ISO 18326:2018

Overview

ISO 18326:2018 - “Non‑ducted portable air‑cooled air conditioners and air‑to‑air heat pumps having a single exhaust duct - Testing and rating for performance” - establishes standard test conditions and rating methods for single‑duct portable air conditioners and air‑to‑air heat pumps. It applies to factory‑made, electrically driven, mechanically compressed equipment (including units with one or more refrigeration circuits) and covers capacity and efficiency ratings, plus the test methods to determine them. The standard also addresses units that use an evaporatively cooled condenser (evaporation of collected condensate and/or supplementary water).

Key Topics

• Scope & exclusions: Applies to single‑duct non‑ducted portable units; excludes water‑cooled or water‑source equipment, multi‑split systems, ducted equipment, absorption cycle appliances, evaporative coolers (non‑vapour compression), dehumidifiers and spot coolers.
• Cooling and heating tests: Procedures for steady‑state cooling capacity, heating capacity, and maximum performance tests.
• Condensate control & enclosure sweat: Tests and performance requirements for condensate management and enclosure behavior.
• Airflow & air quantity: Measurement and specification of airflow conditions required during testing.
• Test methods & uncertainty: Calorimeter and other acceptable test methods, measurement uncertainty, tolerances and sampling requirements.
• Capacity calculations & reporting: How to calculate cooling/heating capacity, adjust results, record required data and compile a test report.
• Marking & publication of ratings: Nameplate requirements, standard rating units, EER/COP definitions and publication guidance.
• Normative/Informative annexes: Detailed normative test requirements, procedures for supplementary water‑tank duration, airflow measurement, calorimeter test method and condensate measurement examples.

Applications / Who Should Use It

• Manufacturers - to validate product performance, ensure consistent rating declarations and design verification for single‑duct portable ACs and heat pumps.
• Test laboratories & certification bodies - for standardized test procedures, measurement uncertainty and reporting formats.
• Regulators & energy labeling programs - to assess compliance and publish comparable energy performance data (EER/COP).
• Procurement specialists & facility managers - to compare single‑duct portable units based on standardized performance metrics.
• R&D and product development teams - to benchmark prototypes and assess the impact of features like evaporative condenser cooling or supplementary water tanks.

Related Standards

• ISO 5151 - general testing for non‑ducted air conditioners (contextually related)
• ISO 15042:2017 - testing of multi‑split air conditioners and heat pumps (excluded from ISO 18326)
• ISO 13253:2017 - testing of ducted equipment (excluded)

Keywords: ISO 18326:2018, portable air conditioners, single exhaust duct, testing and rating, performance testing, cooling capacity, heat pump, evaporatively cooled condenser, calorimeter test.