Recommissioning methodology for the evaluation of airport air conditioning systems

The commissioning processes of new buildings, existing buildings and continuous commissioning have been important tools to identify low performance and high energy consumption problems, contributing to its solutions, energy conservation and the research of more efficient systems. Considering the important participation of air conditioning systems in the energy consumption of buildings, this article presents the proposed methodology in study based on the recommissioning concepts to evaluate the operational and energy performance of these systems. The methodology is demonstrated through its application at an airport air conditioning system in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The operational data collected daily are used to demonstrate the phases of the proposed methodology. The evaluation of the system was performed by the process capability analysis, operational mode in use and performance coefficient (COP). As result, improvement opportunities were identified, with COP growth from 5.95 to 6.84 and reduction of energy consumption on chillers by up to 13.0%. Finally, the results showed in its comparison with the reference values, raised in the bibliography, allowed to conclude that the proposed methodology is suitable for direct application in similar systems, such as shopping malls and airport terminals. With some adaptation it can be expanded to other ventures.