Airflow regulation in variable-speed systems for residential HVAC applications

In the majority of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, air is the final medium for adding or extracting heat from or to the space to be air conditioned. Air is heated by passing it over a heat transfer device called a 'coil,' which is a heat exchanger with air on the outside and the primary heating/cooling medium (water, steam, electricity, refrigerant, etc.) on the inside. One of the major factors determining heat transfer is the airflow rate, which can be controlled by mechanical means or by controlling the speed of the fan. Centrifugal fans driven by single-speed induction motors traditionally have been used in the HVAC industry but have an airflow characteristic that depends on the static pressure seen by the system. Variable-speed systems are starting to emerge as a strong alternative to traditional systems because of their ability to match the demand of the air-conditioned space, resulting in higher efficiencies and higher comfort. System efficiency can be improved by constraining the range of airflows provided by the fan or blower system in response to system pressure, that is, by controlling the airflow over the heat exchanger. This paper presents a method to regulate airflow independent of the static pressure and without the need for airflow sensors.