Psychrometric Tables
By: Pass the PE
While the psychrometric chart is a great resource in many applications, fumbling with straight-edges and interpreting humidity ratios at five significant figures can be a source of headaches, time-wasting, and errors.
Pass the PE has tabulated the psychrometric chart into two forms: dry-bulb vs. wet-bulb, and dry-bulb vs. relative humidity. By doing so, you can save precious exam time and quickly answer the many psychrometric questions on the exam without accidentally reading the wrong minuscule value.
The psychrometric tables can be purchased at sea level; 2,500 ft; 5,000 ft; and 7,500 ft elevations at the links below:
Buy it here: Pass the PE: Psych Table – Sea Level
Buy it here: Pass the PE: Psych Table – 2,500 ft Elevation
Buy it here: Pass the PE: Psych Table – 5,000 ft Elevation
Buy it here: Pass the PE: Psych Table – 7,500 ft Elevation
Common Equations at Non-standard Conditions
By: Pass the PE
Many of us are very familiar with, and ready to use equations such as q = 1.08 CFM ΔT and q = 500 gpm ΔT as soon as we see a problem that involves calculating air or water flow rates. However, the PE exam aims to test your understanding beyond simply reciting rules of thumb by throwing you non-standard conditions that invalidate these beloved equations.
Luckily, Pass the PE has tabulated your favorite equations at tons of non-standard conditions so that, instead of having to derive the sensible heat equation from scratch, you can simply swap 1.08 for the correct coefficient (among other equations, of course) and quickly jump to solving problems with the equations you are most comfortable with.
A link to purchase a tabulated list of your favorite equations at non-standard conditions is shown below:
Buy it here: Pass the PE: Common Equations at Non-standard Conditions
ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals
By: The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
The ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals covers the basic principles that will be tested on the PE exam, ranging from thermodynamics, psychrometrics, heat transfer, building envelopes, indoor environmental quality, load calculations, duct and piping system design, refrigerants, energy resources, sustainability, and more.
This book is referenced repeatedly during the exam and can be purchased at the link below:
Buy it here: ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals
ASHRAE Handbook: Refrigeration
By: The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
The ASHRAE Handbook of Refrigeration covers topics ranging from cooling, freezing, and storing food, among others. The most commonly tested concepts from this book pertain to freezing food. Given the sheer number of food properties covered in this book, this handbook is an essential reference for the PE exam.
This book will be referenced several times during the exam and can be purchased at the link below:
Buy it here: ASHRAE Handbook – Refrigeration
ASHRAE Handbook: HVAC Applications
By: The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
The ASHRAE Handbook of HVAC Applications covers many application-specific topics, the most frequently-tested of which pertain to air diffusion design, controls strategies, and the acoustical impacts of design decisions.
The book is referenced throughout the exam and can be purchased at the link below:
Buy it here: ASHRAE Handbook – HVAC Applications
ASHRAE Handbook: HVAC Systems and Equipment
By: The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
The ASHRAE Handbook of HVAC Systems and Equipment is an essential reference for answering the various “trivia” questions that will be asked during the exam, ranging from boiler operating temperatures, to the fan curves associated with specific fans. Due to the sheer number of “trivia”-style questions on the exam, this book is an essential reference. There may also be equipment-specific questions for which this book will be the source of the necessary equations.
The book can be purchased at the link below:
Buy it here: ASHRAE Handbook – HVAC Systems and Equipment
Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual (The MERM)
By: Michael R. Lindeburg
The MERM is an essential companion to the ASHRAE Handbooks, as it covers, summarizes, and consolidates many topics (but unfortunately not all topics) and references found in the Handbooks. We have found that, due to its organization, its detailed index, its property reference appendices, and its breadth of content, the MERM is the best bet for quickly searching for topics that didn’t come up during studying for the exam. It also offers a more detailed (or at least a different) explanation of many topics and equations covered in the ASHRAE Handbooks and expands upon topics through example problems in many chapters.
This book is used on the majority of the problems in the exam and can be purchased at the link below:
Buy it here: Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual
ASHRAE Standards
By: The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
The below ASHRAE standards are the most commonly-tested standards on the exam. Similar to the ASHRAE Handbook of HVAC Systems and Equipment, these standards are most commonly used to answer “trivia”-style questions, or to find values as inputs for ventilation or energy efficiency calculations.
The most commonly-tested standards can be purchased at the links below:
Buy it here: ASHRAE 15 – Safety Standard for Refrigeration Systems
Buy it here: ASHRAE 34 – Designation and Safety Classification of Refrigerants
Buy it here: ASHRAE 55 – Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy
Buy it here: ASHRAE 62.1 – Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality
Buy it here: ASHRAE 90.1 – Energy Standard for Buildings, except Low-Rise Residential Buildings
NFPA Standards
By: The National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA)
There is likely to be at least one question on the exam that requires the reference of one of the following standards. Again, this is likely to be a “trivia”-style question.
The most relevant standards can be purchased at the links below:
Buy it here: NFPA 90A – Standard for the Installation of Air-conditioning and Ventilating Systems
Buy it here: NFPA 90B – Standard for the Installation of Warm Air Heating and Air-conditioning Systems