leakage, and analyze the performance of the ductwork in these types of buildings. The study tested fifteen systems in eight different buildings located in northern California. All of these buildings had the ducts located in the cavity between the drop ceiling and the roof deck. In 50% of these buildings, this cavity was functionally outside the building`s air and thermal barriers. The effective leakage area of the ducts in this study was approximately 2.6 times that in residential buildings. This paper looks at the thermal analysis of the ducts, from the viewpoint of efficiency and thermal comfort. This includes the length of a cycle, and whether the fan ismore » always on or if it cycles with the cooling equipment. 66% of the systems had frequent on cycles of less than 10 minutes, resulting in non-steady-state operation.« less

Authors:
; ;  [1]
  1. and others
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
589246
Report Number(s):
LBNL-40102
ON: DE98052705; TRN: 98:001858
DOE Contract Number:  
AC03-76SF00098
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 9 Dec 1997
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS; SPACE HVAC SYSTEMS; ENERGY EFFICIENCY; LEAKS; DUCTS; VENTILATION

Citation Formats

Delp, W W, Matson, N E, and Tschudy, E. Field investigation of duct system performance in California light commercial buildings. United States: N. p., 1997. Web. doi:10.2172/589246.
Delp, W W, Matson, N E, & Tschudy, E. Field investigation of duct system performance in California light commercial buildings. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/589246
Delp, W W, Matson, N E, and Tschudy, E. 1997. "Field investigation of duct system performance in California light commercial buildings". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/589246. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/589246.
@article{osti_589246,
title = {Field investigation of duct system performance in California light commercial buildings},
author = {Delp, W W and Matson, N E and Tschudy, E},
abstractNote = {This paper discusses field measurements of duct system performance in fifteen systems located in eight northern California buildings. Light commercial buildings, one- and two-story with package roof-top HVAC units, make up approximately 50% of the non-residential building stock in the U.S. Despite this fact little is known about the performance of these package roof-top units and their associated ductwork. These simple systems use similar duct materials and construction techniques as residential systems (which are known to be quite leaky). This paper discusses a study to characterize the buildings, quantify the duct leakage, and analyze the performance of the ductwork in these types of buildings. The study tested fifteen systems in eight different buildings located in northern California. All of these buildings had the ducts located in the cavity between the drop ceiling and the roof deck. In 50% of these buildings, this cavity was functionally outside the building`s air and thermal barriers. The effective leakage area of the ducts in this study was approximately 2.6 times that in residential buildings. This paper looks at the thermal analysis of the ducts, from the viewpoint of efficiency and thermal comfort. This includes the length of a cycle, and whether the fan is always on or if it cycles with the cooling equipment. 66% of the systems had frequent on cycles of less than 10 minutes, resulting in non-steady-state operation.},
doi = {10.2172/589246},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/589246}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Dec 09 00:00:00 EST 1997},
month = {Tue Dec 09 00:00:00 EST 1997}
}