UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
MECHANICAL & PRODUCTION ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
B. Eng (Hons.) in Mechanical Engineering
Refrigeration & Air Conditioning – MECH 4004Y

QUESTION 1: (a) Air moving in duct at 8 m/s is gradually expanded to a velocity of 5.5 m/s. if
the friction losses are 20% of the available velocity pressure change, what is the amount of static
regain?

(b) In a duct enlargement, the velocity reduces from 25 m/s to 7.5 m/s,
Calculate the static regain in the following;
i. A 200 gradual enlargement, if the pressure loss is given by 0.45( Pv1 - Pv2)
ii. An abrupt enlargement

QUESTION 2: A 1000 mm diameter duct converges gradually to 750 mm diameter. The static
pressure and velocity just upstream of the reducer are 30 mm H2O and 7.6 m/s respectively. The
dynamic loss coefficient of the reducer is 0.12.

Calculate the following:

i. Flow rate
ii. Pressure loss in the reducer
iii. Pressure indicated by a U tube manometer connected to pressure tappings at the upstream
and downstream of the reducer.

QUESTION 3: (a) Determine

i. the dimensions of AB, BC, CD & BE using the equal friction method for the system shown in the
diagram below.
ii. The rectangular equivalent of the ducts AB, BC, CD & BE determined in (i) above

(b) Determine the total and Static pressures at the point A. Assume free exit at each outlet.
Losses are given by : For elbow – 0.25 Pv2.
For branch – 0.2Pv2 + Elbow loss
For straight through section – 0.25 ( Pv1 - Pv2)

(c) Find the diameter of BE so that no dampering is required in the section

QUESTION 4: An air duct, FIG Qu. 4, delivers 72 m3/min to Room 1, 150 m3/min to Room 2,
and 180 m3/min to Room 3. Using a friction loss of 0.8 Pa/m length of duct and assuming free
exit at each outlet, determine;

(i) the duct dimensions using the equal pressure drop method.
(ii) the total and static pressures at point A.
The losses are given by:
 For elbow: 0.25 Pv2
  For branch : : 0.25 Pv2 + elbow loss
 For straight through section: 0.25 ( Pv1 - Pv2)

FIG Qu. 3

Room 2

Room 1
E
F 28
16
A B C D
FAN
35 24 48

22

F FIG Qu. 4

Room 3
QUESTION 5: (a) Size the ducting shown in Fig 5 below using the Equal Friction Drop
method
(b) Size the ducting shown in Fig 5 below using the Velocity Reduction Method, given
that the velocity in the duct section immediately after the fan outlet must not exceed 7.5
m/s, that this is the critical section of the system, and that the velocity in any branch
must not exceed 3.5 m/s.

QUESTION 6: A two-branch duct system of circular duct is shown in Fig Qu. 6. The
fittings have the following equivalent length of straight duct: upstream to branch, 4m :
elbow, 2m.
There is negligible pressure loss in the straight through section of the branch. The
designer selects 4 Pa/m as the pressure gradient in the section ABC. What diameter
should be selected in the branch section , BDE, to use the available pressure without
dampering?

QUESTION 7: An air conditioning duct runs straight from the fan over 80 m length. It has four
equally spaced outlet diffusers mounted on duct, the last one being at the end of the duct as
shown in Fig below. The volume flow rate through each diffuser is 1m3/s and the velocity at the
duct inlet is 15 m/s. Determine,
(a) The total pressure at the inlet of the duct
(b) The diameter of section BC of the duct using the static regain method. Comment on the
result/s.

The velocity in section BC should not be higher than 12 m/s

The static regain factor is 0.75 at each transition in the duct and frictional pressure drop is given
by
Pf/ L = (0.002268Q1.852)/(D4.973) mm of water

And
Pv = (C/4.04)2 mm of water

Where D and L are in m, Q is in m3/s and C is in m/s.

QUESTION 8: The circular air duct shown in Fig Qu. 8 has three branch ducts taking equal air
volumes at equal intervals. Each interval duct has a friction loss of 1.3 mm of water and a static
pressure of 5 mm of water is necessary at each branch to cope with its friction loss. Using the
static regain method calculate the velocities and diameters of the sections CD and EF, if the
initial velocity in the main duct of 1.2 m diameter is 625 m/min. The static pressure regain is
sufficient to overcome the friction loss in the succeeding length of the main duct up to the next
branch and the static regain factor is 0.7.
QUESTION 9:
A centrifugal fan with 900mm x 700 mm outlet is moving standard air at a rate of 11.5 m3/s
through a system which consists of straight inlet and outlet ducts. The inlet duct is 900 mm in
diameter and 150 mm long. The outlet duct is 1000 mm in diameter and 600 mm long. There is
a fan diffuser between the fan discharge and the 1000 mm diameter duct for which the pressure
loss is 1/3 Pv. The pressure drop at the filter, damper and cooling coil in the inlet duct is 15mm
H2O. The loss in the entry to the inlet is 0.5Pv. The friction factor is for the outlet duct is 0.004.
i. Determine the fan total pressure
ii. Determine the static pressures at the fan inlet and the outlet
iii. Plot the variation of the total pressure, the velocity pressure and the static pressure
along the duct system.