What Does HVAC Stand For and What Is Its Purpose?
February 11th, 2010 | 
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HVAC stands for Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning.
Heating
There are different types of standard heating systems. Central heating is often used in cold climates to heat private houses and public buildings. Such a system contains a boiler, furnace, or heat pump to heat water, steam, or air, all in a central location such as a furnace room in a home or a mechanical room in a large building. The system also contains either ductwork for forced air systems or piping to distribute a heated fluid and radiators to transfer this heat to the air. The term radiator in this context is misleading since most heat transfer from the heat exchanger is by convection, not radiation. The radiators may be mounted on walls or buried in the floor to give under-floor heat.
In boiler-fed or radiant heating systems, all but the simplest systems have a pump to circulate the water and ensure an equal supply of heat to all the radiators. The heated water can also be fed through another (secondary) heat exchanger inside a storage cylinder to provide hot running water.
Forced Air Systems send heated air through ductwork. During warm weather the same ductwork can be used for air conditioning. The forced air can also be filtered or put through air cleaners. Heating can also be provided from electric or resistance heating using a filament that becomes hot when electricity is caused to pass through it. This type of heat can be found in electric baseboard heaters, portable electric heaters, and as backup or supplemental heating for a heat pump system.
Ventilating
Ventilating is the process of replacing air in any space to control temperature or remove moisture, odors, smoke, heat, dust, and airborne bacteria. Ventilation includes both the exchange of air to the outside and circulation of air within the building. It is one of the most important factors for maintaining acceptable indoor air quality in buildings. Methods for ventilating a building include mechanical/forced and natural types. Ventilation is used to remove unpleasant smells and excessive moisture, introduce outside air, and to keep interior building air circulating to prevent its stagnation.
Air Conditioning
An air-conditioning system or a standalone air conditioner provides cooling, ventilation, and humidity control for all or part of a house or building. The refrigerant cycle consists of four essential elements to create a cooling effect. A compressor provides compression for the system. The compressed vapor is then cooled by heat exchange with the outside air so that the vapor condenses to a fluid in the condenser. The fluid is then pumped to the inside of the building, where it enters an evaporator. In this evaporator, the pressure drops and the fluid evaporates. Since the evaporation absorbs heat from the surroundings, the surroundings cool off, and thus the evaporator absorbs or adds heat to the system. The vapor is then returned to the compressor. A metering device acts as a restriction in the system at the evaporator to ensure that the heat being absorbed by the system is absorbed at the proper rate.
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