HVAC Overview and Systems Design:
– HVAC systems aim to provide thermal comfort and indoor air quality.
– HVAC systems are used in residential and commercial settings.
– HVAC systems facilitate ventilation and maintain pressure relationships.
– Room air distribution is crucial in HVAC systems.
– HVAC functions are integrated into modern building designs.
– Building service designers and engineers analyze and specify HVAC systems.
– Specialty contractors install and commission HVAC systems.
– Building permits and code compliance are necessary for HVAC installations.
HVAC History and Innovations:
– HVAC innovations by notable individuals like Willis Carrier and others.
– First comfort air conditioning system designed in 1902.
– Coyne College offered the first HVAC training in 1899.
– Residential air conditioning became widespread by the 1950s.
– Constant introduction of modernization and efficiency in HVAC systems.
Heating Systems and Energy Efficiency:
– Heaters generate warmth through central heating systems.
– Various types of fuels and electricity are used as heat sources.
– Heat pumps gained popularity in the 1950s.
– Heat pumps extract heat from different sources.
– Ground Source Heat Pump: Relies on the earth’s stable temperature for heating and cooling, reducing energy consumption compared to conventional systems.
Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality:
– Ventilation is crucial for maintaining indoor air quality.
– Methods of ventilating buildings include mechanical/forced and natural types.
– Mechanical ventilation controls temperature, moisture, and odors.
– Passive ventilation uses outside air flow without mechanical systems.
– Ventilation Energy Recovery: Systems use heat exchangers to recover heat from exhausted air, enhancing energy efficiency and indoor air quality.
Air Conditioning Systems and Energy Efficiency:
– Air conditioning systems provide cooling and humidity control.
– Refrigeration Cycle: Compressor, condenser, metering device, and evaporator are essential elements in the cycle.
– Free Cooling: Systems can have high efficiencies and utilize seasonal thermal energy storage.
– Packaged Split System: Central, all-air air-conditioning systems common in North America.
– Solar Air Conditioning: Photovoltaic solar panels decrease air conditioning operating costs and utilize solar energy for cooling.
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. HVAC system design is a subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. "Refrigeration" is sometimes added to the field's abbreviation as HVAC&R or HVACR, or "ventilation" is dropped, as in HACR (as in the designation of HACR-rated circuit breakers).
HVAC is an important part of residential structures such as single family homes, apartment buildings, hotels, and senior living facilities; medium to large industrial and office buildings such as skyscrapers and hospitals; vehicles such as cars, trains, airplanes, ships and submarines; and in marine environments, where safe and healthy building conditions are regulated with respect to temperature and humidity, using fresh air from outdoors.
Ventilating or ventilation (the "V" in HVAC) is the process of exchanging or replacing air in any space to provide high indoor air quality which involves temperature control, oxygen replenishment, and removal of moisture, odors, smoke, heat, dust, airborne bacteria, carbon dioxide, and other gases. Ventilation removes unpleasant smells and excessive moisture, introduces outside air, keeps interior building air circulating, and prevents stagnation of the interior air. Methods for ventilating a building are divided into mechanical/forced and natural types.
