Air Conditioning Laboratory Unit A660
Air Conditioning Laboratory Unit A660
Air Conditioning Laboratory Unit A660
Hilton Ltd
High accuracy wet and dry bulb sensors before and after each
process to determine air condition.
Page 1
Edition 3
P.A. Hilton Ltd
Introduction
The range of temperature, humidity and air movement which the majority of individuals regard as comfortable is
extremely narrow. It is therefore increasingly common for close controlled air conditioning to be applied to new
and refurbished buildings and transport facilities.
This increasing use of air conditioning, if not carefully designed, installed and maintained could be a major
contributor to the causes of global warming.
Therefore student engineers training for careers involved in the design, operation or servicing of air conditioning
plant must be completely familiar with the processes occurring between air inlet and its discharge to the
conditioned space.
The new Hilton Air Conditioning Laboratory Unit A660 is an expandable teaching and experimental unit that
enables students to investigate the basic air conditioning processes of heating, cooling, humidification, de-
humidification and air movement that are of fundamental importance to undergraduate engineers.
The addition of optional upgrades, which may be added at any stage in the units extensive life, allow students to
investigate air re-circulation and mixing, computer monitoring, dynamic humidity and temperature control and the
environmental control of a test chamber.
Experimental Capabilities
Air conditioning laboratory Unit A660
Demonstration of the processes and components used in heating, cooling, humidification, de-humidification
of an airstream.
Measurement of air psychrometric condition before and after humidification, heating, de-humidification /
cooling using pairs of precision wet and dry bulb sensors.
Determination of a heat and mass balance across each process resulting in heating, cooling and humidity
change using the instrumentation fitted.
Construction of a complete refrigeration cycle diagram for the air-cooling plant plus an energy balance
between the refrigeration circuit and the change in air enthalpy and its mass flow across the evaporator.
Investigation of the volumetirc efficiency of the refrigeration compressor under varying load.
Determination of the specific heat capacity of air, by measurement of the change in psychrometric condition
across a heating or cooling process.
Digital Temperature Upgrade A660A Allows all of the above experiments with all temperatures displayed on a
single switched digital temperature indicator to 0.1°C resolution.
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Edition 3
P.A. Hilton Ltd
Description
A complete, upgradeable, instrumented air conditioning laboratory unit mounted on a steel frame and castor
wheels. Upgrades may be added at any stage in the unit’s long life to spread the investment costs.
The base unit comprises a variable speed radial acting axial flow fan discharging into a 250mm square duct with
steam humidifier, electrical pre-heaters, direct expansion cooling coil/de-humidifier, electrical re-heaters and
orifice plate for airflow measurement. Air-cooling is provided by vapour compression refrigeration system with
pressure, temperature and refrigerant flow measurement. This allows the construction of a full cycle diagram and
the balancing of refrigerant system energy balance against the airside energy transfer.
Air condition is recorded before and after each process using precision wet and dry bulb thermometers.
Instrumentation allows the electrical power to each resistive load to be measured and balanced against the air
enthalpy change and mass flow.
Addition of the Digital Temperature Upgrade A660A gives all system temperatures on a single switched digital
temperature indicator to 0.1 C resolutions.
Addition of the Computer Linked Upgrade AC660A (Must be preceded by A660A) allows computerised data
acquisition of all relevant system parameters in real time. Data may be recorded to disc and displayed in numeric,
bar chart or graphical format. Similar displays may be used for review of stored data. Data is also converted to
spreadsheet format for later or advanced analysis and project work.
Software also allows individual calibration of each channel and interrogation of each channel for student
investigation.
Addition of the Recirculating Duct Upgrade A661B allows the proportion of recirculated air to be varied and its
effect upon the energy requirements for air conditioning to be investigated. Additional psychrometric measuring
points supplied allow the enthalpy of two-mixed streams to be investigated.
Addition of the PID Control Upgrade A660C (Must be preceded by A660B) allows investigation of the
individual and combined effects of Proportional, Integral and Derivative control of temperature and humidity and
the components that are required for the process. Additional software allows the process to be computer controlled
and monitored as in a Building Energy Management System.
Addition of the Environmental Chamber Upgrade A660D (Must be preceded by A660B) adds considerable
realism to the air conditioning process by providing a significant volume that may be heated cooled and
humidified either under manual control or by PID control with the addition of the A660C upgrade.
Clean water:
Up to 10 litres per hour at a minimum 2m head.
May be mains or tank source.
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Edition 3