Enhancing HVAC&R Education Through Experimental Psychrometric Labs

This project focuses on improving student understanding of air-handling systems and psychrometric processes through two newly developed lab experiences for ME4456. In the physical lab, students use a custom-built air-mixing apparatus connected to a DX refrigeration trainer to measure and observe mixed air conditions and their affect on cooling coil performance. The practical lab explores a real-world air-handling unit at the Cal Poly Recreation Center, modeled using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) software. This virtual lab walks students through indirect/direct evaporative cooling processes and simulates a building management system (BMS) interface. Together, these labs provide a hands-on and analytical foundation for applied psychrometrics and HVAC&R concepts.