Voglio sapere a riguardo di…

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 58 / Monday, March 29, 2021 / Rules and Regulations time of the June 2020 NOPR comment period, AHAM RAC12020 had not yet been published. However, in an additional comment submitted on December 18, 2020, AHAM confirmed publication of AHAM RAC12020 and that it is consistent with what AHAM
stated it would be in their previous comment. AHAM, No. 20 at pp. 12
Consistent with the comments received, DOE has determined that AHAM RAC12020 generally provides results that are representative of an average use cycle of room ACs, including room ACs that are variablespeed, and is not unduly burdensome to conduct. Therefore, DOE is adopting AHAM RAC12020 as a referenced standard for the DOE room AC test procedure in appendix F, with modifications that DOE has determined are necessary to improve the representativeness and repeatability of the test procedure. The modifications are discussed in further detail in the sections that follow.
2. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 16
Appendix F previously referenced the 1983 version of ANSI/ASHRAE
Standard 16, which was reaffirmed in 2009, for cooling mode temperature conditions, methods, and calculations.
In the June 2020 NOPR, DOE
proposed to reference sections of ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 162016 in appendix F. 85 FR 35700, 35707 Jun. 11, 2020.
In the June 2020 NOPR, DOE stated that ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 162016 made a number of updates to the industry standard, including an air-enthalpy test approach as an alternative to the calorimeter approach, heating mode testing, additional clarification on placement of air samplers and thermocouples, stability requirement definitions, and new figures for additional tests and to also improve previous figures. 85 FR 35700, 35706
Jun. 11, 2020. DOE initially determined, however, that the general cooling mode methodology remains unchanged. Id. The addition of the airenthalpy approach provides more flexibility in conducting the tests, and the heating mode test is based on the tests previously included in ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 581986 Method of Testing for Rating Room Air Conditioner and Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner Heating Capacity.
In the June 2020 NOPR DOE stated that the general calorimeter test methodology is unchanged in ANSI/
meeting; 2 recorded in document number 12, which is the public meeting transcript that is filed in the docket of this test procedure rulemaking; and 3 which appears on pages 9 through 10 and 21 of document number 12.

VerDate Sep<11>2014

17:42 Mar 26, 2021

Jkt 253001

ASHRAE Standard 162016 and tentatively determined that the additional detail and clarifying updates would improve the repeatability and reproducibility of test results. Id. ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 162016 provides best practices for thermocouple and air sampler placement, recognizing that the unique characteristics of each test chamber will result in particular air flow and temperature gradients in the chamber, influenced by the interaction of the reconditioning equipment and the test unit. These practices address the distances for placing the air sampler from the unit discharge points and thermocouple spacing on the air sampling device. Figure 1 and Figure 2
of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 16 are updated with additional details and references. Section 5 of ANSI/ASHRAE
Standard 162016 includes additional provisions regarding instrument calibration and accuracy. ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 162016 requires measuring data at more frequent intervals to minimize the sensitivity of the final average value to variations in individual data points, resulting in a more repeatable and reproducible test procedure. Based on DOEs experience with testing at various test laboratories, requiring more frequent data measurements will have minimal impact on testing burden because most testing laboratories are already using a data acquisition system that has the capability to take more frequent measurements.
In urging DOE to incorporate AHAM
RAC12020, AHAM and GEA
supported the incorporation of relevant sections of the 2016 version of ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 16, ANSI/ASHRAE
Standard 162016. In AHAM RAC1
2020, AHAM adopted the most current industry standards, including ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 162016. AHAM, Public Meeting Transcript, No. 12 at pp.
910; AHAM, No. 13 at p. 2; GEA, No.
18 at p. 1
For these reasons provided in the June 2020 NOPR and in this document, and in consideration of the comments received in support of ANSI/ASHRAE
Standard 162016, DOE is updating appendix F to reference ANSI/ASHRAE
Standard 162016.
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 162016
also updates requirements for the accuracy of instruments. The 2009
reaffirmation of ANSI/ASHRAE
Standard 16 requires, in Section 5.4.2, accuracy to 0.5 percent of the quantity measured for instruments used for measuring all electrical inputs to the calorimeter compartments. ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 162016, in Section 5.6.2, no longer broadly includes any
PO 00000

Frm 00007

Fmt 4701

Sfmt 4700

16451

inputs and instead includes more specific language e.g., it explicitly mentions the power input to the test unit, heaters, and other cooling load contributors. To ensure that the electrical input for all key equipment is properly measured, in the June 2020
NOPR, DOE proposed to maintain the accuracy requirement of 0.5 percent of the quantity measured for instruments used for measuring all electrical inputs, to the test unit, all reconditioning equipment, and any other equipment that operates within the calorimeter walls. 85 FR 35700, 35707 Jun. 11, 2020.
No comments were received pertaining to this reference. While DOE
is incorporating by reference ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 162016 generally, DOE maintains that the instrument accuracy of 0.5 percent of the quantity measured is applicable to all devices measuring electrical input for the room AC test procedure, and not just those explicitly mentioned in ANSI/ASHRAE
Standard 162016.
3. ANSI/ASHRAE Standards 41.1, 41.2, 41.3, 41.6, and 41.11
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 162016
references industry standards in specifying certain test conditions and measurement procedures. In the June 2020 NOPR, DOE proposed to incorporate those industry standards specified in the relevant sections of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 162016.
Specifically, DOE proposed to incorporate by reference: ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 41.12013, Standard Method for Temperature Measurement, as referenced in ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 162016 Section 5.1.1 for all temperature measurements except for dew-point temperature;
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 41.21987 RA
1992, Standard Methods for Laboratory Airflow Measurement, as referenced in Section 5.5.1 of ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 162016 for airflow measurements; ANSI/ASHRAE
Standard 41.32014, Standard Methods for Pressure Measurement, as referenced in Section 5.2.5 of ANSI/
ASHRAE Standard 162016 for the prescribed use of pressure measurement instruments; ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 41.62014, Standard Method for Humidity Measurement, as referenced in Section 5.1.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE
Standard 162016 for measuring dewpoint temperatures using hygrometers;
and ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 41.11
2014, Standard Methods for Power Measurement, as referenced in Section 5.6.4 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 16
2016 regarding the use and application of electrical instruments during tests.

E:FRFM29MRR2.SGM

29MRR2