Print this page HVAC - Overview of Space Heating Systems
A. Bhatia, B.E.
Course Outline
Every type of heating
system has its strength. Depending on the level of comfort and the operating
costs, you'll need to choose the style of system that integrates best with your
facility requirements. There are almost endless variations and combinations
that can be utilized to create the best system; it's simply a matter of determining
your needs and researching the best options with expert industry professionals
to develop the best strategy for you.
This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to
enhance the understanding of the course materials.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, you will:
- Understand how heat loss occurs and what factors affect rate of heat loss;
- Be able to estimate the heating load, annual energy usage rate and equipment sizing;
- Be aware of the primary energy sources and make the comparative analysis;
- Understand the pros & cons of various heating options and be able to rank the various systems;
- Know the convective and radiative heat transfer principles;
- Know the difference between combustion, thermal & distribution efficiency;
- Be able to compare among the gas fired and fuel oil fired furnaces;
- Understand the design concepts behind the hot water heating systems;
- Know the various type of electric resistance and heat pump systems;
- Be able to apply energy conservation techniques;
- Understand various statutory code requirements; and
- Understand the
comparison of various heating options and be able to select appropriate system
for your building application.
This course is aimed at students, mechanical and HVAC engineers, architects, building designers, health & safety engineers, energy auditors, occupational physicians, industrial hygienists, facility managers and general audience.
Course Introduction
In this course,
we will categorize heating systems in several ways. First we will consider where
the primary energy comes from. Then we will compare the various options and
discuss the variety of ways used to deliver heat within the space and finally,
some general guidelines on the energy conservation and application strategies
for various buildings. The course is divided in five sections:
Section # 1 Basics of Heat Loss
Section # 2 Application Considerations for Various Options
Section # 3 Gas & Oil Fired Space Heating Systems
Section # 4 Hot Water Heating Systems
Section # 5 Electrical Heating Systems
Annexure # 1 Heating Equipment Characteristics
Annexure # 2 Summary Application Guidelines for Various Options
Annexure # 3 Energy Conservation & Load Reduction Strategies
Annexure # 4 Typical Requirements & Std. Specifications for Boiler Hydronic
System
The course reviews
the above criteria in detail and is followed by course summary and multiple
- choice quiz at the end.
Course Content
The course content is in a PDF file HVAC - Overview of Space Heating Systems. You need to open or download this document to study this course.
Course Summary
There are two different
but related values of interest to the heating system designer. First, providing
comfort and secondly, to properly select and size the appropriate heating equipment.
This requires estimating the annual energy requirements and then analyzing the
operating dollar expenses on prevailing fuel costs. Note that the fuel price
alone is not the sole measure for selecting a heating system. The broad comparisons
on the choice of a heating system is based on various system characteristics
such as equipment costs, equipment efficiency, fuel source availability, required
system capacity, fuel energy content in millions Btu per unit, environmental
impact and heat response or recovery.
The natural gas heating systems are the most effective systems where this is
available. The natural gas systems have high efficiencies, low fuel costs, low
environmental impacts, quick heat response and are relatively safe. It is clean
burning, easy to use, and often the lowest cost per delivered energy.
Oil furnaces are favorable alternative to electricity in colder climate. These
deliver warm comfortable heat delivered to spaces and are available in upflow,
downflow and horizontal configurations.
Electric resistance furnaces are convenient to use, require small space and
are available in many sizes in small increments of 2kW. This allows selection
that closely matches to the loads. The drawback however is that it is costly
to operate.
Heat pump units are efficient alternate to the electric resistance heating.
These require small space similar to electric furnace but are much more efficient.
These are best suited where both cooling and heating is desired. The drawback
is that the heat pump units are least efficient when outdoor is coldest and
sometimes a standby electric resistance heating is added for such periods.
The hot water circulation through a heat exchanger are particularly popular
for large facilities such as residential complexes and commercial establishments,
especially when viewed as one common system for domestic hot water supply and
building heating system supply.
Each of the heating options have plus and minuses. A general understanding of
heating system can help you make informed decisions for your application.
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
