Air Conditioning a Skyway

[Lewis]

Hello,

I am currently engaged on a project where I have to air condition a skyway which links a passenger terminal to ships which dock about

160metres away from the terminal. The skyway is made out of steel and glass. A very large amount of glass is being used primarily for architectural reasons. I don't have much issues working out heat loads as it is fairly straightforward. The heat load is really high, as you can imagine and of course the type of glass...the u-factor etc will determine the size of the air conditioning unit I choose. My problem is that I am not sure what sort of unit to choose for such an application and how to distribute air within this area. If anybody has experience with air conditioning such structures and can pass on some advice, that would help.

[Telstra]

Induction could be one approach. This could consist of a small diameter High - Velocity primary underfloor Supply air duct carrying conditioned air to sets of nozzles along it's length. The High velocity primary air leaving the nozzles inducing a flow of and mixing with return air. The mixed air would then enter a conditioned space 6 to 8 feet above the floor. Static convection and stratification would then cause the air above this level to rise and leave through ceiling vents. However a more logical approach would be to use bus or Coach type Roof mounted air conditioning units spaced at appropriate distances along the roof. Carrier, Mitsubishi or Thermoking can supply these.

[Lewis]

Thanks for the information. I am leaning towards the duct socks suggestion. The roof mounted units will be considered as well.