Dynamic Flow Control for Energy-Efficient HVAC Systems
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Summary
Problems
Existing building management systems (BMS) and HVAC systems often operate inefficiently, leading to energy waste due to inefficient control of fluid flow through heating or cooling coils, which results in suboptimal energy usage and increased demand on devices like chillers and boilers.
Innovation solutions
A dynamic model-based approach is implemented to control the flow of liquid through HVAC coils by determining a maximum flow rate based on temperature measurements and flow data, ensuring a minimum temperature change across the coil, thereby optimizing energy efficiency and reducing waste.
TRIZ Analysis
Specific contradictions:
General conflict description:
Principle concept:
If the flow rate through the coil is increased to improve heating or cooling capacity, then the power consumption of pumps and HVAC devices increases, but the temperature change across the coil decreases below the threshold reducing efficiency
Why choose this principle:
The system dynamically adjusts the flow rate through the coil based on real-time temperature measurements and system conditions. The flow rate is modulated to maintain the temperature change across the coil above a threshold value, optimizing energy efficiency while meeting heating or cooling demands. This dynamic control prevents both excessive flow (which wastes energy) and insufficient flow (which reduces capacity).
Principle concept:
If the flow rate through the coil is increased to improve heating or cooling capacity, then the power consumption of pumps and HVAC devices increases, but the temperature change across the coil decreases below the threshold reducing efficiency
Why choose this principle:
The system changes the flow rate parameter dynamically to optimize performance. By adjusting the flow rate based on temperature differential thresholds and system conditions, the patent achieves optimal balance between heating/cooling capacity and energy efficiency, preventing energy waste from excessive flow while maintaining adequate capacity.
Application Domain
Data Source
AI summary:
A dynamic model-based approach is implemented to control the flow of liquid through HVAC coils by determining a maximum flow rate based on temperature measurements and flow data, ensuring a minimum temperature change across the coil, thereby optimizing energy efficiency and reducing waste.
Abstract
A method for controlling flow in a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system that imposes an upper limit on the flow of fluid through a heating or cooling coil. Imposing this limit on the flow rate ensures that a temperature change across the coil remains above a minimum threshold and can significantly reduce energy waste. The method includes receiving a first temperature measurement associated with an inlet of the coil, receiving a second temperature measurement associated with an outlet of the coil, and receiving a flow measurement associated with the valve, applying the first temperature measurement, the second temperature measurement, and the flow measurement as input to a model, determining a maximum flow rate that ensures that a difference between the first temperature measurement and the second temperature measurement is above a threshold using the model, and operating the valve in accordance with the maximum flow rate.