SOLUTION 1

PRINCIPLES BASIC ENGINEERING PRACTICE

A current transformer measures that a 120 volt, single phase, 60 Hz motor is operating at 3.4
amps. The motor has a 95% efficiency and a 0.9 power factor rating. If the pressure and flow
at the pump are measured at 8 psi and 60 GPM, respectively, how much heat is added to the
water from the pump inefficiency?

The heat gain to the water stream from the pump inefficiency is due to the mechanical losses
only. The motor is located outside of the water stream, so the motor losses do not add heat to
the water stream. To solve for the mechanical losses, find the difference between the brake
horsepower and the mechanical horsepower. This is illustrated as the εpump in red below.

The mechanical horsepower is found from the pump below.

𝑓𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑
𝐺𝑃𝑀 ∗ 𝑇𝐷𝐻 ∗ 𝑆𝐺 60𝐺𝑃𝑀 ∗ 8𝑝𝑠𝑖 ∗ 2.31 ∗ 1.0
𝑝𝑠𝑖
𝑀𝐻𝑃 0.28 𝑀𝐻𝑃
3960 3960

Next find the brake horsepower from the electrical power information.

Start by finding the electrical power at the motor. The real power, P, is found by multiplying the
power factor by the apparent power, S. [Side note: for three phase motors, apparent power is
multiplied by square root of 3. S=√3*IV.]

𝑆 𝐼𝑉 3.4𝐴 ∗ 120𝑉 408 𝑉𝐴

𝑃 𝑆 ∗ 𝑃𝐹 408 𝑉𝐴 ∗ 0.9

1 𝐻𝑃
𝐸𝐻𝑃 367 𝑊 ∗ 0.48 𝐸𝐻𝑃
745.7 𝑊
Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration
Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -1
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Find the brake horsepower using the electrical efficiency.

𝐵𝐻𝑃 𝐸𝐻𝑃 ∗ 0.95 0.47 𝐵𝐻𝑃

Solve for the difference to find the heat losses to the water.

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝐵𝐻𝑃 𝑀𝑃𝐻 0.47 𝐵𝐻𝑃 0.28 𝑀𝐻𝑃 0.19 𝐻𝑃

2544 𝐵𝑡𝑢ℎ
𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 0.19 𝐻𝑃 ∗ 483 𝐵𝑡𝑢ℎ
1 𝐻𝑃

The correct answer is most nearly (B) 480 Btuh

(A) 350 Btuh

(B) 480 Btuh

(C) 550 Btuh

(D) 610 Btuh

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -2
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SOLUTION 2
PRINCIPLES – THERMODYNAMICS

A refrigerant cycle uses R-404a at a condenser pressure of 285 psig and an evaporator
temperature of 30 F. The evaporator provides 4 tons and there is 0 degrees superheat. There
is 0 degrees sub-cooling at the condenser. What is the refrigerant flow rate?

𝐴𝑆𝐻𝑅𝐴𝐸 𝐹𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 30 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑚𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑅𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑇𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠

First, find the enthalpy of the exiting evaporator. Saturated vapor with 0 degrees superheat at
the evaporator temperature of 30 F.

𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝐸𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑙𝑒𝑡 → 30 𝐹, 𝑆𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟 → 93.91
𝑙𝑏𝑚

The evaporator inlet is a little more difficult to find. You need to know that the condenser
provides 0 degrees sub-cooling. So you find the enthalpy of saturated liquid at 285 psig or
299.7 psia.

𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝐸𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑖𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑡 → 300 𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑙𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑑 → 52.42
𝑙𝑏𝑚
𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑄 4 𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑠 ∗ 12,000 ℎ 𝑚 ∗ 93.91 52.42
𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑙𝑏𝑚
𝑙𝑏 𝑙𝑏
𝑚 1,157 𝑜𝑟 19.3
ℎ𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛

The correct answer is most nearly, (C) 19 lb/min

(A) 2 lb/min

(B) 9 lb/min

(C) 19 lb/min

(D) 26 lb/min

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Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -3
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SOLUTION 3
PRINCIPLES – PSYCHROMETRICS

What is the partial pressure of dry air at the following conditions? Air at 85 F DB, 80% RH.
Assume sea level.

First, find the saturated vapor pressure of water at 85 F DB with the steam tables.

85 𝐹 𝐷𝐵 → 0.597 𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑎

Next, find the actual partial pressure of water.

𝑝
𝑅𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝐻𝑢𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑦
𝑝
𝑝
80%
0.597 𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑎

𝑝 0.4776 𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑎

The mixture of air and water should sum up to the atmospheric press.re

𝑝 14.7 𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑎 𝑝 𝑝 𝑝 0.4776 𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑎

𝑝 14.2 𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑎

The correct answer is most nearly, (D) 14.2 psia.

(A) 0.48 psia

(B) 0.60 psia

(C) 13.1 psia

(D) 14.2 psia

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Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -4
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SOLUTION 4
PRINCIPLES – PSYCHROMETRICS

A computer room has a sensible cooling load of 50,000 Btu/h and a total cooling load of 55,000
Btu/h. The computer room is required to maintain a 72 F DB and 45% relative humidity. Which
of the following cooling air conditions will meet the cooling load requirements?

Solve for dry bulb air for the 3,000 CFM and 2,000 CFM conditions.

𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑄 50,000 1.08 ∗ 3,000 ∗ 72 𝑇
ℎ

𝑇 48.9 𝐹 𝐷𝐵

𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑄 50,000 1.08 ∗ 2,000 ∗ 72 𝑇
ℎ

𝑇 56.6 𝐹 𝐷𝐵

Then plot the 0.9 sensible heat ratio line from 72 F DB/45% relative humidity. Find out where
this line intersects the 57 F and 49 F dry bulb lines.

The correct answer is most nearly, (D) 3,000 CFM, 57 F DB, 52 F WB.

(A) 2,000 CFM, 49 F DB, 41 F WB

(B) 2,000 CFM, 49 F DB, 45 F WB

(C) 3,000 CFM, 57 F DB, 48 F WB

(D) 3,000 CFM, 57 F DB, 52 F WB

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -5
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SOLUTION 5
PRINCIPLES – HEAT TRANSFER

A wall section consists of 10 inch concrete, 1” air gap (R-3), R-12 insulation (6 inch thickness)
and another 6 inches of concrete.

The design heating space conditions are 68 F DB/50% RH. The design outdoor conditions are
40 F DB/30 F WB. What is the heating load due to the exterior walls? The total area of the
walls is 5,200 square feet.

𝐵𝑡𝑢 𝑖𝑛 1 𝑓𝑡 𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑘 10 ∗ 0.0833
ℎ𝑟 𝑓𝑡 ℉ 12 𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑟 𝑓𝑡 ℉

0.5 𝑓𝑡 ℎ𝑟 𝑓𝑡 ℉
𝑅 , 0.6
𝐵𝑡𝑢 𝐵𝑡𝑢
0.0833
ℎ𝑟 𝑓𝑡 ℉

0.833 𝑓𝑡 ℎ𝑟 𝑓𝑡 ℉
𝑅 , 1
𝐵𝑡𝑢 𝐵𝑡𝑢
0.0833
ℎ𝑟 𝑓𝑡 ℉

𝑅 "

You need to find the overall heat transfer coefficient, U. But it is easier to find the overall heat
transfer coefficient by first converting all the heat transfer coefficients to R-values.

ℎ𝑟 𝑓𝑡 ℉ ℎ𝑟 𝑓𝑡 ℉ ℎ𝑟 𝑓𝑡 ℉
𝑅 0.6 1 12 3 16.6
𝐵𝑡𝑢 𝐵𝑡𝑢 𝐵𝑡𝑢

Next find conductive heat gains

𝑄 𝑈∗𝐴∗ 𝑇 𝑇 ; 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑈 1/𝑅

1
𝑄 ∗ 5,200 ∗ 68 40 8,771 𝐵𝑡𝑢/ℎ𝑟
16.6

The correct answer is most nearly, (C) 8,770 Btu/h

(A) 2,020 Btu/h

(B) 5,160 Btu/h

(C) 8,770 Btu/h

(D) 11,180 Btu/h

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SOLUTION 6
PRINCIPLES – FLUID MECHANICS
A pump is currently supplying 150 GPM at 125 feet of head. If a second identical pump is
turned on then what will each pump provide? Assume the pumps are arranged in parallel and
there are identical pressure drops to/from each pump to/from the common pipes.

The correct answer is most nearly (C) 75 gpm and 125 feet of head. But as you can see from
the figure above, when you add two pumps in parallel, you will follow a new pump curve. The
intersection of the new pump curve and the same system resistance curve will occur at slightly
more flow and even more pressure. So the flows will split between the two pumps, but it will be
slightly more than one half of the current flow, due to the increase in pressure.

(A) 150 gpm and 62.5 feet of head

(B) 75 gpm and 62.5 feet of head

(C) 75 gpm and 125 feet of head

(D) 300 gpm and 125 feet of head

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SOLUTION 7
PRINCIPLES – ENERGY/MASS BALANCE

A 100,000 Btu/h furnace is 92% efficient. It can deliver 1,865 CFM at a 60 F temperature rise
and 0.20 in wg. The gas connector size is 5”. The furnace is designed for natural gas with a
higher heating value of 950 Btu/ft3. What is the flow rate of the gas?

100,000 𝐵𝑡𝑢/ℎ 𝐵𝑡𝑢

𝑄 108,965
0.92 ℎ
𝐵𝑡𝑢
108,965
𝑉 ℎ
𝐵𝑡𝑢
950
𝑓𝑡

𝑓𝑡 1ℎ 𝑓𝑡
𝑉 114.4 ∗ 1.9
ℎ 60 𝑠𝑒𝑐 𝑚𝑖𝑛

The correct answer is (A) ft3/min.

(A) 2 ft3/min

(B) 39 ft3/min

(C) 62 ft3/min

(D) 114 ft3/min

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Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -8
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SOLUTION 8
APPLICATION – HEATING/COOLING LOADS

A 2400 square foot office space has an average equipment load of 1.5 W/sq ft, a lighting load of
0.9 W/sq ft, an occupant load of 5,400 Btuh, an envelope heating load of 90,000 Btuh, and 300
CFM of ventilation air. Air is delivered to the space at 85°F to maintain the room at 70°F. The
outdoor temperature at design conditions is 34°F DB/32°F WB. What is the minimum steam
flow rate required at the boiler during heating design conditions? Assume the steam is supplied
at 220°F, feedwater enters the boiler as a saturated liquid, there is no superheat, and the
bypass factor at the coil is 0.

When designing for heating systems, credit is not taken from the loads in the space, since worst
case conditions assume that all loads are off and the space is unoccupied. The total heating
requirement is the envelope load plus the ventilation load.

The envelope load is given. The ventilation load is calculated with the sensible heating
equation.

𝑄 1.08 ∗ 𝐶𝐹𝑀 ∗ Δ𝑇

𝑄 1.08 ∗ 300 𝐶𝐹𝑀 ∗ 70°F 34°F 11,664 𝐵𝑡𝑢ℎ

𝑄 𝑄 𝑄 90,000 𝐵𝑡𝑢ℎ 11,664 𝐵𝑡𝑢ℎ 101,664 𝐵𝑡𝑢ℎ

Find the steam flow rates, using the heat of vaporization at 220°F. The maximum steam flow
rate occurs when steam is supplied at saturated vapor and returns at saturated liquid.

𝐵𝑡𝑢 𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑄 𝑚 ℎ ℎ 𝑚 1154.05 188.40 101,664 𝐵𝑡𝑢ℎ
𝑙𝑏 𝑙𝑏

𝑚 105.3 𝑙𝑏/ℎ𝑟

Correct answer is B.

(A) 80 lb/hr

(B) 105 lb/hr

(C) 135 lb/hr

(D) 175 lb/hr

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -9
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SOLUTION 9
APPLICATION – HEATING/COOLING LOADS

What is the total cooling load for a dance room with 30 occupants and a lighting load of 1.0
watts per square foot. The total area is 400 square feet. Assume the lights have a usage factor
of 1.0, special allowance factor of 1.1 and a space fraction of 0.7.

𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑊 3.412
𝑄 1.0 ∗ 400 𝑓𝑡 ∗ ℎ ∗ 1.0 ∗ 1.1 ∗ 0.7 1,050.9 𝐵𝑡𝑢/ℎ
𝑓𝑡 𝑊

𝐵𝑡𝑢 𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑄 30 ∗ 850 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝐴𝑆𝐻𝑅𝐴𝐸 𝐹𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑠 𝐶ℎ18 25,500
ℎ ℎ
𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 𝑄 𝑄 26,551
ℎ

(A) 1,050 Btu/h

(B) 15,770 Btu/h

(C) 25,500 Btu/h

(D) 26,550 Btu/h

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Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -10
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SOLUTION 10
APPLICATIONS EQUIPMENT & COMPONENTS

A 480 V, 3 ph, 60 HZ, chilled water pump is rated at 500 gpm and 125 feet of head. If the
chilled water pump is equipped with a VFD and it is currently operating at 40 HZ, then what is
most likely the current operating conditions of the pump?

Use the pump law equations.

40 ℎ𝑧
500 𝑔𝑝𝑚 ∗ 333 𝑔𝑝𝑚
60 ℎ𝑧

40 ℎ𝑧
125 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 ∗ 56 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑
60 ℎ𝑧

The correct answer is most nearly, (B) 333 gpm and 56 feet of head.

(A) 222 gpm and 37 feet of head

(B) 333 gpm and 56 feet of head

(C) 333 gpm and 83 feet of head

(D) 500 gpm and 125 feet of head

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -11
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SOLUTION 11
APPLICATIONS EQUIPMENT & COMPONENTS

A coil has a contact factor of 0.75. 10 GPM of chilled water enters the coil at 45 F and leaves at
55 F. 1,000 CFM of air enters the coil at 80 F DB/60% relative humidity. What is the leaving
wet bulb temperature of the air? The surface temperature of the coil is 53 F. Also assume the
coil is 100% effective.

Find the heat transferred by the chilled water, in order to find the enthalpy of the leaving air.

𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑄 500 ∗ 𝐺𝑃𝑀 ∗ ∆𝑇 500 ∗ 10 ∗ 10 50,000
ℎ
𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑝𝑠𝑦𝑐ℎ 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑡 80 𝐹 𝐷𝐵, 60%𝑅𝐻 → ℎ 33.69
𝑙𝑏
𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑄 50,000 𝑄 4.5 ∗ 1,000 𝐶𝐹𝑀 ∗ ℎ ℎ
ℎ
𝐵𝑡𝑢 𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑄 50,000 𝑄 4.5 ∗ 1,000 𝐶𝐹𝑀 ∗ 33.69 ℎ
ℎ 𝑙𝑏
𝐵𝑡𝑢
ℎ 22.58
𝑙𝑏

Find the leaving air dry bulb temperature with the contact factor equation.

𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝐷𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑎 𝑇 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑖𝑟 80 𝐹 𝑇 ,

𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑡 𝐹𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 0.75
𝑀𝑎𝑥 𝐷𝑒𝑙𝑡𝑎 𝑇 𝑜𝑓 𝐴𝑖𝑟 80 𝐹 53 𝐹

𝑇 , 59.75 𝐹 𝐷𝐵

Now you have the enthalpy and dry bulb, so you can find the wet bulb of the leaving air.

𝐵𝑡𝑢
59.75 𝐹 𝐷𝐵, 22.58 → 53.99 𝐹 𝑊𝐵
𝑙𝑏

The correct answer is most nearly, (C) 54 F WB.

(A) 48 F WB

(B) 50 F WB

(C) 54 F WB

(D) 60 F WB

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Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -12
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SOLUTION 12
APPLICATIONS EQUIPMENT & COMPONENTS

A cooling tower has an inlet cooling water rate of 5,000 GPM and an inlet temperature of 95 F.
The outlet temperature of the water is 85 F. The cooling air enters the cooling tower at 80 F and
50% relative humidity. The cooling air leaves at 85 F and 89% relative humidity. The total
airflow rate is 50,000 lb/min. How much of the inlet cooling water is evaporated into the
airstream?

The amount of water evaporated can be found by taking the change in the humidity ratio
multiplied by the total airflow rate.

𝑚 𝑚 𝑊 , 𝑊 ,

From the psychrometric chart:

𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠
𝑊 , 163.8 ;𝑊 , 76.79 ;
𝑙𝑏 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑙𝑏 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑖𝑟

Convert grains to lbs of water, divide by 7,000:

𝑙𝑏 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑏 𝑜𝑓 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟
𝑊 , .0234 ;𝑊 , .01097 ;
𝑙𝑏 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑖𝑟 𝑙𝑏 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑟𝑦 𝑎𝑖𝑟

𝑚 50,000 𝑙𝑏/𝑚𝑖𝑛 . 0234 .01097

𝑚 621.5 𝑙𝑏/𝑚𝑖𝑛

Convert lbs to gallons:

𝑙𝑏 1 𝑓𝑡 7.48 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠
621.5 ∗ ∗ 74.5 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑡𝑒
𝑚𝑖𝑛 62.4 𝑙𝑏𝑠 1 𝑓𝑡

The correct answer is most nearly, (B) 75 GPM.

(A) 5 GPM

(B) 25 GPM

(C) 50 GPM

(D) 75 GPM

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Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -13
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SOLUTION 13
APPLICATIONS EQUIPMENT & COMPONENTS

A new parallel flow heat exchanger is designed for incoming cold water at 43 F and leaving
water at 49 F. If the entering/exiting hot water of 60 F and 50 F, then what will be the LMTD?
Assume a correction factor of 0.8.

A-Side: 43 F (cold) & 60 F (hot)

B-Side: 49 F (cold) & 50 F (hot)

Use the Log Mean Temperature Difference Equation

∆𝑇 ∆𝑇
𝐿𝑀𝑇𝐷
∆𝑇
ln
∆𝑇

∆𝑇 50 49 1

∆𝑇 60 43 17

17
1
𝐿𝑀𝑇𝐷 5.65℉
17
ln
1

The correct answer is most nearly, (A) 5.7 F.

(A) 5.7 F

(B) 6.2 F

(C) 8.1 F

(D) 10 F

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -14
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SOLUTION 14
APPLICATIONS EQUIPMENT & COMPONENTS

A cooling tower has 150 GPM of water at entering and leaving temperatures of 95 F and 85 F.
If the outside air conditions are 89 F DB/75% relative humidity. What is the effectiveness of the
cooling tower, in %? Assume the cooling tower is located at 5,000 feet above sea level.

Cooling tower effectiveness is governed by the following equation:

𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 ∆ ℉ 𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 ℉
𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠 %
𝑚𝑎𝑥 ∆ ℉ 𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ ℉

The range is found through the following equation:

𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑇 , ℉ 𝑇 , ℉

𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 95 85 ℉ 10℉

The approach is found through the following equation:

𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑇 , ℉ 𝑇 , ℉

Find the wet bulb temperature through the psychrometric chart:

𝑇 , 81.9℉

𝐴𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑐ℎ 85 81.9 ℉ 3.1 ℉

10
𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠 % 76.3%
10 3.1 ℉

The correct answer is most nearly, (C) 76%

(A) 24%

(B) 61%

(C) 76%

(D) 89%

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -15
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SOLUTION 15
APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS & COMPONENTS

A new steam boiler provides 100 lb/hr of steam at 45 psig, 0 degrees super heat to various hot
water heaters. If the hot water heaters are designed to provide a 60 degree delta to incoming
water at 80 F, then what is the total GPM of hot water that the boiler can support? Assume the
steam leaves the hot water heaters as a liquid with 10 degrees of sub-cooling and there is no
change in pressure.

Create an energy balance equation between the steam and the hot water.

𝑄 𝑚∗ ℎ ℎ

Find ℎ in the Steam Tables as a function of pressure, Navigate to 59.7 (45+14.7) PSIA.
Read the enthalpy of the saturated vapor (0 degrees superheat) and the enthalpy of the liquid
(10 degrees sub-cooling)

𝑙𝑏 𝐵𝑡𝑢 𝐵𝑡𝑢 𝐵𝑡𝑢

𝑄 100 ∗ 1,180 251 92,900
ℎ𝑟 𝑙𝑏𝑚 𝑙𝑏𝑚 ℎ

𝑄 𝑚 ∗ 𝑐 ∗ ∆𝑇

𝑄 500 ∗ 𝐺𝑃𝑀 ∗ ∆𝑇

𝐵𝑡𝑢
𝑄 92,900 𝑄 500 ∗ 𝑥 𝐺𝑃𝑀 ∗ 60 ℉
ℎ

𝑥 3.1 𝐺𝑃𝑀

The correct answer is most nearly, (A) 3.1 GPM.

(A) 3.1 gpm

(B) 19.5 gpm

(C) 37.4 gpm

(D) 61.1 gpm

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -16
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SOLUTION 16
PRINCIPLES – SYSTEMS
Steam enters a throttling valve at a pressure of 100 psia and a temperature of 400 F. The
throttling valve reduces the pressure to 50 psia. What is the resulting enthalpy at the exit of the
throttling valve? Assume an ideal throttling valve.

The key for this problem is that you should know that a throttling process is governed by no
change in enthalpy. Throttling valve is the same as an expansion valve.

You should refer to your superheated steam tables and find the enthalpy of the steam entering
the throttling valve.

𝐵𝑡𝑢
100 𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑎, 400 𝐹 → ℎ 1,230
𝑙𝑏𝑚

The correct answer is most nearly, (D) 1,230 Btu/lbm

(A) 810 Btu/lbm

(B) 920 Btu/lbm

(C) 1,000 Btu/lbm

(D) 1,230 Btu/lbm

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -17
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SOLUTION 17
APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS & COMPONENTS

The density of a chilled water-glycol mixture is 70 lbs/ft3. The viscosity is 7.5 centipoise. A
pump is used to pump 100 GPM of this fluid through the cooling system that has a total
pressure drop of 100 ft of head. What is the mechanical horsepower required to pump this
fluid?

In order to solve this problem, you only need the following equation:
𝜌
∆ℎ ∗𝑄 ∗
𝜌
𝑀𝐻𝑃
1714

The other given values are distractions. The viscosity would affect the pressure drop
calculations, but the pressure drop is already given in this problem. You do need to account for
a change in density from water.

70 𝑙𝑏𝑠/𝑓𝑡
100 𝑓𝑡 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑 ∗ 100 𝐺𝑃𝑀 ∗
62.4 𝑙𝑏𝑠/𝑓𝑡
𝑀𝐻𝑃
3,956

𝑀𝐻𝑃 2.8 𝐻𝑃

The correct answer is most nearly, (B) 2.8 horsepower.

(A) 2.5 HP

(B) 2.8 HP

(C) 3.2 HP

(D) 3.6 HP

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -18
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SOLUTION 18
PRINCIPLES – SYSTEMS
A chilled water system consists of (2) chillers each with a volume of 100 gallons. The chilled
water piping consists of 1,000 feet of 6" Sch 40 steel. There are 10 air handlers each with a
volume of 25 gallons. The chilled water design temperatures are 45 F minimum and 85 F
maximum. At the location of the expansion tank there will be a minimum pressure of 50 psig
and a maximum of 100 psig. What is most nearly the size of the diaphragm expansion tank?
Do not include any credit for the expansion of the piping in the system and assume the
precharge pressure is 18 psig.

For this problem, you need to use the expansion tank equation, shown below.
𝑣
1
𝑣
𝑉 𝑉 ∗
𝑃 𝑃
𝑃 𝑃

First, solve for the total chilled water volume.

1 𝑓𝑡 1 𝑔𝑎𝑙
𝑉 1,000 𝑓𝑡 ∗ 28.89 𝑖𝑛 ∗ ∗ 10 ∗ 25 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 2 ∗ 100 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠
144 𝑖𝑛 0.1337 𝑓𝑡

𝑉 1,500 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 250 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 200 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 1,950 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠

Now plug into the expansion tank equation, make sure to convert psig to psia.
𝑣
1
𝑣
𝑉 1,950 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 ∗
50 14.7 50 14.7
18 14.7 100 14.7

0.016085
1
𝑉 1,950 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠 ∗ 0.016021
1.415

𝑉 5.5 𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑠

The correct answer is (A) 6 gallons

(A) 6 gallons

(B) 33 gallons

(C) 67 gallons

(D) 195 gallons

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -19
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SOLUTION 19
APPLICATIONS SYSTEMS & COMPONENTS

A condenser water system consists of an outdoor cooling tower, indoor reservoir, 3-way
diverting valve, three-way diverting valve, condenser and condenser water pump. If the cooling
tower fans are at minimum speed and the condenser water temperature continues to fall, then
which of the following should most likely occur to keep the condenser water temperature
entering the condenser above the minimum required temperature?

(A) The cooling tower fans should slow down

(B) The pump should slow down.

(C) The diverting valve should direct water to the indoor reservoir.

(D) The diverting valve should direct water to the cooling tower.

The correct answer is (C). The diverting valve should direct water to the indoor reservoir. This
will bypass the cooling tower, where it is most likely too cold outdoors.

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -20
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SOLUTION 20
APPLICATIONS SUPPORTIVE KNOWLEDGE

An outdoor air cooled chilled water plant consists of (2) air cooled chillers and (2) chilled water
pumps. The air cooled chillers both have a sound rating of 90 db and the chilled water pumps
both have a sound rating of 80 db. What is the combined sound rating at a distance of 25 feet
away? Assume there are no walls or sound barriers and the equipment is located on the
ground.

First, combine the sound levels.

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝐿𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙 𝐷𝐵 10LOG 10 10 10 10

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝐿𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙 𝐷𝐵 10LOG 10 10 10 10

𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝐿𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙 𝐷𝐵 93.42 𝑑𝑏

NOW, find the sound level at a distance of 25 feet away.

𝐿 𝐿 10𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑄 20𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑑 0.7

𝐿 𝐷𝐵 𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑑 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒; 𝐿 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝐷𝐵;

𝑄 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 2 𝑓𝑜𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 ; 𝑑 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑓𝑡

𝐿 93.42 10𝑙𝑜𝑔2 20𝑙𝑜𝑔25 0.7

𝐿 67.8 𝑑𝐵

The correct answer is (B) 68 db

(A) 50 db

(B) 68 db

(C) 86 db

(D) 93 db

Mechanical PE - HVAC and Refrigeration

Partial Practice Exam 2 Solutions -21
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