After setting up an overall buidling footprint and then the zones eQuest creates a large plenum that encompasses all zones. How can I divide this plenum to correlate to it's respective zone? When I have mutlipy systems I'm forced to assign the plenum return to one system instead of the related zones.
I'd appreciate any input. Thanks,
Michael Schaefer - P.E., LEED? AP
Mike,
The eQUEST wizard will create plenums based on the inputs for systems.
For example, if you use the Schematic Design Wizard and select a VAV
system, you will get one plenum per floor. If you select Packaged Single
Zone you will get one plenum per zone. If you use the Design Development
Wizard, you have the option of selecting System per Floor or System per
Zone, which will create the plenums accordingly.
Regards,
William Bishop, PE, BEMP, LEED(r) AP
Here's my answer: don't create plenums. Why would you want them unless you
are doing a UFAD system and that's a whole other story, or wholenother or
whatever. I just make my floor to floor height one number and my floor to
ceiling height 6 inches, or the width of the floor slab, less. The DOE help
manual, you know, has always suggested that you don't need to model plenums.
It seems like it would save a lot of people a lot of time, space, and heart
burn to just not include them.
Cheers,
Carol
Floor to ceiling height 6 inches? The floor to floor height is the height of your floor. Then the floor to ceiling height is the height of your conditioned space. The plenum height is the your floor to floor minus your floor to ceiling. Not only that if your shortening your building and not putting in your plenums wouldn't that decrease your solar load on the building. True your plenum is unconditioned, but wouldn't part of that solar load into the plenum then transfer into your space. And also if you are making your floor to floor height correct and then not entering a plenum wouldn't you then be conditioning a larger volume.
Floor to ceiling height 6 inches LESS than the floor to floor height, i.e.
no plenum.