Executive Summary

This thesis is based on the renovation and addition to the Agricultural Engineering Building located on the Pennsylvania State University Park Campus in State College, Pennsylvania. The depth of this report focuses on investigating alternatives for the mechanical system serving the entire building.

​

The current design uses 2 dedicated outdoor air handling units. These units heat and cool the outdoor air using campus steam and chilled water. A mix of VAV with reheat and fan-coil units’ further condition the air in order to meet space loads. The analysis in this report investigates the use of radiant floor heating and chilled beams in order to condition the spaces to the required set points. Both radiant floor heating and chilled beams were applied to all zones in order to analyze their potential and effectiveness. The goal was to improve thermal comfort, reduce energy use, and remain economical.  

​

After the initial mechanical redesign two breadth topics of structural and electrical were also analyzed in order to view the impact that the new system would apply. Panel boards were reworked due to changes in pump sizes, air handling units, and elimination of fan-coil units. The structural system supporting the third floor mechanical penthouse was also analyzed with the new equipment layout.

​

The objective of this analysis to study how maximizing the waterside components of the HVAC system will decrease total energy use. Using water to transport heating and cooling energy throughout the building will lower energy loss and allow for more effective distribution. This allows for a reduction in the total amount of airflow and decreases the amount of equipment required on the airside of the system.

​

The results have shown that with both radiant flooring and active chilled beams the buildings energy usage is estimated to be reduced by 20%. Initial costs will cause the project to go over budget, but with the energy savings estimated, the simple payback will be within 10 years.