Hydraulic calculation of the heating system of a private house - calculation procedure + overview of useful programs

After collecting the initial data, determining the heat loss of the house and the power of the radiators, it remains to perform a hydraulic calculation of the heating system. Properly executed, it is a guarantee of the correct, silent, stable and reliable operation of the heating system. Moreover, it is a way to avoid unnecessary investment and energy costs.

Calculations and work to be done in advance

Hydraulic calculation is the most time-consuming and difficult stage of design.

Therefore, before calculating the heating in the house, you need to perform a series of calculations.

• Firstly, the balance of heated rooms and rooms is determined.
• Secondly, it is necessary to choose the type of heat exchangers or heating appliances, as well as perform their arrangement on the plan of the house.
• Thirdly, the calculation of heating a private house implies that a choice has already been made regarding the configuration of the system, the types of pipelines and fittings (control and shutoff).
• Fourth, a drawing of the heating system should be made. Best if it is an axonometric diagram. It should indicate the numbers, the length of the calculated sections and thermal loads.
• Fifth, the main circulation ring is installed. This is a closed loop, including consecutive sections of the pipeline directed to the instrument riser (when considering a one-pipe system) or to the most remote heating device (if a two-pipe system takes place) and back to the heat source.

Calculation of heating in a wooden house is carried out according to the same scheme as in a brick or in any other country cottage.

Calculation Procedure

Hydraulic calculation of the heating system involves solving the following problems:

• determination of the diameters of the pipeline at different sections (in this case, economically feasible and recommended speeds of the coolant are taken into account);
• calculation at various sites of hydraulic pressure loss;
• hydraulic linking of all branches of the system (hydraulic instrumentation and others). It involves the use of control valves, which allows dynamic balancing with unsteady hydraulic and thermal modes of operation of the heating system;
• coolant flow rate and pressure loss calculation.

Are there any free programs for calculations?

To simplify the calculation of the heating system of a private house, you can use special programs. Of course, there are not so many of them as graphic editors, but there is still a choice. Some are distributed free of charge, others in demo versions. In any case, it will be possible to make the necessary calculations once or twice without material investments.

Oventrop CO Software

The free software “Oventrop CO” is designed to perform a hydraulic calculation of the heating of a country house.

The Oventrop CO program is designed to provide graphical assistance during the design phase of a heating project. It allows you to perform hydraulic calculations for both single-pipe and two-pipe systems. It is simple and convenient to work in it: there are ready-made blocks, error control is carried out, a huge catalog of materials

Based on the preliminary settings and selection of heating devices, piping and fittings, new systems can be designed. In addition, it is possible to adjust the existing circuit. It is carried out by selecting the power of already available equipment in accordance with the needs of heated rooms and premises.

Both of these options can be combined in this program, allowing you to adjust existing fragments and design new ones. With any calculation option, Oventrop CO selects the valve settings. In terms of performing hydraulic calculations, this program has wide possibilities: from selection of pipeline diameters to analysis of water flow in equipment. All results (tables, diagrams, figures) can be printed or transferred to the Windows environment.

Instal-Therm HCR Software

The Instal-Therm HCR program allows you to calculate a radiator and surface heating system.

It is supplied with InstalSystem TECE, which includes three more programs: Instal-San T (for designing cold and hot water), Instal-Heat & Energy (for calculating heat losses) and Instal-Scan (for scanning drawings).

The Instal-Therm HCR program is equipped with extended catalogs of materials (pipes, water consumers, fittings, radiators, thermal insulation and shut-off and control valves). The calculation results are issued in the form of a specification for the materials and products offered by the program. The only drawback of the trial version is that it is not possible to print it.

Computational capabilities of Instal-Therm HCR: - selection by diameter of pipes and fittings, as well as tees, fittings, distributors, bushings and pipe insulation; - determination of the lifting height of pumps located in the mixers of the system or on the site; - hydraulic and thermal calculations of heating surfaces, automatic determination of the optimum inlet temperature (supply); - selection of radiators, taking into account cooling in the pipelines of the working agent.

You can use the trial version for free, but it has several limitations. First, as with most shareware programs, results cannot be printed, nor can they be exported. Secondly, in each application of the package, you can create only three projects. True, you can change them as much as you like. Thirdly, the created project is saved in a modified format. Files with this extension will not be read by any other trial or even the standard version.

HERZ C.O. Software

Freely distributed program "HERZ C.O.". With its help, it is possible to make a hydraulic calculation of both single-pipe and two-pipe heating systems. An important difference from others is the ability to perform calculations in new or reconstructed buildings, where the glycol mixture acts as a coolant. This software has a certificate of conformity LLC TsPSS.

"HERZ C.O." provides the user with the following options: selection of pipes by diameter, settings of regulators of pressure difference (branching, base of drains); analysis of water flow and determination of pressure loss in equipment; calculation of hydraulic resistance of circulation rings; accounting for the necessary authorities of thermostatic valves; reduction of excess pressure in the circulation rings by selecting valve settings. For user convenience, organized graphical data entry.The calculation results are displayed in the form of diagrams and floor plans.

Schematic representation of the calculation results in “HERZ C.O.” much more convenient specifications for materials and products, in the form of which the results of calculations in other programs are displayed

The program has developed context-sensitive help that provides information about individual teams or entered indicators. The multi-window mode of operation allows you to simultaneously view several types of data and totals. Work with the plotter and printer is organized very simply, before printing, you can preview the output pages.

HERZ C.O. Program equipped with a convenient function for automatic search and diagnosis of errors in tables and diagrams, as well as quick access to catalog data of fittings, heaters and pipes

Modern control systems with constantly changing thermal conditions require equipment for monitoring changes and their regulation.

It is very difficult to make a choice of control valves without knowing the market situation. Therefore, in order to calculate heating over the area of ​​the whole house, it is better to use a software application with a large library of materials and products. Not only the operation of the system itself, but also the amount of investment that will be required to organize it depends on the correctness of the data received.