Cooling Load in The Under-Actuated HVAC Zone

Cooling load in an HVAC system refers to the total heat energy that must be removed from an indoor space to maintain a desired temperature and thermal comfort level. This load is influenced by various internal and external factors, including occupant activity, electronic device usage, solar radiation, ventilation rates, and environmental conditions. It comprises both sensible heat, associated with temperature changes, and latent heat, related to moisture removal. Effective cooling load estimation is essential for optimizing HVAC system performance, ensuring energy efficiency, and enhancing occupant well-being.

An under-actuated zone within an HVAC system denotes a spatial domain where cooling mechanisms are not independently controlled or fully modulated in response to real-time thermal variations and occupancy patterns. These zones exhibit constrained adaptability due to shared ventilation networks, limited sensor deployment, or centralized control strategies, resulting in suboptimal climate regulation. Consequently, fluctuations in cooling demand driven by dynamic occupant behaviors and environmental perturbations may lead to thermal discomfort, inefficient energy utilization, and a mismatch between conditioned air supply and actual thermal requirements. Cooling load measurement in under-actuated zones presents a significant challenge due to the complex interplay between fluctuating occupant behaviors, environmental conditions, and the limitations of conventional HVAC control strategies. Accurate measurement requires continuous monitoring of thermal dynamics within spatially constrained zones where airflow distribution is not uniformly regulated.

In this repository, cooling load measurement was conducted in an under-actuated zone within the Universitas Trilogi Library, where one of the rooms exhibits under-actuated characteristics and is further divided into three distinct zones. Data collection was systematically performed over a 14-week period from September to December 2023, during the active academic semester. This extensive measurement campaign aimed to capture the nuanced interactions between occupancy, electronic device usage, and environmental variations, providing valuable insights into the cooling demand of under-actuated zones and facilitating the development of an optimized predictive model for energy-efficient HVAC management. During this period, occupant behavior was systematically recorded at five-minute intervals across all three monitored areas to ensure a granular understanding of real-time fluctuations in activity patterns. This extensive measurement campaign aimed to capture the nuanced interactions between occupancy, electronic device usage, and environmental variations, providing valuable insights into the cooling demand of under-actuated zones and facilitating the development of an optimized predictive model for energy-efficient HVAC management.