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Building Systems 3 Flashcards

0
Q

refrigerant

A

The fluid used for heat transfer in a refrigeration system.

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1
Q

halon

A

A gaseous, fire-extinguishing medium which smothers fires, often used in automatic systems in computer rooms.

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2
Q

declination

A

The 23.5° tilt of the earth’s axis relative to a line perpendicular to the plane of the Earth’s orbit. This tilt is responsible for the seasons.

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3
Q

perm

A

The unit of permeability for a given material, expressing the resistance of the material to the penetration of moisture. One perm is equal to the flow of one grain of water vapor through one square foot of surface area per hour with a pressure difference of one inch of mercury.

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4
Q

refrigeration

A

The extraction of heat from

a substance or an unoccupied space to reduce it’s temperature below that of it’s surroundings.

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5
Q

noise

A

Any undesired sound, also any unwanted disturbance within a useful frequency band.

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6
Q

barometer

A

An instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure.

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7
Q

stack effect

A

The tendency of a gas or air to rise in a vertical shaft because it’s density is lower than that of the surrounding gas or air. It is also called chimney effect.

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8
Q

chill factor

A

A fictitious temperature assigned to a combination of actual temperature and wind velocity which has the same physiological effect as still air at the chill factor temperature. It is also known as wind chill index.

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9
Q

diffuser

A

A device through which the air from a duct enters a room, or a device through which the light from a fixture enters a room.

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10
Q

DWV

A

Abbreviation for drain, waste, and vent.

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11
Q

circuit vent

A

In sanitary drainage, any vent which serves two or more traps.

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12
Q

heat of vaporization

A

The heat given off by a vapor condensing to a liquid, or the heat absorbed by a liquid evaporating to a gas, without a change in temperature.

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13
Q

equinox

A

Either March 21st (vernal equinox) or September 21st (autumnal equinox), first day of spring (or fall), when night and day are of equal length.

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14
Q

anechoic room

A

A room whose boundaries absorb all of the sound striking them. It is also known as a free-field room.

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15
Q

barometric damper

A

A balanced air valve positioned so as to admit air to the flue or stack of a furnace in order to maintain a constant amount of draft. It is also called a draft regulator.

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16
Q

turning vanes

A

Curved baffles inserted in a duct elbow to decrease pressure loss through the elbow.

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17
Q

watt (W)

A

The basic unit of electrical power, equal to the product of volts and amperes in direct current systems, equal to 3.41 Btuh.

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18
Q

power level (pwl)

A

The logarithmic expression for the acoustical power at the source of a sound. It is also known as acoustic power level.

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19
Q

collector

A

A device used to collect solar radiation.

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20
Q

PPM

A

The abbreviation for parts per million.

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21
Q

intensity level

A

The intensity of sound at a given location, measured in watts per square meter, or more commonly in decibels where the reference level is 10-12 watts/meter squared or 10-16 watts/cm squared.

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22
Q

resistance

A

A measure of the tendency of an electric circuit to restrict the flow of current, or the ratio of voltage to current in a conductor or closed circuit. The unit of resistance is the ohm.

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23
Q

illumination

A

The intensity of light falling on a surface, usually expressed in footcandles.

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24
noise reduction coefficient (NRC)
A one-number rating system giving the average sound absorption coefficient of a material at frequencies of 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz.
25
sensible heat ratio (SHR)
The ratio of sensible heat to enthalpy (total heat).
26
room resonance
The phenomenon which occurs when sounds in a room that are within a narrow band of frequencies tend to sound louder than sounds of other frequencies.
27
gate valve
A valve consisting of a sliding plate or gate perpendicular to the flow, intended to be fully open or closed.
28
vacuum breaker
An automatic valve which admits air into a supply pipe to prevent siphoning polluted water back into the supply.
29
pilot tube
An instrument used with a manometer or pressure gauge to measure the velocity of air or water in a duct or pipe.
30
sunspace system
A passive solar system that utilizes a direct gain feature, such as greenhouse or atrium, usually with a thermal storage wall.
31
evaporative cooling
A cooling process in which water vapor, at a constant wet bulb temperature, is added to air, reducing the dry bulb temperature.
32
loop vent
A vent which connects from a drain to the stack vent of the soil stack to which the drain is connected.
33
static pressure
The pressure exerted by a fluid at rest.
34
rectifier
A device which converts alternating current to direct current and is used to recharge batteries or supply direct current for other purposes.
35
circular mil
The area of a wire having a diameter of one mil or 1/1000th (0.001) of an inch, used in specifying wire size.
36
shading coefficient (SC)
The ratio of the solar heat gained through a window with shading devices, such as blinds, to the solar heat gained by a single pane, double strength, clear glass window.
37
continuous vent
A vent which is a continuation of the trap and drain to which it connects. It is also called an individual vent.
38
lumen
The unit of visible light emitted by a light source, defined as the amount of light passing through one square foot at a distance of one foot from a one candlepower source.
39
loudness
The perceived intensity of sound, which depends mainly on the sound pressure, but also on the frequency and waveform of the sound source.
40
cycles per second (CPS)
A measure of frequency in electric current or acoustics, i.e., the number of cycles per second of a wave or oscillation. The term has been largely replaced by hertz, where 1 cps = 1 Hz.
41
conductivity (k)
The rate at which a given material conducts heat, per inch of thickness.
42
luminaire
A complete light fixture, including lamps.
43
draft regulator
A balanced air valve positioned so as to admit air to the flue or stack of a furnace in order to maintain a constant amount of draft. It is also called a barometric damper.
44
reheat
The adding of sensible heat to a supply air stream which has been previously cooled.
45
absorption refrigeration
A cooling process resulting from the absorption of vapor by a brine solution, which is then heated to remove the moisture. The heat may be supplied by solar or other heating sources.
46
activated carbon
A form of specially treated, porous carbon, used to absorb various odors and vapors.
47
regeneration
The process of removing calcium and magnesium ions from the zeolite resin in a water softener and replacing them with sodium ions by passing brine through the resin.
48
solar pond system
A passive solar system that utilizes a pond of water on the roof to maintain even year-round temperatures.
49
candlepower (CP)
The unit of luminous intensity, which is the amount of light emitted by a source.
50
Btu
The abbreviation for British thermal unit, a unit of heat energy, which is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.
51
expansion tank
A chamber or tank provided in a hot water heating system to allow for expansion of the water in the system as its temperature rises.
52
heat pump
A refrigeration system which both heats and cools. In summer, heat is pumped from indoors to outdoors, and in winter, heat is pumped from outdoors to indoors.
53
fan coil system
An air-conditioning system in which a fan blows conditioned air over hot and/or cold coils into an occupied space.
54
NPS
Nominal pipe size. Refers to nominal inside pipe diameter.
55
starter
A device which starts the arc in a neon or fluorescent lamp, or a contactor and overload relay used in starting some electric motors.
56
check valve
A valve that allows the flow of a fluid in only one direction. Check valves may use a flap or ball to prevent reverse flow.
57
footcandle
The basic unit of illumination arriving at a work plane. One footcandle is equal to one lumen per square foot.
58
flushometer valve
A valve which releases a specific amount of water into a plumbing fixture each time it is actuated.
59
greenhouse effect
The direct gain of solar heat through glass walls and roofs, which are generally south-facing.
60
sound absorption
The converting of sound energy into another form, usually heat, in passing through a medium or on striking a surface. Also the property possessed by materials and objects which absorb sound energy.
61
air movement
The velocity of air in an enclosed space measured in feet per minute.
62
luminous intensity (l)
The amount of light emitted by a source.
63
sill cock
An outside faucet for connecting to a garden hose.
64
brackish
Referring to water containing so much salt that it is nonpotable.
65
circulator
A pump used in hot water systems for maintaining forced circulation of water or other liquid.
66
feeder
A set of electrical conductors which extend from the source of energy to a distribution center.
67
forced convection
The movement of a fluid by a fan or a pump, in order to force heat exchange.
68
relative humidity (RH)
The ratio of the moisture content of the air to the maximum possible moisture content at the same temperature.
69
wavelength
The length of one complete cycle or waveform, for light or sound waves. In light, the dominant wavelength determines the perceived color.
70
Doppler effect
The change in the observed pitch of sound which occurs when the observer of the source moves.
71
conductance (c)
The rate at which a specific thickness of a given material conducts heat.
72
volt (V)
The unit of electrical potential or electromotive force.
73
wind chill index
A fictitious temperature assigned to a combination of actual temperature and wind velocity which has the same physiological effect as still air at the wind chill index temperature. It is also known as chill factor.
74
pump
A mechanical device used to compress or move a fluid.
75
three-pipe system
A hot and chilled water system having a common return pipe for both supply lines.
76
smokeproof enclosure
A required exit which consists of a vestibule and continuous stairway enclosed from the highest point to the lowest point by walls of two-hour fire-resistive construction and which exits into a public way or an exit passageway leading to a public way.
77
oakum
Caulking made from hemp fiber strand or rope soaked in oil or other substance to make it waterproof and rot-resistant.
78
ball drip
The automatic drain valve at the base of a dry standpipe.
79
photoelectric detector
A smoke detector that uses a light source and a photoelectric cell to detect the presence of smoke.
80
hp
Horsepower, a unit of power equal to 746 watts.
81
KVA
A rating for transformers equal to the product of volts and amperes divided by 1000. The product of the KVA and the power factor gives the power in kilowatts.
82
effective temperature
A fictitious temperature which would produce the same physiological effect as the combined effects of temperature, humidity, and air movement.
83
convector
A heating device arranged to deliver heat to the air primarily by convection.
84
ventilation
The supplying or removing of air by mechanical or natural means to or from a given space.
85
phon
A subjective unit of loudness, numerically equal to the sound pressure, in decibels, of a 1000-Hz tone judged by the listener to have the same loudness as the given sound.
86
psychrometer
A device for measuring simultaneously the wet bulb and dry bulb temperatures of air and therefore the relative humidity.
87
four-pipe system
A hot and chilled water system with separate return lines for each supply line, with no mixing of the two streams.
88
insolation
Energy received from solar radiation.
89
condensate
Vapor that has returned to a liquid state.
90
smoke developed rating
A numerical rating of interior finish materials derived from a standardized fire test procedure. Larger numbers indicate a greater density of smoke.
91
absorber plate
The part of a solar collector that absorbs solar radiation.
92
free-field room
A room whose boundaries absorb all of the sound striking them. It is also known as an anechoic room.
93
individual vent
A vent which is a continuation of the trap and drain to which it connects. It is also called a common vent.
94
zeolite
A substance used in water softening which exchanges sodium ions for magnesium or calcium ions in hard water. It is regenerated by passing brine through it, which reverses the exchange.
95
steam trap
A valve which permits passage of air or water, but not steam, often used with steam radiators.
96
masking
The drowning out of one sound by another.
97
hygrometer
An instrument which measures the relative humidity of the air.
98
acoustic power level
The logarithmic expression for the acoustical power at the source of a sound. It is also known as power level (PWL).
99
nipple
A short piece of pipe with threads at each end used to connect fittings and valves in a pipe line.
100
ton
The amount of cooling required to convert a ton of water to ice in a 24-hour period, equal to a steady rate of 12,000 Btuh.
101
economizer cycle
An energy-saving strategy in which a part of the HVAC system is shut off while the rest is used, such as shutting off the refrigeration when the outside air temperature is low, while the fan continues to operate.
102
ion exchange
A process of water softening in which calcium and magnesium ions are replaced by sodium ions. This process is also known as the zeolite process.

Building Systems (3 decks)

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