MECHENG 715 : Building Services
Engineering
2021 Semester Two (1215) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
- Course overview, aims and objectives. (1 hr)
- Revision and Basic Theory (2 hrs)
- Hot water heating system, pipe flow and pipe sizing (3 hrs)
- HVAC systems, air distribution and duct sizing (3 hrs)
- Pumps and fans (5 hrs)
- Control systems and strategies (4 hrs)
- Natural ventilation (If time permits)
- Buildings, human comfort, health, cost and environment (2 hrs)
- Psychrometry (2 hrs)
- Space heating and cooling systems: air-conditioners, chillers, cooling towers, heat pumps, heaters, thermal loads (5 hrs)
- Refrigeration cycles (4 hrs)
- Insulation, humidity (2 hrs)
- Energy and cost analysis (3 hrs)
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 2: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 3: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 4: | Communication and Engagement |
| Capability 5: | Independence and Integrity |
| Capability 6: | Social and Environmental Responsibilities |
Learning Outcomes
- Understand and analyse the types of HVAC systems. Able to carry out preliminary design and sizing of any duct network for an HVAC (or fluid transfer) system. (Capability 1.1, 2.1 and 3.1)
- Analyse and calculate calculate the pressure losses in pipe networks and hence specify pipe or duct sizes or the fan or pump specifications. (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 3.2)
- Understand and apply knowledge of to determine the most appropriate type of fan or pump for a particular application. Able to determine pump or fan performance. (Capability 1.1 and 3.1)
- Understand, analyse and apply different control strategies and how they affect system behaviour. Able to choose an appropriate control strategy for a particular situation. (Capability 1.1, 2.1 and 3.1)
- Understand, evaluate and apply the basics of human comfort and its relationship to human health. Understand the basics of cost constraint and the environmental impact factors in modern building services design. (Capability 1.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 6.1 and 6.2)
- Describe, calculate and consider thermodynamic properties of moist air and use these in the analysis of HVAC systems. (Capability 1.1, 2.1 and 3.1)
- Describe, analyse and consider typical refrigeration systems. (Capability 1.1, 5.1 and 6.1)
- Explain and analyse typical air conditioners, chillers, cooling towers, heat pumps and heaters. Able to calculate the thermal loads of a space. (Capability 1.1, 2.1 and 3.2)
- Explain, analyse and critically evaluate insulation and humidity control devices. Able to analyse and propose saving methods of energy usage and costs of building services. (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 3.2, 4.3, 5.1, 6.1 and 6.2)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | 20% | Individual Coursework |
| Laboratories | 30% | Individual Coursework |
| Final Exam | 50% | Individual Coursework |
| 3 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| Quizzes | ||||||||||
| Laboratories | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 36 hours of lectures, 74 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 40 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is required at scheduled activities including labs to complete/receive credit for components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials/labs may not be available as recordings.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
- Y A Cengel & M A Boles, Thermodynamics: An engineering approach, 6th Ed., McGraw Hill, 2008.
- D V Chadderton, Building Services Engineering, 6th Ed., Routledge, 2013.
- T L Bergman, A S Lavine, F P Incropera and D P DeWitt, Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, 7th Ed., Wiley, 2011.
- F M White, Fluid Mechanics, 8th Ed. in SI units, McGraw-Hill, 2016.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Digital Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.