This month ASHRAE announced the release of its 2020 handbook, designed to help system designers and operators select equipment best fit for specific applications and scenarios.

HVAC Systems and Equipment details various systems and the components or assemblies they comprise. The chapters have been reviewed and revised by subject matter experts from ASHRAE’s technical committees to ensure they reflect current technologies and practices.

The volume contains many updates, including:

• Chapter 9, Applied Heat Pump and Heat Recovery Systems: Contains new content on waste heat recovery, district applications, and industrial process heat pumps
• Chapter 19, Duct Construction: Extensive revisions on system leakage and air dispersion systems
• Chapter 24, Desiccant Dehumidification and Pressure‑Drying Equipment: Updated to include expanded content on applications, air filters, and liquid strainers, plus recommendations from ASHRAE research project RP-1339 on rating equipment at altitude
• Chapter 25, Mechanical Dehumidifiers and Related Components: New content on psychrometrics, outdoor air, controls, and industrial dehumidifiers
• Chapter 37, Solar Energy Equipment: Data on worldwide solar technology use has been added, plus an expanded section on photovoltaic equipment
• Chapter 51, Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems: An entirely new chapter that presents detailed information on DOAS

ASHRAE has completed distribution of complimentary copies of its handbook to members and is now offering the resource to the public. The handbook is also available in an annotatable PDF version which users can highlight and add notes and comments.

Copies of the print volume, online version, PDF download, or individual chapters in PDF format can be purchased through the ASHRAE bookstore.