Example: Given btu/hr.

and Inlet and outlet air temperature in F

BTUH: 100,000
Supply Air Temperature: 120F
Return Air Temperature: 70F
 102F – 70F = 50F (Delta-T)

 100,000 / 1.08 x 50

 100,000 / 54 = 1852 CFM

Example: Given electric power details and supply and return air temperature in F

Air Handler Supply Voltage: 235 Volts

Air Handler Amp Draw: 75 Amps
Supply Air Temp: 110F
Return Air Temp: 74F
 235 V x 75 A x 3.414 = 60171 BTUH output
 110F -74F = 36F Detla-T

 60171 / 1.08 x 36

 60171 / 38.88 = 1548 CFM

Note:
We've recently received several reader requests asking us how to calculate relative humidity if the
temperature and dew point are known. Relative humidity is the ratio (expressed as a percentage) of the
amount of moisture actually in the air to the maximum amount that can be present at that temperature.
The dew point is the temperature at which a given sample of air will have a relative humidity of 100
percent; hence, the saturation temperature. All three -- relative humidity, temperature and dew point --
are bound together in the mathematical relationship below.
A source of confusion
Relative humidity changes when temperatures change. Because warm air can hold more water vapor than
cool air, relative humidity falls when the temperature rises if no moisture is added to the air.
 Macalister Hall utilizes hot water for its heating needs and chilled water for its cooling needs. The
two systems will be outlined below:

Hot Water Heating:

The hot water for the complex is created through a heat exchanger in the basement of Macalister
Hall. A 125 psi high pressure steam line from the city provides the heating medium for this shell and
tube heat exchanger. Normally, heating coils in air handling units and fan coil units utilize 180 F
water, while reheat coils traditionally use a lower temperature, usually around 140 F. However, upon
investigation I did not see two sets of hot water pipes, which would indicate that all heating coils use a
single temperature water. My guess is that the heating coils use 180 F water since it offers better
heating properties. There are two hot water storage tanks in the basement and two hot water
circulation pumps. The hot water travels through a system of pipes to service the heating coils in the
air handling units and to serve the reheat coils on each floor. Hot water piping is also used to serve
the fan coils located in the tower. A full schematic of the piping system can be seen below with the
hot water supply piping shown in a solid pink line and the hot water return shown in a dashed pink
line.

Chilled Water Cooling:

The chilled water for the complex is served from a 450 ton chiller located in the Creese penthouse.
Originally, two 225 ton chillers served the complex, but this equipment is now dormant. The 450 ton
chiller was installed three years ago and runs on HCFC-123 refrigerant. There is a cooling tower
located on the Creese roof and two condenser water pumps circulate the condenser water loop.
Additionally, the chilled water pump located in the penthouse has a variable speed drive system to
allow a part load scenario.

Picture of 450 Ton Chiller in Creese

The chilled water that is produced serves the cooling coils in the air handling units and serves the fan
coil units located throughout the tower. A full schematic of the piping system can be seen below with
the chilled water supply shown in a solid blue line and the chilled water return shown in a dashed blue
line.

Fan Coil Units:

Fan coil units are located throughout the complex, mainly in the tower on an exterior wall. I have
deduced that these are four pipe fan coil units since chilled and hot water is available all year long.
Additionally, I did not observe any pipes labeled "Dual Temperature" or "Hot/Cold" on my survey,
which enforces the idea that the fan coil units are a four pipe system.

Pipe Sizing Chart:

As calculated through the Carrier E-20 program, I found the hot water to require 210 gpm and the
chilled water to require 720 gpm. These gpm values do not take into account the load from the fan
coil units or other outside sources. From the chart below, I can estimate the minimum size of the
chilled water and hot water lines serving Macalister Hall.

ASHRAE Recommended Maximum GPM

Nominal Size Type L Copper Sch. 40 Steel

1/2" 2.8 3.8 ASHRAE
3/4" 5.9 6.5 Criteria
1" 10 11

1 1/4" 16 18 Maximum Velocity

1 1/2" 23 25
2" 39 41 4 ft/sec
2 1/2" 78 72
 3" 130 160 Maximum Loss
4" 270 275 4 ft/100 ft
6" 775 775

From the Carrier E-20 calculations, I found that the chilled water flow rate was 720 gpm and the hot
water flow rate was 210 gpm. In large scale applications with high flow rates, steel pipe is normally
used. According to the table above, Macalister Hall would require a 6" chilled water service and a 4"
hot water service. However, it is important to note that the calculated flow rates do not take the fan
coil unit circuit into account. On the chilled water side, we have 55 gpm flexibility, and on the hot
water side we have 60 gpm flexibility before being required to move up to the next pipe size.

When evaluating the flow rate of fan coil units, I estimated that a one ton fan coil unit would require
2.5 gpm for cooling and 1.2 gpm for heating. If we assume ten fan coil units on each floor of the
tower, this will increase the cooling flow rate by 100 gpm and the heating flow rate by 48 gpm. With
these numbers in mind, the adjusted pipe sizes would be:

8" Chilled Water Supply/Return Service

4" Hot Water Supply/Return Service

Control Valves:

The flow of water into the coils is controlled by a two way control valve. The control valves throughout
the complex are pneumatic. These pneumatic control valves are operated through the manipulation of
compressed air, which originates at the air compressor in the basement mechanical room. A two way
control valve is preferable to a three way arrangement because it is more energy efficient and does
not result in the pressure problems often associated with a three way valve.

Macalister Hall Piping Schematic:

Water velocities in pipes and tubes should not exceed certain limits

Maximum Velocity
Application
(m/s) (ft/s)
Tap water (low noise) 0.5 - 0.7 1.6 - 2.3
Tap water 1.0 - 2.5 3.3 - 8.2
Cooling water 1.5 - 2.5 4.9 - 8.2
4 more rows