BLDG2302: Building Services - Comprehensive Technical Reference

Comprehensive flashcards covering Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Lighting Design (Lumen Method), Power Generation, and Water/Drainage Systems for BLDG2302 Building Services.

Ventilation

The process of supplying, directing, and removing air from indoor spaces to improve indoor air quality by removing pollutants, moisture, and odors, and introducing fresh outdoor air.

Carbon Dioxide Control Limit

A primary objective of ventilation is to control and regulate carbon dioxide content to no more than $0.1\%$..

Indoor Relative Humidity Comfort Range

The acceptable moisture and relative humidity levels maintained for occupant comfort, typically between $30\%$ to $70\%$..

Air Volume

The physical amount of space that the air occupies within an enclosed area.

Air Movement

The circulation caused by pressure gradients and temperature differentials, where warm air rises and cold air moves downward.

Ventilation Rate Formula

The calculation for amount of outdoor air provided expressed as $\text{Volume of Room} \times \text{Ventilation Rate} = \text{m}^3/\text{hour}$ or $\text{cubic feet per minute (cfm)}$.

Natural Ventilation

The intentional use of environmental forces such as wind and thermal buoyancy (stack effect) to move air in and out of buildings without mechanical systems.

Passive Stack Ventilation (PSV)

A natural ventilation method using vertical ducts, typically $100\text{--}150\,\text{mm} \,\emptyset$, extending from ceiling grilles to roof terminals.

Rapid Ventilation (Purge Ventilation)

The high-rate exchange of large volumes of air achieved by fully opening wide windows or external doors to quickly flush out a space.

Trickle Ventilation

A small, controllable opening built into a window or door frame that allows a continuous stream of background fresh air without compromising security.

Mechanical / Artificial Ventilation

Systems utilizing electrically powered fans and duct networks to actively regulate and control air exchange independently of weather conditions.

Extract Ventilation

A localized mechanical system designed to capture stale or moist air directly at the source, such as in bathrooms or kitchens.

Centrifugal Fan

A device that draws air in axially ($0^\circ$ parallel inlet) and discharges it radially outward at a $90^\circ$ perpendicular angle using rotating impellers.

Axial Flow Fan

A fan enclosed in a cylindrical duct designed to handle high-pressure, high-velocity linear air volumes to cool heavy plants or machinery.

Propeller Fan

A ductless fan mounted on a flat backing plate or window aperture that handles large air volumes at low fluid pressure.

Window Unit A/C

A self-contained cooling system fitting in a window frame where the compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and evaporator are in one box.

Split A/C Units

A ductless system composed of an outdoor condensing unit and an indoor air handler interconnected via thin refrigerant copper piping.

Cassette A/C Unit

A variant of a split system integrated flush into a suspended ceiling grid, distributing conditioned air downwards in multiple directions.

Average Illuminance ($E$)

The total density of luminous flux incident on a specific surface area, measured in Lux ($lx$).

Luminous Flux ($F$ or $lm$)

The total volume of light emitted from a single lamp or fixture, measured in Lumens.

Utilization Factor ($U$)

A decimal ratio representing the proportion of total luminous flux emitted by lamps that reaches the working plane.

Maintenance Factor ($M$)

A decimal safety factor accounting for reduced light output over time due to dust accumulation and lamp depreciation.

The Lumen Method Design Equation

The formula used to determine the number of fixtures ($N$) required: $N = (E \times A) \div (F \times U \times M)$..

PSALI (Permanent Supplementary Artificial Lighting of Interiors)

An integrated design combining natural daylight and continuous artificial lighting to ensure balanced illumination in deep room interiors.

Renewable Energy

Infinite energy streams from natural, self-replenishing processes such as solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass.

Non-Renewable Energy

Finite natural resources that require millions of years to form, such as fossil fuels, uranium, and industrial minerals.

Solar Photovoltaics (PV)

The use of solid-state semiconductor materials to convert sunlight photons into Direct Current ($DC$) electricity via the photovoltaic effect.

Geothermal Power

A baseline power generation method that taps into sub-surface heat deposits within the earth's crust.

Thermal Power Plant Condenser

A sealed component that utilizes cooling water to condense low-pressure exhaust steam from a turbine back into liquid water.

Rising Main

A pressurized vertical pipeline carrying fresh water from an extraction pump up to a localized storage cistern tank.

Wet Riser

A fire-fighting pipe installation maintained fully charged with pressurized water at all times.

Dry Riser

An empty distribution pipe installation that is only charged with high-pressure water by fire service pumps during an emergency.

Dead Leg

Redundant or abandoned pipework that has been isolated or capped off from the continuous fluid flow of water.

Invert Level

The elevation of the lowest point on the inside bottom surface of a drainage pipe used to map gravity-based slope gradients.

Back Siphonage

A hazardous condition where contaminated greywater is sucked backward into a clean water system due to negative pressure.

Aeration (The Breather Process)

Mixing raw water with atmospheric air to strip smelly gases and oxidize dissolved metals like iron or manganese into solids.

Water Disinfection Process

Adding Chlorine or using Ultraviolet ($UV$) light to destroy pathogens; Chlorine reacts with water to form Hypochlorous Acid ($HOCl$).

Water Softening (Base Exchange Process)

An ion exchange process that trades hard metallic ions ($Ca^{2+}$ and $Mg^{2+}$) for soft Sodium ($Na^+$) ions using a resin bed.

Soil Water Drainage

Heavily contaminated foul wastewater containing human waste and biological hazards that must go to sewage treatment.

Water Line Trap (P-Trap / U-Trap)

A U-shaped pipe fitting that maintains a permanent liquid seal to block foul sewer gases and pests from entering living spaces.

Bedding

A structural layer of sand, gravel, or limestone applied $4\text{--}6\,\text{inches}$ thick beneath underground pipes to maintain a stable slope.

Combined Sewerage System

A single shared underground network that simultaneously carries domestic sewage, industrial waste, and storm surface runoff.

Separate Sewerage System

The deployment of two isolated networks: one for contaminated foul sewage and another for clean storm surface runoff.

Septic Tank Sludge

Heavy organic solid waste matter that sinks to the bottom of a septic tank for anaerobic decomposition.

Septic Tank Scum

Lighter elements such as grease, oils, and fats that float to the surface of a septic tank forming a thick, sealed layer.