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Overview

Course Prescription

Principles and practice of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R), psychrometry, heating/cooling loads, mass transfer and air quality, refrigeration/heat pump systems, cooling towers, pumps, fans, valves, pipes and ducts.

Course Overview

Principles and practice of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R), psychrometry, heating/cooling loads, mass transfer and air quality, refrigeration/heat pump systems, cooling towers, pumps, fans, valves, pipes and ducts.

The student should have completed courses covering Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics to be able to undertake this course.


Key Topics

A selection of topics from:

  1. Course overview, aims and objectives.
  2. Revision and Basic Theory
  3. Hot water heating system, pipe flow and pipe sizing
  4. HVAC systems, air distribution and duct sizing
  5. Pumps and fans (Covered through a laboratory exercise)
  6. Hydronic control systems and strategies (Neither covered in lectures nor assessed, but notes provided for interest)
  7. Buildings, human / thermal comfort, health, cost and environment
  8. Psychrometry
  9. Space heating and cooling systems: air-conditioners, chillers, cooling towers, heat pumps, heaters, thermal loads
  10. HVAC Design - Air conditioning (heating/cooling load) estimation, indoor and outdoor design conditions, supply conditions system design
  11. Sustainability, energy conservation, Insulation, etc. (Guest Lecture - Engineer from Industry e.g. BECA)
  12. Energy and cost analysis, project economics (Guest Lecture - Engineer from Industry e.g. BECA)
  13. Fire suppression engineering (Guest Lecture - Engineer from Industry e.g. BECA, if time permits)
  14. Any other contemporary topic(s) relevant to HVACR

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend at least 10 hours per week in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in. This equates to a total of at least, 150 hours.

For this course, you can expect up to 30 hours of lectures, 30 hours of pre-lecture readings / viewing videos, and 90 hours of reading and thinking about the content, preparations for assessment work, assessment / design / studio / survey sessions / project work completion.

Course Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

Prerequisite

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
City

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including labs and project studio and assessment sessions to complete/receive credit for components of the course. Lecture notes will be available in electronic form. Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials/labs may not be available as recordings. The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Face to face lectures / discussion sessions

Pre-lecture readings and viewing of video recordings

Project / design / learning sessions (face-to-face and / or online)

Research, individual and group, and the use of AI tools

Guest lectures (presentations from practicing engineers)

Site visits (if possible)

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Additional Information on Learning Resources

Recommended Reading:

  1. Y A Cengel & M A Boles, Thermodynamics: An engineering approach, 6th Ed., McGraw Hill, 2008. 
  2. D V Chadderton, Building Services Engineering, 6th Ed., Routledge, 2013.
  3. T L Bergman, A S Lavine, F P Incropera and D P DeWitt, Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, 7th Ed., Wiley, 2011.
  4. F M White, Fluid Mechanics, 8th Ed. in SI units, McGraw-Hill, 2016.
  5. ASHRAE and / or CIBSE Handbooks (relevant sections)
  6. CARRIER Book
  7. New Zealand, Australian (or Joint) Standards, Etc.
  8. Other online resources, digital databases, etc.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Health and Safety

The risk levels for performing the tasks associated with the scheduled labs are estimated to be low. The labs are conducted in the MDLS spaces in the Faculty of Engineering, and completion of a safety induction is mandatory to gain access.

Students must ensure they are familiar with their Health and Safety responsibilities, as described in the university's Health and Safety policy.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Other Information

Canvas AND / OR MS Teams will be used for sharing Project related literature and resources, as well as student / group submissions for formative assessment.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Additional Information on Assessment

A passing mark is 50% or higher, according to University policy.

Late submission penalties will be applied as stated on Canvas.

Assessment includes:

  • 2 x in-person quizzes (15% each), with multiple choice questions.
  • 2 x laboratories (10% each), each conducted in groups, but based on individual report submission. Lab attendance is mandatory, to earn any marks for these.
  • 1 x project (50%), conducted in groups, and assessment is based on individual contribution as well as group work. The student must attain a pass mark in the project, to pass the course. Furthermore, attendance is MANDATORY at learning / design studio sessions, formative assessment sessions / presentations, site visits for survey(s), and any other components / sessions as advised at the commencement of the project - and may carry marks for the course.

Special Requirements

Attendance is mandatory, and will carry assessment marks, for the following:

  1. Laboratory exercises (there are 2 labs in this course)
  2. Designated project learning-design studio sessions, survey and site visits are mandatory and will carry assessment marks.
  3. Formative project assessment sessions will be mandatory and will carry assessment marks.

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type12345678910

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

2025 offering moved away from a final exam, to a 50% worth HVAC System Design Project.

Overall, the students liked the course, especially the project, however commented on challenges and made suggestions for improvements related to organization, etc.

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor. Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.