Field Performance Measurements of VRF System with Subcooling Heat Exchanger

In this study, the cooling performance of the multi-split variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air conditioning system operated in the academic building environment was simulated with EnergyPlus software, which has a new module for VRF heat pump systems. Simulation results were validated with the field test results during the cooling season. The comparison result shows that 87.5% of all simulated daily power consumption data agree with the experimental data within ±15% deviation. The root-mean-square deviations of daily, weekly and monthly electricity power consumptions for the total simulation period between the simulated and measured values are 5.63 kWh, 11.12 kWh and 37.58 kWh, respectively. The averages of the absolute values of the daily, weekly and monthly relative error for the total simulation period are 7.97%, 2.40% and 2.22%, respectively