Basic HVAC Processes
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Explain the basic principles of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration.
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Sensible Heating or Cooling:
A psychrometric process that involves the increase or decrease in the temperature of air without changing its humidity ratio.
\[\dot{Q} = \dot{m_a}(h_2-h_1)\]
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Heating and Humidifying:
A psychrometric process that involves the simultaneous increase in both the dry bulb temperature and humidity ratio of the air.
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Adiabatic or Evaporative Cooling:
A psychrometric process that involves the cooling of air without heat loss or gain. Sensible heat lost by the air is converted to latent heat in the added water vapor.
Here, the wet bulb temperature, \(T_{WB}\) remains constant. \[h_2 = h_1 + h_3(\omega_2 - \omega_1)\] \[\dot{m_w} = \dot{m_a}(\omega_2 - \omega_1)\] \[h_3 = h_f \ at \ T_{WB}\]
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Adiabatic Mixing of Moist Air Stream:
A psychrometric process that involves no net heat loss or gain during the mixing of two air streams.
\[\dot{m_{a3}} = \dot{m_{a1}} + \dot{m_{a2}}\] \[h_3 = \dfrac{\dot{m_{a1}}h_1 + \dot{m_{a2}}h_2}{\dot{m_{a3}}}\] \[\omega_3 = \dfrac{\dot{m_{a1}}\omega_1 + \dot{m_{a2}}\omega_2}{\dot{m_{a3}}}\] distance \(\bar{13}\) = \(\dfrac{\dot{m_{a2}}}{\dot{m_{a3}}}\) \(\times\) distance \(\bar{12}\) measured on the psychrometric chart