STEP BY STEP GUIDE

TO START YOUR CAREER AS AN

HVAC ENGINEER
 Step 1 | Review thermal-fluids
Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, and Fluid Mechanics
are the fundamental concepts that every HVAC
Engineer need to understand.

HVAC Engineers use their broad knowledge of

thermal-fluid concepts to combine variety of equipment and components to create
systems that control temperature, humidity, and air quality in enclosed spaces.

If you are currently a senior year student or a recent graduate of a Mechanical

Engineering program, you already know thermal fluids’ fundamentals and you can go
to Step 2.

If you got your engineering degree a while ago and forgot some of the concepts,
don’t worry! It only takes a few weeks for you to review thermal fluid fundamentals as
you only need to refresh your memory on concepts. See next page for a list of concepts
that you need to review.

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 Thermodynamics
Preliminaries:
• Units and Dimensions
• State of Substance
• Temperature
• Pressure
• Energy
• Equality of Temperature
• The Zeroth Law of
Thermodynamics
• Temperature Scales
Properties of Substance:
• P-V-T Surfaces (diagrams)
• Tables of Thermodynamic
Properties
• Two-Phase States
• Solid and Liquid States
• Ideal Gas State
Energy Equation:
• The First Law of
Thermodynamics
• Work and Heat
• Energy Equation
• Enthalpy
• Specific Heat
Energy Analysis:
• Conservation of Mass
• Conservation of Energy
• Steady State Process
• Transient Process
The Second Law of
Thermodynamics:
• Heat Engines and
Refrigerators
• The Second Law of
Thermodynamics
• Carnot Cycle
Power and Refrigeration
Systems with Phase Change:
• Power Cycle
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Fluid Mechanics
Preliminaries:
• Units and Dimensions,
• Density
• Specific Weight
• Specific Gravity
• Viscosity
• Compressibility
• Vapor Pressure
Fluid Statics:
• Pressure in Incompressible
and Compressible Fluids
• Standard Atmosphere
• Measurement of Pressure
Bernoulli Equation:
• Newton’s Second Law in
Fluids
• Bernoulli Equation
• Restrictions on Using
Bernoulli Equation
Differential Analysis of Fluid
Flow:
• Conservation of Mass
• Conservation of Linear
Momentum
• Inviscid Flow
• Bernoulli Equation for
Inviscid Flow
Viscous Flows in Pipes:
• Laminar and Turbulent
Flow
• Fully Developed Flows
• Moody Chart
• Major and Minor Losses
• Pipe Flow Measurements
Turbomachines:
• Basic Concepts
• Centrifugal Pumps
Heat Transfer
Preliminaries:
• Units and Dimensions
• Heat Transfer Modes
• Conservation of Energy
• Efficiency of Heat Engines
Conduction Heat Transfer:
• Conduction Concept,
• One-Dimensional and
Steady State Conduction
• Thermal Conductivity
• Thermal Resistant
• Overall Heat Transfer
Coefficient
Convection Heat Transfer:
• Convection Concept
• Convection Coefficient
Heat Exchangers:
• Heat Exchangers Coefficient
• Log Mean Temperature
Difference
• Heat Exchanger Design and
Performance Calculation
Radiation Heat Transfer:
• Radiation Concepts
• Radiation Heat Fluxes
• Combined Heat and Power • Dimensionless Parameters
Generation Cycle and Similarity Laws
• Refrigeration Cycle • Axial Flow and Mixed Flow
• Vapor Compression Pumps
Refrigeration Cycle • Fans
• Turbines
• Compressors
Power and Refrigeration
Systems with Gaseous Fluids:
• Air Standard Power Cycle
• Brayton Cycle
• Diesel Cycle
• Air Standard Refrigeration
Cycle

Gas Mixtures:
• Mixture of Ideal Gases
• Model of Gas-Vapor
Mixture
• Energy Equation for Gas-
Vapor Mixtures
• Adiabatic Saturation
Process
• Wet-Bulb, Dry-Bulb, and
Psychrometric Chart

Great textbooks for your review

Thermodynamics Fluid Mechanics Heat Transfer

Thermodynamics: An Fundamentals of Fluid Fundamentals of Heat and

Engineering Approach Mechanics Mass Transfer

By Yunus Cengel and Michael Boles By Bruce R. Munson, Donald F. by Frank P. Incropera, David P.
Young, Theodore H. Okiishi DeWitt, Theodore L. Bergman,
Adrienne S. Lavine

Amazon Link Here Amazon Link Here Amazon Link Here

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 Step 2 | Learn about HVAC systems
and equipment
Learn about the most common types of heating,
cooling, and ventilating systems and their
components. Here is a list of the most common
systems and equipment that you need to be familiar with. Name of one or two major
manufacturers of each equipment is added in parenthesis. Make sure to google them
and check some of their equipment catalogs.

Air Systems

• Supply Air
Air Types • Return/Circulation Air
• Exhaust Air

• Direct Expansion Split System (Daikin, Carrier)

• Direct Expansion Packaged System (Daikin,
Carrier)
Air Central Systems
• Air Handling Unit (Daikin, Trane)
• Fan (Greenheck, Twin City)
• Dedicated Outside Air System (Daikin, Trane)

• General Building Exhaust System

• Laboratory Exhaust
Exhaust Systems
• Process Exhaust
• Ventilation for Cooling

• Registers, Grilles, and Diffusers (Titus)

Air Terminal Equipment
• VAV Box (Daikin, Carrier)

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 Hydronic Systems

• Heating Hot Water

• Chilled Water
Hydronic System Types
• Condenser Water
• Glycol-Water

• Boilers (Fulton, Laars)

• Chillers (Carrier, York)
Hydronic Central Equipment • Cooling Towers (BAC, Marley)
• Pumps (Bell and Gossett, Grundfos)
• Heat Exchangers (Danfoss)

• Coils (Greenheck)
• Unit Heaters (Modine)
Hydronic Terminal Equipment
• Fan Coil Units (Daikin, Carrier)
• Chilled Beams (York, Titus)

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 Step 3 | Learn building energy
analysis
You need to analyze indoor heat generation and heat
transfer through boundaries of buildings to determine
the type and size of the system required to maintain
the indoor design condition. The actual calculations are very complex and time
consuming to do by hand, and the standard practice is to use an energy analysis
software which you will learn in the next step.

However, before using a software for energy analysis, you need to learn about the
followings to be able to have the right input for your calculation by software:

• Indoor design conditions such as conditions for human comfort

• Outdoor design conditions: cooling, heating, evaporation, and dehumidification
• Ventilation for indoor air quality
• Methods of heat and mass transfer to and out of buildings
• Sources of heat generation inside buildings

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 Step 4 | Learn load calculation by a
software

As mentioned in Step 3, analyzing heat transfer to and

out of a building requires complex and time-
consuming calculations. That’s why using a software
for this task is necessary for accuracy and efficiency in the design.

Currently, Hourly Analysis Program (HAP) and Trane Trace 700 (or Trace 3D Plus) are
widely used in the United States for HVAC system design. Both of them can provide
calculations in Metric (SI) and US Customary (IP) units. You can also import weather data
for any location in the world to the software. So, you can use them for any commercial
project, anywhere in the world!

Check out these links to get familiar with them:

Trace 3D HAP

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 Step 5 | Learn air and hydronic
distribution system design

You need to learn how to layout ducts, air terminals,

registers, diffusers, and grilles in enclosed spaces to
achieve proper air distribution inside the space. Also,
you need to learn how to calculate pressure drop in the ducting network to select the
right fan that provides the required airflow and pressure for your system.

Moreover, you need to learn how to layout pipes to provide heating hot water, chilled
water, or condenser water to HVAC equipment. You need to learn how to calculate
pressure drop in the piping network to select the right pump that provides the required
hydronic flow and pressure for your system.

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 Step 6 | Learn equipment selection

You need to be familiar with the process of selecting

the right equipment for the system that you design.
This is actually a very fun engineering exercise.

To select the right equipment, you need to gather all

the required data from your engineering analysis such as cooling load, heating load,
dehumidification load, air flow, water flow, pressure drop, available space, etc. and then
reach out to equipment manufacturers for a “selection”.

For a small equipment that costs less than $50,000, you can typically find the right
equipment on the manufacturer’s website. For a large equipment that can cost up to
$1,500,000, you need to contact a professional sales engineer to receive the right
selection.

Below is a list of some of the largest equipment manufacturers. Make sure to check out
their website and download equipment brochures, catalogs, and submittals.

• Trane
Heating and cooling equipment • Daikin
• Carrier

• Bell and Gossett

Pumps for heating and cooling applications
• Grundfos

• Baltimore Aircoil Company

Cooling towers
• Marley (SPX)

• Greenheck
Fans
• Twin City

• Fulton
Boilers
• Laars

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 Step 7 | Learn sequence of
operation (system control) design

Design of HVAC systems, as any other complex system

design, includes control system design. Each
component in the HVAC system needs to operate in
coordination with other components. For example, an exhaust fan’s control damper
shall not close before the fan fully stops. Otherwise, the fan’s discharge duct gets over
pressurized, causing damage to the fan.

For simple systems such as a thermostatically controlled fans, the sequence of operation
is very easy to design. But for multi-component systems such as a DOAS with cooling,
heating, energy recovery, and dehumidification features the sequence of operation is
complex and requires study and coordination with the equipment’s manufacturer.

You need to learn how to design sequence of operation for HVAC systems. You can start
by learning about sequence of operation of simple systems such as split and packaged
heat pumps.

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 Step 8 | Learn AutoCAD Mechanical

AutoCAD is a software that Architect and Engineers

use to design variety of buildings and systems.
AutoCAD has been used for decades and continues
to be one of the major tools for all engineers who
work in the AEC industry. Autodesk, the company that created AutoCAD, releases a new
version of the software every year.

Since 2015, when companies around the world started using Revit and Building
Information Modelling (BIM) more often for new projects, AutoCAD has been mainly
used for existing building projects which are mostly in 2D. It is because Revit is a better
software for 3D design and BIM in new construction projects.

However, there are billions of constructed projects with only 2D drawings. Almost all of
these projects, which are now existing buildings and systems, need renovation in the
future. This means that AutoCAD will remain a key software for HVAC engineers for the
foreseeable future.

As an HVAC engineer, you only need to learn the basics of AutoCAD and its MEP toolset.
You do not need to spend weeks or even months to learn all the AutoCAD tools that you
will never use for HVAC design.

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 Step 9 | Learn Revit Mechanical

Revit is arguably the most popular software for new

building and facility modelling. Unlike AutoCAD, Revit
models are smart which help you to accurately and
efficiently model HVAC systems.

Revit is so widely used that almost all major HVAC equipment manufacturers offer free
Revit models of their equipment for you to use in your projects.

Revit has tools for Architectural, Structural, Interior, Electrical, and Mechanical
disciplines. Designing systems in Revit is an essential skill for all HVAC engineers, and
you definitely need to learn this skill. However, you only need to learn the basics of Revit
and its Mechanical design features. You don’t need to spend weeks or even months on
learning the tools that you will never use.

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 Step 10 | Aim high!

There are awesome companies that need HVAC

engineers for many exciting and critical applications.
For example, Google needs HVAC engineers to design
cooling systems for their data centers, Stantec needs
HVAC engineers to design HVAC systems for modern hospitals, and SpaceX needs HVAC
engineers to design HVAC systems for rockets.

Working as an HVAC engineer is a rewarding career with many opportunities to grow

professionally and financially, especially if you work in a great company. Here is a list of
some the best companies to work for as an HVAC engineer.

Stantec AECOM Arup Jacobs

Parsons Google NASA Amazon

Microsoft Boeing CH2M Arcadis

HDR Fluor Corporation Black & Veatch SpaceX

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