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→Air Conditioning
Additional cooling for one zone is provided by the Glacier Bay cold-plate refrigeration system [8]. (A high-efficiency 12-VDC old-plate design was chosen for the refrigeration to reduce AC loads, while not imposing a continuous DC load. Excess capacity may be used for air conditioning.)
Calculating air conditioning is more complex and so the answers are more varied. The next table gives three sets of estimates to illustrate the issue.
Column A gives a series of BTU values derived from the buyenergyefficient.org web site [2].
Column B is based on an expert rule of thumb of 14 BTU per cubic foot, plus an extra 1000 BTU for good measure.
Column C uses the spreadsheet calculator.
Except for the last two data points, methods A and C are in good agreement, but I leave you to your own judgement.
This spreadsheet calculator is adapted from Air Conditioning Your Home [3], published by the Energy Office of Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) and available from its web site. It appears to fall within the general range of the other methods, based on area alone. Most rules of thumb are designed for single rooms, or two rooms joined. The author's calculator considers numerous more factors:
* Number of occupants
* Area of each accommodation
* Area of windows and degree of sun exposure
* Energy efficiency of windows
* Shading of windows
* Degree of insulation in the boat
* Heat gain through the engine room bulkhead
* Heat gain from AC machinery in the accommodation
* Heat gain from DC machinery in the accommodationHeat gain from DC lights in the accommodation
Several approximations were made in adapting the NRCAN model. For example, houses have a fixed position, allowing us to calibrate the different heat gain from windows facing any compass quadrant. Boats are mobile, allowing windows to face any direction at any time. The calculator assumes the worse case, with one full side of the boat having maximum southern sun exposure, the other minimum, i.e., it is moored east-to-west.
The degree of insulation is set with the K factor in the heating calculation. The factor for heat gain through engine room bulkheads is a pure guess. The heat gain from AC and DC equipment is factored at 3.4 - 4.3, while NRCAN suggests 3.0 for AC appliances in a house.
== Related Systems ==