Loads and Psychrometrics Self Study Videos

​This is a sort of beta test for some self study content we are working on internally and with the support of the Pacific Energy Center, Marriott, and CERL.   In the classes I help support for these venues, we are trying to implement the "flip the class room" concept. 

The idea is to provide self-study content that attendees can watch as needed to pick up the basics ahead of the class. Then, after taking any questions the attendees might have regarding the self-study content, we spend the classroom or webinar  time applying the concepts via interactive discussions and exercises. For instance, if you came to a class where the psychrometric self-study content was a recommended or required pre-requisite, we might do an exercise to trace out the psychrometric process for an air handling system under different operating conditions.

To work with the content, you will want a psych chart of some sort.  The videos provide you with links to a number of resources including a blog post about a free basic electronic chart offered by the Pacific Energy Center.

The buttons below will take you to different videos in the series.  Note that the videos include a table of contents that you can use to jump to different topics.  It will show up if you hover over the video in a tool bar at the bottom on the right side.  In addition, when links show up, they are "hot" when they are highlighted and you can click on them to jump the resource, which should pause the video.  These features are illustrated below.

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Loads and Psychrometrics Introduction

Estimating MOA Percent

 

​An Introduction to Psychrometrics, Loads, and Load Dynamics

The video starts by providing you with some resources pertinent to the topic.  It then explores:

• Some basic definitions associated with loads, like sensible and latent load
• Load dynamics including the impact of climate, time of day and thermal lags
• Common psychrometric parameters like dry bulb and wet bulb temperature
• What the lines on the psych chart mean and how to read data
• How to use the sensible heat ratio axis in the basic version of the chart and the pro version of the chart
• What apparatus dew point is
• How to use some of the advanced features of the professional version of the chart like the design data tool, bin data plots, exported TMY data, working with comfort zones and defining your own zones

At the end of the video, you will be linked up to an MS Forms based quiz that you can take to test your new-found knowledge.  If you get a question wrong, you will be given some guidance about why it's wrong and can try again.

When you make it to the end, you can claim an exciting merit badge which has absolutely no value but may make you feel good about the whole thing.  (Actually, for some classes, we ask the attendees to submit the merit badge as proof of having done the self -study, so if you decided to take one of the classes I help with, it could  actually be worth something).

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Estimating Design Conditions and Minimum Outdoor Air Percentage

This video is intended to be a self guided exercise that shows you how to use a psych chart and some basic equipment performance information to estimate the outdoor air design conditions used by the system/building designer and the minimum outdoor air percentage for an air handling system.
In the video, I demonstrate the steps in the process, allowing you to pause the video between each step to either try it yourself or use the technique I demonstrated to answer a question.  When you resume, I show the answer and then demonstrate the next step.