This module introduces the student to key principles of electro-technology, electronics and measurement that are relevant for Building Services engineers.
The aim of this module is to provide the student with fundamental knowledge of the following areas with respect to building services engineering systems;
• Electrical motors and drives,
• Electrical supply tariffs for buildings,
• Measurement and instrumentation for temperature, humidity, pressure, flowrate, speed current and voltage, electronics and programmable logic controllers.
Measurement and Instrumentation
• Humidity measurement and instrumentation.
• Absolute and gauge pressure, the barometer, bourdon gauges, u-tubes, diaphragm gauges.
• Fluid flow Measurement. Differential pressure flowmeters; Venturi, pitot, elbow. Positive displacement flowmeters.
• Ultrasonic flowmeters: Doppler and transit time.
• Measurement and instrumentation for speed, current and voltage
Motors and Drives
• Types of motors and their application in HVAC. Determination of running and starting currents. Motor starters, controllers and drives. High efficiency, ECM motors.
Electronics
• The solid state and semiconductor properties.
• The formation and modes of operation of the PN junction.
• PN junction diodes and their applications. The use of diodes in rectification.
Transistors
• The principles of operation of bipolar junction and field effect transistors.
• Simple transistor circuits.
• Amplifiers.
• Noise and filtering circuits.
Boolean Logic
• Number bases, binary, octal and hexadecimal.
• The laws of Boolean algebra.
• Simplification using Boolean theorems, including de Morgan’s, and the implementation of simplified logic circuits using logic gates.
Microprocessors and PLCs
• Microprocessors and Programmable logic controllers, their application in building services engineering systems controls systems.
This module will be delivered as a series of lectures, tutorials, self-directed problem-solving and complementary laboratory sessions.
| Module Content & Assessment | |
|---|---|
| Assessment Breakdown | % |
| Formal Examination | 80 |
| Other Assessment(s) | 20 |