May 15, 2007

Pressure Independent Modulating Control

Valves:
Impact of Design or Greater T
on Chilled Water & Hot Water Systems
Presented by:
David Pleasants
1

BTUH = 500 GPM t

500 GPM t
Tons =
12,000
500 1000 12
= 500Tons
12,000
3

Design Conditions:
56

500 ton chiller

44

1000 GPM

500 1000 12
= 500Tons
12,000
Chiller is fully loaded
4

Low T :
54

500 ton chiller

44

1000 GPM

500 1000 10
= 417Tons
12,000
Chiller is 83% loaded

A.H.U. / Coil Performance:

What sets demand for chilled water?

C OOL IN G C O IL
supply air

C ONT ROL V A LV E

CHW R C HW S
T = C HW S T - C HW R T

Energy Optimization for Chilled Water Systems

Cooling Coil Heat Transfer vs. Water Flow:

2003 ASHRAE Applications Handbook, p 37.8

9

How should a cooling coil perform?

% Design Cooling Load

125
theoretical
ARI
12F
T coil

100
75

50% flow
satisfies
80% load

50
25
19

12

0
0

50

100

150

% Design Chilled Water Flow

Control valves must modulate well in this range

for good system performance!

200

Typical system with low T:

16.0
Delta T = 5.3097Ln(% Load) + 13.908

Delta T (deg F)

14.0
12.0
10.0

design T 14F

8.0
6.0

40% excess flow at 50% load

wastes at least half the pump energy

4.0
2.0
0.0
0%

20%

40%

60%

% Load

80%

100%

Trend of poor performance

Temperature (deg F)

100.0
90.0
80.0

OAT

70.0
60.0

SAT (55F design)

50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0

CHWST (45F design)

Delta T (15F design)

May 21, 2004

Why should T exceed design?

T is a parameter used in design at peak load to size
chillers, pipes, pumps, and cooling coils.
In operation at all loads, T is the most important
measure of total distribution system performance.

ton T
=
gpm 24

gpm 24
=
ton T

Maximize available capacity

Increase tons/gpm
(chillers, pumps, pipes, coils)
Minimize energy use
Decrease gpm/ton
(chiller plant, distribution, fans)

What Will Cause T

To Be Less Than Design
AT THE COOLING COIL?

Terminal Unit

45o

Three-Way Valve

What do pumps and control valves do?

190

System Pressure (ft)

170

pump discharge loss

generator loss (i.e. chiller, heat exchanger)
pump head

Pumps generate
system pressure.

150
closest circuits

130

110
furthest circuit

90

70
pump suction loss

50

Distance from the Source

Control valves
must consume
pressure
to modulate
flow.

WHAT CAN CAUSE LOW T?

Dirty or broken coils
Not enough heat transfer surface
Laminar flow (not really)

Real time pressure fluctuations

Rule of thumb control valve sizing
Control valve rangeability and system turndown
Rising supply water temperature to coils

real time system pressure fluctuations

40

Control valves
open and close
to meet demand
Pumps start,
stop and
change speed

35
Building Differential Pressure (psid)

Cooling loads
rise and fall

Building 1

30

25

20

15

10
Building 2
5

0
One Week (Summer 2003)

Conventional control valves must react

to both load and differential pressure changes.

Conventional Control Valve

Flow varies as differential

pressure varies.

It takes TIME for a

conventional control valve
& actuator to react to
differential pressure changes,
with or without a load change.

Conventional control valve sizing issues:

Rule of thumb valve sizing
Hydraulic profile (today)
Hydraulic profile (tomorrow)

Rule of thumb control valve sizing:

Line size or one size smaller.

5 psi drop (anywhere in system).
By maximum pump head for the loop.
Same pressure drop as coil served.
For authority (with limited DP data).

The problem commonly starts with uncertainty

in the hydraulic profile of the system

What happens when typical control valves

are sized by minimum pressure drop?
190

170

System Pressure (ft)

Valve
Rangeability
vs.
System
Turndown

pump discharge loss

generator loss (i.e. chiller, heat exchanger)
pump head

150
closest circuits

130

110
furthest circuit

90

Conventional control valves

close to the plant may only
use a small portion of their
full range.

70
pump suction loss

50

Distance from the Source

What happens (tomorrow) to the hydraulic

profile when loads are added or changed?
200
pump discharge loss
chiller loss
180

pump head

System Pressure (ft)

160

140
circuit closest
120

to the plant

current
100

furthest
circuit

80

60
pump suction loss
40

Distance from the Source

3 Possible Conditions of conventional

primary / secondary production plant:
Primary flow equal to secondary flow.
Primary flow greater than secondary flow.
Primary flow less than secondary flow.

500
ton

500
ton

C-2

C-1

CHWS Temp

Secondary
Pumps

Common

ECW Temp

CHWR Temp

24

Primary flow equal to secondary flow:

CHWS Temp
44 F

1000 gpm
44 F

500
ton

500
ton

C-2
Off

C-1
On

1000 gpm

1000
gpm

Secondary
Pumps

Common - No Flow
0
gpm

1000
gpm

1000 gpm
ECW Temp
56 F

CHWR Temp
56 F

25

Primary flow greater than secondary flow:

CHWS Temp
44 F

2000 gpm
44 F

500
ton

500
ton

C-2
On

C-1
On

1500 gpm

1500
gpm

Secondary
Pumps

Common - 500 gpm

1000
gpm

44 F

1000
gpm

1500 gpm
ECW Temp
53 F

CHWR Temp
56 F

Each chiller is 75% loaded (9/12)

26

Primary flow less than secondary flow:

CHWS Temp
46 F

1000 gpm
44 F

500
ton

500
ton

C-2
Off

C-1
On

1200 gpm

Secondary
Pumps

1200
gpm

Common - 200 gpm

0
gpm

1000
gpm

1200 gpm
ECW Temp
56 F

CHWR Temp
56 F

Stage on Chiller #2, to get.

27

Note: when we turned on primary pump #2, the primary flow increased to
2000 gpm, but secondary flow remained at 1200 gpm.
CHWS Temp
44 F

2000 gpm
44 F

500
ton

500
ton

C-2
On

C-1
On

1200 gpm

1200
gpm

Secondary
Pumps

Common - 800 gpm

1000
gpm

1000
gpm

1200 gpm
ECW Temp
51 F

CHWR Temp
56 F
28

CHWS Temp
44 F

Low T Syndrome
2000 gpm
44 F

500
ton

500
ton

C-2
On

C-1
On

1200 gpm

1200
gpm

Secondary
Pumps

Load = 500 Tons

Common - 800 gpm
1000
gpm

1000
gpm

1200 gpm
ECW Temp
50 F

CHWR Temp
54 F

With 54 F return water from the system, we cannot

meet the 500 ton load with one chiller
Lets look at wasted energy in this example because of the low t29

Low T Syndrome

500
ton

500
ton

C-2
On

C-1
On

CHWS Temp
44 F

2000 gpm
44 F

1200 gpm

1200
gpm

Secondary
Pumps

Load = 500 Tons

Common- 800 gpm
1000
gpm

1000
gpm

1200 gpm
ECW Temp
50 F

CHWR Temp
54 F

Our pump bhp on the primary side is over twice than what it would be with a 12 t
We are pumping 20% more flow on secondary side. Secondary pump bhp increase of 60%
Running 2 chillers instead of 1; 2 towers instead of 1; and 2 condenser pumps instead of 1
Our chiller plant cannot meet a 1000 load with the low t
30

Changes we can make to meet the

1000 ton load in our example

Fix the low t problem out in the system (low t is

caused by a problem out in the system it is not
caused by primary-secondary)
Buy a 170-ton chiller

32

PREVENTING LOW T:

High Quality Pressure Independent

Modulating Control Valves Are a
Solution to Low T

Pressure Independent Modulating Control

Valves only react to changes in the load

airflow

CHWR CHWS

Flow is steadied by maintaining

constant differential pressure
across the control surface

Flow remains steady over a wide

operating pressure range:

Applied at coils, these valves

make the system ROBUST to
real time fluctuations in pressure
AND uncertainty in the
hydraulic profile.

Pressure independent control valves

dont care about pressures:

Conventional Control Valve

Flow varies as differential

pressure varies

Flow is steadied by maintaining

constant differential pressure
across the control surface
36

Flow remains steady in a wide

operating pressure range

37

Pressure variations have no effect on the

flow rate through cooling coils
Chilled Water Flow Rate (gpm)

5-15 psid pressure

variations induced

8
7
6
5
4

Conventional Control Valve

3
2

Pressure Independent Control Valve

1
0
0

60

120

180

240

300

360

Time, seconds

IT TAKES TIME FOR A CONVENTIONAL CONTROL VALVE TO RETURN TO

THE RIGHT POSITION TO SERVE THE COOLING LOAD. CONTROL VALVE
HUNTING CONTRIBUTES TO LOW DELTA T

38

They are typically applied

at terminal unit cooling coils:

airflow

Leaving air temperature

thermostat alone usually sets
the demand for chilled water
flow.

High quality pressure independent

control valve optimize delta T
performance and dynamically
balances the system at all load
conditions.
CHWR CHWS
39

They are selected by flow rate,

not Cv and differential pressure 190

System Pressure (ft)

170

pump discharge loss

chiller loss
pump head

150

Cv calculations are not required.

These valves operates the same at
any location in the system at any
load.

closest circuits

130

110
furthest circuit

90

System is robust
to future changes
in the piping, load
or hydraulic
profile.

70
pump suction loss

50

Distance

40

Typical Part Load Day

Design Load = 500 GPM
Conventional Control Valve
26

36

280 GPM

400 GPM

16

16

Typical Part Load Day

Design Load = 500 GPM
Pressure Independent Control Valve
26

36

280 GPM

280 GPM

16

16

(note that we no longer need a balance valve)

Flow Rate Doesnt Vary as

Differential Pressure Varies
70 PSID

Automatic Flow
Limiters
Will they solve the
problem?

44

Automatic Flow Limiters

Function as the opposite of

Pressure Independent
Modulating Control Valves!

45

Typical Part Load Day

Conventional Control Valve
Design Load = 500 GPM
26

280 GPM

16

500 GPM automatic

balance valve
36

400 GPM

16

26
26
16

21

36
36
16

31

- this enables coil and system T

to be optimized at all loads

The BAR is design

delta T the coil
delta T should
exceed design at
all load conditions

% Desig n Co o lin g L o ad

125
12Ftheoretical
coil ideal
performance
performance

100

80%
75
50
25
19

12

6 Delta T

0
0

50

100

150

% Design Chilled Water Flow

Control valves MUST be properly sized and able

to control in this range the majority of the time.

200

Trend of excellent performance:

Temperature (deg F)

100.0
90.0

OAT

80.0
70.0
60.0

SAT (55F design)

50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0

CHWST (40F design)

Delta T (15F design)

10.0
0.0
June 30, 2002

Summary Water Side

Measure T across coils and all loops.
Compare T performance to design.
If it does not exceed coil design at part load
- seek a solution.

How a good system operates:

90

Temperature (deg F)

80

OAT

70

CHWRT

60

Supply
Return
CHWST
Outside Air
Delta T

50
40
30
20

Delta T

10
0
8:00 AM

11:00 AM

2:00 PM

Time on 11/18/02

5:00 PM

USC Law
Building has
10 and 12F
coils designed
for 44
CHWST

Duke Chiller Plant

24,000 Ton
Primary-Pumped
with Direct Return
Secondary
Distribution
14 degree design
distribution

C
h
i
l
l
e
r

C
h
i
l
l
e
r

Old coils - 10 Degree design

Terminals

Terminals

Terminals

Secondary
Pump

Secondary
Pump

Secondary
Pump

Common

Common

Common

Supply

Supply
Return

Primary
Pumped
Chiller
Pumps

Return

Rolairtrol & Compression Tank

54

Real World Results at Duke University

Duke has old two way valves and coils that

were operating at 5 to 6 T.
Pressure Independent Control Valves valves on
same 10 coils and loads are providing
15 to 20 T .

*If you want to visit call or e-mail the JMP CO

55
031307CE

American Express
Greensboro, NC
1050 Ton Chiller Plant
Primary Secondary

C
H
I
L
L
E
R

C
H
I
L
L
E
R

Primary-Secondary

Delta P Valves

Supply

C
H
I
L
L
E
R

Return
Common pipe

56

Variable-flow circuit

Real World Results at American Express

American Express had old two way valves and coils

that were operating at 5 to 6 T.
Only 50% or ( half) valves changed to
Pressure Independent Control Valves - on same coils
and loads
are providing 9 to 10 T .

57
042307CE

Web Site: http://www.jmpco.com

58