(2005) The impact of HVAC system selection and operation on energy conservation in an office building in hot and humid climates of Saudi Arabia. Masters thesis, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
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Arabic Abstract
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English Abstract
This thesis presents the results of the study on the impact of HVAC systems selection and operation on thermal comfort and energy conservation in office buildings in hot and humid climates of Saudi Arabia. In order to enhance comfort and well being of the occupants of any building, thermal requirements are controlled with extensive and often complicated HVAC systems. In Saudi Arabia, the growth of demand for electrical energy in the rapidly expanding towns, cities and industries exceeds the growth of the power being made available. Therefore, energy conservation is becoming an increasingly important issue in Saudi buildings. The objective of this study was to investigate the HVAC systems design and operation and its impact on energy requirements in office buildings. The study was conducted on a five storey office building located in Dammam which has been in use since 1998. Different types of HVAC systems were selected and different feasible and practical operational energy conservation measures (ECMs) were evaluated using the energy simulation software of Visual DOE 4.0. The research methodology consists of four phases. In the first phase, previous studies conducted in this area were reviewed. In the second phase, data was collected using surveys, review of drawings, field measurements of key environmental parameters in addition to the analysis of four years of utility bills. Thermal comfort assessment questionnaire was developed and distributed among all building occupants. In the third phase, collected data was analyzed and the utility bills data was used to calibrate the base case of the existing building using VISUAL DOE energy simulation software. Different building thermal and energy conservation measures were evaluated. In the final phase, conclusions regarding surveys, field measurements and building energy simulation were developed. The outcome of the questionnaire survey indicated that the majority of the occupants don't have major complaints about thermal comfort at their workplaces and this was supported by the results from the field measurements of the indoor temperature and relative humidity which all lied within the occupant's comfort zone for most spaces in the building. Recommendations were developed and guidelines have been formulated for the design operation and maintenance of HVAC systems for thermal comfort at least energy use in office buildings in hot and humid climates. These guidelines can be applicable to similar types of buildings.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | Architectural |
| Department: | College of Design and Built Environment > Architectural Engineering and Construction Management |
| Committee Advisor: | Al-Homoud, Mohammad S. |
| Committee Members: | Zubair, Syed M. and Al-Hammad, Abdulmohsen A. |
| Depositing User: | Mr. Admin Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Jun 2008 14:07 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Apr 2024 11:19 |
| URI: | http://eprints.kfupm.edu.sa/id/eprint/10537 |