Building Systems

Table of Contents

1:Air return:  As the starting point if the ventilation cycle , the return sucks air, returns draws it into the filter and passes it into the main system. They are generally located near the center of the homes.  Older and newer homes often have one register per floor, but homes built from 1960-1990 may have a cold return air vent in each room.  The high capacity and high efficiency furnaces allow the contractor to install fewer returns and still maintain efficient air return.

2: Filter: The second part of the air return through which the air is drawn. In addition, the air that is returned to the system will be filtered, lowering the amount of dust and dander that collects in the home and during a humid day in the summer, excess moisture will be removed before the air is returned to the home. After entering the vent, it works its way through a filter before it enters the heat exchanger or the cooling coils.  With heat pumps and air conditioning systems, this is of vital importance as the space between the fins on the coils is very small and dust from unfiltered air can quickly reduce the airflow through the coils and reduce efficiency.

3: Exhaust Outlets: The exhaust created by the heating system is expelled through the exhaust outlets

4: Ducts: Channels for heated or cooled air to pass through.

5: Electrical elements: The main electrical components in HVAC equipment are fan motors, compressors and devices like gas valves and solenoid valves. Switches and other control devices are also included.

6: Outdoor Unit: The outer covering that houses the fan and other parts .

7: Compressor: Part of the outdoor unit responsible for moving the refrigerant between the evaporator and condenser coils, ensuring that the refrigerant changes to gas or liquid as needed. You can think of the compressor as the heart of the air conditioning system and the refrigerant as the blood. To this end, the compressor pumps the refrigerant through the system to keep it alive and running properly.

8: Coils: Another part of the outdoor unit, coils cool the air as it passes through with a little help from the refrigerant.

The HVAC Evaporator Coil

Your evaporator coil is located indoors in line with the ductwork. Depending on whether you have your AC or furnace engaged, the evaporator either pulls heat from the existing air to cool it, or adds heat to the air to heat it. Refrigerant moves through the coil as air is pushed over it, resulting in cool or warm air that then is circulated through your house.

The HVAC Condenser Coil

 The condenser coil works to regulate the temperature of the refrigerant. The refrigerant circulates through the condenser coils and changes temperature before being sent back to the evaporator coil. Because this coil is located in your outdoor unit, the heat energy that transferred to the refrigerant in the evaporator coil can be released into the outdoor air.

9: Blower: The HVAC blower motor is the heating and cooling systems component that sends conditioned air from the furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner into the home. Once the system heats or cools the air, the blower motor forces it through the duct system and out the vents in rooms throughout the house.

Conveyance

A conveyor system is a common piece of mechanical handling equipment that moves materials from one location to another. Conveyors are especially useful in applications involving the transport of heavy or bulky materials. Conveyor systems allow quick and efficient transport for a wide variety of materials, which make them very popular in the material handling and packaging industries. They also have popular consumer applications, as they are often found in supermarkets and airports, constituting the final leg of item/ bag delivery to customers. Many kinds of conveying systems are available and are used according to the various needs of different industries. There are chain conveyors (floor and overhead) as well. Chain conveyors consist of enclosed tracks, I-Beam, towline, power & free, and hand pushed trolleys.

Elevators

An elevator or lift is a type of cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems such as a hoist, although some pump hydraulic fluid to raise a cylindrical piston like a jack.

In agriculture and manufacturing, an elevator is any type of conveyor device used to lift materials in a continuous stream into bins or silos. Several types exist, such as the chain and bucket elevator, grain auger screw conveyor using the principle of Archimedes' screw, or the chain and paddles or forks of hay elevators.

Some of the problems people with special needs experience while using elevators are:

• There is sometimes inadequate space inside the elevator cab
• Switches, buttons and control panel are out of reach
• Braille or audio signs are not used
• Entry doors are too narrow or opening time interval is insufficient

Main design principles for elevators:

• An accessible elevator should serve all public floors
• A key-operated elevator should always have an operator present
• Wide elevator cabs are better suited than long ones
• Minimum internal cab dimensions for a single wheelchair user should be 1.00 m x 1.30 m, and minimum door opening should be 0.8 m.
• There should be a handrail 0.8 m high on three sides of the cab
• The control panel should be mounted at a minimum distance of 0.50 m from the corner to be conveniently accessible for wheelchair users. It should be mounted 0.90 m to 1.20 m above the floor level.
• Control buttons should be illuminated, and numerals on the floor select buttons should be embossed to be easily identifiable for visually impaired
• Tactile numerals should be placed on both sides of door jams 1.50 m high for visually impaired people to identify the floor level
• The door opening interval should be no less than 5 seconds
• Audio and visual signals should be provided to help visually impaired and hearing impaired respectively identify the number of the floor reached
• The floor of the elevator and the area in front should have a non-skid resilient surface
• The color of the door should contrast with the surrounding surface so as to be easily distinguishable by persons with visual impairment

Escalators

An escalator is a moving staircase with steps that carry people up or down using a conveyor belt and tracks, keeping each step horizontal for the passengers.  It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks .They have the capacity to move large numbers of people. They can be placed in the same physical space as a staircase. They have no waiting interval (except during very heavy traffic). They can be used to guide people toward main exits or special exhibits. They may be weatherproofed for outdoor use. A nonfunctional escalator can function as a normal staircase, whereas many other methods of transport become useless when they break down or lose power.

Design and Layout Considerations:

A number of factors affect escalator design, including physical requirements, location, traffic patterns, safety considerations, and aesthetic preferences. Foremost, physical factors like the vertical and horizontal distance to be spanned must be considered. These factors will determine the length and pitch of the escalator. The building infrastructure must be able to support the heavy components. The escalator should be located where it can be easily seen by the general public. In department stores, customers should be able to view the merchandise easily. Furthermore, up and down escalator traffic should be physically separated and should not lead into confined spaces.
Traffic patterns must also be anticipated. In some buildings, the objective is simply to move people from one floor to another, but in others there may be a more specific requirement, such as funneling visitors towards a main exit or exhibit. The escalators must be designed to carry the required number of passengers. For example, a single-width escalator traveling at about 1.5 feet (0.5 m) per second can move about 2000 people per hour. The carrying capacity of an escalator system must match the expected peak traffic demand, presuming that passengers ride single file. This is crucial if there are sudden increases in the number of riders. For example, escalators at stations must be designed to cater for the peak traffic flow discharged from a train, without causing excessive bunching at the escalator entrance.

References

[1] “What is HVAC System and How Does it Work?: Brennan Heating,” "Brennan Heating & Air Conditioning", 07-Jan-2019. [Online]. Available: https://brennanheating.com/how-does-hvac-system-work/ [Accessed: 08-Jul-2021].

[2] “What Does an HVAC Blower Motor Do (Why It's a Big Deal): Sanborn's ,” "Sanborn's AC:"24-Oct-2019. [Online]. Available: https://sanbornsac.com/what-does-hvac-blower-motor-do/ [Accessed: 08-Jul-2021].

[3] “5 Important Things to Know About Your Air Conditioner Compressor ,” "Griffith Energy Services"25-Jul-2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.griffithenergyservices.com/articles/5-important-things-know-air-conditioner-compressor#:~:text=The%20compressor%20is%20responsible%20for,the%20refrigerant%20as%20the%20blood. [Accessed: 08-Jul-2021].

[4] “Plumbing basics ,” "HowStuffWorks", 02-May-2006. [Online]. Available: https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/plumbing/plumbing-basics-ga.htm [Accessed: 08-Jul-2021].

[5] “Plumbing ,” "Wikipedia"26-May-2021. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumbing [Accessed: 09-Jul-2021].

[6] “The Escalator Was Once an Amusement Park Ride ,” "ThoughtCo"22-April-2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-escalator-4072151 [Accessed: 14-Jul-2021].

[7] “Escalator,” "Wikipedia"11-July-2021. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escalator [Accessed: 14-Jul-2021].

[8] “Elevator,” "Wikipedia"13-July-2021. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevator [Accessed: 14-Jul-2021].

[9] “Design, components, and operation,” "Design, components, and operation"03-Oct-2014. [Online]. Available: http://escalaupd.blogspot.com/2014/10/design-components-and-operation.html [Accessed: 23-Jul-2021].

[7] “Main design considerations for accessible buildings: Ramps and elevators,” "Bringing Designs to life"04-Jan-2019. [Online]. Available: http://nirman.com/blog/2019/01/04/main-design-considerations-for-accessible-buildings-ramps-and-elevators/ [Accessed: 23-Jul-2021

Contributors: