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Stylized Text: Energy Efficient Schools: Portable Classrooms.

Infrared Thermography - HVAC System of the Portable Classrooms

The HVAC system pictures on this page show how inefficient these air conditioners are. The old air conditioner for portable 035 ran constantly during the middle of the day (with a demand of just over 4 kW per hour for 6-7 hours during the hottest part of the day), but struggles to pull the temperature down to 75° F - 80+° F during the same time period.

HVAC PictureHVAC Thermal Picture

The IR pre-retrofit photograph on the left demonstrate part of the problem. The blue represents cooler temperatures and it can be seen that the air conditioner contains leaks where it enters the portable as evidenced by the cooling of the exterior side wall. The temperature range is 76.9° F (darkest colors) to 94.8° F (lightest colors).

Contrast this to the post retrofit infrared thermograph below and a clear difference can be seen. There is no real cooling lost to the side of the building as evidenced above. This means that all of the cooling generated by this HVAC is passed into the portable classroom which increases the efficiency while more effectively reducing interior temperatures. This thermograph was taken earlier in the day as demonstrated by the white on the upper portion of the portable. The temperature range is 75.2° F (darkest colors) to 93.2° F (lightest colors).

HVAC Thermal Picture

HVAC PictureHVAC Thermal Picture

HVAC PictureHVAC Thermal Picture

These two photographs of the HVAC on portable 096 implicate another leak in the system as a problem for interior cooling. This is shown by the "black hole" seen in the above IR photograph (further isolated by Research Engineer Danny Parker's hand). This causes the HVAC to lose cooling to the environment. The temperature range is from 78.9° F (darkest colors) to 96.9° F (lightest colors).

HVAC PictureHVAC Thermal Picture

The IR photo on the left shows how leaks affect the system. The system is clearly showing how the HVAC is cooling the exterior wall (blue-violet colors). The temperature range is from 78.9° F (darkest colors) to 96.9° F (lightest colors). The white vent visible shows how high the attic temperatures get with some escaping via the vent. This problem is significant because the HVAC ducts (seen below) are in the attic.

HVAC Picture