FT Energy Controls, LLC

Condensation Control by FT Energy Controls

Condensation Control combines low-cost sensors, a sophisticated control module and unique algorithms to continuously monitor and control the rates of latent and sensible cooling in an ACB.  The results in Figure 3 are applicable to all chilled water and refrigerant terminal units such as SCTU) and Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) terminal units.

Figure 3

Figure 4 illustrates how Condensation Control can continuously monitor and control the rate of condensation on any coil in any terminal unit and any Air Handling Unit (AHU).  These results are applicable to all chilled water and refrigerant terminal units such as Sensible Cooling Terminal Units (SCTU) and Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) terminal units.

Figure 4

Condensation Control is a system for managing condensation on a coil to temporarily increase the rate of cooling at a terminal unit while avoiding problematic dripping. Terminal units make use of either chilled water or refrigerant in coils to provide cooling and heating in combination with fans and the addition of conditioned outside air. Condensation Control can be used with chilled water terminal units (fan coil units, sensible cooling terminal units, and active chilled beams).  Condensation control can also be used with refrigerant-based terminal units (direct expansion, variable refrigerant flow, and hybrid VRF/chilled water systems. The system utilizes a low-cost sensor suite to track moisture accumulation on the coil allowing short term latent cooling to accelerate cooling during transient conditions. Moisture accumulation on the coil is limited to a threshold and returned to the air once set point conditions are reached.

The benefits of condensate control are:

  • The ability to reduce the size, cost and energy consumption of the DOAS units because the cooling coil can provide latent cooling during transients;
  • The ability to adjust the amount of latent cooling supplied by the DOAS unit to each space and the amount of latent cooling provided by the cooling coil to each space. This enables the combination of latent cooling supplied from both the DOAS and the cooling coil to match the latent and sensible loads in each space; and
  • The ability to control the amount of condensation so that dripping from the coil does not occur.