(2005) HVAC system operation strategies for energy conservation and thermal comfort in commercial buildings in Saudi Arabia. Masters thesis, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
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Arabic Abstract
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English Abstract
The steady increase in energy consumption and demand will eventually require further investment in energy generation; otherwise serious shortage may occur. In most countries including Saudi Arabia, building sector consumes major portion of the electrical energy generated. Commercial buildings consume significant part of energy, yet possess great potential for energy savings due to their operational characteristics. In Saudi Arabia presence of harsh climatic conditions necessitates air conditioners. The HVAC system alone consume 65% of the total energy delivered to the building, hence implementing appropriate HVAC operation strategies can significantly reduce energy consumption. However, incorporating of improper HVAC operation strategies may help to attain energy savings, but deteriorate indoor thermal quality. For this study shopping malls were selected to identify their building energy and thermal performance. To achieve this goal, data regarding building envelope, building systems and their operation, etc. was collected from five different shopping malls located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Also thermal analysis of present indoor conditions was evaluated by conducting comfort survey and taking measurements. Among the building surveyed a typical building was selected and modeled using Visual DOE. Further to have more reliability and acceptable results, the base model was calibrated with data from actual utility bills and thereby the model was constructed with a deviation less than 10%. HVAC operation strategies were categorized based on their economic value. Operation strategies such as thermostat control, night setback and fan control produced energy saving of 0.5%, 7% and 10% respectively, with no investment made. Small investment can be made to control the HVAC system like the thermostat, though they generated very less savings. Since the model building had individual system installed, five central systems were also tested. TPFC produced highest saving followed by VAV whereas packaged multi zone performed the worst among different system investigated. Additionally optimal HVAC operations are investigated that can help to attain energy savings without sacrificing occupants thermal comfort.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | Architectural |
| Department: | College of Design and Built Environment > Architectural Engineering and Construction Management |
| Committee Advisor: | Budaiwi, Ismail M. |
| Committee Members: | Abdou, Adel A. and Al-Homoud, Mohammed S. |
| Depositing User: | Mr. Admin Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 22 Jun 2008 14:07 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Apr 2024 11:18 |
| URI: | http://eprints.kfupm.edu.sa/id/eprint/10558 |