REFURBISHMENT
CUT ENERGY COSTS IN HEATING SYSTEMS BY UP TO 50%
Dynamic balancing valves are now becoming a key element in refurbishing buildings to make them more energy efficient.
and also lead to a major reduction on energy bills for a building as boilers and chillers work more efficiently. Frese, based in Denmark, is the world leading manufacturer of dynamic balancing valves. stephen Hart, the uK managing director of the firm said: “Dynamic balancing valves are the future for creating energy efficient heating and cooling systems. “the flow of fluid and pressure in a system is vital to how efficiently it operates, how it warms a building and how much work the actual boiler and pump has to do. For large scale schemes like schools, hotels or apartment blocks managing the flow and pressure variations in a system can become a huge headache.” traditional heating and cooling systems typically consist of a plant room and circulating pumps to distribute heated or chilled water through pipe work to heat exchangers. until recently water flow through a coil in these heat exchangers was usually controlled by a three port temperature control valve that modulated water flow
a
ccording to experts these valves, when used in a heating system, can lead up to a 50% saving on the energy a circulating pump consumes
through a bypass to regulate power output from the heat exchangers. Valves were then manually balanced by the installer to ensure that each heat exchange receives enough heated or chilled water to maintain indoor air temperature. in new schemes and refurbishment projects now, experts are typically installing different valve systems that include variable speed pumps, two port control valves, balancing valves and pressure sensors. conventional systems that include manual balancing valves require a commissioning specialist to proportionally balance the system so it works effectively. according to valve experts Frese, this can be a lengthy process and the end result is a system that can still suffer significant energy wastage and is difficult to adjust if the system is subsequently modified. Pressure independent balancing and control valves are able to prevent the unwanted but inevitable pressure fluctuations in the system from effecting the ability to control the indoor climate accurately and its through this accurate control that heating systems are made more efficient. stephen Hart said: “ Pressure
independent control Valves have quickly become the preferred method to easily establish the right pressure in a system and turn a heating system into a far more efficient animal. they are basically a self- regulating valve which react independently to changes in system pressure to maintain flow rates. at Frese we have been working on this technology for 25 years, and we now have Frese optima dynamic balancing valves, which includes an automatic temperature control valve, flow limited balancing valves and differential pressure valve, all in a single valve body. this three part mechanism allow the valves to self regulate and react independently. it’s through this self regulation that optimum heat and flow in the system is maintained, the valves do away with the need to manually balance the system and provide a greater level of control than
26 Public sector sustainability • Volume 4 issue 1
traditional systems, using basic valves. according to stephen installing dynamic balancing valves as part of a heat pump system is an easy way of converting a building to become energy efficient. He said: “Dynamic balancing valves can be installed on any system and will give a far better control of pressure and temperature through building while cutting the need to have so many valves installed. that said dynamic balancing valves are particularly effective on variable flow systems with inverter pumps, pressure sensors and two port control valves.” Frese has supplied and installed valves on a number of landmark uK projects including schemes on canary Wharf and the athletes Village at the london olympics. the firm’s most recent project is one of london’s most exclusive residential projects, 3 merchant square, supplying 1200 valves for 201 luxury apartments. stephen Hart said: “three merchant
square is a great example of how dynamic balancing valves can be used to develop an energy efficient system. the valve assemblies are being fitted to fan coil units in each of the 201 apartments and combine pressure independent control, drain, flushing and isolation valves with an integrated flow measurement device. these valves ensure precise control of heating and cooling systems in the building and lower the flow and pump pressure through the apartment block. through this system we are expecting to deliver considerable energy savings over the coming years, while the system is low maintenance and easy to change and extend if necessary.” For more information on dynamic valves and their use in new schemes and refurbishment projects visit www.
frese.co.uk or contact 01704 896012.
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