Two Gas Fired Boilers For General Building Heat.
In winter these "boilers" heat water which is circulated throughout the building. The hot water is subsequently converted to warm air at individual heat exchangers in each room or lab. The air is moved thru these heat exchangers by a local axial flow fan, which is in turn controlled by a thermostat in that room. As summer approaches the hot water system is changed over to the refrigerator units to make it a chilled water system. This system, working in much the same way, then cools the individual rooms and labs.
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5139 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

Control Boxes for the HVAC Equipment.
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HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5143 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

Air Compressor For Our Science Building.
The business end of this three cylinder compressor sub assembly as seen top left. The fan, seen in upper center, blows cooking air into the rectangular box which contains a heat exchanger to cool air heated by the compressor. As discussed in both physics and chemistry, the energy that goes into compressing any gas, appears in the gas itself as greatly increased temperature!! This heating of a compressed gas (air in this case) is a known as adiabatic temperature increase. This air compressor supplies compressed air (~60 psi) to stop cocks in all work benches in all building lab rooms. This same compressed air source us used to provide "pneumatic muscle" to open the hot water/ chilled water valves in each room and lab. Ventilation control dampers are similarly powered. The room thermostat, as is needed, provides the source of control for the pneumatic pressure to open these valves and dampers. These pneumatic operated valves and dampers are shown in my photos if the upper three floors of our Science Building. Click on the "Science Building Link" at the top center of this page.
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5142 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

View of the ”Other End" of the Air Compressor Unit Shown In the Previous Photo. Seen At Right Is the Central Electrical Power Switch and Breaker Panel for the Most of the HVAC Equipment In This Room.
The alert observer will note there is a second three cylinder compressor sub assembly mounted on the same "table". Note second unit at upper center. This second compressor unit is propelled by the electric motor which is the cylinder above the table top to the right side. The large cylinder under the compressor machinery is the storage tank for both compressor units. This tank feeds compressed to the building as compressed air as it is needed. When the pressure gets low enough in the tank, one or both of the compressors automatically start up and restores the pressure to the original value. Then the compressor(s) automatically shut down. This storage tank "action" is an excellent application of Boyles Law, an important topic in both physics and chemistry. In fact this whole equipment is a repeated application of physics and chemistry principles!!!
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5147 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

General Panorama View of HVAC Equipment Room. At the Extreme Right You Will See the Roll Door that Leads To the Equipment Lowering Pit. This has been Mentioned and Shown Previously.
Notice that this four photograph panorama view swings more than 90 degrees from left to right. All the equipment you see in this panorama, you have seen previously. Can you identify it? Ready for your exam?
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5163+3scz ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

Close Up View of the Main Ventilation System Filter and Conditioning Compartment.
Click on this photo to get the largest view. Notice the two round gauges on violet water pipes. The round gauge at right is the inlet water pressure. The round gauge at left is the outlet water pressure. The long thin gauge between the two violet pipes shows the water temperature. As explained earlier, the water in the violet pipes is chilled in summer and heated in winter. This water enters heat exchangers in this filter compartment and thus pre-warms the incoming fresh air in winter, and pre-chills the incoming fresh air in summer. The summertime chilled coils in this compartment, on purpose, are cold enough to condense excessive South Carolina muggy-muggy moisture from the incoming fresh air. Condensate water collects in the bottom of the compartment and goes to a floor drain by means of a copper pipe. The copper pipe is seen running from the U-trap at the right front corner of the compartment to the hole in the floor at center front of the compartment.
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5146 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

General View of East End of the HVAC Equipment Room. Note Self Guided Tour "Lane" Painted On Floor.
This photo really is a continuation of an earlier photo that showed the Self Guided Tour "Lane". The next five photo show close-ups of the equipment in this end of the equipment room.
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5150 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

This Pump Moves Water To and From the Air Conditioner's Cooling Tower At the Exterior East End of the Science Building.
The electrical drive motor is the cylinder in the foreground and the circular housing of this centrifugal pump is behind. Note pressure gauge. Which of the two pipes attached to the pump is the inlet to this pump and which is the outlet. Hint which way does the motor rotate? Think!!
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5152 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

Collection and Treatment Vessel For Chemistry/Biology/Geology/Physics Lab Waste Water.
This container collects and holds all the sink drains waste water from all the labs. Periodically this waste water it is tested and neutralized prior to release into the public sewer. This tank is made from polyethylene plastic, hence the white color. Polyethylene plastic is quite resistant to corrosion and relatively inexpensive and is easy to fabricate into tanks like this. Thus polyethylene plastic is the most cost effective material for this application.
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5151 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

I Believe This Tank Temporarily Holds the Water From the Chilled/Heated Water Pipes While Any Portion of This System Is Being Repaired. At Right Is a Telephone Wire Connection Panel.
If you have more information, about this photo or any photo in my Gallery, please send me an email with your suggestions.
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5157 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

This Old Control Box Became Obsolete and Was Taken Out of Service.
Click on photo to get the largest view to read numbers. TR13395, at upper left, Has large three wires which enter and then exit. I believe this is an "electrical current transformer", which has an output proportional to the amount of 3-electrical current passing through it. TR14016, at upper right, looks like a single phase step down transformer, but I am less sure of it's function. At lower left corner are three fuses to block excessive three phase current.
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5156 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

The Words on the Left Box Say "Time Control Center".
I assume these two boxes control all the wall clocks in the Science Building.
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5158 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

Science Building Mystery Photo?
Email to me you guess where this is?
HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

IMG_5167.JPGTo Exit the HVAC Equipment Room We Must Again Use the Ladder!!

HVAC Equipment Room, Basement of Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.
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(Photo = 5167 ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)

And Now We Are Again Back At the South Side of the Science Building Where We See: 1) Building Exhaust-Air Tower, 2) Vehicle Area, and 3) Side Entrance to Biology Dept Greenhouse.
If you liked these tour photos, please leave you comment below this photo (or any photo) in this gallery. And thanks for viewing them all!!

Click here to see photos of the beautiful greenhouse plant collection, .
Science Building, USCA Campus, Aiken, SC.

Click here to see my photos of the upper three floors of the Science Building
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(Photo = 5172+2iscz ...... WayPt = `000 |w|' 420 ft)