1 Air System Balancing 2023 0823

UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
Faculty of Engineering
M.Sc.(Eng) in Building Services Engineering
MEBS 6013 Testing & Commissioning
Air System Balance
1
K.F. Chan (Mr.) MEBS6013
Testing, adjusting, and balancing

begins as design function
Most of the devices required for

adjustments are integral parts of the
design and installation
2
All rights reserved 1

To ensure that proper balance can

be achieved, the design engineer
should show and specify sufficient
flow regulation devices and flow
measurement devices and locations,
these must be properly located in
required straight length.
3
The commissioning process does not include

setting up the system to prove that the
environmental performance criteria can be
achieved, because seasonal climatic
variations make it difficult, and in some cases
impossible, for specified conditions to be
simulated at the time allocated for
commissioning. Designers may specify
criteria for system proving at particular
modes of operation but this is separate from
the commissioning process.
4

❖ Check contract document

• Become acquainted with design intent.
❖ Check shop drawings and equipment data

• Compare design requirement with actual
capacities.
❖ Prepare T&C documents.
5
(I) Principle
The balancing procedure consists of setting the
correct proportional air flow at each branch and
sub-branch without regard to the absolute value.
Working from the index branch and the most

remote branch back to fan, correct proportion of
air flow at each outlet can be obtained. Then
regulate the main air flow to establish the
absolute value of air flow to each outlet.
6

(I) Principle (Cont’d)
Measured flow
%DFR = x100%
Design flow
7
(1). Index Branch

This is the branch which, with the system in an unbalanced
state, i.e. all dampers fully open, has the highest pressure
drop relative to all other branches when supplied with their
design flow rates.
At the end of the balancing process, with the exception of
the main damper of the fan, all dampers along the index
branch should be fully opened.
8

(2). Least Favoured Branch

This is the branch with the lowest flow rate ratio
compared with other branches supplied from the
same fan. In the case of a completely
unbalanced system the “index” and “least
favoured” branch are the same.
In proportional balancing, it is essential that on a
sub-branch if the most remote terminal is not the
index, it is made the “least favoured”.
9
(III) Proportional Balancing
The most important principle in proportional

balancing is that damper adjustment must
always start with the penultimate one in a
group of terminals, or with the penultimate
sub-branch when balancing the duct system,
and continue along the duct in the direction of
the fan. Never adjust a damper, whether on
a terminal or a branch or sub-branch, until
all related dampers more remote from the
fan have been set.
10
10

(IV) Balancing Procedures
Pre-requisite
❖Ductwork
should have
been properly
leakage tested,
and within
acceptable
leakage limit
(not leak proof).
Photo courtesy of Southa Technical Ltd.
K.F. Chan (Mr.) MEBS6013 11
11
(IV) Balancing Procedures
Pre-requisite
❖Air ducts usually need not be cleaned so that the
dirt condition will not be drastically different from the
operational status. However, if dirty air blown out into
space can be a problem, it should then be cleaned
before balancing or be provided with temporary
filtering at air outlets. (If contract requires cleaning of
air ducts before handover, it should be done before
balancing work is carried out)
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12

(IV) Balancing Procedures (Cont’d)

Pre-requisite
(1a).Ensure that the windows and doors are
open or shut consistent with their normal
state.
(1b). Any associated air supply or extract system
that have not been regulated should be shut
down.
(1c).Set all adjustable louvres without deflection.
(1d).Set all automatic dampers to either one
extreme position.
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13
Pre-requisite (Cont’d)
(1e). Open plant dampers to either full fresh air or

alternatively maximum re-circulation.
(1f). Open all duct system and terminal dampers
but keep the main fan damper partly closed.
(1g). Check filters for cleanliness or establish
procedure to simulate dirty filter as required –
again in a condition not drastically different from
that during operation (If contract requires filter be
cleaned or replaced before handover, this should
be done before balancing work is carried out.)
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Preliminaries
(2). Walk around the system checking that air
is flowing from each supply terminal or
being extracted from each extract point.
Check fire dampers and
position/temperature control for
completeness of installation before
starting fans.
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15
Preliminaries (Cont’d)
(3). Run the fan and check the motor

current to ensure that its design full
load value is not exceeded. Adjust
the main fan damper until the fan
motor current is close to the design
value.
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16

Preliminaries (Cont’d)
(4). Measure the total fan flow rate and
the fan pressure rise after checking
the fan speed. The fan should be
delivering at least 110% of the
design value. If less than this,
open the main damper whilst
ensuring that the design full load
current is not exceeded. If fan flow rate at
this stage is less than the design value, this
indicates a problem with the equipment
installation or the design – this cannot be
solved by balancing alone. 17
17
Coarse Balancing of Branches

(5). Identify whether the most remote main branch is the
index or not.
If the most remote
(branch A) is not the index, then adjust the flow to
branch A until it becomes the least favoured (i.e.
has just the same percentage flow rate relative to
the index)
The process of coarse balancing can be speeded up

by using one of the methods discussed under 15 of
these procedures.
18
18

Coarse Balancing of Branches (Cont’d)

(6). Work on the sub-branches and check whether the
most remote (A5) is the index. If not, make A5 the
least favoured by dampering down.
19
19
Coarse Balancing of Branches (Cont’d)

(7). Repeat the coarse balancing of sub-branches for
each of the remaining main branches, B and C.
(8). Check the total flow rates in the main branches again
and adjust if necessary to make the most remote (A)
the least favoured.
(9). Sum the main branch flow rates to check that the total
flow rate in the system is not less than 110% of
design. If the total flow has dropped below 110% of
design, adjust the main damper accordingly or
increase the fan speed.
20
20

21
Balancing Terminals
(10). Start with the most remote branch and then
sub-branch, i.e. A5 in the above figure.
22
22

Balancing Terminals (Cont’d)
(11). Locate the terminal which is discharging

the lowest percentage of its design flow
rate. This is generally the last terminal
in the run. If not, adjust the damper
in the last terminal unit until it is working
with the same percentage as the lowest
one previously measured, i.e. make the
last terminal the least favoured.
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(12). Measure the flow from the penultimate

terminal and work out the percentage
flow. Adjust the damper to make the
percentage flow as close as possible to
that of the most remote terminal. Fix
the damper in position.
24
24

(13). Repeat the procedure for the next

terminal, again comparing it with the
most remote.
When all the terminals have been
balanced on a sub-branch, each
terminal will be running with an equal
percentage of the design rate, within
the allowable tolerances.
25
25
(14). The flow rates at each terminal must be

measured and recorded. Once again a
summation should be made to check
that the total is in reasonable
agreement with the measured sub-
branch flow.
26
26

Balancing Sub-branches
(15). When all the terminals on each

sub-branch have been brought into
balance, the sub-branches should be
brought into balance with one another
using the same technique as for the
terminals.
27
27
Balancing Sub-branches (Cont’d)

(15). Ideally, this is done by traversing each
sub-branch first to determine the index
sub-branch which should be the most
remote. Again, if the most remote one is not the
index, then it must be made the least
favoured by dampering down. Having
made the initial traverses to
establish absolute flow rates, it is often
possible to speed up the process of
regulation by one of two following methods to save
repeated traversing :-
28
28


(15a). If the measurement stations are well
downstream of sub-branch balancing
dampers, and a centre point reading of
velocity is of reasonable size,
then the flow rates can be simply
adjusted using velocity
measurements.
29
29

(15b). If the sub-branches each have a similar
type of terminal, then a single terminal
on each branch can be used to obtain an
anemometer reading as a basis for
bringing the sub-branches into balance.
30
30

(16). The main branches (A, B and C) are

brought into balance by the same
method as for the sub-branches.
All branches should now have the
same percentage design flow rate
though the absolute measured value
may be different from that of the
design.
31
31
Final Correlation
(17). When the entire duct network is balanced,
measure the total flow in the main duct. If the
flow is higher than the design value, adjust
the main damper.
If the flow is less than the design rating, open
the damper, making sure that the maximum
permissible fan motor current is not exceeded.
If the flow rate is still too low after the damper
has been fully opened, this indicates a fault in
the installation of equipment or the design.
32
32

Final Correlation (Cont’d)

(18). It is essential, whilst using the proportional
balancing technique, that absolute flow rates
are calculated from time to time during the
procedure and at the end in order to ensure
that there is a satisfactory correlation between
the flow rates from terminals in sub-branches
and branches and the total system flow rate
Due to the wide variety and mix of terminals
which can be available on any one system,
flow rate techniques may vary. Simply
balancing on anemometer velocity readings
alone, without continual reference to absolute
values, can lead to poor results. 33
33

(19). Finally, recheck all terminals in terms of
percentage-of-design. If a section is shown
to be out of balance, dampers can be reset,
provided the flow in adjacent sections is not
changed beyond the tolerance limits.
This recheck will also serve as the record

of the final state of balance of the system.
34
34


(20). Lock all dampers in position. Alternatively,
scribe the position of the damper arm and
seal the operating screw.
35
35
(V). Reporting
During construction, it is recommended that formal
reports relating to commissioning are produced
at four key control points.
1)System design is commissionable report;
2)Post installation report;
3)System cleanliness report;
4)System commissionable report
A prime purpose of these reports is to form
“bridges” over the boundaries of responsibilities
between the parties involved.
36
36

Documentation
An essential part of each report will be the completed pro forma
checklists utilized as aide-memories for both implementation and
supervision.
Potential disputes will be minimized substantially if reporting forms,
including the use of pro-formas, can be agreed as early as possible.
At the most vulnerable points of potential failure in communication –
i.e. at the design/installation, design/commissioning,
installation/commissioning interfaces – the same pro forma may be
used advantageously by each party for their own requirements within
the same common objective. For example, a design information
checklist may be used :-
•By the designer, to help him complete his tasks
•By the installer, to help satisfy himself that sufficient information is
available to proceed with procurement and installation.
•By the commissioning engineer, to help satisfy himself that the design
is commissionable
•By the head contractor, as a control tool and an important supportive
addendum to the “system design is commissionable” report.
37
37
Commissioning VAV System

• Clause A3.4.2 of CIBSE Commissioning
Code A:1996(2006) emphasizes “it is
particularly important that the designer
provides full information on all relevant
aspects of the design of the VAV system
in sufficient detail that the commissioning
specialist can produce a suitable method
statement”.
38

Typical VAV terminal reheat
39
• Adopted from “HVAC

Systems & Components
Handbook” by Peter
GRIMM
40

Commissioning VAV System

The five main stages in the commissioning of a VAV
system are :-
•Initial proving of the supply and return air fans
•The testing of the supply system and the VAV terminal
units
•Setting the duty of the supply fan and the volume flow
rate control mechanism
•The regulation of the return air system including the
return air fan and its tracking mechanism
•Setting the fresh air/exhaust air system dampers to
ensure that fresh air requirements are met over the
system’s full operating range.
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41
Static Pressure Sensor
• Adopted from ASHRAE Application Handbook 2011

42

Preliminaries
1.Determine the required maximum air volume
to be delivered by the supply and return air
fans.
2.If speed control is used, find out the
maximum and minimum allowable speed.
3.Find out the minimum and maximum
operating pressures of the VAV boxes.
43
43
Diversity
If a diversity factor has been incorporated into
the system design, this has to be taken into
account in setting up the supply system so that
the fan can be tested at its maximum duty.
This requires that some of the terminal units
need to be closed or set at their minimum flow
rate so that the system is set up for the design
maximum volume flow rate. If there is no
diversity factor, then the test of maximum fan
duty will be made with all the VAV terminal
units set for maximum flow rate.
44
44

Diversity (Cont’d)
Where there is a diversity factor, the designer shall specify
how this will be applied. The setting of this diversity pattern
should take into account the following practical factors :-
•The pattern of terminal units set at minimum flow (or closed)
should represent the thermal loading of the air conditioning
system at the peak cooling time;
•It is simpler to set all terminal units on a floor or zone to a
minimum or to shut off an entire branch duct, than to have a
random pattern of reduced settings
•The most searching test for the supply fan and system
performance will normally be if the terminal units closest to
the supply fan are reduced in capacity forcing the maximum
volume flow rates to the most distant terminals. These most
distant terminal units will then have the least static pressure
available for their operation. 45
45
Diversity (Cont’d)
Setting the fan duty above its specified duty
means that with limited duct leakage the
required maximum flow rate can be delivered
to the terminals.
46
46

4.With the terminal units set up for the

maximum system flow rate, and with an
agreed pattern of reductions if there is
design diversity, run the fan at approximate
design speed and check that it is delivering
105% of its maximum duty.
5.Check the setting of the fan static pressure
controller.
47
47
6.Check a number of VAV boxes. If static

varies widely, or if airflow at several boxes is
below flow, check every box.
7.Measure total airflow. Increase speed if
static and/or volume are low.
8.With the fan at maximum duty re-measure
the static pressure in the branch ducts
serving other zones. If these pressures are
below or above the levels previously
measured then increase or decrease the
static pressure controller setting to provide
the previous values in the branch ducts.
48
48

9.The designer shall specify the

setting of the fan control static
pressure sensor, so that it
satisfies the branch static
pressures above.
49
49
10.
•Proportion the outlets.
•Verify design volume with the
VAV box on maximum flow.
•Verify minimum flow setting.
50
50

11.Set the system to its minimum volume flow

rate configuration
•Set terminals to minimum

•Adjust speed control until minimum
static pressure and airflow are obtained.
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51
12.Check that the fan duty at its minimum

volume flow rate setting is 105% of its
design value.
13.With the fan at minimum duty check that

the static pressure at the index terminal unit
is not less than its minimum value.
52
52

14.Check return air fan speed, which tracks or

adjusts according to
the supply fan airflow, to ensure proper
fresh air volume.
15.Operate the system on 100% fresh air, if

economizer cycle is incorporated, and
check supply and return fan for proper
power and static pressure.
53
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UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

Air System Balance

Testing, adjusting, and balancing

Most of the devices required for

All rights reserved 1

To ensure that proper balance can

The commissioning process does not include

All rights reserved 2

❖ Check contract document

❖ Check shop drawings and equipment data

❖ Prepare T&C documents.

Working from the index branch and the most

All rights reserved 3

(I) Principle (Cont’d)

(1). Index Branch

All rights reserved 4

(2). Least Favoured Branch

(III) Proportional Balancing

The most important principle in proportional

All rights reserved 5

(IV) Balancing Procedures

Photo courtesy of Southa Technical Ltd.

K.F. Chan (Mr.) MEBS6013 11

(IV) Balancing Procedures

All rights reserved 6

(IV) Balancing Procedures (Cont’d)

(1e). Open plant dampers to either full fresh air or

All rights reserved 7

(3). Run the fan and check the motor

All rights reserved 8

Coarse Balancing of Branches

The process of coarse balancing can be speeded up

All rights reserved 9

Coarse Balancing of Branches (Cont’d)

Coarse Balancing of Branches (Cont’d)

All rights reserved 10

K.F. Chan (Mr.) MEBS6013

All rights reserved 11

Balancing Terminals (Cont’d)

(11). Locate the terminal which is discharging

Balancing Terminals (Cont’d)

(12). Measure the flow from the penultimate

All rights reserved 12

Balancing Terminals (Cont’d)

(13). Repeat the procedure for the next

Balancing Terminals (Cont’d)

(14). The flow rates at each terminal must be

All rights reserved 13

(15). When all the terminals on each

Balancing Sub-branches (Cont’d)

All rights reserved 14

Balancing Sub-branches (Cont’d)

Balancing Sub-branches (Cont’d)

All rights reserved 15

Balancing Sub-branches (Cont’d)

(16). The main branches (A, B and C) are

All rights reserved 16

Final Correlation (Cont’d)

Final Correlation (Cont’d)

This recheck will also serve as the record

All rights reserved 17

Final Correlation (Cont’d)

All rights reserved 18