HVAC Design & Controls A Complete Visual Field Guide

HVAC Design and Controls: A Visual Field Guide for Engineers and Technicians

Whether you are preparing for your first HVAC project or sharpening your controls knowledge on the job, this book delivers the complete picture -- from fundamental heat transfer principles to advanced BACnet sequences of operation -- in a format built for working professionals.

Unlike textbooks that stay in theory, this guide connects engineering concepts directly to real system design. Every chapter builds toward practical application, supported by 56 full-color technical illustrations drawn from field-tested designs.

What You Will Find Inside

• Heat transfer, sensible and latent loads, and psychrometrics explained clearly with worked examples
• Vapor-compression refrigeration cycles and refrigerant selection, including low-GWP alternatives
• Air distribution system design, duct sizing, and VAV system operation
• Hydronic system fundamentals, pump curves, and two-pipe versus four-pipe configurations
• PID control theory applied to HVAC -- proportional, integral, and derivative tuning explained in plain language
• BACnet protocols, network topologies, and Building Automation System architecture
• ASHRAE 62.1 ventilation, ASHRAE 90.1 energy efficiency, and Guideline 36 sequences of operation
• CO2-based demand-controlled ventilation design and control logic

56 Technical Illustrations

A dedicated visual reference section presents all 56 illustrations organized by system type -- residential split systems, commercial AHU and VAV configurations, industrial ventilation, chiller plants, BAS network diagrams, and control loop schematics. Each illustration is labeled and captioned for quick field reference.

6 Hands-On Design Projects

Work through complete design scenarios used by practicing engineers:

• Manual J residential load calculation
• Rooftop unit sequence of operations
• VAV with reheat trim-and-respond control
• Air-cooled chiller plant design
• DOAS with energy recovery for a gymnasium
• VRF system for a multi-zone office

Appendices

Full reference appendices cover psychrometric equations, refrigerant property tables, ASHRAE 62.1 ventilation rate tables, hydronic formulas, BACnet object types and priority arrays, a standards quick-reference guide, and a complete 35-term glossary.

Ideal For

• Mechanical and HVAC engineers early in their careers
• Controls technicians and BAS programmers
• Facility managers responsible for HVAC system performance
• Engineering students in mechanical or building systems programs
• Contractors preparing for PE licensure or professional certifications