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Mechanical Engineering 425 - Spring 2008 Practice Exam 1

QUESTIONS (5 points each)
Is a normally-dressed office worker likely to be comfortable in an office environment heated to
maintain 72F dry bulb and 65F wet bulb? Why or why not?

What outdoor dry bulb/wet bulb temperatures would you assume for the cooling load calculation
of a hospital surgical suite in New Orleans, Louisiana?

If you were estimating the heat loss through a concrete wall and were uncertain as to the density,
which of the following represents the most conservative design assumption to determine the
concrete R-value 70 lb/ft3 or 100 lb/ft3?

The heat loss for a "slab-on-grade" floor is proportional to ________________________ .

What are the recommended outdoor summer design dry bulb/wet bulb temperatures for an
Aircraft Storage Hangar to be constructed at Californias March Air Force Base?

An office measuring 12 feet by 12 feet with 7' - 6 ceiling occupies the corner of a new,
commercial low-rise building. Using the Air-Change Method, what airflow would you use, in ft3
per hour, to predict the infiltration load for the room?

What is the sensible infiltration heating load, in Btu/hr, for the above office if the outdoor-toindoor temperature difference is 50F?
Explain the difference between heat gain and cooling load in a space.

Determine the humidity ratio for air that is 77F dry bulb and 40% relative humidity (hint: Use
the psychrometric chart. Follow the vertical line up from 77F on the dry bulb temperature axis
until it intercepts 40% relative humidity, then read the humidity ratio horizontally from the right
hand axis.)
Identify three cooling load calculation schemes and rank them in ascending order of
rigorousness.

PROBLEMS (25 points each)

What is the Winter design heat loss through the 2,500 ft2 exterior wall of a waiting room at
Chicagos OHare Airport? The wall consists of 6 inches sand-and-gravel concrete (density =
120 lb/ft3), R19 batt insulation (installed between 5-1/2 inch deep metal studs, 16 inches "oncenter") and 5/8 inch gypsum board. The space will be kept at 72F.

For the same waiting area as above, what is the heat loss through five fixed, double pane
windows measuring 4 feet by 4 feet and two 2 feet by 4 feet manufactured skylights? Assume
the windows and skylights have metal frames with no thermal break, and a 1/2 inch space filled
with argon.