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EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
AC Capacity Modulation
By John Dieckmann, Member ASHRAE; James Brodrick, Ph.D., Member ASHRAE
cooling load. It is common for systems to be specified with excess capacity to allow for discrepancies between as-built and as-designed.
This ensures that the cooling load will be met under the worst case
conditions. In most applications, over a full air-conditioning season, the
actual cooling load reaches the design load only a fraction of the time.
For example, Table 1 (Page 72) summarizes the distribution of cooling hours
in the cooling season outdoor temperature
bins that are used in the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) energy test procedure
for residential central air conditioners.1
This distribution is intended to be broadly
representative of the U.S. climate.
The associated cooling load in each
temperature bin as a fraction of the rated
cooling capacity is tabulated in the fourth
column of the table.
While this is based on the oversimplif ied assumption that the cooling
load varies linearly with the difference
between the outdoor dry-bulb temperature and 65F (18C) (neglecting the
effect of variations in solar loading,
outdoor humidity, and other factors),
the cooling load is 50% or less of the
rated cooling capacity for 80% of the
cooling season.
The air-conditioning system cannot be
allowed to run continuously at full capacity when the load is less than design. If it
did run continuously at full capacity, the
conditioned space would be overcooled
and a significant amount of energy would
be wasted.
70
ASHRAE Journal
The simplest way to reconcile the difference between cooling capacity and the
instantaneous cooling load is on-off control, the method used in a majority of the
residential air conditioners used in the U.S.
A thermostat in the space cycles the
air-conditioning system on and off as the
space temperature cycles above and below the setpoint over a small dead band.
An alternative approach is to modulate
the cooling capacity so it matches the
instantaneous cooling load, running the
air-conditioning system continuously at
the modulated capacity.
In larger capacity air-conditioning systems, some form of capacity modulation is
commonplace. Benefits of operating with
capacity modulation include improved
energy efficiency, steady control of space
temperature, better control of relative humidity, and elimination of the large in-rush
currents associated with frequent starting
of large compressor drive motors.
The June 2010 Emerging Technologies column discusses some methods
for compressor capacity modulation in
large systems.2 Many of the benefits of
capacity modulation apply to residential
air-conditioning systems as well:
ashrae.org
February 2011
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Bin No.
j
Representative
Bin Temperature Tj (F)
Cooling Load,
Fraction of Rated Capacity
Fraction of Total
Temperature Bin Hours nj/N
6569
67
0.061
0.214
7074
72
0.212
0.231
7579
77
0.364
0.216
8084
82
0.515
0.161
8589
87
0.667
0.104
9094
92
0.818
0.052
9599
97
0.970
0.018
100104
102
1.121
0.004
Table 1: Distribution of fractional hours in temperature bins for calculation of SEER for central air-conditioning units with a twospeed or a variable speed compressor.1
in widespread use for many years in Asia in ductless unitary AC
(mini-splits) and in variable refrigerant flow AC systems.
Typical speed ranges (and turndown ranges) are 3:1 and 4:1,
often with a maximum speed above 60 Hz and 3,600 rpm. The
limiting factor for the minimum speed is generally maintaining
adequate lubrication, with oil pumping failing below a minimum
speed. Over the operating speed range, efficiency tends to be
maintained close to the design speed efficiency.
Rapid loading/unloading of a scroll compressor operates by
venting the axial force balancing pressure, enabling the orbiting
and fixed scrolls to separate by several thousandths of an inch.
Refrigerant vapor compression stops and the motor power drops
to a low (but greater than zero) level. By varying the proportion of
loaded vs. unloaded time, the capacity can be modulated continuously from 100% down to 10%. The nonzero power consumed
when running unloaded is a loss that is relatively insignificant
at moderate turndown, down to 50%. As the capacity is reduced
further, the unloaded power becomes a more significant part of
the total input.
ASHRAE Journal
February 2011
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
Condenser (On-Off)
100
90
80
Temperature, F
70
60
50
40
30
Evaporator (On-Off)
0
0.5
1
Time, Hours
1.5
Market Factors
Sales of high-SEER, capacity modulated air conditioners are
a small portion of residential central air conditioner sales and a
negligible portion of room air conditioner sales in the U.S. The
first-cost premium is the primary reason. The higher installed
cost is due to the additional costs of the capacity modulated
compressor, the variable speed indoor blower motor, and the
more sophisticated control system needed to determine the
correct capacity at any point in time. Faster payback will occur
in warmer climates with longer cooling seasons and with heat
pumps. However, in many of the warmer parts of the U.S., electric
rates are lower than the national average.
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References
1. 10 CFR Part 430, Subpart B, Appendix M, Uniform Test Method
for Measuring the Energy Consumption of Central Air Conditioners.
http://tinyurl.com/10CFR-B-M.
2. Dieckmann, J., et al. 2010. VFDs for large chillers: large energy
savings per installation. ASHRAE Journal 52(6): 58 62.
3. Dieckmann, J., K. McKenney, and J. Brodrick. 2010. Variable frequency drives, Part 2: VFDs for blowers. ASHRAE Journal 52(5): 58 62.
4. DOE. 2010. Building Energy Data Book, Table 2.1.6: Residential
Energy End-Use Splits, by Fuel Type (Quadrillion Btu). http://tinyurl.
com/table216.
5. U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration,
2005 Residential Energy Consumption Survey. Table AC2: Total
Consumption for Air Conditioning by Equipment Type. http://tinyurl.
com/EIA-AC2.
ASHRAE Journal
February 2011