using rules of thumb, such as limiting friction rate (e.g., 4 feet per 100 feet of pipe), water velocity (e.g., 10 feet per second), or a combination of the two. These methods are expedient and reproducible, but they seldom result in an optimum design on either a first-cost or life-cycle cost basis.
The CoolTools Pipe Size Optimization Tool incorporates the above design and cost factors, allowing the designer to find the lowest cost piping system design.
For a complete discussion of chilled water plant pumping system optimization, see the
CoolTools Chilled Water Design Guide.
The CoolTools Pipe Size Optimization Tool runs on Microsoft Excel 10.0 or a later release running on a compatible Windows platform of Windows XP™ or later. Installation requires a minimum of 1 MB of free disk space, but 5 MB of free space is recommended for running the program.