Zone

Use this page to create a new zone within the selected Zone Group. An unlimited number of zones are allowed.

Zone Name

  • Name Name the zone currently being designed. Since an unlimited number of zones are allowed, the name should be unique to avoid confusion.

Load Profile

  • Days Occupied Per Week The days per week of building occupancy. If the building has periods of partial occupancy, these should be entered as a weighted average.

    • For example, if a building is occupied 8 hours per day Monday through Friday and 4 hours on Saturday, a value of 5.5 days per week is recommended. Zone load entry will depend on the input method chosen:

  • Load Entry Methods LoopLink PRO natively supports analysis for three different load entry methods

    • Design Day Loads Simple Load Entry (Design Day)
      • Manual Entry Only
    • Monthly Loads Monthly Load Entry
      • Import or Manual Entry
      • For imported files, supported filetypes from Trane TRACE 700 are ".gl" and ".gt". The files may also be saved in .txt or .csv format.
    • Hourly Loads Hourly Load Entry
      • Import Only (.csv)

Design Day Loads Simple Load Entry: Design Day

  • Design day load data is the minimum information required to perform GHEX design length calculations.

    • Enter the heating and cooling loads for each time block increment. The most critical values will be the peak loads placed in the time block in which they occur.
    • Accuracy is not as critical for the loads in off-peak time blocks as they will simply be used to calculate the system part-load factor.
    • The recommended entries in the off-peak time blocks will be the AVERAGE heating and cooling loads in each respective time period.

  • HEATING MODE LOAD ENTRY Enter loads in the HEATING COLUMN to account for peak heating and annual ground loads for the current Zone according to the time block in which they occur.

    • The most critical values will be the peak loads placed in the time block in which they occur.
    • Enter the average HEATING loads in the remaining (three) time blocks.
  • COOLING MODE LOAD ENTRY Enter loads in the COOLING COLUMN to account for peak cooling and annual ground loads for the current Zone according to the time block in which they occur.
    • The most critical values will be the peak loads placed in the time block in which they occur.
    • Enter the average COOLING loads in the remaining (three) time blocks.
  • Equivalent Full Load Run Hours The number of hours the zone would have to be under peak heating/cooling load conditions for the system to add/remove the equivalent amount of heat energy to meet its annual heating/cooling requirements (Peak Load (Btu/hr) x EFLH (hr) = Energy Added/Removed (Btu)).
    • This input is used to determine annual ground loads and can be used as an alternative to a detailed hour-by-hour building analysis.

For more information on EFLH values for various locations, building types and occupancy patterns, refer to Table 8 in Chapter 34, page 18 in the ASHRAE HVAC Applications Handbook (2011). Click here to download a copy of this table (.pdf).

Monthly Loads Monthly Load Entry

  • Monthly load data is an intermediate data set to perform GHEX design length calculations.
    • You may manually enter monthly load data or import it (.csv. .txt, .gl, or .gt).
Manual Monthly Load Entry
  • Total Cooling The total amount of heat energy (kBtu or kWh) that must be removed from the space in cooling to maintain the space t-stat set point.
    • Enter the value for each respective month. LoopLink PRO will use the annual sum and to calculate values for annual EFLH in cooling mode.
    • The values entered should be the monthly cooling energy requirements for the equipment (which include duct/distribution system losses, ventilation, etc. when appropriate) but should not include compressor energy from the GSHP units themselves (i.e. - heat removed from space, not heat of rejection).
  • Peak Cooling The peak cooling load for each month. LoopLink PRO will find the month where peak cooling load occurs and use it for the design day analysis.
  • Total Heating The total amount of heat energy (kBtu or kWh) that must be added to the space in heating to maintain the space t-stat set point.
    • Enter the value for each respective month. LoopLink PRO will use the annual sum and to calculate values for annual EFLH in heating mode.
    • The values entered should be the monthly heating energy requirements for the equipment (which include duct/distribution system losses, ventilation, etc. when appropriate) but should not include compressor energy from the GSHP units themselves (i.e. - heat added to space, not heat of extraction).
  • Peak Heating The peak heating load for each month. LoopLink PRO will find the month where peak heating load occurs and use it for the design day analysis.
  • Percentage of Peak Specify the appropriate percentage (compared to the peak value) for the heating and cooling loads in each time block increment.
    • The most critical values will be entered in the time block in which the peak values occur (100%).
    • Accuracy is not as critical for the percentage values in off-peak time blocks as they will simply be used to calculate the system part-load factor.
    • The recommended entries in the off-peak time blocks will be the percentage that corresponds with the AVERAGE heating and cooling loads in each respective time period.
Import Monthly Loads (.csv, .txt, .gt, or .gl)

  • You may import monthly loads via a Trane TRACE 500 .GT file.

  • Click here to download a sample GT file, would be interpreted as follows:

  • Month Total Cooling (kBtu) Peak Cooling (kBtu/hr) Total Heating (kBtu) Peak Heating (kBtu/hr)
    January 58,588 485.920 208,315 1025.406
    February 54,606 473.293 162,140 1196.877
    March 90,318 652.786 111,750 896.059
    April 121,940 1064.211 40,434 581.409
    May 211,928 1064.995 13,962 677.173
    June 281,978 1081.846 5,291 99.917
    July 295,799 1088.627 3,585 49.355
    August 294,107 1085.444 4,724 61.505
    September 199,621 1075.208 8,153 166.673
    October 117,951 792.267 55,536 702.072
    November 86,021 628.935 107,063 735.374
    December 56,683 373.090 188,213 1082.873
    Peak/Total Total = 1,871,540 Peak = 1088.627 Total = 909,166 Peak = 1196.877

  • Percentage of Peak After importing monthly loads, you must specify the appropriate percentage (compared to the peak value) for the heating and cooling loads in each time block increment.

    • Be sure to enter the percentages according to the time block in which the loads occur. In multi-zone projects, LoopLink PRO will use this information to determine the maximum heating and cooling loads for the GHEX design.
    • The most critical values will be entered in the time block in which the peak values occur (100%).
    • Accuracy is not as critical for the percentage values in off-peak time blocks as they will simply be used to calculate the system part-load factor.
    • The recommended entries in the off-peak time blocks will be the percentage that corresponds with the AVERAGE heating and cooling loads in each respective time period.

Hourly Loads Hourly Load Entry - Import Only (.CSV)

  • Hourly load data is an advanced data set to perform GHEX design length calculations.
    • The only method of adding hourly load data is to import it.
    • A properly formatted file would be saved in .CSV format and have 8760 lines of data in two columns (first column = COOLING LOADS, second column = HEATING LOADS).

Space Sensible Heat Factor (SHF)

The Space Sensible Heat Factor (SHF) is the portion of the total cooling load that can be attributed to sensible cooling load, defined to be the sensible cooling load divided by the total cooling load and expressed as a decimal.

Equipment Selection

Simple Equipment Entry Simple Equipment Entry

With this method, only basic inputs of equipment capacity and efficiency are needed. Equipment selection tables are hidden.

  • Connected Flow The nominal flow rate for the specified equipment. In closed-loop applications, flow rates of 2.5-3.0 gpm per ton are typical.
    • This field will only appear if Connected is the chosen Flow Analysis Mode for the Zone Group.
  • Cooling Cap The total cooling capacity of the specified equipment for a given set of operating conditions.
    • Equipment performance is a function of loop EWT, water flow, air flow and entering load side air/water temperatures.
  • Sensible Capacity Ratio (SCR) The equipment's ratio of sensible cooling capacity to its total cooling capacity, expressed as a decimal.
    • For example, a SCR=0.75 indicates that 75% of the selected unit's total cooling capacity is attributed to sensible cooling and the remaining 25% being attributed to latent cooling.
    • Typical SCR values range from 0.75-0.78 under normal operating conditions for GSHP equipment.
  • EER The efficiency of the specified equipment in cooling mode, defined to be its Total Cooling Capacity (Btu/hr) divided by Electrical Demand (Watts).
    • Typical values for EER will range between 10-20 under design conditions.
  • Heating Cap The heating capacity of the specified equipment for a given set of operating conditions.
    • Equipment performance is a function of loop EWT, water flow, air flow and entering load side air/water temperatures.
  • COP The efficiency of the specified equipment in heating mode, defined to be its Heating Capacity (Btu/hr) divided by Electrical Demand (converted to Btu/hr, 3,412 Btu/hr = 1 kW).
    • Typical values for COP will range between 3.0-4.5 under design conditions.

For detailed discussion on factors that affect heat pump performance, refer to Section 2.3.3 (Chapter 2, pages 16-18) in IGSHPA's Ground Source Heat Pump Residential & Light Commercial Design and Installation Guide

Detailed Equipment Entry Detailed Equipment Entry

  • With this method, the simple heat pump entry fields are hidden. An unlimited number of different make/models of GSHP units are allowed in a single zone.
  • The basic steps are as follows:
    • Specify whether a Water-Air or Water-Water unit will be added to the zone. Note that chillers are found in the Water-Water category.
    • Use the provided filters to find the appropriate model.
    • Once a model has been selected, specify the quantity to add to the zone.
    • Use the provided sliders to adjust GSHP performance based on the desired operating conditions - source flow (gpm), entering load air/water temperatures, and load flow (cfm or gpm).
    • Save the selection to apply it to the zone.
    • Once a model has been added to the zone, you may add another or move on to the next task in the project.

Object Summary

The Object Summary is displayed to the left of the main page.

  • Cooling mode calculation results are highlighted in BLUE.
  • Heating mode calculations results are highlighted in YELLOW.
  • Note that when an input is changed, the calculation results will not display on screen until the page is saved.
  • Individual Zone outputs are shown on the top-half of the left-hand output panel. The aggregate Zone Group outputs (which include all space conditioning and hot water zone loads) are shown on the bottom-half of the output panel.

Zone Design Day

View the loads (by time block) for the current Zone according to the information entered.

  • HEATING LOAD BY TIME BLOCK The specified heating loads (by time block) for the current Zone.
  • COOLING LOAD BY TIME BLOCK The specified cooling loads (by time block) for the current Zone.
  • Full Load Run Hours The specified value for FLRHs in the current Zone.

Zone Equipment

  • Total Capacity The calculated heating/cooling capacity for the equipment specified in the current Zone.
  • Sensible Capacity The calculated sensible cooling capacity for the equipment specified in the current Zone (does not apply to heating).
  • Total Sizing The percentage of peak load that the specified equipment will be capable of covering for the current Zone.
    • A value less than 100% indicates that the equipment is undersized relative to the peak load.
  • Efficiency The calculated cooling EER and heating COP for the equipment specified in the current Zone.
  • Demand The calculated electrical demand for the equipment specified in the current Zone.

Zone Group Design Day

View the aggregate loads for the active Zone Group.

  • HEATING LOAD BY TIME BLOCK The calculated heating loads (by time block) for all active space conditioning, hot water and hybrid systems in the Zone Group.
  • COOLING LOAD BY TIME BLOCK The calculated cooling loads (by time block) for all active space conditioning, hot water and hybrid systems in the Zone Group.
  • Full Load Run Hours The weighted average value for FLRHs, which considers all active space conditioning, hot water and hybrid systems in the Zone Group.

Zone Group Equipment

  • Total Capacity The calculated heating/cooling capacity for all equipment specified in the active space conditioning and hot water zones in the Zone Group.
  • Sensible Capacity The calculated sensible cooling capacity for all equipment specified in the active space conditioning zones in the Zone Group (does not apply to heating).
  • Total Sizing The percentage of peak load that the specified equipment will be capable of covering for the active space conditioning and hot water zones in the Zone Group.
    • A value less than 100% indicates that the equipment is undersized relative to the peak load.
  • Efficiency The calculated cooling EER and heating COP for all equipment specified in the active space conditioning and hot water zones in the Zone Group.
  • Demand The calculated electrical demand for all equipment specified in the active space conditioning and hot water zones in the Zone Group.
  • Connected Flow The combined flow rate of the specified equipment in the Zone Group. This is only displayed for Connected flow analysis mode.
  • Part Load Factor The ratio of peak block load to the installed equipment capacity in the Zone Group. Part load factor (PLF) is used to determine the system design flow rate for Connected flow analysis mode.
  • Design Flow The calculated Zone Group flow that the active GHEX must accomodate, either based on peak block load (Peak Block (Primary-Secondary) or Peak Block (Unitary)) or based on connected flow multiplied by the part load factor (Connected).