Optimization Of Air-Handling Systems For Federal Buildings
The study's objective was to develop the criteria for configuration and sizing of AHU systems in the GSA's Facilities Standards for the Public Building Service (PBS-P100). The study demonstrated that a decentralized air-handling system utilizing small AHUs is the optimal configuration for federal buildings for a number of reasons, including better functionality, better operations, and decreased life cycle costs.
The study focused on the issue of centralization. The buildings were labeled as centralized (containing large air-handling systems) or decentralized (containing small air-handling systems) by the 2000 ASHRAE Handbook - Systems and Equipment, definition of large air-handling systems as those over 50,000 cfm in capacity. ASHRAE explains that the dividing line is at or near 50,000 cfm because at this capacity, AHU equipment is usually custom-designed rather than off the shelf.