Energy-Efficiency-Oriented Spatial Configuration of VRV Outdoor Units in an Equipment Layer Under Background Wind Conditions

This study provides a spatial configuration method to improve the cooling efficiency of multiple VRV outdoor units placed on equipment layers with high floors. Relevant factors include wind parameters, the placement of multiple outdoor units, and louver. A total of 96 cases were designed. CFD simulations were used to obtain the inlet air temperature distributions of multiple outdoor units and then calculate their cooling efficiency. The results found that these factors have effects on the average cooling efficiency of outdoor units in a single row to a certain extent. The influencing degrees of these factors, from large to small, were the louver angle, wind parameters, and the placement of multiple outdoor units. When the cooling efficiency of outdoor units was maximum and the louver angle was 15°, the louvers could be oriented perpendicular to the dominant wind direction (90°) when wind speed was ≥6 m/s, and the unit spacing was 600 mm. Based on this, when the number of outdoor units was expanded in the limited space, staggered arrangements with different directions of heat exchange surfaces were a recommended optimization layout. This study provides technical support for improving the working efficiency of VRV outdoor units in an equipment layer.