USER GUIDE

HVLS fans — layout & air-speed map

High-volume low-speed ceiling fans for warehouses, factories and halls: area from a rectangle, a drawn polygon, a DXF or the drawing, racks as obstructions, automatic layout per fan size (count, coverage, kW), drag / add / remove fans with a live air-speed map at the seated or standing plane, coverage and dead zones, ASHRAE 55 cooling effect, an optional 3D CFD check — fan schedule, Excel, DXF and report.

ASHRAE 55 · AMCA 230

How to use it

Give the area: type W × L for a rectangle, click the corners on the canvas (Draw area), import a DXF closed polyline, or Read from drawing inside the CAD plugin; add holes (areas not served) and obstructions — racks as rectangles with their height, or a block of racks with Add rack rows.
Set the clear height to the roof structure, the occupied plane (seated 1.1 m / standing 1.7 m), the target air speed (0.8 / 1.0 / 1.5 m/s) and coverage %, the design air temperature, RH, met and clo for the comfort check, and the code regime.
Pick the fan size from the library (filter by brand) or leave Auto; press Auto layout — every size is tried and the options table shows count, coverage, kW and score; click a row to apply it.
Fine-tune on the plan: drag fans, click to add or remove, set the speed of each fan; the speed map (fast model), the stats (mean, p10 / p90, coverage, dead zones, kW) and the cooling effect update as you go.
Run 3D check (CFD) for the coarse lattice-Boltzmann check of the chosen layout — the CFD plane map is shown next to the fast map with a vertical section; read the note on its limits.
Save the project (code in the URL), then the Report, Excel and DXF; in AutoCAD / ZWCAD the HVLS fans drive tool places the fan blocks, coverage circles and speed contours on the drawing.

Inputs

Field	Type / default	Meaning
Area		rectangle W × L, polygon drawn on the canvas, DXF closed polyline or the drawing; holes
Obstructions		racks / equipment / walls as rectangles or polygons with height; rack-row helper
Heights		clear height to the roof structure, occupied plane 1.1 / 1.7 m
Targets		air speed 0.8 / 1.0 / 1.5 m/s, coverage %
Comfort		air temperature, RH, met, clo (ASHRAE 55 SET)
Fans		library size (brand filter) or Auto; per-fan position, mounting height and speed

What you get

Output	Content
Layout options	per size: count, coverage, kW, score — click to apply
Speed map	air speed at the plane with contours, fan circles and coverage rings
Stats & comfort	mean, p10 / p90, coverage, dead zones, kW; cooling effect at the design temperature
3D check	CFD plane map and vertical section (indicative)
Report / Excel / DXF	fan schedule, speed map, stats, comfort, checks, typical mounting details

Standards applied

ASHRAE 55-2020 — Thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy
Comfort criteria
ASHRAE Fundamentals 2021 ch. 21 / 22 — Duct design; pipe design
Friction, fitting coefficients, velocity limits for ducts and chilled-water pipes
ASHRAE Handbook — HVAC Applications ch. 51 — Service water heating
Hot-water demand, storage and recovery
AMCA 210 / 300 / 301 — Laboratory methods of testing fans for aerodynamic and sound performance
Fan performance certification
NBC 2016 Part 8 Section 3 — Air-conditioning, heating and mechanical ventilation
Design conditions, ventilation rates, ducting and safety (India)

Good to know

Every project has a code in the URL — save, share it, or add it under My account → Add.
Reports, Excel and DXF need a sign-in (1 report free) or DesignLink membership; the calculation itself is free.
Prefer Excel? Every table tool has Excel template / Upload & run in its top bar: fill only the bold columns, upload, and the project is created and designed at once; calculators have a batch template (one case per row).
Results are engineering estimates for design and submission — verify site data and OEM datasheets before construction.

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