This project is directed at the design and development of a coordinated group of instructional laboratory apparatus to be used in student-conducted experiments to demonstrate and measure the operating characteristics, both steady-state and dynamic, of various types of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning control units and systems used in the HVAC systems of commercial buildings, auditoriums, schools, and other large- scale installations. This project is an extension to an initial effort, under local funding and industry support over the past two years, to develop a laboratory set-up for a student-conducted experiment to demonstrate and measure the steady-state and dynamic behavior of a typical single-loop control system controlling static air pressure in an air duct. This effort will allow completing the design of the single-loop control system for air including adding a microprocessor-type control unit and the extension of the same approach to two other HVAC systems, specifically (a) A single loop control system for a hot-water coil and (b) A single-zone economizer cycle. This project should result in the attainment of a capability to challenge HVAC design students at the undergraduate level to apply basic control theory to the measurement and analysis of system behavior, using closed- and open-loop tests in both the time- and frequency-domains. An advisory board comprised of educators, members of appropriate technical societies, and industrial representatives will guide the conduct of the project and actively participate in its evaluation. The results of the proposed project will be the subject of a two- day workshop on improved instruction in HVAC design, particularly with respect to control theory, to be hosted by the project management team. Publication of project results will be made at annual meetings of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).
