Terminology

Terminology

Absorptivity (α): A surface determines the rate at which that surface can accept
irradiation.

Active Beams: An air distribution diffuser using primary air to induce secondary air
through a water coil, used to remove the sensible load. Contrast with passive beam.

ach: Air changes per hour (see also Air-Change Rate).

Adjacent Zone: Area adjacent to an outlet in which long term occupancy is not
recommended because of potential discomfort. Also called clear or near zone.

Air: The mixture of two components, water vapor and dry air, lbm [kg], (also known
as moist air).

Air-Change Rate: A measure of air flow rate normalized to the size of the room. Air
change rate is specified as the number of times per hour (ach) that a volume of supply
air equivalent to the entire volume of a given space is supplied to or exhausted from
that space.

Analog Electric Control: Control components use analogy circuitry to implement the
control function.

Aspect Ratio: Ratio of length to width of opening or core of a grille.

BACnet: Building Automation and Control Network. BACnet is ASHRAE Standard

135 and is used by many companies as a main communication protocol for Building
Controllers.

Building Automation System (BAS): Centralized control and/or monitoring system

having several forms. Basic BAS may be a computer-based central for an energy
management system (EMS) providing operator interface terminal and alarm display with
optional audible and/or printout. BAS may further support networks of remote DDC,
life safety, and/or security-intelligent processors. BAS may have monochromatic or
color graphic monitors with printers for alarm, summary, and custom reports. BAS has
one or more operator names.

Barometric Pressure (PBAR): Total atmospheric pressure, altitude dependent, psia (Pa).

Block Diagram: Control loop shown in symbolic graphical format.

Blower/Fan: Multi-bladed, driven rotor enclosed so that air from an inlet is compressed
to a higher discharge pressure.

Breakout Noise: The sound that is allowed to pass through the walls of the ductwork
and/or the silencer casing.

CAV: Constant air volume.

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Casing: Structural sheet metal box or shell to which all components are secured.

Central Fan System: A mechanical indirect system of heating, ventilating, or air-

conditioning. Air is treated or handled by equipment that is usually located outside the
rooms served at a control location and conveyed to and from the rooms via a fan and
system of distributing ducts.

Centralized System: A majority of the mechanical systems (chillers, pumps, air

handlers, etc.) are located in one mechanical space.

Chiller: A machine that removes heat from a heat transfer liquid using a refrigeration cycle.

Closed-Loop Control: A closed-loop control directly senses the controlled variable

and uses that signal to adjust the controlled device.

Coanda Effect: Effect of a moving jet attaching to a parallel surface because of negative
pressure developed between jet and surface.

Coil: A heat exchanger in which liquid is circulated to provide heating or cooling to the
air which passes through the heat sink fins.

Cold Air: General term for supply air, typically between 35 to 45 °F.

Cold-Air Distribution System: System that uses a primary air supply with a temperature
range of approximately 40 to 50 °F (10 to 15 °C). Note: Typically used with ice storage
systems. Compare cold-water distribution system.

Cold-Water Distribution System: System that uses a primary air supply with a
temperature range of approximately 34 to 40 °F (1 to 10 °C). Note: Typically used
with ice storage systems. Compare cold-air distribution system.

Condensation: The phase change of matter from a gaseous state to a liquid state.

Conduction: The process of transferring heat through a medium at rest; it can be roughly
described as a diffusion of energy.

Constant Air Volume (CAV): Use of constant air flow volume to a zone to thermally
condition the zone.

Control Loop: Combination of sensor(s), controller(s), and controlled device(s) that

provide the desired control of the process.

Control Zone: An area of a building whose environmental conditions are monitored

and controlled by one HVAC controller. Normally, only one set of sensors (thermostat,
etc.) is required per control zone.

Controller: Device that takes the controlled variable data from sensors and generates
the control signal sent to a controlled device.

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Convection: The process of transferring heat through a fluid due to motion.

Cooling Load: The amount of heat that must be removed by cooling equipment in order
to maintain a steady-state condition.

Core Area: Area of a register, grille, or linear slot pertaining to the frame or border,
whichever is less.

Damper: Device used to vary the volume flow rate of air passing through a confined
cross section by varying the cross-sectional area.

Dead Band: Range of values within which an input signal can change without the
controller changing the output variable.

Density (ρ): Mass per unit of volume, lbm/ft3 [kg/m3].

Dew Point: Temperature at which water vapor has reached the saturation point in air, °F [°C].

Diffuser: Outlet discharging supply air in various directions and planes.

Diffusion: Dispersion of air within a space.

Direct Drive: The motor shaft is directly secured to the blower shaft. Each motor
revolution is equal to one blower revolution.

Direct Expansion: Refrigerant based cooling system.

Displacement Ventilation: Displacement ventilation systems introduce air into the

space at low velocities, which causes minimal induction and mixing.

Distribution: Moving air to or in a space by an outlet discharging supply air.

Distributed System: Some of the mechanical systems may be located in a central

or general area. At the control zone, additional equipment is used to heat or cool the
supply air.

Draft: Undesired or excessive local cooling of a person caused by low temperature

and air movement.

Drop: Vertical distance that the lower edge of a horizontally projected airstream descends
between the outlet and the end of its throw.

Dry Air (DA): Air without entrained water vapor, lbm [kg].

Dry-bulb Temperature (tdb): Temperature of air indicated by an ordinary thermometer, °F [°C].

Dynamic Insertion Loss: Insertion loss is the decrease in sound pressure levels that can
be expected when a silencer is inserted into the path between the source and the receiver.

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Economizer: A heat exchanger used to help condition a space using available

atmospheric conditions.

Effective Area: Net area of an outlet or inlet device through which air can pass; equal
to the free area times the coefficient of discharge.

Emissivity (ε): of the radiating surface is a property which is strongly dependant on the
material and finish of the surface, and determines the capacity of the surface to radiate.

Energy Management System (EMS): Formal system of building energy conservation

through all available names.

Entrainment: Movement of space air into the jet caused by the air stream discharged
from the outlet (also known as secondary air motion).

Entrainment (or Induction) Ratio: Volume flow rate of total air (primary plus entrained
air) divided by the volume flow rate of primary air at a given distance from the outlet.

Envelope: Outer boundary of an air stream moving at a perceptible velocity.

Exhaust Opening or Inlet: Any opening through which air is removed from a space.

Fan Coil Unit: Fan and a heat exchanger for heating and/or cooling assembled within
a common casing.

Filter: Device used to remove solid material from a fluid such as water or air.

Firewall: In networking, a device used to secure a network by preventing unauthorized access.

Forced Convection: is the process of convective heat transfer where there is an external
force pushing a fluid across a surface, such as wind over a building or air through a
cooling or heating coil.

Free Area: Total minimum area of openings in an air outlet or inlet through which air
can pass.

Free Cooling: A process that uses outdoor air to cool a building and allows heat to be
dumped to the outdoors, without requiring mechanical refrigeration.

Gain: Ratio of the change in output of the controlled variable to the change in the
control signal.

Generated Noise: is the sound power created when air flows through a silencer at a given
velocity and direction (forward or reverse).

Grains (gr): Measurement of the moisture in air, grains per pound of dry air.

Grille: Functional or decorative device covering any area through which air passes.

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Heat Flux: Heat flux, or rate per cross-sectional area, due to conduction in
Btu/hft2 or W/m2.

Humidity Ratio (W): A ratio of water vapor to dry air.

Hysteresis: A non-linear characteristic of a control system that occurs when prior inputs
affect the current state of the controller, creating a memory effect.

Inches Water Column (in. w.c.): Measurement of air pressure using a column of water.

Inches Water Gauge (in. w.g.): Measurement of air pressure using a column of water.

Indoor Air Quality: The quality of the air that is breathed by occupants in an indoor
environment, especially concerning undesirable particles such as bacteria and gasses
such as carbon dioxide.

Indoor Environmental Quality: The satisfaction that a person has with the indoor
environment including such factors as IAQ, thermal comfort, lighting, and noise.

Induction: See Entrainment.

Isothermal Jet: Air jet with same temperature as surrounding air.

Latent Heat: The heat released or absorbed when a phase change occurs from liquid
to vapor or vice versa. Does not affect dry-bulb temperature.

Latent Load: The amount of heat that must be removed by cooling equipment in order
to maintain a steady-state condition.

Leakage: Air that flows from a desired path to an undesired space, usually by seeping
between cracks and voids, and usually uncontrollably.

Lined Ductwork: Used widely for thermal insulation and to provide sound attenuation
in a large number of HVAC systems.

Lower (Mixed) Zone: In partially mixed systems, zone directly adjacent to floor, in
which air is relatively well mixed.

Mechanical Ventilation: The use of fans to move the ventilation air into or out of the
occupied building space

Mixing Plenum: Compartment into which two air supplies are mixed together before
being discharged.

Natural Convection: Air flow caused by differences in the density of a fluid, such as
air, which may be caused by temperature variation in the fluid. An example of natural
convection is the thermal plume around heat sources in still air. Also known as free
convection.

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Natural Ventilation: The movement of outside air into and out of the building space
without the use of a fan.

Neck Area: Nominal area of duct connection to air outlet or inlet.

Night Setback: A control scenario that specifies a wider dead band to be used during
unoccupied hours, usually overnight. The use of night setback effectively creates two
separate set-points: a heating set-point and a cooling set-point.

Noise: Any unwanted or undesirable sound.

Nonisothermal Jet: Air jet with a discharge temperature different from surrounding air.

Nozzles: A device used to control the flow rate, pressure, and direction of a fluid.

Occupied Zone: Room volume where occupants are located (typically 6 ft above floor
level and 1 ft from walls).

Octave Band: Frequency range is broken down into several smaller discrete sections
referred to as octave bands. Each octave band is identified by the center frequency, with
the ratio of each successive octave band being 2:1.

Open-Loop Control: An open-loop control does not have direct feedback from the
control variable to the controller.

Operative Temperature (°C): The relative temperature felt by an occupant based on

air velocity, air dry-bulb temperature, and mean radiant temperature.

Outlet Velocity: Average velocity of air emerging from outlet, measured in plane of opening.

Overhead System: Heating, air-conditioning, or refrigerating piping system in which

the supply main is above the heating or cooling units supplied.

Packaged Rooftop Unit: A complete air handler system, typically with multiple cooling
and heating stages.

Passive Beam: A cooling unit that removes heat by naturally convecting air through a
coil and transferring heat using water or other transfer fluid.

Pneumatic Control: Control components use pressurized air as the energy source.

Primary Air: Air delivered to an outlet by a supply duct.

Proportional Control (P): Simplest type of modulating control were the output of the
controller is proportional to the difference between the input signal and the set-point.

Proportional plus Integral Control (PI): Adds a time-based correction factor to the
output of a proportional controller.

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Proportional, Integral and Derivative Control (PID): A PI controller with a derivative

function that is used to give a level of anticipatory action to the controller.

Psychrometric Chart: A plot of the psychrometric properties of moist air.

Radiation: The process of transferring heat through space by propagation of heat waves.
No medium is necessary for radiation to occur.

Radius of Diffusion: Horizontal axial distance an air stream travels after leaving an
air outlet before the maximum stream velocity is reduced to a specified terminal level
(e.g., 50, 100, 150, or 200 fpm).

Raised Floor: A floor that constructed above the structural slab of a building, under
which is a void that can contain services such as air distribution, electrical wiring,
telephony, networking, etc.

Register: Grille equipped with a flow control damper.

Reheat: The sensible heat added to previously cooled supply air to raise the supply
air temperature.

Relative Humidity (RH): Ratio of the partial pressure of water vapor to the water
vapor saturation pressure at the same dry-bulb temperature and barometric pressure, n.d.

Room Criteria (RC): A method of rating sound performance primarily used as a

diagnostic tool based on perception of rumble, roar, or hiss.

Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR): A type of thyristor that controls AC current. In

HVAC applications, SCR typically refers to solid-state control of an electric heater.

Sensible Heat: The energy required to solely affect the dry bulb temperature.

Set-Point: The desired value of the controlled variable.

Sound: A propagating vibrational disturbance or wave in an elastic medium (solid,

liquid or gas). Sound is most commonly thought of as being transmitted in air and
detected by a person’s ears.

Sound Power: Sound power is the total rate at which sound energy is radiated by a
sound source and is measured in watts. It is independent of the environment and only
depends on the operating conditions of the equipment.

Sound Pressure: The local pressure differential caused by a sound source that can
be measured by equipment. It is dependent on the listening environment as well as
the distance from the source, measured directly in Pascals and often converted to dB,
referencing 20 μPa.

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Specific Enthalpy (h): A composite of three properties: internal energy (u), pressure
(p) and specific volume (ν); where: h = u + p × ν Btu/lbmDA [kJ/kgDA]. Also known as
enthalpy, total heat and heat content.

Specific Volume (ν): Unit volume of a unit mass of a material. The reciprocal of
density, ft3/lbm [m3/kg] .

Spread: Divergence of air stream in horizontal and/or vertical plane after it leaves an
outlet.

Stack Effect: Buoyancy driven air movement that is caused by a thermal gradient.

Stagnant Zone: Area characterized by stratification and little air motion. This term
does not necessarily imply poor air quality.

Stratification: The condition of having a measurable vertical temperature or contaminant

gradient in a fluid.

Stratification Height: Vertical distance from floor to horizontal plane that defines
lower boundary of upper mixed zone (in a fully stratified or partially mixed system).

Stratified Zone: Zone in which air movement is entirely driven by buoyancy caused by
convective heat sources. Typically found in fully stratified or partially mixed systems.

Supply Air: The air that comes directly from the air handling equipment before it mixes
with any room air. It is typically considered to be filtered or otherwise decontaminated
and has a specific designed temperature.

Supply Opening or Outlet: Any opening or device through which supply air is
delivered into a ventilated space being heated, cooled, humidified, or dehumidified.
Supply outlets are classified according to their location in a room as sidewall, ceiling,
baseboard, or floor outlets. However, because numerous designs exist, they are more
accurately described by their construction features.

Terminal Velocity: Maximum air stream velocity at end of throw.

Thermal Comfort: A condition of the mind that expresses satisfaction with the
thermal environment.

Thermal Decay: The increase in temperature of supply air before it is delivered to the
room due to heat gained while the air travels in the supply path.

Thermal Plume: Is a convection current caused by buoyancy forces that causes local
air to warm and rise above the heat source, entraining surrounding air and increasing
in size and volume as it loses momentum.

Thermostat: A device used in a control system for temperature sensing and set-point
control.

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Throw: Horizontal or vertical axial distance an air stream travels after leaving an air
outlet before maximum stream velocity is reduced to a specified terminal velocity (e.g.,
50, 100, 150, or 200 fpm), defined by ASHRAE Standard 70.

Total Air: Mixture of discharged and entrained air.

Upper (Mixed) Zone: Zone in which air is relatively well mixed, with generally low
average air velocities caused by the momentum of thermal plumes penetrating its lower
boundary. Typically found in fully stratified or partially mixed systems.

Vane: Component of supply air outlet that imparts direction to the discharge jet.

Variable Air Volume (VAV): Use of variable air flow volume to a zone to thermally
condition the zone.

Ventilation Effectiveness: A measure of an air distribution system’s ability to remove

airborne pollutants from a space.

View Factor: The proportion of radiation leaving a surface and striking another surface
based on geometry, distance, and angle.

Wet-bulb Temperature (twb): The temperature at which water (liquid or solid) through
evaporation can bring the moist air to saturation adiabatically at the same temperature
while the total pressure is maintained at a constant value, °F [°C].

Zone: The division of a building into smaller sections for the control of heating and cooling.

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