Documentation & Learning

Free engineering reference materials, formulas, and documentation for JΔS Engineering Suite. No login required.

Getting Started Engineering Reference HVAC Calculations Compliance Plumbing Integration Formula Reference Field & Construction

Getting Started

New to JΔS Engineering Suite? Follow these steps to get up and running.

1

Download & Install

Download JΔS Engineering Suite from the downloads page. The installer is a single .exe file (~500 MB). Windows 10/11 64-bit required. If Windows SmartScreen appears, click "More info" then "Run anyway" - the software is safe.

2

Create an Account & Activate

Create an account and contact us for license information. Open the application, go to Help > License, and enter your license key. Each license allows up to 3 device activations.

3

Create Your First Project

Press Ctrl+Shift+N or go to File > New Project. The Project Setup Wizard guides you through: project name, location, building type, climate zone, and HVAC system selection. All tools are then accessible from the sidebar.

4

Navigate the Interface

The left sidebar organizes 1,300+ tools into categories: HVAC Load Calculations, Sizing Tools, Plumbing, Equipment, Compliance, and more. Click any tool to open it in the main workspace. Use Ctrl+F to search all tools by name.

5

Run Your First Calculation

Open "Energy Calculations" from the sidebar. Add rooms using the room editor, enter wall/window/roof data, and click Calculate. The engine uses ASHRAE methodology to compute heating and cooling loads with detailed breakdowns per component.

Engineering Reference

Technical reference materials covering ASHRAE formulas, load calculation methods, duct sizing, pipe sizing, and more. All content is free and accessible without login.

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Fundamentals

HVAC Fundamentals

Core principles of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

  • Thermodynamics for HVAC (First & Second Laws)
  • Heat transfer: conduction, convection, radiation
  • Psychrometric equations and air properties
  • HVAC system types (VAV, CAV, VRF, DOAS)
  • Refrigeration cycles and components
  • Air distribution and ductwork basics
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Calculations

Load Calculation Methods

ASHRAE heating and cooling load calculation methodology and formulas.

  • Conduction through building envelope (U/R-values)
  • Solar heat gain and SHGC factors
  • Internal gains: people, lighting, equipment
  • Ventilation loads (ASHRAE 62.1)
  • CLTD/CLF/SCL method formulas
  • RTS (Radiant Time Series) method
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Sizing Reference

Duct Sizing Formulas

Duct sizing methods, friction calculations, and equivalent diameter formulas.

  • Equal friction method formulas
  • Darcy-Weisbach with Colebrook-White equation
  • Static pressure loss calculations
  • SMACNA fitting loss coefficients
  • Round/rectangular/flat oval equivalent diameters
  • Duct material roughness factors
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Sizing Reference

Pipe Sizing & Plumbing

Pipe sizing formulas, fixture unit tables, and hydraulic calculations.

  • Fixture unit calculations (WSFU/DFU)
  • Hazen-Williams friction formula
  • Water supply pipe sizing tables
  • Drainage pipe sizing and venting
  • Gas piping sizing (Spitzglass equation)
  • Code reference (IPC/CPC/UPC)
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Advanced Reference

Energy Simulation

8760-hour energy simulation methodology and weather data reference.

  • TMY3 and EPW weather data formats
  • Building envelope thermal modeling
  • HVAC system performance curves
  • Utility rate structures and scheduling
  • Baseline vs. proposed comparison
  • DOE-2 compatible output formats
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Code Reference

Code Compliance Reference

Quick reference for ASHRAE 90.1, Title 24, and IECC requirements.

  • ASHRAE 90.1-2022 mandatory provisions
  • Title 24-2025 prescriptive & performance paths
  • NRCC, LMCC, and NRCI form requirements
  • Envelope trade-offs and ECB method
  • IECC 2024 commercial requirements
  • CEC Registry submission process
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Integration Guide

Revit Integration (3 Add-ins)

Connect JΔS with Autodesk Revit for seamless BIM workflows.

  • JAS Design Suite - Load calcs & energy analysis
  • JAS Clash Detection - QA/QC & coordination
  • JAS MEP Tools - Productivity & visualization
  • Importing room data from Revit models
  • Bidirectional project synchronization
  • 70+ ribbon tools across 3 add-ins
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Formula Reference

Psychrometric Equations

ASHRAE Fundamentals psychrometric calculation equations and constants.

  • Saturation pressure (ASHRAE Eq. 5 & 6)
  • Humidity ratio from vapor pressure (W = 0.621945 Pv / (P - Pv))
  • Enthalpy: h = 0.240T + W(1061 + 0.444T)
  • Specific volume: v = 0.370486 T_R (1 + 1.6078W) / p
  • Dew point from humidity ratio (ASHRAE Eq. 37/38)
  • Wet bulb temperature iterative calculation
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Specialty Reference

Healthcare HVAC

ASHRAE 170 ventilation requirements for hospitals and healthcare facilities.

  • ASHRAE 170 ventilation requirements
  • Pressure relationships and air changes
  • Operating room and isolation room design
  • Infection control risk assessment (ICRA)
  • Medical gas systems
  • OSHPD/HCAI compliance
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Specialty Reference

Data Center Cooling

ASHRAE thermal guidelines and cooling design for data centers.

  • ASHRAE thermal guidelines (A1-A4)
  • Power density and heat load calculations
  • Hot/cold aisle containment strategies
  • PUE optimization techniques
  • Liquid cooling and free cooling
  • Redundancy (N+1, 2N) design
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Formula Reference

Essential HVAC Formulas

Quick reference for the most commonly used HVAC engineering equations.

  • Q_sensible = 1.08 x CFM x DeltaT (BTU/hr)
  • Q_latent = 4,840 x CFM x DeltaW (BTU/hr)
  • Fan laws: CFM, SP, HP vs. RPM relationships
  • Pump affinity laws: GPM, Head, BHP
  • Q = U x A x DeltaT (conduction heat transfer)
  • Altitude corrections for density and pressure
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Feature Guide

AI Design Assistant

AI-powered features for faster engineering design workflows.

  • Setting up cloud AI (Gemini, Claude, OpenAI)
  • AI-powered equipment selection
  • Auto-generated control sequences
  • Proactive design recommendations
  • Code reference assistant
  • Natural language calculations

HVAC Calculation Reference

Key formulas and methods used in JΔS Engineering Suite.

Sensible Heat Equation

Q_sensible = 1.08 x CFM x DeltaT (BTU/hr)

Where: 1.08 = 60 min/hr x 0.075 lb/ft3 x 0.24 BTU/lb-F (sea level). At altitude, multiply by pressure ratio.

Example: Conference room sensible cooling

Given: 800 CFM supply air, 55F supply, 75F room

Solution: Q = 1.08 x 800 x (75 - 55) = 17,280 BTU/hr = 1.44 tons

Latent Heat Equation

Q_latent = 4,840 x CFM x DeltaW (BTU/hr)

Where: 4,840 = 60 x 0.075 x 1,076. DeltaW is humidity ratio difference (lb/lb). Scale by pressure ratio at altitude.

Example: Latent load from outdoor air

Given: 500 CFM OA, W_outdoor = 0.0140, W_room = 0.0093

Solution: Q = 4,840 x 500 x (0.0140 - 0.0093) = 11,374 BTU/hr

Conduction Heat Transfer

Q = U x A x DeltaT (BTU/hr) where U = 1 / R_total

U-value (BTU/hr-ft2-F) is the reciprocal of total R-value. Assembly R-value sums all layers including air films.

Example: Heat loss through a wall

Given: 1,000 ft2 wall, R-20 insulation, 70F indoor, 20F outdoor

Solution: U = 1/20 = 0.05. Q = 0.05 x 1,000 x 50 = 2,500 BTU/hr

Specific Volume (ASHRAE)

v = 0.370486 x T_R x (1 + 1.6078 x W) / p_atm

Where: T_R = dry bulb (F) + 459.67 (Rankine), W = humidity ratio (lb/lb), p_atm = atmospheric pressure (psia).

Fan Laws

CFM2 / CFM1 = RPM2 / RPM1 SP2 / SP1 = (RPM2 / RPM1)^2 HP2 / HP1 = (RPM2 / RPM1)^3

Airflow is linear with speed. Pressure is squared. Power is cubed. These apply when system resistance remains constant.

Pump Affinity Laws

GPM2 / GPM1 = RPM2 / RPM1 Head2 / Head1 = (RPM2 / RPM1)^2 BHP2 / BHP1 = (RPM2 / RPM1)^3

Same relationships as fan laws. Critical for VFD energy savings calculations.

Compliance Quick Reference

Key requirements from major energy codes.

ASHRAE 90.1-2022

  • Envelope U-values by climate zone
  • Lighting power density (W/ft2) limits
  • Minimum equipment efficiencies (IEER, COP)
  • Economizer requirements by zone
  • ERV requirements for outdoor air
  • VAV minimum turndown requirements
  • Appendix G baseline methodology

Title 24-2025 (California)

  • Prescriptive vs. performance paths
  • NRCC-MCH-01 mechanical checklist
  • LMCC lighting compliance
  • NRCI inspection acceptance testing
  • Heat pump baseline requirements
  • Fault detection & diagnostics (FDD)
  • CEC Registry electronic submittal

Plumbing Design Reference

Quick reference for plumbing calculations.

Fixture Unit Method (Hunter's Curve)

GPM = f(Total WSFU) per IPC/UPC tables

Water Supply Fixture Units (WSFU) are summed and converted to GPM demand. Each fixture has assigned values (e.g., water closet = 2.5 WSFU, lavatory = 1.0 WSFU).

Hazen-Williams Pipe Friction

h_f = 10.44 x L x Q^1.85 / (C^1.85 x d^4.87)

Where: h_f = head loss (ft), L = length (ft), Q = flow (GPM), C = roughness (copper=130, steel=120, PVC=140), d = ID (in).

Integration Guides

Connect JΔS Engineering Suite with your existing tools.

JAS Design Suite (Revit)

Load calculations, energy analysis, and model export from Revit.

  • Supported: Revit 2022-2025
  • Launch MEP Design Suite from Revit
  • Import calculation results to spaces
  • Batch export to PDF, DWG, IFC, gbXML
  • Lighting, envelope, and U-value analysis

JAS Clash Detection (Revit)

MEP clash detection, QA/QC, and coordination tools.

  • Full model clash detection with browser
  • Airflow verification per space
  • Connection fixer and audit
  • Model health dashboard (0-100 score)
  • Coordination section box views

Field & Construction Administration

Tools for construction phase project management.

Field Survey

Mobile-friendly field survey tools for existing conditions documentation.

  • 40+ equipment types with data fields
  • TAB data collection
  • Photo documentation
  • ASHRAE/NEBB compliant reports

RFI & Submittal Tracking

AIA G716 compliant RFI and CSI MasterFormat submittal management.

  • 10-state RFI workflow
  • 13-state submittal workflow
  • Ball-in-court tracking
  • SLA compliance monitoring

Commissioning

ASHRAE Guideline 0 compliant commissioning management.

  • 11 equipment type procedures
  • Functional performance testing
  • Deficiency tracking
  • Final commissioning reports