Heat Pump Design Challenges in Larger Buildings: Air-to-Air VRF or Air-to-Water Hydronic

Electrification of HVAC systems and the elimination of fossil fuel heating in high rise building space conditioning systems poses unique design and system selection challenges.  Presenters will share two case studies for the design of VRF HVAC, one using air-to-air systems and one using air-to-water systems. They will discuss challenges including maximum piping lengths, acoustical restrictions, and airflow problems, and solutions including closely spaced condensers using CFD analysis and the design of access to piping and wiring in large condenser farms. Case studies will be followed by an open panel discussion.

Session Speaker(s): 

Session Chair(s): 

Event Time: 

Tuesday, March 28, 2023 - 10:30am to 12:00pm

Room / Location:
Harbor 3

CEU Information: 

Approved for 1.5 credit hours toward AIA (LU), BOC, BPI, GBCI (BD+C, WELL), and NARI certification. Credit is offered for each full conference day toward MA CSL, PHI, Phius, and RESNET certification.

Learning Objectives:

  • Plan for design of VRF using long distances between condensers and fan coils
  • Plan for acoustical design, taking into account limitations with regard to the location of the condenser farms
  • Use CFD analysis to use minimum space for airflow around condensers in order to maximize the number of condensers in a specified area
  • Design raised dunnage or supports to manage and access large quantities of refrigeration piping and electric wiring needed for dense condenser farms

Session ID: 

BOS23-101

Session Documents: