Basic Principles of a HVAC system

A good knowledge of HVAC basics is essential when it comes to upgrading or installing ventilation systems. In this
article, our aim is to help you understand these simple yet useful concepts.

What exactly is HVAC?

HVAC is an acronym for Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning. It can also be thought of as a climate-control
mechanism to ensure that humidity and temperature are properly regulated in a living environment. A basic
knowledge of HVAC systemsincludes the principles of system operations, an understanding of the factors that
determine the capacity of the equipment and also the various components that make up a HVAC system.

Basic Principles:

The following factors determine the capacity of HVAC system required:

Heating: The amount of thermal energy that needs to be added to the space.
Cooling: Thermal energy will sometimes need to be removed from a particular space in order to bring the
temperature down.
Humidifying: This refers to the process of increasing the relative humidity through the addition of water vapor
into the system.
Dehumidifying: Process of removing water vapor from the given space.
Cleaning: Purifying the air by the removal of dust, smoke, pollen and other pollutants.
Air Movement: Ensuring that there is ample movement of air to keep the inhabitants comfortable.
A chart known as the Psychometric chart is very useful in understanding how these different factors interact with
each other. This chart is integral in performing the calculations that determine the type of system required.

Removal of Heat form an HVAC system:

There are many methods to remove heat form a building. It is a common misconception that air conditioners are the
only option. A heat pump can also be used which offers many advantages to a traditional AC. The different types of
ACs that can be used are direct expansion, chilled water, split and window.

Components of an HVAC system

There are three main components to any HVAC system. These are the air handler, heating & cooling system and
the heat exchanger. A furnace of some sort is usually used as the basic heating component. The air conditioning
system will be slightly more advanced with a number of smaller sub-components.
Heat exchangers come in a number of different types and models. The design depends on the application of the heat
exchanger. The basic functioning is that of exchanging heat between two fluids without their mixing.

The role of refrigerants

The refrigerant gas is the most important part of an air conditioning system. Most ACs work on the principles of
compression and expansion of the refrigerant. The gas becomes very cold when it is compressed. Then it is sprayed
on to the walls of the heat exchanger. R-12 is the primary refrigerant used in air conditioning. Recently though it is
being phased out in favor of the R-34a.

This is just a basic overview of the many different components of a HVAC system. As you can imagine, the subject
goes into far more depth and detail. However this should be a good starting point for any aspiring engineer.