Date of Award
5-1-2012
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Mathias, James
Abstract
An energy modeling software was used to analyze the current building configuration and simulations were performed in an attempt to redesign the current HVAC system of an educational building to improve the energy efficiency of the building, exceed current building code requirements, and meet the building's cooling and heating load. The different HVAC systems simulated were: Dual Air Duct, Variable-Air Volume (VAV), and Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems (DOAS). Each system was modeled in four operation schedules including: current system operation, fan control, lighting control, and lighting and fan control. These operation schedules are to represent how efficient the building would be in different controlled settings. Results were obtained regarding the energy requirements of the different HVAC systems. For the educational building both VAV and DOAS systems offer 48.8% and 57.9%, respectively, in annual savings in energy use, achieved by adding controls to the lights and fans of both systems reducing energy consumed by ventilation fans. The time of a simple payback period for a new VAV and DOAS system is 10.2 and 9.35 years, respectively, and may remove any considerations to implement a new HVAC system. Based on these findings, educational buildings using Dual Duct should consider using DOAS systems.
Access
This thesis is only available for download to the SIUC community. Current SIUC affiliates may also access this paper off campus by searching Dissertations & Theses @ Southern Illinois University Carbondale from ProQuest. Others should contact the interlibrary loan department of your local library or contact ProQuest's Dissertation Express service.