Design of HVAC System of a Building

Project Title

Project Area of Specialization

Mechanical Engineering

Project Summary

As technology becomes more and more complex and widespread, it is more important than ever before for industries and academia to collaborate and work together for the overall progress of mankind. For this purpose National University of Sciences and Technology has partnered with MIDAS Safety and many projects have been undertaken, one of which is the design of an HVAC system for a Safety Glove Manufacturing Plant. MIDAS Safety which makes gloves for many different applications requires an environment of high humidity of 65% for maximum efficiency in production and so to ensure this an air conditioning system that provides a temperature of 25C and a constant humidity of 65% is required. The type of air conditioning system requires careful assessment of sensible and latent load calculations to determine the heat load to be removed as well as the development of a suitable system that will achieve the desired conditions at a low-cost while being compliant with ASHRAE standards.

Project Objectives

The objective of this project is to solve a longstanding problem within the Prime Safety Limited plant of MIDAS Safety which manufactures safety gloves. In Prime Safety Ltd, there is a double story building with Seima Seiki machines that manufacture gloves. On each floor, there are around 300 machines arranged in rows that run parallel to the walls with space between the rows as can be seen in the blueprint. The situation demands that productivity be fully realized and for true efficiency to be achieved which is defined in this case as minimal production of defective gloves due to humidity. Humidity affects the nylon threads which can cause the thread quality to drop if the humidity rises or drops by a certain degree. Thus, for perfect conditions of production to be maintained, humidity must be maintained at 65% with a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius for human comfort in all seasons. Currently, an automated spraying system with sensors is in place to control the humidity but does not control the temperature leading to extreme conditions that are incompatible with human comfort.

Project Implementation Method

Several visits have been made to MIDAS to gather the required data in order to calculate different loads and consequently, make load sheets for different floors accordingly. Several systems are then shortlisted and it has been deduced that the VRF Multi-split system is the best option after a feasibility analysis has been carried out. The system has then been designed using the TRANE catalogue provided by Delta Engineering which is the official supplier of TRANE in Pakistan. Quotations for different types of equipment have been acquired and they are used to carry out a comprehensive cost analysis.

Benefits of the Project

The workers are currently working under very extreme conditions and the temperatures go quite high during the summers which makes it even more unbearable. Our project helps in bringing about thermal comfort to the environment by lowering the temperatures to 25 degrees celsius as well as helping achieve the required humidity levels of around 65% which is optimum for the knitting process.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Load sheets have been prepared showing all the neccesary load calculations. 2D layouts show the placemnt of wall mounted and floor standing air conditioning units and the piping as well as electrical wiring are also shown. P&ID diagrams for both the floors are constructed which show the control the logic and the working of the system.