Optimal Outside Airflow Control of Integrated Air Handling Unit System for Large Office Buildings

This paper presents the optimal outside air control in the integrated air handling unit system for large commercial buildings (OAHU). The optimal outside air control schedules are developed using the geometric linear optimization method, and expressed as analytical functions of the outside air temperature and enthalpy, the interior zone airflow ratio, and the exterior zone supply air temperature. The optimal outside air control schedules can be applied to both constant and variable air volume systems. When the optimal outside air control schedules are implemented, the OAHU system can significantly improve indoor air quality (IAQ) and use significantly less thermal energy than conventional systems. The geometric optimization method can also be used in other linear HVAC optimizations with non-liner constraint conditions.