Fortunately, Engineering has been determined to be an essential service. Design projects can continue, although it may be necessary to tele-commute, rather than going to the office.
Mechanical Engineering is one field that is significantly dependent on consulting a wide variety of reference materials. We need guide books, such as “ASHRAE Fundamentals”, “ASHRAE Systems and Equipment”, “ASHRAE HVAC Applications”, “SMACNA HVAC Systems Duct Design”, “ASPE Fundamentals of Plumbing Engineering”, “ASPE Plumbing Systems”, Locally adopted “Mechanical Codes” and “Plumbing Codes”, as well as a variety of Equipment Manufacturers Catalogs.
When we are required to work from home, it is unlikely that we are able to bring all of these references with us from the office.
For that reason, it is even more important that we have resources, with the most-used of these reference books and tables, available in the form of Engineering and Design Software Packages.
Reference data, such as Duct Fitting Coefficients, Psychrometric Calculations, Recommended Ventilation Rate Tables, Weather Data, Duct Sizing Charts, Hydronic Pipe Sizing Charts, Plumbing Pipe Sizing Charts and Tables, a wide variety of design-related formulas, and relevant Mechanical and Plumbing Code requirements, can be built into the software programs.
As HVAC and Plumbing Design software developers, it is our job to incorporate all of these tools into our design and engineering software packages.
With the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Engineer/Designer can reduce the suitcase-full of reference materials to an easily downloadable program to use on their computer, at home.
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