Damper torque or valve force testing device
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for an accurate and cost-effective method to measure and characterize the torque or force required to fully open and close damper and valve assemblies in HVAC systems, as current methods are expensive and time-consuming, often resulting in the selection of inappropriate actuators due to a lack of understanding of damper characteristics.
Innovation Solution
A compact testing device mounted on damper or valve assemblies that measures and characterizes torque or force requirements, storing data for generating graphs to select optimal actuators, and optionally transmitting data wirelessly for remote analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If expensive lab instrumentation and in-person testing visits are used to characterize damper torque, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time and loss of substance (cost) increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified copy of lab testing capability by integrating torque sensing technology directly into a portable actuator device. This copy enables field testing without requiring expensive laboratory equipment, thus reducing both time and cost while maintaining measurement accuracy through embedded sensors and processors that replicate laboratory measurement functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing device enables damper manufacturers to perform their own torque characterization testing without needing external laboratory services. The self-contained device with integrated sensors, processors, and data storage allows customers to independently characterize their dampers, eliminating the need for expensive in-person testing visits and reducing both time and cost.
2Measurement precision
If damper customers ship assemblies to actuator suppliers for lab testing, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time and loss of substance (transportation cost) increase
Solution Approach 1:
The portable testing device empowers damper customers to perform torque characterization testing at their own facilities, eliminating the need to ship assemblies to actuator suppliers. This self-service approach maintains measurement precision through integrated sensors while completely eliminating transportation costs and associated time delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing device acts as an intermediary that brings laboratory-capable measurement functions directly to the customer's location. By embedding sensing and processing capabilities in a portable device, it mediates between the need for precise torque characterization and the desire to avoid shipping costs, enabling accurate testing in-situ.
3Device complexity
If actuators are selected without accurate torque data, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to incorrect actuator selection
Solution Approach 1:
The testing device enables customers to obtain accurate torque characterization data independently, allowing them to make reliable actuator selections based on actual measured performance rather than estimates. This self-service capability ensures reliability by providing the necessary data for correct actuator sizing without adding significant complexity to the selection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The device provides real-time feedback on actual damper torque requirements through measured data, enabling customers to select actuators with appropriate torque ratings. This feedback mechanism ensures reliable actuator selection by matching actual field requirements with actuator capabilities, preventing both under-selection and over-selection of actuator size.
Data Source
AI summary
A testing device characterizes a damper/valve in situ in a HVAC system. It comprises a controller including a processor and a memory and circuitry. The testing device is mounted on a damper assembly having a control shaft and a damper rotatably coupled to the control shaft such that the control shaft is activated by the circuitry of the testing device. The testing device further comprises computer-readable logic code to: open and close the damper by actuating the control shaft, detect a rotational position of the damper and a torque required to move the damper to the rotational position, characterize a plurality of torques required to drive the damper to a plurality of pre-determined rotational positions of the damper when subjected to a fluid flow to generate damper rotational position data vs. torque data, and store the damper rotational position data vs. torque data to produce damper characteristic graphs.