Air Distribution 123

Variable Air Volume (VAV) Terminal Box

VAV boxes are available in many combinations that include:
pressure dependent, pressure independent, single duct, dual duct,
cooling only, cooling with reheat, induction, bypass, system and
fan powered. VAV boxes can also be classified by (1) volume con-
trol: throttling, bypass, or fan powered, (2) intake controls and
sensors: pneumatic, electric, electronic (direct digital control,
DDC), or system powered, (3) thermostat action: direct acting or
reverse acting and (4) the condition of the box at rest: normally
open or normally closed. The basic VAV box has a single inlet
duct. The quantity of air through the box is controlled by throt-
tling an internal damper or air valve. If the box is pressure depen-
dent, the damper will be controlled just by a room thermostat,
whereas, the pressure independent version will also have a regu-
lator to limit the air volume between a preset maximum and
minimum. Inside the pressure independent box is a sensor.
Mounted on the outside is a controller with connections to the
sensor, volume damper and room thermostat. The quantity of air
will vary from a design maximum cfm down to a minimum cfm
which is generally around 50% to 25% of maximum. The main
feature of the VAV box is its ability to vary the air delivered to the
conditioned space as the heat load varies. Then, as the total re-
quired volume of air is reduced throughout the system, the sup-
ply fan will reduce its cfm output. This means a savings of energy
and cost to operate the fan. The exception to this is the VAV by-
pass box.

VAV Single Duct Pressure Independent Terminal Box

Pressure independent VAV boxes can maintain airflow at any
point between maximum and minimum, regardless of box inlet
static pressure, as long as the pressure is within the design oper-
ating range. Flow sensing devices regulate the flow rate through
the box in response to the room thermostat’s call for cooling or
heating. A variable air volume single duct terminal box (Figure 8-
6) is a single inlet box supplied with air at a varying volume and
constant temperature (typically cool air 55°F to 60°F). To maintain
124 HVAC Fundamentals

the correct airflow in a pressure independent box over the entire

potential range of varying inlet static pressure, a sensor reads the
differential pressure at the inlet of the box and transmits it to the
controller. The room thermostat responding to the load conditions
in the space also sends a signal to the controller. The controller
responds by actuating the volume damper and regulating the
airflow within the preset maximum and minimum range. For
example, as the temperature rises in the space, the damper opens
for more cooling. As the temperature in the space drops, the
damper closes. If the box also has a reheat coil, the volume
damper, on a call for heating, would close to its minimum posi-
tion—but usually not less than 50%—and the reheat coil would be
activated. Because of the pressure independence, the airflow
through the boxes is unaffected as other VAV boxes in the system
modulate and change the inlet pressures throughout the system.

VAV Dual Duct Pressure Independent Terminal Box

Variable volume dual duct terminal boxes (Figure 8-7) are
supplied by separate hot and cold ducts through two inlets. There
is a controller and damper for each inlet (Figure 8-8). The boxes
mix warm or cool air as needed to properly condition the space.
To maintain the correct airflow in a pressure independent box
over the entire potential range of varying inlet static pressure, a
sensor reads the differential pressure at the outlet of the box and
transmits it to the controller. The room thermostat responding to
the load conditions in the space also sends a signal to the control-
lers. The controllers respond by actuating the appropriate volume
damper and regulating the airflow within the preset maximum
and minimum range. For example, as the temperature rises in the
space, the cold duct damper opens for more cooling and the hot
duct damper closes. As the temperature in the space drops, the
dampers reverse their positions. Because of the pressure indepen-
dence, the airflow through the boxes is unaffected as other VAV
boxes in the system modulate and change the inlet pressures
throughout the system.