International engineering firm Syska Hennessy Group has launched an app called the Ductulator, which helps architects, owners, contractors and mechanical engineers easily determine and specify duct dimensions for HVAC systems.
The Ductulator, now available for free on the Apple app store and Google Play, enables users to accurately size ductwork by calculating the optimal friction loss and air-flow velocity for HVAC systems in design. Based on equations and recommendations published by the American Society of Heating and Refrigeration Engineers (ASHRAE), the app ensures precision and energy efficiency, the firm said.
Syska anticipates that architects and contractors will use the Ductulator to facilitate their collaborations with mechanical design professionals, ensuring that HVAC systems are not only correctly sized, but that they also function as intended with optimal energy use.
“Design professionals and contractors need access both in the field and office to modify duct dimensions, and the Ductulator provides these numbers quickly and precisely,” said Rob Ioanna, Syska executive principal and chief technical officer. “After speaking with our architecture clients about the challenges they face in fitting ductwork into ever-shrinking spaces and the lack of simplicity they’ve encountered with existing tools, we decided to develop a user-friendly alternative.”
The Ductulator’s differentiators include the capability to size rectangular, round and flat oval ducts. It also takes a duct’s location into account, adjusting for placements in high-pressure versus low-pressure systems and shafts versus plenums, for example. Finally, the app alerts users when they select a size that would exceed the maximum pressure-drop or velocity.
