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Title:
VARIABLE AIR VARIABLE REFRIGERANT FLOW (VAVRF)
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2024/040144
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
The present disclosure describes various embodiments of a new HVAC system and apparatuses (and related methods) that combine the efficiencies of VRF and VAV systems. An exemplary system comprises a plurality of indoor units located in different zones of a building, each comprising a damper operable to modulate airflow through the indoor unit into a building space and a valve operable to modulate a flow of refrigerant through the indoor unit; an air handling unit having a supply fan that is configured to generate the airflow that is received by the plurality of indoor units; and a controller unit operable to control the damper and the valve simultaneously for each of the plurality of indoor units, wherein the controller unit is operable to control the supply fan and an amount of airflow generated by the supply fan.

Inventors:
MANOHAR BAALAGANAPATHY (US)
SRINIVASAN RAVI SHANKAR (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US2023/072355
Publication Date:
February 22, 2024
Filing Date:
August 17, 2023
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
UNIV FLORIDA (US)
International Classes:
F24F11/74; F24F1/0007; F24F11/84; F24F3/044
Foreign References:
EP3792565A12021-03-17
US20110271695A12011-11-10
US20070180851A12007-08-09
US20190383536A12019-12-19
US20100269520A12010-10-28
US20180187915A12018-07-05
US20060234621A12006-10-19
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
CHARLES W. GRIGGERS et al. (US)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS Therefore, at least the following is claimed: 1. An air conditioning system comprising: a plurality of indoor units located in different zones of a building, each comprising a damper operable to modulate airflow through the indoor unit into a building space and a valve operable to modulate a flow of refrigerant through the indoor unit; an air handling unit having a supply fan that is configured to generate the airflow that is received by the plurality of indoor units; and a controller unit operable to control the damper and the valve simultaneously for each of the plurality of indoor units, wherein the controller unit is operable to control the supply fan and an amount of airflow generated by the supply fan. 2. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the controller unit is operable to control a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through an individual indoor unit. 3. The air conditioning system of claim 1, further comprising an outdoor unit comprising a condensing unit and a compressor. 4. The air conditioning system of claim 3, wherein the outdoor unit is packaged with the air handling unit as a single unit. 5. The air conditioning system of claim 3, wherein the outdoor unit is physically separate from the air handling unit.

6. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein an individual indoor unit includes a refrigerant coil, an airflow sensor that measures a speed of the airflow, a first temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the airflow, and a second temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the refrigerant before and after exiting the refrigerant coil, wherein the controller unit is configured to receive sensor measurements from the airflow sensor, the first temperature sensor, and the second temperature sensor. 7. The air conditioning system of claim 6, further comprising a duct pressure sensor located in ductwork connecting the air handling unit and the plurality of indoor units, wherein the controller unit is configured to receive a pressure reading from the duct pressure sensor and to adjust a speed of the supply fan of the air handling unit based on the pressure reading from the duct pressure sensor. 8. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the controller unit is operable to perform simultaneous heating and cooling operations in the different zones of the building being serviced by the air conditioning system. 9. The air conditioning system of claim 1, wherein the air handling unit further comprises a relief fan that controls building pressurization using pressure sensors.

10. A method comprising: directing airflow through an air handling unit to a plurality of indoor units located in different zones of a building, each indoor unit comprising a damper operable to modulate airflow through the indoor unit into a building space and a valve operable to modulate a flow of refrigerant through the indoor unit; controlling, via a controller unit, an amount of airflow generated by a supply fan of the air handling unit; and controlling, via a controller unit, the damper and the valve simultaneously for each of the plurality of indoor units. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling, via the controller unit, a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through an individual indoor unit. 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: obtaining, via the controller unit, a measurement a speed of the airflow at an individual indoor unit; obtaining, via the controller unit, a temperature reading of the airflow at the individual indoor unit; obtaining, via the controller unit, a temperature reading of the refrigerant before and after exiting a refrigerant coil at the individual indoor unit; and adjusting, via the controller unit and the damper and valve of the individual indoor unit, the speed of the airflow at the individual indoor unit, a flow of the refrigerant at the individual indoor unit, and the temperature of the refrigerant at the individual indoor unit based on the obtained measurement and readings.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: obtaining, by the controller unit, a pressure reading within ductwork connecting the air handling unit and the plurality of indoor units; and adjusting, via the controller unit, a speed of the supply fan of the air handling unit based on the pressure reading. 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising performing simultaneous heating and cooling operations in the different zones of the building being serviced by the controller unit. 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the air handling unit further comprises a relief fan, the method further comprising controlling building pressurization using pressure sensors and the relief fan.

Description:
VARIABLE AIR VARIABLE REFRIGERANT FLOW (VAVRF) CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. provisional application entitled, “Variable Air Variable Refrigerant Flow (VAVRF),” having serial number 63/399,042, filed August 18, 2022, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present disclosure is generally related to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. BACKGROUND [0003] Currently two popular heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are Variable Air Volume (VAV) and Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems. VAV systems were first introduce in the 1960s. A VAV system is an air system that regulates the supply air volume flow rate with a damper located in an indoor VAV box to match the variation of the space cooling load in order to maintain the zone air temperature at the set temperature. On the other hand, VRF technology was introduced in the 1980s, where a VRF system operates by having a constant speed internal fan to provide constant airflow; however, the VRF the system varies the amount of refrigerant and temperature of the refrigerant to cool the room with the help of a variable speed compressor and electronic expansion valves (EEV) (to match the space cooling load in order to maintain zone air temperature at a set temperature). The VRF system operates on the direct expansion (DX) principle. That is, the heat is transferred to or from the space directly by circulating refrigerant to an indoor evaporator located within the conditioned space. VRF technologies have provided about 25%-50% higher energy efficiency over a traditional VAV system. However, there is a current movement to increase the efficiency of HVAC systems beyond those of VRF technologies. SUMMARY [0004] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a new HVAC system and related methods that combine the efficiencies of VRF and VAV systems. An exemplary system comprises a plurality of indoor units located in different zones of a building, each comprising a damper operable to modulate airflow through the indoor unit into a building space and a valve operable to modulate a flow of refrigerant through the indoor unit; an air handling unit having a supply fan that is configured to generate the airflow that is received by the plurality of indoor units; and a controller unit operable to control the damper and the valve simultaneously for each of the plurality of indoor units, wherein the controller unit is operable to control the supply fan and an amount of airflow generated by the supply fan. [0005] An exemplary method comprises directing airflow through an air handling unit to a plurality of indoor units located in different zones of a building, each indoor unit comprising a damper operable to modulate airflow through the indoor unit into a building space and a valve operable to modulate a flow of refrigerant through the indoor unit; controlling, via a controller unit, an amount of airflow generated by a supply fan of the air handling unit; and controlling, via a controller unit, the damper and the valve simultaneously for each of the plurality of indoor units. [0006] In one or more aspects, such methods and/or systems comprise an outdoor unit comprising a condensing unit and a compressor; wherein the outdoor unit is packaged with the air handling unit as a single unit; wherein the outdoor unit is physically separate from the air handling unit; and/or a duct pressure sensor located in ductwork connecting the air handling unit and the plurality of indoor units, wherein the controller unit is configured to receive a pressure reading from the duct pressure sensor and to adjust a speed of the supply fan of the air handling unit based on the pressure reading from the duct pressure sensor. [0007] In one or more aspects of such methods and/or systems, the controller unit is operable to control a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through an individual indoor unit; an individual indoor unit includes a refrigerant coil, an airflow sensor that measures a speed of the airflow, a first temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the airflow, and a second temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the refrigerant before and after exiting the refrigerant coil, wherein the controller unit is configured to receive sensor measurements from the airflow sensor, the first temperature sensor, and the second temperature sensor; the controller unit is operable to perform simultaneous heating and cooling operations in the different zones of the building being serviced by the air conditioning system; and/or the air handling unit further comprises a relief fan that controls building pressurization using pressure sensors. [0008] In one or more aspects, operations of such methods and/or systems include controlling, via the controller unit, a temperature of the refrigerant flowing through an individual indoor unit; obtaining, via the controller unit, a measurement a speed of the airflow at an individual indoor unit; obtaining, via the controller unit, a temperature reading of the airflow at the individual indoor unit; obtaining, via the controller unit, a temperature reading of the refrigerant before and after exiting a refrigerant coil at the individual indoor unit; adjusting, via the controller unit and the damper and valve of the individual indoor unit, the speed of the airflow at the individual indoor unit, a flow of the refrigerant at the individual indoor unit, and the temperature of the refrigerant at the individual indoor unit based on the obtained measurement and readings; obtaining, by the controller unit, a pressure reading within ductwork connecting the air handling unit and the plurality of indoor units; adjusting, via the controller unit, a speed of the supply fan of the air handling unit based on the pressure reading; performing simultaneous heating and cooling operations in the different zones of the building being serviced by the controller unit; and/or controlling building pressurization using pressure sensors and a relief fan. [0009] Other systems, methods, apparatuses, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description and be within the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0010] Many aspects of the present disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. [0011] FIG.1 shows a schematic of a multi-split system air conditioning system. [0012] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustrating the difference between a multi-split air conditioning system and a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air conditioning system. [0013] FIG.3 shows a schematic of a VRF indoor unit. [0014] FIG.4 shows a schematic of an indoor unit (VAV reheat box) for a variable air volume (VAV) air conditioning system. [0015] FIG. 5 shows a schematic of an indoor unit (VAVRF indoor unit) for an exemplary variable air variable refrigerant flow (VAVRF) air conditioning system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. [0016] FIG.6 shows a schematic of an exemplary VAVRF air conditioning system in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. [0017] FIG.7 shows a schematic of an exemplary outdoor unit and an air handling unit of the VAVRF air conditioning system packaged as a single unit in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0018] The present disclosure describes various embodiments of a new HVAC system and apparatuses (and related methods) that combine the efficiencies of VRF and VAV systems. An exemplary system is referred to as a Variable Air Variable Refrigerant Flow (VAVRF) system in that both the air volume (airflow) into conditioned spaces and the refrigerant flow and temperature can be varied simultaneously which increases efficiencies beyond those of conventional VRF and VAV systems. To better understand the VAVRF system, let us first look at the operation of previous HVAC systems, starting with a split air conditioning system and a multi-split air conditioning system. [0019] A split air conditioning system is popular in small residential apartments and small homes. They consist of an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. The indoor unit has an evaporator coil and a small fan to blow cool air into a conditioned room, and the outside unit has a condensing unit and a fan to reject hot air to the outside. Since each outdoor unit is paired with a single indoor unit, the split air-conditioning system may impair the aesthetic of a building having numerous rooms due to needing one outdoor unit for each room, which also increases the costs of installation and operations of such systems. [0020] Due to the limitations described above, multi-split air-conditioning systems were developed. Multi-split systems are similar to the single split system described above, except that multiple indoor units are connected to a single outdoor unit, as illustrated in FIG.1. [0021] The use of the multi-split system in a building reduced the problem of having too many outdoor condensing units and reduced project costs. However, multi-split systems came with their own set of issues. In the case of a single split system, the outdoor unit was controlled by a thermostat which switched the system on and off. This design was well-suited when there was only one room to control. However, the multi-split system also operated based on a single thermostat. Controlling an entire building with a single thermostat is not ideal for the multi-split system since different rooms in the building can have different heating and cooling requirements. As such, the multi-split system cannot account for all of these differences. Thus, multi-split systems do not provide individual room users control over what temperature they needed the room to be set at. [0022] This leads us to Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) systems. The VRF system is similar to the multi-split system which connects one outdoor condensing unit or section to several indoor evaporating units or evaporators. However, multi- split systems turn off or on completely in response to one master controller, whereas VRF systems continually adjust the flow of refrigerant to each indoor unit. The control is achieved by continually varying the flow of refrigerant through an electronic expansion valve (EEV) or a PMV (pulse modulating valve) whose opening is determined by a controller receiving information from thermistor sensors in each indoor unit. The indoor units are linked by a control wire to the outdoor unit which responds to the demand from the indoor units by varying its compressor speed to match the total cooling and/or heating requirements. [0023] Due to the VRF system being able to precisely vary the amount of refrigerant into each zone, the system is able to provide a precise amount of heating or cooling into each space. This level of precise control is managed by using the Electronic Expansion Valve (EEV) or PMV (Electronic Expansion Valve or Pulse Modulating Valve). This valve precisely controls the amount of refrigerant going into each indoor evaporator unit. To help demonstrate, FIG.2 shows a schematic of the difference between a multi-split system and a VRF system. [0024] The VRF system along with the EEV/PMV is paired along with an inverter driven scroll compressor that allows the compressor to ramp down proportionally based on a lesser demand in different circuits. A such, the capacity control range of the typical VRF system is impressive. For example, the compressor, based on heating cooling demand, can ramp down to 10% all the way from 100% capacity. [0025] Currently there are two different types of VRF systems: (1) Heat pump VRF (which permits both heating and cooling, but different zones in the building cannot be simultaneously heated and cooled) and (2) Heat recovery VRF (which permits both heating and cooling of individual zones in the building simultaneously). [0026] A heat pump VRF operation is simple and works based on a reversible vapor compression cycle. That means, during cooling, the indoor unit operates as an evaporator (cold coil) and the outdoor unit operates as a condenser (e.g., outdoor unit rejects heat to the outside environment), and during heating, the indoor and outdoor unit switch roles, such that the indoor unit will operate as a condenser and the outdoor unit will operate as the evaporator. Heat recovery VRF (VRF-HR) systems are equipped with enhanced features like inverter drives, pulse modulating electronic expansion valves, and distributed controls that allow system to operate in net heating or net cooling mode, as demanded by the space. [0027] Two-pipe systems are normally used in VRF heat pump applications to provide cooling or heating only during the same operating mode. Branch-circuit controllers are used with two-pipe systems to perform the following functions: (a) separate refrigerant into gas and liquid (via a liquid-gas separator); (b) ensure that zones in heating mode receive superheated gas; (c) ensure that zones in cooling mode receive subcooled liquid; and (d) facilitate removal of heat from one zone and apply it to a different zone. [0028] Three-pipe systems are configured with a heating (hot gas refrigerant) pipe, a cooling (liquid refrigerant) pipe, and a return (suction) pipe. Branch selectors are used with three-pipe systems and perform a similar function as branch-circuit controllers, directing the superheated gas to heating zones and subcooled liquid to cooling zones. Branch selectors do not require separators because they are connected to a three-pipe system. [0029] In a typical three-pipe system, each indoor unit is branched off from the three pipes using solenoid valves. An indoor unit requiring cooling will open its cooling (liquid) line and return (suction) line valves and act as an evaporator. An indoor unit requiring heating will open its heating (hot gas) and cooling (liquid) line valves and will act as a condenser. Typically, extra heat exchangers in distribution boxes are used to transfer some reject heat from the superheated refrigerant exiting the zone being cooled to the refrigerant that is going to the zone to be heated. This balancing act has the potential to produce significant energy savings. [0030] FIG. 3 provides a schematic of a VRF indoor unit. As can be seen from the figure, the VRF controller regulates the flow of refrigerant based on readings from sensors, the fan recirculates air from within the space/room, and the needed ventilation from a Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) / Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) unit is added to the return air stream of the VRF indoor unit. [0031] Next, Variable Air Volume (VAV) systems are designed to simultaneously meet a variety of cooling and heating needs by varying the distribution of air depending on the cooling or heating loads of each area. During cooling, the VAV system operates by supplying airflow at constant temperature (about 55° F). To account for different cooling conditions, the VAV system modulates the airflow in and out of the space. The airflow variation allows for adjusting the temperature in a single zone without changing the temperature of air in the entire system, minimizing any instances of overcooling or overheating. VAV systems use indoor VAV boxes to control the volume of airflow to each zone. VAV systems also contain a reheat coil to provide heat and/or to reheat the air to a more comfortable air temperature for the occupant. A schematic of VAV box is as shown in FIG.4. [0032] In the VAV system, an air handling unit (AHU) cools or heats air to accommodate the zone with the most extreme requirements, supplying the air through ducts to various zones. At the individual zone or space, as the space temperature deviates from setpoint, the VAV box controller responds by adjusting the position of the air valves or dampers within the VAV box or terminal to increase or decrease airflow. As the load decreases in a particular zone, the VAV air valve throttles the airflow matching the space requirements. Also, when there is a sudden increase in load, the temperature sensor located in the zone will detect a rise in temperature and request the VAV box to open the air valve and increase the amount of cool airflow. When a VAV box air valve opens, the static pressure in the adjacent runout and trunk duct will decrease, resulting in increased airflow through the adjacent ductwork. This change in airflow will affect the space temperature in the new area supplied by that ductwork because a higher volume of air (usually cooled) is now flowing into the area. The space thermostat in this area will eventually sense this change in temperature, and re-position its air valve for reduced flow, such that the reduced flow will cause a further increase in static pressure in adjacent ductwork and increase flow even further to other air terminals. This effect continues unabated and will eventually cause unbalance in the entire air distribution ductwork. It is apparent that space thermostats alone can never stabilize a space temperature. Therefore, an additional static pressure control is added in the system, which maintains the duct static pressure within a set range. A static pressure sensor senses the increase in duct static pressure and provides a signal to a fan controller to reduce the speed. A reduction in fan speed will reduce the airflow in direct proportion to the speed. [0033] In accordance with the present disclosure, a Variable Air Variable Refrigerant Flow System (VAVRF) is a novel HVAC system that combines benefits of both the VAV and VRF technologies. An exemplary VAVRF system includes an air handling unit (AHU) section that is responsible for air movement, which is in contrast to the VRF system in which air movement is provided by individual fans in each VRF indoor unit. An exemplary VAVRF system further includes an outdoor unit section that supplies the refrigerant to a VAVRF controller (e.g. heat recovery box/branch selector box). Unlike a traditional VRF system, a refrigerant pipe is coupled to a pressure independent VAVRV indoor unit which contains airflow sensors, dampers, temperature sensors, and refrigerant coils. A schematic of an exemplary VAVRF indoor unit is as shown in FIG.5. Both the damper actuation and the refrigerant flow using the electronic expansion valve (EEV) are controlled by the VAVRF controller. A complete schematic of an exemplary VAVRF System is as shown in FIG.6. [0034] The VAVRF indoor unit includes a flow sensor device to determine the speed of air passing through it, such as, but not limited to, a pitot tube. An exemplary indoor unit also include a motor to control the damper in addition to a temperature sensor to detect the air dry bulb and wet bulb conditions (in this way, the VAVRF controller knows how much to cool the air before sending cooled air into the room). The indoor unit also includes a refrigerant coil section which contains an electronic expansion valve (EEV) to precisely control the amount of refrigerant required to maintain the pressure differential between the refrigerant suction and discharge, and a temperature sensor to detect the temperature of the refrigerant before and after exiting the refrigerant coil. An exemplary indoor unit also has a mounted control panel to control the operation of all the various sensors and motors and to relay this information to the VAVRF controller (e.g., “Heat Recover Branch Selector Box” in FIG.6) and outdoor unit (“VAVRF Outdoor Unit” in FIG.6). [0035] Both the refrigerant control and damper control for airflow can be modulated simultaneously to provide optimal energy savings and indoor environmental quality (maintaining space temperature and humidity levels). Refrigerant controls on the indoor unit uses the electronic expansion valve to control refrigerant flow based on enter/leaving refrigerant temperature at the refrigerant coil; to maintain superheat control for cooling/subcooling control for heating; and adjust target temperature based on the error between thermostat set-point and room temperature changes. The damper position on the indoor unit can be setup for fan cycling or continuous operation, user-set controls, or “Single Zone VAV” type fan control. [0036] In various embodiments, an exemplary indoor unit has at least 3 thermistor sensors. Once the thermostat in the space reports that the actual temperature deviates from the setpoint thermostat temperature by a margin, the VAVRF controller immediately opens the damper to or from a minimum airflow damper position to a maximum zone airflow damper position based on readings from airflow sensors. For example, a thermistor can calculate the existing supply air temperature from the VAVRF AHU, and the VAVRF controller can determine the amount of cooling required and can control the EEV to allow the required refrigerant to either cool or heat the space back to the setpoint of the thermostat. Once the space thermostat is satisfied, a VAVRF damper can be configured to close the damper back to a minimum airflow damper position to allow the minimum airflow and/or minimum ventilation. Correspondingly, in various embodiments, an exemplary refrigerant coil operation works similar to a traditional VRF system. [0037] For the VAVRF air handling unit (AHU), the unit supplies air to ducts that serve multiple zones. Each zone has a pressure independent indoor VAVRF unit that can keep a predetermined volume of air flowing through it (via dampers). As the VAVRF controller varies the airflow into the space using the damper, the air pressure in the main duct changes. A duct pressure sensor that has been set for particular pressure inside the duct controls the main AHU fan to adjust total system airflow. [0038] The air handling unit includes a combination of return, supply, mixing, relief, and ventilation regions. Either a relief fan or a relief damper controls the building pressurization such that the building is either positively or negatively pressurized as required by use case. A cooling and reheat coil can be placed either in the supply or the outside air/ventilation region of the AHU for dehumidification. This cooling and reheat coil can use a designated heat recovery/branch selector box (controller). The air can also be tempered (cooled or heated to setpoint) before it reaches the VAVRF indoor unit for final heating and cooling, which will help reduce the size of the VAVRF indoor unit. The VAVRF AHU outdoor section can also be equipped with any number of high-performance technologies such as: (1) Economizers; (2) UV Filter; (3) Bipolar ionization; (4) HEPA or other ULPA Filters; (5) Humidifiers; (6) Preheat Coils; (7) Indirect Gas Heating; (8) Enthalpy Wheels; (9) Air-Air Heat Recovery, etc. [0039] While the relief fan of the air handling unit is controlled by building pressurization using pressure sensors, the supply fan of the air handling unit is controlled by a duct pressure sensor (e.g., located 2/3 of the way on the longest run) of the supply duct. This means that even if the individual VAVRF indoor units keep opening (damper open) and closing (damper closed), thereby changing the total cubic-feet-per-minute (CFM) going to each space, the VAVRF AHU supply fan will keep ramping up and down based on the set pressure range to be maintained inside the pressure duct. In various embodiments, ducts from the VAVRF packaged unit or VAVRF AHU to the VAVRF indoor unit are designed for pressures of medium to high pressure duct design, which enables better controls for the VAVRF indoor unit damper controls. [0040] In various embodiments, an exemplary condensing unit of the VAVRF system is typically located outside of a building and is similar in operation to current VRF systems. The condenser can be a standalone equipment or be packaged similar to a VAV rooftop unit. The controls for the condensing unit shares similarities with operation of a typical VRF outdoor unit. Accordingly, in various embodiments, the condensing unit is configured to operate under a plurality of modes, including: (a) Cool Operation - Detects the system operating suction pressure at the condenser periodically & target evaporation temperature; (b) Heat Operation - Detects the system operating high pressure at the condenser periodically & target condensation temperature; and (c) Adjusts compressor speed (capacity) up or down to correct deviation from the target pressure values (system load). [0041] The VAVRF controller (e.g., branch selector) in a VAVRF system works similar to how one in a typical 2 Pipe or 3 Pipe VRF branch controller/selector works. The VAVRF controller is either a single port or a multiport box, where changeover controls and/or controlling the amount of refrigeration to each zone occurs. Mode changeover in the branch controller is typically accomplished using: (a) outside ambient air or a set calendar; (b) averaging temperatures from all units on the system; (c) weighted vote from all units based on demand and priority; and/or (d) a critical zone unit. [0042] In accordance with various embodiments, an exemplary VAVRF system is able to provide the advantages of both variable air volume (VAV) and variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems simultaneously by having a central ventilation only air handling unit that is responsible for all the air volume movement, such as outdoor air (OA) mixing, relief air, supply air, providing the required static pressure drop, energy recovery using enthalpy wheel and tempering air stream using supplementary heat in a cold climate. This supply air is carried to an individual indoor unit that utilizes a damper to adjust airflow into each space/zone. [0043] In various embodiments, an exemplary VAVRF system can have the compressor unit and the air handling unit be packaged as separate (split) units or be packaged as a single unit. Accordingly, FIG.7 shows an embodiment of a packaged VAVRF system as a single unit. The ability of the VAVRF system to be easily packaged, and for all the airflow to be centralized, leads to savings in cost, energy savings, better air cleaning, and better control. [0044] Additional advantages of using a VAVRF system include (1) VAVRF will be more efficient that a traditional VAV system; (2) Having a packaged unit VAVRF system that fits existing roof curb and duct work may be cheaper and more desired; (3) VAVRF has the advantage of lower energy use and lower cost due to the system not needing multiple fans in all indoor units; (4) Since the indoor units in a VAVRF system do not have ECM (electronically commutated motor) fans, they do not need to be powered with single or three phase line voltage; (5) Savings in electric wiring costs (e.g., control of damper and indoor unit containing refrigerant can be done using low voltage (12V-48V); (6) Breakers are not required for every VAVRF indoor unit as required by the National Electric Code; (7) VAVRF indoor units have less breakdowns due to fewer moving parts; (8) Air filtration can be done much cheaper and efficiently by installing different types of MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value) filter, bipolar ionization, UV treatment etc. (since the air movements are handled by the packaged VAVRF unit and or the VAVRF AHU); (9) In VAVRF systems, the filters are located in a single location in the packaged VAVRF or in the VAVRF AHU such that having all the filters in one place rather than spread across individual indoor units saves the facilities budget on having to clean each and every indoor unit filter; (10) Having all the moving parts outside a building helps the maintenance and repair work to be carried out occupied spaces (which helps prevent disruption during routine maintenance); (11) VAVRF system with a separate humidity control circuit and duct steam humidifiers can very accurately control the humidity of the space; (12) Having a single fan in the packaged outdoor VAVRF unit or outdoor VAVRF AHU, coupled with baffles and sound attenuating devices in the ductwork makes the VAVRF system well suited for applications (such as recording studios) where extremely low noise is required; (13) VAVRF systems can utilize economizing and take advantage of free cooling (when the outside temperature and enthalpy is low enough to introduce 100% outside air directly into the space without conditioning), which provides significant energy savings of VAVRF systems over traditional VRF Systems (that are not capable of economizing); (14) VAVRF systems are better equipped to control outside air with individual dampers at every indoor unit, as mandated by ASHRAE 90.1 asking for modulating ventilation capacity to match ventilation load; (15) Better airflow controls into the space is possible with VAVRF systems, since a VAVRF system is able to modulate airflow to a wider range of airflow using integral damper(s); (16) VAVRF can provide zone level demand control modulation easily by throttling between minimum and maximum supply airflow; and (17) When supplemental heating is required by project type, significant savings are realized by not having to provide it for each indoor unit. Supplemental heating is provided in the packaged and/or split VAVRF system as required, and unlike VRF indoor units, supplemental heating can be of any type (gas, hot water, steam, electric coil, etc.) [0045] As such, the present disclosure presents embodiments of a novel and unique VAVRF system having a new and improved VAVRF controller, the indoor VAVRF unit, and VAVRF AHU system, that is equipped to perform simultaneous heating and cooling operations in different zones/rooms being serviced by the VAVRF system. [0046] The VAVRF controller unit, or other components described herein, can each include at least one processing circuit. The processing circuit can include one or more processors and one or more storage devices that are coupled to a local interface. The local interface can include a data bus with an accompanying address/control bus or any other suitable bus structure. The one or more storage devices for a processing circuit can store data or components that are executable by the one or processors of the processing circuit. Also, a data store can be stored in the one or more storage devices. In various embodiments, all parts of the VAVRF system can be interlinked with popular controls protocols for buildings such as BACnet, Lonswork, etc., and the VAVRF system shall be able to operate under standalone controls and or be linked to existing BAS (Building Automation Systems). [0047] If embodied as hardware, the components described herein can be implemented as a circuit or state machine that employs any suitable hardware technology. The hardware technology can include one or more microprocessors, discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing various logic functions upon an application of one or more data signals, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having appropriate logic gates, programmable logic devices (e.g., field- programmable gate array (FPGAs), and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs)). [0048] Also, one or more or more of the components described herein that includes software or program instructions can be embodied in any non-transitory computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system such as a processor in a computer system or other system. The computer- readable medium can contain, store, or maintain the software or program instructions for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system. [0049] The computer-readable medium can include physical media, such as, magnetic, optical, semiconductor, or other suitable media. Examples of a suitable computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, solid-state drives, magnetic drives, flash memory. Further, any logic or component described herein can be implemented and structured in a variety of ways. One or more components described can be implemented as modules or components of a single application. Further, one or more components described herein can be executed in one computing device or by using multiple computing devices. [0050] It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure.