Application of digital technologies to design and operation of HVAC system from perspective of life cycle carbon emissions

Digital technology, represented by system simulation, internet of things and artificial intelligence, is becoming the key means to support the management of building life cycle carbon emissions (LCCO2). This paper discusses the application and development of digital technology in HVAC energy-saving design and low-carbon operation and maintenance, and believes that the scheme design should not only stay in the static assessment of load under design conditions, but also simulate the impact of dynamic changes of equipment operation status on power consumption under different control strategies through system modeling and simulation, and pay attention to the use of digital tools for carbon footprint accounting. The PLM (product life cycle management) platform in building industry could serve as a convenient tool to practice digital twin technology for HVAC system. Specifically, PLM has huge potential to lower trial-and-error cost by putting system commissioning before construction phase, and the collaborative design of HVAC and auto control system could also be made possible based on same model and data source, accelerating the implementation of the “dual carbon” goal in the HVAC field.