STUDY AND ANALYSIS OF AIR FLOW THROUGH DUCT

Air conditioning systems are considered operating successfully based on the efficient supply of air in the air-conditioned space. Estimation of pressure losses in ducts is vital for the selection of duct size. The installation cost of duct in air conditioning system is about 20 to 30% of the total cost of equipment selection and power consumption of supply fans also adds to the running cost. Hence, it’s important to minimize the capital and running cost of the duct system. Duct design is the design of enclosed passage for supplying conditioned air and then distributing the sir to specified areas according to the need. There are various advantages of efficiently designed and constructed interior ducts. One of the advantages is enhanced energy efficiency through the cancellation of duct leakage and reducing conductive heat gains/losses. This paper focuses on a study of design and improving air duct using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis considering all the parameters related to air flow and its characteristics for enhancing duct system efficiency. The necessity of optimization of duct system is to improve supply air flow. It integrates theoretical and software tools to provide detailed comparative analysis of the advantages involved in selecting a particular shape (rectangular duct with Y-shaped bend and with 90-degree corner with sharp bend) of duct for a specified conditions. The focus of this paper will be on using CFD simulation tools to study velocity distribution of air in the duct at various sections, pressure difference at various outlets and distributions of air flow.