Thermal and HVAC Flashcards
Cooling/Heating Degree Days
The number of degrees that a day’s average temperature is above/below 65 degrees F, which is the temperature above/below which buildings need to be cooled/heated
Enthalpy
Total amount of sensible and latent heat in the air-moisture mixture. Use enthalpy line on psychometric chart to determine the amount of heat to be removed or added from conditioned air for thermal comfort.
Describe psychometric chart
Dry bulb - bottom Wet bulb - left Relative humidity - curves Enthalpy - far left Comfort zone in middle left Hot Arid - bottom right Hot Humid - top right
Conductance
(C) The rate at which heat passes through a heterogeneous material or material of any given size. If heat moves quickly, it is an conductor. If it moves slowly, it is an insulator. ex. CMU block (composite of air and concrete)
Resistance
(R) Inverse of conductance. 1/C = R
High resistance means it is a good insulator.
R = r x d (depth of material)
aka R Value of a material
U-Value
Thermal transmittance of a material. U = 1 / (R1 + R2 + R3 +R4…)
Conduction
Heat Exchange between two objects which are in contact (ex. elbow on a table: heat transfer is a function of U value of shirt sleeve, area of elbow and temperature difference between elbow and table)
Q (in BTU, rate of heat exhange per hour) = U value x Area x Temp difference
Outdoor Design Temperature
Worst case scenario temperature to design HVAC system around
R-Value
Resistance: # of hours needed for 1 BTU to pass through a material of a given thickness when the temperature differential is 1 degree F.
Air changes per hour
Number of times the air enters and exits a room from the HVAC system in one hour.
AC/Hr = (CFM x 60min) / Volume of room
4 ways the body can lose heat
convection, radiation, evaporation and conduction (must lose heat one way or the other ex. little evaporation happens at low temps, little convection or radiation happens at high temps)
Effective Temperature
(ET) combines the effects of air temperature, humidity and air movement (air movement increases evaporation and heat loss through convection)
Relative Humidity
Ratio of the percentage of moisture in the air to the maximum amount of moisture that the air can hold given a certain temperature without condensing. Cold air can hold less moisture than warm air so it has a higher RH. Comfortable range: 30-65%. Tolerable range: 20-70%.
See Amber video Enclosure 12.3
Emissivity
The measure of an object’s ability to absorb and then radiate heat. Shiny materials have low emissivity. High = better ability to radiate heat. White or light colored roofs have high emissivity,
Mean Radiant Temperature
(MRT) Weighted average of the various surface temperatures in a room and the angle of exposure of the occupant to these surfaces, as well as any sunlight present.
Mean Radiant Temperature
(MRT) Weighted average of the various surface temperatures in a room and the angle of exposure of the occupant to these surfaces, as well as any sunlight present. Important for thermal comfort in winter - rooms with cold surfaces will feel colder even if air temp is comfortable. Warming the surfaces and providing radiant heating panels will help.
Operative Temperature
Average of air temperature of a space and MRT of the space. Measured with black-globe thermometer which is a thermometer in a black globe. Used by athletes and the military to determine appropriate temperatures for exercising.
Operative Temperature
Average of air temperature of a space and MRT of the space. Measured with black-globe thermometer which is a thermometer in a black globe. Used by athletes and the military to determine appropriate temperatures for exercising.
Natural ventilation requirements
4% of floor area being ventilated
Mechanical ventilation requirements
Supply must be approximately equal to return (exceptions: hospitals and stair towers need positive pressure). IMC: Amount of outdoor air brought in depends on use, occupancy classification and occupant density (not the same occupancy classifications as IBC)
Thermal gradiant
Shows variance in temperature through a cross-section of a construction assembly. Helps determine where to plae vapor barrier to ensure it is on the warm side of the assembly (depending on the climate).