How to design a fan coil system

Explanatory guide indicating how to design a fan coil system

Welcome to this guide dedicated to the design of fan coil systems. Fan coil systems represent a versatile and efficient solution for heating and cooling both residential and commercial environments. This guide has been created to provide you with a comprehensive overview of the principles and steps involved in the design of such systems, enabling you to create optimized and performing air conditioning systems.

Throughout this guide, we will explore the different phases involved in the design process of a fan coil system:

Fundamental Concepts of Fan Coil Units: We will start with an overview of the key concepts related to fan coil units. You will learn how they work, their applications and how they influence the thermal comfort of the rooms in which they are installed.
Needs Assessment: We will guide you through the process of assessing the needs of the room to be air conditioned. You will learn how to consider parameters such as room size, thermal insulation, orientation and heat load to determine your specific heating or cooling needs.
Fan Coil Selection: We will explore the different fan coil options available on the market and provide you with guidelines for selecting the most suitable unit for your project needs. We will consider factors such as heating/cooling capacity, air distribution and energy efficiency.
System Design: We will discuss the phases of system design, including the layout of the units in the rooms, the sizing of the ducts and the choice of control technologies. You will learn how to effectively integrate fan coil units into your surroundings.
Installation and Maintenance: Finally, we will explore the installation and maintenance considerations for fan coil systems. We will provide you with tips for correct installation and regular maintenance to ensure optimal operation over time.

We are convinced that this guide will provide you with a solid basis for dealing with the design of fan coil systems effectively and professionally. Whether you are a designer, technician, engineer or simply interested in the world of air conditioning, we invite you to explore this guide and apply the knowledge you have acquired to create comfortable and efficient indoor environments.

How to design a fan coil system

First let's take a look at the environments to be conditioned:

let's open the program

Summer heat load - split system and fan coil units and fill in all the required fields:

The last line provides us with the potential in kW necessary to condition every single environment both in summer and winter.

The heat pump cooling unit, in winter mode, must supply water at a temperature of about 40/45 ° C. This water temperature, given that the battery designed for the summer regime is used, is sufficient to supply the necessary heat to the rooms.

The potential of the cooling unit in kW (thermal) also determines how much this will absorb in kW.

In the hope that some notion of Cad drawing you have (but also in pencil is fine), we move on with the placement of the fan coils (related to the environmental loads) in the individual rooms.

You can also download the Cad blocks for conditioning from this link:

Conditioning blocks

We consider fan coils (you see) from about 3 kW and place them:

Other potentials could also be adopted in the meeting room (example 6 kW x 3).

We feed the fan coil units hydraulically:

We consider placing the refrigeration unit on IPE 100 beams

For the calculation of the dimensions of the pipes is used Sizing of steel pipes

instead for the calculation of the weight Steel pipes (DN) - surface weight calculation

For the sizing of the expansion tank is used Calculation of expansion vessel volume.

Other usable programs:

We also create the condensate line which in this case will end in the toilet, by means of a siphon that guarantees the non-propagation of any annoying odors.

Let's also take a look at the exhaust air expulsion system via a 200 m³/h in-line extractor and heat the bathroom and anteroom using 1 kW electric fan coils.

chosen for you by itieffe ►

Finally we calculate the section of the electric power cable of the refrigeration unit with

Sizing of electrical cables - calculator

As you can see, with a few steps and having everything under control, you can calculate everything that is necessary for the construction of the system using the program Estimative metric computation being careful to find the “n. price list ”right. Not all of those shown in the example match.

We can also make new prices always with the same program

Easy right?

good job

chosen for you by itieffe ►

Other free programs of the same kind offered by itieffe ▼

◄ Back