Engineering Guide

VAV Diffusers
Please refer to the Price Engineer’s HVAC Handbook
for more information on VAV Diffusers.
 Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Diffuser Types

Conventional air distribution systems typically group several rooms

into a zone that is controlled by a single thermostat. Because rooms Figure 1: Thermally powered VAV diffuser
within the zone can have different heating/cooling requirements, the
system’s response to heating/cooling loads within the zone may not
be consistent with load requirements. The result can be a system
that compromises the comfort of the occupants in each room by
providing a blanket response to individual needs. As well, there is
resulting system inefficiency due to the overheating/overcooling
of rooms within the building.
Self-modulating Variable Air Volume (VAV) diffusers allow for
smaller, comfortable zones. They monitor local space conditions
and regulate air flow to satisfy the occupants’ selected level of
comfort. As air flow varies, the unique design of VAV diffusers
adjusts an integral damper to maintain face discharge velocities
and excellent throw characteristics. VAV diffusers can help solve
the inconsistent throws or dumping that may occur with some
overhead diffusers due to varying supply conditions.
Several different types of VAV diffusers exist, however most can be
grouped into two models: Thermally Powered and Electronically
Powered.
Thermally Powered VAV Diffusers
Ceiling Diffusers

Thermally powered VAV diffusers, shown in Figure 1, commonly

use thermal actuators to modulate the flow rate of supply air into
a room according to a desired temperature setting. The diffuser
works independent of a BAS and does not require external power.
Based on this, the unit provides system flexibility and a low-cost
installation. Each occupant or small group of occupants can adjust
their local diffuser to their desired temperature, ensuring tailored
comfort levels for all occupants in the building.
A thermally powered VAV diffuser installs much like any other ceiling
diffuser. Once the supply duct is connected and air is flowing, the
thermally powered VAV diffuser begins to operate. Temperature set-
point adjustments and minimum air flow settings can be adjusted
on the diffuser core. The diffuser measures the room temperature Figure 2: Electronically powered VAV diffuser
by inducing room air into the diffuser core and passing it over a
thermal actuator. Linkage contained within the core adjusts the
damper based on the difference between room and desired set-
point [Link], diffusers are available for VAV cooling
and VAV cooling/heating with automatic changeover.
Electronically Powered VAV Diffusers
An electronically powered VAV diffuser, shown in Figure 2, uses
an electric modulating damper inside the diffuser core assembly.
The electronics to control the device are mounted on the top of the
backpan, out of sight from the occupied space. The analog or DDC
controller with proportional integral control will provide stable,
precise control with fast response. Space temperature control
within 1 °F of set-point, true VAV cooling and heating, activation
of perimeter heat, and optional BACnet interface are all possible
with these types of units.
An electronically powered VAV diffuser will require an electrical
connection. Temperature set-point adjustment can be made in a
variety of ways:on board the unit, wall mounted thermostat, remote
control, or a building management system such as BACnet. The
room temperature is measured either by inducing room air into
the diffuser core or by the use of a wall thermostat. For a zone
larger than one diffuser, a master diffuser can drive several drone
diffusers. The drone units will adjust their dampers in unison as
dictated by the master unit.

C-188 All Metric dimensions ( ) are soft conversion.

Imperial dimensions are converted to metric and rounded to the nearest millimeter.
© Copyright Price Industries Limited 2011.
Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Conventional Design vs. VAV Diffuser Layouts

Conventional Diffuser System Layout

Figure 3: Conventional diffuser system layout
In Figure 3, a zone thermostat controls the
conditions for a zone, which can include
Static Pressure Tubing
several rooms. In this illustration, the VAV T-stat Wiring
terminal will supply air to the zone based on P Static Pressure Sensor
the feedback from the thermostat. When the
load has been satisfied, the damper limits
the downstream air flow. A pressure control
valve monitors the upstream static pressure
and allows air to bypass the supply duct.
Pressure Control Valve
The disadvantage to this design is that the VAV Terminal ZONE

one thermostat is controlling multiple rooms

within a zone. The loads within each of the
three rooms will vary throughout the day
and will require different supply conditions.
The zone thermostat will dictate the amount
T-stat
of cool or warm air necessary to keep its
room temperature at the occupant’s desired ROOM ROOM ROOM
P
set-point. Therefore, this system will 1 2 3

provide inadequate comfort control to all

other rooms in the zone since the demand

CEILING DIFFUSERS
is generated based on the conditions at the
thermostat. Overcooling or overheating
will likely occur in other rooms. Figure 4: System layout with thermally powered VAV diffusers
System Layout with Thermally
Static Pressure Tubing
Powered VAV Diffusers T-stat Wiring
In Figure 4,thermally powered diffusers are P Static Pressure Sensor

used to regulate the air flow within each room.

Thethermallypowereddiffuserhasanintegrated
thermostat that reacts to the conditions in that
room. A pressure control valve monitors
duct static pressure and allows air to bypass
the supply duct. This system design gives
Pressure Control Valve
the occupant the ability to control local space
comfort within each room. Because the damper
is regulated by a thermal actuator, reaction time
to changing conditions will be gradual and
stable. The standalone unit is self powered, Rooftop
thus allowing for future layout modifications Controller
and requirements. Due to the simple operation ZONE ZONE ZONE
P
of this diffuser, no special training is required for 1 2 3

installation and [Link] comfort

and diffuser performance also are maintained
at lower flows.
Networked System Layout with
Figure 5: Networked system layout with electronically powered VAV diffusers
Electronically Powered VAV Diffusers
In Figure 5, electronically powered VAV
Static Pressure Tubing
diffusers are used to regulate the air flow T-stat Wiring
within each room. A thermostat or an BACnet MS/TP Network
integrated temperature sensor is located in P Static Pressure Sensor
each [Link] electronically powered VAV
diffuser actuates based on feedback from
the thermostat. A pressure control valve
monitors duct static pressure and allows
air to bypass the supply duct. BACnet may
be utilized for electronically powered VAV Pressure Control Valve

diffuser output management and control.

Occupants of each room can control their
temperature set-point, thus creating an
acceptable space for almost all occupants.
As shown in Figure 5, an RTU controller
can be integrated into the system to allow Rooftop
ZONE ZONE ZONE
P Controller
for polling and heating/cooling strategies 1 2 3
to increase energy efficiency and enhanced
comfort control.

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© Copyright Price Industries Limited 2011. All Metric dimensions ( ) are soft conversion.
Imperial dimensions are converted to metric and rounded to the nearest millimeter.
 Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Operating Principles

Coanda Effect
When air passes over a static surface it will Figure 6: Coanda Effect
follow the surface’s profile, providing there
are no sharp edges or abrupt [Link] is
what is known as the Coanda Effect (Figure
6) (ASHRAE, 2009) (Nevin, R. G., 1976). The Ceiling
aerodynamic diffuser backpan ensures that
the supply air has a smooth transition from
the duct to the room. Supply air leaves the
diffuser, adhering to the ceiling as it flows
into the space, where it mixes with room air,
minimizing air pattern drop. By design, the
VAV diffuser backpan and internal damper Coanda Effect
generate a tight high velocity jet pattern
with the Coanda Effect attaching it to the
ceiling surface. Without this design, the air
flow patterns may detach from the ceiling
prematurely and cause thermal discomfort. Figure 7: Room air induction
Room Air Induction
Induction is the phenomenon of air being
drawn towards air in motion. As the speed
High Velocity
Ceiling Diffusers

of air movement increases, the static pressure

Discharge Air
in the local zone at the diffuser decreases,
pulling the surrounding air towards it. This Induced Air
principle is important to the performance of
mixing systems; it is the elevated discharge
velocity that draws in room air and mixes it
with the supply air, as illustrated in Figure 7
(ASHRAE, 2007b). VAV diffusers rely on high
induction to effectively mix the supply and
room air to provide uniform room temperature
Supply Air
distribution with low room velocities.
No Turn-Down Effects
Conventional systems typically respond
to changes to the heating/cooling load by
varying the flow of air to the diffusers at Maintained ADPI
By definition, the air diffusion performance Figure 8: Face velocities
low loads. At low loads this can create low
velocity air streams at the diffuser, creating index (ADPI) is the statistical percentage
the potential for unwanted drafts in the of the points, when measured uniformly
occupied zone (ASHRAE, 2009).VAV diffusers within a space, whose local draft velocities
vary the volume of air supplied to a space and temperatures fall within acceptable
by modifying the diffuser outlet area. Face comfort limits (ASHRAE, 2007b). An
velocities are maintained at a more consistent explanation of the ASHRAE method for
level; high enough to maintain the Coanda estimating ADPI and selection procedures
Effect and prevent diffuser [Link], the can be found in Chapter 9—Mixing
performance of VAV diffusers is maintained Ventilation in the Price Engineer's HVAC
at all load levels due to the consistent face Handbook (Table 1).
velocities promoting increased room air VAV diffusers are designed to maintain a
induction as illustrated in Figure 8. higher ADPI over the full range of movement
Minimum Air Volume of their integral dampers within the
To meet ventilation rate requirements, the published operating range. As the damper
VAV diffuser must be set for a minimum closes, the air volume discharged from the
air volume. Both thermal powered and diffuser is decreased; however, the velocity
electronically powered VAV diffuser, typically of the air remains virtually constant due
have a means of setting this minimum air to the resulting reduction in open area.
volume which can be preset in the factory By maintaining the discharge velocity,
or adjusted in the field. In some cases, this VAV diffusers ensure good induction and
minimum air volume setting may exceed the mixing of the room through their operating
cooling load, overcooling the [Link] prevent range. Furthermore, by maintaining the
overcooling, some method of introducing velocity, the throw to 50 fpm is not reduced
heat must be applied. With electronically as much as it is for a conventional air outlet
powered VAV diffusers, the control board can with a constant outlet area, which means
activate perimeter radiation, radiant panels or theT50/L ratio is not as significantly affected.
an upstream duct [Link] powered Therefore, the ADPI value should remain
VAV diffusers will require an additional acceptable as the integral diffuser damper
thermostat to activate heat. modulates.

C-190 All Metric dimensions ( ) are soft conversion.

Imperial dimensions are converted to metric and rounded to the nearest millimeter.
© Copyright Price Industries Limited 2011.
Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Operating Principles

Room Temperature Measurement

Figure 9: Thermally powered diffuser Figure 10: Electronically powered
Commonly VAV diffusers are designed with minimum air flow adjustment diffuser with heat output on control board
to operate without a room thermostat,
reducing cost, field labor and wiring. Room
temperature is measured and controlled
based on inducing room air into the diffuser
core. During cooling this induced air will
be very representative of the occupied zone
temperature as the entire room is well mixed
due to the high induction characteristics
of the VAV diffuser. During heating some
stratification of room temperature will exist
due to the buoyancy of the warm air, causing
a difference in temperature reading between
the induced room air and the temperature in
the occupied zone. This difference will vary
depending on the supply air temperature.
The higher the supply air temperature
Table 1: Air diffusion performance index (ADPI) selection guide (ASHRAE, 2007b) - IP
the greater the difference. To correct this
temperature difference an “offset” is often
Room ADPI
applied to more accurately estimate the
Terminal Load Btu/ T50 /L for Maximum Greater Range

CEILING DIFFUSERS
occupied zone [Link] a thermally
Device hft2 Max. APDI ADPI Than of T50 /L
powered VAV diffuser a constant offset is
applied in the thermal actuator linkage. 80 1.8 68 - -
Since the actual temperature error varies
with air flow and supply air temperature High Sidewall 60 1.8 71 70 1.5-2.2
this constant offset will provide limited Grilles 40 1.6 78 70 1.2-2.3
room control accuracy. An electronically
powered VAV diffuser can be programmed 20 1.5 85 80 1.0-1.9
to calculate a room temperature offset based 80 0.8 76 70 0.7-1.3
on the duct temperature reading to more
accurately determine the room temperature Circular Ceiling
1 60 0.8 83 80 0.7-1.2
in the occupied zone. For applications Diffusers 40 0.8 88 80 0.5-1.5
with limited heating requirements, or for
20 0.8 93 90 0.7-1.3
morning warm up sequences the above
control strategy will provide acceptable 80 1.7 61 60 1.5-1.7
room temperature control. For applications 60 1.7 72 70 1.4-1.7
requiring significant hours of heating and Sill Grille
where room temperature control is critical Straight Vanes 40 1.3 86 80 1.2-1.8
an electronically powered VAV diffuser 20 0.9 95 90 0.8-1.3
with wall mounted thermostat would be
recommended. 80 0.7 94 90 0.8-1.5
Sill Grille Spread 60 0.7 94 80 0.6-1.7
Vanes 40 0.7 94 - -
20 0.7 94 - -
80 0.3 85 80 0.3-0.7
Ceiling Slot 60 0.3 88 80 0.3-0.8
Diffusers (T100 /L) 40 0.3 91 80 0.3-1.1
20 0.3 92 80 0.3-1.5
60 2.5 86 80 <3.8
Light Troffer
40 1.0 92 90 <3.0
Diffusers
20 1.0 95 90 <4.5

Perforated &
Louvered Ceiling 11.51 2.0 96 90 1.4-2.7
Diffusers 80 1.0-3.4
1
Includes square cone diffuser (SCD) and square plaque diffuser (SPD). Since VAV diffusers
are based on the geometry of a square plaque diffuser, they will be included in this
category as well.

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© Copyright Price Industries Limited 2011. All Metric dimensions ( ) are soft conversion.
Imperial dimensions are converted to metric and rounded to the nearest millimeter.
 Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Example 1

In the following example, the ADPI will be evaluated for an electronically powered VAV diffuser and standard perforated diffuser
at the same room condition. Consider a 18 ft x 18 ft x 9 ft room with a 24 in. x 24 in. outlet centered in the ceiling.
Ceiling Diffusers

Space Considerations Determine the ADPI at maximum flow from Table 1

Some of the assumptions made for the space are as follows:
Model L T50 T50 /L ADPI
• Maximum cooling load = 6900 Btu/h or 21 Btu/h/ft2
Perforated 4 way 9 ft 15 ft 1.7 90
• Minimum cooling load = 3100 Btu/h or 10 Btu/h/ft2
• Maximum flow rate = 376 cfm VAV 9 ft 12 ft 1.3 90
• Minimum flow rate = 169 cfm
• A 10 in. inlet neck is selected Determine the ADPI at minimum flow from Table 1
• The VAV diffuser will operate at 0.30 in. inlet static pressure Model L T50 T50 /L ADPI
• Characteristic length, L, is 9 ft
Perforated 4 way 9 ft 8 ft 0.9 <80
• Throw at 50 fpm terminal velocity(T50) is determined from
product catalogs VAV 9 ft 8 ft 0.9 90

Both diffusers provide good ADPI at the maximum flow. At minimum flow, the VAV diffuser has a much greater ADPI compared to the
perforated diffuser, which does not achieve the minimum acceptable ADPI level of 80.

VAV Diffusers and LEED®

Incorporating VAV diffusers into building VAV diffusers allow personal control occupants in accordance with ASHRAE
design may contribute to LEED credits. of a zone by allowing the user to set Standard 55 (ASHRAE, 2004). Under
Two credits available when using VAV the temperature set-point locally, by ASHRAE 55, 80% of the occupants must
diffusers are: manually adjusting the diffuser or, in the be comfortable in their environment.
Controllability of Systems – Thermal case of the electronic versions, with the VAV diffusers create high room air
Comfort – IEQ Credit 6.2 use of an optional thermostat or infrared induction at all cataloged air flow ranges.
The intent of this credit is to provide a high remote control. These diffusers are the The increased induction at low air flow
level of thermal comfort system control ideal solution for providing personal eliminates turn-down effects as seen in
by individual occupants or groups to control in an office environment. some standard overhead ceiling diffusers
support optimum health, productivity and Thermal Comfort – Design – IEQ Credit and maintains an acceptable ADPI rating.
comfort conditions. In order to qualify for 7.1
this credit, 50% of occupants must have To qualify for this credit the system
the ability to make adjustments to meet must provide a thermally comfortable
their individual space comfort condition environment that supports the productive
preferences. and healthy performance of the building

C-192 All Metric dimensions ( ) are soft conversion.

Imperial dimensions are converted to metric and rounded to the nearest millimeter.
© Copyright Price Industries Limited 2011.
Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Zoning Solutions

Building with Multiple Demands

Buildings often have multiple zones with Figure 11: Solution 1 - Zones call for heating and cooling. Rooftop supplies either
different air conditioning needs due to local cool air or warm air.
equipment, solar loads, room locations, the North
number of occupants and the activity level
in this space.
A building in the winter can experience
varying exterior loads. For this discussion,
we will assume the rooftop does have
heating capability and three rooms have
been identified as needing supplemental
heat as shaded blue in Figure11. The south AHU
side can be primary cooling, while the north
side has a heating load.
Solution 1
If this set of offices only has one rooftop
unit and one thermostat, the system can
only satisfy one of the cooling/heating
requirements. A VAV diffuser can be
incorporated into each room to improve

CEILING DIFFUSERS
individual comfort without additional
heating strategies, such as baseboard heat.
Solution 2
Perimeter heat or radiant panels offer
another solution to the multiple demand
Figure 12: Solution 2 - Perimeter heat or radiant panels, cool supply.
spaces example. The system can be
designed so that the Air Handling Unit
(AHU) supplies cool air to all diffusers and North Radiant Panels
the perimeter radiation system responds to
any requirement for heat (Figure 12). If the
zone requires no further cooling, the VAV
diffusers will move to minimum position,
and perimeter heat is activated on a call for
heating.

AHU

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Imperial dimensions are converted to metric and rounded to the nearest millimeter.
 Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Example 1

Solution 3
Duct heater stations, an alternative to Figure 13: Solution 3 - Duct heater stations
Perimeter Radiation or Radiant Panels,
allow for thermal and ventilation demands North Duct Heater
in a larger multiple demand zone system
(Figure13). For zones that require heating,
specific duct heater stations can energize
to supply heat to the specific zones rather
than supplying hot air from the rooftop to all
zones. The zones in which VAV diffusers are
located will automatically switch to heating
mode (if the option is selected) ensuring that AHU
AHU
there is adequate zone ventilation for each
specific zone demand, and allowing other
zones to continue to function in cooling
mode. A major drawback for duct heater
station design is the additional energy costs
required to cool then reheat the air.
Solution 4
By using a rooftop unit with both cooling
and heating coils and a DDC rooftop unit
Ceiling Diffusers

controller, BACnet networked VAV diffusers

can control the system to supply cooling or
heating based on the demand in the various
zones or rooms. Weighted and average
polling strategies can be used to determine Figure 14: Solution 4 - BACnet network VAV diffusers
the overall building need for heating and
cooling, and control the rooftop unit directly
to ensure that these needs are met. North
In the example shown in Figure14, the red
diffusers require 85% heating, the green
diffusers are 100% neutral, and the blue
diffusers require 30% cooling.
Under the polling average strategy, the total
system demand for the building is shown
in Table 2. AHU
In this case, it would not make sense
to supply cooling to the blue diffusers
since they are a minority with respect
to the building’s overall heating/cooling
requirements. Under this control method,
the rooftop would supply heated air until
the demand was satisfied.
The advantage of this solution is that it takes
into account the size of the demand for
either heating or cooling, where the other
solutions simply energize heat when there
is a demand for heat. This method is more
energy efficient.
Table 2: Total System Demand for Solution 4
A drawback of this system design is that
not everyone is satisfied as the polling System Demand
scheme determines when the system is
in heating and cooling. However, this 5 x 85% 425% Heat
can be adjusted through the addition of 3 x 30% 90% Cooling
reheat stations, perimeter heat or multiple
AHUs depending on the size of the space. 3 x 100% 300% Neutral
This method of measuring load can be Total Demand 815%
more energy efficient and comfort can be
addressed through proper polling schemes. Heating makes up 425/815 52% of the total
Cooling makes up 90/815 11% of the total
Neutral makes up 300/815 49% of the total

C-194 All Metric dimensions ( ) are soft conversion.

Imperial dimensions are converted to metric and rounded to the nearest millimeter.
© Copyright Price Industries Limited 2011.
Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Selection Procedure

Selection of a VAV diffuser is dependent Table 3). Under the appropriate design Check the air volume to ensure it meets
on two main criteria: noise and pressure duct pressure column, select the inlet the design ventilation rate and also
dependent flow rate. size which will meet the specified sound check the throw and noise levels. In
1. Determine the duct pressure for the criteria at the maximum design air some cases, the noise level of the VAV
system based on pressure drop between volume. diffuser increases with reduced flow and
the fan discharge and the farthest 4. Check the cataloged throw values to damper closure.
outlet. The static pressure should be ensure they match the space requirements. 6. For more information on NC and air
a maximum of ¼ in. w.g. entering the Refer to Chapter 9—Mixing Ventilation in distribution selection procedures, please
VAV diffuser inlet to minimize the noise the Price Engineer's HVAC Handbook for reference Chapter 9—Mixing Ventilation
generation. further selection information. in the Price Engineer's HVAC Handbook.
2. Determine the maximum and minimum 5. Once the VAV diffuser size has been Note: The VAV diffusers will not operate
flow rate to the diffuser based on the selected, note the lowest air volume below the lowest air volume values listed
room load and ventilation rate. cataloged under the duct pressure in the Modulated Flow Selection Table (see
column. This is the minimum limit of the Table 3). Zero minimum or shut-off is not
3. Select the VAV diffuser size from the
VAV diffuser at the listed static pressure. available.
Modulated Flow Selection Table (see

Example 2

CEILING DIFFUSERS
In the following example, a VAV diffuser Table 3: Performance Data
will be selected referencing performance
catalog data (Table 3). Performance Data - VAV, 10 in. diffuser
Space Considerations Inlet Size 0.10 Duct Ps 0.20 Duct Ps
Some of the assumptions made for the
space are as follows: cfm Throw, ft NC cfm Throw, ft NC
Maximum flow = 350 cfm 20 0-0-1 - 28 0-1-2 16
Minimum flow = 150 cfm 54 0-1-2 - 79 0-1-3 23
6 in.
Duct Static Pressure = 0.20 in. w.g. 77 0-1-3 15 111 1-2-3 25
Max Room NC = 40 109 1-2-3 17 152 2-2-4 27
46 1-1-3 - 64 1-2-4 24
112 2-3-5 20 158 3-4-7 31
8 in.
170 3-4-7 23 240 4-6-9 33
242 4-6-9 26 342 6-4-10 36
95 1-2-4 23 135 2-3-6 33
190 3-4-8 26 268 4-6-10 36
10 in.
274 4-6-11 28 388 6-8-13 38
365 6-9-12 29 517 8-10-14 39
120 2-3-6 27 169 3-4-8 38
202 3-4-9 28 285 4-6-11 38
12 in.
311 5-7-11 29 441 6-9-13 39
478 8-10-14 30 675 10-12-17 40
139 3-4-8 27 197 4-5-9 36
213 3-5-9 28 302 5-7-11 37
14 in.
370 5-8-12 30 524 8-10-15 39
555 9-11-15 30 785 10-13-18 40

By interpolating the performance data:

Maximum air flow - 350 cfm - 37 NC - 13 ft throw to 50 fpm terminal velocity
Minimum air flow - 135 cfm - 33 NC - 6 ft throw to 50 fpm terminal velocity

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 Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Duct Pressure Control

It is important to control the system

pressure for two main reasons. The first is Figure 15: Equipment layout of pressure relief collar method
to maintain design noise levels. When some
rooms or zones are at low load conditions,
diffusers will be forced to throttle off more
air to maintain room temperature, creating
increased duct static pressure. As the duct
static pressure increases, the noise level of
the diffusers will increase proportionally.
Secondly, as diffusers throttle to reduce
air flow to the room or zone, the air flow
over the direct expansion (DX) coil is also
reduced, potentially causing freeze-up on
the coil. Pressure control with a bypass loop
will prevent this situation by maintaining Return Supply
constant flow over the coil and limiting duct
static pressure to acceptable levels.
The following pressure control methods are Pressure
commonly used. Relief Collar

Pressure Relief Collar

Pressure relief collars (Green) are a simple
Ceiling Diffusers

mechanical method of controlling system

static pressure (Figure 15). These collars
have bypass gates that are forced open by
a predetermined system pressure, shown
in Figure 16.
Figure 16: Pressure relief collar
When they open, air is bypassed into the
ceiling return plenum, thus reducing the
static pressure in the supply duct. This
method is common with retrofit VAV
diffuser applications as installation is simple
and does not require extensive system
modification.
Care must be taken to ensure that the
return air plenum does not over-pressurize
and force the bypassed supply air into the
occupied space (i.e. exhaust fan or rooftop
relief damper).
Discharge Bypass Damper Method
The bypass damper or pressure control valve
(Green) is connected to a static pressure
sensor, which will actuate the valve when
Figure 17: Equipment layout of discharge bypass damper method
duct system pressure becomes too high,
illustrated in Figure 17. In this method
excess air will be bypassed into the ceiling Static Pressure Tubing
return plenum, thereby reducing the static P Static Pressure Sensor
pressure. Care must be taken to ensure
that the return air plenum does not over-
pressurize and force the bypassed supply
air into the occupied space (i.e. exhaust fan
or rooftop relief damper).The static pressure
sensor must be placed at least 3/4 of the
way downstream from the control valve to
ensure that all pressure losses induced by Pressure Control Valve
the ductwork are accounted for (ASHRAE,
2007a). Return Supply P

C-196 All Metric dimensions ( ) are soft conversion.

Imperial dimensions are converted to metric and rounded to the nearest millimeter.
© Copyright Price Industries Limited 2011.
Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Duct Pressure Control

Ducted Bypass Damper Method

This method, illustrated in Figure 18, is Figure 18: Equipment layout of ducted bypass damper method
similar to the plenum return method, except
in this case you duct the bypass exhaust
Static Pressure Tubing
terminal or pressure control valve (GREEN) P Static Pressure Sensor
straight to the return ductwork. Since the
return ductwork could become pressurized
and bypass into the plenum, methods to
ensure that the return duct does not get
pressurized must be taken (i.e. exhaust fan
or rooftop relief damper).The static pressure
sensor must be placed at least 3/4 of the
way downstream from the control valve to
ensure that all pressure losses induced by Return Pressure Control Valve
the ductwork are accounted for (ASHRAE,
Supply P
2007a).
Fan Control Method
There are two possible methods of fan
control that will maintain static pressure in
the system. By using a pressure controller
(Red) to signal a variable frequency drive

CEILING DIFFUSERS
(VFD) motor, we can slow down or speed up
the flow of air into the space, as illustrated in
Figure 19. The alternative to the VFD motor
is to use inlet vanes. The pressure controller
can signal an actuator to close or open the
vanes, thus controlling air flow. Fan control
should not be used with DX Coils.
The static pressure sensor must be placed Figure 19: Equipment layout of fan control method
at least 3/4 of the way downstream from
the control valve to ensure that all pressure
losses induced by the ductwork are Static Pressure Tubing
accounted for (ASHRAE, 2007a). P Static Pressure Sensor

VFD

Return Pressure Controller

Supply P

C-197
© Copyright Price Industries Limited 2011. All Metric dimensions ( ) are soft conversion.
Imperial dimensions are converted to metric and rounded to the nearest millimeter.
 Variable Air Volume Diffusers
Engineering Guide

Retrofit Applications

Reduce Thermal Comfort Complaints Facility Renovations One point to investigate, in either case, is
When multiple occupants exist in a single Instead of installing terminal units to how the system will react, as the proposed
zone, chances are one or more people will be subdivide a large zone, VAV diffusers are VAV diffusers open and close the dampers.
thermally uncomfortable. VAV diffusers may a practical alternative. Both thermally As the damper regulates flow, there will be
be a solution to this problem by subdividing and electronically powered models may a change in system static pressure. Adding
the zone and allowing the occupants to be used with the decision mainly based a single VAV diffuser to a large zone may
adjust their local zone for temperature. on preference and requirements of the not have much impact on the system.
Either thermally or electronically actuated diffusers. If the building already has or is However, replacing a large percentage of
VAV diffusers can be utilized for this. The being upgraded to a building management diffusers within a zone will cause problems
decision is usually made by weighing the system, the preferred choice would be upstream to equipment capacities without
installation requirements versus the type of the electronically powered models, as proper pressure and flow control being
temperature set-point control desired. outputs such as room temperature, supply implemented.
temperature and damper position would be
useful in troubleshooting the HVAC system.

References

ASHRAE (2007a). Chapter 46. ASHRAE handbook—HVAC applications. Atlanta,

GA: American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning Engineers.
Ceiling Diffusers

ASHRAE (2007b). Chapter 56. ASHRAE handbook—HVAC applications. Atlanta,

GA: American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning Engineers.

ASHRAE (20 09). Chapter 20. ASHRAE handbook—Fundamentals. Atlanta,

GA: American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Nevins, R. G. (1976). Air diffusion dynamics, theory, design and application. Birmingham,
MI: Business News Publishing Company.

C-198 All Metric dimensions ( ) are soft conversion.

Imperial dimensions are converted to metric and rounded to the nearest millimeter.
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