Answers for your Questions:

 

With the help of the Hydronics Design Studio, heating professionals can quickly answer routine design questions such as…

 

    -What flow rate will a given circulator produce in my piping system?

    -How do I compensate for temperature drops along a series piping loop of fin-tube baseboard?

    -How would using the next larger pipe size change the flow rate in a circuit?

    -What is the heat loss through a partially bermed basement wall?

    -How do I set balancing valves on a radiant heating manifold station?

    -What effect will adding antifreeze have on the performance of my system?

    -Do I need a differential pressure bypass valve in my system?

    -How big should the system’s expansion tank be?

    -What is the proper pipe size for a given heat transport rate?

    -Which fuel is the better choice for my system?

 

The Hydronics Design Studio (Professional Version) comes with 10 “base modules” that help you quickly and accurately analyze the performance of the hydronic systems you design. 

 

These modules include:

 

ROOM HEAT LOAD ESTIMATOR

SERIES BASEBOARD SIMULATOR

HYDRONIC CIRCUIT SIMULATOR

EXPANSION TANK SIZER

FLUID PROPERTIES CALCULATOR

BASEMENT HEAT LOAD ESTIMATOR

HYDRAULIC RESISTANCE CALCULATOR

PIPE SIZER

PIPE HEAT LOSS ESTIMATOR

HEATING COST ESTIMATOR

 

ROOM HEAT LOAD ESTIMATOR

 

This module lets you quickly and easily estimate the design heating load of a user-defined room.  The heat loss associated with each exposed room surface as well as that due to air leakage is instantly calculated and displayed.  A bar graph shows the proportion of the total heat loss associated with each loss path making it easy to see where the majority of the heat losses are occurring.

 

The unique area and volume calculator lets you quickly and accurately determine the correct areas and room volumes associated with heat loss estimates.

 

A listing of rooms with their associated heat losses can be quickly generated.  The total heating load of the building is also automatically tabulated and displayed as rooms are added, deleted, or modified. The building heat loss information can be stored at any time for later reference.

 

SERIES BASEBOARD SIMULATOR

 

This module determines the performance of series-connected fin-tube baseboard circuits. As hardware is selected and loads are assigned, a detailed engineering simulation of the circuit is performed.  In addition to sizing each of the baseboards, this simulation determines the flow rate produced by the selected circulator, as well as the inlet and outlet temperatures of each baseboard.

 

Hardware and operating conditions can be quickly changed to evaluate design alternatives.  The module also warns the user of inappropriate selections or operating conditions.

 

Up to 12 series-connected baseboards can be assigned to a piping circuit.  Up to 10 independent zone circuits can be created.   The type of baseboard used in any room can be selected from a large database of manufacturers and models, as can the circulator and system fluid.   Each circuit can be configured using one of several types and sizes of tubing as well as a wide assortment of fittings and valves.

 

HYDRONIC CIRCUIT SIMULATOR

 

This module is a true analytic powerhouse, and the centerpiece of the Hydronics Design Studio.  It can simulate the steady-state fluid flow and heat output in a variety of piping systems commonly used for hydronic heating.

 

The user quickly configures the system to be simulated using the built-in databases for tubing, fittings, valves, circulators, and fluids that are accessed through standard pull downs and scrollable lists.  The interface is simple and easy to learn, yet allows great versatility and access to powerful mathematical design tools.

 

This module can also simulate the performance of user-specified heat emitters such as baseboard elements, or radiant floor circuits within any or all of the branch circuits.

 

In the blink of an eye, it can provide you with accurate results that would take hours to arrive at using manual calculations.  This lets you evaluate multiple “what-if” scenarios and discover how they will perform before you risk installation of expensive hardware that may not perform as expected.

 

EXPANSION TANK SIZER

 

This module quickly and accurately determines the minimum volume and air-side pressurization of a diaphragm-type expansion tank required for a user-specified closed-loop hydronic heating system.

 

It also calculates useful information such as the volume of antifreeze that may be required, as well as the volume of various types and sizes of tubing that are easily selected from pull-down lists.

 

You can use it to evaluate expansion tank sizing in situations not covered in manufacturer’s tables and charts.

 

FLUID PROPERTIES CALCULATOR

 

This module calculates several properties for fluids commonly used in hydronic heating systems including density, viscosity, specific heat, and the “alpha-value” which is used to determine hydraulic resistance.  These properties are required by many of the formulas presented in the Modern Hydronic Heating text.

 

Determining these properties with this module is simple: First select the type of fluid from a pull down list (water, as well as various concentrations of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol are available).  Second, enter the temperature at which the fluid properties are to be evaluated.  All the properties are instantly calculated and displayed.

 

BASEMENT HEAT LOAD ESTIMATOR

 

This module is a complement to the ROOM HEAT LOAD ESTIMATOR module.  It determines the design heat loss of a user- specified basement.  It allows the user to specify both bermed and wood-framed walls in the basement.  Framed walls are typical in so-called “walk-out” basements.

 

This module provides an extensive database of construction materials from which the user can configure the various surfaces through which heat losses occur.

 

The unique area and volume calculator lets you quickly and accurately determine the correct areas and room volumes associated with heat loss estimates.  This estimate can be easily passed to the ROOM HEAT LOAD ESTIMATOR for determining the overall heating load of the building.

 

HYDRAULIC RESISTANCE CALCULATOR

 

This module calculates the hydraulic resistance value of any device for which flow rate versus head loss data is available.  The hydraulic resistance value can be used to accurately describe the flow characteristic of the device in the HYDRONIC CIRCUIT SIMULATOR module.  This allows devices such as heat emitters, heat exchangers, and heat sources to be placed into the user-defined circuit within the HYDRONIC CIRCUIT SIMULATOR.

 

PIPE SIZER

 

This module determines the appropriate size of copper, PEX, or PEX-AL-PEX tubing based on the maximum flow velocity through the pipe, or the desire for the pipe to transport heat at a given rate.

 

In addition to selecting the appropriate pipe size, the module calculates the head loss, pressure drop, and Reynolds number of the flow for the selected pipe size.  It also calculates and displays the flow velocities in all other sizes of the pipe type selected for comparison.

 

Pipe sizing is a fundamental part of designing any hydronic system.  This module will make the task simple, fast, and accurate.

 

PIPE HEAT LOSS ESTIMATOR

 

This module determines the rate of heat loss from both insulated and uninsulated copper tubing.  The calculation accurately accounts for the temperature drop as flow progresses along the pipe.

 

The user specifies the inlet temperature and flow rate as well as the type of fluid being conveyed.  Other selections include the size and length of copper tubing, the air temperature surrounding the tube, and the type and thickness of any pipe insulation used.   The program instantly calculates the rate of heat loss from the specified pipe using an advanced engineering algorithm for highly accurate results.

 

Studies have shown that piping heat loss can be a significant percentage of the overall heat output of a residential hydronic system.  Don’t make guestimates or assumptions, instead, use this module to accurately compare and evaluate different scenarios.

 

HEATING COST ESTIMATOR

How often are you asked…

“How much will it cost to heat my building”?

Or “Which fuel option is the better buy”?

 

Such questions require careful calculations before you can give a meaningful answer.

 

The HEATING COST ESTIMATOR module was developed specifically for this purpose.  It calculates the estimated space heating cost of a building, using any of several user-selectable fuels.  It allows the user to input design heating load information and select the method of determining climatic data.  The user also enters the efficiency at which each fuel is converted into heat by the heat source.

 

The module instantly calculates the estimated space heating cost of the specified building using each of the specified fuels.