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Unit of study_
MECH5255: Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
2025 unit information
This unit of study develops an advanced knowledge of air conditioning systems and refrigeration applications. At the completion of this unit students will be able to determine thermal loads on structures and design an air conditioning or refrigeration system with attention to comfort, control, air distribution and energy consumption. Course content will include: applied psychrometrics, air conditioning systems, design principles, comfort in the built environment, cooling load calculations, heating load calculations, introduction and use of computer-based load estimation packages software, air distribution, fans, ducts, air conditioning controls, advanced refrigeration cycles, evaporators, condensers, cooling towers, compressors, pumps, throttling devices, piping, refrigerants, control, refrigeration equipment, simulation of refrigeration systems, food refrigeration and industrial applications; Use of CFD packages as tools to simulate flows in building and to optimise air conditioning design, energy estimation methods and software, energy evaluation and management in the built environment. Use of experimental air conditioning systems to test for thermal balances and compare with simulations.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Engineering
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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MECH3260 or MECH8260 or MECH9260 or equivalent study at another institution |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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MECH4255 |
| Assumed knowledge:
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Students are expected to be familiar with the basic laws of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. demonstrate an understanding of complex refrigeration systems
- LO2. demonstrate an appreciation of thermal comfort in the built environment
- LO3. demonstrate an understanding of thermal loads and energy consumption in buildings
- LO4. analyse, size and select air conditioning systems including estimates of heat and air flows as well as cost and energy analysis
- LO5. demonstrate familiarity with at least one software package used in the air conditioning industry and ability to compute total thermal loads
- LO6. effectively relay knowledge on group project in the form of a professional report and seminar
- LO7. interact with the manufacturing and consulting industry on real project related to the built environment
- LO8. select appropriate mathematical tools for air conditioning and refrigeration analysis
- LO9. complete a design project with open ended specifications.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
Important enrolment information
Departmental permission requirements
If you see the ‘Departmental Permission’ tag below a session, it means you need faculty or school approval to enrol. This may be because it’s an advanced unit, clinical placement, offshore unit, internship or there are limited places available.
You will be prompted to apply for departmental permission when you select this unit in Sydney Student.
Read our information on departmental permission.
Additional advice
This unit requires departmental permission to ensure appropriate foundational knowledge is met. If the prerequisite unit/s were completed at the University of Sydney or if you are enrolled in the Master of Engineering, your request will be approved without supporting documentation being required. If you have completed studies at another institution, you must include your transcript when submitting your permission request for review by the Faculty.
