Aspects of the disclosure relate to a self-adjusting balance valve controller for controlling water flow through a hydronic emitter (e.g., radiator) in an environmental temperature control system.
For hydronic emitters (including radiators, underfloor heating/cooling circuits, fan coils, chilled beams) the rate at which the water flows through the emitters need to be regulated to ensure all circuits/emitters in an environmentally temperature controlled system are balanced. The water flow varies due to different distances, connection circuitry and size of the pipes from the water pressure source or water pump. In order to make the system work in balance, a mechanical or fixed flow restricting valve may be employed in the inlet and/or outlet of each hydronic emitter to allow it to regulate the flow rate of each emitter in order to maintain a balanced flow of the water to each emitter throughout the system.
This process of balancing an environmental temperature control system is often quite tedious and may require numerous iterations in order to fine tune a balanced system. The time required to balance a system may be extremely long with a more complicated configuration.
An aspect provides an automatic self-adjusting balance valve controller comprising a microprocessor with memory and two analog-to-digital inputs measuring the temperature of emitter inlet and outlet temperatures, The valve controller may include a motorized mechanism that can move a shaft to adjust the water flow valve pin length, where the measured temperature differential is used to adjust the shaft length to maintain a stable temperature difference between the inlet and outlet to the valve.
With another aspect, the temperature sensors may be separate radio frequency module sensors that report the measured temperatures to the balance valve periodically or by a wired communication.
With another aspect, the temperature differential setting between inlet and outlet to the balance valve may be a fixed value or a value that is provided through a user interface of the balance valve controller.
With another aspect, the temperature differential setting between inlet and outlet may be setup through any form of radio frequency signal to the balance valve controller before or during the operation of the balance valve controller or by a wired communication.
With another aspect, the balance valve controller may be powered by a main AC or low voltage AC/DC power supply or fully powered by battery or rechargeable battery. When supplied by AC or DC power supply, the power supply may be disconnected by an external thermostat. When power is disconnected from the balance valve, an internal energy storage circuitry enables the balance valve controller to continue to sustain the motor action to close the balance valve. The internal energy storage circuitry may be a battery, rechargeable battery, high capacity capacitor, and/or any form of energy storage module.
With another aspect, a variable differential value may be input to the balance valve to allow a different balance value at different times or temperature control situations, for example, when the emitter is required to provide more heating/cooling or less heating/cooling. This can be input via the user or by time schedule or by radio frequency or wired communication and so on.
The foregoing summary of the invention, as well as the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, is better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are included by way of example, and not by way of limitation with regard to the claimed invention.
Balance valve 106 may support heating and/or cooling environmental systems. When supporting a heating mode, water flow pipe 107 transports heated water to radiator 101 through inlet 102. When supporting a cooling mode, water flow 107 transports cooled water. Water return pipe 108 returns the expended water from radiator 101 through outlet 103.
Balance valve 106 measures the inlet and outlet temperatures through temperature sensors 104 and 105, respectively, and adjusts the water flow through radiator 101 so that the measured temperature differential stabilizes to the desired temperature differential. For example, when balance valve 106 is operating in the heating mode and the measured outlet temperature is too high, balance valve 106 reduces the water flow though radiator 101 so that the radiator extracts more heat from the water flow. The balance valve 106 may be considered as being balanced when balance valve 106 has stabilized the temperature differential at a desired value.
Balance valve 106 may connect to temperature sensors 104 and 105 in a number of ways. For example, temperature sensors 104 and 105 may be separate radio frequency module sensors that report the measured temperatures to the balance valve periodically or by a wired communication.
Referring to balancing valve 205, controlled water flow to the corresponding hydronic emitter (not explicitly shown) is through inlet 203 (from water flow pipe 201) and outlet 204 (to return pipe 202). The measured temperature differential is provided by temperature sensors 206 and 207.
Referring to
Valve 301 is adjusted by positioning coupling pin 303a that abuts valve shaft 310. As a result, valve head 311 affects water flow 302 from water entry 313 to water exit 314, where the water flow through valve 301 is consequently the same as through the associated hydronic emitter. Valve 301 is fully opened in
Logic PCBA 307 controls the operation of the balance valve by instructing motor 304 to rotate a desired amount (as detected via photo sensor 309). The motor movement is coupled to coupling pin 303a,b through gear box 305 and helical gear 306. As will be discussed in further detail logic PCBA 307 supports the functionalities of the balance valve controller.
Power PCBA 308 provides electrical power to logic PCBA 307. Logic PCBA 307 may be powered by a main AC or low voltage AC/DC power supply or fully powered by battery or rechargeable battery. When supplied by AC or DC power supply, the power supply may be disconnected by an external thermostat. When electrical power is disconnected from the balance valve, an internal energy storage circuitry may enable the balance valve controller to continue to sustain the motor action to close the balance valve. The internal energy storage circuitry may be a battery, rechargeable battery, high capacity capacitor, and/or any form of energy storage module.
The temperature differential setting between inlet and outlet may be a fixed value or a value that input by user through user interface 404 of the balance valve processor 401.
With reference to
Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electronically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and that can be accessed by the computing device.
Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. Modulated data signal is a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
Referring to
A variable differential value may be input to the balance valve to allow a different balance value at different times or temperature control situations, for example, when the hydronic emitter is required to provide more heating/cooling or less heating/cooling. This can be input by the user or by time schedule or by radio frequency or wired communication and so forth.
Processor 401 configures the balance valve at blocks 501-508. At block 501, controller initializes the balance valve.
At blocks 502-506, processor 401 determines the emitter timer duration based on the water flow characteristics of the supported hydronic emitter. The purpose of the emitter timer is to provide an incremental time for periodically updating the positioning of the coupling pin (corresponding to coupling pin 303a,b as shown in
At block 502, the coupling pin is positioned at the zero position (no displacement) so that the balance valve is in the completely opened position (as shown in
At block 507, processor 401 instructs motor 304 to move the coupling pin to the preset position. Processor 401 enters the control mode at block 509 via block 508.
When in the control mode, processor 401 periodically updates the displacement of the coupling pin every emitter timer period at block 510.
At block 511, process 500 determines whether the balance valve is balance (i.e., whether the measured temperature differential equals the desired temperature differential). If so, the valve controller returns to block 510 and waits until the next emitter timer period. Otherwise, at block 512, processor 401 determines whether the measured return temperature (at outlet 103 as shown in
If valve processor 401 determines that the measured return temperature (at outlet 103) is too low (i.e., not too high) at block 512, valve processor 401 determines whether the measured return temperature is rising at block 515. If so, the measured return temperature is properly adjusting, and processor 401 returns to block 510. If the measured return is not rising, processor 401 determines the displacement decrease of the coupling pin at block 517 in order to increase the water flow through the balance valve unless the zero end stop (i.e., the coupling pin cannot be further reduced) has been reached as detected at block 516.
At block 518, valve processor 401 instructs motor 304 to move the coupling pin the displacement change as determined at block 517 or 519.
As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, a computer system with an associated computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling the computer system can be utilized to implement the exemplary embodiments that are disclosed herein. The computer system may include at least one computer such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor, and associated peripheral electronic circuitry.
This patent application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/367,268 entitled “Automatic Balance Valve Control” filed on Jul. 27, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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