ABSTRACT
The important thermodynamic properties and a basic statement of the two laws of thermodynamics were presented in Chapter 2. That material was adequate for the first 10 chapters of this book dealing with building loads. However, analysis of HVAC equipment and systems requires more in-depth understanding of thermodynamic and heat transfer principles. This chapter reviews some of the relevant topics that will aid in better appreciation of the remainder of the equipment-related chapters of this book. Specifically, we start by presenting different types of thermodynamic processes along with applications of the first law to closed and open processes (relevant to boilers, turbines, etc.). Next, we introduce the second law as applied to ideal power cycles, namely, the power, refrigeration, and heat pump cycles. This is followed by a treatment of phase diagrams and tabular data for determining state properties of pure substances, and an introduction to the characteristics of homogeneous binary mixtures. We then cover important dimensionless numbers (such as Reynolds, Nusselt, Prandtl, and Rayleigh) and appropriate heat transfer correlations meant to be applied under different flow regimes and common geometries. Finally, we present a basic introduction to the thermal performance of the ubiquitous heat exchanger, and discuss two general analysis and design approaches, the LMTD method and the effectiveness-NTU method.
