Every topic on the exam, explained in depth: intuition, key equations, worked examples, and the traps to avoid. Organized by the NCEES PE Mechanical: HVAC and Refrigeration exam specification and cross-referenced to the PE Mechanical Reference Handbook.
… exam areas
Moist-air properties, the psychrometric chart, and sensible, latent, mixing, humidification, and dehumidification processes at sea level and altitude.
Envelope conduction, solar and internal gains, infiltration and ventilation loads, supply-air flow from room sensible heat, and reheat.
Duct sizing and friction, equal-friction and static-regain methods, fan total/static pressure, terminal devices, diffusers, and VAV airflow.
Outdoor-air requirements, dilution and contaminant balances, filtration efficiency (MERV), mixing, exhaust, and pressurization.
Pipe head loss and pump head, hydronic coil capacity, glycol corrections, steam and condensate sizing, and expansion-tank sizing.
Valve and damper authority and Cv, sensors and actuators, economizer and reset strategies, and PID feedback response.
Vapor-compression cycles on the p-h diagram, COP and capacity, refrigerant properties and selection, subcooling, superheat, and food/process refrigeration loads.
Tower range, approach, and effectiveness, evaporation and makeup water, cycles of concentration, and condenser-water heat balance.
Fuel heating values, air-fuel ratio and excess air, combustion and thermal efficiency, boiler/furnace fuel rate, and flue-gas losses.
LMTD and effectiveness-NTU methods, shell-and-tube and plate-and-frame exchangers, correction factors, and cooling/heating coil duty.
Chiller kW/ton and IPLV, heat-pump heating COP and balance point, condenser/evaporator duty, and chilled-water and ice thermal storage.
Affinity laws, pump and fan power and efficiency, NPSH and cavitation, operating point, parallel/series operation, and compressor work.
Sensible and total (enthalpy) recovery effectiveness, enthalpy wheels, heat pipes, and run-around loops, with recovered-energy and economizer savings.
Codes and standards, sound and vibration control (NC, dBA, isolation), life-cycle and payback economics, and motor power, amperage, and heat output.