Does anybody have a software program or spreadsheet that they use for calculating pressure loss (ft of head) for hydronic systems to assist in pump selection.
Like many other engineers, I developed my own spreadsheet and you can do one for yourself. This gives us better confidence about the calculation and we are also sure about what method is being used. You can have a look into my spreadsheet attached here.
My spreadsheet is based on Darby and Hooper's methods. Just go through the Please Read worksheet to understand the scope of the calculations inside and also this gives you some understanding of the logic behind the procedures/methods I used.
Alternately, you can download this free Pressure Drop calculator, which I extensively used before making my own spreadsheet.
Just be sure that you use the right logic and use correct figures to get the correct result.
PS: The last worksheet calculates the power consumption by pumps.
I've used the Taco-HSS program and found it very helpful. Like most computer programs you're asked to input the entire system and it determines the highest pressure drop. You create a piping diagram with a Visio type interface and then tell the program what all the loads are. I went from download to reasonable data on a large high school in 3 days, which included two false starts.