Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, and Heating Systems Technology — Columbia

This course is designed to present the learner with an understanding of the principles of energy, heat, and combustion; basic refrigeration and the effects of temperature and pressure on liquids and gasses. Procedures used in the fabrication of tubing assemblies, cutting, bending, flaring, swaging and soldering are also taught. Pressure testing and leak detection procedures are also emphasized.
Students will learn to apply the basic theory of heat transfer, basic principles of energy and matter, and the application of safe work practices. They will learn to use the tools and equipment used by the HVAC-R technician and the proper selection of fasteners for particular tasks. Students will also learn the different types of tubing used in the HVAC-R industry and the types of jointing processes for different types of tubing.  Students will be given the opportunity to complete their OSHA 30 certification during this course.  Professional development exercises and seminars are also included in this course.
 

This course is designed to explore the sources and principles of electrical energy and its generation and control. Conductors, insulators, thermal and magnetic switching are discussed. Types and application of electric motors are emphasized. Procedures used in wiring panels and switching devices as well as single and poly-phase electrical systems are also discussed.

Students will learn how to apply safety procedures while working with electricity and electrical devices and equipment. They will learn to distinguish the difference between series and parallel circuits and how to apply principles of electricity to electrical formulas as they relate to basic circuits and equipment. Students will also learn to apply automatic controls used in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration industry. They will learn the application of various types of electric motors and controls used in the industry. In addition students will learn to diagnosis and troubleshoot electric motors and motor controls. In the process they will learn to use various types of test equipment.  Professional development exercises and seminars are also included in this course.

This course is designed to introduce the learner to gas and electric heating systems. This includes gas fired boilers hot water, steam, along with warm air gas furnace. Students will then learn the components that make up these complex heating systems. Each student will then apply this knowledge to master the operation of each system both mechanically and electrically prior to learning proper troubleshooting techniques. A portion of this course will be dedicated to the principles of combustion and methods of testing combustion efficiency on various heating systems.  Professional development exercises and seminars are also included in this course.
 

This course is designed to introduce the learner to oil-fired and hydronic heating systems. This includes oil fired boilers hot water, steam, along with warm air oil furnaces. Students will then learn the components that make up these complex heating systems. Each student will then apply this knowledge to master the operation of each system both mechanically and electrically prior to learning proper troubleshooting techniques. A portion of this course will be dedicated to the principles of combustion and methods of testing combustion efficiency on various heating systems. Professional development exercises and seminars are also included in this course.

This course is designed to present the student with the principles governing the operation of refrigeration systems and the refrigeration cycle. They will learn about refrigerants, compressors, evaporators, condensers, metering and control devices as well as service procedures, such as evacuating refrigerants and oil charging, leak detection and mechanical checks.

Students will learn how to plot a refrigeration cycle for refrigerants on a pressure/enthalpy diagram, choose a leak detector for a particular type of leak, perform two different types of evacuation, and perform a high side and triple evacuation. They will learn to charge a system using various methods. Students will also learn to diagnose and troubleshoot various problems within the refrigeration system.  Professional development exercises and seminars are also included in this course.
 

This course is designed to provide the student with the necessary information about the various types of air conditioning systems, their characteristics and applications as well as combination systems, ductless systems and heat pump systems. This course also explores the various components e.g.: compressors, motors, controls, and air handlers as well as servicing and troubleshooting of systems and controls. They will learn to select the correct instruments for checking an air conditioning unit with a mechanical problem. Students will also learn to calculate the correct operating suction pressures for both standard and high-efficiency air conditioning equipment under various conditions. Professional development exercises and seminars are also included in this course
 

This course is designed to provide the student with the necessary information about the theory of heat exchange as applied to heat and cooling loads, as well as the calculation of those loads. A duct project is completed and tested during this course. Students will learn the sources of indoor air pollution, the procedures for eliminating contamination sources, how molds reproduce, reasons for cleaning air ducts, reasons for providing humidification in winter months, and factors used when sizing humidifiers. 

Students will also learn to determine factors for evaporation requirements, plot airflow conditions on the air-friction chart, determine requirements for filtration systems, perform service inspections on humidifier units, perform load calculations, plot wet-bulb and dry-bulb temperatures, and calculate winter heat loss. Basic energy auditing principles are taught towards the latter portion of this course, this includes solar energy and geothermal concepts. Professional development exercises and seminars are also included in this course.

This course is designed to provide the learner with commercial refrigeration theory and application. Students will learn the various types of commercial refrigeration systems and their application such as supermarket display cases to various refrigerated cabinets used in food preservation. Students will also learn the difference between package units and remote commercial system arrangements. Heat loads and pressure-enthalpy diagrams will be discussed as they relate to commercial refrigeration systems. Professional development exercises and seminars are also included in this course.
 

This course will provide the learner information on various types of commercial air conditioning systems found in the HVACR Industry. Rooftop units, economizers, enthalpy controls, along with variable refrigerant flow systems. Each topic will be examined to gain deeper knowledge on how these components operate in conjunction with one other. In addition, chillers, cooling tower along with absorption cooling system are explored to provide the learner knowledge of how each component help to achieve cooling in large buildings/ industrial manufacturing. The latter portion of this course is comprised of teaching commercial refrigeration troubleshooting. This includes refrigeration system diagnosis, component diagnosis and the servicing procedure of these systems. Students will practice their newly acquired skills on various refrigeration systems providing troubleshooting mechanical and electrical scenarios found in the field.  Professional development exercises and seminars are also included in this course.