Demand-Controlled Ventilation for Commercial Air-Conditioning Simulator

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to design, assemble, and assess the efficiency, degree of effectiveness as a tool for instruction and acceptability of the Demand-Controlled Ventilation for Commercial Air-Conditioning Simulator. This study was conducted at Bohol Island State University (BISU) Main Campus, Tagbilaran City in the second semester of the academic year 2020-2021. This study was conducted mainly to bridge the gap between the industry and the university as the latter embraces Industry 4.0 characterized by rapid technological advancements which employs automation and artificial intelligence incorporated in HVAC systems. The study employed the experimental research design in developing the device in the assessment of its efficiency. The descriptive design was used to determine the acceptability of the simulator. The observation revealed that the simulator was efficient in terms of cooling and dehumidification. In the ventilation function, all the devices were functional and the simulator was able to ventilate the system except for its outside humidity sensing feature. This was because this feature is not really applicable in tropical countries like the Philippines. However, it was included for presentation purposes only since the device was designed for instruction. As to the degree of effectiveness, it was found out that there was a significant increase in the performance of students after they were virtually exposed to the simulator. This was observed in the results of the post-test which they obtained greater average rating of 1.5 described as “Very Good” while the pre-test average rating was 4.0 described as “Poor”. The acceptability of the device had an average weighted mean of 3.77 and was described as “very high”. The results proved that the device is suitable to be used as a tool for instruction.