Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Various Factors to Consider In the HVAC Piping Design Process

The type of heating, cooling and air conditioning systems installed in the residential and commercial building settings can be of various types.

Depending upon the type, the piping designs also change.


 (Image Source:- http://www.monarch-adroit.com)

In order to provide customized HVAC piping design services, the design engineers need to be aware of the different energy considerations and specific requirements of the concerned building.

The Different HVAC Types Can Be Classified On The Basis of The Heating Systems Such As:

  • Central heating
  • Hot water heating
  • Forced air heating
  • Radiant heating
  • Hydronic heating
  • Home heating

The HVAC systems employ mainly the closed network type piping systems.

Determining the properties of the fluid as per the different constraints is an important consideration in the HVAC piping design process.

The different properties worth keeping track of are the specific heat of the fluids, density, saturation pressure, viscosity, specific heat and volume of the fluids.

The design engineers also specify the materials that would be used for the piping purposes such as steel, copper, cast iron and plastic etc., depending upon the specific HVAC requirements of the buildings.


In Addition to The Fluid Properties, The HVAC Piping Design Requires The Study of Various Related Architectural Parameters Such As:

  • Overall space required to accommodate all the HVAC elements and the distribution materials.
  • Coordination with the other systems such as lighting, smoke and fire detectors etc.
  • Building location
  • The expected energy usage patterns of the buildings.
  • Desired indoor conditions of the buildings as per the outside environment
  • The HVAC piping design comprises of the designs of the pipe sections, circuits and the equipment.

Different pipe sections are assigned in a particular piping system so as to coordinate between the different facets of the fluid flow.

For example, a pipe section may be assigned where there is a need to change the fluid velocity, where there is a need to alter the fluid flow rate or where there is a need to change the piping material.

In addition to the piping sections; the other segments such as the supply sections, exclude sections and the return sections are also being allocated.

The pipe circuit in a design consists of the sections connecting the terminal equipment such as the plumbing fixtures and the heat exchanging tools.

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Nikunj Patel is an Engineering Consultant at MEP Design Services. The MEP Design Services is a India based Mechanical Design and Engineering Service Provider firm. Nikunj is expert in mechanical design, drafting and mechanical 3D modeling.

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