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Fluids, HVAC and Building Services
Air, water and heat in buildings: psychrometrics, HVAC design, heating, ventilation, controls, commissioning, pipe flow and pumps.
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Chapters
- 01Psychrometrics for HVAC and process air: humidity, dew point and the loads you cannot feelA practical guide to moist air: dry-bulb, wet-bulb, dew point, humidity ratio and enthalpy, the main processes on the psychrometric chart, sensible and latent loads, and condensation.
- 02HVAC for commercial and industrial buildings: loads, system choices, efficiency, controls and maintenanceHeating, ventilation and air conditioning is often a building's largest energy cost and biggest source of comfort complaints. How loads, systems, controls and maintenance decide both.
- 03Heating systems for commercial and industrial buildings: boilers, burners, heat pumps and controlsHow hydronic, warm-air, radiant and heat-pump heating work, what makes boilers efficient, how burners are controlled safely, and how controls and water treatment keep heating systems economical.
- 04Fans and ductwork for ventilation and HVAC: fan curves, duct design, extraction and energyHow fans and ducts move air, how fan and system curves set the operating point, how duct design and fittings drive pressure loss, and how to extract dust and fumes and cut fan energy.
- 05HVAC controls and commissioning: sequences, set points, fault finding and keeping systems tunedHow building controls sense, decide and act, which control strategies save energy, how commissioning proves a system works as intended, and how to find and fix the faults that waste energy.
- 06Passive and low-energy cooling for Australian workplaces: reduce the heat before you buy the coolingHow shading, insulation, cool roofs, thermal mass, night purging, natural ventilation, air movement and evaporative cooling cut cooling demand in offices, warehouses and factories.
- 07Pipe flow, pressure drop and pump selection: getting fluid where it needs to go efficientlyHow head, velocity, friction and fittings set pressure drop, how system and pump curves fix the operating point, why efficiency and NPSH matter, and how pipe size affects energy cost.
These topic-based reading collections are organised alphabetically; chapters may be read in any order.
Apply This in Practice
Use these BIZOMAT tools to try the method from this reading with your own numbers.
Explained in this book
Moist Air Dew Point and Surface Condensation Check (Humidity Ratio, Enthalpy, Dew-Point Margin)
Calculates the moist-air properties this chapter reads from the psychrometric chart and checks a surface against the dew point.
Used in Psychrometrics for HVAC and process air: humidity, dew point and the loads you cannot feel
Applies this method
Adiabatic Mixing of Two Air Streams (Mixed Temperature, Humidity, Dew Point, Fog Risk)
Calculates the mixed state of two air streams, which this chapter shows lying on the straight line between them on the chart.
Used in Psychrometrics for HVAC and process air: humidity, dew point and the loads you cannot feel
Applies this method
Cooling Coil Load with Dehumidification (Psychrometric Balance, Condensate, Sensible Heat Ratio)
Calculates a cooling and dehumidifying coil’s total, sensible and latent load, condensate and sensible heat ratio from the air in and out.
Used in Psychrometrics for HVAC and process air: humidity, dew point and the loads you cannot feel
Applies this method
Darcy Pipe Pressure Drop
Calculates Darcy–Weisbach friction pressure drop and head loss in a straight pipe.
Used in Pipe flow, pressure drop and pump selection: getting fluid where it needs to go efficiently
Applies this method
Direct Evaporative Cooler Check (Wet-Bulb, Supply Temperature, Water Use, Cooling Capacity)
Calculates the leaving state of a direct evaporative cooler along the constant wet-bulb line the chapter describes.
Used in Psychrometrics for HVAC and process air: humidity, dew point and the loads you cannot feel, Passive and low-energy cooling for Australian workplaces: reduce the heat before you buy the cooling, HVAC for commercial and industrial buildings: loads, system choices, efficiency, controls and maintenance
Applies this method
Extraction Duct Check (Total Airflow, Duct Velocity, Friction Loss, Fan Pressure)
Checks an extraction duct: total airflow from the hoods, duct velocity, friction loss and fan pressure, the design steps this chapter describes.
Used in Fans and ductwork for ventilation and HVAC: fan curves, duct design, extraction and energy
Applies this method
Heating with Humidification (Heater Load, Water or Steam Needed, Equipment Check)
Sizes the heater and humidifier for the heating-and-humidification process on the chart.
Used in Psychrometrics for HVAC and process air: humidity, dew point and the loads you cannot feel
Applies this method
Pump Operating Point on the System Curve
Finds where a pump curve meets the system curve, the operating point this chapter explains.
Used in Pipe flow, pressure drop and pump selection: getting fluid where it needs to go efficiently
Applies this method
Pump Shaft Power
Calculates hydraulic and shaft power from flow, head, density and pump efficiency.
Used in Pipe flow, pressure drop and pump selection: getting fluid where it needs to go efficiently
Applies this method
Pump Suction Line Check (Friction Loss, NPSH Available, Lowest Liquid Level)
Checks a pump suction line for friction loss and NPSH available, the cavitation risk this chapter explains.
Used in Pipe flow, pressure drop and pump selection: getting fluid where it needs to go efficiently
Applies this method
Pumping System Design (Head, Power and NPSH)
Works through a simple pumping system: velocity, friction, total head, power and NPSH.
Used in Pipe flow, pressure drop and pump selection: getting fluid where it needs to go efficiently