Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

Presented By: Mark Mahon

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Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

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Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

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Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

Course Introduction

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Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

Presenters

Mark Mahon, B.Sc. Mech. Engineering

Application Engineering Manager
• Worked various roles at Price Industries in
Research and Development, Design, and
Application Engineering for Terminal Units
and Fan Coil systems.
• Voting member for AHRI 860 and AHRI 440.
Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

Course Description

Terminal unit reheat coils are a prolifically scheduled and often oversimplified
accessory in the HVAC industry. By understanding the differences between
manufacturer’s and design engineer’s goals and constraints, the submittal
process can be improved.
Different stakeholders have optimized terminal unit reheat to best suit their
interests and workflows:
Manufacturers simplify and constrain available coil options, sizes, and
materials in order to improve accuracy and quality, and to reduce cost
and lead time.
Design Engineers simplify and constrain coil performance in order to
improve and reduce design process timelines, and to not build bias
into their equipment schedules.
As well, further optimization for terminal hot water coils is available for all project
stakeholders via factory mounted piping packages. By configuring and
mounted piping packages at manufacturing facilities, time and cost savings can
be realized for the design engineer, contractor, and building owner.
Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

Agenda

1. Manufacturing Hot Water Coils (10 minutes)

1.1 The Manufacturing Process
1.2 Manufacturing Constraints
1.3 Standardized Water Coil Design
1.4 AHRI 410 and Water Coil Performance
2. Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design (15 minutes)
2.1 Air-side Heat Transfer
2.2 Water-side Heat Transfer
2.3 Case Study: Zone Calculations with Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat
3. Example Schedules (10 minutes)
4. Factory Mounted Piping Packages (10 minutes)
4.1 Overview
4.2 Case Study
Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

Water to Air Heat Exchangers

Zone Water to Air Heat Exchangers are

utilized in air distribution systems to provide
thermal comfort. They are sized to achieve
the heating load or cooling load of an
occupied zone.
• Terminals (Fan Powered, Single Duct)
• Reheat Water Coils
• Sensible Fan Powered Terminals
• Reheat Water Coils
• Sensible Cooling Coils
Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

The Manufacturing Process – Fin Press, Hairpin Bender, Expander

Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

The Manufacturing Process – Dual-Head T-Drill

Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

The Manufacturing Process – Auto Brazer

 Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

“Standardized” Water Coil Design

Coil Height 0.5”, 0.875” or

and Width 1.125” Coil Headers

0.54” OD x 0.016”
Copper Tube at
1.25” Spacing
10 or 12 Fins
Per Inch

1 to 4 Rows,
Predefined Circuits

0.0045” Thick
Aluminium Fins
Type L Copper
Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

AHRI 410 Standard – Industry Requirement

• In the Terminal Unit Industry, Water

Coils are viewed as a separate
accessory and are therefore certified
independently.

• AHRI 410 establishes test, rating, and

minimum data requirements.

• As well, it sets the limit of conformance

conditions.
Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

AHRI 410 Standard – Performance Requirements

Manufacturer performance ratings require

that a coil selected at random will be within
the following accuracy from published
values:

• Total capacity not less than 95%

• Air-side pressure drop not exceeded by

more than 10% or 0.05 in. H2O

• Tube-side pressure drop not exceeded

by more than 10% or 1.0 ft. H2O

Annually audited by
AHRI
Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

Calculating Heat Transfer

AHRI performance requirements are across a wide range

of variables means typical heat transfer calculations are
insufficient.

Accuracy of hot water coil performance improves by:

• Calculating air and water properties dependent on
conditions
• Establishing fin and material surface efficiencies
• Using dimensionless numbers and higher level heat
transfer methods
• Number of Transfer Units (NTU)
• Log Mean Temperature Difference
(LMTD)
• Delta Number of Transfer (DNTU)
Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

Calculating Heat Transfer

Using a methodology that allows for

each row to be analyzed as a separate
coil further improves accuracy.

Dimensionless numbers are used to yield a

higher level of accuracy.

Reynolds Number indicates whether inertial

or viscous flow dominates a given scenario.

Prandtl Number indicates whether

momentum or thermal diffusivity dominates
within a fluid. Indicates relative thickness of
boundary layers.

Nusselt Number indicates whether convective

or conductive heat transfer dominates across a
boundary.
 Manufacturing Hot Water Coils

AHRI 410 Takeaway

The resubmittal process is often due to performance differences between

Manufacturers (who must meet stringent AHRI requirements) and Design
Engineers (often using general heat transfer formulas)
Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design

Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design
Air-Side Heat Transfer

BTU = 1.085 * CFM * ΔTair

• BTU = measured heat transfer (Capacity)
• 1.085 = density multiplied by specific heat, at ‘standard conditions’
• AHRI 410 standard requires 69ºF dry air, at sea level
• CFM = cubic feet/min, airflow
• ΔT = change in air temperature (in Fahrenheit)

Assumptions:
• equal coil face usage
• uniform airflow profile
• uniform temperature
distribution
• at sea level
Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design
Water-Side Heat Transfer

BTU = 500 * GPM * ΔTwater

• BTU = measured heat transfer (Capacity)
• 500 = a unit conversion constant
• GPM = gallons/min of fluid flow
• ΔT = change in water temperature

Assumptions:
• no losses due to sediment buildup
on pipe surface
• no degradation of heat transfer
surfaces
• insulated pipes, no energy loss/gain
Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design
Case Study: Load Calculations with Hot Water Reheat

Engineers load calculations

establish the capacity required to
effectively reheat the zone (BTU).
ASHRAE 90.1 recommends 50%
of maximum cooling airflow for
design day reheat.

Example:
• This zone requires 8,950 BTU of
heating capacity (This is not the
coil capacity)
• This zone requires 1,100 CFM of
cooling CFM
Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design
Defining Supply Air Heating Requirements

BTU = 1.085 x CFM x ∆T

When looking at the zone:

BTU = 8,950
CFM = 550

∆T = (TSupply – TExhaust)

TExhaust = 75ºF
8,950 = 1.085 x 550 x (TSupply – 75)
TSupply = 90ºF (within +15 degrees of
ceiling temperature per ASHRAE 62.1)
Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design
Establishing Water Coil Capacity

With the air volume and

temperature known that is
supplying the room, the design
engineer can calculate the
required coil capacity to elevate
the primary air temperature to
leaving air temperature:

BTU = 1.085 x CFM x ∆T

BTU = 1.085 x 550 x (90 - 55)

BTU = 20,900
Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design
Defining Water-Side Heating Performance

BTU = 500 x GPM x ∆T

BTU = 20,900

∆T = (TSupply – TReturn)

TSupply = 140ºF (or 160, 180, 120 etc.)

TReturn = 120ºF (often a 20º or 30º ∆T )

20,900 = 500 x GPM x 20

GPM = 2.1
Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design
Fully Defined Water Coil Selection

So what does this leave us?...

Capacity = 20,900 BTU

Airflow = 550 CFM
EAT = 55ºF
LAT = 90ºF
EWT = 140ºF
LWT = 120ºF
Fluid Flow = 2.1 gpm

Why is this potentially problematic?

Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design
Cost Impact on Constraining Performance

Engineering 2-Row Custom 2-

Variables 2-Row HC
Calculations Standard Row

Capacity (BTU) 20,900 20,900 20,900 20,900

Airflow (CFM) 550 550 550 550
EAT (°F) 55 55 55 55
LAT (°F) 90 90 90 90
EWT (°F) 140 140 140 140
LWT (°F) 120 125.6 115.1 120
Fluid Flow (gpm) 2.1 2.94 1.7 2.17
Cost (X$) X 1.3X 11.25X

Standard 8” Single Duct

Hot Water Coils and Mechanical System Design
How are sales reps prioritizing performance variables?

BTU = 1.085 x CFM x (LAT - EAT)

BTU = 500 x GPM x (EWT – LWT)
Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

Example Schedules
Correctly Scheduling Water Coils
Example 1 – Unrealistic LWT and Specified Rows
Correctly Scheduling Water Coils
Example 1 – Unrealistic LWT and Specified Rows

Reheat WC Capacity EAT LAT EWT LWT Fluid Flow FPD

Tag Unit Size Rows
(CFM) (MBH) (°F) (°F) (°F) (°F) (GPM) (ft. w.g.)
VAV-1 66 440 14.4
14.4 55 85 180 118
168 0.5
2.4 0.04
2.46 2
1
VAV-2 8 785 25.6 55 85 180 126 1.0 0.17 2
VAV-3 10 1225 40.0 55 85 180 128 1.6 0.51 2
VAV-4 12 1765 57.4 55 85 180 130 2.4 1.25 2
VAV-5 14 2405 78.1 55 85 180 125 2.9 0.82 2
VAV-6 16 3140 102.0 55 85 180 127 4.0 1.53 2
Correctly Scheduling Water Coils
Example 2 – Scheduling to LAT or MBH?
 Correctly Scheduling Water Coils
Example 2 – Scheduling to LAT or MBH?

Coil Flow WC Capacity EAT LAT EWT LWT Fluid Flow FPD
Tag Rows
(CFM) (MBH) (°F) (°F) (°F) (°F) (GPM) (ft. w.g.)
Solution Method - Matched Capacity
FPT-1-1 1650 44.4 66 91 180 125 1.7 0.7 2
FPT-1-2 1800 48.6 66 91 180 116 1.6 0.3 2
FPT-1-3 450 13.5 66 94 180 169 2.6 3.9 2
FPT-1-4 1800 48.6 66 91 180 116 1.6 0.3 2
FPT-1-5 800 21.8 66 91 180 110 0.6 0.1 2
FPT-1-6 1400 37.8 66 91 180 121 1.3 0.4 2
Solution Method - Matched LAT
FPT-1-1 1650 34.1 66 85 180 112 1.0 0.3 2
FPT-1-2 1800 37.0 66 85 180 106 1.0 0.1 2
FPT-1-3 450 9.4 66 85 180 148 0.6 0.3 2
FPT-1-4 1800 37.0 66 85 180 106 1.0 0.1 2
FPT-1-5 800 16.5 66 85 180 143 0.9 0.1 2
FPT-1-6 1400 29.5 66 85 180 110 0.9 0.2 2
MBH = 0.5 * GPM * (EWT - LWT) Solution Method - Matched GPM
FPT-1-1 1650 56.2 66 97 180 142 3.0 2.0 2
45 = 0.5 * 3.0 * (180 - 150) FPT-1-2 1800 68.0 66 101 180 136 3.2 1.0 2
FPT-1-3 450 11.3 66 89 180 157 1.0 0.7 2
MBH = (1.085 * CFM * (LAT - EAT))/1000 FPT-1-4 1800 68.0 66 101 180 136 3.2 1.0 2
FPT-1-5 800 33.1 66 104 180 131 1.4 0.5 2
34 = (1.085 * 1650 * (85 - 66))/1000 FPT-1-6 1400 50.1 66 99 180 139 2.5 1.4 2
Correctly Scheduling Water Coils
Example 3 – Let LWT Float
Correctly Scheduling Water Coils
Example 3 – Let LWT Float

Reheat WC Capacity EWT LWT EAT LAT Fluid Flow FPD

Tag Unit Sz. Rows
(CFM) (MBH) (°F) (°F) (°F) (°F) (GPM) (ft. w.g.)
VAV-1 6 125 5.4 140 107 55 94.4 0.33 0.02 2
VAV-2 8 210 9.1 140 110 55 94.4 0.60 0.08 2
VAV-3 10 350 15.2 140 112 55 94.8 1.11 0.30 2
VAV-4 12 500 21.6 140 113 55 94.7 1.59 0.69 2
VAV-5 14 650 28.1 140 109 55 94.8 1.83 0.40 2
Correctly Scheduling Water Coils
How to Improve This Process

1. Let coil leaving water temperature (system return water temperature) vary for
individual lines, as long as the average value is acceptable.
σ𝒏𝒊=𝟎 𝑳𝑾𝑻𝒊 × 𝑮𝑷𝑴𝒊
𝑳𝑾𝑻 =
σ𝒏𝒊=𝟎 𝑮𝑷𝑴𝒊
2. Don’t specify coil rows unless they come from BOD manufacturer’s
performance data.
3. Utilize BOD manufacturer’s performance data. If possible, have local sales
representatives generate performance recommendations at set conditions.
Example: 140ºF to 120ºF water temperature, 2-row standard, Single Duct units.
Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat

Factory Mounted Piping Packages

Factory Mounted Piping Packages

Factory Mounted Piping Package Overview

Water to Air Heat Exchangers are

sized for Design Day Conditions.
Cooling zone loads are below 50% of
design day approximately 85% of the
time.
Heating zone loads are below 35% of
design day approximately 95% of the
time.

Piping Packages turn

cooling/heating on and off, or
modulate its output for optimal
thermal comfort!
Factory Mounted Piping Packages
Factory Mounted Piping Package Overview

Temperature Control Valve Balancing Valve

Y-Strainer
Factory Mounted Piping Packages
Factory Mounted Piping Package Overview
Factory Mounted Piping Packages
Factory Mounted Piping Package Overview

Factory Mounted Piping Packages

provide a huge time and cost
savings to any size project

A mechanical contractor has to account for

valves, field labor (2 to 3 hours), and
materials.
• Assembly lines and lean manufacturing
principles significantly reduce labor per unit
• Field pipe-fitting is one of the most expensive
hourly costs in the industry ($100+/hour)
• Less labor on the jobsite results in faster project
timelines, and potential project completion
bonuses
Factory Mounted Piping Packages
Factory Quality Assurance

Factory QA process result in premium

quality at an elevated rate and reduced cost
• Pressure decay testing up to 120 psi
• Nitrogen sniff testing to verify all solder
connections
• Coil dunk testing up to 390 psi
• Crated shipping
Factory Mounted Piping Packages
Case Study: University of Colorado Anschutz Campus

Building Size: 95,000 SF

Location: The University of Colorado, Aurora, CO
Contractor: MTech
Sales Rep: CFM Company
Products: 490 Single Ducts with hot water coils and
factory mounted piping packages
140ºF Entering Water Temperature
Engineer: CannonDesign, H+L Architecture, LTD,
AIA
Factory Mounted Piping Packages
Case Study: University of Colorado Anschutz Campus
Factory Mounted Piping Packages
Case Study: University of Colorado Anschutz Campus

Project Summary
• 380 reheat coils
• Contractor stated this option saved up
to 3 hours of field labor per unit
• Over $115,000 labor savings
• Commission projects faster and
with a high level of quality
control
• Savings for the building owner
• Specifiable option with industry
competition
• Revit support for improved BIM
• Manufacturing sized balancing
valves and TCVs
• Sole stakeholder responsibility
Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat
Summary

1. Manufacturer’s constrain coil construction to yield optimal quality,

cost, lead times, and performance accuracy (in order to comply with
AHRI 410)
2. Design engineer’s constrain coil performance to yield optimal
design efficiency, and lack of bias in engineering schedules
3. This process can improve by allowing for more flexibility on LWTs,
not specifying coils rows, and utilizing BOD manufacturer's
performance software
4. Factory Mounted Piping Packages are competitive, specifiable, and
save time and money for projects
5. Factory Mounted Piping Packages yield better quality assemblies
due to quality assurance procedures and simplified assembly
processes.
Air Movement General Contact
[email protected]
1-204-654-5613 option 2

Mark Mahon
[email protected]
1-204-654-5912
1-204-890-4610

Questions?
Optimizing Terminal Unit Hot Water Reheat
This training session is accredited for 1 Professional Development Hour (PDH)