Design of an air conditioning system for museums: a case study

Museums are the places where the works are kept and exhibited and cared. There are many types of museums according to the types of pieces, especially archeology, ethnography and city museums. We need to protect the museums, which are cultural bridges between generations, and their works for future generations. There are many factors threatening the works in museums. The most important of these factors are dry thermometer temperature and relative humidity values of museum interior. In this study, the effects of dry thermometer temperature and relative humidity on the artifacts were investigated and it was mentioned how suitable air conditioning systems for museums should be. In addition, air conditioning and monitoring activities carried out at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, which has a historical building, were examined and a model system was proposed for the museum. It was thought that it would be beneficial to search for "B" climate class conformity in the air-conditioning classes created by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) for museums. It was observed that the dry bulb temperature remained in the appropriate range between 16°C and 27°C and the relative humidity fluctuated between favorable conditions. Then, an air handling unit system with waste heat source heat pump system, whose COP value was calculated as 4.16, was proposed and it was observed that the system could save 14% compared to natural gas systems. In addition, suggestions have been made on issues such as system and energy efficiency.