Parametric Analysis of Cooling Coil Performance in Air Handling Units Using TRNSYS for Enhanced Energy Efficiency

This study investigates the performance of cooling coils in air handling unit (AHU) systems, focusing on temperature and humidity control. The efficiency of these coils is crucial for maintaining indoor comfort and air quality. Using TRNSYS software, a parametric analysis was conducted to simulate cooling coil performance under varying conditions, such as changes in supply airflow rate, chilled water temperature, and coil functioning. The study aims to identify optimization opportunities by evaluating key parameters, including sensible load, latent load, total coil load, relative humidity, dew point temperature, and chilled water flow rate. The results show that increasing the chilled water temperature and setting the supply airflow rate to maximum significantly affects the cooling coil’s operation. Specifically, a 0.8% reduction in sensible load was observed, while latent load increased by over 99%. Additionally, the total coil load saw a slight increase of 0.9%, and relative humidity and dew point temperature increased by 1.7% and 2.2%, respectively. These changes suggest that higher chilled water temperatures can lead to elevated humidity and potential condensation issues. The study highlights the importance of controlling chilled water temperature to prevent rapid condensation and the associated risk of fungal growth, which can compromise air quality and system efficiency. Future research should focus on refining temperature and humidity management strategies to improve AHU system performance and longevity.