Parker Sporlan's new web-based product selection program, Virtual Engineer, allows the user to size, select and fully configure products for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration applications. Virtual Engineer features quick selection of single or multiple components by template. An innovative dashboard and project system make saving, editing, and sharing projects easy.
Virtual Engineer replaces Parker Sporlan’s legacy Selection Program. The legacy Selection Program was originally created to perform distributor calculations for internal purposes. Over the years, its use expanded to include many of the products Parker Sporlan offers and became an industry standard tool for selecting products in HVACR applications.
By using Virtual Engineer, OEMs, Wholesalers, and Contractors can select the latest Parker Sporlan products with the most up-to-date refrigerants available on the market today. Users can select and size easily while out on the job site, in the equipment room or from their office. Parker Sporlan is committed to serving the HVACR industry with new and updated innovative tools to help users get the job done quickly and efficiently.
Virtual Engineer highlights 17 product areas with a basic template layout.
Product areas:
Distributors
Expansion Valves
Solenoid Valves – Discharge, Suction, Liquid
Catch-Alls® – Liquid, Suction
Suction Filters
Discharge Bypass Valves
Evaporator Pressure Regulators
Discharge MTW Valves
Head Pressure Control Valves
Differential Pressure Regulators
Temperature Responsive Valves
3-Way Hot Gas Defrost Valves
Condenser Split Solenoid Valves
3-Way Heat Reclaim Valves
Secondary Coolant Valves
Liquid, Discharge and Suction Line Sizing
Flash Gas Bypass and Gas Cooler Valves
With the use of an interactive template, all product areas are represented on the Dashboard when the user accesses the login page. The user can toggle from part to part from within the different categories, then is prompted to enter specific information when the part is chosen. Once a part is chosen, the Sizing and Configuration tools for each product appears. This feature is particularly valuable in systems such as cooling loops in which the optimal sizing and selection path is not intuitive. First-time users can now complete sizing and selection with minimal assistance.
Virtual Engineer allows refrigerant and product updates to become available as they are released. The web-based aspect of it ensures users are working with the latest version of the program. The HTML5 interface makes it scalable to the screen size being used. NIST Refrprop 10.0 is used for the refrigerant properties.
Popular system features from the previous Selection Program such as line sizing and thermodynamic reports have been carried over to Virtual Engineer. Thermodynamic reports have been expanded to include Pressure-Enthalpy, Pressure-Temperature and Enthalpy-Temperature graphs.
“We are excited about several new tools in the Virtual Engineer package, including the ability to size electric valves and mechanical valves in the same tool allowing for side-by-side loading analysis. The new software also allows for sizing of a wider range of electric valves including the Modulating 3-Way Valves, electric head pressure control valves, and Transcritical CO2 products. The new tools build on Parker Sporlan’s legacy of supporting the HVACR industry and providing new, innovative tools that help users get the job done.”
Dustin Searcy, division marketing manager, Sporlan Division
Save design engineering time with these simple steps:
Step 1: Click to access Parker Sporlan's Virtual Engineer.
Step 2: Choose your product category using the interactive interface.
Step 3: Size, select and compare products that meet the requirements of your application.
Step 4: Find a wholesaler, create your personal account, share your project, and/or download files.
This is what you'll see.
Use the grey arrows to toggle forward and backward to find your product category.
Once you've identified your product category, click the image to load the sizing tool.
In this example, the Expansion Valve sizing tool is chosen, located in the Expansion Devices section.
The Product Info icon takes you to the Expansion Valve's product page. Each product page is specific to that product family. This page will include a product overview, specifications, literature and other product support materials.
Enter your system information in the required red field boxes. Virtual Engineer will alert you if an incorrect value is entered. As information is entered, the available products will be filtered on the right side of the screen.
You can also Save Progress and Reset Parameters using the tools in the upper right column. Saving your progress will require you to create a free account with Virtual Engineer.
After entering your parameters, click the Compare button at the top right of the screen. All available options are included in the compare table by default. You can deselect these as necessary. The Compare button will bring up the Compare Table.
Add your part to an existing project, or create a new one. Next create a system inside your project. There is no limit to the number of projects or systems you have.
Article contributed by Jason Forshee, application engineer, Sporlan Division of Parker Hannifin
Related, helpful content for you:
HVACR Tech Tip: Guidelines for How to Size Solenoid Valves for Split Condensers
HVACR Tech Tip: Basic Troubleshooting Given Three Measurements
HVACR Tech Tip: Understanding Heat Pump Systems and Thermostatic Expansion Valves
HVACR Tech Tip: Interchangeable Cartridge Style Thermostatic Expansion Valves Save Time & Money
Have a question about Parker products or services? We can help: Contact Us!
Comments for How to Use Virtual Engineer for HVACR Product Selection
Regards, Jason
Please note that, in an effort to combat spam, comments with hyperlinks will not be published.