Mastering the fundamentals and basic concepts of HVAC is necessary for individuals involved in the design, operation, and maintenance of HVAC systems. This course provides an understanding of the basic concepts of HVAC systems covering fundamentals of refrigeration, heat transfer, and psychometrics, HVAC equipment and system selection, comfort, cooling and heating load calculations, design of air and water distribution systems, controls, energy costs and economics. All topics are introduced at a level suitable for individuals who have little background in the subject. The course comprises lectures and hands-on workshops. Through a set of case studies, in each workshop you learn the use of useful computer programs that incorporate design, sizing, and equipment selection procedures.

Objectives

• To provide good understanding of the fundamentals and basic concepts of HVAC systems.
• To provide information on design, energy demand and economic evaluation of HVAC systems.
• To proved hands-on experience in the use of a set of useful design and sizing computational tools.

Who should attend?

• New HVAC engineers or engineers moving into the HVAC field who did not complete an HVAC course during their undergraduate program.
• Non-Engineering professionals with strong building-related experience.
• Maintenance and operation personnel.
• Technical personnel who need to upgrade/refresh their current knowledge of HVAC systems.

Program Outline

DAY 1

• Fundamentals of Refrigeration
  • The refrigeration cycle
  • The ideal and real vapour compression cycles.
  • Compressors
  • Controls devices
  • Refrigerants –types, properties, and the refrigerant chart.

• Fundamentals of Heat Transfer
  • Heat transfer modes (conduction, convection, and radiation)
  • Combined heat transfer
  • Basics of heat exchangers

• Fundamentals of Psyhcrometry
  • Properties of moist air
  • The Psychrometric chart
  • Representation and calculations of HVAC processes.
  • By-pass factor and apparatus dew point.
  • Workshop I –The Psychrometric processes computer program:
    • Case study 1 –Sizing a heat recovery units
    • Case study 2 –Sizing a heating and humidification unit.
    • Case study 3 –Sizing a cooling coil unit.

• HVAC Equipment and System Selection
  • Unitary package equipment.
  • Unitary split system equipment.
  • Ground-source and water-loop heat pumps.
  • Chilled water systems.
  • Selection procedure for chilled water coils, air conditioners, and heat pumps.
  • Selection procedures for unitary heat pumps and furnaces.
  • Cooling towers
  • Economizers.
  • Workshop II
    • Case study 1 - Selection of Air-Conditioners and Air-to-Air Heat Pumps.
    • Case study 2 –Selection of Air-Conditioners and Air-to-Air Heat Pumps

DAY 2

• Comfort and Climate Data
  • Thermal comfort
  • Indoor air quality
  • calculation of required ventilation rates
  • Dedicated ventilation air system
  • Multiple-zone re-circulating system
  • Climate data

• Heat Flow in Buildings
  • Thermal Properties of Building materials
  • Building heat transfer characteristics
  • Heat through duct work
  • Infiltration
  • Moisture control and migration

• Cooling and Heating Load Calculation
  • Load calculation methods.
  • Load calculation pshychrometrics
  • Internal heat gains
  • Heat loss calculations
  • Cooling load calculation using a modified CLTD/CLF method
  • Workshop III -Load calculation of a multi-zone system using the Heating &

 Cooling Load Calculation Program - CLTD/CLF/SCL Method.

DAY 3

• Design of Air Distribution Systems
  • Space air diffusion
  • Filtration
  • Design considerations and air duct systems
  • Duct layout and sizing
  • Fans, fan laws, and flow control methods
  • System curve and fan selection
  • Design of fan-duct interface
  • Workshop IV - Design of a duct system using the Equal Friction Computer

 Program.

• Design of Water Distribution Systems
  • Piping loop systems
  • Head loss characteristics
  • Design methods
  • Piping layout and sizing
  • System head and pump selection
  • Workshop V -Design of a piping loop using the piping design computer program.

• Controls
  • HVAC control component and circuits
  • Unitary controls and circuits
  • Central HVAC system controls

• Energy, Costs, and Economics
  • Low- and high- efficiency HVAC system demand calculations.
  • Energy consumption and cost calculations.
  • Maintenance and replacement costs
  • System Installation Costs.
  • Case study –calculation of duct cost using duct cost program.
  • Engineering economics and HVAC
  • Discounted economic analysis.

Achieve the following learning outcomes:

Understand key concepts of the design and operation of HVAC systems.
Gain hands-on experience of many systematic procedures for equipment selection, sizing, and design of air and water systems.
Become familiar with energy demand, costs, and economic analysis of HVAC systems.

Daily Schedule:

8:00     Registration and coffee (first day only)
8:30     Session begins
4:30     Adjournment

Instructor:

Dr. M. S. Hamed, P.Eng., is an Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the founding director of the Thermal Processing Laboratory (TPL) at McMaster University.   Dr. Hamed has 24 years of industrial experience in the field of thermal engineering, five years of which as Director of Research and Product Development in Canada. Dr. Hamed has presented numerous seminars in the field of HVAC and Technology-based Energy Management. He has served as a consultant in many projects in Canada and abroad.   His industrial experience includes design, sizing, process development, troubleshooting, and maintenance of domestic and industrial HVAC systems, air washers, cooling towers, heat exchangers, water, oil, stream and gas piping systems, various types of metal heat treating furnaces, fluidized beds, liquid and gas quench systems, solid-gas separation systems, and furnace atmosphere generators.   He is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario and a member of various professional associations such as ASHRAE, ASM International, TMS, CSME, CFD Society of Canada, ASME, and a senior member of SME